Chapter Text
Eligible Bachelorettes
Relena sat heavily on the first comfortable looking chair she could find, her hands habitually folded in her lap but her fingers were wrapping around each other into knots before she wrung her hands out again and stood up from her seat, stomping across the room with as much force as her slippers could manage. The dogs raised their heads and wrinkled their faces but otherwise left their princess alone.
“Tea, princess?”
Relena, in her relentless pacing, had failed to notice Pagan entering the room and promptly withheld a breath before sitting, hands folded, on the chair again, eyeballing the latest stack of letters and wrapped gifts in the corner of the room. “Might I have something stronger?”
“And, perhaps, an hour without company?”
A few of the mastiffs glanced up with somewhat worried expressions on their faces. Relena rubbed one of the animals on the top of its head with her slippered foot. “That would be appreciated. Thank you, Pagan,” He nodded and she added hopefully, “and send someone to fetch my brother?” The stream of suitors had grown thicker of late, and many of them had now taken to bringing female relatives to introduce to the princess as an excuse to make a return trip. Said relatives certainly did not seem bothered by the idea at all, but Relena was going to seriously consider throwing something potentially breakable out one of the towers' window if she had to listen to any more questions and talk about her brother: her tall strong, valiant, proud, modest, pretty, handsome, beautiful, commanding, self-sacrificing, intelligent noble, mysterious, charismatic, tantalizing, esoteric, sublime, romantic -where they were getting some of these adjectives, Relena hadn't a clue- big brother. There was no stack of gifts for him. Just streams of well wishes, regards, compliments and more thinly veiled proposals of marriage entrusted to his dear, darling, sweet, sophisticated, charming, pleasant, delicate, dependable, devoted, ever delightful, long-suffering, quiet, gentle, pretty, little sister to pass on. Perhaps she would throw those outside a tower window.
Pagan didn't comment about the possibility of sending someone after the prince, but did return with tea. He found Relena staring at the pile of gifts and letters that she had let stack up over the past several days. He had just set the cup and saucer down when the princess looked up, an unreadable expression on her face.
“Pagan,” she started, still in thought. “Would you please ask one of the seamstresses for a box of pins, and find a map for me please.”
“Any particular geographical area?”
“The largest one you can find. Just the national boundaries will do.” She raised her eyes to him and they had a hint of mischief about them.
Outside the room, Pagan shook his head. Relena might lament the absence of her brother at times, but for the staff at least, Relena did a fine job of substituting, whether she fully realized it or not.