Chapter Six

A Spreignish Rose

The citadel was even more stunning on the inside than it had looked from the outside, and Spike could not believe most of it was hundreds of years old. Botanical gardens of a size so immense you could literally get lost in them: Spike and Meia were even warned about that part, should they explore it. Fountains littered the place, with the clear running water truly a sight to behold against such polished marble. Great arches, intricately carved from apex to bottom, framed nearly every hallway and even many of the rooms. There were chandeliers in the main ballroom that would have rivaled any in Canterlot for their sheer elegance, save for the fact that they were not encrusted with precious stone. No, they were inlaid with silver pearls, surrounded by gold and what Spike could only describe as a “high-sheen metal” which he had never seen before.

“Aluminum,” Carlos said as they went along, noticing Spike's questioning look. “In many countries, it is very hard to find any pony that has the technology or magic to create a heat source hot enough to properly smelt it. It is very nearly worth its weight in gold, if not more so in some countries.”

“This all must have cost a fortune,” Spike said with a hint of admiration in his voice. He had never seen anything like aluminum in Equestria: perhaps they didn't have any deposits?

“Over the centuries, our family has gained and lost much, but we have always managed to come out ahead,” Isabella said with a knowing smile. “When strength and cunning were not enough, we adapted to the times and embraced change as it came. It is this trait of continuous survival and endurance that we hope we have passed down to all of our children.”

“You have children?” Meia asked, sounding surprised. “Where are they?” It would be easy to miss somepony in this place: it was large enough to hide cater to many ponies without many ever seeing one another.

“Oh, they are likely out participating in their studies,” Isabella said, looking out at the castle’s smaller gardens. “Their private tutors teach them all they need to know before they associate with the ponies they will come to rule over.” royal politics was such a pain, as both Spike and Meia knew all too well.

They continued to walk through the halls, admiring paintings and coats of arms. Several statue busts of ponies from the past, from the great Frederick William of Germareny to Eleanor of Aquitmane, lined the hallways. Just then, as they passed a statue of a Roaman emperor, a flash of red streaked past the two lead royals, colliding with Spike and sending the both of them sprawling to the floor in a small cloud of dust.

“Oops, sorry senoir,” the mare said, standing up with some difficulty due to her red dress' dimensions. Spike blinked as he sucked in a breath: wait a second, a mare?

“Maria!” Carlos said with a small scowl on his face. “You are supposed to be in your studies! And why in the world are you running, especially in your dress?”

“First, I was let out early for finishing ahead,” the mare said, counting out a finger to make her point. She said this with a rather strange tone of defiance, as if she had had this conversation before: she held up another finger. “Secondly, I’m running from Angelica and Juana: they want to play dress up and I’ve had enough.”

“That’s no excuse to run in the halls and collide with strangers, young mare,” Isabella said, looking over at Spike, who had risen to his feet. “Now apologize to this nice young dragon and his friend for your unsightly behavior. Remember, a mare must act with the grace and dignity symbolized by her heritage.”

“Dragon?” Maria said, spinning to look at Spike as if she hadn’t noticed he wasn’t even close to being a pony. “You’re a dragon?” Her horn sparked slightly at her realization: emotions tied to a unicorn's magic, and right now her magic had apparently spiked rather high.

“...Yes?” Spike said hesitantly, not sure if she was intrigued or somehow outraged. This pony was unlike any other he had seen in Equestria: her pelt was tan in color, but her hair was a dark shade of red, almost to the point of being black. Her eyes, almond in color, seemed to be deep pools that he could not help but want to dive into. Even though she was six inches shorter than he, she held herself like a mare with no equal. Her body, which he surreptitiously scanned rapidly, was almost done budding into full marehood: he couldn’t have been more than a year older than her. Still, without so much as preamble, she began curtsying and jabbering in Spreignish, though her mother soon interjected with another sigh. One word she kept repeating sounded a lot like “attractive”, which was a bit more forward than Spike would have normally liked.

“What she means to say,” Isabella said, shooting her daughter a glare. “Is that she is sorry for running into you, Master Spike. I am sure you two will get along just fine, if Maria can learn it is not polite to compliment a male in a tongue he does not understand.” She turned to her daughter. “I’ll have no more of this ‘damsel being rescued’ nonsense out of you, young one.” Apparently all of Maria’s jabbering had been about “attractive” Spike “rescuing” her or something?

Maria, in turn, turned to her mother and scowled. “Why can’t you let me speak my mind for once? Sometimes I just don’t understand why you want me to be the perfect mare for some future stallion I don't even know! I will not settle for some pompous prince who expects me to obey his every whim: I will not be shackled by his demands and his title. I am Maria Almareconraddo Del Rivioso: I deserve better than that!” With that, she stormed off in a huff, muttering a rapid series of Spreignish words Spike felt he didn't want to know. He winced as she shouted again in anger, slamming a door behind her some ways off. Some dust fell from the ceiling from the force of the blow.

