I kinda wanna turn this into it's own book but that sounds like a lotta work so I'm gonna do like the main beats of the first few chapters if I'm feeling it then who knows?

It wasn't fair, Dick decided. He was promised that he would be able to marry for love and nothing more but he'd been betrayed. Like most of Bruce's promises, they fell short of what they were supposed to bring and he should've known that this one would also never come into fruition. He wasn't even involved in the process. 

One morning he was sparring with his knights only to be called away by a servant telling him the king needed to see him urgently. He thought they were going to talk about an up-and-coming war or perhaps a quest but no. Bruce told him that he was to be married to the princess of Tamaran within the week and there was no way out of it. Not one that wouldn't cast shame on his family and the poor girl he was set to marry. Although he hadn't met someone that caught his affection just yet, it still made him feel dirty as though he was cheating. 

"What?" he had whispered. Although his voice was soft, the servants knew to quickly leave them by the look in his eye.

"You're to marry Princess Koriand'r as part of the treaty. You will live with her."

"Live with her? Even in the case of this forced marriage, I'm supposed to remain in Gotham. I'm next in line for the throne!" A throne he didn't want but it was that throne that would keep him with his siblings and allow them to marry for love also. 

"They do things differently there. You're to remain with her. Robin-"

"Don't you dare use the name you stole from me now," he snarled back. "Not now."

"This is the only way the treaty will be honoured. I understand my promise to you but that was years ago when I was a young king." Bruce was caught between a rock and a hard place, that the prince was sure of but it wasn't fair nevertheless. 

"You and your impossible promises. I don't know why I keep falling for them when you so clearly despise to keep them," he replied bitterly.

"For what it's worth, I apologize for misleading you."

"Not just misleading me. You never once said to me that I would be your pawn in a treaty."

"You would have never agreed."

"I would have!" Dick all but screamed. "I would have for my people, for my siblings, for you! Yet you took that choice away just as you broke your promise and for both I will never forgive you."

"You will in time, when you take the burdens I have."

"When am I to leave?"

"By the end of the week." He nodded solemnly like a man standing trial for a crime that would lose him his head. "You haven't met her," Bruce argued, trying for a soft parental tone but coming across as disparaging. 

"Exactly. You couldn't even choose someone like Lady Barbara. You chose someone I have never known, displacing me from everyone I've ever loved and you're acting like I'm committing an act of treason for being upset."

"Dick-"

"Don't. If I only have until the end of the week then I should spend it with the people who care about me. Don't waste my time if the next thing out of your mouth is some excuse or attempt at pacification."

"Tell Father you can't!" Damian yelled as he slammed open the door. Oh, news had spread then. Dick was the eldest of the Wayne family and was supposed to take over the throne once his father passed. He never did want to be king. There were times when he played regent when they thought their father was gone after a long war and he hated what he turned into. It drained him more than anything. Yet he would never turn down his duty to do what was right for his kingdom and that happened to be in the form of marriage with the princess of Tamaran. The problem was that their form of marriage had Dick acting the role of a woman would in their marriage. It meant that he would move out of the family home and not return. Of course, they would visit and he could visit but he could never return to it as though it were his home to always belong in.

"It's my duty," Dick replied softly.

"You're meant to be king of Gotham. You're supposed to remain here."

"He's already made negotiations. If we hope to keep the treaty then I must marry Princess Koriander and leave the home as painful as that is. You know I wouldn't leave if I didn't have to."

"Then elope with someone else. You can't marry another if you've already taken a wife."

"Then I would be trapped in a loveless marriage again, wouldn't I? We'd also lose a powerful partner." He wasn't sure why he defended Bruce's decision, perhaps it was simply out of practice that it soon became second nature but he knew this time he sounded devoid of his usual confidence. He looked around the room that was slowly being stripped of his belongings to bring to his new abode and it brought tears to his eyes that he wished Damian couldn't see. Unfortunately, he knew the younger had when a hand slipped into his. "I wanted to see you grow up," he muttered like a secret and he went to make himself cry harder. 

"I know brother," Damian assured him, using the rarely acknowledged title to show sincerity. "You would never leave me had you the choice."

"I suppose the others will hear of this soon and I'll have to tell them the same."

"You don't need to defend the King."

"Yet I must if I don't want to cause civil unrest. I have to stand with him to look strong."

"Perhaps to our people but not to us. We know the burden put upon you and if you truly don't wish for us to fight this then we won't." Dick smiled and ran his hand through the boy's hair, gently guiding him into a hug. 

"You and our siblings will make the best council our people have ever seen. I'm so sorry I can't be a part of it." Damian hid his face in his brother's torso and his grip tightened as though if he held on tight enough then this could never end and he would never have to go. 

"I hope she's kind to you. You deserve no less."

He looked out the window with a forlorn expression. Across those woods and through those two territories was his home. He wondered how everyone was handling the change. He was expecting letters soon with varying levels of authenticity. Some of his siblings would downplay the impact whilst others would act like the kingdom had fallen into ruin the moment he stepped out of its border. He wanted another day with them but he knew if he got that one day, he would only want another. He wasn't sure how often he could leave to visit family and how long but he doubted it would be as often as he would like. Maybe they could visit him instead outside of their duties or one at a time so Gotham wasn't left undefended.

"I've been looking for you," Koriander greeted. He startled and whipped around to face her, making her giggle at him. "You're like a rabbit." He laughed awkwardly at the comment. He'd never been compared to something so fragile. Strength was a great asset in Tamaran and if he was considered weak then he'd likely never receive the respect he was supposed to but she phrased it like it was something she liked. Maybe it was a taunt that flew over his head. "You walk the castle as though you look for something and stare out the window as though you'll find whatever that is. What troubles you so?"

