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nyanderenekoWord Count: 1,472
Summary: The subject of marriage comes up between the chief and his retainer on one of their nightly patrols, and the twists and turns of the conversation end up leaving them both much more flustered than anticipated.
*Author’s Note*: Phew this is another older fic, which is obvious considering who the f/o is. I still consider Nishiki an important character I love, my focus has just been on a lot of other characters lately…but this fic is really cute, so I decided to post it! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!
“You know, despite the circumstances, I’m glad you ended up here.”
An interesting way to open a conversation, to say the least, but Nova didn’t find his words disagreeable. She even found herself savoring them a little, a bit too pleased at the insinuation that he was personally glad to have her around. She supposed she shouldn’t let such comments go to her head, and more than that, she shouldn’t be so surprised to hear them. He had welcomed her into the hamlet of his own accord, after all, saving her from a fate that she was sure would have been worse than death. She flicked an ear in agitation and gathered her thoughts to reply properly.
“I must say, I’m also quite happy that I stumbled upon this place.”
Even happier that you were kind enough to grant me the opportunity to stay.
Although she kept her thought of gratitude to herself, she’d expressed such a sentiment to him aloud before. It was because of his generosity that she was able to live the best life she could imagine, and amongst people she was supposed to loathe simply by virtue of where she’d been born at that. Now that she’d experienced a little more of what the world outside the Nohrian kingdom’s borders had to offer, she found such a mindset to be incredibly shallow and impractical, disappointed that she or anyone else could ever get swept up in such shortsighted rhetoric. Then again, many of the people of this kingdom still believed much the same about people like her, and she had to be careful who she came into contact with, especially if she was alone. She usually didn’t have to worry about that, though, since it wasn’t a habit of hers to leave the confines of their secluded forest settlement without another member to accompany her, or more likely, the man she’d pledged her life and loyalty to.
The air was warm tonight, but not insufferable or humid, which was one of the only ways she could tolerate such temperatures. Tail absently swaying back and forth behind her, she kept her ears pricked for the slightest indication of anything unusual or out of place. She was sure her companion was equally aware of their surroundings, which was to be expected, considering his position as village chief; it was kind of his job to be on guard, ready to strike or defend at any moment. They were returning from an evening patrol around the village perimeter, a routine that had become quite common ever since she’d been granted what she considered the incredibly honorable role of serving as one of his personal retainers. As far as she knew he didn’t have any others, nor was he interested in acquiring more, which perplexed her a little, but she knew it probably wasn’t her place to pry into or question his motives. She was just happy to have an excuse to stay by his side, as well as an opportunity to put the skills he and a few of the other villagers had been teaching her since she’d officially been welcomed as one of them.
“I never really thought I’d meet someone like you, much less end up taking on a personal guard,” Nishiki admitted with a slight chuckle. “That kind of stuff is only reserved for real royalty, like the Hoshidan royal family.”
“I think you’re more than prestigious enough to deserve whatever kind of subordinates you want,” she replied boldly, and his ears and tail twitched in amusement. “Not to be rude to the “real” royals, but…that’s just my opinion, I suppose.”
“I definitely wouldn’t wander into the capital saying such things, especially with that tone,” he advised, a playful glint dancing in his eyes. “But I’m flattered you feel that way.”
“I’m confident I’m not the only one that does,” she continued. “I mean, I expect you’ve probably had plenty of people vying for both your time and attention for most of your life.”
He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Oh? In what way do you mean?”
“Ah, well…” she muttered, ears folding down a bit as her embarrassment finally caught up with her. “I just mean, you are the village chief. Doesn’t that kind of entail a certain level of influence that predisposes you to having people competing to…be the one you choose to have at your side, especially as a significant other? I’ve heard about partnerships being arranged in certain circumstances, too, sometimes as a means of establishing political alliances, and others just as a matter of tradition.”
The chief started laughing with more enthusiasm than she’d heard from him all night, and the sudden outburst both surprised her and intensified her embarrassment. Had she said something wrong, absurd, out of place? Fur fluffing up and cheeks turning cherry red, she looked away and attempted to compose herself. It wasn’t exactly becoming or acceptable of her to have such a reaction in the company of her liege, but said situations only seemed to be occurring more frequently as of late. Sometimes the circumstances made her start to doubt the decision she’d made to take on this position, but she couldn’t let her resolve waver. She’d chosen this path, and she was going to follow it through to the end, whatever that entailed.
