Is there a difference between marriage and prison? - Nathaniel (CW)

Estelle had run away when she heard the news of Ellery D’Combe. They weren’t even a couple! What the actual fuck was going through her mind? She was acting like a little schoolgirl in love. Sure, it was super sad that Ellery had died and whatever, but how could she react like that, when he wouldn’t even give her the time of day? It was pathetic, and Noelle felt embarrassed to be her sister. Even more so because she had to live through another meet up with Elaine D’Combe and her parents. Ever since she was allowed back to the grounds of D’Combe by her parents, it had been so incredible boring. It was much more interesting when Nathaniel had been there. Sure, he was a pain in her ass most of the times, but at least he had edge. She was walking next to her parents, her shoes clicking underneath her. She was not stupid. Now that Estelle was no longer around and she had been forced to come to all these meetings, she knew they were going to marry her off. Probably to one from Elaine’s bloodline. Other than her two sons, Noelle didn’t know of any other family. If he was just hot at the very least, maybe she would find a way to be okay with it. He just couldn’t have red hair. She couldn’t handle that.

Her parents walked her into a large room that was commonly used for events and parties, if she wasn’t mistaken. She looked over at Elaine who stood in the middle of it. She looked around. ”You expect me to get through this without alcohol?” She sighed and made a twitch with the side of her mind. ”Alright. I just thought you wanted to butter me up.” She looked over at her parents who was not happy about how she acted. She rolled her eyes at them and looked over at Elaine again. ”Do you honestly think I’m wife material?” Her father took a grip of her arm. ”This will bring us status, glory. Please hear her out. And behave.” Noelle sighed annoyed. ”Okay fine. I’m listening.”

Elaine outfit Klik her
Nathaniel outfit Klik her

It had only been a few days since he had told his mother about the recent events - yet she had still arranged this meeting. Usually, the meetings consisted of Estelle Voclain and her parents, together with Ellery and Elaine. Why was Nathaniel to be included in this mess? Perhaps it was for him to tell the Voclain’s that the agreement was off the table since one part was no longer among them? He couldn’t have been more wrong.
Elaine, a rather beautiful woman with ice blond hair and cold blue eyes, stood in the meeting hall; awaiting her guests. Usually, she would have something prepared, like a speech or a contract - this time, she simply had no clue on what was going to happen. Estelle, the girl that had been prepped and primed to be the next leader’s wife, had run away. Left was her rebellious sister and Elaine’s only son. This was a nightmare for the siren.
As the Voclain’s arrived at the hall, it was clear that the daughter had no interest in being there. Elaine, who was usually a very stern woman, raised her eyebrows for a moment, before looking at the parents. Then, she walked over to a table with so precise and calculated steps that they could induce fear for the woman’s next move. She poured a glass of wine, before returning to the Voclain’s and handing the glass to Noelle. ‘’I have no need to butter you up, miss Voclain.’’ The siren stated as she looked straight at the girl. ‘’It’s not me you’re marrying, after all.’’ - that was Elaine’s way of saying that she didn’t care at all for it she was wife material or not. That would be her son’s headache. The doors opened behind them once more, as Nathaniel joined them.
Wearing a dark blue suit, black leather shoes and a white dress shirt, he arrived at the meeting hall as he had done so many times before, whenever his mother wanted to scold him. This time, however, old friends had joined them. No scolding for him then.
The first person he recognized was Noelle. She hadn’t changed one bit in the years they had been apart, which made him smile to himself. Her parents, however, he remembered vividly as individuals that hated his guts for luring their precious baby-girl into trouble. Strict was a good word to put in parents-perspectives, surely.

‘’Hello, mother,’’ he said, as he placed himself next to Elaine and planted a kiss on her cheek - a polite gesture that served no purpose but to boost the woman’s ego. He then looked back at the Voclain’s, before he straightened himself and bowed ever so slightly while the words left his mouth; ‘’Mr. and Mrs. Voclain,’’ as to greet them. However, his greeting to his old friend couldn’t have been more of a stupid encounter, as he simply winked at her as he said her name; ‘’Noelle,’’. Elaine sighed. ‘’If you’re done, Nathaniel, may I propose that we get on with this?’’ Elaine said, snapping back at her son. Nathaniel nodded, as a sign to that he understood his mother’s demand.
Elaine looked straight at Noelle’s parent. ‘’Our former agreement on marrying Estelle off to Ellery has, as you may know, been hindered by the death of my son. I was hoping that Estelle herself had been more… Sensible and had stayed until we had solved the matter. My son, Nathaniel, will be taking Ellery’s place as the new leader, effective from the moment he marries. Since Estelle decided to leave us so suddenly, my proposal is to allow Noelle to take her place and marry Nathaniel.’’ Elaine explained, but the first thing that happened was Nathaniel that looked straight at his mother with no words leaving his mouth. She had not told him of this, of course, so he stood there baffled. He knew that if he reacted in any way negatively, it would be an insult to Noelle - something he wasn’t going to do. He looked shortly at the woman he had known so long ago, only to start thinking about what marrying her would mean. Would they be a couple, or would she demand it was to be proforma? Would it be a terrible decision that would ruin her life? Nathaniel knew he had no choice, but Noelle… She had the possibility to leave and never return, if she wanted none of this.
‘’I am afraid I am going to need an answer before we end this meeting. The wedding will be set on the 31st of December.’’ Elaine then said; not even looking at her own son, but instead straight at Noelle’s father.

