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In Slick’s defense, she had really thought it was harmless flirting. Seriously- who decides to marry someone after like, two meetings?
It had all begun two days ago. Slick was a commoner- she had a general idea of how her life was going to go. As the youngest of Momma’s five children, she wasn’t set to inherit anything (that went to Porter, lucky fucker) so Momma had focused her efforts on making sure as many children as she could would be married off and provided for- something about the “stability of having a spouse” and “financial security” or something. So Slick had resigned to doing her best to thwart any potential suitors in the most foolproof way possible: by being herself. It was working too- she had successfully chased off a handful of individuals (Blue Lightning had been frustratingly persistent, but she had finally gotten to her), and the rumors were starting to spread about how Momma’s youngest was a terror and a hellion. Good. That meant there would be more time before another one showed up and she had to chase them off.
In the meantime, she had the afternoon to herself, and knew exactly how to spend it. She had set the trap to spring in the courtyard: it was a simple plan, simply get Porter in the right place at the right time, and then…
She was perched high up on the courtyard’s wall, a ladder propped beside her for a quick escape. She had her pellets in her bag and her slingshot, and her ever-present knife tucked in her belt, just in case. She was ready, and Porter wouldn’t know what hit him.
…Well, he would. That was important actually, that he see who was going to get the drop on him. Asshole.
Slick suddenly became aware of eyes on her, a prickle on the back of her neck, and she whirled around, eyes scanning the ground to find-oh. A woman, staring up at her.
The woman had been dressed in a beautiful silver gown, highlighting her as a member of nobility. She had clearly been surprised at Slick’s appearance, but had smiled slightly as Slick raised a finger to her lips, the universal sign for don’t blow my cover. The woman had raised an eyebrow but nodded, looking away in an impressive display of innocence. Slick had smiled to herself, and turned back to the matter at hand, just in time to see her prey enter the courtyard. Hello, Porter.
Her brother the sucker was scanning the courtyard now, searching for her.
“Slick?” He called, glancing around. He very clearly had not considered looking up.
“Hey Porter,” she called, readying her slingshot, “you’ve got something on your face.” With that, she fired. Porter had scarcely a moment to go, “wait, what are you-” before he found himself drenched from head to toe in a mixture of ink and mud. By the time he had finished sputtering and wiped what he could from his face, she was making her escape, scrambling down the ladder and cackling.
“Slick, you are so dead!” Came his shout, and she leapt the last few feet from the ladder, landing on the ground and taking off. She dashed to the left, sprinting towards the exit of the alley, when she heard footsteps fast approaching.
“Slick!” Shit. Porter had a shortcut. Now what?
“In here,” hissed a voice, and Slick turned to see the silver woman holding up the lid to a wooden crate. She dashed towards it and jumped in, the lid slamming down on top of her. She heard something else being placed on the lid, the wood creaking under its weight. Her fate was in the hands of the mysterious lady now. Slick heard the sound of running feet approach, and stop.
“Have you seen a dead woman run through here?” Porter of course, out of breath and ideally still a mess.
“Every woman I’ve ever seen has been alive.” The woman responded flatly. She already didn’t like Porter. Understandable. And good for Slick’s purposes.
“Ugh, no, she’s- short enough to be a kid,” thank you Porter- “scraggly yellow and black hair“ -Thank you, Porter- “way too attached to the color yellow, and so fucking dead!” He raised his voice on the last part, presumably so Slick (wherever he thought she was) could hear it. There was a pause, and Slick’s heartbeat ticked up a notch.
“I haven’t seen anyone matching your description.” The woman finally replied, light amusement coloring her tone, and Slick sighed in relief. “Though from the looks of it, you might have a more immediate problem.” Oh, he definitely did.
“Damn it,” Slick heard Porter groan, “well, thanks anyway.”
“It was nothing, truly,” said the woman demurely, and inside the crate Slick grinned, catching the double meaning. She heard silence after that, broken only by a slow trudge of footsteps slowly fading.
“He’s gone,” came the woman’s voice, and a second later the lid was pulled to the side. Slick clambered out, blinking at the bright light and accepting the offered hand. The lady was stronger than she appeared, her free hand falling to Slick’s waist to steady her as her feet hit the dirt. Slick squinted up at her, and the lady quirked a smile at her in response.
