Of all the people to run into... I thought to myself, standing there stunned as Calix clung to the Crown Princes’ neck. Wait… did Calix say Uncle?
“Where have you been Calix?” The Prince asked him, looking down at him with a warm smile. “Your mother told you to stay near the library.”
I couldn’t focus on Calix’s answer as I stood there, suddenly distracted by the Prince.
He’s very handsome… How come I’m just now noticing this? My mind wondered, recalling the past few moments in which I was near the Prince.
He was tall, with broad shoulders and well defined muscles that could be seen beneath his clothes. There were solid black markings on his arms, spaced out and scattered around him. This made him seem mysterious in a way. He also had an air of authority to him that mixed with wisdom and something else that I couldn’t place. The way he was s
The next few days of the festival passed by in a near blur, with Ivy and Arden enjoying the daily changing booths and activities. We tried many different treats and poked fun at each other while we played different games. Ivy burst into tears on the third day when I had shown her the new and simple outing dresses I had bought her. And my brother managed to sell a few more trinkets that I had snuck away from the Du Pleasant estate, adding more to our travelers fund. Little Calix even joined us a few times, introducing us to his mother who was the Crown Princes’ adopted cousin.She was a beautiful woman named Lanalee with straight coffee brown hair that she kept in a neat shoulder length cut. She had the same amber eyes as her son, but her facial features were a lot more delicate and curved than his, making me wonder what his father looked like. She was also very kind and open to us, telling us stories about herself and her son when they traveled around. She had let slip
The last day of the festival was opened by Rosanna, and she, like nearly every other Queeness, dressed in the Royal Fafner family colors of red, gold and grey. Her dress was of smooth glittering red silk that was adorned with gold. And a pale grey scattering of jewelry glinted off her body as she danced. Thankfully she didn’t embarrass herself like some of the other Queeness’ and actually stuck to her family’s Pride Dance. But the dress itself was enough to wonder what was going on in that head of hers.It was far too tight in some places and showed quite a bit of skin too, not leaving much to the imagination. Of course this made it so the men in the audience cheered and whistled loudly for her, no doubt garnering some amount of points for this challenge.After Ivy, Arden and I made it out of the arena we met up with Lana and Calix by a drink booth. We then followed the ever energetic eight year old throughout the festival, watching different side sho
*Prince Dorian*I should have known that things weren’t as I was told. I should have picked up on the signs before my opinion of someone had formed. It should have been easy for me to notice these things… if I wasn’t blinded by false friendship and lies.My choice of friends and those I kept close to me had always been a long and tedious process. I didn’t care for those that wanted to suck up to me just because of my station in life. I didn’t want those that saw me as a tool to better their lives or as some omnipotent guard that would let them get away with anything they did wrong. But even through all the nit-picking and information gathering, a fraud still managed to get through and join my inner circle.This was the case with the Du Pleasant brothers, Marcus and Samuel.I had met them during my time at the Academy and, after months of casual greetings without anything suspicious coming up, I allowed them to join my small
*Amara*Calix was sleeping soundly when his mother raced into my room, her eyes wide with fear as she searched it for her son. Once she found his little sleeping form on my bed she whimpered and rushed towards him, kneeling beside the bed and its spilling blankets. Her eyes scanned him over and over again as he slept, searching for any sign of injury. When she was finally satisfied that her little boy was unharmed, she went limp and pressed her head against the edge of the bed, her body shaking with her tears.Gingerly, I approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder as her muffled sobs rang out in my room. Unexpectedly, she grabbed my hand and pulled me to my knees, holding me tightly as I looked over her shoulder at the still crying Ivy. Once she was calm enough I helped her up and gave her a blanket to wrap around Calix, allowing him to stay warm and cozy a
My stomach was in knots for the rest of the night, and Ivy’s constant gleeful comments weren’t helping me relax. When I did manage to get to sleep I dreamed about ridiculous things that didn’t make sense at all. And they all centered around the Crown Prince. I felt like I had truly gone mad with these increasing confusing emotions and now my dreams were being plagued by this man I wanted nothing to do with. A part of me was strangely filled with peace when my mind conjured up those deep red eyes and thick black hair. And an invading wave of unwanted emotions filled me when I’d hear his voice echo in my mind. Emotions that I never wanted to feel again.Thankfully, the other piece of me was able to shove those things down once I awoke the next day. I had gotten up expecting to still feel exhausted and drained because of those dreams but I was delightfully refreshed and energized inste
