Tainted Magic, Tainted Blood ~ TSAMS AU

Chapter Five

Eclipse huffed as he watched the garden staff whispering among themselves, glancing in his direction repeatedly. They weren't even attempting to hide their smug looks, seeing that a commoner like him was so horridly out of place in the palace gardens without being accompanied by anyone of importance. But just as he was about to storm off and call it quits, he heard his name called.

"Eclipse! I'm so sorry!" Y/N's voice called towards him as she appeared from around a corner of one of the hedge bushes. She was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath as she reached him. She keeled over and put a hand to her knees, holding the other up to hold his attention for a moment. "Okay," she said once she got her breath under control. "I'm sorry, they held me back for another one of those stupid meetings," she complained, rolling her eyes. Eclipse smiled.

"Well, I was about to leave," he admitted, glaring back at the gardeners as they went about tending to the various plants of the palace gardens. The princess laughed and leaned over to one of the bushes actively being trimmed. She plucked one of the red roses from the bush and brought it to her nose to inhale the sickly sweet scent deeply before holding it out to Eclipse. He took it, brows furrowed in entertained confusion. "What's this for?"

The princess shrugged before grabbing his free hand and pulling him into the hedge maze. He chuckled at her spontaneity, allowing himself to be dragged by her. She stopped after they rounded a few corners and looked up at him with a cheesy grin on her face. "You're never going to believe what they told me though, during today's meeting," she said, her voice low.

Eclipse tilted his head to the side. "Oh?"

Y/N made a show of looking around to be sure nobody was around to hear them. Eclipse couldn't help the way his heart fluttered at her innocent glee. She was always so happy, and he couldn't even begin to wonder how he had gotten so lucky as to become friends with her, but he didn't question it often. She wore a beautiful puffy coral dress today, her hair up in a complicated mess of twists and braids. He would never admit it out loud, but while he enjoyed when she was dressed up like this, he preferred when she donned her pants and tunics when they would go out into the city. She looked like a dress up doll when dressed like this - although that wasn't too far off from what was going on anyways. There were several maids that would dress her and do up her hair. At least, that's what she told him when she was irritated about that fact as if it were the worst thing in the world.

"My parents want me to start looking for a suitable husband!" she exclaimed, a baffled look on her face. Eclipse blinked down at her, shocked at her apparent resentment to the thought. She sensed his confusion and went on to explain herself. "I'm seventeen, Eclipse! I want to see the world and have fun, not think about settling down and having... children..." Y/N visibly shuddered at the thought. She then looked back up at Eclipse and listed her head to the side at his look of discomfort. He couldn't help the blush that immediately rose to his cheeks. He wasn't thinking about having children with her or anything, but the thought had crossed his mind a few times at this point when it came to marriage. But he hadn't known that she had felt so negatively about it. Not that he had really made it known that he liked her. He didn't have a chance, anyways. He was a commoner, and her, a literal princess - destined to one day rule over him and the rest of the kingdom.

Sensing his mood, Y/N only smirked at him. "You weren't thinking about marrying me, were you?" she taunted, placing both of her hands to her hips like a mother chastising their child after finding out something bad they had been doing. Eclipse put his hands up in defense, one still holding the rose she had handed him earlier.

"I wasn't- I mean, if you were then- I couldn't even-" he stuttered, unsure of how to get himself out of this. Y/N just laughed and plucked the rose from his hand, turning and walking away from him. She waved the flower around above her head.