Arranged Marriage (Zelda & Angeles)

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"Oh, please," She rolled her eyes. "I don't even think a homeless person would dream about you." She said rudely, not bothering to speak civil.

If looks could kill, Hayden would've been dead before he even walked out the door from the way Irene stared darts at him. "I never said I wanted this nor that I am going along with this either. Don't you realize that I have a life too? I have goals and wishes to complete that definitely don't involve you. If you think that either of our parents are going to let us get out of this, then you better think again before your wishes are crushed, just like mine were."

Irene didn't bother to respond back to him, slamming the door in his face. She tousled her hand in exasperation through her hair, feeling many knots and tangles from what was once a nice up-do. Worried, she quickly ran in front of her desk mirror to look at the damage that her sleep had done to her appearance. All she could do was groan in annoyance, lazily take her hair down and wash her face in the bathroom. Irene still felt halfway sleepy, but she didn't have time to act or look like it to avoid being yelled at by her mother after dinner. Flattening out her short, tight black dress and quickly throwing her hair up into a ponytail as if it was meant to look messy, she hesitantly walked out the door, trying to use the simplest way possible to get to the dining area. Her heart froze in worry as she tried not to make eye contact with anyone - especially Hayden - as she entered the dining room, politely sitting down in an empty chair. ((Don't worry, your assumptions were the same as mine. ;D))
 
Not bothering to wait for her - he would rather deal with his mother than Irene again - Hayden made his way to the dining room, face creased in a slight scowl. This was hell. It had to be. Stuck in an arranged marriage than neither he nor his bride-to-be wanted. He should have said yes to that foreign girl that had been visiting last month. There wasn't much between her ears, but she was barely fifteen, which would have put the marriage off for a little while at least.

He envied his younger siblings at the moment. They didn't have to find matches for the welfare of the kingdom. Yes, they would likely have to marry high, but they would get to take their time. They could find love. Hayden might not have been a romantic, but he did want a marriage like his parents'. They had met at the ball held for his father's sixteenth birthday and, over the course of the following year, had fallen head over heels for each other. He couldn't see himself doing the same with the girl that he was now doomed to marry.

Entering the dining room, he wasn't surprised to find that there were only two seats left, and they were side by side. He would have taken the seat by Elissa, but company meant that he would have to follow the rules of status. So he sat beside his parents, leaving the chair between himself and Elissa open for Irene. "She was resting, so she's freshening up before coming down," he said for clarification as to why he had come in alone.

The small talk was an awkward necessity until Irene arrived, and there was a distinct sense of relief when she took her seat. Servants began to bring the first course in soon after, and it was to the muted clanking of plates and silverware being laid on the table before them that Victoria spoke. "I hope you're settling in easily," she said, looking at Irene with a kind smile.
 
Irene cleared her throat awkwardly, glimpsing at everyone seated around her, slightly scooting closer towards Elissa away from Hayden. Trying to act polite, she placed a napkin on her lap, grasping her hands together over the napkin. Her mother slightly surprised her when she started talking, but Irene nervously laughed it off, "Yes, very much so. Elissa and Matthew have been really welcoming so far." She smiled wholeheartedly, not even realizing that she left out Hayden until a couple seconds later, "Oh, and him too." She nodded her head towards Hayden, slightly diminishing her smile.

When everyone had food on their plate, they all started to eat at the same time. Irene ate slowly, trying not to stuff her face full of food like she normally did when she was alone. Out of curiosity, she glimpsed at Hayden quickly, trying to figure out his mood. Of course, Irene figured he either was scowling or looking monotone, which he obviously seemed to have combination of both.

She looked past all of the people at the table, staring out the window on the other side of the room. A heavy realization came to her as she realized even more about how difficult it was going to be to get Hayden to at least stop complaining about her. She guess that, in his mind, he was probably listing off all of her faults right now. If he was going to be complicated, then she will too. She ungracefully wiped skin oil off of her forehead, trying to hastily but un-noticeably finish her plate quickly.
 
Irene's initial omission of Hayden, accidental as it was, didn't go unnoticed by Victoria, and she gave her son a reprimanding glance. She might not have known exactly how he was treating Irene, but she knew that he wasn't happy, and that he seemed to be taking it out on the poor girl. She would have to have a talk with him later.

Hayden frowned thoughtfully at his plate as he ate. Irene clearly had spark and fight, but her parents had crushed it to a degree where she wasn't fighting them. He wondered if he could rekindle it somehow - do something to make her explode against him or them. Having her lash out at him earlier had been surprisingly satisfactory. Even if he couldn't get rid of her, he would at least have a decent verbal sparring partner.

