Playing: Bizet- Carmen- Overture
"Is it true? Are you really Princess Joanne Eira Shin?" He asked as he scrutinized her façade for any signs of agitation yet his hopes were dashed as she never showed a tad bit of it.
"That's rather none of your business, Mister." She said sternly and started walking.
"Just answer the darn question!" He snapped as she stopped on her track and gave him a bewildered look, even he was surprised of his sudden outburst.
"Why are you so worked up with my identity anyway?" She questioned as she narrowed her eyes, clearly irritated. Frankly speaking, he too wasn't so sure of the reason why. Perhaps the questions inside his head were too loud that it bugged him.
A deafening silence transpired between them, Ben was about to utter a word when he halted his words upon hearing the faint sounds of battle cries in a distance. Joanne heard it too and immediately ran towards the opposite direction.
"You shall sprint too, unless you wish to be beheaded." She shouted at the lad who was frozen in place, causing him to shook his head and ran after the girl.
"You will never get away from us again, Artemis! Not when you killed Master Alpha!" One of the dozens of bandits running after them shouted.
What a lame nickname he thought.
They just kept running through the denseness of the forest. Joanne was effortlessly dodging the branches and other debris that lingered on the forest floor. Ben however, was anything but as he was catching his breath and having the hardest time avoiding such, even dipping his feet on mud puddles and getting himself stuck for a brief moment before pulling his feet back up and continued running for his dear life. As soon as he catch up with the girl, he was puzzled as she stopped whilst panting with her hands resting on her knees.
He had noticed something peculiar about the horizon, it was treeless as he darted his gaze towards the mountains from a distance. Then realization hit him as he came closer to find himself along with the girl standing on a cliff, overlooking the greenery below with the midstream of a ginormous river. The strong water current of the river had caused it to appear white and his eyes widened as his mouth went agape, his knees suddenly felt weak at the idea of him dying no matter what he choose between fighting the bandits or jumping off the cliff. He is not yet ready to die, Not until he marry at least.
"I am so going to depart this life in this very moment!"
"Go on your own, for I shall fight!" She declared, fixing her stance into a battle-ready one when she pulled one arrow out.
"Again?!" He exclaimed and scratched his head in annoyance.
"The first one was barely a fight, I just threw a dynamite towards them. This one should be the real deal."
"None of that matters, they're closing in!"
"Then you know what you must do!" She shouted as the deafening battle cries of the bandits disrupted their communication. Seriously, why do they even always scream their battle cries when they're just dealing with a cowardly prince and some type of runaway princess, Joanne thought. She finally took out the weapon she had on the palm of her hands and aimed it, but perhaps she was too pumped up on obliterating them that the bow snapped.
"Ugh! This piece of shit!" She groaned as she threw the bow off the cliff. She darted her vision towards the lad who appeared to be trembling in fear, she thought that he was anxious as he held no weapon and he is completely entrusting his safety on her proficiency in combat. She pulled up her skirt and revealed a dagger that was resting on the strap that was wrapped around her thigh, She could see his cheeks flush red yet she couldn't care less and tossed the dagger for him to use which the lad immediately catch and gripped tightly with his trembling hands.
"It appears so that you brought your prince charming with you, Princess Joanne." One of the bandits who seems to be of high rank mischievously uttered when he halted his men's charge towards the two by raising his right hand.
"It appears so that you want me to do the same thing to you as what I did with your Master Alpha?" She replied with a sarcastic tone.
"You wish, I'll be the first one to-" he was cut off when he felt a solid object stabbed his throat, it was an arrow and she threw it towards him. He removed it, the stupidest thing to do as blood immediately came rushing out of the wound and his mouth and before he knew it, his life just ended like that as he bled and suffocated to death. Ben who witnessed what she did suddenly felt weaker on his knees yet one more time with his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He faced the gal who was on her battle stance yet again, darting her vision towards the bandits that were charging towards them.
"Didn't know a princess could do that." He muttered to himself as he shook his head lightly with his eyes that showed an array of emotions.
"Want me to do the same thing to you?" She asked as she kept tossing the arrow she held on his right hand.
"Putting that aside, we're outnumbered. We should leap off this cliff." She stopped tossing the arrow as she heaved a sigh of disappointment. They can't be fighting these guys in a place like this.
"You can't possibly be serious."
"Unfortunately, I am." She bluntly said as she grabbed his wrist and leaped off the cliff, still holding him close to her. His scream could probably be heard throughout the forest as he tried his best from passing out.
