Garion + Nicky
Backdated to....last night, I think.
Garion had never imagined he'd do this. Well, he had thought of it, certainly. It was bound to happen. But not so soon and not with Nicky. It was strange how he'd gotten so fond of Nicky. She'd been a close friend. One with... extra privileges. But if he was going to do it, he might as well do it with someone he trusts and cares about.
He walked across the hall and eventually found the door to Nicky's office. He'd been there before. For other purposes, though. For some reason Nicky and Garion never had trouble with a location...
You can still turn back now... You can still - Knock, knock. - Well, never mind that notion.
The paperwork had built up again. She had known that it would, and was making decent time in working her way through it, but it was still mildly irritating that things that there were still matters that ought to have been routine that still made their way to her desk.
After all, there were better things that could be doing with her time.
When she heard the knock on the door, she didn't think about whether it could bring more work. Either it would be something entertaining, or she would be able to tear someone a new one for wasting her time.
In both cases, a welcome distraction.
Garion let out a large sigh before moving his hand to the knob and opening the door. He was familiar with the room. And so it didn't surprise him that Nicky's desk was full of paperwork. He'd always been careful not to knock anything over on that desk. The consequences would be... unpleasant. He was sure of it.
He closed the door behind him and gave out a smile and couldn't help but notice the smile was a bit forced. He never had been this nervous in his entire life. He thought Miletos was bad. This was worse and he didn't even have to put his life at risk.
Calm down, you fool! Having that thought didn't stop him from being nervous, obviously. Say something.
"Bad timing?" Garion nudged his head at the pile on Nicky's desk.
Nicky's evening was looking significantly brighter.
"I can always make time for you."
She continued writing as she spoke, but the papers had been put off for so long already. Another night wouldn't be that much of a matter.
"Why, thank you." Garion put an exaggerated smile on his face, in an attempt to make a joke. Whether he was trying to amuse Nicky or himself, he wasn't certain of. What he was certain of, however, was that his hands were shaking a bit. He decided to walk over to a chair and sit down on it. As he allowed his hands to rest on his lap, it became much less obvious how nervous he was.
Okay, try to bring it easy. Don't do anything stupid.
"How did the meeting with your mother go?"
That probably wasn't the smartest question to ask.
That wasn't something that she expected to hear from him. Nicky's pen paused against the paper.
"It went about as well as can be expected."
The conversation had went around in the usual circles, but her aunt's smugness at having her child safely married off had helped deflect her mother's ire. She'd probably catch trouble for it later, but if she could avoid her mother, it would not be a problem. Nicky was rather certain of her capabilities in that regard.
She glanced down at the paper she was working on. Ink had pooled where the pen's nib hit the page. She'd have to redo this one.
Just as he thought. It wasn't a good question to ask. God, why was this so hard?
"Well, it must have been entertaining, at least a little?"
Stop tapping your foot! It's amazing how one catches these kind of motions moments after they start. C'mon, this is Nicky! How would she respond, anyway? Garion knows Nicky isn't entirely fond of the prospect of marriage either. Just like his mother, hers would pester her all day about it if she had the chance. Had Nicky even thought about marrying Garion, if only once? Unfortunately, reading someone's mind is not humanly possible, so that question would probably be left unanswered for.
"While I can think of better ways to spend an afternoon, it wasn't the most unpleasant thing to happen to me in the past week."
With the amount of nagging that went on as it was, the thought of what they would say if they knew about the unpleasant little revelation that she had that week was almost unthinkable. Luckily, she wasn't planning on telling them about it. Nicky crumpled up the paper and tossed it at the waste basket.
She smiled. It was a perfect shot.
"Oh? What could be more unpleasant than that?" Nicky wasn't fond of her mother. So what could be more unpleasant than that talk?
He followed the piece of paper from her hand to the basket. It was almost as if she did it with no effort. At all. His gaze returned to her face and he saw her smile. He could help but smile back and- "Do you want to marry me?"
...
Not even Garion himself knew where that came from all of a sudden.
"It was just a startling bit of news; nothing to worry..."
Nicky paused as she processed what Garion had just asked her.