Noelle really had no intention on marrying anyone solely because her parents wanted her to. That had always been Estelle’s thing. She did her best to not be intimidated by the beautiful siren that stood before her. She had power; you could almost sense it coming off her. But she also didn’t seem to have the same controlling way of her as Noelle remembered. Was she unsure of things? How fun. She followed her with her gaze when she went over to pour some wine. She took the glass. She just kept looking at her as she spoke. Not only out of respect, but also because she was trying to challenge. She didn’t like to be handled, and she wanted Elaine to know that was not going to work with her. She parted her lips when she said Noelle was not marrying Elaine. ”You’re breaking my heart,” she said and took a sip of the wine.

She turned to look at the door when they opened, and Nathaniel came inside. Things were about to get interesting. In ways she didn’t know of yet. She remembered clearly how they had shared a kiss back in the day. It was her last memory of him, before she had been banned from coming there again. She looked at him with the same look she always had; she was out for trouble. Even after all these years. She watched when Nathaniel so politely greeted his mother and his parents, before he simply winked at her. ”No cheek kiss for me?” She said teasingly, before Elaine clearly was done with her son’s behavior. Surely, Noelle’s behavior didn’t please her either. Noelle listened when Elaine explained the situation. Fuck that. She was not going to marry anyone, surely not somebody she actually enjoyed spending time with, for the most part. It would ruin everything, no doubt. ”I think you were speaking to me.” she bit back. She knew she actually didn’t have a choice. Her parents had a choice, and she already knew their opinion. ”Noelle!” Her mother said in a harsh tone.

”Don’t do that. I’m not going to marry anyone just because you people want that. You just expect us to without even asking us what we want. You treat us like were just a sheep you can sell off to the highest bidder.” She looked over at Nathaniel. ”Instead of telling us what to do, how about you give us a chance to talk about it?” She looked at the parents in the room, hoping they would leave so she could talk with Nathaniel about it in private. She was sure he had the same opinion as herself: That there was no way in hell they married each other.

He had forgotten her way of speaking; all he remembered of her had been the trouble they had been far too keen on dabbling in. Once, there might had been something between them, if it had not been for their siblings being betrothed. Now, nothing was holding them back from actually doing something, and all of a sudden, their parents had their minds set on them marrying. His face remained calm, but his mind was racing like a derby horse. Her little teasing comment directed at him made him smile slightly at her, only to show that he had heard her loud and clear. He wasn’t about to defy his mother’s command by speaking up. Noelle might not fear Elaine, but Nathaniel did. She had been close to killing him once before, and she wouldn’t hesitate on attempting once more if he showed disrespect. She was, after all, considered his queen still.

As Noelle spoke - speaking her mind as she always did - Nathaniel looked down at the marble-floor. Perhaps Noelle didn’t remember what an iron fist his mother ruled with, but he certainly did.
’’It’s the patriarch of the family that makes such decisions, miss Voclain,’’ Elaine said, looking straight at Noelle with icy eyes. Then, Elaine looked at Noelle’s father once more. ’’May I suggest we let the children have some privacy, while we discuss details?’’ Elaine said, but the question was rhetorical. The Voclain’s had no other choice but to follow the elegant fair-haired woman as she moved towards a joining office. She gestured for Noelle’s parents to join her, albeit a tiny bit impatient.
The moment Elaine would be out of sight, Nathaniel looked straight at Noelle. ‘’It’s good to see you,’’ he sighed, shaking his head slightly. It was indeed good to see her, but not for the reason she might think. Had it been any other random girl Elaine had chosen, the wedding wouldn’t even be questioned. With Noelle, there was a way out. Noelle could leave, if she wished to. Couldn’t she? He rubbed his chin for a moment, before looking at Noelle once more. ‘’So, what’s the plan, ma petit canaille?’’ he asked. Knowing that she spoke French, it was sure to say that she understood his nickname for her; his little scoundrel. They had been up to no good so many times before, so the nickname itself was just about suiting for her. Unless, all of this came together, then he was to give her a completely different nickname.
He was thinking that Noelle without a doubt had a plan to escape this situation; leaving him behind. She wasn’t forced - by him at least - to accept anything. He would understand completely. He placed his hands in his pockets, awaiting her response. Of course, a tiny part of him wondered if there was any chance for her to accept the decision their parents were making while they stood there like little lambs.

Noelle had been a fearful type. Not like her sister. She knew, for the most part, what Elaine was capable off. She also knew, you would never be anything if you just laid under for diversity. She was never going to let anyone control her. She noticed Nathaniel’s smile. She didn’t understand why he was just standing by like he was okay with it, but she also didn’t know the whole story between him and Elaine.
She turned her gaze away from Nathaniel when she noticed how he looked at the floor. Noelle always thought you just had to wield yourself into something stronger than your opponent. If Elaine was iron, then Noelle would be steel. ”How could I forget,” she said with a cutting sarcasm. Honestly, wasn’t this the 21’st century? She saw the icy eyes and just returned with a fiery look in her own. Her parents left with Elaine to discuss the details of the arrangement. ”Behave,” her mother reminded Noelle as they left. She just made a nod, but she was not going to be any different around Nathaniel than she was anyone else.

Noelle looked at him with a slight smirk. ”I know,” she said with a gentle laugh. ”You too.” She meant it. It had been too long. ”I already planned three escape routes,” she said joking and folded her arms across her chest. ”My parents want this, and you know how ‘compelling’ parents can be.” She sighed and looked around. Did she really have a choice here? ”I’m sorry about Ellery.” She was maybe angry with her sister, but if she actually lost her, she would still be broken up about it. She looked back at him. ”If I say no, my parents will loose all they had worked for all these years. It was supposed to be Estelle. She royally fucked me over,” She walked over to him. ”Do you know what happens if I don’t go through with it?” She needed to know the consequences, to know if they were worth it.

