(prince-of-the-sacred-flame, of course) Luke waits outside the bathroom to catch her before any of the servants come by. He grabs Natalia's left arm and leans in, hushed voice and all, to ask the question that had been bugging him for the past week. “Are you... pregnant?"
pregnancy sentence starters.
She’s tired- exhausted really. There’s nothing she’d rather do than go back to bed, but a princess’ work is never done. When Luke grabs a hold of her arm, she starts in surprise. The question is... not unexpected, but terrifying all the same.
‘’Y-yes...’’ she says, in a voice almost too quiet to hear. Hazel eyes flick up to meet green, trying to gauge his reaction.
The carriage bringing her to her destination was completely stifling- not helped by the fact that her nanny-turned-chaperone had insisted on keeping the windows shut and the curtains drawn.
'You are a princess,' she insisted when Natalia had sulked the first hour into their five-day trip into the country, 'The crown princess. You need to control when and where the people see you. And it is dangerous to leave the windows open. What if someone threw a bomb in?'
To which Natalia had thought that it would be much more dangerous to have a bomb come smashing in through the window, but the old woman had that look in her eyes that brooked no argument. And so, Natalia had spent nearly a week in the jostling, stuffy carriage. Despite the soft cushions of her seat, she thought she might be beginning to develop bruises in unmentionable places.
Putting the embroidery she'd nearly completed since starting their journey aside, she glanced at her old nanny. The woman was sound asleep, snoring, and drooling a bit. Clearly, the oppressive heat of the carriage didn't bother her in the slightest, and so she'd be none the wiser if Natalia opened the window for a little fresh air.
She pulled back the thick, red velvet curtains and fiddled with the catch on the carriage-door window. It opened, and Natalia leaned out for her first breath of fresh air in what felt like days. The countryside raced by- so different than the city she'd left behind. The city she'd never left before now.
Now she was being shuffled off to her aunt and uncle's country manor, situated on the far reaches of her uncle's duchy. The time had come for her to meet her cousin- her fiance- Luke. As per tradition, the only time she had ever laid eyes on him was only through paintings, and the miniature she'd been given before setting off for the manor. He had received one of her as well- the tedium of sitting for it still resonated with her.
Spotting the entry gate to the property, and the pile of the manor beyond, Natalia quickly sat back, closed the window, drew the curtain, and checked her appearance in her small hand mirror. Not a moment later, the coachman called down to his passengers.
"Your Highness! My Lady! We'll be arriving at the Fon Fabre Manor in just a few moments!"
At this, Natalia's nanny woke and immediately started fussing over her charge, reminding her to be on her best behavior for her fiance and his family.
"Don't slump- and remember to watch your temper," the old woman said at last, pinching Natalia's cheeks to give them a rosy flush as the carriage stopped, "You'll be eighteen next month.Too old for tantrums."
"Yes, Nanny," Natalia sighed, hearing the footman announce their arrival to their hosts. The door clicked open, and she hung back, allowing her nanny to exit first to make her obeisances and prepare to help her out of the carriage. How she wished she could simply disembark and shake out the cramps in her legs, but first impressions were everything...
"It is my greatest pleasure to introduce to you, My Lord, My Lady, Young Master... Her Highness, Princess Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, Crown Princess to the throne of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear."
Natalia hid her cringe at the use of her formal title behind a smile and gracefully stepped out of the carriage to meet the family she was to marry into.
Natalia blushed at Luke’s words, and she quickly latched onto his question.
“Well, I still have a lot to study, on top of helping father run the kingdom...” she said, rubbing at her tired eyes, “And I’m supposed to be helping to plan our wedding as well. I want to have the rough details all set as soon as possible- it’s going to take a few years to make my dress, and I want it to be entirely Kimlascan-made, so that the economy will benefit.”
"Natalia..." This was the third night. Usually he didn't care, but this time, he was going to interfere. The noble boy couldn't stand to imagine what permanent damage all the lost sleep might do if this continued. "You are sleeping, like it or not. In fact, I'm going to sleep with you tonight, just to be sure." (Luke from prince-of-the-sacred-flame)
my muse hasn’t slept in days. scold them on it. yell at them. put them to bed. mess with them. anything your muse wants to do to mine, do it.
Natalia’s face flushed, her eyes doing their damndest to focus on Luke. It wasn’t an easy task, however, and the effort was making her even dizzier than the lack of sleep was.
‘’L-Luke, don’t say things like that...’’ she mumbled, trying not to get her hopes up. It wasn’t that she wanted anything to happen between them- though she’d be hard pressed to say that she would mind- but the idea of Luke settled down for bed... at her side... after all these years...
"What if I never remember? Would you still want to get married?" (from prince-of-the-sacred-flame)
Natalia froze as she and Luke walked through the garden, his question sending ice through her veins despite the heat of the day.
"Of course I’d marry you," she said, even though the cheerfulness in her voice was forced. She knew that she was dodging the question, but she didn’t even want to consider that possibility, and it wasn’t as if either of them had a choice in the matter. That was the point of an arranged, political marriage.
“Good Afternoon, Auntie,” Natalia said, taking her usual seat by Suzanne’s bed. She had always made time to visit her frail aunt- the woman who had been more of a mothering influence on the young princess than her own late mother. But over the past two years it had become something of a ritual to come and sit with Suzanne, trying to keep both of their spirits up.
She’d respectfully kept her distance the past few days, giving her Aunt time with Luke and Asch without intrusion.
“I’ve brought my new project,” she said, indicating the sewing basket she’d brought with her. She hadn’t done anything particularly elaborate in the two years since Eldrant; all those romantic notions of sewing her groom’s wedding suit herself had seemed so, so, so stupid and naive after everything that had happened. She didn’t want to be that girl anymore.
After her talk with Asch, however… the future didn’t seem quite as grim, even if it was unknown.
"Hey! Natalia woke up! Get me a doctor!" Guy was already running off to fetch someone. Nobody had really expected Luke to be the one still visiting Natalia every day, let alone be the one there when she woke up. The doctors had said the princess might never awaken, with such a blow to her head, and after that most hope died out quickly. She had fontech just keeping her alive- Luke remembered bitterly how his father suggested it was a waste. No life was a waste. (prince-of-the-sacred-flame!)
Fainting/Unconscious Starters
@prince-of-the-sacred-flame
Opening her eyes was such a great effort that it was all Natalia could do to stare through her lashes at the ceiling for several long moments. Everything hurt- from her pounding head to her ragged throat from which a breathing tube had just been removed by a nurse. Her whole body felt wrung-out and stiff.
Where was she...? Trying to remember what had happened before she woke made her head throb, but the stubborn princess conjured up a memory of leaving the palace. She’d left to... to go see...
"L... Lu... uke...?"
Speaking was like trying to swim through molasses. It was so exhausting that she was worried that she might slip back into unconsciousness.
“Ouch, I bit my lip… kiss it better?” The question is accompanied by one of Luke's stupidest smirks yet. (prince-of-the-sacred-flame)
Romantic/Fluff Sentence Starters!
@prince-of-the-sacred-flame
Natalia put her hand on her hip and sighed fondly.
“Come here,” she said, taking Luke’s hand and pulling him in closer. She pressed a warm, lingering kiss to Luke’s lips, giving just the slightest nip to his lower lip as she pulled back.