"Do I want to what?"
It came out before Garion had been able to stop it.
...
He just proposed to her, didn't he? He actually did it. He didn't have a lot of time to be impressed however, since now he had to explain what the hell he was thinking when he popped the question.
"Do you" - Okay, saying it a second time was even harder. - "want to marry me?"
Garion tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible. He didn't have much hope for actually succeeding in doing so, however.
"Garion...."
Nicky looked up from her papers. Out of all the things...she hadn't seen this coming. The pen fell from her hand, bouncing slightly off the page in front of her, before rolling to the floor. That was another document that she would have to redo, but in light of-
Her papers were suddenly a lot less urgent.
"Are you sure about this?"
Garion remained silent for a while, gathering his thoughts before he spoke. He figured it would be nice to be a little more cautious for the remained of this conversation.
"I am." He was. After all, he'd given it a lot of thought before gathering his courage and seeing Nicky.
"You already know that I'm being pressured to get married. And to be frank, I'm not too fond of it. But... it has to happen. I need to get it over with eventually. And when I do, I want it to be with someone I trust. Someone I like, if not love. Someone I actually want to spend the rest of my life with. And the more I think about it... the more I realise that person is you, Nicky."
There, it was out. It was all he could think of at this moment. There was more, probably, but he couldn't find the words for it. Now it was up to her.
Nicky had been well aware of the fact that she was well past marriageable age. She hadn't really expected it to be an issue again; most of her mother's complaints were about the fact that she could have given her grandchildren who could have been the next major blood, but had obviously missed the chance. The rest tended to be about how Nicky had failed to give her any grandchildren at all.
Had failed. But really, she knew that she couldn't rely on her luck forever, and while Nicky hadn't planned on bringing things up until she was sure of the situation- sure that she couldn't avoid having to deal with it at all.
"I think there's something that I need to tell you first."
That reaction was... odd, to say the least. Garion was expecting either a hestitant yes or a definite no. But there was something she needs to tell him first? If anything, Garion was interested to hear what she had to say.
"Oh?" It felt like an appropiate response.
If it had been anyone else, it would have been a flat out no, regardless of the situation.
And if it had been two weeks ago, she would have asked for more time, but things had changed since then.
"Garion, I think I'm expecting."
"You're expecting? Expecting what? Oh, I guess I don't have a ring, how stu--" Wait a minute... Expecting?
...
Expecting? Then who...
"Oh. I didn't know. Who is the lucky father?"
"I seem to have missed my last two moons. So I can't very welll say for sure, but it would have to have been sometime in July."
She could, however, do the math.
"I suppose I'll find out when it's born."
So she was pregnant. Great. Garion was sure that Nicky would want the child to grow up in the vicinity of his father. So the chances of her accepting his proposal were just redu-- wait, what if... what if he is the father?
"You don't suppose..."
July, July... did they see each other in July? They've been near each other for quite some time now, but did it really date all the way--
"Have you been with anyone else since the Day of Narga?"
"I've been so busy lately, what with the corpses and all."
She gestured, negligently, at the stacks of paper scattered about the room.
"I simply haven't had the time."
This was very surprising. Garion had always been able to... pull out before reaching a certain climax. And thus far this method has worked and resulted in no kids. Garion guessed he got a bit too comfortable during some of the "sessions" he had with Nicky.
"Well, if anything it certainly adds a whole new dimension to my proposal."
"It does."
Nicky had thought that, if it ever came down to it, she would keep any children she had. It wasn't as if she couldn't afford to raise them on her own, and she was sure that she could deal with any rumors that arose.
That wasn't to say that she didn't take certain rather expensive steps to help prevent such a situation from ever occurring, but you couldn't depend on luck for everything, now could you?
And it certainly did. If Nicky was really bearing his child, they'd have to get married before the child is born in order to make sure it is not considered to be illegimate. Having a bastard child was the last thing Garion needed. He'd prevailed at having none so far and he wasn't planning on having any.
Which reminds him...
"Now all I need to know is... do you accept?"