The meal was nearly over when Edward spoke. "We were thinking of holding a ball this coming weekend, as a welcome for your family," he said, glancing between Irene and her parents. That would be in five days - plenty of time for preparations. "While we won't be announcing anything official just yet, it would be good to have you two," here he nodded at Hayden and Irene, "in the public eye together."
 
Irene just focused her attention down towards her plate for the rest of the time eating, being paranoid about messing something up at that point. Even her breathing seemed to draw too much unwanted attention to herself.

Near the end of dinner, Irene paused, sitting back in her chair warily. "O-oh, yeah, sure." She forced herself to say, trying her best to hide her displeasure. "Who will be invited? The general public or only higher-status citizens?" The idea of a ball and being forced to dance with the person who she was currently hating the most in her life wasn't too nice of an idea right now. If anything, they would probably both end up arguing in front of everybody, then spend the rest of the time stubbornly ignoring each other like a 5 year old. Plus, dressing fancy mixed with Irene wasn't a good combination, considering how clumsy she was. Her mother would probably never let her just wear a simple dress and flats for fear of 'not appearing lady-like'.

Irene's mother spoke up suddenly, "I love that idea! Please feel free to ask me for assistance in creating the ball, Edward. I would love to see Irene and Hayden together, as I'm sure the public would as well. What about you, Hayden? Doesn't the dance seem like such a fantastic idea?" Her mom kept a warm smile when talking to Edward and Hayden, but when moving her vision back over Irene, she gave her a look that said 'you will go through with this and you will like it'.
 
"Only high status guests this time," Edward said, his eyes - exactly like Hayden's, but warmer and wiser - set on Irene. "We will likely have another ball later with a larger, less exclusive guest list." The official announcement party for the engagement, most likely. This ball would be for showing off the pair; later, closer to the wedding, it would be made open public knowledge. He turned to Christine with a slight smile. "I would appreciate your input. This is an important occasion for both our families."

As their parents discussed details for the ball, Hayden looked over at Irene. "Well, this will be fun," he drawled, speaking quietly enough that they could talk under the adults. "I expected them to show us off at some point, but this is quick." Probably to solidify the match. As soon as people knew that they were engaged, a split would be scandalous. Plus, everyone loved a royal wedding.

((Myeh, not the best in length, but it's the best I can get before I crash. :P))
 
Irene scooted her chair back, awkwardly wanting to get out of the situation. Responding to Hayden, she said quietly, " Fun? This will be hell. My mom goes crazy for these ball dances." She stood up, announcing her leaving and trying to act polite, "Thank you for the dinner. I have a lot to unpack, so I'll be going back to my room now." She said as she scooted her chair back in.

Once to her room, she instantly shut and locked the door, washing her face with water and completely letting her hair down in a clumped mess. Instead of turning on the ceiling light, she turned on two dim lamps that she had unpacked to give the room a nice, calming atmosphere. She spent the next 30 minutes unpacking, and even though she still had a bit left to go, her laziness got the best of her and she just shoved her unpacked bags into the closet, hoping that room looked well enough. Before she was about to officially lay in her bed, knowing that she would fall asleep instantly, she had the urge to take a shower first. After all, after a whole day of traveling, unpacking, and being intimidated by your future spouse is not a clean activity. But, of course, as she looked in the bathroom, there were no towels set up. Thinking for a moment, she decided to not bother Elissa or Matthew in case they slept early, and any of the parents were probably talking amongst themselves and didn't want to see her right then, meaning that the only person she had left to ask was Hayden. Grumbling in annoyance, she quietly opened her door, hoping that Hayden was in his room and not anywhere else. The floor softly creaked under her as she walked, but after Elissa's and Matthew's doors, she saw Hayden's door and softly knocked on it. ((Don't worry, I'm fine with any length that is 3+ sentences. :D))
 
Hayden didn't stay long after Irene left. He had no interest in the preparations for the ball, and he wanted to avoid the questions that he knew Elissa and Matthew would be full of now. His parents had brought it up much sooner than he had expected and would have liked, and his siblings were smart. Even if he didn't tell them, they would guess fairly quickly. He didn't want to be there when they did - whatever their reactions would be, he knew that Elissa's would be smothering.

He was on his bed when the knock came at his door. It broke through his haze of thought, and he sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. Couldn't he be left to suffer in peace? Rolling to the edge of the bed and rising to his feet in one smooth motion, he crossed the room to the door. "Mom, you know that I -" He started as he opened the door, then stopped when he realized that the female outside his room wasn't his mother. "Irene," he said, his tone making it clear that it was anything but as he continued, "What a pleasant surprise." Not having expected to have any more human interactions that night, he had changed into sweatpants and a thin shirt. It was entirely inappropriate to be interacting with his fiancée in, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

((Okay, good. I think my muse can manage at least three sentences even at rock bottom, so we should be all clear. :P))
 
((Not to be nosy, but are you still interested?))
 
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