Nathaniel really wanted to laugh every time Noelle decided to defy Elaine. It was pure bliss to know that someone wasn’t scared of that old hag. Despite the fact that the whole ordeal had been predetermined, it was incredibly nice to see a familiar face trying to escape the fate he was bound to endure. The slight smirk on her face as they greeted each other for real made him smile at her. Then, she told him about the three escape routes, making him chuckle at her. ‘’Then, why are you still here?’’ he asked, winking at her. She clearly didn’t want to be in this mess. His question was answered by her next sentence; her parents. He nodded, biting the inside of his cheek a bit. It wasn’t fair to put her in that situation. Yes, the Circle was old-school, but to force marriage like this… it wasn’t fair for Noelle.
Then, she mentioned Ellery; making Nathaniel look straight at her, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. What could he say? He didn’t even know… They had yet to mourn the loss of his brother. Elaine was more occupied by getting thins her way; perhaps because she was still processing the loss herself. He wasn’t sure if that woman even was able to mourn.
‘’That’s one way of putting it… She’s saying no to be crowned queen. So, ‘royally’ isn’t such a bad way of phrasing it.’’ He said, shrugging slightly. Then, Noelle walked over to him; making him look straight into her eyes. ‘’She’ll have you exiled and your parents punished for breaking the deal, I imagine.’’ He said, shaking his head. ‘’I completely understand if you… You know, disappear. I wouldn’t hold it against you.’’ He said, looking shortly at the door.

‘’Could you imagine? You and me, as regents? I have no count on how many times you wanted to play king and queen when you were younger…’’ he said, shrugging as the memory of her as a young girl started to haunt his mind. Even though he had been all grown up when they started coming in the D’Combe-estate, he remembered her vividly. Everything, up until they decided to mess around. Then, she had vanished, per the order of his mother and her parents.
‘’Why did Estelle flee like that? I know, I’m not Ellery, but… Well, I can’t blame her. That poor girl had no idea what my brother had been up to anyway.’’ He said, sighing as he looked back at Noelle. ‘’Our siblings would be much more suited to handle this, wouldn’t they?’’ he sighed, shaking his head as he scratched the back of his neck. The suit felt too tight, making him struggling with his breathing - although, the suit was a perfect fit. He simply felt uncomfortable by the whole ordeal.

Noelle noticed how he looked straight at her when she had mentioned Ellery. He almost seemed like he was going to say something, but instead he just stayed quiet. They had not been close for a long time, so she understood why he wouldn’t want to speak about it with her. She was private in ways like that too. People didn’t need to know what she was thinking and feeling all the time. That was reserved for people she really trusted, and she didn’t have many of them in her life. When he spoke further of how Celeste had said no to become queen, she shook her head a single time. ”Thanks for explaining my joke to me,” she said and chuckled playfully. ”I imagined it was something like that,” she said and took in a sharp breath. ”I use a decent amount of time looking at myself in the mirror, if I run, I won’t be able to do that.”

”Honestly, I can.” She made a shrug. ”I mean, I never did before, but the thought is not completely crazy to me. What is crazy is that we would have to marry.” She remembered back on all those times she had to beg him to play with her. And then everything changed when she was no longer a girl. ”I didn’t get a goodbye note. I just think she is too much of a control freak. Her plans crumbled, so instead of picking up the pieces, she just left it for others to clean up. It has nothing to do with you. It’s not even about Ellery.” She looked at him when he stated that their siblings would have been better at handling it. ”I don’t know about Ellery, but I’m sure Estelle would have just followed along with Ellery. She would not do anything other than look pretty.” Maybe she was being to harsh. ”Is that the kind of queen you want?” She wanted to know what Nathaniel wanted, if he even wanted a queen who would just do anything he asked them to, or if he wanted someone who took action, who was able to lead even without him. ”This is crazy.” She shook her head in disbelief. ”How are we even going to decide what to do? We could never agree on something when we were younger.”

‘’Come on, you can’t blame me for needing to explain the joke to any of us.’’ He said, smiling a crooked smile at her; hiding the fact that he was somewhat over the whole ordeal with them playing nice. ‘’Yeah… Sorry,’’ he said, looking at her with a shadow of regret in his eyes. Did she even know what it meant to be punished by Elaine?... Surely, she didn’t. Those punished rarely was rendered more than able to blink. ‘’What a lucky mirror then,’’ he said; ready to facepalm himself for that stupid comment. It had been a minute or two since he had to spew comments back at her like this.
‘’Is it that crazy?’’ he asked, without thinking about how it sounded. He shook his head. ‘’After all, I’m glad that it is someone that would be able to challenge me in every way possible. Estelle was… Is, still a little too compliant.’’ He admitted, and as Noelle started to explain about her sister leaving, he seemed to have hit spot on.
‘’Ellery was raised to be a leader. I’m sure he would have known what to do.’’ He sighed, shrugging as he knew that if they kept bringing up his late brother, he would soon not be able to keep the emotions from emerging. ‘’Are you asking me if I want a docile queen? You must be daft from being around Estelle for too long, Canaille.’’ He then said, as he looked straight at her with a teasing smile. ‘’Why would I want a queen who couldn’t rule without her king? After all, it’s the queen who is the advisor. The king might be in command, but only because the queen allows it. Like in chess - where the king is the weakest piece of all.’’ He explained. He didn’t see himself as weak, but he saw himself as no king either. All of this, it belonged to his brother.
‘’We aren’t going to agree. We’re going to compromise. State your terms, and I’ll see to it that they are met,’’ he said, looking at her with a little crooked smile. she could ask for anything, and he would give it to her. Anything but the freedom she deserved, that was.

