Ari sat down at the table. The vaulted ceiling of the public dining rooms in the South Palace never ceased to amaze him. The fact that he rarely came in here, except when they needed a big space for organizing public events, didn't help.
"Sama, must we do this? Don't we have Courtesans for this sort of thing?"
He had been dreading this day from the moment he had proposed to her. The woman insisted on doing everything herself, but could never get anything done. She always got her way, though.
"NO! A Queen must be seen to be doing Queenly things! I WILL PLAN OUR WEDDING IF IT'S THE LAST THING I EVER DO!"
Briefly, he envisioned her begging for her life in the guillotine. Rubbing his temples and chuckling to himself, he realized she'd probably convince the headsman to take her place and give her his firstborn child.
"Alright. What's first?"
He sighed.
Sama looked thoughtfully around for a moment.
"Flowers."
She said finally. Easy enough. A servant could jot down which she wanted, and how many. This may be less painful than he thought.
"Really?"
Ari asked. No, not really, he thought. She can't make up her mind. She never makes up her mind.
"Yes." Nope. Mind not made up.
"Are you sure?"
He continued. No, she's not.
"Yes." Oh. She is.
"Okay." Cool.
"No, wait." I knew it.
"What?" Spit it out, woman.
"Not flowers." What then?
"What then?" He imagined her being sent to the uncivilized west. That'd shut her up. The coasts of Ashan, or, better yet, to the unnamed, uncharted regions farther northwest.
"My dress." Your dress.
"Your dress?" No, not really.
"No, wait. An invitation list." I knew it! Hah. I'm good at this.
"Okay." Good.
"No, wait-" GAH
"Oh, oh my, no. Would you look at the time? I'm late for a very important meeting. A meeting of state. You know, Kingly stuff. I've gotta get going. You continue without me. Send a servant when you're done." Ari hastily spat out. I gotta get out of here. She's slowly driving me insane.
"Oh? I didn't think you had anything scheduled for today." Curses. She's right.
"Uhh.. It's very top-secret."
He lied.
"I'm at the top."
She countered.
"Yes, but.. Err, uhmm.. We're.. That is, Banfray is.. Colonizing the northwest coasts! Yes, that's it. Colonizing the unknown! Woo, spooky, you don't even have to come with. It's boring King-business. We have everything all set up already."
"Oh. Alright then. See you tonight, my little Ari-beary."
Ari hated that nickname so much. There was no arguing with her, though. He was thinking of taking his father's name, just like Haras II had, centuries ago. At what odd times our history facts return to us.
Walking briskly from the grand dining room, he wondered how he would ever get around this lie. Suih would help him. He always did.