It had been two years since the war and they had just started constructing some buildings in Caraverre. And Aedion and Lysandra had decided that they were going to keep as much of its natural beauty as possible since it was mostly wildlife. This meant that the buildings would be made around all the trees, making them more like tree houses than anything else. And in three months the first of the houses should be finished, making it the perfect time to propose.
Aedion had already picked out the location and everything. Now all he needed was a ring. Which was why he was now in front of one of the best jewellers in Orynth.
He hesitated just before walking in; it had smelt polished and neat even from outside, but it was nothing compared to the inside.
The smell was quickly cast from his mind as he looked around and spotted possibly hundreds of all kinds of jewellery. This might take a while, he thought.
“Is there something you’re looking for in particular?” A store clerk in a pristine white suit asks.
“No, I'm just browsing for the moment, thank you.” Aedion replies and then watches as the clerk bows before walking away. He was still getting used to all the bowing. Sure, as a general he’d been subjected to a certain amount of ass-kissing but as a Prince there was more than he was comfortable with.
He turned and started walking to the other side of the jewellers. His plan was to walk down all the aisles to find a perfect ring for Lys, or maybe just get an idea as to what a perfect ring would be.
He was currently thinking a gold band with either a large diamond or emerald. But depending on what he saw here his opinion could change.
He walked along the first few aisles and came to the conclusion that this must be the section where all the necklaces were. A few more aisles and he came across the sets. They mostly consisted of earrings or necklaces and even a few rings that had the same stone or metal used.
He could get a set he supposed, and then ask Lys’ jeweller to make him a matching ring. Or maybe he should just ask them to make a set for her anyway.
Although, how long would it take the jeweller to make the set? The date is in three months so that should be enough time right? But they might have other things to do so, which was the reason he was here now he reminded himself. Get to ring with plenty of time to spare so he didn’t worry about it.
He spotted a few gold rings, but none of them seemed… Lysandra enough. Which was alright, he knew there were a few other jewellers in Orynth, and he had emptied his afternoon for this, he wasn’t in a rush.
_____
He didn’t understand.
He was a general and prince and hopefully a future lord. And he had been to every single jeweller he knew of in Orynth and he hadn’t seen a single ring that was good enough. Sure there were some that he thought Lysandra might like but there hadn’t been any that were perfect. And he needed it to be perfect.
Maybe he should go to Rowan, he would surely have some ideas on what to do.
_____
“I’m a King Aedion, do you seriously think I have time for this?” Rowan asked, a single eyebrow raised.
“Wha- but you and Aelin love getting out of work, surely you can just,” he made vague gestures with his hand.
“Can just what?”
Aedion threw his hands up. “I don’t know! Something! You’re married, afterall.”
Rowan sighed and sat back. “Can’t help you.”
“Why not?”
“Because,” he dragged the word out unnecessarily long, “I gave her a family heirloom instead of picking one out."
Aedion straightened, then immediately slumped. “I don’t have any heirlooms.”
“Under normal circ*mstances I’d say that you should ask Aelin to see if you can take a ring from the vaults but we both know they’re empty of any kind of jewels.”
Aedion sighed again. “It’s fine, I’ll just– I don’t know actually.”
“Good luck.”
He growled in reply before walking out.
_____
Aedion knocked on the door with a bit more force than he meant to.
“Come in.”
He opened the door and walked towards his cousin who looked grateful for the excuse not to do paperwork.
“What can I do for you dear cousin.”
“I need your help choosing a ring for Lys.”
“I would love to but unfortunately my schedule is booked for the next few months.”
“Oh come on!” Aedion growled. He was really tempted to break something, but he also liked his head attached to his shoulders. “Is there anything in particular you know she would like other than–”
“A gold band and emerald or diamond.”
They said the last bit at the same time.
Aelin just laughed. “Other than that no can do cousin.”
He could feel her eyes on him as he growled and walked off.
_____
He’d nearly given up.
He had a month and a half before they left and he still didn’t have a ring. He’d taken to asking anyone that would listen, hell– he’d even ended up asking Fenrys if he could give him any ideas on a ring. And then had to make him promise not to tell Lys about it. The only person he had yet to ask was Gavriel.
The main reason he hadn’t asked was a stupid one. He didn’t want him to know about it before Lysandra said yes, but now that was a stupid reason since everyone seemed to know anyway, so now he didn’t have a reason for not asking him. Maybe he just didn’t want to see the pride and happiness on the Lion’s face until after he’d proposed
But it had gotten to the point where everyone could see Aedion’s bad mood. Lys kept asking about it and all he could tell her was that it was stress from all the work.
