Between Hanjari (Safaia) and Ari (wooga Paes)
Hanjari had been living in these lands for a couple months now. He knew it was on a provisionary-status, at least until the Empress decided whom she wanted to have as a consort of sorts. It was not really his choice to come out here, but he knew that it was politically a good move for his home pride, and his parents had raised him well, even if he hadn't been the direct heir of the Pridelands.
Strange customs, strange land...he was getting used to it, but it was hard to adjust from the open lands of the Pridelands. Never straying far from where he was instructed to stay, the prince idly caluclated numbers in the dirt, wanting to keep his brain sharp as he waited to see if there was anything he would be asked to do today.
Ari stretched out in the sun. She’d slept well this morning, perhaps this was a consequence of decision making. She truly liked decision making. It made things so… final. It was like feeling productive. The empress yawned, and set out at a leisurely pace. She didn’t have to check if he shadow was around. For a big blue lioness, her personal guard was quite good at making herself unseen. But Ting Lan knew she was around, should she need her.
She’d been ruling for a while now, and she liked to think she was doing a good job. But there was one part of her rule that went against the normal ways of the pride. Marriage.
As a cub she had secretly dreaded it, though she wouldn’t argue. It was part of her royal life, and it must be done. Growing up, she had sometimes wondered if she should feel insulted by the apparent lack of suitors, though, again, she was secretly pleased. It was fine by her if she should rule her homelands alone. But even she, eventually, had to admit she should find a mate. She needed an heir. Ting Lan didn’t worry much about the burden; being an empress weighed comfortably on her shoulders. But mates also served for a good image, and she knew the value of a good image. Which was what pleased her in her current suitor, for a number of reasons. And she had finally decided what to do with him.
She found the red male sitting on the floor, scribbling with his paws. And decided she’d just go over him one last time before letting him know of her decision.
“Hanjari,” She said, stepping neatly down the path that led to him. Newcomers often found the treacherous ground unnerving, but Ari had been raised here. She barely had to check her steps. “I should hope your night was pleasant.”
Hanjari was startled by the fact that it was the Empress herself instead of an attendent to fetch him. He felt his paw slip, messing up the count of numbers that he had been messing with on the ground. Still, it was hard to be angry when one felt so surprised. Jumpy, even. His red eyes glanced up at the Empress, and he offered her a respectable bow.
"It was pleseant," he answered, mildly truthful. It was different than home, and it seemed like the Central House was very quiet in comparison to the other houses. "The choice in food here is quite wonderful, though." So many different kinds, and many that were not native to his homelands. Mainly because open land only suited so many different prey beasts.
"I hope it is not too forward of me to ask that you slept well, your majesty."
She was quite pleased to have surprised him. One thing that Hanjari had going for him was his composure. He seemed quite adept at keeping calm and proper, certainly good qualities in a leader. Yet it still brought he a childish pleasure to manage to kick him out of that shell. “That is good, then.” She nodded, and examined the male, though she was good at keeping her scrutiny subtle. He hadn’t truly been here long, and she sometimes wondered if he was cold. The highlands could be chilly and windy, and his fur still seemed thin, like it hadn’t yet caught up to the climate change. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too much longer.
“You may, and I slept well.” She should hope he cared about her having a well-beng, so the inquiry worked for her. But now, niceties aside. The empress was ready for business.
“You have been here for two months, yes?” Ting Lan asked, casually. It was nearly three now, she supposed. After waiting an appropriate amount of time for an answer, Ari went on. “My prince,” Though at the moment he was still well below her, a noble from another pride must still be treated well, especially one she hoped to form an alliance with. “If you should have the time, I would very much enjoy it if you would accompany me on a stroll.”
Well, at least that was going well. He had been trained in the best way to deal with another noble from another pride, but he had never needed to practice it until he had come here. Now was when he needed to use it all, and it was a little harder to remember everything than to just say what was in his gut.
He nodded again, reaffirming that he had been here for almost three months. It was colder, rockier, rougher, and more dense than his home, but it had its charming parts. His tail swished behind him as he thought about the warm rocks of the Pridelands before being pulled back into the present. He was a prince, but it was still a touch strange to hear it coming from Empress Ari's mouth.