“Who was that?” The lady asked with interest. She was still holding onto Slick, and Slick pushed herself away before she could read too much into the gesture, collapsing onto the crate she had just climbed out of.
“My brother, who got exactly what was coming for him.” He had, too- Porter had been an asshole lately about how she should give her suitors more of a chance before writing them off, even though she had said she didn’t want to lead them on. It was easy for him to say, Momma wasn’t breathing down his neck about getting hitched. And when she had given one a chance, Flash had spent their entire official ‘courtship’ either boasting about themselves or making eyes at the Lady Belle. The sex had been good, at least- when Slick could ignore the wrong name being said. Anyways, Porter had been a dick. Hence, ink. He’d live. He’d be a blotchy grey-blue for a week, but he’d live.
“Ah.” There was an awkward moment where neither said anything. Slick wasn’t quite sure what to do- it wasn’t like she hung out with nobility often. Much less gorgeous nobility like this. Fortunately, the lady in question took it from there. She straightened up, brushing off her dress and extending one perfectly manicured hand towards Slick, palm down.
“Lady Joule, of the kingdom of Ampere.” Oh shit. Slick had heard about the Ampere delegation thanks to Rusty’s constant bemoaning. Their ruler was visiting to court the Lady Pearl, a rich noblewoman Rusty had been mooning after for years- Slick secretly hoped it wouldn’t work out, if only so Rusty would stop complaining about it. But Joule was staring now, and Slick realized she had probably let the conversation lapse for too long. Nobles cared about that sort of thing. She grasped Lady Joule’s outstretched hand and awkwardly shook it, knowing from how Joule had held it out that this was not the right greeting, but not knowing what was.
“Slick, of…here.” She said lamely, releasing the noblewoman’s hand and gesturing about. Lady Joule laughed. It was a nice sound.
“Well, ‘Slick of here’ what is there to do to pass the time?”
“Not sticking by your ruler?” Slick asked, and Joule smiled dismissively.
“They got themselves into this mess,” she said, and before Slick could ask exactly what that meant, she had seated herself on one of the other crates, looking up at Slick expectantly.
“Uh…” Slick trailed off, uncertain. Joule was still waiting. “What now?”
“Well, I have a free afternoon,” Joule announced, her hands threaded in her lap, “perhaps you could show me around as a thank you for not giving you away.” She smiled innocently at Slick, who grinned. She tapped her fingers to her chin, making a show of considering it.
“I suppose that’s a fair trade,” she said with a playful sigh, and Joule’s grin widened, “and it gives me an alibi.” Slick held out her arm, and the noble gracefully took it, standing.
“Lead on,” the lady purred, and so they set off.
It was a tour of sorts of the village- Slick showed her the smiths and the road to the farmland, and the grounds of the Lady Pearl’s house, full of verdant gardens. They ended up in the marketplace, of all places, strolling along the different stalls and examining the wares. To Slick’s surprise, Lady Joule- “Just Joule, thank you”- was wonderfully attentive- though she was doubtlessly used to more refined and developed environments than the village, she treated everything with interest- Slick never got the sense she had bored the noble, and she asked plenty of questions about what she was shown. Were the smiths contracted by the local noble house? What was Slick’s favorite place in the Lady Pearl’s gardens? Did her family ever have a stall in the market? What had Porter done to warrant such a fate?
The answers were yes, the honeysuckle pond, sometimes, and a comprehensive history of Porter’s dickishness, completed with a very firm I’ll sleep at night just fine. To her credit, Joule listened to it all, gasping and laughing and providing a sympathetic grimace when expected. Slick chalked it up to the expectations of nobility- nothing she said was that interesting, especially compared to the life Joule must lead.
They ended up in the gardens on Lady Pearl’s estate, seated in the long grass under a large tree. Joule, to Slick’s surprise, did not complain at the prospect of sitting on the ground or ruining her dress. Rather, the lady looked comfortable, and Slick took a moment to imagine this moment in different circumstances- a world in which Joule was not a lady, or Slick was not a commoner, and both wore outfits more conducive to the environment.
