Beautiful People #15 | Valentine's Edition

Today I'm participating in a monthly linkup called Beautiful People hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In. It is time I finally come out of my shell and share something about my story and this seemed like a great idea. 

This month is all about that love, of course. Now, I have few couples in my story but without spoiling anything I picked out the most obvious one that's in the story from the beginning. I would like to present not so easy, but still lovely, relationship of my characters Iris and Ramir. Iris is the main one but I'm still not sure if Ramir can be considered as the main male character because... other things happen. Now, I haven't spoken about my story so let me tell you something about it at first. It is a story of a princess Iris who lives like a bird in a cage. She's locked down in castle and knows nothing about the country she will rule one day. And so she tries to get as much information as she can which leads to unpleasant discoveries. Oh, and not to mention she knows how to mix potions. So basically it's a story about her standing up for herself and being the queen she wants to be and the queen she should be, it's story about her not being afraid speak for herself and it's all about that girl power. 

Now that we have that out of the way, we can jump to the questions.

1. How did they first meet?

Well, Ramir is adopted son of the king Seffir who is close friend with Iris's father, king Mul - I know ,confusing - so I guess, once he was adopted, he and Iris met in Litien. That's where he lives. Ramir is always a little bit cheeky and he likes teasing Iris, so I can imagine them as kids playing together and running around and pranking each other. But then later, as Iris's brother Atil gets older, Ramir and Atil becomes friends and Iris is left behind. Then again, I think this is the time when Ramir would start seeing her as a girl and not as a kid. 

2. What were their first impressions of each other?

Uff, this is a tough one. I can see little Iris scrunching her nose at this boy who, at that time, didn't have manners because he didn't come from a royal family. Ramir would be having fun at her expense and so their first impressions wouldn't be that good. Both of them are stubborn characters and it can be seen in the story. 

3. How long have they been a couple?

They have been together for a longer time. They were not dating because due to political situation it was impossible for them to actually be together so they were casually seeing each other but they were not exclusive. But political situation changed and now they are engaged so... let's say they are proper couple for a month or so. It is a little bit complicated because neither of them thought they could be together so I don't think they took it seriously up until now. 

4. How committed/loyal are they to each other? Would they break up over a secret or a disagreement? Could stress drive them apart? Would they die for each other?

This is where the complications start. I don't think Iris is as commited as Ramir is. I mean, he was overjoyed when their parents told them about the engagement but Iris has this problem with controling people around her because her whole life she was the one controled. Does it make sense? Ramir is her equal and she was hoping she'll marry someone stupid or someone weak so she can have all the power as a queen. It's obvious she's scared of relationship with Ramir because she doesn't want to be housewife, she wants to make changes in the country. That's why I think Iris would be able to walk away from him because of some secret. It's stupid but I get her. And that's why I do not think she would be able to die for him. Ramir is much more involved, he would try to work through every disagreement and he would die for her too. 

5. List 5 “food quirks” they know about each other. (Ex: how they take their coffee, if they’re allergic to something, etc….and feel free to mention other non-food quirks!)

Iris loves herbs. This is mostly connected with her making potions. Her meal would be really aromatic and that's why she loves herbal tea. 

Both her and Ramir love cakes or anything sweet. 

Ramir also loves hunting so I would say his favourite meal would be meat. And sea food because his castle is right next to an ocean. 

Iris, on the contrary, hates sea food and loves vegetables because her country is known for more plant based products, her people work on fields and the time of harvesting is important to them. She also loves seeds and nuts. 

6. Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?

Thanks to politics, the king of the third kingdom, king Orwin, disapproves of this marriage because it means two countries will join and his country will be a lot smaller so he's just afraid they will go after him. 

Also, many rebels are against this marriage because of political reasons. It seems like everything is influenced by politics in my story. 

Oh, and let's not forget the minor group of mysterious people who wants Iris as far away from Ramir as possible due to her mysterious power. Man, not spoiling anything is so difficult. 

7. What would be an ideal date?

An ideal date would be a picnic on the  meadow behind the castle. Iris and Ramir went there a lot when they were younger so it's their place. Or a picnic on the beach. Iris loves the sun and the smell of the sea because she lives in the mountains where's colder. They would eat cakes and laugh and just have a great time. Also a wine would be involved. 

8. What are their personality dynamics? Similar? Contrasting? Do they fight a lot or mesh perfectly?

As I said, their personality are similar. Both of them are subborn and powerful so I can imagine them fighting over the power a lot. I mean a LOT. But on the other side, they are a good combination because they come from the same environment and the same social class. There's a lot of passion between them and I like their playful bickering. And thanks to the fact that they know each other so well, Ramir knows how to handle Iris... most of the times. But I also like that they can reach compromise from time to time. 

9. What have been their best and worst moments together as a couple?

Their best moments were I guess before the engagenment because they were more playful and didn't take things so seriously. They went through a puberty together, you know, trying things and drinking wine and it was all genuine and fun. 

Their worst moment already happened in chapter 15 where they had a massive fight and it all went down. Sorry for a vague answer but I would spoil the story and I don't want that. It was nasty. 

10. Where do they see themselves and their relationship in the next few years?

Well in a few years they would certainly be married and have kids... if Iris will agree. But thinking about the current events in the story I think their relationship won't be the same. I think the two of them would grow apart from each other. There is stuff Iris won't forget and it would complicate their relationship so I don't know. It certainly is not a bright future but we'll see if they work it out or not. 

Those are my answers and I hope you liked them. Iris and Ramir are close to my heart and their relationship so complicated. Sometimes I just feel bad for the things I throw at them but then again I love their dynamic and their way of dealing with those things together. It's exciting to see how they grow throughout the story and hopefully their relationship will survive. 

Do you have a couple with complicated relationship? Or do you prefer easy one where the characters know about their feelings and would die for each other? Or do you like both like I do?