The Question
By Lonelyrider

A nervous & eager to impress big James travels to his sweetie's mother's home to speak to her regarding a matter close to his heart.

Joan the golden eagle anthro heard a carriage pull up alongside her tudor home and pulled aside the curtains, watching a huge burly mortal angel man get out and nervously adjust his fine suit and hat, he gently rapped on the doors with Joan's lion doorknocker and she answered, her wings adjusting behind her and eagle eyes keen. The mountain of muscle gave a graceful bow before her, his big wingspan arcing.
"Madam SharpTalon, my apologies to disturb your afternoon unannounced. Is now a good time, may I please come in?"
"Why yes, yes you may, James. Come into my study, I was just editing a book for a client." Joan finished her work with a graceful pen swipe and placed the finished book back onto her ornate bookshelf, sitting and smoothing her dress at her beautiful desk, which rivaled any wealthy man's. "Now, James, whatever can I do for you?" The golden eagle matron asked, cocking her avian head, her long gray and red hair tied in a high ponytail atop her eagle head.
"Ahh, ahem, yes. You know, it's just so cool that you work at the spellcasters' college. Oh, uh, here we are." James stammered shyly, withdrawing a financial statement from his waistcoat; he'd worn his finest suit, top hat and cane to come see her, even white gloves & many beautiful men's rings on his big hands, and he withdrew a statement of current resources from his bank and handed it to her, which she looked over.
"It says you're wealthy, James." Joan said with an air of slight sarcasm; she knew her daughter's boyfriend was very bright, & thus wanted to make it clear to him she was puzzled by his sharing of this document with her.
"Oh, ahem, e...e...excuse me, Madam SharpTalon. Please, allow me to explain correctly. As you can see there, I've amassed a considerable fortune both from family ties, and my own savings. My manor is mine to own, as are my many acres of land. My father, stepfather and mother also hold considerable sway in their respective fields. I'm physically strong as an ox, I possess an 150 point IQ, as well as the skills of horsmanship, swordsmanship, tanking, beast mastery, apprentice blacksmith, apprentice spellcaster, and vast historical knowledge & interest, as well as a love of the fine arts and luxury."
James stammered much and blushed, adjusting his lavish red satin throat ribbon. Joan blinked at him with a serious look.
"Why are you selling yourself to me, son?" She asked, although she already guessed the answer. James cleared his throat and answered, clearing it some more as he was so nervous he was stuttering shyly.
"I...I...ahem, excuse me, madame. I have come to ask permission for Lonely's hand in marriage. Her birthday is approaching in June, and I'd just love to surprise her with a proposal...I've waited too long, I...I want to do this. Please madam, say you'll consider me. I wished to ask her father, of course, but even the P.I. I hired could not locate him." James gushed, his voice shook slightly, and he held his shuddering arm and knew she noticed with a big gulp. Joan sighed and leaned back, folding her hands over her lap in thought.
"That does not surprise me, even the wizards who come to my library on campus to study could not find my former husband when tasked with the job. Let me speak candidly," Joan looked at a picture from the past of a happy Lonely and Sir Daniel Wisbey together as a couple; James swallowed hard and listened to her politely, "Despite your family's wealth, magic-bearing bloodline and power, I have always taken a shine to her previous love...no offense to you personally, James. I don't approve of the polyamorous lifestyle you & my daughter lead together, something Sir Wisbey did not suffer from."
James gulped hard, his heart hammering; how afraid he was she would go on to deny him; she thought pensively for a moment before she went on, her fearsome eagle claws scraping gently over her fine stationary. "However....um, James. Sir Wisbey, whether I like it or not, has long married and born an heir, and as such, my first choice for marriage for my daughter would seem to have run its course. Despite not being my first choice of man for her, you are far from the worst. She's had many suitors. You are clearly the second best option in the lot of them. So...despite my reservations..." Joan eyed him intensely, "You have my permission, and my tolerance, if not my full blessing."
"Oh...thank you, madame, thank you, truly! Oh I promise to be so good to her, I'll take such good care of her, it doesn't surprise me there's lots of men competing with me, she's just that wonderful! But she's all mine, I mean...excuse me, madam." James stammered and blushed deeply, having suffered a Freudian slip of his jealous possessive side; Joan eyed him with an unnerving intense stare.
"Yes....well, as I said, you're the clear best choice in light of Sir Wisbey's unavailability. That being said...understand this. If you harm, lie to, decieve or mistreat my child in any way...I will utterly ruin you. I don't care who your father is, how rich you are, or how much power your somewhat corrupt family has." Joan stood up, lifting her head to him proudly, unafraid of him despite him being 4 times her size. James bowed to her again and took off one of his fine rings, a beautiful silver roaring lion with genuine rubies in its eyes, and handed it to her, which she clasped tightly.
"Madam Librarian, take this fine ring as a symbol of my oath to never commit any of those things, and if I do, God strike me down where I stand, for I would find myself insufferable." James gushed, shuddering, his face red; Joan smiled, satisfied; she could tell the man was genuine; the ring in her avian hand was worth thousands of gold coins.
"Consider your oath accepted and follow it always. Now, go, with my approval. Have my daughter visit me after she has accepted, for I know she surely will, and I will provide the best dowry I can for her. I will be watching you, my soon to be son in law." Joan warned, James backed away still bowed respectfully, and got into his carriage backwards, pulling away at a fast trot with his driver in the seat, as Joan watched his coach depart her dusty dirt road and she slid his ring over her biggest finger despite it being loose, making a note to herself to have it recast to fit her; it would be a symbol of his oath to her child for the rest of their lives.






A huge ty to & photo credit: 📸
https://unsplash.com/photos/black-a.....ks-mT_UaVy6SvE