"I have all the time in the world for you," he said, letting both sides of his mind work that line with a smile. "I would be honored to." He wondered what would come of this, but he was prepared for either, or so he thought.
She nodded, though didn’t provide him with too enthusiastic an answer. It’s not like she had ever even fathomed he’d refuse the invitation, anyways. Not many would, and even when she had been a cub, few had ever refused anything from her. Usually other, more foolish cubs. So she offered him a smile and walked along, not bothering to wait and see if he’d follow. Of course he would.
She decided to take a more scenic route, as it only seemed suiting that they overlook the lands, since today was all about it’s future. The central house had some of the highest points in the land, though she supposed it might be unkind to make him climb too high. Besides, it would be hard to talk, then. She settled for a closer, and safer route, that still managed to oversee a nice expanse of land, at least if you looked to the south.
It was also wide enough to walk side by side, which was also a good thing here. Ari led them along at a leisurely enough place, remaining in silence for a while. Eventually, she decided to move along. “So you have been here for nearly three months awaiting a decision.” Said Ari, though it wasn’t a question needing confirmation. They both knew exactly why Hanjari was here.
“Forgive me, but I must be direct. If I were to take you as a mate,” There was no need to beat around the bushes. Ari had never addressed the matter so directly before, but she wanted a plain answer and she also wondered how he would handle it. “What would you offer my pride?”
Hanjari nodded, not wanting to speak too much. Silence could be just as powerful as words. He followed her, sticking close and only dropping behind when he needed an extra moment to give himself sure footing. It would be silly to follow behind her, so while keeping himself next to her, he did his best to read any cues about what direction they would be going in, or how fast she desired to move.
"Well, a decision such as this could not come quickly," he admitted with understanding. It was more than just the chance of marriage. It would be aligning two strong prides, even while they were not close to each other geographically.
And then it was the question that he had been expecting. He had rehersed in his head what he was to say, but it tried to slip away from him now that the moment had occured. "A question can never be too direct," he said before answering.
"My first offer is the alliance of my homelands, the Pridelands. It is not strategically the best location to make an alliance with a pride this far to the north, but the strength it offers cannot be compared." It was a large, lush land with easily over one hundred adept lions.
"Second, I can offer you what wisdom I have of the outside world; the Pridelands is neutral with many of the prides around it, and as such I learned what I could of them. Third, I offer you myself, in terms of being as strong of a partner as I am capable of. I do not have the strength of a warrior, but a strong mind to make up for it."
And then he waited.
A small part of her was a little disappointed. It would have been fun if he squirmed. Yet, at the same time, Ting Lan found herself quite satisfied with the way he’d handled the question. She was glad the Pridelands had sent him, because he was a fine lion. She didn’t doubt she could have been sent a much slower prince. After all, even some of her own siblings were less than desirable, in some aspects.
“That is a good answer.” She nodded, thoughtfully. Yes, indeed. She had considered all he had said herself, and as far as politics went, Hanjari was probably a perfect match. And so he was a perfect match. If it was good for her pride, for her family, Ari would do it. She had been raised to, and such was her nature.
Though, it was certainly much nicer if something was also good for herself. She stopped walking now, so she could turn her head and look him in the eyes.
“And what can you offer me?”
The formality of their meetings was pleasant in a sense that she could gouge very well how good Hanjari would be for her pride, and how well he was suited to rule. He had proven himself there, and if he needed pointers later on, she would be happy to give them. But she also wouldn’t elude herself with the idea that they had any particular… click, personally. Her parents loved each other, and though it wouldn’t change anything at this point, Ari had the right to know if she would ever grow close to her mate.
This was where Hanjari grew a little bit uncomfortable. He had never been terribly close with any females, and while he was growing up, he figured that he'd have all the time in the world to decide if he even wanted a mate or not. Now, well, life had decided to throw him a whole different bone, and he was in the position of not being terribly knowledgeable in the ways of romance. At least not enough to keep himself from sounding like an idiot. He certainly inherited those traits directly from his father.