“I apologize for reacting that way,” he offered as he reined himself in. “That’s just…not exactly the type of thing I expected to hear. To answer your question, due to the nature of our traditions, we’re a little more displaced from the kingdom’s central political hierarchy. As a result, there isn’t as much formality, or even really as much to decide when it comes to things like that. I mean, arranged marriages for the sake of an alliance or treaty are always a possibility, but it isn’t something that’s been considered with much significance or legitimacy as of late. It’s not something I usually let myself get distracted by, either, since I don’t really think I need anything like a partner to do my job, presiding over and protecting the village.”
“Of course,” Nova replied agreeably, her tail twitching a bit uncomfortably. Perhaps it had been too impudent of her to bring up a subject like this, and even more inappropriate for her to be discussing it with him so casually. Or maybe it just made her uncomfortable to think about the fact that she wasn’t really in any kind of position to believe she’d ever get the chance to vie for such a role herself.
“It would probably benefit not just me, but the village as well, if I were to produce an heir at some point—” Her stomach involuntarily knotted up. “—but again, it’s not really at the forefront of my mind or duties. I can’t recall ever encountering anyone that I’ve felt particularly attracted to in that way, either.”
It really was a bad idea for her to bring this up; the more he spoke, the dizzier she became as she fought to hold herself together. “But if I had to pick someone, I think finding a partner from outside the village would be advantageous.”
Her breath hitched in her throat, but she still didn’t dare take the risk of meeting his gaze. “What makes you say that?”
He didn’t miss the genuine astonishment that colored her question. “Well, I feel like finding someone who didn’t grow up trained in this life might mean more to me. Their vow might be more credible. Because, if they happen to be sincere, then they’re deciding to protect and serve the village of their own volition rather than just following the expectations they’ve been raised under, the duties they take for granted because they’ve always been expected to carry them out. Just doing as their told regardless of their personal opinions, or drive, or conviction.”
Nova pondered his words carefully as a startling surge of emotion coursed through her veins. Nishiki glanced down at her discreetly, interested to know what kind of reaction she was going to have to his words. It seemed like she was determined to keep her thoughts to herself, which was a little disappointing to him, but also not unexpected. He’d said them deliberately, of course, but as the reality of what his speech truly meant started to sink in, he found himself equally as flustered as she’d been just a few moments prior. Making such an admission as they returned to the village, just the two of them, might have been too bold. But it was too late to take anything back now, and the two let the silence settle over them just as the moonlight’s silvery hue dyed their surroundings. Perhaps not too long from now his sentiment would prove more prophetic than either of them predicted.
Summary: The subject of marriage comes up between the chief and his retainer on one of their nightly patrols, and the twists and turns of the conversation end up leaving them both much more flustered than anticipated.
*Author’s Note*: Phew this is another older fic, which is obvious considering who the f/o is. I still consider Nishiki an important character I love, my focus has just been on a lot of other characters lately…but this fic is really cute, so I decided to post it! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!
_____
“You know, despite the circumstances, I’m glad you ended up here.”
An interesting way to open a conversation, to say the least, but Nova didn’t find his words disagreeable. She even found herself savoring them a little, a bit too pleased at the insinuation that he was personally glad to have her around. She supposed she shouldn’t let such comments go to her head, and more than that, she shouldn’t be so surprised to hear them. He had welcomed her into the hamlet of his own accord, after all, saving her from a fate that she was sure would have been worse than death. She flicked an ear in agitation and gathered her thoughts to reply properly.
“I must say, I’m also quite happy that I stumbled upon this place.”
Even happier that you were kind enough to grant me the opportunity to stay.
Although she kept her thought of gratitude to herself, she’d expressed such a sentiment to him aloud before. It was because of his generosity that she was able to live the best life she could imagine, and amongst people she was supposed to loathe simply by virtue of where she’d been born at that. Now that she’d experienced a little more of what the world outside the Nohrian kingdom’s borders had to offer, she found such a mindset to be incredibly shallow and impractical, disappointed that she or anyone else could ever get swept up in such shortsighted rhetoric. Then again, many of the people of this kingdom still believed much the same about people like her, and she had to be careful who she came into contact with, especially if she was alone. She usually didn’t have to worry about that, though, since it wasn’t a habit of hers to leave the confines of their secluded forest settlement without another member to accompany her, or more likely, the man she’d pledged her life and loyalty to.
The air was warm tonight, but not insufferable or humid, which was one of the only ways she could tolerate such temperatures. Tail absently swaying back and forth behind her, she kept her ears pricked for the slightest indication of anything unusual or out of place. She was sure her companion was equally aware of their surroundings, which was to be expected, considering his position as village chief; it was kind of his job to be on guard, ready to strike or defend at any moment. They were returning from an evening patrol around the village perimeter, a routine that had become quite common ever since she’d been granted what she considered the incredibly honorable role of serving as one of his personal retainers. As far as she knew he didn’t have any others, nor was he interested in acquiring more, which perplexed her a little, but she knew it probably wasn’t her place to pry into or question his motives. She was just happy to have an excuse to stay by his side, as well as an opportunity to put the skills he and a few of the other villagers had been teaching her since she’d officially been welcomed as one of them.
