(Reyvin's POV)
The world slowed down as my mind raced for the appropriate reaction.
On the one hand her proposal both literal and figurative was the perfect political move that would both pacify the Dunmer into accepting her to them disadvantageous terms, and also serve as a massive stick to beat her human discontents with my sheer reputation and the dread my name tended to cause to those who had a reason to fear me.
On the other hand the smug little shit just stole my shtick and forced me into an uncomfortable situation where I had to make a decision I was nowhere near close to actually making anytime soon.
Scorch finds this is the exact moment to cut in with his own particular brand of bird brained wisdom 'Oh please pops all I am hearing is "waaa I am such a pussy bitch and can't own up to my own actions" Puh fucking lease, you knew damn well how it would end so don't even try to puss out now.'
Motheru- 'Fuck you Scorch, I want to procrastinate like a real man!'
Before I can go on he cuts me off with the avian equivalent of a scowl 'And what happened the last you waited too long you absolute bitch!?'
The world slows down even further as I feel a wave of pure fury almost overtake me and incinerate everything around me 'The fuck did you just say?'
'You heard me you bitch.' Scorch somehow manages to stare down at me from within my very own Magicka 'Don't give me that fucking look, I am you and I know damn well where you fucked up.'
'Fuck you.'
'Nuh uh'
'Yuh uh.'
'Nu-' His response pauses.
Both of us mentally facepalm ''What the fuck are we doing?''
'Still fucking procrastinating, that is what.' Scorch immediately fires off.
I summon mental whack 'Fuck off, you are no better.'
'Pops, I may not be the one getting hitched too quickly but I am still you.' He deadpans.
'Yeah...' I sigh mentally 'Still, I feel like it is too soon.'
He chirps in irritation 'Oh come on, you may be an elf and are already aware of your own immortality but she is still a young woman and a Nord at that. Did you expect her to wait for a decade?!'
I pause at this, suddenly feeling like a bit of a dick about the whole situation 'You aren't exactly wrong there...'
'Scorch is never wrong' He bobs his head as if it were the most natural thing in the world 'Now stop being a pussy bitch and take it like the man who looked at gods and told them to go fuck themselves!'
Within a blink the conversation ends after a massive span of five seconds.
Already I can see everyone's reactions rearing to explode, with both the Dunmer and Imperials being a rather diverse mix of anything between wholly approving to utterly outraged.
The far too bold woman in question was herself was still staring right at me with determination in her eyes, even as I could already see small doubt creeping into her gaze with my relatively long silence.
A silence that was broken by neither me nor her as Demnevanni slammed his palm on the table and began laughing his ass off "Finally someone said something actually worthy of spending my time on!"
The Telvanni Archmagister is utterly undeterred as Minthara slowly turns to him with a glare, slowly rising from his seat and grinning up at her "I have to admit I fully expected this entire meeting to be a waste of time but this" He grins wickedly "Now this is proper negotiations."
"Oh, and how so, Archmagister Telvanni?" Chancellor Jukulus, who was currently giving both Minthara and I some very confused side-eye, speaks up "One would think that a Mer of your station would be well aware of the necessary actions involved with running nations and the negotiations therein."
Baladas just scoffs at this "That sounds like something you hire servants for." He smirks at the Bosmer "But then again that is exactly what you are, is it not?"
"Demnevanni, stop provoking the good Chancellor." Sindrel Sadras scowls at him.
"Oh stop nagging at me woman." He waves her off "I am just saying it like it is."
"Awfully bold of you to forget that even we serve someone" The scarred Archmaster of the Redoran speaks up "Though from your reaction, I trust you are rather approving of the... Princess' offer?"
"But of course I am!" Demnevanni claps his hands "Just imagine such a pair ruling over the whole of Tamriel for centuries unending." He sighs wistfully "And the product of such a confluence of bloodlines! Why I can already see the utter power of such a union."
"Baladas" I sigh "Kindly leave me out of your eugenics fantasies."
"Eugenics, Hortator?" He blinks.
I pause before instantly backtracking "You know what, I think the world will thank me if I do not enlighten you to that particular line of thinking. As you were."
He looks completely lost for a long moment before once more clapping his hands "Yes, quite. Now as I was saying only a fool would be against such a union. It both ensures Morrowind will always have a voice and Cyrodiil will be unable to bother us overmuch."
While they were all talking I noticed Davos in the corner of my eye giving me a grin of such shit-eating proportions I felt like smacking him.
He was saved by Jukulus, for now.
"A rather cynical view of the situation but not an untrue one." The Bosmer Chancellor hums along, completely ignoring the archmage who thanked him for the praise "Naturally the details of such an agreement would still need to be discussed but I feel neither His Imperial Majesty nor my fellow councilors would be opposed."
"And what about your vaunted Elder Council?" Alandro Indoril cuts in with suspicion in his voice "From my experience they tend to block any kind of deal that does not benefit them directly."
"Then your experience is out of date, honored Grand Ascendant." Jukulus replies tersely "The Elder Council has been... enlightened as to the wisdom of a more authoritative Emperor, isn't that right Count Tor?"
Vitelius Tor, who was seated slightly below the high table, bobs his fat head "Indeed, as one of the more eminent members of the honored Elder Council I assure you that we will prove no obstacle to such a wise choice in Prince-Consort." He looks up to me and once more nods "The Empire needs strength and stability in these trying times, and who better to provide such things than a pair of god slayers?"