A no would have devastating consquences for Garion and his family. Garion would lose name due to having an illegimate child or worse. There were many different scenarios playing through his mind if she were to say no. And each and every one had a bad ending.
"Only because it's you."
For more reason than one. Her mother was probably going to enjoy this entirely too much. She'd need to find a way to stave off visitation.
"I apologize in advance for the in-laws."
Well, it was better than nothing, right? Though Garion's pride did take a small blow at the way that answer was phrased.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. I am sure I can deal with them just fine. My own family also has a few... interesting individuals, so I know what you mean. Either way... looks like we'll be sharing more than a friendship and a bed soon." That last part came with a complementary grin. "I know mother will be very pleased. That's for sure."
"Entirely too pleased, I'm afraid. She'd spend half the year in Freege if given the slightest chance."
Nicky was fond of her family in general, but as individuals, they were rather infuriating. Her younger siblings were adorable, but the fact that she generally only saw them every other month helped. Her mother....insufferable in any situation.
"It would have been nice if we could elope, but-"
Luckily for him, Garion didn't see Nicky's mother often during his stay. Had she known about this, she probably would have been all over him, gleeing with joy.
"Elope? I'm afraid that's no option for me, dear Nicky. I have Freege to take care off, after all. But... if you want to come with me to Freege tomorrow, I have no objections. Not at all."
If she thought about it, she would be able to pack tonight. There wasn't much of importance that she absolutely had to bring. A few changes of clothing. The best of her jewels. Some money. Her journal. The rest could be sent for later.
If she could leave the city unnoticed, then it was likely that no one would notice that rather than hiding again, she was really not in residence for a few days. Mercurial was a quiet horse, and it was likely that no one knew the manor grounds as well as she.
"I can meet you on the road in the morning. A trip's so much nicer with company, isn't it?"
That settled it. They'd both head back to Freege in the morning and both their lives would be very different from that point on. They'd be married. Husband and wife. Garion couldn't help but laugh at it. It all seemed so unreal. But it wasn't. It was very real.
"Oh, that it is. I'm sure it'll be just as nice as the trip to here. Maybe even nicer."
Garion had never imagined he'd do this. Well, he had thought of it, certainly. It was bound to happen. But not so soon and not with Nicky. It was strange how he'd gotten so fond of Nicky. She'd been a close friend. One with... extra privileges. But if he was going to do it, he might as well do it with someone he trusts and cares about.
He walked across the hall and eventually found the door to Nicky's office. He'd been there before. For other purposes, though. For some reason Nicky and Garion never had trouble with a location...
You can still turn back now... You can still - Knock, knock. - Well, never mind that notion.
The paperwork had built up again. She had known that it would, and was making decent time in working her way through it, but it was still mildly irritating that things that there were still matters that ought to have been routine that still made their way to her desk.
After all, there were better things that could be doing with her time.
When she heard the knock on the door, she didn't think about whether it could bring more work. Either it would be something entertaining, or she would be able to tear someone a new one for wasting her time.
In both cases, a welcome distraction.
Garion let out a large sigh before moving his hand to the knob and opening the door. He was familiar with the room. And so it didn't surprise him that Nicky's desk was full of paperwork. He'd always been careful not to knock anything over on that desk. The consequences would be... unpleasant. He was sure of it.
He closed the door behind him and gave out a smile and couldn't help but notice the smile was a bit forced. He never had been this nervous in his entire life. He thought Miletos was bad. This was worse and he didn't even have to put his life at risk.
Calm down, you fool! Having that thought didn't stop him from being nervous, obviously. Say something.
"Bad timing?" Garion nudged his head at the pile on Nicky's desk.
Nicky's evening was looking significantly brighter.
"I can always make time for you."
She continued writing as she spoke, but the papers had been put off for so long already. Another night wouldn't be that much of a matter.
"Why, thank you." Garion put an exaggerated smile on his face, in an attempt to make a joke. Whether he was trying to amuse Nicky or himself, he wasn't certain of. What he was certain of, however, was that his hands were shaking a bit. He decided to walk over to a chair and sit down on it. As he allowed his hands to rest on his lap, it became much less obvious how nervous he was.
