Royal Academy Diaries I

Steel & Gold ⚜ Ch. 8

The next morning, Darius waited in the courtyard outside the common hall with a bouquet of Mariem's favourite flowers. He hoped that if she was willing to come to his match, perhaps she was ready to talk. The curious looks from passerby went entirely unnoticed by the prince as he anxiously waited.

Finally he saw her come out of the dorms with her best friend, Lovisa. He swallowed, feeling his heartbeat quicken.

When she noticed him, her expression was unreadable. She whispered something to her friend as they approached.

"Congratulations on surviving the tournament, your highness," Lovisa nodded with a small smile.

"Thank you, my lady," he replied as she continued on into the building behind him, but his eyes hardly left Mariem. The sunrise cast an enchanting, otherworldly glow around her. "Good morning," he greeted quietly.

Left more or less alone in the courtyard, it was still quiet, creating a rather intimate atmosphere. "Good morning Darius." Her eyes flicked downwards, and she smiled softly. "Are those lilies?"

Pleased to see her smile, he held them out to her. "For you, princess."

Taking them, she let their fingers brush. "Thank you Darius, they're lovely."

His hazel eyes met her chocolate brown, and he forced himself to speak. "Mariem, I need to apologize."

Her lips quirked into a smirk, but she said nothing.

The prince tried not to choke. "Could we talk?"

"Well it is a Sunday, I suppose I could spare a minute," she replied, and he couldn't tell how much she was teasing.

He offered his arm and led her to a bench under an old oak tree. She sat beside him and admired the flowers for a moment before he put a hand on hers.

"Mariem, I made a huge mistake. I was a complete idiot, and my thoughtless actions hurt people, and I regret hurting you the most." He cringed. "You've tried to trust me- you've tried to love me, and I haven't tried nearly hard enough to be worthy of that. Of you. And for that I can't apologize enough." Her expression remained unreadable and finally he asked anxiously. "Alright be square with me, do you hate me?"

She finally gave him a small smile and shook her had. "I don't hate you, idiot. I've always liked you, Darius, I really have." The princess looked town and ran her fingertips along a petal. "When my baba had me start going to those Royal Youth Balls, I was sure it was all just for the politics. But then I met you. You made me hope that an arranged marriage might not be so bad if..." She trailed off with a sigh.

Darius entwined his fingers with hers, knowing her fears, and knowing that he was the only one who could make her hopes reality.

After a moment she continued. "Like I said a while back, I want to make this work. But I need you to help me in this. You need to be more than just a soldier. How did Lady Aveline put it? A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out."

His stomach twisted a little. "I understand." With a deep breath, he voiced a thought he desperately dreaded, but seeing the look in Mariem's eyes, deemed worth it. "If you want, I'll drop out of the advanced military program. I've considered it for a while now. There's no real need for me to do it, and I would be able to spend more time with you. The diplomacy club takes up less time."

Her eyes widened. "What? But you worked so hard to get in! You can't quit," she replied adamantly. Seeing how far he would go for her, her heart swelled. She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Don't give up this dream, Darius. All I really need is to know that you could love me. You don't have to spend every second of the day by my side to do that."

He blushed, the red in his face deepening as she remained close. "That's what love is about isn't it? Setting aside your selfish desires for someone who needs more of you."

Mariem shook her head, squeezing his hand. "Just because you enjoy the military program doesn't make it selfish. You could help a lot of people with the knowledge they can offer you." She grinned. "I'm not a damsel in distress, Dare, I can handle you being away later into the day."

The prince wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "You're wonderful, you know that?"

She chuckled and leaned into him. "So are you. Just... no more pranks, alright?"

Darius grinned. "But you know how much I like bending the rules. And I'm so good at it too," he pouted playfully.

Mariem rolled her eyes. "I know you are." After a moment, Darius could feel her warm ever so slightly. "Although I have to say, that time you snuck onto my balcony our first year, I was happy for your remarkable ability to evade the guards."

He smirked and leaned close. "Is that so?"

She grinned and closed the distance between them. "Well, our first kiss would have been much less romantic if you'd been caught."

"Mm, and how about now?" he whispered, glancing towards the courtyard which was considerably more populated than before.

"Let them watch," she murmured. "I want them to know that you're mine."

Darius flushed as their lips met. He kissed her like he was writing an apology, a promise, and a love song on her lips. She was sweetly intoxicating, and he pulled her closer, wanting to make up for all the affection he hadn't given her after the Parvinta incident.

"Good morning."

The voice finally broke the spell. They pulled apart, blushing as they looked up at a smirking Haraz and Dren.

"Glad to see you two are on good terms again," Haraz grinned. "Shall we go to breakfast and discuss our game plan for the Assassin challenge?"

"Oh, I almost forgot," Darius said, looking to Mariem apologetically. "I was planning on coming up with some fun way to ask you to be my ward for the challenge. I guess this will have to do."

Mariem smiled. "I've been waiting for you to ask. It seems to get wilder every year. If you hadn't been my protector last year, I would have been drenched by the end of the day."

Darius smirked. "Never fear princess, I won't let a single drop touch you." He kissed her temple and murmured. "I will always protect you, ātashé del-am."