They had been together for several hours at this point, the ‘tour’ stretching far longer than it should have, but Slick found she did not mind. She had told Joule about herself, and had learned about the lady in turn: she was part of the Amperian court, and an advisor to Ampere’s ruler, along with several others. She had no siblings, and considered Electra, the ruler of Ampere themselves, the closest thing she had to one. She told Slick of the escapades they had pulled as children, and spoke of them with the dual fondness and exasperation Slick would expect from a sister. Nobles- they’re just like us!
She had some leather cord in her bag- the nice and sturdy kind that was good for a number of things, and as they talked she pulled it out to toy with. As she did, she was struck with an idea. Joule’s dress was beautiful- a darker grey with silver embroidery and a delicately beaded bodice. Some of the threads on the bodice were coming loose- either from the natural wear of the dress or the weight of the beaded portion. In a moment even Slick could identify as reckless, she reached out and pulled on the beads, gently teasing the beads off with a wink at Joule, who watched with wide eyes, but said nothing. She was definitely pushing her luck, touching a noble so intimately when they had only just met, but Joule said nothing, simply watching Slick’s hands.
Carefully, she braided the leather cords together, weaving in some of the black, and white beads as she did. When she was done, she gestured to Joule’s hand, and the lady in silver held her wrist out wordlessly. Her eyes were dark, and there was definitely a light blush painted across her face, which Slick did her the favor of ignoring. She couldn’t blame her though. She knew she was hot. And charming, when she wanted to be. Which she did, with Joule.
“How forward,” Joule breathed, and she was still blushing. Carefully she ran a finger over the braid, admiring the work, and looked back up at Slick. There was a new weight to her eyes as she appraised the shorter woman, and Slick felt her face heat in response. To hide it, she shrugged carelessly, flashing Joule a grin.
“What can I say, subtlety has never been my strong suit,” she deflected, laying back in the grass.
“I’m beginning to get that,” murmured Joule, still staring. Abruptly she stood, brushing off her dress. “I should go,” the lady announced, smiling but no longer meeting Slick’s eyes. She was still blushing. Odd.
“Oh… sure,” Slick said, slowly sitting up. She wondered if she had misstepped somehow, for Joule to suddenly be so preoccupied with getting away from her. She tried not to read into it. “Bye.” She watched Joule’s back as she retreated, heading through the trees and back to the village before she was out of sight entirely. Slick sighed, flopping back onto the cool grass. It had been a nice afternoon regardless. She wished it could have gone on longer, but clearly it was not to be. Maybe nobles were just like this. Maybe Joule had somewhere to be. Maybe Slick had done something. She lay there for a while longer before getting up and heading home, determined to put the days events behind her.
For the record, she was moderately successful. She was. She spent the next day going about her life in the village, running errands for Momma and finding increasingly convoluted ways to stay away from a blotchy and enraged Porter. Hydra had sought her out to tell her his newest findings on the dragons that lived in the mountains nearby, and she had seen Rusty in the marketplace, still throwing his pity party over Lady Pearl. All in all, she had managed well. Until late afternoon, that was.
“Slick.” Joule sidled up to her as she was walking along the wall of the outer courtyard, close to where they had first met. The lady looked as composed as ever, but there was a strange, nervous energy to her as she looked at Slick, “Can we talk?”
“Sure,” Slick said, and Joule took her wrist, pulling her along. Looking down at where Joule gripped her, Slick noticed that she was still wearing the bracelet Slick had made for her, and felt a little thrill at the sight. The lady pulled her along until they ended up in a narrow alley, away from prying eyes, and finally turned to face her. Now, Slick was certain. The lady was nervous.
“Is everything okay?” She asked, and Joule paused, drawing nearer to Slick, until Slick had to crane her neck up to look at the noblewoman.
“Here,” Joule finally said, holding out two small silver pieces. Slick examined them closely, and found that they were earrings: small circular studs with a slightly raised design on them. Joule had been wearing them when they met. She looked up at Joule, who was watching her intently.
“Aren’t these yours?” She asked confusedly.
“They’re yours now, if you’ll have them.” Joule was still looking nervous, but also hopeful. Distantly, Slick felt like there was some significance to this- Hydra had mentioned something about jewelry and its context in Ampere- but she couldn’t remember. Probably nothing.
