Convenience
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2016 3:28 am
My first fanfiction in about half a decade, dedicated to Kristi who wanted my headcannon in fic form.
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Lady Aravis of Anvard, formally Tarkheena currently defacto Princess of Archenland, sat in her chambers looking over a board shaped like the castle's ballroom set up with miniature tables surrounded by movable cards inscribed with the names of those who were invited to the festival that was to be held the next week. She picked up a card that was set off to the side when the actual Prince of Archenland entered her room with significantly less ceremony than one would expect of a prince.
"You have called me into the room three times within the morning about these silly seating arrangements, what is it now?" Prince Cor asked, looking tired and slightly annoyed that he had to walk across the courtyard again. And he was rather annoyed, but he couldn't bring himself to be angry. Aravis was his best friend and she did look so lovely when she let her hair down to work in her own seating room....
"These seating arrangements are not silly!" Aravis said indignantly. "At the coming of age celebration of the heir apparent of Archenland it is of utmost importance who sits next to who. The conversations had at this feast could either shine or taint the opinion of Archenland in the minds of the diplomats that are attending."
"Then why don't you ask my brother? It's his birthday as well and he's had more experience than I have at being a Prince" the former Calormen peasant replied.
"You know just as well as I do that your brother stopped caring much for that sort of thing the moment that you came back home." The "princess" countered.
"But I trust you do do the seating yourself, you are trained in that sort of thing and you care. What is it that you wanted to know anyway?"
"The diplomat from the Lone Islands showed up today and I didn't expect him to arrive until after the celebration. He was intending to come to talk with our merchants about trading grain for wool and mutton after the feast but there was a favorable wind."
"Then invite him and notify the cooks, you didn't need to send for me to do that."
"Yes, I didn't need to send for you to do that, I already did."
"Then what did you need me for?!" Cor whined.
"Because I thought that the prince should choose if he sat next to our merchants or not."
"Of course he should set next to the people he came to talk to!"
"One would think that, but shouldn't he be sat with the embassy from Narnia? I know that they would want to assure the Lone Islands of their importance now that their monarchs are missing." Aravis countered.
"Then do that." Cor assented to easily.
Aravis moved the card for the ambassador into a spot suspiciously already cleared on the Narnian's table.
"You already planned on doing that!" Cor exclaimed.
"I wanted to hear the side of the Prince before I did something that might affect our relationship with our neighbor and ally."
"But you obviously didn't need my side, you only wanted to hear your opinion coming out of my mouth."
"It's a lovely opinion coming out of the mouth of a prince." Aravis said, turning back to looking back at the other tables and cards.
"But I didn't have to walk all the way from another wing of the castle for you to hear it! You just sent a servant and I have to walk all around the castle to get here. I have duties as well that I have to abandon in order to get here to just say that I trust you to not cause an international panic based on seating arrangements!" Cor replied annoyed.
"But I have the seating arrangements here, I can't move them easily. And it's not like it would be proper for us to live in the same wing!"
Cor just stood in gaped mouth silence as a realization seemed to come over him. Perhaps he'd thought about it in the back of his mind hundreds of times walking through the halls from his room to his best friend's.
"There's a way to make it proper."
"Cor don't be silly you can't just have an unmarried prince and a....." Aravis trailed off as she realized what he was saying.
"We could make it proper tomorrow at the festival. We already have all of the nobility here and all of the diplomats and nobility of our neighbors that could be spared. Father has seen to it that the feast will be like none other. I'm sure whatever dress you've ordered is suitable. It would be so convenient for you to move into my rooms as my wife Aravis."
Aravis looked deep in thought before finally smiling. "It would be very convenient to be your wife."
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Lady Aravis of Anvard, formally Tarkheena currently defacto Princess of Archenland, sat in her chambers looking over a board shaped like the castle's ballroom set up with miniature tables surrounded by movable cards inscribed with the names of those who were invited to the festival that was to be held the next week. She picked up a card that was set off to the side when the actual Prince of Archenland entered her room with significantly less ceremony than one would expect of a prince.
"You have called me into the room three times within the morning about these silly seating arrangements, what is it now?" Prince Cor asked, looking tired and slightly annoyed that he had to walk across the courtyard again. And he was rather annoyed, but he couldn't bring himself to be angry. Aravis was his best friend and she did look so lovely when she let her hair down to work in her own seating room....
"These seating arrangements are not silly!" Aravis said indignantly. "At the coming of age celebration of the heir apparent of Archenland it is of utmost importance who sits next to who. The conversations had at this feast could either shine or taint the opinion of Archenland in the minds of the diplomats that are attending."
"Then why don't you ask my brother? It's his birthday as well and he's had more experience than I have at being a Prince" the former Calormen peasant replied.
"You know just as well as I do that your brother stopped caring much for that sort of thing the moment that you came back home." The "princess" countered.
"But I trust you do do the seating yourself, you are trained in that sort of thing and you care. What is it that you wanted to know anyway?"
"The diplomat from the Lone Islands showed up today and I didn't expect him to arrive until after the celebration. He was intending to come to talk with our merchants about trading grain for wool and mutton after the feast but there was a favorable wind."
"Then invite him and notify the cooks, you didn't need to send for me to do that."
"Yes, I didn't need to send for you to do that, I already did."
"Then what did you need me for?!" Cor whined.
"Because I thought that the prince should choose if he sat next to our merchants or not."
"Of course he should set next to the people he came to talk to!"
"One would think that, but shouldn't he be sat with the embassy from Narnia? I know that they would want to assure the Lone Islands of their importance now that their monarchs are missing." Aravis countered.
"Then do that." Cor assented to easily.
Aravis moved the card for the ambassador into a spot suspiciously already cleared on the Narnian's table.
"You already planned on doing that!" Cor exclaimed.
"I wanted to hear the side of the Prince before I did something that might affect our relationship with our neighbor and ally."
"But you obviously didn't need my side, you only wanted to hear your opinion coming out of my mouth."
"It's a lovely opinion coming out of the mouth of a prince." Aravis said, turning back to looking back at the other tables and cards.
"But I didn't have to walk all the way from another wing of the castle for you to hear it! You just sent a servant and I have to walk all around the castle to get here. I have duties as well that I have to abandon in order to get here to just say that I trust you to not cause an international panic based on seating arrangements!" Cor replied annoyed.
"But I have the seating arrangements here, I can't move them easily. And it's not like it would be proper for us to live in the same wing!"
Cor just stood in gaped mouth silence as a realization seemed to come over him. Perhaps he'd thought about it in the back of his mind hundreds of times walking through the halls from his room to his best friend's.
"There's a way to make it proper."
"Cor don't be silly you can't just have an unmarried prince and a....." Aravis trailed off as she realized what he was saying.
"We could make it proper tomorrow at the festival. We already have all of the nobility here and all of the diplomats and nobility of our neighbors that could be spared. Father has seen to it that the feast will be like none other. I'm sure whatever dress you've ordered is suitable. It would be so convenient for you to move into my rooms as my wife Aravis."
Aravis looked deep in thought before finally smiling. "It would be very convenient to be your wife."
Good job, Tooky!