“I never really thought I’d meet someone like you, much less end up taking on a personal guard,” Nishiki admitted with a slight chuckle. “That kind of stuff is only reserved for real royalty, like the Hoshidan royal family.”
“I think you’re more than prestigious enough to deserve whatever kind of subordinates you want,” she replied boldly, and his ears and tail twitched in amusement. “Not to be rude to the “real” royals, but…that’s just my opinion, I suppose.”
“I definitely wouldn’t wander into the capital saying such things, especially with that tone,” he advised, a playful glint dancing in his eyes. “But I’m flattered you feel that way.”
“I’m confident I’m not the only one that does,” she continued. “I mean, I expect you’ve probably had plenty of people vying for both your time and attention for most of your life.”
He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Oh? In what way do you mean?”
“Ah, well…” she muttered, ears folding down a bit as her embarrassment finally caught up with her. “I just mean, you are the village chief. Doesn’t that kind of entail a certain level of influence that predisposes you to having people competing to…be the one you choose to have at your side, especially as a significant other? I’ve heard about partnerships being arranged in certain circumstances, too, sometimes as a means of establishing political alliances, and others just as a matter of tradition.”
The chief started laughing with more enthusiasm than she’d heard from him all night, and the sudden outburst both surprised her and intensified her embarrassment. Had she said something wrong, absurd, out of place? Fur fluffing up and cheeks turning cherry red, she looked away and attempted to compose herself. It wasn’t exactly becoming or acceptable of her to have such a reaction in the company of her liege, but said situations only seemed to be occurring more frequently as of late. Sometimes the circumstances made her start to doubt the decision she’d made to take on this position, but she couldn’t let her resolve waver. She’d chosen this path, and she was going to follow it through to the end, whatever that entailed.
“I apologize for reacting that way,” he offered as he reined himself in. “That’s just…not exactly the type of thing I expected to hear. To answer your question, due to the nature of our traditions, we’re a little more displaced from the kingdom’s central political hierarchy. As a result, there isn’t as much formality, or even really as much to decide when it comes to things like that. I mean, arranged marriages for the sake of an alliance or treaty are always a possibility, but it isn’t something that’s been considered with much significance or legitimacy as of late. It’s not something I usually let myself get distracted by, either, since I don’t really think I need anything like a partner to do my job, presiding over and protecting the village.”
“Of course,” Nova replied agreeably, her tail twitching a bit uncomfortably. Perhaps it had been too impudent of her to bring up a subject like this, and even more inappropriate for her to be discussing it with him so casually. Or maybe it just made her uncomfortable to think about the fact that she wasn’t really in any kind of position to believe she’d ever get the chance to vie for such a role herself.
“It would probably benefit not just me, but the village as well, if I were to produce an heir at some point—” Her stomach involuntarily knotted up. “—but again, it’s not really at the forefront of my mind or duties. I can’t recall ever encountering anyone that I’ve felt particularly attracted to in that way, either.”
It really was a bad idea for her to bring this up; the more he spoke, the dizzier she became as she fought to hold herself together. “But if I had to pick someone, I think finding a partner from outside the village would be advantageous.”
Her breath hitched in her throat, but she still didn’t dare take the risk of meeting his gaze. “What makes you say that?”
He didn’t miss the genuine astonishment that colored her question. “Well, I feel like finding someone who didn’t grow up trained in this life might mean more to me. Their vow might be more credible. Because, if they happen to be sincere, then they’re deciding to protect and serve the village of their own volition rather than just following the expectations they’ve been raised under, the duties they take for granted because they’ve always been expected to carry them out. Just doing as their told regardless of their personal opinions, or drive, or conviction.”
Nova pondered his words carefully as a startling surge of emotion coursed through her veins. Nishiki glanced down at her discreetly, interested to know what kind of reaction she was going to have to his words. It seemed like she was determined to keep her thoughts to herself, which was a little disappointing to him, but also not unexpected. He’d said them deliberately, of course, but as the reality of what his speech truly meant started to sink in, he found himself equally as flustered as she’d been just a few moments prior. Making such an admission as they returned to the village, just the two of them, might have been too bold. But it was too late to take anything back now, and the two let the silence settle over them just as the moonlight’s silvery hue dyed their surroundings. Perhaps not too long from now his sentiment would prove more prophetic than either of them predicted.