“They’re pretty,” Slick said with a grateful smile, “help me put them on?” That was definitely pushing her luck, but Joule beamed and took one of the studs as Slick fashioned one in her ear and stood still so Joule could do her other ear. This close, she smelled like soap- not the brown slimy cakes they used for daily washing, but the nice, flower-scented stuff that Momma bought for special occasions. Joule’s hands were gentle and slightly cold, and when she brushed Slick’s hair back behind her ear Slick shivered slightly at the sensation. When she turned her head, she found Joule’s face far closer than she realized, the two nose to nose.
For a moment, the two simply stared at each other. Then, slowly, Slick’s hands fell to Joule’s waist, pulling her body closer. Joule’s own hands found Slick’s back, sliding up into Slick’s hair. From there, it only felt natural.
If anyone had seen them there, locked in such an embrace, there would have been trouble. Fortunately, there was no one to witness what they got up to. Joule’s lips were soft, the kiss deepening as Slick dipped her slightly, holding her firmly. Her hand slipped down to Joule’s leg, hitching it around her waist despite the dress, and one of Joule’s hands left her hair to reach for the lacing on the front of her shirt, beginning to toy with it. Before either of them could go further, however, Joule stopped.
“Wait,” Joule gasped, “we- we shouldn’t- not here.” She drew back from Slick, stepping away, until the only place they still touched was where Joule’s fingers twirled around the lacing of Slick’s shirt. She looked down at it with a mournful look, before pulling Slick to her via the front of her shirt for another kiss. It was deep but not nearly as long as Slick would have liked, and they were both breathing hard as they broke apart.
“I- I should go,” the lady said, still breathing hard, “make arrangements. We leave tomorrow.”
“So soon?” Slick asked, fighting not to let the disappointment show. Clearly there would be no time for extracurricular activities.
“Electra’s been away too long,” Joule said, squeezing her arm sympathetically. “I know it’s sudden, but it’s a necessary evil.”
“If you’re sure,” Slick sighed. She would miss the lady she had only just come to know. And perhaps she had hoped to know her more… biblically, as it were.
“I’ll see you soon,” Joule promised, and that made Slick grin. So the lady would be returning to the village. Good to know. Joule smiled in return- beaming, bright- and pulled away properly this time, beginning to head to the alley’s exit.
“Don’t be a stranger,” Slick called after her, and heard the lady laugh. Then, she was gone.
Now alone in the alley, Slick released a breath of air she hadn’t known she was holding. If not for the earrings, she wouldn’t have believed any of this had just happened. And the shirt’s laces, she supposed. Those were a mess now: one side tightened too much and the other side loose enough to be considered vulgar. Slick quickly adjusted the strings back to their proper placement with flush. She wished that Joule had done away with whatever hangup she had had and they had just decided to commit to the alley. A shame, really- when was she going to get the chance again?
But now was not the time for fantasy. With a shake of her head, she left the alley herself, and resumed her village wanderings. It would not grow dark for a few hours yet, and she wanted to enjoy the sun until it did.
When Slick returned to her house at dusk, she entered to find it strangely quiet, which surprised her. There had been a beautiful horse outside- she had expected company when she walked in. But only Lumber was in the main room, eyes fixed on a wooden carving and shavings at his feet, waiting to be collected to feed the fire.
“Where is everyone?” She asked in greeting, and Lumber shrugged.
“Hydra is out with Tass, I don’t know about the others.”
“And Momma?”
“In her office.” He looked down, eyes intent on his woodwork, but Slick knew it was a farce. He had given many impromptu lectures on the subject, and try as she might to not actually listen, she knew that proper safety said he needed to cut away from himself, not towards. He wouldn’t cut towards himself unless he wasn’t really focusing on the work.
“Cool,” she said, unlacing her boots, “I’m going to take a nap.” And if she was going to revisit the fleeting moment she had with Joule, that was her prerogative.
“Hey, do you know a Lady Joule?” Lumber asked, looking up from his carving again with faux casualness, and Slick eyed him suspiciously.
“What’s it to you?”
“She showed up and wanted to speak to Momma in private,” Lumber shrugged, pointing with his knife, “did you piss her off or something?”
“I have no idea,” Slick said honestly, “we were just hanging out. A noble looking for some fun, you know?”
“Well, did you say anything? Or do anything? They’ve got different customs, she seemed pretty focused-”
Oh shit, maybe this was about the dress Slick had ruined the other day. Slick had thought she had gotten away with it, but maybe she hadn’t been charming enough and Joule was here to make Momma pay for the cost of fixing it. Or- oh. She was an idiot. Maybe it was the kiss. Maybe Joule had come to her senses and decided that Slick had overstepped and she needed to speak to the head of the McCoy household to remedy this insult. Fuck.
