Setekh / Zahndrekh arranged marriage could take many, many forms, & it's smth I've passively thought abt before, but this is the first time I felt compelled to actually explore it more
While Zahndrekh comes from a very old, highly respected bloodline, his dynasty is small. Over the generations, through changes in the empire and his own family thinning in number at a worrying rate, it's less than ideal Zahndrekh's parents could only successfully conceive one child.
As he grows, they consider options with great care, but upon considering a sometimes-allied, much better established dynasty's phaeron has a young heir about the age of Zahndrekh, they make the decision to sacrifice their own dynasty's independence for a merging arrangement, should the phaeron accept.
He has several older children, Setekh is likely not a serious candidate for phaeron, and the acquisition of such a dynasty as Zahndrekh's would be almost purely beneficial. It's an easy decision really, and the talks are more perfunctory than necessary. The boys meet when they're around the age of 10, but likely won't really get the opportunity to know each other until after they're of an age and wed properly.
There is...a caveat, though. Due to Zahndrekh's more 'unstable' health, he will not be attending the same academy as Setekh as his parents had initially been intending. Ensuring their bloodline and serving as the envoy between their soon to be newly merged dynasties are Zahndrekh's top priorities, he cannot risk himself.
Suffice to say, Zahndrekh is not happy about this change in plans. Unfortunately, there isn't really anything he can do to stop it. So as the years pass, he learns more of a political role. He and Setekh meet on occasion, but still hardly know each other by the time Setekh's gone off to the academy and Zahndrekh is left behind helping smooth out the absorption of his dynasty into another.
By the time Setekh has returned, he’s earned himself the right to act as an overlord within his family's dynasty, and at long last, Zahndrekh will be moved to his coreworld and the two will be married.
Setekh is...polite enough. But he doesn't have any real interest in entertaining Zahndrekh. He’s quite busy, has better things to do than make the effort to charm someone who's already married to him, and romance had never held any appeal. It doesn't help much that Zahndrekh is rather odd, but he’s smart enough to be useful in his role as consort and that's all that really matters to Setekh.
Zahndrekh, for his part, is making the most of things. The crownworld's court had been rather vicious, so he’s quite glad to finally be away from it, though the one Setekh has inherited isn't much better. At least it's smaller. Regardless, he takes great effort to succeed with any task given him, though Setekh seems hesitant to 'burden him' with 'too much responsibility' and Zahndrekh finds himself terribly bored more often than not.
He winds up interacting with Setekh's vargard almost more than him, which isn't the worst thing. Obyron is rather quiet, but he's handsome, and is always kind enough to entertain him whenever Zahndrekh keeps him from moving on to his next task longer than he should've.
(At first he hadn't cared much for the consort, but it does not take long for Obyron to realize how dreadfully lonely the young man is, so desperate for company he speaks to the servants almost like fellow lords. Which makes sense given the whispers he’s caught about him behind his back in his Nemesor's court, he wouldn't want to spend time around peers who spoke of him like that, either.)
Time passes, and Zahndrekh has fully established himself as 'eccentric' and foolish, but otherwise harmless. His relatively good nature has even earned him the privilege of occasionally acting as an inter-dynastic ambassador.
Through the sparse time the two have spent together and actually had any amount of meaningful conversation, Setekh has come to realize Zahndrekh is smarter than he appears, and not only that, but he’s got quite the mind for battle strategy. Even despite having no formal schooling, he’s proven through what little insights he’s been able to offer and otherwise having an obvious enthusiasm for its discussion that he could act as a competent nemesor.
Given that the worst of Zahndrekh's sins appear to be that he’s somewhat annoying, he could be a very good asset Setekh could actually trust to keep the other lords in line on campaign. Constantly looking for which direction the next knife aimed at his back is coming from is exhausting, this could ease at least a small fraction of the strain.
