Diving Deep (requests closed)

The Scribe Part 2 - Izana's Story

Giving a few more words and saying goodbye, I smiled quickly before waving and turning down another hallway. I remained deep in thought about my errant mind for the remaining hours of the day, wondering when I had started feeling like this about the (e/c) eyed lady I had only met a week ago.

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I watched her seeing the Herbalist off at the gates, hiding in the shadows of a distant balcony. I'd already received confirmation of her being exactly who and what she claimed, with the surprise information that she seemed to have originally come from my own kingdom of Clarines. I began to wonder why she had never mentioned it, but figured she had her own reasons for avoiding the subject.

Perhaps it was due to a soured relationship with her family, something that would explain how rarely she came back to these lands while also explaining how she had so much information on Clarines, as well as my brother and I. She would have been learning about it all as she grew up and studied to become a Scribe.

As she walked back into the palace, I returned to my room, deep in thought about the information I had received and what it might mean for any dealings I had with the Scribe who found her way into my thoughts more and more with every day I saw her.

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I'd tried to spend time away from her, to see if I could perhaps wean myself from this need I seemed to have for her. I gave up after the first day, when I found myself wandering the halls in search of her, my heart filled with a need to just see her once.

Just one glimpse of her (h.c) hair, a moment to gaze into her (e/c) eyes and the need to hear just one word in her beautiful, soft voice. Not even two weeks and I had already lost my heart to her, but I couldn't blame her for it. It was my fault for not being more cautious, for allowing myself to spend so much time around her.

Then again, how could I not be drawn to her. She radiated a warmth that I had never felt before, a welcoming smile upon her face every time she saw me as her eyes lit up with joy. She had quickly replaced the very sun itself in my eyes, becoming a beacon of light in the world of political maneuverings that I lived in each day.

It was only natural to want that light as close to me as possible, right?

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The fourth day since the Herbalist left and she began working for me and the palace instead, I managed to acquire her services to document the meetings I had with the visiting nobles, writing down when they came and left, what was talked about and what she knew about them on her own. The look on her face when she noticed me was quite entertaining.

"You!" She had shouted in surprise. I had to fight down the laughter that wanted to spill out at seeing her wide (e/c) eyes as she gaped at me. It was rather adorable how she keep looking at me, likely trying to fit my current royal dress with the casually clothed man she had been spending the evenings conversing with, unaware of who I was. I had never given her my name in the time we had spent meeting each other in the hallways.

"Yes, me. I hope you are not disappointed?" I smiled at her, still enjoying the almost bewildered look in her eyes.

"No! I mean... No, I am not disappointed. Just surprised that you would have wasted so much of your time talking to a mere scribe these past weeks. Surely there were more important things you could have been doing?" The small blush that tinted her (s/c) cheeks made me fall for her that much more. She looked more lovely than any princess or nobles daughter I had ever met, her innocence dazzling me.

"If I had thought it was a waste of time, I would not have kept talking to you whenever I saw you. I actually found our talks to be rather enjoyable and informative. You have quite a bit of knowledge in that pretty head of yours." I could only try to hide behind a mischievous smile as my heart raced in my chest. I attempted to calm myself as I showed her the desk she would be working at for the remainder of our day together. Together...

I watched the blush spread across her cheeks once more as she began checking the papers and other supplies that had been left for her use, double checking the points of each pen and the levels of the ink wells. She really was good at her work.

"I hope after our work is done today, we can talk more. I always look forward to our discussions and would hate to think they will stop simply because of who I am." I barely managed to hide the desperation I felt, keeping my voice calm but slightly hopeful instead. My heart skipped a beat as she looked at me with her wide (e/c) eyes.

"I... I look forward to talking to you also, once our work is finished..." Her soft voice filled me with joy, the smile that spread on my face only hinting at the warmth I felt inside my chest.

I almost hated the person who interrupted us by knocking on the doors.

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I worried at the dark circles I noticed appearing slowly under (y/n)'s eyes over the next few days, but her work and her attitude never seemed to suffer from whatever was causing it. I did my best to make sure she was never overworked, that she had plenty of time to rest each night, but I could only do so much.

I was happy when I managed to subtly convince one of the palace Scribes to take a few weeks to visit his family in a distant town, giving (y/n) a reason to stay longer. I couldn't let her leave so quickly, before I had figured out how to convince her to stay with me forever. I could tell she was coming to care for me, I just needed to get her to love me enough that she would never leave me behind.

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Today was the day. Did she really still insist on leaving me alone? Couldn't she tell I would do anything for her if she would just stay with me? Didn't she know how dangerous it was out there, that something could happen to take her away from me forever? I couldn't let her go, I couldn't chance her being hurt, lost, stolen from my life.

(Y/n), I love you so very much. Please forgive me this tiny sin. Slipping behind her as she exited her room, I brought the handle of my dagger down on her head, wincing from the pain I knew it brought her. I caught her as she collapsed, unconscious and dropping the basket she had held. I smiled at the number of scrolls inside, seeing the small note with my name on it attached to the handle.

I slipped it into her room to retrieve after I had placed her in the room I had prepared for her. She would be far safer in there, where nobody could try to take her away from me. Where I could treat her like the princess she should have been born as. Where she could be mine forever.

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"I'm sorry I had to restrain you (y/n), but I didn't have much choice. You were going to leave and I really couldn't allow that to happen. Until I know that you won't try to leave again, I am afraid I will have to keep you locked up here. But don't worry, I promise that other than the restraints, your stay here will be most pleasant. After all, I plan on treating you like royalty. Right now you just happen to be the princess that is locked up in a tower." It broke my heart to see tears slowly fill her eyes.

I reached out and brushed the tears away from her now closed eyes, slowly tracing her (s/c) face as my fingers followed the curve of her jaw. I wanted to kiss her so badly, but I didn't want to alarm her more than she already was.

"Don't worry, someday I will be able to release you from the ropes. Once you have fallen in love with me enough that you won't try to leave me again. Once you love me as much as I love you. Maybe then you can even tell me how you managed to make a Prince fall in love with a Scribe." Perhaps she could help me understand what it was that had drawn me in so deeply, but even if I never found out, I would be happy just having her by my side. And I would do my best to make her happy as well.

"I love you so much, (y/n). And I always will, forever and ever. I'll keep you here so you can't try leaving me again. Nobody knows you are here except me and I have given orders that nobody else is allowed here. I'll take care of you and keep you safe. And by doing this, I'll keep my own heart safe too. If you can't leave, you can't break my heart like that again, right?" My eyes met her as I gave her a sad smile. I would never give up hoping that she would come to share the adoration I held for her, to return my love in equal measure. "I'll make you love me, don't worry my Princess."