Emily (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iluvroadrunner6) wrote2016-12-31 09:09 pm
iluvroadrunner6) wrote2016-12-31 09:09 pm
Entry tags:
get your words out } { 2017 challenge tracking
Directory:
PERSONAL GOALS:Complete Outstanding Requests
OFFICIAL CHALLENGES:January 2017: Genre Challenge: Regional Gothic COMPLETE 1/24/17: Alphabet Challenge: P COMPLETE February 2017: Roll the Dice Challenge COMPLETE February 2017: Genre Challenge: Parallel Fiction COMPLETE 4/4/17: Snapshot Challenge COMPLETE 5/1/17: Stop, Drop and Write Challenge COMPLETE
february 2017 | genre challenge: parallel fiction | 1,551 words | COMPLETE
Charming turns reluctantly from his position at the window, staring down as he watches Sir Luke spar with the new knights. There’s always been something pleasantly intriguing about his form, and while he is not a particularly violent man, there’s always been something about the primal energy surrounding it. Still, his eyes wander to the woman with dark hair and a slim fit gown standing next to his mother.
“Andrea?” He looks her over before glancing back to Queen Landermiere. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“She’s your new publicist.”
“My publicist?” He raises his eyebrows at his mother as he turns to study the woman more carefully. “Whatever do I need a publicist for?”
“To help improve your image, which you must admit has been suffering as of late.”
“Suffering?” Charming tips his head to the side, eyes narrowing in response. “I’m still quite popular with the people.”
“Are you?” His mother narrows her eyes at him in return, before taking her son’s arm and taking a step forward. “You still haven’t chosen a bride, you’re coming up on your twenty-fifth birthday, and we need to know that our family line will continue. Now, we’ve tried to let you find your own way, but now there are all these rumors…”
“For the eleventh time, Mother, even if those rumors were true, there’s certainly nothing wrong with it …”
“There is if you’re a prince and are required to produce an heir.” The Queen holds up her hands to silence him before he can interrupt her. “Speak with Andrea. Come up with a plan at the very least.”
With that, she turns to leave them in the silence of the hallway, and Charming eyes Andrea again, before taking a deep breath. “So. You are the woman with the plan, as it were.”
“I have … ideas for plans,” She tips her head to the side studying him for a moment. I do have a few questions, though.”
The prince glances around the hallway to see who’s coming, before looking back out the window again and seeing that the sparring practice is disbanded. He takes a deep breath, before turning and offering her his arm. “Then let’s do this elsewhere, shall we?”
She hesitates only for a moment, before taking his arm and following his lead. It doesn’t take them long to reach the barn where Luke is cooling off after his sparring practice. When the tall, broad-shouldered knight turns to see the prince, the smile he gives him in return tells far more, especially with the immediately sobered response when he realizes that the prince is not alone.
“My lady.”
Andrea glances for a moment between them, before looking over to Charming. “So the rumors are true, then.”
Charming shakes his head, before going to stand next to his knight. “They’re not … entirely inaccurate. I enjoy the company of women, truly, I just … also happen to enjoy the company of men.”
“Fair enough,” Andrea adopts a thinking pose as she tips her head to the side. “So why not just pick a wife? Settle things once and for all.”
“Because it’s not what I want.” He gives a small sigh of frustration. “What I want is …”
“Him,” Andrea can fill in the blanks, nodding towards Luke in the process. “I get the picture.”
“So. What would you recommend?”
“Well, your mother is right. You do need an heir. But there may be a … creative way around this.”
Charming looks skeptical, studying her carefully. “How creative?”
Andrea simply smiles. Charming hates this already.
“Let’s have a ball.”
The ball itself is as extravagant as expected, and Andrea pulls out all the stops. Charming still isn’t convinced that this is going to be the solution to his problem, no matter how neat and tidy it may be. Luke sighs, before leaning casually against the wall next to him in a way that made Charming just want to watch him, but he doesn’t.
He needs to look as though he’s got his eye on the prize, at least for his mother’s sake.
