𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑶𝑵 𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑫𝑶𝑾

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

"ɪ ᴘʀᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ꜰᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ, ꜰᴏʀ ɪ ᴀᴍ ꜰᴀʟꜱᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴠᴏᴡꜱ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ɪɴ ᴡɪɴᴇ."

"Father, did you whised for my presence?" Aelya asked as she entered the room, her light blue dress was blown by the air coming in through the big window of the room.

Garlan was sitting in front of his desk, looking out the window. His knuckles were resting on the table, while his eyes admired the view that could be seen from the window.

Suddenly, he noticed Aelya standing in the room, and his whole demeanor changed at once. He got up from the desk and walked over to her, opening his arms to give her a hug. "Aleya. My beautiful daughter. My light," he said softly, as he embraced her and held her close to him.

Aelya smiled and hugged her father back tightly, as Garlan said, "I have news for you. Good news." He walked over to a small table and grabbed a cup of wine.

"Oh, really? Tell me." Aleya replied, looking at Garlan with excitement and anticipation. There were so many possibilities for what the good news could be, so Aelya was eagerly waiting to hear what it was. It could be something minor, like one of her cousins getting married, or something more major, like moving back home. Aleya couldn't wait to hear what her good news was, as her father's smile made it clear that it was something that she would like.

Garlan turned to admire his daughter's beauty again, and a proud smile grew on his face once more. "You are just like your mother, Aelya," he said, taking a sip of wine and thinking about his wife. "She would be so proud of who you are... and who you will become."

The way he spoke about her mother, and how she would've been proud of Aelya, touched Aelya's heart deep in her soul.

"What do you mean, father?" Aelya questioned, with a touch of confusion in her voice. In her mind, she was just the daughter of the Hand of the King. She was a simple young woman with no power at all. She served the Queen and her children, and that was her only role or purpose. However, her father's words and actions were not making much sense with her reality. Why would her father say those things to her?

"My daughter, I found you a husband." Garlan revealed with a big proud smile, and Aelya's smile immediately disappeared. She started to panic inside, and couldn't believe what she was hearing.

How could he do this to her? She never wanted to get married, and definitely didn't want someone to pick for her. They always talked about marriage. And of course his father wanted her to get married one day. But, he always told her that she could choose the man she wanted to marry. A man she truly loved.

"Father...I..." Small words came out of Aelya's mouth, as she tried to convey her emotions and thoughts in words. However, before she could say more, her father quickly walked towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Let me explain, Aelya," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. He wanted to try and calm her down, and explain why he was doing this, and why she should trust him.