“Oh my God.” Lumber had been watching her face intently, “What did you do?”
“Nothing!” Slick snapped defensively, “I didn’t realize I was insulting her!”
“You insulted her?”
“I don’t know! I showed her around, and I made her a bracelet, and she gave me her earrings, and we-” she cut herself off, flushing, but it was too late. Lumber knew what that look meant.
“Slick.”
“She was into it!”
“She’s a noble, and part of a diplomatic envoy- Slick!” Slick shifted, and Lumber noticed.
“What else.”
“I also kinda messed up her dress.” She muttered, staring at the floor. There was silence as Lumber simply stared at her, eyes darting to the door of Momma’s study and back.
“You’re fucked.” He finally said, and she covered her face with her hands.
“I know.” She groaned, “do they still put people in the stocks for things like this?” The question was mostly rhetorical- their village didn’t actually have stocks. But still- she had insulted a noblewoman, and that was a huge problem.
“Okay, stay calm,” Lumber said, finally dropping his pretense and putting down his carving, “Laws of Ampere don’t apply here, so you might just be banned from the kingdom or something.” Slick shrugged. She was okay with that- it wasn’t like she planned to visit. She was a commoner- when would she ever go there?
Joule had been pretty nice though. And definitely more interesting than Flash or Lightning. And when she had kissed her, Slick thought- fuck. She needed to know what the lady was telling Momma. Her mother was not going to be happy.
She was saved from further panicked speculation as the door opened, and Momma and Joule stepped out, still in conversation. Weirdly, they both had smiles on their faces.
“A pleasure meeting you, Lady Joule,” Momma announced, shaking Joule’s hand, “and I am delighted to accept on my daughter’s behalf.” That made Slick’s head turn sharply- Momma only had one daughter. And only one person knew the Lady Joule.
“Wonderful,” Joule was shaking Momma’s hand and beaming. She looked around at their audience of two and somehow smiled even brighter (it was a beautiful smile, Slick thought absently), before dashing over to Slick, giving her a quick kiss- a quick kiss?- and murmuring, “Lots to do- see you tomorrow!” before dashing out the door.
Silence resounded in the house after the door swung shut. Lumber looked how Slick felt- completely gobsmacked and mouth open, resembling a fish. She would have laughed, but she was sure she was no better, reeling from… whatever had just happened. Suddenly, Slick found herself bundled up in a tight hug from her mother.
“Oh, Slick, why didn’t you say anything?” Momma asked into the top of Slick’s head. She sounded delighted, and Slick still wasn’t sure why.
“About what?” She asked, confused. She could keep her own friends without telling her mother, thank you. And she certainly didn’t intend on telling Momma what she and Joule had gotten up to, so why had Joule?
“That you were courting someone! And got engaged!”
“What?”
“What?” Lumber and Slick had responded simultaneously: him surprised, her absolutely shocked. Momma continued, still squeezing Slick in the tightest hug she had ever experienced.
“Lady Joule said you had accepted just this afternoon, and that she wanted to get everything settled as soon as possible. So the contract was drawn up and signed! Sweetheart, I wouldn’t have pushed Flash at you if I had known you were interested in someone else! And now you’re married! Oh, Slick!” Momma sounded thrilled- she would be, Slick thought dazedly, she had just gotten what she had always wanted for her children. One down, three to go- four, perhaps, if she was feeling lucky about Porter’s chances. But it was so sudden.
“Isn’t- isn’t there normally a wedding?” Slick tried, finally detangling herself from her mother’s grasp, “Anything?”
“Well, yes, but given the nature of the relationship and the distance to Ampere, the agreement needed to be signed before you two left.”
“Before we- what?”
“Sweetheart, you’re titled now. You’re going to be leaving with the Amperian delegation for Lady Joule’s estate.” Slick collapsed onto the sofa, suddenly feeling faint. Momma was saying something now about getting her things ready, and some paperwork that she needed to copy, but Slick couldn’t really hear her over the rushing in her ears. Momma didn’t seem to notice, or perhaps chalked it up to the fact that apparently Slick was engaged. Or was it married now, if there wasn’t a wedding?