“It’s not that big a deal, Charming,” Luke points out. “So you have a wife. Lots of men do.”
Charming gives him a look at that, before crossing his arms in front of his chest. “That shouldn’t matter. I’m the prince. I should be able to set the norms, not be expected to follow them.”
“I think you’re confusing ‘prince’ with ‘king,’” Luke sighs. “Look, having a queen on our side wouldn’t be such a bad thing. We just have to make sure we choose the right one.”
Charming grumbles slightly in response, eyes wandering over the faces of each of the women, all of them swimming together in a sea of mediocrity. He’s about to give up on the whole venture entirely when there’s the sound of heels on the marble staircase and both men look up to acknowledge the late arrival. Standing there in a silvery gown is the most beautiful girl either of them had ever seen. They barely even look at her as they both exclaim at the same time:
“That one.”
Luke waits for a moment, and when he sees that Charming isn’t moving he shoves him forward, towards her. “Go. Ask her to dance.”
Charming looks back at him, confused for a moment, before nodding in agreement making his way towards this beautiful girl and holding out his hand to her as she finishes descending the staircase. “May I have this dance?”
She looks surprised, flustered even. As she holds out her hand to take his and nods, a small smile crosses her face. “Of course, Your Highness.”
Charming sweeps her into his arms easily, guiding her towards the dance floor with a flourish. Song after song passes and Charming almost doesn’t notice the way time passes, and he knows that this might be the chance he has to please his mother and have what he wants. A few hours later, when they’re in a fairly isolated end of the room, he smiles softly. “Please, call me Charming.”
“Charming,” she nods once. “My name is Ella.”
“It is a pleasure to be dancing with you this evening, Ella. Unfortunately, were we to continue, I’m afraid I have a small question for you.”
“What is that?”
The clock strikes midnight with a loud bong! just as he asks. “How do you feel about threesomes?”
He’s not sure if it’s the bluntness of the question, the clanging of the toll of midnight or some other odd combination of events, but before he can even take the opportunity to explain, she breaks away from him with wide eyes.
“I have to go.”
And with that, she disappears into the night, leaving nothing but her glass slipper behind.
It takes them nearly a week to find her, thwarted by a number of different factors, but when they finally track her down, shielded behind her stepmother and sisters, Charming attempts to plead with her in the only way he knows how.
“Can we speak in private? Please? I can explain.”
Ella looks less than pleased by the scenario but she concedes. And once they are behind closed doors, she begins to raise a hand. “Your Highness…”
“Charming.”
“Your Highness,” she takes a deep breath, placing the emphasis where she needs it. “I’m sorry that I handled things the way I did, but when you said …”
“This is what I wanted to explain,” Charming replies softly, before stepping to the side to rest a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “This is Sir Luke. My captain of the guard.”
“Yes?” Ella frowns. “I’m aware of who he is.”
“He also happens to be the captain of my heart.” It’s an incredibly cheesy line, but it’s said with such earnestness that Ella’s face softens, rather than rolling her eyes, small bits of understanding creeping in under the surface. “But my mother requires me to have an heir in order to become king, and while I would happily forgo the crown, I also recognize my responsibility to the people as the current heir. So you see my dilemma, in following my heart versus following the law?”
“I do,” Ella frowns. “But what is it your require of me?”
“I would like to ask you to be my wife, and all that that entails. But I do not feel it is fair to you to ask you into that relationship, knowing my heart already partially belongs to another. And if you are amendable – ” He reaches for her hand, and then takes Luke’s with the other. “ – Perhaps we can make this arrangement work for all three of us.”
Ella studies him for a moment, before glancing over to Luke. “Are you amendable to this?”
Luke smiles softly, before nodding in agreement. “Milady, it was my idea. He was the one I had to talk into it.”
Ella laughs, before giving Charming’s hand a small squeeze. “So long as we’re all agreed. But there would be rules we will have to agree upon, yes?”
“Yes.” Charming’s smile brightens as he pulls them both closer. “But I believe this will be quite the happily ever after indeed.”