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Epilogue: the her before you pt 1
Last Updated:
2023-02-09 17:40:48Related chapters
The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Epilogue: the her before you - pt 2
(Sartis Est: Some time ago)It was over, at least in real time. In her head, it was still ongoing. She was still imagining the agony, the fear her brother and parents and thousands of her people had experienced when they were blown to bits. Even as she watched her country still alight, still burning while what was left of her people worked tirelessly to put it out, she was kneeling in the dirt and the ashes to receive the crown, her father’s crown. A crown that was never supposed to touch her red-haired head. She remembered her father’s strict words to her brother every time he showed that he was hurt or wanted to cry. “Tears are not for monarchs,” he’d say and Ethan, her brother, would immediately stop crying, like it was a switch he’d just flipped.She kept saying the words to herself like a mantra, softly so that only she could hear them. When the other side’s surrender came, she gave the order to annihilate them. What good was their surrender now? Her entire family was dead and s
Last Updated : 2023-02-09The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Prologue
2018, December 2nd & 3rd Zoey hailed from small town Rosa. Now, as anyone from Rosa would tell you, the only thing more mundane than the town was its people. Quaint little suburbs. One book store. One coffee shop. One everything really, guaranteeing that everyone would know everyone, which they did. Rosa was what the set of a suburban utopia would look like. That's what she liked about the place, though. Everything flowed like clockwork. Nothing ever changed. Bookish, nerdy Zoey liked her predictable life just fine. How could she have known the simple act of opening the mailbox would drastically change all that? Everything was different after Zoey sat down to sort through the mail that day. The world seemed to be turned on its head, broken as though the pieces that came together during the time of creation. Even as it spun on, it seemed to spin differently. Zoey Ranger, with her pretty face and messy curls hidden often behind a book, was raised like most young women in Terres So
Last Updated : 2023-01-01The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Becoming Lady Zoey Arden
2018, December 2nd & 3rd "Stay with me at all times today," Bart ordered in an authoritative voice that did not match his youth. He was only 19, for goodness sake. Just the same, he had banished any thoughts Zoey had of asking where they were going. "My Lord." Zoey bowed awkwardly. He sighed. "And knock that off. Seriously, quit it. We are House of Arden. We bow to no one." Zoey didn't know much about polite society, but surely even nobles bowed to the king? She shook her head. This was the time to ask, before something else overwhelmed or distracted her. "Where are we going?" she asked, as Bart rushed them down the stairs and into the limousine where his parents awaited them. Again, that eerie silence from the night before enveloped her. It seemed to run in the family. The luxury car was like a tomb. Speech seemed forbidden. Zoey's eyes landed on Duke Arden. "Stop staring!" Duchess Arden snapped. Zoey looked down immediately. Duchess Arden gave Zoey a once over, then pro
Last Updated : 2023-01-01The Girl Who Loved Two Princes And I will protect you - pt 1
2019, March 4th It seemed it had been pouring summer rain for months. In truth, the downpour had begun only yesterday. It was only yesterday that Lady Zoey Arden's world had come together at last. Only yesterday he looked upon her as though nothing and no one could take him from her and regardless of all the terrible things happening in the world, she could not help being happy. She was a different person. He had opened up her heart and not just for himself, but for everyone around her. She would mend fences with her father, if only for the sake of the wedding. Her new life had given Zoey something she had never had before. Two somethings, actually. A brother and a best friend. Bart held her hand while she stumbled through every situation, good or bad, since she reached Caines. She wanted to be useful to him. Zoey knew that this marriage would finally remove the burden of the Arden claim to the throne from Bart's shoulders. Knowing this made Zoey all the happier that things had work
Last Updated : 2023-01-01The Girl Who Loved Two Princes And I will protect you - pt 2
As James stared at the monitor, looking at the title millions had read by now, scrutinising the photograph every noble in Terres Somnia had no doubt gawked at hours earlier when the news broke, James Beaumont felt his heart break one more time. It was a familiar thing; he almost didn't feel it anymore. Or maybe he deceived himself into thinking so. He did not know. He knew only what he saw. He would know her anywhere. Caught in a compromising, passionate, crude kiss with her arms wrapped around the engaged Prince Aaron. It was nighttime, his body and dishevelled clothes covered hers and the lighting in the elevator was somehow poor. This was the probable reason that the writer of the article had assumed that Emily was Aaron's fiancée, Lady Zoey Arden. Both women being blonde and it having been a masquerade ball, it wasn’t such a stretch. Besides, who could’ve imagined that they would do something so stupid in public at his engagement party? He understood all too well what would hap
Last Updated : 2023-01-01The Girl Who Loved Two Princes The prince and the player - pt 1
2018, December 4th "Are you people out of your bloody minds!" Zoey knew that she was yelling, but she couldn't help it. "I just met the lot of you two days ago, one day really," she sucked in a deep, much needed breath, "and now you want me to marry some dude I have never even met?" His Grace raised his hand in dismissal of Zoey and said, "Silence! You are of the House of Arden and you will accept the prince's hand. There will be no discussion on the matter." Duke Arden, however, was not accustomed to Zoey's temper. "The hell I will! You know what? How about you keep your money and I keep my hand and we just call it even? Cool? Dandy." She stormed off, well aware that she was bound to get lost in the mansion and not caring at all. "Why that little... You come back here this instant!" Duchess Arden shrieked. "She seems to have the right idea," Bart shrugged, fishing his keys out of his pocket and tossing them up into the air. "She shouldn't be having any ideas at all, and nei