They're still young, they can worry about children later, he decides to float the idea to Zahndrekh of him joining along on his next campaign and is of course unsurprised by his eagerness to accept. He is, perhaps, a little surprised by how well he takes to it, even without having any proper influence himself, he’s keen to accompany Setekh to just about everything he'll let him. And Setekh's intuition proves true, Zahndrekh is consistently able to make decent better than decent, really, it's a little strange calls and manages to stretch his focus thin enough to keep track of every necessary detail, from weather to available troops at any given moment.
It's...impressive, actually. Maybe a little too impressive.
But Zahndrekh is a deeply loyal creature, and his skill can really only benefit Setekh.
(He hadn't expected Zahndrekh to have the teeth for war frankly, he’s so oddly kindhearted, despite his obvious interest in it. It'd seemed almost cruel for his nemesor to wake him to reality in such a way, but he clearly knew his consort better. Zahndrekh had come alive at his lord's side, he showed no fear, no hesitation, and if he could admit it within his own mind, he outshone Obyron's master handily. It had been...almost rejuvenating to be in his presence on that campaign...)
Over more time, and following whatever bureaucratic procedures need to be handled, Zahndrekh is either given the honorary rank of nemesor, or at the very least permission to act as a proxy in his overlord's stead. On occasion, Obyron is sent along with him, and the two come to know each other even better yet.
For the first time in a very long time, Zahndrekh is actually feeling rather optimistic about things in his life. He’s very fond of Obyron, he’s much happier being able to actually serve a meaningful purpose within the dynasty, and Setekh had taken more notice of him once all of this began, and the two had even grown closer since.
But the court is starting to talk. Even the crownworld's taken notice. And Setekh is not too pleased by what he’s been hearing. In such a short amount of time, and even utilizing Zahndrekh somewhat sparingly, there is speculation over where his true role should be. So perhaps it's time to remind them all where it is.
Of course, Zahndrekh can't entirely hide his disappointment. But he has always imagined himself having kids eventually, the idea appeals well enough, and it's not as if he didn't know it'd be expected of him. His role becomes focused on carrying their children, and of course he needs to be readily available to Setekh whenever he has to opportunity to prioritize this as well, so he is, essentially, grounded for the time being.
(They hadn't gotten to work together too frequently, but often enough for Obyron to wish, in the privacy of his own mind, things could've been different. Setekh is not...a dreadful master, but Zahndrekh is inspiration incarnate, he never knew he could desire to serve a man with such passion. This is his purpose in life, he would serve any master he was assigned to, but Zahndrekh is different, it truly feels like it would be an utmost honor to serve him...
...he does not like the way Setekh has started looking at his consort.)
It was well known since he was a child that he has more fragile health, adding in his bloodline's struggles with fertility means they knew, obviously, it could take time for any attempts to come to fruition. Months drag into years, and Zahndrekh, despite feigning normalcy well, has lost what of the spirit he'd regained when he could go off on campaign. The court as well did not particularly approve of Setekh sidelining such a valuable asset, but of course none are fool enough to actively speak out against him. Besides, truly they weren't getting any younger and with Zahndrekh's health he likely wouldn't live to collect many years.
(There's little he can do besides offer what meager company he can to the consort. Discordance has been rising within the dynasty, little has reached Setekh's demesne but it is bound to, and Obyron has to prioritize his master over all else. The lychguard captain has become something of an honorary vargard to Zahndrekh, and Obyron knows Neb is better company than him anyway. Hopefully the nemesor gives up and seeks a surrogate soon. Though he suspects Setekh himself takes no issue with the current situation.)
Aaaand that's as far as I got w this one. I've mulled several different ways things could play out, both involving if the child thing works or not, then if the dynasty breaks up into separatists and loyalists (like an Ogdobekh Ithakas situation) and they have to handle that, if Obyron and Zahndrekh start fucking on the DL. Who's to say. But I don't think Zahndrekh would be free of Setekh until the war in heaven unfortunately. Possibly even after </3 That's why this one isn't the fun sexy one.
