(Requested)

based off of a song i wrote hehe

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You're a horrible, horrible promise

"Prince Kasef is who you'll be marrying by next month." My mouth slowly popped open, jaw falling slack. The teacup handle that my index finger was previously wrapped around loosened made its way onto the floor, shattering into tiny bits with a crash. I didn't flinch, wordlessly staring at my mother in disbelief and absolute horror.

"No, no, I'm not marrying that brute. Not in a million lifetimes," I retorted, eyes bugging out, feeling my throat close in on itself, "He has issues he needs to fix before even getting close to me." The crown queen standing in front of me sighed, rubbing her temples and trying not to fret too much.

"(Y/N), this is for the good of our kingdoms. Our people are suffering and we need the support that Neolandia can offer. King Ahling is being generous as well, since no one so far has yet to charm his elusive son, and he says you'll be a perfect match." I scoffed, waving my hand around, mocking the other monarch's words.

"Charming his elusive son? Please, that just gives me more of a reason to not marry him," I growled, rolling my eyes and clicking my tongue, "I can't imagine a life with that disgusting man." My mother still tried to reason with me, almost begging in a pleading tone.

"It's for our kingdom, (Y/N), please-"

"Well if it's for our kingdom, why haven't I even seen it before?" I mimicked, glaring at her menacingly, "Oh right, because you never let me go out of the palace, go anywhere without supervision, and always pester me about trivial things! You never seem to think that, 'Hey (Y/N)'s an adult now, maybe I should let them do what they want' it's always 'you can't do this, you can't do that.' And now you want me to get married? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of, mother!

"You never trust me with anything, and now you're putting the weight of the whole kingdom on my shoulders just like that? Seriously? You're being mental!" I was nearly shaking with anger, fingers trembling as I pointed them at the figure that stood before me. Words were spewing out of my mouth randomly and all I could see was red. Prince Kasef and I have had history together, not romantically, but I absolutely despised him.

Our first meeting was at a banquet, where I greeted him at the door, in a smiling manner, yet he only regarded me with a huff and scoff, promptly turning away and dumping his coat on me. He thought I was a lowly coat hanger and had to be yelled at by his father in order to apologize. Like a child.

The second time was at a council meeting, whence upon he was called to speak in response to my question, he couldn't remember my name.

The third and fourth time were both a casual meetup between our parents, and while they explored the kingdom of Neolandia, we were stuck together to "talk," "socialize," and "get to know each other better." Being fed-up with his attitude, not one word slipped past my mouth that whole evening, and Prince Kasef certainly didn't make the motion to talk either.

No matter how many times we've seen each other, he's always been so rude, anti-social and an overall brute. It was disgusting. He acted like a child, looked like an ogre, and was the highest ranking of the opposite ideal type. I couldn't even will myself to think of being forever linked to someone as hideous as him, both inside and out.

"I'm going to my room," I sighed, seeing my mother's expression, the look of disappointment and horror etched in her features, "Nothing's ever about my feelings." I made my way to my living space and proceeded to scream into my pillow, flopping myself on the cushioned bed.

I didn't feel like crying -- Kasef wasn't worth even a single droplet. I was just frustrated that I couldn't do anything, that the people making the agreement hadn't even considered voicing my opinion on the matter. Like I was just some prize being traded off for something in return.

It wasn't fair.

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A week later, I was scheduled to meet Kasef in my best attire to discuss plans for the wedding. I wore what my mother picked out for me, and didn't think it looked very flattering, but couldn't argue anyways. The carriage ride there was silent, mostly awkward as I felt her eyes bearing into my skull. I absolutely refused to make eye contact with her, and kept up the streak of only saying "sure," "okay," or "mhm" in response, if needed.

We arrived and I hopped out of the vehicle, eager to get away from the woman who'd made my life an absolute hell just seven days ago. I greeted King Ahling at the door and allowed for a maid to take my coat. When the adults left, a servant guided me to Kasef's chambers, a supposedly "comfortable" place to discuss the details of our wedding.

"Here we are," the little lady quietly said, her voice hushed, "Let me know if you need anything." I nodded, appreciative of the gesture, and walked inside the room. Almost immediately, the smell of an overwhelming amount of musk hit me. I almost threw up, my hand slapped on my nose and mouth to prevent any more of the scent from entering my lungs.

"Oh God, it's like the armpit of an adolescent boy," I gagged, eyes tearing up. Going further into the room, my eyes glazed over my surroundings, resting at a figure with his back turned to me. Not a very welcoming posture, but it's to be expected of Kasef. I tried to adjust to the smell more and cleared my throat, knocking on the wall to let him know I was actually here.

"Prince Kasef, it's good to see you again." I cringed at the word "good" because I knew it wasn't true. He didn't say anything, so I just continued to speak.

"I assume that you know what I'm here for, and instead of wasting time, let's start talking." Still, no response. I sighed and briskly walked over to where he was sat at, impatiently snapping my fingers.

"Kasef, I know you hate this as much as I do, so let's just get this over with. If it's a wedding, then at least we can both enjoy it as a party." He finally made an effort to look at me, half-lidded eyes scanning my face.

"(Y/N)." I rolled my eyes, a baby step away from storming out.

"Yeah, that's my name, Einstein." Kasef had no reaction to the retort, and just moved back to his original sitting position.

"I don't want to do this." I hummed, making myself comfortable on the foot of his bed, leaning against the plush mattress.

"Me neither." His shoulders heaved up as Kasef took in a deep breath. I could see his eyebrows furrowing from the view I had of the side of his face.

"I'm mad that I'm gonna be forced into this. I don't want to marry someone. I'm young. I'm supposed to live my young life." I laughed bitterly at his childishness, looking down at my hands, wringing the hem of my shirt.

"That's something we can only dream of as children, Kasef. When we grow up we have to marry someone eventually."

"But I just want to join the army. I don't want a life filled with... expectations." This was the most sense he'd made in a long time. I felt inclined to listen and just let him spill everything.

"I like training with the soldiers, it makes me feel free, like there are no rules. But when I'm in the palace, there are papers I have to sign, lessons I have to take, these boundaries set up and rules I have to follow. It makes me mad. Everyone tells me everything and it makes me feel pent-up, like I have to maintain everything by myself." He pouted, his eyes glazing over in thought.

"I don't want this." I felt an itch on my arm, and I raised a hand to stop it, fingers brushing against the cloth covering my skin. Being exposed to this side of Kasef only momentarily distracted me from his flaws, but it made me sympathize with him. Though we came from opposite scenarios, we wound up viewing this situation similarly. There was an initial scare that he liked me, but it faded away as soon as he started to speak.

"I don't want this either, Kasef."

Then we sat in silence once more.