Spike had to say he was fascinated by this beauty, if not a little intimidated. She carried herself as if she was an elder sister to Celestia herself, and her exoticness really touched a nerve deep within his core. She was passionate, headstrong, but he could tell her heart was in the right place and she was more than capable of caring for herself. He almost snapped his fingers as he came to a realization. That was it: he had found the first candidate.

Carlos sighed pinching the bridge of his snout with a hand. “Spike, Meia, if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your quarters.” His tone made it sound like this was an almost daily occurrence. Isabella curtseyed and walked off, leaving the three alone as they made their way down a hall.

“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, has this been going on for a while?” Spike asked. He needed to know all he could before even considering making his move. His realm of sex had been greatly expanded by Trixie, but sadly, his knowledge of proposing, especially to one such as Maria, was tragically nonexistent. Never mind that Maria was no ordinary unicorn: she could probably hurt him if she thought he had said or done something offensive.

“Yes, for at least a year now,” Carlos replied. “Maria is a mare of fine breeding, and has been by our laws for a few years now, but she considers the thought of an arranged marriage to a complete stranger to be utterly repulsive. We have yet to find her a suitable candidate, but we know that when we do, it will be a war to get her to cooperate. She’s young and rather strong-willed, but her heart, however volatile, is in the right place. I only wish there was some way to make her see that she has a royal duty to uphold. She wants what she wants, and I'm afraid our wants often conflict with hers.”

Spike mulled over this information until they reached their rooms, situated on the far side of the citadel. Meia went inside first, but Spike closed the door, leaving only him and Carlos in the hallway.

“Sir, I’m not who you think I am,” he said slowly and carefully. he had to be very careful with his next words, or else things might go... badly.

“You’re not?” the stallion asked, raising an eyebrow. “What could you possibly mean by that?”

“I am not merely some friend of Princess Luna,” the dragon said, noticing how the stallion’s eyes widened at the name of Equestria’s co-ruler. Even this far removed from his own country, the name of Spike's sovereign and future co-ruler still carried great weight. “You see, I am her personal student who just so happens to be in a predicament that I believe you and your family can help with.”

“And that would be?” Carlos replied.

“I am royalty: draconic royalty,” Spike replied. “As such, it is my duty to continue my line, and frankly, I have no idea where to start.”

“Ah, I think I see where this is going,” Carlos replied with a sudden twinkle in his eye. “You need to marry, and you would like my daughter Maria’s hand in marriage: am I right?”

“No!” Spike said a bit too quickly. “Well, er, yes, actually: I would like Maria’s hand in marriage. But if what you told me is true, she’ll abhor any arranged marriage to one she does not know. I was hoping to get to know her before I could ask for her hand. Would you help me in this?”

The stallion was silent for a moment before he answered. “To tell you the truth, I am a bit shocked that you would consider marrying her after meeting her once. But this is unique: most of us royals never meet or get to know our spouses until after we marry them. Yes, yes I will help you in this. But be warned,” the stallion said, pointing a finger at Spike’s chest. “If you hurt her in some way, any way, you will answer to me: understand?”

“Perfectly,” Spike said, swallowing a lump in his throat that hadn’t been there a few minutes ago. “I’m only supposed to stay here a week, though I’m sure Luna wouldn’t mind staying an extra one.”

“Excellent: I shall begin to arrange everything,” Carlos said, clapping his hands together. “If you need me, I’ll be in the main hall dealing with everyday royal affairs. I do hope you’ll join us for dinner this evening as well?”

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Spike said, wondering how Meia was going to take all of this.

Not very well, from the look on her face: that is, if Spike could have seen it. She had her head pressed up against the door, listening to every word they had said. This could definitely put a delay on her plans: if he did marry this mare, then she might never get a chance to fully make him hers. Then again, it wouldn’t do them either good if she practically forced herself onto the dragon at this juncture: there was still so much more to see and do in this world-wife journey.

Hearing them part ways, she quickly hurried over to their luggage and began to unpack as if that was all she had been doing the entire time. Spike entered without saying a word and went over to help unpack, clearly wrapped up in his own thoughts.

Meia was also deep in thought, though hers was much less organized than Spikes and was on the verge of spilling from her mouth. “We cannot afford to be patient much longer: she has no doubt snagged a place in his heart, a place that should rightfully be ours! The entire plan could be in jeopardy!” That was the side of her brain that was still cold and fully in line with the plan, though it was angry.