Last Updated : 2023-01-01The Girl Who Loved Two Princes The prince and the player - pt 2
2018, December 4th Aaron put his thumb and his index finger up to his chin and feigned concern. His question gave her some pause. It was quite the conundrum she found herself faced with. It was only a matter of time before she was found, whether she gave herself up or not. Zoey searched her angry brain for the way out, because she had to find the way out. She was not going to be married off, used as some sort of bargaining chip. No, they would have to find another way. She would have to too. Perhaps a part-time job or selling off all her mother's bags and shoes. Yes, another way. Normal, everyday people did this stuff all the time and Zoey had never been raised in a fancy mansion so as to make her feel or think of herself as but every day. He could see the gears moving in her head as she contemplated what to do, her hand still on the doorknob, with only his body preventing the door from swinging right open. He had done this many times, come for some girl or another in the depth of t
Last Updated : 2023-01-01The Girl Who Loved Two Princes The lost prince's ploy
2019, March 4th As Zoey digested that for the second time in her life a proposal of marriage had come to her under the most unusual of circumstances, James' phone rang. The screen lit up to reveal the name Emily. After the ringing stopped, Zoey happened to look at the screen again. He had 53 unread messages and 71 missed calls. "Shouldn't you call her back?" "She's the woman in the photo with Aaron," James answered coolly. His face morphed into a look of disgust. Emily, sweet Emily. She would never be sweet Emily again. Not to him. "I see," Zoey answered, looking down at her feet. Of course. She was hot again with anger and embarrassment. "She's your girlfriend, right?" "Fiancée." James held up a hand, made a fist, and bit into it. "Former fiancée," he said, correcting himself. He turned to her then and could practically see her neurons unravelling. They weren’t in love. This was a business agreement. Hell, for him, it was a straight up revenge ploy. But James knew better
Last Updated : 2023-01-10
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The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Epilogue: the her before you - pt 2
(Sartis Est: Some time ago)It was over, at least in real time. In her head, it was still ongoing. She was still imagining the agony, the fear her brother and parents and thousands of her people had experienced when they were blown to bits. Even as she watched her country still alight, still burning while what was left of her people worked tirelessly to put it out, she was kneeling in the dirt and the ashes to receive the crown, her father’s crown. A crown that was never supposed to touch her red-haired head. She remembered her father’s strict words to her brother every time he showed that he was hurt or wanted to cry. “Tears are not for monarchs,” he’d say and Ethan, her brother, would immediately stop crying, like it was a switch he’d just flipped.She kept saying the words to herself like a mantra, softly so that only she could hear them. When the other side’s surrender came, she gave the order to annihilate them. What good was their surrender now? Her entire family was dead and s
The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Epilogue: the her before you pt 1
(8 Months Later)Their loved ones had, at last, convinced James that it was time to take Zoey on their honeymoon. King Henry had managed to detain the newlyweds for far too long, both he and James recognizing that he had a lot to learn about the ins and outs of what exactly being a prince entailed. Since James wanted to be with his wife and involve her as much as possible in his life, his world, even if that meant that they spent a lot of their time together working, Zoey was always with him, picking up the tricks of the trade along the way. They even managed to make it look romantic somehow, stealing little moments wherever they could, disappearing when they could. So their marriage wasn’t exactly on the rocks, but they had earned some time to just be with each other, like they’d always wanted. They had been gone for two weeks when the news that the palace would be having a new guest reached them. “Your worry lines are showing, Jamie,” said Zoey, wrapping her arms around his neck
The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Anywhere, anything - pt 4
2019, March 31st & April 1stShe was like a woman on a mission, running her fingers all over his body, touching his face with her eyes closed, like she was mapping him out for future use. He just watched her, letting her words settle into his heart. Her touch comforted him, made him feel loved, like he had all her attention. Maybe he was just letting it all go to his head, but he didn't care. As far as he was concerned, they were forever now. They really were a bunch of besotted fools. She was absolutely out of her mind for him and he for her and nothing and no one was going to change that."I love you too, James Beaumont, Condor, whomever," she whispered, as she watched him fall asleep. She had seen the questions in his eyes, the concern. Maybe she had taken on more than she could handle. There was peace in his eyes too when he picked her up afterwards, though. That moment that he looked at her and seemed to believe, seemed to realize that she was never going anywhere again, she wou
The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Anywhere, anything - pt 3