Which was probably true since all the time he had spent worrying about a ring had begun to add up and he was now behind on some important documents.
So he really, really needed to sort the ring out.
Was this the sort of thing you did with a father? He’d assume so but… No, he’d ask Gavriel, just in case the male had any ideas that Aedion hadn’t had. Although he doubted it, it was worth a try.
_____
Okay, so maybe it was a bad idea to ask Gavriel. Aedion wasn’t even sure he’d have some kind of insight on the situation.
For f*ck’s sake, he was a general. He’d led armies against beings from another world he could ask a fae male for advice on a ring. Although, that ‘fae male’ did just so happen to be did father, who he had had minimal contact with since the end of the war except from a few slightly awkward conversations that had been getting less awkward as time went by and–
No, just knock on the door and ask like a normal person.
He knocked, there was no answer. Cautiously he tried the door and peered into the room when it swung open.
It was empty.
Aedion swore under his breath. He had just stood there panicking like a f*cking child. He’d just ask another time, or maybe never–
“Aedion.”
Hand flying instinctively to a weapon that wasn’t there he whirled and found Gavriel a few feet away from him. His heart is pounding in his ears and the male must be able to tell because he grimaces and puts his hands up. “Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you. Was there, er, something you wanted to talk to me about?”
He was tempted to say ‘no’ and run away but… well he was here to talk and as brave and arrogant as he acted he didn’t think he’d come back.
“Yeah, umm, do you want to talk inside?” He made a vague gesture to the rooms behind him. Could you even invite people into the rooms they lived in? Gavriel wouldn’t think he was rude right? Intruding like that? Ah f*ck, he was making a complete mess of this.
“Yes of course, after you.” Gavriel smiles warmly.
Okay, maybe not.
Aedion walked in, not quite sure where to stand, if the Lion noticed his awkwardness he didn’t comment.
“What did you want to talk about?”
Aedion cleared his throat. “Well, I’m planning on proposing to Lysandra and I’m trying to find a ring and well — you’ve probably already heard I’ve not been particularly subtle about it — it’s not going very well. And I guess I was wondering if you, errmm, had any,” he stopped and tried to find a word to accurately describe what he was asking for, “ideas?”
Gavriel smiles at him, well no it’s more of a grin of pure joy but he’s trying to ignore that fact. “Which shops have you been to so far?”
“All of them.”
He nods. “I know this is unlikely but do you have any heirlooms you could give her?”
“No, my mother never really left me any and even if she did, all of Orynth’s treasures were pillaged during the first war.”
Gavriel nods again. “I suspected as much.” He turns and starts rummaging through one of his draws. “There’s this jeweller just passed the market on this address,” he passes Aedion a note before continuing, “if you know what you want maybe you could describe it to him.”
Aedion looks down at the small bit of paper, clearly the Lion was hoping that Aedion would come to him if he had this ready. But there was a problem with the plan. “I was considering doing that, and don’t get me wrong I appreciate the effort, but I wanted something that embodied Lysandra and even with all the rings I’ve seen nothing does her justice and it doesn’t help that I don’t really know what I want it to look like. And all the store clerks are useless old b–”
“Okay,” Gavriel cuts in, “maybe if you describe what you want out loud it could help organise your thoughts?”
He nodded, they were doing that a lot. “I was thinking like a gold band, with either an emerald or diamond. Then maybe some engravings of different animals on the inside. But I don’t know other than that and it doesn’t seem like enough.”
“I think that’s enough.”
“Maybe. But it doesn’t seem special enough for her.” Aedion confessed.
“Maybe you could sketch it out to see if it looks right?”
Aedion considers it. “I can’t draw.”
“I can.”
He looks at the Lion disbelievingly. “Don’t look at me like that, you pick up odd skills here and there when you’ve been alive for over six centuries.”
He huffs a breath. “I suppose you know how to draw a ghost leopard then?”
Then a brief pause as the Lion considers it. “I could try.” Is all the says
Turns out their definitions of ‘I could try’ are very different. For Aedion that means winging it and hoping for the best. For Gavriel it means doing it over and over again until he makes it perfect.
And damn does he make the ring look perfect. Of course they change bits and pieces but staring at the final product close to half an hour later at his desk, Aedion decides that coming to his father was the best idea. Because the ring was perfect.
Gavriel even insists on designing him a matching ring. Hs was more a gold band with engravings and a single stone set into the gold. But together he had no doubt they would look perfect.
_____
Exactly a month and a half later, Aedion proposes to Lysandra in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by flowers native to only Terrasen with a perfect view of their future home, with the rings he and his father designed together.
She says yes.