Okay, try to bring it easy. Don't do anything stupid.
"How did the meeting with your mother go?"
That probably wasn't the smartest question to ask.
That wasn't something that she expected to hear from him. Nicky's pen paused against the paper.
"It went about as well as can be expected."
The conversation had went around in the usual circles, but her aunt's smugness at having her child safely married off had helped deflect her mother's ire. She'd probably catch trouble for it later, but if she could avoid her mother, it would not be a problem. Nicky was rather certain of her capabilities in that regard.
She glanced down at the paper she was working on. Ink had pooled where the pen's nib hit the page. She'd have to redo this one.
Just as he thought. It wasn't a good question to ask. God, why was this so hard?
"Well, it must have been entertaining, at least a little?"
Stop tapping your foot! It's amazing how one catches these kind of motions moments after they start. C'mon, this is Nicky! How would she respond, anyway? Garion knows Nicky isn't entirely fond of the prospect of marriage either. Just like his mother, hers would pester her all day about it if she had the chance. Had Nicky even thought about marrying Garion, if only once? Unfortunately, reading someone's mind is not humanly possible, so that question would probably be left unanswered for.
"While I can think of better ways to spend an afternoon, it wasn't the most unpleasant thing to happen to me in the past week."
With the amount of nagging that went on as it was, the thought of what they would say if they knew about the unpleasant little revelation that she had that week was almost unthinkable. Luckily, she wasn't planning on telling them about it. Nicky crumpled up the paper and tossed it at the waste basket.
She smiled. It was a perfect shot.
"Oh? What could be more unpleasant than that?" Nicky wasn't fond of her mother. So what could be more unpleasant than that talk?
He followed the piece of paper from her hand to the basket. It was almost as if she did it with no effort. At all. His gaze returned to her face and he saw her smile. He could help but smile back and- "Do you want to marry me?"
...
Not even Garion himself knew where that came from all of a sudden.
"It was just a startling bit of news; nothing to worry..."
Nicky paused as she processed what Garion had just asked her.
"Do I want to what?"
It came out before Garion had been able to stop it.
...
He just proposed to her, didn't he? He actually did it. He didn't have a lot of time to be impressed however, since now he had to explain what the hell he was thinking when he popped the question.
"Do you" - Okay, saying it a second time was even harder. - "want to marry me?"
Garion tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible. He didn't have much hope for actually succeeding in doing so, however.
"Garion...."
Nicky looked up from her papers. Out of all the things...she hadn't seen this coming. The pen fell from her hand, bouncing slightly off the page in front of her, before rolling to the floor. That was another document that she would have to redo, but in light of-
Her papers were suddenly a lot less urgent.
"Are you sure about this?"
Garion remained silent for a while, gathering his thoughts before he spoke. He figured it would be nice to be a little more cautious for the remained of this conversation.
"I am." He was. After all, he'd given it a lot of thought before gathering his courage and seeing Nicky.
"You already know that I'm being pressured to get married. And to be frank, I'm not too fond of it. But... it has to happen. I need to get it over with eventually. And when I do, I want it to be with someone I trust. Someone I like, if not love. Someone I actually want to spend the rest of my life with. And the more I think about it... the more I realise that person is you, Nicky."
There, it was out. It was all he could think of at this moment. There was more, probably, but he couldn't find the words for it. Now it was up to her.
Nicky had been well aware of the fact that she was well past marriageable age. She hadn't really expected it to be an issue again; most of her mother's complaints were about the fact that she could have given her grandchildren who could have been the next major blood, but had obviously missed the chance. The rest tended to be about how Nicky had failed to give her any grandchildren at all.
Had failed. But really, she knew that she couldn't rely on her luck forever, and while Nicky hadn't planned on bringing things up until she was sure of the situation- sure that she couldn't avoid having to deal with it at all.
"I think there's something that I need to tell you first."
That reaction was... odd, to say the least. Garion was expecting either a hestitant yes or a definite no. But there was something she needs to tell him first? If anything, Garion was interested to hear what she had to say.
"Oh?" It felt like an appropiate response.