”I have blamed people for less,” she told him with a small smile. She was happy that they were not pretending to be nice anymore. They had never been nice to each other, not like people expected them to be. She had liked that. Still did. ”It’s not you deciding to do so.” She didn’t know what to do. If she didn’t agree to it, her parents would suffer. If she did, she would bind herself to Nathaniel, and she would deny herself the freedom she loved so much, which would make her suffer. Was she selfish enough to choose others before herself? ”Oh right, it’s you who had to butter me up, not your mother.” She smiled rebelliously at him. ”I could enjoy that,” she said with a small chuckle. Noelle did agree with him about Estelle not being a good match for Nathaniel, she might have been better suited for Ellery. ”You always liked a challenge,” she reminded him as if he had forgotten.


Noelle looked at him when he spoke about Ellery again. She could understand if it could be hard to talk about. So she decided to not speak more of it. ”Dissing me and my sister in the same sentence. Impressive.” She listened to his explanation of how the king was the weakest piece in chess. ”Damn straight.” She made a single nod in his direction. ”You sound like a husband already,” she joked with a weak smile. ”I will have to think about that,” she said and took in a sharp breath. ”I think the most important part for me is that we both know what to expect of this arrangement. I think we can both agree, it will not be marriage out of love.” She was looking serious at that moment, as this was no joking matter. She was still trying to understand she might be married on New Years Eve. She was going to make one hell of a party, that was for sure. Not only was it the last day of the year, it was her wedding. She had never thought the day would come. Surely not before Estelle, at least.

‘’I’m sure you have,’’ he chuckled at her as he simply knew that it was the truth. She would blame someone for swatting a fly. She liked the blame-game. ‘’No, it is not my deciding. It’s our monarch’s, and unfortunately, she is not listening to reason any longer.’’ He sighed, looking shortly at the office Elaine and Noelle’s parents had entered. What would happen if Nathaniel was the one denying the marriage?
‘’Oh, you need buttering up? That is… Unexpected.’’ He said, before looking back at her. ‘’I believe to recall a certain young woman being compliant enough to lend me a kiss once.’’ He joked, only to remind himself silently that they had been young and foolish. This was nothing like back then. ‘’Are you that challenge then?’’ he asked, somewhat serious. He looked at her with a teasing glimmer in his multicolored eyes.
As she joked with him sounding like a husband already, he chuckled. Centuries of sharing a body with someone made it easy to see such things as compromises easy enough to manage. Then, as she mentioned that the marriage wouldn’t be out of love, he looked down for a moment as he tried to think of the right thing to say. ‘’A marriage between a king and a queen is never for love. That is for a husband and a wife. This, this is an alliance. You, protecting your family. I understand that completely. if you and I were to form that alliance, as a king and queen, I would never expect intimacy from you.’’ He said, before he looked back at her. His multicolored eyes once more resting by her gaze.
‘’I still need your terms, Noelle. Without them, you have nothing on your side.’’ He said. Of course he thought more of her place in this than his. He cared for Noelle, as he had followed her into adulthood. Yet, the woman in front of him wasn’t the girl he had played regents with back then.

Noelle had gotten a feeling Elaine was not very reasonable, far less than she once had been, which was not a lot. She looked wondering at him when he mentioned it was unexpected she needed to be buttered up. When he explained why, she let a quiet chuckle move over her lips. ”What I don’t recall is you ever giving the kiss back.” She was not trying to be discreet at all. She didn’t do that, but she was not being completely tactless either. That was not an attractive trait. She let her gaze slide down his face, before returning to look in his eyes. ”You will have to marry to find out, won’t you?” She noticed the teasing glimmer, and her smile matched the expression.

She smiled when he chuckled. She liked to hear him do that. ”I appreciate that,” she said. This was really happening, wasn’t it? ”Of course.” She put a hand on her hip. ”I want to be included. I want responsibilities and to be consulted on the important matters.” She looked towards where her parents were. ”I also want my family to have a home around here so they can be close by. And of course they need have access to this property.” She touched her earring and almost looked nervous for a moment. ”I also think we should come to an agreement in regards to personal relations. Even if we are married, I don’t think that should rob us of love or having our needs fulfilled. We should be discreet, of course.”

He smiled calmly at her, as she mentioned him not giving the kiss back. ‘’Okay. Let’s say I stole it then.’’ He just said, winking at her. They didn’t have to be discreet, but Nathaniel wasn’t the sharpest when it came to hints. He was far too used to men; being blunt and with little to no hesitation when it came to sexual favors. ‘’I take that as a yes,’’ he stated, as she told him that he would have to marry to find out if she was that challenge or not.
Then, they came to the terms, and he smiled calmly at her. As far as he could, he would try to accommodate her wishes.
‘’You’ll be the first and only advisor. Furthermore, to the extend you wish, you’ll be joining every aspect of the royal appointments.’’ He said, with a calm smile. He wouldn’t dream of keeping her in the dark about such a thing. ‘’Regarding your family - I’ll arrange for them to be housed as close as you wish. Access to the estate will be no problem. They will be family, after all.’’ He said, crossing his arms as the terms seemed rather simple - until she mentioned the last part. His forehead folded in wrinkles as his brows furrowed, while he thought about her term. Then he nodded slowly. ‘’Discretion, of course. You’re free to do as you please.’’ He said, before he looked at the door leading to where the two families waited for their decision. ‘’But… Perhaps we should leave that part of the agreement private? I doubt either of our parents would be pleased with it.’’ He said, smiling a crooked smile to her, to hide the fact that her last demand might be a bit uncomfortable for him. Not because he wanted her all to himself - but because it meant she thought he would never be enough for her.