The other side, the more emotional side that had begun to show more dominance than it ever had before, argued back with equal fervor. “We cannot force him to love us, and who said we cannot move her aside when need be? He can still be ours, even if we have to share him. Patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait.”

“Silence: both of you,” Meia thought as she reeled back both parts of her disheveled brain into some semblance of order. “As I said before, I will say again: I move when I decide the time is right.”

“Are you all right, Meia?” Spike asked, snapping her out of what to him seemed to be a trance. “You’ve run out of clothes in that case and have been just pantomiming unpacking.”

“Oh, yes, uh,” she said, caught off guard. “I was just... thinking. Yes, thinking: thinking about how the two of us are going to do all of the things you described after we leave from here.”

Spike twiddled his thumbs after sitting down, since all of the clothes and everything were already unpacked. “Meia, yo do know I’m royal, right?”

“Yes,” She answered slowly, her facade slipping back into place.

“Well, as you know, royals must continue their blood lines, and as a dragon, it is my responsibility to do some things that may seem odd to you.”

“Odd? What do you mean by odd?” Meia asked.

“I must take a wife: wives, to be exact,” Spike said, rubbing the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner. “I believe I have found the first candidate: Miss Maria Almareconraddo Del Rivioso.”

Meia was silent for a second: she would need to play this part very carefully. “And?” she asked. “Why are you telling me this as if it were some terribly tragic or embarrassing secret? You yourself said it was a duty: go fulfill it.”

“You really think I should?” Spike asked, surprised by her answer. She was actually taking this a whole lot better than he thought she would. he had half expected her to call him out for being too forward and a hopeless romantic idealist, or some similar rubbish.

“Of course, you silly dragon,” she said, crossing her arms. “First, you’ll need to get this mare to fall in love with you, and from what I can guess, there will be many things happening in this place between now and the time we leave. You’d best make the most of what you’ve got.”

“I suppose you could be right,” Spike said, rubbing his chin in a thoughtful manner. “Where should I begin? i mean, should I learn more about her family history, or learn the language fully or...?”

“Get to know her,” Meia replied, her magic sorting all of the unpacked items into their own piles. “The objective is to have her fall in love with you by the time your marriage proposal comes out, or else she might resent you. A healthy relationship between spouses before the marriage is a good way to ensure they will love each other afterwards. Just learning the language won't do a thing: neither is memorizing her history.”

“How is it you know so much about arranged marriages?” Spike asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Meia hesitated before speaking once more. “You could say royalty and politics were a hobby of my parents, even more so than unusual names. They were always following the gossip and hearsay about royals from wherever any time they could.”

“Ah,” Spike said, watching as the enchanted items were finally separated and put away. There was a knock at the door: answering it, Spike found it was one of the servants Carlos had told them about. He was a short, thin fellow, and a mule to boot: not a problem for Spike, at any rate.

“Spike, you are cordially invited to dine with the masters tonight, if it should please you,” the mule said, his unkempt hair covering his eyes like a blinder. “As is your lady friend, Miss Meia,” he added.

“Tell Carlos I- I mean, we, would be delighted to join them for dinner,” Spike replied, looking back at Meia to make sure she would go as well. She nodded, and the mule walked off, intent on informing Carlos of the news, if not to spread the gossip of what was happening amongst the other servants. Spike knew servants too well from his time in Canterlot: if they loved one thing, it was gossip.

“Well, I’d best get ready,” Spike said, looking out of the window as the sun began to set. Well, at least it gave the appearance of setting: being up in the mountains meant it got darker at different times than it would out in a much flatter terrain.

An hour later, Spike stood calmly outside the doors leading to the main dining hall, with Meia beside him. She had chosen to once again go with the red dress he had bought for her back in Equineland.

There was the shuffling of hooves on the other side of the doors, which promptly swung open. “May I present, his royal highness Spike the dragon, citizen of Equestria, and his friend, Miss Meia Morphos.”

Thanking the butler with a silent nod, Spike walked into the grand dining hall with Meia in tow, who was appreciatively looking all around at the splendid trappings the unicorns had so tastefully decorated the hall with. Chandeliers of ornate design scattered across the ceiling, a large table with fine china and silverware, even a few ceiling-reaching windows let in the last dying rays of sunlight. However, their hosts were already waiting for them along the far wall.

“It is with great pride and delight that I welcome you to dinner tonight,” Carlos said, stepping forward and shaking Spike’s and Meia’s hands with firm politeness. “Allow me to introduce my family.”

The other unicorns stepped forward as one. “Isabella you are familiar with,” he said, with his wife giving a polite curtsey. “Antonio, our eldest.” The next one in line, a tall proud-looking colt, gave a bow: if Spike had to guess, he was a bit older than he was, possibly by three years or so.