If it had been anyone else, it would have been a flat out no, regardless of the situation.
And if it had been two weeks ago, she would have asked for more time, but things had changed since then.
"Garion, I think I'm expecting."
"You're expecting? Expecting what? Oh, I guess I don't have a ring, how stu--" Wait a minute... Expecting?
...
Expecting? Then who...
"Oh. I didn't know. Who is the lucky father?"
"I seem to have missed my last two moons. So I can't very welll say for sure, but it would have to have been sometime in July."
She could, however, do the math.
"I suppose I'll find out when it's born."
So she was pregnant. Great. Garion was sure that Nicky would want the child to grow up in the vicinity of his father. So the chances of her accepting his proposal were just redu-- wait, what if... what if he is the father?
"You don't suppose..."
July, July... did they see each other in July? They've been near each other for quite some time now, but did it really date all the way--
"Have you been with anyone else since the Day of Narga?"
"I've been so busy lately, what with the corpses and all."
She gestured, negligently, at the stacks of paper scattered about the room.
"I simply haven't had the time."
This was very surprising. Garion had always been able to... pull out before reaching a certain climax. And thus far this method has worked and resulted in no kids. Garion guessed he got a bit too comfortable during some of the "sessions" he had with Nicky.
"Well, if anything it certainly adds a whole new dimension to my proposal."
"It does."
Nicky had thought that, if it ever came down to it, she would keep any children she had. It wasn't as if she couldn't afford to raise them on her own, and she was sure that she could deal with any rumors that arose.
That wasn't to say that she didn't take certain rather expensive steps to help prevent such a situation from ever occurring, but you couldn't depend on luck for everything, now could you?
And it certainly did. If Nicky was really bearing his child, they'd have to get married before the child is born in order to make sure it is not considered to be illegimate. Having a bastard child was the last thing Garion needed. He'd prevailed at having none so far and he wasn't planning on having any.
Which reminds him...
"Now all I need to know is... do you accept?"
A no would have devastating consquences for Garion and his family. Garion would lose name due to having an illegimate child or worse. There were many different scenarios playing through his mind if she were to say no. And each and every one had a bad ending.
"Only because it's you."
For more reason than one. Her mother was probably going to enjoy this entirely too much. She'd need to find a way to stave off visitation.
"I apologize in advance for the in-laws."
Well, it was better than nothing, right? Though Garion's pride did take a small blow at the way that answer was phrased.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. I am sure I can deal with them just fine. My own family also has a few... interesting individuals, so I know what you mean. Either way... looks like we'll be sharing more than a friendship and a bed soon." That last part came with a complementary grin. "I know mother will be very pleased. That's for sure."
"Entirely too pleased, I'm afraid. She'd spend half the year in Freege if given the slightest chance."
Nicky was fond of her family in general, but as individuals, they were rather infuriating. Her younger siblings were adorable, but the fact that she generally only saw them every other month helped. Her mother....insufferable in any situation.
"It would have been nice if we could elope, but-"
Luckily for him, Garion didn't see Nicky's mother often during his stay. Had she known about this, she probably would have been all over him, gleeing with joy.
"Elope? I'm afraid that's no option for me, dear Nicky. I have Freege to take care off, after all. But... if you want to come with me to Freege tomorrow, I have no objections. Not at all."
If she thought about it, she would be able to pack tonight. There wasn't much of importance that she absolutely had to bring. A few changes of clothing. The best of her jewels. Some money. Her journal. The rest could be sent for later.
If she could leave the city unnoticed, then it was likely that no one would notice that rather than hiding again, she was really not in residence for a few days. Mercurial was a quiet horse, and it was likely that no one knew the manor grounds as well as she.
"I can meet you on the road in the morning. A trip's so much nicer with company, isn't it?"
That settled it. They'd both head back to Freege in the morning and both their lives would be very different from that point on. They'd be married. Husband and wife. Garion couldn't help but laugh at it. It all seemed so unreal. But it wasn't. It was very real.
"Oh, that it is. I'm sure it'll be just as nice as the trip to here. Maybe even nicer."