Betrothed To Your Enemy

Engaged

"I'm what!"  Cassandra shouted in disbelief, standing up from her seat.

Her mother frowned.  "Cassandra, that is no way for a Lady to act."

"I can't believe you signed me up to marry one of those... those... disgusting barbarians!"  Cassandra spatted out in her utter rage.  "You didn't even ask!  You know I don't want to be married!  I'm not interested!"

"You're a Lady, Cassandra.  It's your duty," her mother, Gothal said.  "Besides that is how I married your father, is it not?  Our parents arranged for our marriage."

The eighteen year old clenched her teeth.  She thought about the unspoken point.  Her parents didn't actually love each other.  They were forced to marry each other.  They were fine with the whole business ordeal, but they weren't happy like they should be.  Heck!  Her mother didn't even want to have a child!  It was her father who wanted her and the parent who cared about her.  She looked to him, betrayal written on her face.

"Cassandra," the captain pleaded.

"I don't believe this!  This isn't fair!"

"All you were doing was swinging around a sword.  It was time became serious about your life," her mother said sternly.

"But I was-am!-serious.  I wanted to be part of the guard, not some prissy Lady who does nothing but spend time doing stuffy work all day!  That isn't my dream!"

"Dreams are for children," the woman  returned.

Cassandra slumped in her seat.  "When am I supposed to meet him?"

"You leave tomorrow, and the wedding shall take place soon."

"And when is that?"

"Two months."

"Two!!!"  Cassandra stood up again.

"Cassandra, stop with the shouting and eat your dinner," Gothal scolded.

In response, Cassandra threw her napkin on her plate, leaving the table.  Her anger had boiled to its rim.  For everyone's sake, it was far better if she left the table.  Sun knows what she would do if she stayed a moment longer.

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"You're late," Quirin sighed.

"Sorry, Dad," Varian apologized.  "I got sidetracked with a project and lost all sense of time."  He sat down at the table next to his father.

The king was at the head of the table with the prince at the foot.  Adira was on the king's, Edmund, left and Hector sat next to her.  Quirin was seated on the king's right.  Varian was only permitted to sit at the king's table due to his future duty and his father's status.

"That's fine," King Edmund replied kindly.  "There's something that we need to discuss."

"Er... yes?  What about, your highness?"  Varian inquired.

"Remember how we do not quite get along with the Kingdom of Corona?"

"Yes, I'm aware of our war history," Varian confirmed.

"Well, I would marry Eugene off to the princess, but our kingdoms are a bit too much at odds for that.  So, we reached another conclusion.  We marry a Lord's son to a Lady from Corona."

"Why that specific?  Could it not be the other way around?"  Varian raised a brow.

"No, the two have been picked and the marriage has been arranged," Edmund answered slowly.

"Oh?  Who's getting married then?"

"You.  We set you up for the arranged marriage because you are the best candidate," Edmund replied.

"Wait, Dad, what?"  Eugene looked at his father, completely shocked at the idea.  The table stiffened, waiting for Varian's reaction.

"Engaged?"  Varian repeated, unsure if he had heard correctly.  "Dad, I'm what?"  He looked at his father in confusion.

"You're betrothed to Lady Cassandra of Corona," Quirin answered.

Varian set his fork down.  "I uh... I need some air..."  he excused himself, completely unsure how to take in the news.

He was about to be married off to a total stranger.  He didn't even once have the thought of marriage cross his mind yet.  True, he was seventeen and people like him were married off at even younger ages.  It was just how things worked, but it still came as a shock to him.

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Yep, so there will be more to the story than just Casdarian, but they will be the main focus.