Soon, Momma had headed back into her study, leaving Lumber and Slick alone in the main room, staring at each other. Lumber had lost his gobsmacked expression, but was definitely still in the adjustment phase. Slick envied him- she was still reeling. Without another word, she faceplanted into a pillow and screamed.
“So,” Lumber began, once she had stopped, “did you knock her up?”
“I’m so glad you find this funny,” she yelled without lifting her head from the pillow.
“Oh, did she knock you up? Do we need to be concerned about Slick Jr. running around?” Slick paused, looking up from the pillow. She had a sudden vision of a child with Joule’s hair and her eyes. Or Joule’s smile and her curls. It might be physically impossible, but it was undeniable that they would have beautiful children.
“Slick, I was joking.” Lumber was glaring at her, seemingly torn between frustrated and amused, “Focus on the fact you’re getting married.”
“I’m focused on the fact I think I am married,” Slick groaned, “I wish I had been banned from Ampere.”
“Oh no, you’re rich and titled, what a horrible fate,” Lumber said sarcastically, “really, being sent to the stocks would have been kinder. I’ll start building them now.”
“Shut up Lumber, you are my least favorite brother.”
“Well, you-” but Lumber was interrupted by Momma sweeping back into the room and clapping her hands.
“Alright,” she said, clasping her hands, “we have a busy night ahead of us. Let’s get started!”
Slick had refused to pack until Momma had said that if she wouldn’t, her brothers would for her, which had sent her hurriedly to her things. She did not trust them with her stuff at all. And so she had packed her small bag, and next morning had found herself standing outside her house with the rest of her family, awaiting Joule’s arrival.
Rusty and Hydra were there to see her off, the former wishing her well and the latter giving her a small iron pendant in the shape of a dragon. Nerd. Even Porter, who normally would still be much angrier with her over the ink debacle, only gathered her into a tight hug. She had hugged him back, unsure as to when she would see him again. Finally, it was Lumber’s turn.
“So what have we learned?” Lumber said condescendingly, as if he were a school matron.
“That older brothers are the worst.” Slick grumbled, and he tutted, shaking his head.
“So close! I was actually looking for ‘be aware of when a person is proposing to you’, but I’ll let it slide.”
“Asshole,” she said without heat, and he shrugged.
“Yeah.”
“Kids,” sighed Momma, “can we have one nice moment as a family without someone being insulted?” There was a pause as every one of her children looked at her. Then, the chorus.
“No.”
“Never.”
“Sorry Momma!”
“It’s not my fault!”
“I’m literally leaving, when do I get to do it after this?” Momma sighed, then drew her youngest into a hug.
“I’m glad you found someone you love, sweetheart,” she said, and Slick had to bite down the immediate response of I met her two days ago. At this point, if Momma found her out she was going to be so dead. “But Slick, behave.” Slick rolled her eyes but nodded. Momma smiled and stepped back, brushing off Slick’s shoulders.
“Alright then,” she said quietly, and Slick swore she saw tears in her mother’s eyes, “boys, Slick and Lady Joule don’t need an audience. Come along, you all have things to do.” At her words, Porter, Rusty and Hydra all gave her final farewells and scattered- it was almost comical how quickly it happened. Soon, it was her, Momma, and Lumber left.
“I’ll come visit,” Lumber promised, “nobles like having visitors, it lets them show off.” Slick nodded, giving him a small smile.
“I’ll be sure to shower you in gold and jewels,” she promised, before they both burst into giggles. The idea was ludicrous. But after that, Lumber was gone too, and it was her and Momma standing alone, waiting.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to become a tradesman, like her brothers, and make a living that way. Or (if she wasn’t careful) help her partner with their business, or the finances. She was a commoner- she was. That was all she was supposed to have been. And now she was going to Ampere, where the castes were stricter, where everything was bigger, and she… was married.
The sound of hooves could be heard, and a carriage approached, the seal on it’s side showing it as Amperian in ownership. The Lady Joule had arrived.
The woman in question stepped out of the carriage, gracefully accepting the hand of her footman to help her down. She was dressed for travel, with a beautiful maroon cloak fastened over her dress. Slick tried not to compare her dingy black traveling cloak to it, but failed miserably. Seriously, how had this happened?
