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Love Between Kingdoms (Viola + nladisha)

Geoffry knew his ancestors had often thought of expanding, but thier expansion plans often centered Elendor. What territories they had acrued were snatched up by the New Lands. A peace with Elendor would give them access to more gold and land. He was a bit surprised by Serenade's next question.

"I won't become king," he said. "That's why I'm marrying you. My older sister will rule Axelia when my father is dead. I am just doing my part to serve her and my country, and hopefully defend us from the threat of the New Lands. I hope this union between us and our kingdoms is enough to turn the tables against them, for once."
 
Serenade started to ponder at his response to her question. “Your sister you say? I really don’t know much about your family. I don’t have any siblings, so I didn’t think of that”. After a long pause she continued, “I hope your intents on marrying me aren’t just to become King.” Serenade highly doubted he would do something like that, but it was a possibility. The thought of marriage still made her feel ill, she wish she had more of a choice in the manner.

If she was going to be pushed to marry Geoffry she might as well get to know him, “Other than knowing where you are from and you have a sister. I know nothing about you.” He doesn’t know anything about me either does he? “Well as I said before I am an only child. I spend most of my time with the citizens; I really do enjoy time getting to know others. I tend to sneak out of the castle to go to the festivals and such. You only live once right? I might be a princess but I am still a human. I think people forget that.” Serenade was a bit more down to earth with her views on life. “Trust me, I enjoy being a princess. But sometimes I really just wish I could be like the others and live a simple life. So I must accept my fate and make sure my people are happy. If they are, I will be.”
 
"I also have a younger sister," Geoffry said, considering the fact Serenade was taking this opportunity to tell about herself. "She and my big sister are the only friends I really have. My big sister's already married, and her husband's alright, so I finally have a brother now - albeit an in-law. I never really got the chance to mingle with my citezens. My big sister did, but that's because she's going to be Queen. I spent most of my time studying, training, and reading about the New Lands. Have you ever heard of them?" Part of him was fascinated by Serenade's interest in simplicity. He didn't envy the people of Axelia. Those who didn't slave away on the plantations, mines, and mills of the Terrianans lived a lifestyle inferior to thier peasant ancestors. Power alone didn't put food in thier bellies. Hopefully, the union with Elendor would improve thier economic standing so they could afford better meals than gruel and crusty bread.
 
Serenade always wanted to know what it was like having siblings; also she wanted to know why she was an only child. When she was a child, she was forced to spend most of her time in the castle to be safe. Yet, she spent a lot of time alone and hated it. This was her mother’s explanation of her daughter’s wild behaviors to get out. She was interested in what Geoffry had to say, but it made her think. When Geoffry questioned her about the new lands she nodded her head. “Well I have heard of the New Lands but not that much. It seems fairly foreigner to be.” An innocent blush filled her cheeks; she was embarrassment from her lack of knowledge. Being a Princess she should have spent more time studying but she always wanted to just go out and be with others. Serenade hated being alone.
 
Geoffry fought the urge to roll his eyes. Serenade was acting like the stereotypical Elendoran - so caught up in her own world of luxury, she was blissfully oblivious to the world outside of Elendor - with the exception of Axelia, of course. Then again, he didn't blame her. The Tierrians were too busy raping Axelia to pay any mind to Elendor, thus sparing it. And too: Serenade did not exhibit the other stereotypical traits assigned to her countrymen. She was not spoiled, she was not vain, and she certainly didn't look down on people less fortunate than her. He didn't think the daughter of the most powerful Elendoran would wish for a simpler life than that of a princess if she were a typical spoiled Elendoran.

"Well," he said. "The big thing is the New Lands are divided into 2 factions controlled by two countries: Marinia and Sierria. Marinia is rich and fertile and has a long tropical coastline; but has little gold and must trade for most of thier resources. Sierria has many resources and more gold than they know what to do with, but they're dry and mountainous, and have only 1 port that's ice free. They fight each other far worse than our countries ever did, and have a greater hatred for one another than we ever had. And to think: if they could only trade with one another, they could sustain themselves and not have to bother us."
 
The situation of the New Lands rang a bell to Serenade. It was the same fate Elendor and Alexia were about to have. She knew their marriage could make everyone much more stable, but even though it was selfish, Serenade’s will towards love was strong. There has to be another way… “So they didn’t come upon an agreement? Couldn’t our kingdoms just trade freely and no marriage would be necessary? If that was all the New Lands had to do...” Serenade hated how selfish she sounded, but there was hope building inside of here that another agreement could be made. Every time she brought up about she didn't want to marry she was concerned Geoffry would take it personally. Serenade didn't like Axelia but she was getting over judging Geoffry for being from Axelia.
 
