Chapter 12 XII: Meryline

"Yeah, well," I muttered sheepishly. "Are you ready to be a regular woman for a little while?"

"Yes. Show me the ways of peasant courting," she said stiffly. I offered her my arm, and she wrapped her arms around it and, much like Emilia, pressed it into her chest. We walked through the different displays. People swallowed fire and spit it out. Acrobats lifted each other up and flipped between two platforms made of other performers' hands and feet. This stunt made even Carmella's ridiculous plate mail flip lose a little of its luster. Meryl would watch and clap politely, but she didn't seem that interested.

I dragged her to a stall and got her a funnel cake. She asked, "What is it?"

"Fried dough covered in sugar," I responded simply.

"That sounds terrible."

"Only one way to find out." I broke her off a piece, and she took it, hesitantly nibbling the confection. Her eyes widened, and she snatched the thing out of my hands. She devoured it greedily, and I grinned at her, offering her a handkerchief after she finished it. She took it and gracefully cleaned her face. "So, was it disgusting?"

"It was different," she responded in a dignified manner. I grinned at her and wiped a piece of sugar off her mouth, tracing her lip slightly with my thumb. She kissed my digit, and I returned it to my mouth, licking off the sugar. The city gathered for a bonfire as the night continued on, warming up the chilly early spring night. Couples were dancing around it slowly as soft music was played. I offered my hand to Meryl, and she took it. I held her to my chest, hand in hand and one arm around her waist. We drifted between other dancers. "I wouldn't have expected you to know how to dance."

"There are dances back home. Got to learn how or you'll never get married," I whispered softly against my Queen's ear as we spun slowly near the fire.

"Is that something you want? M-marriage?" She asked tentatively.

"Are you asking me if I want to marry you, my queen?" My last words were a gentle breath against her ear. She shuddered and leaned more into me. I didn't know there was any space between us to inhabit, but she found it. "That implies it's not a foregone conclusion."

"W-well," she began, stalling to gather her thoughts. I interrupted her before she got the chance to.

"No, no, no. No, Queen Meryl. It is a foregone conclusion." She paused against me, leaning back to meet my gaze. Her face was heavily shadowed in the light of the bonfire. "I'm going to marry you. I don't know how that works. Being a blacksmith, Hanwa Nute and Cel'vin to Emilia and gods only know what to Carmella. But what I do know is that I... I love you. The three of you mean so much to me. And I want you. To share, to be sure, but I want to be a part of whatever this is. If... If you'll have me. I-I love you."

It took her a few moments to regain her composure before she nodded. "Y-yes. Of course, it's already been decided, Johann. You belong to me. And to the others."

I felt something brush against my legs, and we both looked down. "And to this cat, apparently. Johann, I think you have another suitor."

"She's a cat."

"She's claimed you just as the rest of us have."