”No wonder my parents didn’t want me around you.” She didn’t see herself as coy in any way. She was not trying to act shy or modest; she was neither. But she had also been taught that it was not right to throw yourself at a man. Normally she didn’t listen, but it was a different situation. She couldn’t just throw caution to the wind and do as she wished without consequences. And they had just agreed that the marriage was merely an alliance. ”It is,” she said, sealing her future with four letters, two words.
”Perfect,” she said with a relieved smile. She was worried he would keep her like a pretty thing, like Estelle without doubt would have become. ”Thank you,” she said. His expression changed when she mentioned their marriage be open for others. She had not meant it as an insult at all, she just imagined it was what he wanted as well. ”Of course,” she agreed. ”I have mentioned my terms, what are yours?” He had to some as well, some about how she were to act, things he expected of her or something like it. She would oblige, unless it went completely against her principles, with was unlikely. She didn’t have many of them. She looked towards the door. ”We’re the ones getting married, and they’re the one speaking for hours on end.” Would they ever be able to agree to everything? It seemed to be rather easy for her and Nathaniel, so it couldn’t be much worse for them. It shouldn’t, at least.

‘’No one wanted me around anyway, so I guess that’s only to expect.’’ He admitted. It was true; even his mother had tried to get rid of him. Marrying Noelle would cement his place at The Circle; Elaine wouldn’t be able to get rid of him then. Then, as she agreed for them to marry, he looked at her with a crooked smile. He wanted to say something about it - thank her, or express gratitude, but… it seemed out of place.
For a moment, it seemed like she regretted even mentioning the marriage being open - strictly proforma, so to speak - as she noticed the look on his face. He could not deny her that freedom of choosing who to sleep with, as long as it wasn’t publicly known. He had to accept that. Then, as her terms was guaranteed to be met, she asked for his terms to be revealed. He then shook his head before looking at her with a calm expression; no clue to what went on inside his head. ‘’I don’t have any. Never had.’’ He said, smiling a crooked smile for a moment. It wasn’t true, however. He could ask for whatever he wanted - he simply didn’t want to put her on the spot. What could he ask for that would be suitable? Heirs? Elaine would demand that at some point, but he could never tell Noelle that. Intimacy? To rule together would be as intimate as they would ever be, surely. To ask for more would seem greedy of him. ‘’I only ask that you keep your intimate relations in private… It wouldn’t benefit either of us or our families if it was to be known that the queen was intimate with someone else than her husband.’’ He then said. He had to take distance to it all; he had to pretend it didn’t bother him - or else she might feel remorse for even mentioning it, and he wanted nothing to do with her regretting her decision.
He sighed, as he looked towards the door as well. ‘’They’re planning… I’m sure your mother already picked out your dress and my mother the venue.’’ He said, before he closed his eyes for a moment. What was he going to tell Kenna? They weren’t an item - nothing close to that even, but… This had been her place, had it not? Had Ellery not planned to propose right before they left for France? Right before he… Nathaniel snapped out of it before he looked back at Noelle. ‘’I’ll see to it that your terms are met within the weeks passing.’’ He then said, placing his hands in his pockets once more.

”We were always the black sheep, weren’t we?” She had never been the girl her parents wished her to be. She was not easy like Estelle. She was rebellious and out-spoken and self-centered. She couldn’t figure out if he was speaking the truth or just telling her what he thought she wanted to hear. ”Really? Nothing?” She found it hard to believe. ”I call bullshit.” She took a step closer to him, maybe even inappropriately close. ”Everybody wants something from everyone.” She didn’t want a marriage started with an unbalance. It should be about equality. ”We are going to be married, we’re going to be partners in just about everything. I think it would be wrong to start this alliance with you being selfless and me selfish.” Maybe she was mistaken and really didn’t want anything.
She tilted her head a little when he spoke of her intimate relations. She took a step back, as the topic suddenly turned personal and staying close to him make it feel even more so. ”Trust me, that won’t be a problem. I can be very discreet when need be.” He almost made it sound as if she was the only who was going to have something besides the marriage. Or perhaps he just wanted to keep it private, even from her. ”Oh lord,” she said and stroked her forehead. Noelle turned her head to him as well. ”Great,” she said and wondered what they were going to do now. Should they just wait for their parents to finish? If so, maybe she should try coming up with something to do in the meantime. Or something to talk about as the very least. ”Maybe we should get reacquainted. I have a feeling we have both grown personally since we last saw each other.”

‘’I used to think of it more like we were a different species.’’ He answered to her black sheep-comment. He had certainly been once. He was born human - but of course, he had never told Noelle that. Those who knew about that was either older than him and hat met him as human, or had known about the curse that deemed the brothers to share a body. Noelle had known about the body-sharing, but none in her family had gotten to know about the curse. It had been easier that way. She called bullcrap on his lack on terms as she stepped incredibly close to him; allowing him to be able to sense her scent as she moved. He avoided direct eye-contact with her, as he knew she was able to look straight through him if she wanted to. ‘’Why would I demand anything of you? Isn’t it enough that you’re forced to sacrifice your own freedom to protect your family? What more could I demand of you? Money? Sex? Children? All I could want for is your company, as it was back then. I simply asked for your terms to make sure you had something to grasp onto in this.’’ He said, his words clearly clouded by a lack of better judgement.
‘’I don’t doubt that,’’ he said, as she had backed away from him and declared that she could be as discreet as needed. A part of him wanted to claim her - to show her that with her two words and four letters had accepted to this alliance being formed. But, alas, it wasn’t anything but proforma. He had no claim on her, and he had to accept that. She seemed rather uneased about the wedding-plans that might be occurring whilst they had agreed on terms and conditions. Left was the only proper thing to do; get to know each other again.
‘’That sounds sensible, but don’t get your hopes up. Without you to challenge me all the time, my personal growth might have been slightly hindered,’’ he warned her, trying to lighten the mood, although it felt like they both needed a drink. He wanted to the table with the wine and glasses and picked up a glass for himself in one hand and the wine-pitcher in the other. He then returned to her, before he poured himself a rather large amount of the liquid. He did the same for her, before placing the wine-pitcher on a nearby table with a plant resting on it. ‘’So, what have you been up to for the past - what - 525 years?’’ he asked, smiling calmly at her before he took a rather large sip of his wine to dull the nerves that started to protrude. He was so used to not be held accountable for anything that when push came to shove, he was terrified of her regretting everything and leave.