He’s reporting to me?Those words rang out in my head and I couldn’t understand them at all. Why would His Highness ever report to anyone of a lower station than him? He’s a Prince! He should only ever report to his father and mother, not the illegitimate daughter of a Grand Knight and Duke. I hadn’t even taken his promise seriously last night, thinking that he would be too busy with the investigation himself to have time to let me learn what had been discovered.I blinked several times as I looked at him, seeing his warm smile grow as amusement danced in his eyes. Finally, after a long, stretched out silence, I gave in with a sigh, schooling my emotions as well as my expression.“I am deeply grateful that you took time out of your day to meet with me, Your Highness.” I gave him a
Breakfast the next day was filled with news.Ivy chatted happily as she set up the dinette for myself and my brother who was sitting on the loveseat listening intently. She had heard that because of the deaths and the chaos that ensued during the festival, the King and Queen had decided to exempt the Queeness’ from elimination. She also heard that Lady Naveyame had withdrawn as a candidate, packing up her things and reaching out to her family to take her home. This now left only ten Queeness’ within the Palace and the competition, since Lady Heliona was dead and Lady Naveyame was now leaving. This news, though sad, granted everyone a break from worrying about who won the challenge. It also shortened the competition itself by two months, thus removing another challenge that would have been thrust upon us later on. Though the break was quickly taken over as a Palace Maid along with Royal Knights
I was hoping for continued peace after the unfortunate run-in with the Duke and Duchess of Du Pleasant. But as the first few days of the challenge came and went, it was anything but peaceful.And the culprit behind it all was His Majesty, Prince Dorian.At first when he would visit me and wait in my sitting room I brushed it off as mere coincidence. Especially since all we talked about was the active investigation that sadly hit a wall. But when we had exhausted every facet of that topic, moving on to more personal things and tales of our past, I was beginning to question his reason.He would spend the day with whichever Noble Lady was listed as his companion for the day and then, around lunchtime, he would appear and Ivy would announce his presence. He would join me for tea, or maybe a walk through the library when
The chill in the air was biting as I walked through the garden with Lanalee. It had been so long since I was able to spend time with her and I knew that once my baby was born I would have even less time. So, even though Dorian wanted me to rest and keep warm within the Central Palace while he traveled with his father to the Capital, I wrapped myself up in a warm cloak and decided to take a walk. We were enjoying the gentle calm the winter breeze blew in when Calix appeared, running towards us in his own little cloak and boots. “Why are you out in the cold My Lady?” He asked me, his breath making little puffs of white blow out with his words. “Calix.” Lanalee chastised, shaking her head at her son. “I told you, it’s not ‘Lady’ anymore, it's Madam, or Your Majesty.” “Oh, right.” He bowed and corrected himself, maki
The flutters and kicks of my little baby increased as the day of our wedding came closer and closer. And Dorian would constantly stop what he was doing to place his hands over my round stomach, smiling when he’d feel our baby kicking against him. His mother had to kick him out of the office a few times so that I could focus on my lessons, making me laugh when he would pout as he walked away. On the morning of the big day, Ivy and Morina woke me up and helped me get ready. They prepared my bath and poured oils and flower petals into the water while other maids pulled out the dress and all the adornments that were going along with it. I was massaged, wrapped in silk and sprayed with perfumes. I was made to lay in bed with a mask of herbs and flowers on my face and forced to sit still for hours while my hair was treated and combed. A light coating of make-up was placed on me while my nails were polished and
I jumped out of bed the next morning, startling Ivy as she pulled out my dress for the day. I rushed towards the large mirror of my vanity and moved my hair out of the way, smiling broadly as the reflection of the Mark from the dream stared back at me. The happiness I felt spilled over to Ivy who cheered and squealed when I told her how the Mark appeared on me. And when I stepped out of my room I was quickly pulled into Dorian’s arms, laughing at his excitement. The Temple quickly spread the word on the Prophetic dream they had had, coming to look at the Marks on both our necks and discussing how wedding ceremonies would be different now because of them. I also managed to pull my brother aside before my lessons began with Queen Avelia, explaining how the Marking worked in more detail. He took this moment to tell me that he was planning to propose to Morina and wanted to ask if they could hold their weddin