"Er, well..." he said, losing most of the composure he just had. He glanced away for a moment when Ari looked directly at him, but did his best to quickly correct that mistake. It could be taken as disrespectful, when really he was just feeling a little bit idiotic.
"That...I'm not so certain on," he finally said, and regretted. How was he going to save this? Give him a test on politics, and he'd ace it. On this? He was clearly failing.
"I'd have to learn that as I go," he added on. He'd rather just chew his foot up than have to deal with the repercussions of what he just said. "That is one world that I know very little in."
For a while, Ari didn’t reply. She just kept her gaze fixed on him She watched his expression change, and it was strange to see him look so uncertain. “Very well.” She said finally, not quite sure what to make of his answer. Because truth be told, Ari didn’t know too much about this area herself. She knew how to rule, and she knew how to make things happen. She didn’t know much about friendships and any sort of romantic feelings. After all, she only had her parent’s love for each other, and the kind of love that was so much like pride she felt towards her family, lands and heritage to go by. Perhaps Hanjari was even better equipped here than she was, coming from the Pridelands. But Ting Lan wasn’t as ready to admit to this as Hanjari was, at least not yet.
“I suppose the first step, then,” She spoke at last. “Is to drop all this formality.” She smiled slightly. Formality wasn’t just a second nature to Ting Lan, it was almost instinctual, at this point. But it seemed impossible to truly be friendly with someone when so bound by proper social conduct. Intimacy, that’s what they needed to work on.
“I should hope by the time we’re married we can manage to have some fun together, after all.” She didn’t have to spell it out, he should be clever enough to get her point.
Hanjari's ear twitched. It hit him like a swift kick to the gut. Yes, he should have expected it, but in reality he hadn't. It was something final now, and he was going to need to let his parents know that this was a for-sure thing now. He hid this bit of surprise well, because it wasn't something completely impossible. Hanjari just hadn't quite expected it.
"Y-yes," he answered, giving her a genuine smile. "Probably the best way to learn more about each other. At least more than how we've been raised."
It was a thrilling thing to think about, but he knew that he had a lot more things to learn about now, and not just about Ari.
"Guess I need another name as well," he added on.
Ari allowed herself to be a little amused. Somehow that didn’t seem like a normal reaction to a marriage, but she didn’t really mind. She was willing to learn to like this lion, in the hope that he could be good for her, the same way he was good for her pride. And that started with keeping an open mind, right?
“Yes.” Ting Lan nodded, pushing some mirth into her voice. “We will find you a good one. Fit for an emperor.” She might suggest something that meant powerful, but wisdom or leadership seemed to be more suiting for her mate-to-be. “And you will also need to meet with my lords and ladies. We may journey to meet them whenever you feel ready.” Some of them were a little tricky to deal with, it seems her parents had managed to find pretty quirky allies. But, again, this was something she was groomed for, and they all proved efficient leaders.
“And I suppose it might be pertinent for me to meet your family, at some point.” The idea was strangely exciting to her. Ari had never actually left the highlands.
"Yes," he answered. He would worry about a name soon, as it was important to exchange these names within the pride...and as he needed to meet with the leaders of the other Houses, he needed it soon.
"I'm sure that my parents would be happy to meet you." And it would be quite the trek to go there, but a reassuring one at that. What better way to cement an alliance with a meeting?
"I'm looking forward to everything," he finally added on, the shock beginning to wear off, but the future being right in front of him.
She briefly mused about what the Pridelands were like. She didn’t have any true pridelanders around to tell her of it, though she’d heard of some of it from her father, who hadn’t cared for the place much (not that he seemed to care much for any place, besides his own lands), from her seer, a serval named Daiyu who seemed well travelled enough, and she thought Jian might have mumbled something about them at one point.
“As am I.” And Ting Lan actually was, a strange enough feeling for her. She decided she’d just ask Hanjari what his home was like. Seemed like a good enough start to befriending someone, after all.
“Well, let’s continue our walk, then.” She said, but this time actually waited for an indication from him before she started walking. She was no longer supposed to be just his empress now, and that seemed strange. But she could handle that. “And tell me about the Pridelands…”