”That too,” she said quietly. She had never liked how she was being looked at like she was difficult just because she didn’t fit in with social norms of woman at the time. She had been born in the wrong century; no questions ask. But she also knew that without that, she wouldn’t have become who she was, and she very much liked herself. She noticed how he didn’t look straight at her. What was he afraid of? ”Aren’t you being forced too?” She crossed her arms. ”I just don’t think it’s fair I get to make all the demands.” She wanted to know what he wanted.
Noelle might consider it if he said he wanted her and her only. She had always wanted something real, but few people had made the cut. She was very picky. But she didn’t feel the same way about Nathaniel. He could really piss her off, and he did for the most part, but he also managed to keep her interest all the time, and not many people could do that. She chuckled when he stated that he hadn’t been able to grow much without her challenging him. ”Is that your indirect way of saying that you’ve missed me?” She smirked at him. She watched him as he went over to get them a drink each. She took the glass and took a sip. ”Oh you know, parties, dating, traveling. It’s been fairly laid-back for me. I just stopped trying to please my parents and started living the life I wanted.” She had educated herself, mostly in the 20th century but she was shortly posing as man because she was over the male dominance and she wanted to become journalist. Not because it actually interested her much, but it just seemed like it would help show the world that women could be just as intelligent and capable as men. Instead she just ended up punished somehow. ”I fought for female equality and right to vote, stuff like that.” It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that she would do that. She had always believed that women were no different than men, that they deserved all the same opportunities as men.

‘’You keep insisting on me having something I would want out of this.’’ He sighed, as she asked if he wasn’t being forced to. He stepped closer - as she had done moment before; almost too close for comfort. If they breathed in deeply - filling their lungs to the brim - their chests would meet no doubt. He looked straight into her eyes, trying to contain whatever emotions that tried to unravel right in front of her. He reached out, only to allow his fingers to glide over the alabaster skin on her cheek. They stood so close that he could feel her breath on his skin. ‘’All I want is…’’ he said, as he leaned in to whisper something into her ear. ‘’All I want is to return this.’’ He then said, as he allowed his lips to touch her cheek for less than a moment. He then pulled away with a little chuckle. ‘’Now, would you please stop thinking that I would want anything from you? Your company - how annoying it might be at times - is enough for me.’’ He said, winking at her.

‘’Of course I missed you. I need someone to kick my ass when I get out of line.’’ He joked, before he moved away from her to get them something to drink.
‘’So, you lived a little huh? That seems nice. I decided to go on a drunken journey, so tales of my explorations will not really be of any importance.’’ He chuckled. He had decided as soon as his mother had made her decision that he would leave Olivier and Jean in the past. Jean lived with his family, and Olivier had still not contacted him about getting together. Of course, if Olivier decided to be a part of the Circle, Nathaniel would make sure that happened, but right now, his eldest son still didn’t play a part of his life. None of his children did.
‘’We started our own company. Masonry. It worked out pretty well, actually. People pay good money for old-fashioned handcrafts.’’ He said, smiling calmly at her. He pulled out his phone for a moment, simply to write a text, telling Nerobel about the terms Noelle had presented. Besides the parents having access to the estate and a home nearby, he also gave Nerobel orders on arranging private chambers for Noelle in the estate, so that she wouldn’t have to suffer through Nathaniel’s company being forced upon her at all times. He shipped off the text and placed the phone back in his pocket. He then took another sip of his wine, smiling to himself. Why did it feel like he had just won? That wasn’t fair, since that implied that she lost.

Noelle was on the verge on spitting a response back to him until he stepped closer. It annoyed her that he still managed to take her breath away. She started breathing again when he touched her cheek so softly, careful even. When he expressed what he wanted for then to lean forward to kiss her cheek for a short moment, she felt herself grow flustered a moment. Oh god how she hated the influence he held over her. ”Fine, I will let it go.” She looked at him with a slightly arched eyebrow. ”I was just trying to be selfless for once.” A smile played over her full lips. ”It’s not worth the effort,” she concluded. ”I am not annoying. You’re the annoying one.” Shortly she felt like that teenage girl who kept running around with him, trying to be interesting enough to be worthy of his time. She didn’t want to be that girl anymore.

”I am sure your mother is more than capable of that.” She knew Elaine was not a woman to thread on, but she didn’t scare Noelle. What would she do? When she married Nathaniel, she would have no power. She nodded when he spoke of a drunken journey. ”I have done that too,” she said. Sometimes when her brother was going on one of his travels, he would ‘kidnap’ Noelle. She enjoyed those times where she had a chance to be free and not be bound to rules of how you were supposed to be or what you were supposed to do. ”I believe you. There is something charming about old-fashioned. That’s why you’re a hit at parties,” she said, winking. She looked around. She was expecting the wedding party was going to be held in here. She was already beginning to imagine how it was to be decorated, what food and drinks to be served. She was nothing if not a visionary. At least in some aspects. ”Do you think your mother would let me plan our wedding, or is it all out of our hands?” She looked back at him. She took a large sip of the wine. She was still wrapping her head around all of this. Marriage had always seemed like something everyone else did, everyone else who were in love. She had never been that. And now she was marrying into a loveless marriage. It was very fitting in a way.