2019, March 31st & April 1st(Eleganter Ludo) When Zoey and James got to the penthouse around 3 AM, they were exhausted. But the goodbyes had been so emotional that they ended up just staring at the wall. “Having second thoughts?” he asked.“Nope. Are you?” she asked back.“Nope.”“Are you lying?”“Yes.”“Me too.” In a bid to make him and herself feel better, Zoey got up, put some music on, went into the bedroom and put the emerald dress he’d so lovingly saved on. “Dance with me?” she said, holding onto the skirt of the dress. He smiled at her. She had no idea what this gesture meant to him. “I never thought I’d see that dress again,” he said, pulling her into his arms, just holding on tight for a moment. “Do you know why I took it off of you that night?” he asked, as he began to gently sway to the music, moving with her. “You don't have to tell me,” she answered gently, looking down.There was hurt in his eyes, just like the moment he had taken it off of her that night. He
The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Anywhere, anything - pt 2
2019, March 31st & April 1st(Caines - palace)By the time James and Zoey showed up in Caines, it was already midnight. Feeling like they were about to betray everyone, James and Zoey were squeezing each other’s hands tightly as they sat in front of King Henry and Cassandra. “So, you’ve decided then,” said King Henry. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning. I’m taking Zoey on our honeymoon,” James said, kissing her hand. “Where to?” Cassandra asked, her face a mixture of happiness and concern. “We don’t know yet. We’re just going to go,” Zoey answered. King Henry was furious, but he said nothing. Cassandra sighed. “Well, make sure to take lots of pictures and enjoy every moment and check in-”“Damn it, he’s only 19, James!” Henry exploded. “And your sister, she can’t take a crown, not after what happened with her mother. You know how she is; she’s absolutely set on that boy.” “Henry, they’ve made up their minds,” Cassandra said gently. Zoey and James exchanged looks. She did know,
The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Anywhere, Anything - pt 1
2019, March 31st & April 1stJames had been driving Zoey around all day on his brand-new motorbike. He thought he would have to get her one too and then thought better of it. He liked the feel of her against his back as he drove it, her arms around his waist. They’d been all over Copia. He took her to markets and what he considered to be a better painting class than what she'd been taking. He took her to beautiful clearings and showed her breath-taking flower fields and secret coves he’d found while walking on the beach for hours. The bathing suit she had shown up in last time she wanted a beach day was of course forbidden, but then the wetsuit she had ended up in didn’t make men stop and stare any less. It drove him crazy. He showed her absolutely everything he could think of.Finally, as the sun was setting, he took her up to his favourite tower of Beaumont house and showed her his favourite spot in his city. The sunset, the view, the warmth and safety of his arms, all of it, made
The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Our brothers' predicaments - pt 2
2019, March 30th & 31st"Leave my son be, Henry. He's happy. For the first time in his life, he looks unburdened," she said, her voice becoming unsteady as she showed him the pictures Bart and Aaron had collected of the newlyweds. There wasn't a single one in which they didn't look happy, truly, beyond a shadow of a doubt happy, even as they fled from place to place. They looked something like she and Henry had in the beginning. Always touching in some way or another, stealing secret glances and kisses and sharing not so secret ones. Forgetting the world and making their own. "He'll call, he always calls. We have a rule about going off of the grid. We always call within 24 hours. He's probably just-" Cassandra's phone rang. Sure enough, it was James. “Hi honey,” she answered, working hard to steady her voice. “Ma? What’s wrong?” “Nothing. I just had something cold to drink, that’s all.” “Sure you did,” he answered suspiciously. But as James was calling his mother while watchin
The Girl Who Loved Two Princes Our brothers' predicaments - pt 1
2019, March 30th & 31st Zoey woke up to the sound of the shower running. She picked up his shirt off of the floor and pulled it over her shoulders. Most of the wedding night was still a blank to her, but one tiny piece of memory stuck with her and she wanted to see if it was still there. She knew he had had something similar made for her for the Duchess’ Welcome, but that one seemed new somehow. That night, Zoey had woken up midway through James struggling to get her wedding dress off, felt the zipper go down and watched him as he hung it up. She wished she remembered the way he did, or at least remembered a better memory, like the actual wedding. This one memory hurt too much to have. She opened the closet door and there it was, not quite as beautiful as the new modified version, but still as radiant as the night she’d worn it. “I guess you do remember some things after all,” he said, watching her touch the dress nostalgically. She didn’t freak out that he was fresh out of th
The Girl Who Loved Two Princes What James wants - pt 2
2019, March 29thIt was barely a whisper, barely a whimper, but he heard her. He heard her give him her heart, truly and completely. James took a firm hold of her hips and slammed into her, entering her hard and fast. She cried out his name in pain. Sorry that he'd hurt her by being greedy and selfish and impatient, he rolled them back over and pulled out of her slowly, thrusting back in just as carefully, much gentler this time. He hadn't meant to be so rough; he just couldn't quite contain himself. She said the words, and he had to have her, had to make her his, be hers.Zoey's face relaxed into contentment. She was happy that he'd finally taken her, made her his in every way. It didn't matter that he'd hurt her a little, because the rest was pure pleasure, because her heart had never felt so full.They stared at each other as they went at it, painfully slowly at first. But he lost the battle, went back to being impatient and overly eager, didn't want to miss a single chance to make
