The Arrangement

Chapter 1

"Son, I want to ask you to take a posting for your family." His father looked uneasy as he sat behind the large gold tooled desk and fidgeted with an ornate gold brush handle. It was unlike the man, and his failure to quite meet his son's eyes had the youth on high alert.

"A posting? Which one." He questioned curiously. His father coughed a little and put down the brush.

"About that. I would like you to become... an Imperial Consort to his majesty..." He flinched when his son scoffed at the words and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You must be joking." The youth muttered and went to turn away from the desk.

"Wait! Let me explain. Please my son." The older man begged with a hand extended. The youth stopped because of the urgency in the man's voice which he had not heard before.

"Fine. Go ahead. Explain to me why you want to send me off like a possession to be married." He sneered. The older man sighed.

"I do not want to... but I feel that we must. If it were any of the others, I would not have dreamed to send them." He began.

"Because they aren't a Ger?" The youth interrupted. The old man frowned.

"No. Because you are normally the most level-headed of your brothers. You are smart, quick witted, and I can count on you to do what is best instead of whatever you want to do." He bit back quickly and sat back with a sigh.

"I am listening." The youth was sullen, but he did look more closely at his father.

"When the previous emperor was on the throne, we were the best of friends in a sea of schemes and uncertainty. The emperor wrote an edict that said, should I have a daughter, she would be wed into the imperial family to solidify our friendship through blood." He looked at his son expectantly. The boy sighed.

"But you had no daughters. Only sons." He finished for the man with a sigh. He could see where this was going.

"Yes. I had only sons, and one of whom happens to have been born a Ger. I have not raised you any different than your brothers. I have shown no favouritism to either your elder brothers or yourself for what you are born as. I have trained you with the same tutors and weapons masters." He reminded the boy with a gentle look.

"I know father. It is just..." He was pouting, he knew it but could not help it. "Can you tell me honestly that you would send one of the others?"

"I could if they were suitable. They are not. Your eldest brother is too proud. Your next brother is too hot-headed. Your third brother..." He hesitated and looked sheepish.

"Is an idiot. I'm sorry I asked, but you know how others have been towards me." His son relented with a half-smile.

"I would not even suggest such a thing if it were not of the utmost importance to this family and the empire, my child. An alliance is what we all need at this crucial time. We must show our support above and beyond what has been asked of us. Do you understand?" He looked at his son with a critical eye.

"I understand, but that doesn't mean I like it. You know if it was anyone other than the emperor himself... I would refuse." He pursed his lips and his father smiled.

"Of course. If were anyone other than the emperor himself, I would not even bring it up. In fact, I have had twenty such offers from some very prestigious families." He teased the boy, who looked suddenly shocked.

"You are joking!" He spat out with surprise.

"No, I am not joking. However, as you have shown no interest in that sort of thing, I have declined all of them to this day. I told you. I do not want you to feel obligated in this way. If you came to me and liked someone, well that might have been different." He allowed with another gentle look. The boy looked mollified.

"Well... thank you then. It would have made things weird if you had told me." He admitted with a slight blush.

"Speaking of weird, your mother wishes to choose your bridal outfit with you. You will have to be firm with her, so she doesn't overdo it." He warned the boy. The youth grimaced and looked over his shoulder as though she might be there listening.

"Do I have to take her with me? I'd rather go with elder brother. He has better fashion sense." He murmured to his father.

"Unfortunately for the peace of the whole family, I insist." He watched the frown on the boy's face and got up to hug him comfortingly.

*

"What do you mean 'they are sending a man'? Since when has this Emperor been interested in men?" The glare that rolled off the regal man behind the desk was enough to have the minister before him sweating in fear.

"Ah, it is not like that, your majesty." He bowed low and presented the Emperor with the scroll that was given to him. The ruler took it with a swipe and read over the lines with a nasty look on his face. "As you can see, it was the dearest wish of your father to be joined with this Du family from the north. As they have no daughters to offer your majesty, they have offered in friendship their most beloved son and Ger."

"Well, We do not recall having ever asked for a bride of any sort from this family." The Emperor grumbled as he read the scroll again.

"This family is the one entrusted by your father to secure the north borders against the wilding. You have many ministers and generals who are related to the main family and are staunchly loyal to you due to the friendship which existed between your father and the head of the family. To refuse such an offer may not be the wisest course of action." The minister said hesitantly.

"Wait... Is this family the one with that boy We trained with...?" The Emperor's face cleared a little and became pensive.

"When your majesty travelled with your father to the retreat? Yes, sire. The eldest son and your majesty used to train with the weapons master together. I believe your majesty stayed with them for a month in their home when you were a boy." The minister reminded him. The Emperor looked thoughtfully at the scroll now.

"We remember now. Do you have the edict from Our father?" He looked up and pinned the minister with his gaze.

"Of course, your majesty." He waved at his scribe, who passed him the old edict in question, and he presented it to the Emperor. The ruler opened it and held his face calm as he read through the words written in his father's own hand. He looked upon the signature at the bottom and sighed heavily.

"We do not wish to insult Our father's and Our friends. We will accept whatever bride is sent to Us by this family as consort to the Emperor. Write a suitable thanks to the family head and make the necessary arrangements." He said with barely the tint of begrudging in his voice.

"Of course, your majesty. Even should you not like the man, as long as you are polite to him and the family head, I am certain all will be satisfactory." The minister tried to console the Emperor about his duty.

"Indeed. Let Us hope the family would not send Us a problem child just to make amends for this old edict." The Emperor intoned testily before turning his attention to more important matters of the empire.

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