Nathaniel knew - he could sense it the moment he stepped closer; she grew flustered. He wasn’t going to use it to his advantage, simply because she had not shared the emotion with him. It was personal; private. Then, as she started to say that he was the annoying one, he chuckled with a crooked grin. ‘’Are you done? It’s not a competition.’’ He stated, smiling at her as he knew she would either accept the comment or be infuriated by it.
‘’My mother wouldn’t touch we even if it could save her life. I need someone who would be willing to act to a more hands-on approach.’’ He said, winking at the woman in front of him. As the stated she had been on some drunken journeys too, he laughed a warm laugh for a moment. ‘’Why doesn’t that surprise me even the slightest?’’. Then, another jab at him with him being old-fashioned. ‘’Arranged marriage; forming alliances. You’re just as old-fashioned as me in this, my dear.’’ He answered, smiling softly at her. Did she even know what she had agreed to? As she started to look around and speak, he seized the moment, and dug out a small jewelry box from the inner pocket of his blazer.
‘’I’m afraid that our parents will be doing that with no help from us.’’ He answered, an as she would look back at him while taking a sip of her wine, he went down on one knee right in front of her. ‘’Noelle Audra Juliette Voclain… Would you do me the honor of joining me in a sacred alliance, to rule by my side as equals; to be my most trusted advisor and closest companion?’’ he asked, as he opened the box only to present a flawless golden ring with a diamond-cut peridot-stone glistening from the middle. The ring was old - at least 500 years - but it could hardly be seen on it, had it not been for the engraving that stated that it was a French jewelry-maker that had made it back in Paris in the 1400s. It had originally been a birthday gift for the teenage girl he had messed around with back then, before she was sent away. Now, it acted as an engagement ring for that very girl, if she was to say yes. How fitting.

Noelle rolled her eyes. Of course, it was a competition. ”Life is a competition. I’m marrying a prince. I win.” It was mostly meant as a joke. Maybe some people would be okay marrying like this, but she didn’t. If she ever was to be married, she had thought it would be because she could not imagine living without a person. However much she appreciated his company, she didn’t feel that way about Nathaniel.
”Is that an invitation?” She stretched her neck so she could see some of his ass. She made an impressed face before taking another sip. ”What can I say? I’m predictable.” She wrinkled her nose when he mentioned she was old-fashioned as well. ”No need to be mean,” she said. Noelle was not a fan of her not have any say in how her wedding was supposed to be.
She turned her head back and looked down to see him stand on one knee in front of her. She listened to his speech about joining an alliance, be his advisor and companion. It sounded more like a business proposal than an actual proposal. But maybe it wasn’t that far off. She looked at the ring. It was beautiful. She looked at the ring, then at Nathaniel and back at the ring. Now was when it mattered. If she said yes now, she was bound to this agreement. She had no way of getting out of it. She heard a door open and looked over to see her parents and Elaine looking directly at them. She felt how her heart was beating faster. She was nervous and felt trapped. She had no way out now. She looked back at Nathaniel and her heart seemed to calm down just a little. ”I will.” She felt goosebumps break out all over her body. Her life was going to change now, and she was not sure if it was for better or worse. She held her hand forward so he could put the ring on her.

‘’So, you do consider marrying me a win? I knew it!’’ he joked, winking at the siren. He had noticed the reluctant behavior of hers and he linked that to be caused by the fact that she didn’t love him; not now, not ever. Of course it would bother him, but he had learned that marrying out of love wasn’t an option as things had taken a turn for the more medieval with them. ‘’Predictable? That’s not a word I have ever associated you with,’’ he said, taking yet another sip of his wine. Then the old-fashioned jokes came into play, which resulted in her looking around and him getting down on one knee to propose. He had barely asked her before he noticed the look in her eyes. She was searching for a way out, wasn’t she? In some way, that pained him a little. He knew he wasn’t the first choice - he had never been.
The parents joined them once more, just in time for Noelle to answer his request. He felt his heart racing; his throat went dry by the thought that she wanted to back out. Then, as Noelle placed her eyes on Nathaniel again, and agreed, he sighed silently in relief. With slightly shaky hands, he removed the ring from the box and placed it on her finger - just like in every Hallmark-movie ever. Silently, he mouthed the words; ‘Thank you’ to her as he got up from the floor and looked shortly at his mother. She simply nodded, before she congratulated the Voclain’s and then left with no words for neither Nathaniel nor Noelle. Nathaniel then looked at the Voclain’s - his future in-laws - with a calm smile. ‘’Any precautions about the wedding I should be aware of, Mr. Voclain?’’ Nathaniel asked, as calm and collected as possible despite his heart beating all the way up in his esophagus. He placed a hand on Noelle’s shoulder, simply to show that he would be by her side until she told him otherwise.