A few Nords even further down raise their mugs and roar their approval "Hear, hear!"
"This is all rather hypothetical, of course." One Indoril Vayrin cuts in from his post at the scribe table to our right "After all, the only individual worthy of making that decision is the Hortator himself, and none of his loyal subjects would dare dream of imposing such upon him."
All eyes once more turn to me and find me still scratching my goatee in thought. After another ten or so seconds of tense silence with Minthara growing even more worried I finally speak "I would not be opposed to such an agreement" Before the room can properly explode I raise my hand to forestall them "However, I feel I will need to discuss this with the Lady Septim here before making it a certainty."
She stills as my gaze finally returns to her.
But I do not keep the stare too long as I turn back to the crowd "I call for a short recess while we have our discussion, you may continue enjoying the feast and please, don't break anything."
Some of the guests chuckle but the rest are too tense to relax immediately and only grumble/murmur their agreement.
And thus satisfied, I stand up and signal for her to follow me, both of our pairs of bodyguards trailing behind us without a word being said between them.
Finally we reach a small balcony overlooking the freshly tilled fields in the distance, and close the door behind us, leaving the two of us utterly alone.
"Reyvin, I-" She begins.
But I cut her off with a raised hand "No, no. I understand why you did it but you could have given me a bit of a warning."
"Like you always gave me warnings before doing something outrageous?" She crosses her arms raises an eyebrow.
I raise a finger to protest before slowly lowering it "You... may have a point there."
She smirks slightly but it falls off quickly under the slowly growing tension "Look, I am sorry I sprung it like this but... you."
"I was taking too long?" I cut her off with a bit of teasing to my voice.
"Exactly!" She points at me with some frustration "How long would it have taken you to move things alone on your own?"
"I'd rather not answer that question" I find myself saying before the brain to mouth filter can stop being broken, causing an immediate huff from the irritated dragoness "But this was no way to deal with it."
"Oh yes it was." She narrows her eyes and grabs me by the robe just slightly under the neck "You may be content in waiting for a decade but I most assuredly am not. I know what I want and I am not afraid to take it."
I fan myself dramatically "Oh my, how bold."
Her expression remains irritated but I notice her blush growing "Stop that" She growls.
"Stop what?" I pretend ignorance and smirk "Putting you on the spot and making you uncomfortable?"
"Well maybe you would not have to be put on the spot if you didn't behave like some reticent princess." She huffs and lets go of my robe "Seriously, isn't the man supposed to be the aggressive one?"
"Oh?" I quirk an eyebrow and teleport in such a way as to be directly in her face, grabbing on her chin in the process and leaning into her ear "Would you prefer something like this then?"
She says nothing.
"What now? Cat got your tongue?" I go on as she begins shaking slightly "Nothing to say?"
"Shut up" She mumbles and tries to shove me away with far, far too little force. She keeps mumbling something about an inconsiderate twat but that must of course be someone other than my magnanimous self.
"Also, reticent princess?" I raise an eyebrow "Someone has been reading I see. Missed me that much?"
She takes a short breath and looks up to me, her entire face nearly as red as her hair even as she grows slightly more confident as the realization strikes her "I am still not hearing a no."
My lips twist into my signature smirk "Because as... irked as I am I never planned on saying no" And I lean into a kiss, something she reciprocates immediately.
After slightly too long a makeout session she finally pushes me back slightly and in a complete change of demeanor slightly pumps her fist "Yes!"
I can't help but chuckle at the image "Nords."
She stops her little celebration and gives me a dry look up and down "Elves."
"Look as much as you like" I grin with arms spread "It isn't anything you haven't seen before."
She huffs, visibly holding back "We should go back soon so stop that."
All I do is grin "Make me."
And oh boy was that a poor choice of words.
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(General POV)
Lydia of Whiterun felt like fidgeting on her feet as she felt the wall behind her slightly tremble, for reasons she found as evident as they were discomforting.
"Truly, my lord works fast." The Falmer Paladin looks part disgruntled, part impressed.
"Our master's prowess surpasses the rest of the meat in all things." The massive automaton boomed "His success in your... odd fleshy rituals should be no surprise."
Lydia gives the two of them a dry look "Seriously?"
The automaton looks like he is about to elaborate on his master's prowess to a far to great extent but is interrupted by a surprisingly amused Junia who pats Lydia's shoulder "Leave them to it, we have to kill the time somehow."
And oh boy did they kill some time, standing there for a full two hours before they felt the overwhelming ward that had sprung up at the beginning of the private meeting slowly dissipating and saw the door to the balcony open up.
Out walked a rather sunny looking Dragonborn and an eternally amused Hortator, the Princess' tucked into her now apparent fiancee's elbow.
"Ladies, gentlemen" Reyvin greeted them all with a light smirk "Apologies for keeping you all waiting."
Minthara says nothing, still far too content with her existence after being denied for months.
Akulakhan looks like he wants to say something, which is then instantly caught by Lydia who against her better judgement cuts him off "We really should be going back to the meeting, we had to distract a dozen messengers by now."
Reyvin's amused expression told her he caught everything but he still nods and so they walk back to the gathering, showing an utter lack of care as they walked into the chamber arm in arm, and reveling in the ensuing chaos.
---------------
And thus the lord finds his stones
which you all delivered promptly
right?
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