“Maria, our eldest daughter, with whom you are already familiar.” She too gave a curtsy as her mother had, but her eyes remained upon Spike. She was less than a year younger than Spike, possibly ranging between five and seventh months only.

“Raoul, the next in line,” Carlos continued. A shorter colt, definitely younger than Spike, perhaps only fourteen, gave a bow. He was a bit stockier than his older brother, but other than that the two might have been identical copies of one another.

“Next, our last two children: Angelica and Juana.” The two little fillies gave polite curtsies as well: if Spike had to guess, they could be no older than nine and seven, and even that might have been pushing it.

“It is a pleasure to meet all of you,” Spike said, giving a deep bow as Meia curtsied as well as she could: her dress was more form-fitting and thus harder to flexibly move around in. “I must say, you have some of the most splendid trappings I have seen in a dining hall.”

“Then let us enjoy them while we eat,” Carlos said, leading them all to the table. Sitting down at one end, with Spike sitting at the other as the guest of honor, Carlos clapped his hands and servants rushed out with platters of food for everyone. Soon, everyone “dug in”, as Applejack might say, though with much more restraint and manners than many in her rural and no-nonsense family might have.

Soon after they finished most of their meals, conversations sprang up between everyone. Carlos was talking to his wife, though in a hushed voice, while Juana and Angelica had started discussing whether or not they like Meia’s mane style. She thankfully remained silent, as she was too busy concentrating on what Spike was about to do.

“So, Mr. Spike, is it?” Maria said, looking over at Spike with interest sparkling in her eyes. “Exactly how long did you say you were going to stay with us?”

“I didn’t, but it seems I shall be here no more than a few weeks,” he replied, noticing the surreptitious wink from Meia. Oh, right: time to pour on the charm and make her swoon. “That is a lovely dress, by the way: what color is it? Aqua?”

“Teal, actually,” Maria said, a slight blush spreading over her face. “I must admit it isn’t my best, but it was the one mother chose for me.” She had a tone of exasperation in her voice: she obviously had wanted a different color.

“I would say it looks very nice,” Spike said, who had a distinct feeling Carlos could hear every word he said, even over all of the other conversations. Maybe he had placed a hearing-enhancing spell on himself? “So, since I haven’t been here long and only overheard a little when we first met, what sort of things are your studies comprised of?

Maria swirled her fork through her salad. “Oh, much of it is boring upper class garbage my parents want me to do. Still there are advantages with having such knowledgeable tutors: my favorite studies are not of ballroom dancing and greeting dignitaries, but of botany and biology. I absolutely adore nature, which is why I spend much of my time in the gardens. the plants make me feel at ease, like a second home. Would you like to see them some time? The gardens, I mean?”

Her question almost caught Spike off guard, as he was the one who was going to suggest going to the gardens. “Most definitely,” he said as the servants took away the remains of the main course and brought out the desserts. “Perhaps tomorrow then, at ten o’clock?” His banana cake was particularly good.

“That would be most delightful, and perfectly timed, Mr. Spike,” Maria said, her smile radiating like a beacon to his eyes.

“Please, just call me Spike,” he replied, his voice dropping half an octave when he said his name. Oh yeah, laying on the charm: a tactic as old as time.

“Damn Spike, even I must admit that was smooth,” Meia thought. “For such a young and inexperienced drake, he’s better than he realizes: this mare will be jumping into his lap before the wedding even happens.” That could be good or bad, depending on one's point of view.

“Well then, Spike, I shall see you at ten o’clock sharp tomorrow,” Maria said with a slight giggle as she blushed. “Shall we meet by sun dial nearest the dolphin fountain?”

“That would be excellent, my dear,” Spike replied. “I will see you there.”

When dinner was finally finished, the unicorn family bid their guests good night. Antonio and Raoul both quickly kissed Meia’s outstretched hand in a polite but emotionless manner, as if they had other things on their minds. Angelica and Juana merely curtsied once more, giggling when Spike looked their way. Angelica was last, and Spike did what every true gentleman in his situation would do: politely but firmly kissed her hand. Her blush spread over her face like thunder across the plains at that little move.

As Spike and Meia walked back to their rooms, Meia couldn’t help but think Spike’s growing penchant for making mares swoon could soon prove troublesome. “If I do get him to fall in love with me, naturally, I will have to look out for his charm, lest I be swept out into the sea of his feelings,” she thought, still unsure why she had pictured that in such a romantic manner. Maybe he really was growing on her: that could be dangerous.

Tonight had been the first test: tomorrow would bring more challenges, and hopefully, more triumphs.

Maria

Author's Notes:

In the words of Sweet Daddy D, Spike is now becoming what is known as a Player In a Management Profession: PIMP.

Also, college is starting back up, so chapter uploads will be sporadic.