Noelle made a ‘tsk’ sound with her tongue, as she knew she had just given him ammunition against her. ”Fine, I’ll give you this one,” she said defeatedly. She knew it was impossible for her to get out of it. She looked at him when he spoke of her predictability. ”Oh good. I thought I was getting boring.” Her voice was relieved. She was not looking for a way out, she was just looking for something. Anything that would tell her that she was making the right choice. Instead she saw her parents and knew there was no choice.
She noticed his shaky hands but didn’t comment on it. He seemed nervous, and it would be cruel to point that out. She just made a slight not with her head when he mouthed the words. She looked at the ring. It really was beautiful. She turned towards her parents and Elaine as well. She only caught a glimpse of Elaine before she left. That was kind of rude, wasn’t it? Her parents walked over to them. ”Congratulations,” her father wished them both. Her mother picked up her hand to marvel over the ring. ”Whenever a question like that is posed, I always say you should beware Noelle and her brother Maxence.” He let out a short chuckle. ”I have talked through the details with your mother. Everything should be going according to plan.” Noelle looked at Nathaniel when he put a hand on her shoulder. It was nice to know she was not alone, that she was not the only one being forced to marry. ”We have agreed to bring some of our security. It will make my wife feel better if she has people around she trusts. It is not unheard of that leaders such as yourself are targeted.” Noelle looked over at her father. ”Will Raphael be there?” She trusted Raphael. He had been there for her more than once, making sure she didn’t come to any harm. Luckily, it had never been anything to serious. ”Yes, he will,” her father responded. Noelle smiled by that information. She would feel more safe if he was.

He smiled at the siren as she admitted defeat. To him, it mattered somewhat that she at least found him attractive. Then being married to him wouldn’t be a complete waste of her precious time. ‘’You? Boring? Maybe in a millennium or so.’’ he said, winking at her.

As the mother marveled the ring and the father congratulated on the acceptance, Nathaniel knew that Noelle was less than pleased with the statement ‘according to plan’. The two of them had never been near that ideal, so making a plan for them was like trying to catch smoke with their bare hands. They were bound to end up disappointed. ‘’Since it will be the joining of our families, I suspect that being wary of Noelle and her brother would be the least of my concerns, sir. After all, my mother would be present, and displeased to say the least about giving up her throne.’’ Nathaniel said. There was no need to lie to his father-in-law about that.
‘’You can of course bring whoever you’d like, both to the ceremony and anytime besides that. I would prefer to be informed, so that Nerobel has a chance to adjust any arrangements beforehand, if that is okay with you, mr. Voclain?’’ Nathaniel asked, giving Noelle’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.
‘’I have asked Nerobel to assure suitable housing for you and your wife, Mr. Voclain. Your daughter has requested for you to be close by, which I have no intention on denying her. On the same note, I would like to discuss titles with you, whenever you have the time. With your daughter being the future queen, I only find it suitable for you and your wife to be of a certain status within the court. Oh, and of course, we’ll have to speak about Maxence. I haven’t seen him in some time now, but I trust that he is doing well? Estelle, I assume won’t be joining us for the wedding?’’ he asked, trying to keep a straight face. Honestly, he was terrified about the whole wedding-thing. He would have to invite Kenna, surely. Would Noelle approve of that? He would also have to invite Tidus, regardless of how little interest he had in doing so. Keeping things civilized between the Patrons and the Circle was a priority, regardless of how he felt about the Don of the Patrons.
‘’May I suggest that you and Noelle would be planning the decorations, mrs. Voclain? I know my mother can be very insisting, but I’ll make sure she stays in her lane.’’ He assured his future mother-in-law with a charming smile. he couldn’t let Elaine take over the wedding right in front of Noelle. It was her wedding - she should be able to plan it the way she wanted to.

Noelle smiled at his compliment - or at least she took it like that. She would hate ever being considered boring. She had fought to hard to ever be considered average, normal. That was also why she was very content on being involved with the circle. She would hate more than anything to be another housewife just following her husband blindly.

Noelle was just speaking with her mother about the details of the wedding. It was all about what she wanted, what she thought would make it aesthetically pleasing. Had she chosen to engage in this marriage herself, she would have considered just running away, eloping. It was not worth the controlling mothers. She could hardly believe, Elaine didn’t have some thoughts of how the wedding was supposed to go. Perhaps the decorations didn’t matter to her, but she undoubtedly had other notes. Noelle’s father made a single nod. ”Perhaps,” he said and looked over at his daughter.
Noelle appreciated the squeeze of her shoulder. It meant something to her, that Nathaniel was trying to make it easier for her if he could. ”Surely. Noelle knows which company is proper. As long she continues to do so, there will be no problem.” Noelle knew he was talking about Troy. She hated how her parents had just tossed him aside because he didn’t fit into the norms, into what they thought was right. He was troubled, yes, but that shouldn’t matter to his parents. Noelle had not told her parents how frequently she visited him to make sure he was alright. She might even be the only steady person in his life, as far as she knew.
Her father looked at Nathaniel when he spoke, then over at Noelle when it was revealed she had asked for them to be close by. ”That would be very kind of you. We will make time for that in one of the following days.” Noelle was far more interested in Nathaniel and her father’s conversation than the chit-chat with her mother. ”He is doing quite fine. I regret to say, that is the most likely outcome. We have not heard from Estelle since your brother’s tragic passing was announced.” His forehead grew into deep wrinkles by the thought of his oldest daughter acting so foolishly. Noelle didn’t know many people she would want there. If she had her family, that would be more than fine for her. But she knew it couldn’t. Troy would not be allowed near the circle, or her family, if her parents had anything to say about it. Maybe Noelle could change that when she and Nathaniel was leading the circle.
”Oh surely. It would be my pleasure. I would not mind to hear your mother’s thoughts on it, however. It is her son’s wedding as well, after all.” Noelle looked up at Nathaniel with a gentle smile. Maybe this was not going to be so bad. Maybe she could be happy, eventually. ”I think we have taken big steps towards this union today. Perhaps we can take the rest of the day to relax and then start the planning of the event tomorrow.”