"You do have a point there," Geoffry conceded. "I'm not even sure why Axelia and Elendor hate one another when we can be so much stronger united. Axelians and Elendorans aren't much different. I've seen a Marinian and a Sierrian side by side, and they are very different." He remembered the swarthy, dark skinned Marinian soldiers and the fair skinned Sierrian soldiers staring each other down as they guarded thier respective embassies in the Axelian capital. "However, our parents and thier ministers agree a union of the flesh is much stronger and harder to break than a union of paper - I would probably be your consort, and because I am the dear younger brother of the future queen of Axelia, our countries would be loathe to go to war with one another."
 
A deep sadness hit the young princess. She squeezed her hands into fists and lowered her head. “Everyone wants me to give me away. I feel like an object, I am a human being. I really hate this Geoffry,” tears start to flood her eyes and fall onto her hands, which were in her lap. She didn’t want Geoffry to see her cry, but knowing the fact she could make everyone happy if she just gave in, as much as she despised the idea. “Why does the future of our kingdoms depend on marriage? It is idiotic and wreckless. “Her voice turned soft, “I should have ran away…” Serenade’s watery eyes look out of the carriage seeing the land around. I wasn’t meant to be a princess was I? She did her best to hold back her tears as she looked out the carriage’s window. “I should just do it and get it over with, If I could make others happy I could sacrifice my own happiness…”
 
Geoffry reached out and patted Serenade's shoulder the way he comforted his sisters and the way his elder sister comforted him. "It's okay," he said, trying to comfort her. In reality, he understood her plight. Thinking about it critically, he was no better than the serfs. At least they expected to have thier destinies plotted out for them. Once, he even overheard a Sierrian guard remarking to a diplomat how backward and uncivilized Axelia was to "still give and take the children of nobles as brides and husbands for thier children." On further inquiry, he learned that practice had ended in the New Lands centuries before First Contact. Thier royalty could marry whomever they pleased: from the highest noble, to the lowest peasant. H gave a defeated sigh of his own. Unlike Serenade, he'd resigned himself to his fate long ago.
 
Serenade was a bit shocked that Geoffry had no doubt in their marriage. “Do you have no human emotions?” she coldly asked him, “You are just find with people ordering you around your whole life? I will do it for the people but it still brings me great displeasure. Do you not want to love? I just do not see how a marriage could last… I guess it would be forced to too last.” Serenade came up with a not so brilliant idea, “How about I leave Elendor. And refuse my place, maybe then I can be happy and it won’t depend on me. Elendor and Axelia would have to find some other way than a marriage.”

Serenade tried to figure out what their location was but it was useless since she never left Elendor. Their surroundings were large open feelings with a tree here in there. She could see a few camp sites where merchants were resting. They could help me get to the nearest village… Serenade yelled out to the driver to stop the carriage, which he did. The princess reaches for the door, “Geoffry, I’m sorry I cannot do this. I wasn’t meant to be a Princess I guess. I cannot simply turn my emotions into stone like you. I do not want a fate destined by my parents.” She was beginning to show distaste in Geoffry. “Take this carriage, forget me, and just go home to Axelia.” With that said she hopped out of the carriage and headed towards the campsite.

The driver watched Serenade walk away, he called over to Geoffry. “You know this will be both of our heads if she doesn’t come back to Elendor. Even if we explain that she left freely, we would be blamed.” The driver jumped down from the carriage seeing that Serenade wasn’t planning on turning around. “She is a stubborn one,” he warned.
 
"Serenade!" hollared Geoffry, leaping out of the carriage. He ran up alongside her. "Serenade, you can't do this! If you leave now, it'll mean open war. My father will be blamed for using me as bait to lure you to your doom, and it will lead to war. The New Lands might treat my people like crap, but they give us toys to placate us. Deadly toys too. Marinia supplies us with weapons they don't need anymore, and they are far more deadly than anything Elendor has. Elendor will have no choice if they want to stand a chance against us than to seek an alliance with Sierria. Then your country would just become another puppet of Sierria, and your future would be the same as ours under the New Lands.

"And any war would mean untold suffering and hardship on your people. Are you willing to send sons, fathers, and husbands to thier deaths and risk a counter-invasion that would devistate farms and villages just because you don't want to be a princess?"
 
Serenade whipped her body around to Geoffry, and listened to what he had to say. She couldn’t believe this situation, there had to be some other way than marriage. The only thing Serenade yearned for was love and to have a choice. Yet she was seeing it was impossible. So she was to marry Geoffry and just suck it up? Then she would be crying down the aisle. Replying to him she states, “Fine Geoffry! I will just marry you, and learn to deal! I hate this so much! I feel like I can’t even live my own life just because I was born into royalty. Don’t you understand?” her eyes were burning in her sorrow.

Tears flood her eyes once again. Serenade had a good heart; she couldn’t let such a thing happen to her people. But her own needs were not going to be met. Feeling like a slave to her own fate, she hangs her head. She echoed the words from before but in a whisper, “I hate this…” Her heart ached but she was completely stuck. She would have to learn how to manage, she knew being married to Geoffry wouldn’t necessary be bad, but she was being forced to marry one she did not love. A marriage that would last a lifetime. Looking past Geoffry to the carriage, she thought, And we still have a long way until we are in Axelia
 
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