“Lady Joule,” she said in greeting. That was all the deference she was going to give here. Fortunately Joule smiled, unbothered.
“Lady Slick,” she returned with a curtesy, which made Slick go hot and cold all over. Was she a lady now? No one had explained to her how this worked- everyone just seemed to think she knew. But a lady… that’s what Momma had meant by titled. It hadn’t occurred to her.
“Ready to go?” The lady asked, and Slick shrugged.
“I guess.” Despite her clear lack of enthusiasm, Joule beamed. With a motion, her footman began hauling her small bag of belongings to sit atop the roof of the carriage, along with Lady Joule’s luggage. It was happening.
“Goodbye sweetheart,” Momma said, drawing her in for one final hug and planting a kiss on her forehead. To Joule she said “take care of her,” very sternly, but to Slick’s surprise Joule nodded seriously, rather than become angry or insulted.
“I will do my very best,” she said, and Momma nodded.
Momma squeezed Slick’s hands, and with a final “Write, Slick,” it was time to go. Joule took Slick’s hand and led her to the carriage, helping her in the way the footman had helped the noblewoman minutes before. Joule settled in as well, and soon they were off, out of the village and on their way to Ampere. Joule was fairly cheerful, humming slightly as she stared out of the carriage window at the passing scenery, and Slick soon felt the need to break the silence with- with her wife.
“How did your ruler’s courtship with Lady Pearl go?” Slick asked, grasing at the only conversation option that wasn’t you are from a noble house and I am a commoner and we met two days ago what the fuck.
“Oh, terribly, they’re thrilled,” Joule said with a smile and a fond shake of her head. “And after meeting her, I don’t think she minded either.” That was interesting, and Slick wished she could tell Rusty. There was hope for him yet.
“And what did your ruler think about you commandeering this trip for a wife?” She asked. She had yet to meet the elusive Amperian ruler, or any of the other members of the delegation.
“Electra said they were glad someone was getting a wife out of this trip,” Joule shrugged, “and your mother said yes.”
“But I didn’t!” Slick burst out before she could stop herself. She had to tell someone.
“You proposed!” Joule returned exasperatedly, “I thought it was a little forward but truth be told I really didn’t mind-”
“What?”
“What do you think the jewelry was for? I haven’t had time to commission something yet, so I gave you a family heirloom instead. And you accepted!” Joule seemed honestly confused at her confusion.
“An heirloom…” Slick trailed off faintly. Oh shit. This was an Ampere custom that Hydra had mentioned when he was searching for marriage information on dragons- how different kingdoms had different cultural markers for a marriage pact, and in Ampere, jewelry reigned supreme. Ohhhhhhh shit. She had accepted. And Momma had signed, because that was the head of the family’s job. Oh shit.
“This is a kidnapping,” she huffed, slouching down and pressing the palms of her hands into her eyes.
“This is not a kidnapping, it’s legal.” Joule responded with a roll of her eyes, there was silence for a few seconds, before the lady spoke again, “am I really that bad an option?” She said it as a joke, but when Slick looked over, she saw real vulnerability in Joule’s face. Maybe Slick wasn’t the only one thinking this had been rushed into. By Joule’s standards, she had proposed first, and done it within hours of meeting the woman. That was forward. And Joule had accepted, and given her a heirloom to seal the deal. And in the alley…
“No, I guess not,” she acquiesced, and Joule brightened, clear relief on her face, “Just… we’re married. I didn’t…” She trailed off, unsure how to continue.
“I didn’t realize you didn’t know,” Joule said softly, reaching over and squeezing her hand. “I know we can’t really undo the contract, but we’ll figure it out, okay?”
“Alright,” Slick finally replied. It was about as good as it could get, given the circumstances. And Joule… it wasn’t as if Slick would mind being married to her, per say. But there was so much to discuss.
“Close your eyes,” Joule said softly, “I’ll wake you when we get home.” Home. What was that to Joule- a manor that was three times the size of Slick’s house? But she nodded and sighed, and closed her eyes. She had been up most of the night packing, anyways. Soon after she did, the humming resumed, and she felt something be pulled over her for warmth. Joule’s maroon cloak, fit for a lady. Which, technically, she was.
Slick McCoy, wife of Lady Joule. Lady Slick of Ampere. She was going to need to get used to that.