Sora nodded a little bit. The things she said made sense, and he knew them. What a bride of the Prince would go through. What a husband to a Princess would face. What a future joint ruler of their country would need for his rule to remain strong.
Yet, he felt like he saw those things in Riku. Perhaps not fully grown yet, but his Father had many good years left in him. Riku had time, and his improvement had been exceptional. Technical skills aside, he had not been received poorly at the keep. He had attended meetings and receiving hours and he had been listened to and generally respected. Sora's court regarded him highly. He even had a devoted squire of his own. Sometimes Sora thought, it was as though he was already in this role, and although not quite ready, well on his way. Was Riku ready for the social ridicule he was going to face? Sora hadn't quite thought about that.
"You make many valid points, Mother. I have often considered that I love him too much to put him through it. Yet without me even noticing, he was walked quite far down that path already." Sora hadn't really planned anything at all beyond 'We'll share a room.' It had turned into much more than that for Riku.
For some reason, Sora kind of laughed. "I am sorry, Mother. You will probably be shocked by my behavior. I am so improper. I know you are disappointed but, you will have to accept Riku." Well if he didn't want his Mother to treat him like a child either, he would have to act more confident about this. "I promise I will let you subject him to as many traditions as you can, as soon as we both rest for a little while."