A sheltered and naive young princess is given a single year to find her true love in a land full of wonderfully eccentric and handsome princes! Romantic adventure and unexpected love await in the fantasy land of Seraphia!
It took about 6 days to convince my father to train a young peasant boy that was caught stealing. When he was arrested and brought in to be judged by my father, I saw something special in him -- it wasn't just his magical blue eyes...(though they WERE fascinating and would have been a waste to never see again..)
I knew the boy had more to live for than to be locked up for starving! Stealing was bad in all its forms, but I couldn't blame him. Not everyone is as well off as the royal family....I was lucky.
My father didn't agree with the boy being trained as a knight. His first duty would be to accompany me on my journey to meet all my suitors. Which meant insuring my complete safety during our travels, and bringing me back alive.
Did I trust the boy? He HAD been a criminal after all. I was so excited that I'd get my wish to explore the world outside my own home that I seized the opportunity.
He didn't seem bad..not in the slightest. Did he steal? Yes. But he was desperate and needed food. It was probably his last resort.
I spoke with my father every day after I'd made the request. He was so stubborn about it not being a good idea that he completely dismissed it before I could even bring in my persuasive appeals. I got so upset with him that I tried (and failed miserably) to go on a hunger strike...but I gave up after skipping lunch and ran into the kitchen to pig out.
I thought for sure I wouldn't win my father over when we stopped talking for about a day.
But after my father spoke with the peasant boy man to man (I wasn't able to eavesdrop, unfortunately), my father offered him the chance to erase his crime in exchange for knightly training. Ecstatic, I started preparing over the course of 6 months for my journey. Cassius would train me in combat for 2 hours every other day before he vigorously trained our new novice knight.
I wasn't allowed to speak to the boy because I would "distract him," but every once in awhile when he was put on a break and left alone, I'd show up and say something like :
"Peasant boy!"
And he would cringe and get noticeably annoyed with me and say back "💢..Would you stop calling me 'peasant boy?!'"
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And I would say, "Don't be ashamed of where you come from!"
And he would rub his forehead and say "Oh, geez.."
"I brought you something!" I would sneak him something delicious from the kitchen that I'd want him to try on his break. He'd turn down the offer, but I wouldn't ever take no for an answer.
Most of the time, he'd be so delighted at the taste of the luxurious snacks that his big blue eyes would light up like a child tasting their first piece of cake. I'd giggle and watch him, satisfied at his reaction.
He was so interesting to me -- so mysterious, so disconnected, so beautiful...so funny in his own way. I found myself wondering more and more about him. Just where did he come from?
I asked him for his name once when I gave him a pomegranate to try. He opened his mouth to tell me, but after a few seconds of silence, nothing came out.
I stared at him, waiting expectantly, and asked him again. This time, he wouldn't look at me. His eyes took interest in his shoes and he shut his lips tightly. A noticeable red bloomed on his cheeks, and he began sweating and rubbing the top of his head.
He doesn't remember, I realized.
How could someone forget their own name? It was apart of you.
What happened to this boy? I wondered the night after I'd asked for his name. I lay in bed, thinking about the shame written on his face.
"He's suffered severe head trauma," the palace doctor told me, "I'm afraid he's lost memory of 20 years of his life. We asked around in the village he was arrested in, apparently he wandered there a few weeks ago and had been living off the streets..."
The next morning, I came to give him a name.
At dawn, I hurried to the room that had been prepared for him and lightly knocked on the door. After an audible thud, I heard his footsteps as he approached on the other side. As soon as the door was opened wide enough, I stepped inside and immediately began pacing around.
"...Princess Noel!" He groaned and rubbed a spot on his head of dark curls that I assumed he had hit falling out of bed. I stopped pacing and started muttering.
"Adam!" I snapped my fingers.
"What..?"
"No...that doesn't suit you."
"What are you talking about? Your highness, if Sir Cassius finds you here with me--"
"Blue?"
"💢Are you just spouting random words?"
"I think I'm onto something here..." I curl my waist length brown hair around my finger, "Your eye color is azure blue...and the night after you came to the castle, the Azura Star Aurora was sparkling above the castle!"
"Huh...?"
"Your name is Azura from now on!"
Azura stood, staring at me with surprised blue eyes. His lips were parted slightly, and a slight pink bloomed on his cheeks. Something told me he admired the name, liked the sound of it.
When his shoulders slumped, he said "You're giving me a name? Like a pet or something?"
My pink lips spread in a smile and I nodded with pride, "I'm giving you a name. Like a pet or something."
Despite the word use, Azura was smiling.
It was the first time I'd seen him smile in the short time he'd been here.
