Title: Vows
Fandom: Magic Knight Rayearth
Rating: PG
Length: 1500 words
Content notes: n/a
Author notes: Completely random medieval au! Fuu/Ferio, a secret marriage.
Summary: "What kind of a plan is this, my lord?"

oOo

The recently-crowned King of Cephiro walked briskly from the chapter house in the Abbey of the Trinity, through the cloisters and the south gate, along the covered pathway which led to the inner bailey of the castle of Eleru. The Earl Marshal walked a few paces behind him until they reached the doors to the keep, but once they were inside LaFarga turned one way, with a precise bow, and Ferio waved him off and went the other.

There were a few people in the corridors and on the stairs, but by the time he reached the well-lit solar in the south-west tower, there was no one in sight to watch him knock and enter, unannounced.

The woman sat answering letters by the largest of the three windows turned, but did not stand; some few of the panes of glass behind her were emerald-green, in honour of Windam, wisest of the Trinity. The light which fell through those panes stained the paper in her hands, making it the same colour as the gown she wore; it was trimmed in gold, and there was a great circular brooch with Windam's symbol in gold against a deeper green background fastening the elegant drapes of a cape about her shoulders, for although it was bright, it was still spring, and not all that warm.

For those who did not understand the message the brooch was telling them, the long sword resting on the other side of the window would give all the clues they should need; the blade had such a reach that the scabbard had straps to fasten it across the back, instead of at the waist, and the hilt would be familiar to any who had seen services in a church dedicated to Windam: every cup and plate and bowl had the same bird engraved into it, by hands both skilled and not.

The King crossed the room in three long paces as Hououji Fuu, Knight of Windam, set aside her quill and paper. He caught her hands as she stood; here, with no one else to see them, she made no attempt to pull far enough away to make any courtesy to him.

"Are they agreed, my lord?" She asked, voice clear and soft, and her syllables paced slightly too regularly for the language she spoke now.

Ferio nodded to her. The smile breaking across his lips was warm, but still did not smooth all of the frowning lines from his brow. "They have given their consent - reluctantly, but given it all the same - to our betrothal."

"...And yet, you are still concerned." She reached up, and smoothed the lines from his forehead with her thumb. "You think they will withdraw their approval?"

"...I believe that the wise and endlessly argumentative members of parliament have suggested that no wedding should be celebrated before the new year festival, and that will give them time to find more and more arguements to put forward."

For a moment, there was silence, as Fuu considered the expression her betrothed wore. "I am of a country so far from here that it little matters what status I might hold there, as there can be no communication between us; this would bring Cephiro none of the benefits of an alliance with any of your neighbours. I may be a Knight, and a sometimes-priestess, but that is all I am, and all I can give you."

"No. You are the steady hand and the level head, the one who will help me secure Cephiro's future - and the one who carries my happiness with them." Frown vanishing and smile curling his lips further, Ferio raised her hand and kissed the ink-smudged fingertips, leaving a trace of black on his lips. Fuu blushed, even as she reached out to wipe the ink away. "I have... an idea, something which would hold them to their promise. If you will agree to it."

Fuu regarded him somewhat warily. "You do not think I will? What kind of a plan is this, my lord?"

"That we marry."

Three words, delivered with a smile which made Fuu's breath catch in her throat just as much as this plan did. "Your parliament has said that we should wait out the year."

"No, they have said that there should be no celebration until the new year. If we were to marry in private, with no festivities at all..."

"...That is twisting their words, and full well you know it." Fuu was trying not to smile, and mostly managing, appreciating the wordplay even now.

Ferio leant closer to her, serious now. "I do mean it, Fuu. Marry me, and they shall not be able to do anything but agree - their consent is a formality to make them less disagreeable in the years to come, but many rulers have had to deal with parliaments who dislike them for some reason or other. Once we have formal treaties with all three of our neighbours, they cannot say we are in need of any marriage alliance - in fact, with three neighbours to please, we could not chose a single one to honour so, and so I have pointed out! If we marry, and do not tell them, then should everything go as planned we will simply repeat our promises in public at the new year. But should they attempt to become difficult, we can rightfully say that we have been married with their approval, and there is nothing left for them to do but accept it."

Fuu shook her head. "But - witnesses, a priest - arranging such things would draw attention to us, and attention is the thing we cannot afford. They tolerate me now, but I have not had time to prove my worth, and should I be seen as corrupting you, my Lord..."

Those are not necessary. In truth, all it takes is seven words."

"Seven words?" Fuu asked, looking up at Ferio, her breath catching a little at the unusual gravity in his voice; the absolute focus he gave her.

"An exchange of vows, mutually given, is binding with or without the priest and the witnesses. They are the evidence used to prove such a marriage took place, if later it is disputed. As neither of use would deny our vows... and to challenge that would be to challenge my word, and the basis of royal power with it, for what else is royal power but a vow? Seven words are all we would need. If you wished so, we might be married at any moment you chose." He grinned. "And besides, are you not a high priestess yourself? What greater officiant could we have than one dedicated to Windam, the one who is law?"

Her hands tightened on his, and she could not help the wavering smile which spread across her lips. "Then speak these words, my Lord, and so shall I, and we shall be married."

Ferio took a deep breath. "Here, now?" He asked, never looking away.

"Yes, here, and now. Why should we wait? There will be enough of ceremony in our lives, in the years to come. Should we be married in secret now, there will be a second one in public, when the Court has consented and we have not given way. But now... now I wish to be your wife, and married, and have this one thing which is our own. Which no one can take from us."

Her voice had risen a little, as she spoke; now Ferio raised her hands and pressed his lips to her fingers. He was smiling down at her, leaning in, and his voice was clear when he spoke.

"I take thee to be my wife."

"...And I take thee to be my husband."

"Thus, from this moment, we are married." Ferio leant in, and his lips were soft but his kiss anything else, catching hard at her mouth. Fuu leaned into the touch, tension and something more, something sweeter, singing through her chest. Ferio let go of her hands so he could hold onto her, fingers curled about the curve of her hips.

"In which case," she murmured, when he eventually drew back, "I believe we might wish to remove ourselves to a more private location, one in which we can... honour this sacrament appropriately?"

"I do happen to have a suite of rooms in this Keep, which would certainly be private, as I am expected to still be listening to drawn-out arguements in court at this hour and the chambermaid has long-since finished her work. Would that suit your purposes?"

"It would suit tolerably well, I believe."

She picked up her sword, and they passed together through the door and out.