BURN

with this ring

Agatha had been first made aware of her betrothal when she was seven.

Vanessa had mentioned it to the visiting Queen Jacinda of Jaunt Jolie, a very satisfied smile on her face, whilst Agatha had been in earshot. Though she'd not been asked her thoughts on the matter, she'd heard her name, and later, she'd asked Callis about it.

"Who's Tedros?" she'd asked as Callis walked her back to her rooms that night. Her nursemaid had looked down at her, eyebrows raised.

"He's the Prince of Camelot, sweetheart." she'd stopped in front of the map on the fourth floor and pointed the huge coastal kingdom out to Agatha.

"How old is he?" asked Agatha, with only the preoccupations of a seven-year-old in mind.

"Six, I believe."

Agatha wrinkled her nose. Younger than her and a boy. Two strikes against him immediately.

"Mother said he was my..." she paused, struggling over the unfamiliar word.

"Betrothed." supplied Callis, opening the door to the sitting room.

"That." nodded Agatha.

"Big word, that one." said Callis. She'd spelled it out for her-- Callis never missed the opportunity to teach her something-- and Agatha had frowned at it.

"What does it mean?"

"It means you're arranged to marry him." said Callis. Agatha, whose only experience with marriage was attending her mother's courtier's weddings, must have looked confused, because Callis assumed her usual teaching position, in her chair next to the fire. Agatha rushed to sit at her feet, pulling her veil and gloves off so she could stick her hands in the flames.

"Your mother and his father have arranged it so you two will get married when you're all grown up. It helps out both kingdoms, with money, allies, and power. Eventually, you'll be Queen of Camelot, and he'll be Prince of Gavaldon."

Agatha furrowed her brow.

"How can I be Queen of Camelot and Gavaldon?"

"There's a difference between them." Callis had told her. "You'll be Queen Regnant of Gavaldon, because you're the current Queen's daughter, and the crown gets given to people's children. But you'll be Queen Consort of Camelot, because you're married to the King. You'll have more power in Gavaldon, because you're the reigning Queen, but in Camelot your power comes from marrying Tedros."

This was a little too much for Agatha, who struggled with it for a minute. Callis seemed to notice.

"You'll understand it better when you're a little older." she said. "All you need to know for now is that when you're eighteen, you'll go to Camelot to marry Tedros."

Agatha thought about this for a minute--

"Can I come home after?"

"Yes, sweetheart. You might have to go there quite a lot, but you can definitely come home. You'll just have to be there a little while, whilst you actually have the wedding."

Agatha looked up at her. Eighteen seemed a very long time away-- hardly worth thinking about. She only really had two concerns.

"You'll come with me, right?"

Callis looked at her for a second--

Then she leaned down to pick her up, and put her in her lap. Agatha wriggled for a moment, but relented quickly, settling in the crook of Callis's arm.