"I'm used to caring for my siblings," he replied. "They usually cause so much trouble that dawn and dusk feel minutes apart. I've not been this alone in a long time."

"You feel alone?" she asked with a frown. 

"Not alone but," he sighed and shook his head. "Your people are so unlike my own and that's not to say they're bad. I love learning about your culture and I'm amazed by your fighters. It's just that when you're surrounded by a difference so normal, you realize that you're the difference now. In my case, I can't be sure I'm a good difference."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, it can't be easy," she replied. He smiled and turned around again since she never said anything more than a few sentences to him. Their marriage was simply a piece of paper to her and he wouldn't force it to be anything more when she was clearly disinterested. Yet he didn't hear her leave. Instead, she took a seat on his bed and fiddled with her hands nervously. "I would also like to apologize for my absence."

"You don't need to." She held up a hand to stop whatever else he was about to say.

"No, my father has informed me that I have been most unwelcoming to you. You have shown such kindness and willingness to learn when I know that this is so different to what you've been taught a marriage should be. Your role must confuse you greatly." Kori looked away in shame but he couldn't understand why. She was well within her right to be wary of him since they had never met before and who knows how other men would react to the change in roles. "Although it is not a good excuse, it is a good explanation that I believe you're entitled to know. I was worried about falling short of your expectations of me so I maintained a distance between us."

"Why wouldn't you meet expectations? You're everything a Tamarian princess should be." She smiled brightly and he felt his face heat up under her gaze.

"For that reason exactly. Those in Gotham like their women with slim arms and shorter than themselves. I tower over you and have the arms of your knights. Perhaps bigger."

"You do know that I came to my place as a prince through being a ward, right?" By the shock on her face, she didn't. "I travelled all over the kingdoms and seen many types of standards. I can't say my own lie with Gotham despite it being where I remained." He made his way to the bed where she sat but didn't encroach on her personal space in case he was reading her incorrectly. "I can't say I don't have the same anxiety. Your people are so strong, your men have muscles the size of my head and are so tall. They know all of your jokes, they can eat all of your food without fear of reaction and provide you with a lot more than I can. I'm sure you'd feel happier with a man like them rather than a man like me."

"I don't think I would be," she admitted. 

"No?"

"No. Men here, as proud as they would be to marry me, would never treat me the same as you. You have given me space and grace that perhaps I don't deserve."

"I will admit some of that comes from my own hesitance. I was unsure of how you'd like to approach our union. Had you told me I was nothing but a throne warmer then I would find my peace with that when I didn't know you. If I did know you, I feared that I would come to care for you."

"You fear loving me?" she asked softly, moving to fill in the gap. "Why is that?"

"Because if you didn't want to try with me, I would watch what little chance I have at love slip through my fingers. Jason always said I spoke more like a lady in waiting when talking of love but it does mean a lot to me no matter the form."

"Had I said you could never touch me and that I had taken a lover I couldn't have, what would you have done?"

"Accepted my fate. I will never stand in the way of love, Koriand'r."

"But you have," she replied. "You have impeded your own chances at love."

"I haven't impeded it. Done things out of order certainly. You tend to be hopelessly in love before you marry but I would be more than happy to find myself in love with you."

"Is that so?" she asked slyly. She leaned in closer, positioning herself so she was almost unable to support her weight from how she tilted herself to be inches from his face. "Do tell me why."

"You're beautiful of course but you're smart from what you allow me to see of you. You're kind too not only to nobles but to your servants which shows true kindness at heart." She nodded for him to continue and despite his mouth growing dry with nerves he continued. "Your hair is firey like a sunset and your eyes hold such wonder for the world around you. I also... I love that you're assertive. You're truly a formidable royal. I feared that you would be a princess as quiet as a mouse but you are so certain when you speak."

"It seems that our unlikely match is rather fitting."

"Why? What do I have to give you?"

"That you see all those things and never sought to claim them as your own but rather wait for them to offer themselves to you."

"Maybe I don't like to be the one claiming."

"You're an interesting man, Richard. I intend to make a better effort to know you." She moved away and he found himself missing her closeness immediately. This must've been obvious by the way Koriand'r grinned at him like a predator would its prey. "I feel as though I have started things horribly and I would hate for our marriage to be one where you feel as though you're an accessory." She held out her hand and he held it carefully as though it were second nature. "It's nice to meet you, Prince Richard."

"It's wonderful to meet you Princess Koriander."

"I prefer Kori."

"Then you can call me Dick."

"May I ask you something, Dick?"

"You may."

"Would you like to join me for a picnic tomorrow? I believe I have some courting to catch up on." He couldn't stop himself from grinning at the offer. 

"I would love to."

"I'll have a servant send for you. Now, I'm afraid that I have matters to attend to but if you're seeking some company, I have a few knights who are from different kingdoms like yourself."

"Thank you, Kori. Truly." Dick cautiously reached out to hold her hand and pressed his lips against her knuckles in a sweet kiss. When he pulled away, the hand followed to rest on his cheek and he suddenly realised that he hadn't felt a soft touch since he left Gotham. He missed it dearly and keened in approval. 

"Don't thank me for treating you as the prince you are. Thank me for what's to come." With that, she left and his face hurt from all the smiling. A feeling he thought he'd never have curled in his gut and he lightly traced where her hand had once been. There was hope for them yet.

This is like a proof of concept so I'll probably turn this into multiple expanded chapters when I get onto the book part but hey ho