Ezra knew of the meeting, and would go to it when it happened, but other than that, he didn't really have anything for the rest of the day. He shook his head faintly, still reading his book. He wanted to calm himself down, wanted to just read and forget his stormy mood.
(Time skip?)
(yeah sure. to when?)
(Errrrrr depending on how far you want to go we could go to the announcement of their marriage or even straight to the wedding?)
(Announcement? idk)
(Sounds good)
True to his word, the king had brought up the marriage to Allian the day after speaking with Ezra, but he postponed the announcement until the meetings with the generals had ended. All of them but him left two days later, headed back to their posts, and Ezra would go after the wedding. Three days passed before the king readied for an announcement to the people of the city, requiring Allian and Ezra to be present as he announced.
Allian followed her father's directions, waiting at the palace gate for her father and fiance with a frown on her face. She didn't understand why she had to be present for the damn announcement, but at least it had given a reason to dress up. She wore a light pink dress with a sweetheart neckline, off-the-shoulder sleeves, and a loose skirt that fell to her feet. It was gorgeous and made her look like the princess she was. But it did nothing to speed up the process of waiting for the king and Ezra to meet her at the gate so they could announce the marriage and get things over with.
When Ezra showed up, he was in military dress uniform. It was black, with a crimson sash going from his left shoulder to his right hip, with his rank and medals pinned to the right side of his chest. Gold epaulets adorned both shoulders, and he wore black, shiny boots without a speck of dirt. His hair was combed neatly, and he had no hat on; it was optional, especially for announcements like this. He looked down at her for a long, silent moment, then shook his head faintly.
Allian looked up at Ezra when he stopped at her side, scowling at him while looking him over to make sure he looked presentable. As she opened her mouth to speak though, her father walked over, wearing an outfit similar to Ezra’s. While the general’s was black, the King’s top was a crimson red, with a gold sash. His pants and shoes were black, both crisp and clean and a golden crown sat atop his head.
He nodded to the two with a smile, then motioned to a set of stairs that would lead to the top of the palace walls. Allian followed her father as he led the way up the stairs, ignoring Ezra as she brushed by him. Her father would make the formal announcement at the palace gate, then the pair would ride through the city so the citizens could celebrate and congratulate the two. Allian could only wait for it to be over, and yet it hadn’t begun.
Ezra gave her a slightly sarcastic smile, then faced forward again, following the king up the stairs and keeping just behind Allian. He didn't like letting her go first, but it was the gentlemanly thing to do, after all. Or at least, he supposed it was. He didn't like it, but it would look good to the king if he let her go first. So he did, taking up the tail end of their little procession.
(found it!)
The king cleared his throat when the pair had joined him at the top of the palace gate, his voice booming down over the people gathered. "Citizens, I come forward today to announce wonderful news for our city and the kingdom. My daughter, Princess Allian, has found a suitor. I would like to welcome General Ezra Wayland as my future son in law. He has proven himself worth of the role through his dedication to our kingdom and as one of my closest Generals I trust his command." He motioned to the pair of them and instinctively Allian pulled on a blinding smile and waved to the people below, looking all the part of an eager girl. "I hope you show the pair the same happiness I feel for them as they go through the city."
The crowd started cheering as the king finished his announcement and stepped back, leaving Ezra and Allian standing together. She waved for a minute to satiate the crowds before whispering to the general through a tight teethed smile. "Take my arm and go back down to the carriage."
The sooner the pair of them could be on their way through the city the sooner they could be back to the palace and Allian could worry about more important things. She had a wedding to plan and a general to get back to his troops after all.
Ezra's face remained a careful poker, though he forced his lips to twitch upwards into the faintest edge of a smile as the king spoke. He stood calmly before the crowd, then finally entwined his arm with Allian's, gaze cutting to her at the hissed words. He didn't say anything, though, just took her arm and led the way down towards the carriage. He wanted to leave. He would much rather be at the front than here at the palace.
The minute she slipped into the carriage, Allian’s face dropped into a scowl and she smoothed her dress out of the way, hating the fact that Ezra would have to sit next to her and they would have to look like happy lovebirds through their trip through the city. “I hope you’re still set on this, because after today there’s no going back,” She grumbled as he sat next to her, a fake smile appearing once more as the covers over the carriage windows were removed and they were once again in the eyes of the people.
The carriage started on its rattling path through the palace gates and into the city without any care for how the two inside felt about the situation.
Ezra remained still and silent, a calm, small smile on his face. He was a good actor. Good at pretending, good at keeping a poker face, and these circumstances were no different. "I am. Are you?" he countered, keeping his lips curved into the faintest of smiles. As a general, it would seem less strange if he wasn't beaming; after all, generals were rather expected to seem serious and collected at all times.