*Amara* After the Queen left I found that Ivy had been brought to my room and had prepared a bath for me. I was grateful for the soothing feeling of the warm water and the smell of my favorite oils and flowers swirling in the tub. Ivy chatted excitedly about becoming the Nanny to a little Prince or Princess while she combed my hair and helped me slip into my nightgown. I hadn’t realized just how tired I was until I caught myself yawning and almost falling asleep to the feeling of Ivy’s gentle fingers in my hair. So, instead of exploring my new space like I had planned, I crawled into bed and muttered a good-night to Ivy, quickly being pulled into a heavy fog of sleep that I gladly welcomed. The familiar feeling of floating came to me and I smiled as the same clearing that I had met the All Mother in materialized
*Prince Dorian* After my mother led Amara out of the room I turned to my father and waited. I knew that there was something important that he needed to say to me, and my mother knew, so she distracted Amara and walked her out so we could speak in private. “Before I tell you anything,” He started, sitting up as a rare smile grew on his face. “I want to congratulate you, on both retrieving your Mate safe and sound, and the baby.” My own smile grew even more at his words, and I couldn’t help but repeat them in my head. My Mate, my one and only perfect half… My Amara. Erebos echoed my words, his own happiness blending in with mine. Our
The silence that stretched on made me feel increasingly more nauseous as I waited for his reaction. I felt as though the entire world around me had gone still and was hanging by a thread as I continued to wait. A sudden pit of fear started to settle in me and I wondered if he would toss me aside because of this, my mind taking me back to the terrible mistakes I made with Kaliden. I soon felt his arm around me and his free hand came up to gently cup my cheek, guiding my eyes back to his. “A baby?” He whispered, his garnet eyes glowing and filled with amazement and joy. “We’re having a baby?” I shakily released the breath I held and nodded, smiling up at him as my brother began to cheer next to us. He pulled me in and kissed me before dropping to his knees, his hands going over mine as he stared at my stomach. Rosa
Unfamiliar faces passed me as I whipped around like a mad woman, pausing for a moment when I locked eyes with Commander Lovarne. He smiled softly then nodded his head towards the main gates. I followed the motion and felt a bright smile break out as my body started moving again.I could see him standing with his back to me as he ordered some Knights to follow my brother into the Greenhouse. He slowly turned as my boots clicked loudly behind him, revealing his handsome bloodstained face. I was just outside arms reach when his eyes spotted me, and I launched myself into his arms, knocking him back a step. His sword fell to the floor with a light clang and his arms quickly wrapped around me as I clung to his neck with my feet off the ground.“I love you.”The words flew out of my lips as I held him ti
After Rosanna left I ate the soup and nearly half of the fruits and vegetables she had left for me. The pitcher of water was nearly empty too, and I changed into the dress and shoes she laid out for me before blowing out the lantern and going to sleep. That night I had the best rest I thought I could ever get within the Du Pleasant estate, and I was pleasantly surprised when I sat up to find that Rosanna had left more food and water for me while I was sleeping.I ate some more while I took the time to look over my dress and the different options left for me to escape.The dress was thankfully long sleeved, with soft white ruffles that opened around my elbows and brushed by my wrists. The bodice and skirt were simple, yet warm and fitting, with most of it in a pale grey color that was accented by white ruffles and trim. The boots were black and stopped halfway u
The next few days went by somewhat calm, with my pathetic meals being dropped at my feet and the nights growing colder. The Duchess didn’t make an appearance and the physician only returned once to check on me. He smiled when he found me lying on my side, too cold and numb to move and expose my body anymore.I was growing weaker as the winds of autumn brought in a taste of the coming winter. It rained on one day and my pitiful self was powerless against the chill that attacked my bones. My fear and worry over my baby grew in these few days and I did my best to keep my center as warm and dry as I could. My arms and legs felt like ice and my lips stung when I tried to move them. The peaks of my cheeks and the tip of my nose felt tight and sensitive too, feeling a slight sting when anything would rub against them.“Amara.”