This girl and her
impulsiveness, really.
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Judy was awoken by the ray of sunlight that hit her delicate features. The noise of the hectic neighborhood reached her ears as she sat up and groaned in pain with her eyes tightly closed as her action caused her throbbing head to worsen. She never knew being wasted would give her this much pain afterwards, if she knew better, she would've never went to that speakeasy to drink to her heart's content. She removed the quilt off of her figure and attempted to stand up from her bed yet she heard the door open and quickly wrapped herself with the quilt and got back to her rested position, pretending to sleep.
"You are.....awake. I know, I heard you groan earlier." A familiar voice said.
Her eyes popped open and she flinched upon realizing who it was. Questions suddenly came flooding through her mind, why is he here? What happened last night? He shouldn't be here after what happened but why? Now, she certainly regretted chugging in the liquor. She crossed path with him, while she's in her worst state. She mentally scolded herself for losing her sanity as she recalled the stupidity she did yesterday. Her self-worth plummet to unthinkable depths as she pledged on her mind to not resort into drinking liquor ever again. This is the worst, she thought to herself.
She moved the quilt that wrapped her body away and slowly sat up whilst pretending to stretch. Her acting is pretty lame, Terry thought to himself as he scrutinized the gal with his arms crossed.
"You should rest, you need to. I just got back from the bakery to fetch some bread for you and I also bought the ingredients I'll be needing to cook a hangover soup for you at the market. Suit yourself, I know you're feeling terrible." He instructed, not making any room for retort. Judy obliged unwillingly and plopped herself on the comfort of her bed once again.
Moments later, the fragrant smell of the soup reached her sense of smell and made her stomach growl as she frowned and bit her lip, embarrassment engulfing her like a cocoon. Terry snickered, hearing the sound whilst checking on the soup by opening the lid.
"Don't worry, it's done. I'll just put it in a bowl and serve it to you." He reassured smiling as he winked at the girl. Judy was taken aback by his action, her face flushed red as she turned her body to the opposite side. Moments later, he went towards the bed holding a tray with a bowl of the soup and two pieces of croissant. He patted her back as she sat up slowly, still enduring the throbbing pain of her head. Once she successfully sat up, Terry handed her the spoon. Judy was hesitant to take it but took it after looking at his eyes that showed sincerity.
"If you're afraid that I put poison on it, I didn't. I don't have such reason to do so." He reassured as he playfully rolled his eyes at the girl before chuckling. Judy chuckled with him, he never failed to lift up her mood no matter what.
He once again headed towards the kitchen and grabbed a baguette before sitting with the girl on the bed as he took a bite off the bread while he stared at her who's currently taking spoonful of his soup.
"What?" She asked him with her mouth forming a pout, baffled and bothered by his stares.
"It must've been very hard for you. You were miserable when I found you walking through that lane. I somehow felt guilty. I shouldn't have distanced myself with you, I should've stayed." He uttered with a hint of compassion and remorse in his tone.
"It's all okay, you are not at fault. I feel a lot better now." She reassured, giving him a weak smile.
"I want to take care of you, from now on, Judy. I know I certainly won't be able to surpass your Grandmother but, can you let me do it for you?" He asked with pleading eyes.
"Oh, you needn't to. I certainly, most definitely, can manage myself Mister Terry Kang." She interjected.
"Then, can you take care of me instead?" He asked, Judy was puzzled by how he's acting lately. She furrowed her eyebrows as she faced the boy after putting down her utensils.
"What's gotten into you? and to answer your question, NO. you can manage yourself just fine to the point where you can even take care of other people like what you're doing now. And oh by the way, thank you so much for all of this." She gave him a bright smile.
"I want to ask you something, Judy Lee." He uttered, looking anxious as he played with his fingers. She was yet again baffled by him and so she did not waste her time and asked back.
"What is it this time?" She questioned, now putting the tray on top of the night stand before grabbing a piece of croissant and took a bite at it.
"Can I court you?"
and she choked.
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A tear has escaped from her eyes, she felt overwhelmed. She has never heard such beautiful manly voice call her like that, and she believes with all her heart that it was her Prince. A tiny bit of hope sparked within her, the hope that he is alive somewhere else and is longing for her just as much as she is to him. That he will come and engulf her in his embrace never leaving her side ever again. She needed him, she needed to hear his soothing voice, she needed to feel his touch on her skin, she yearned for him for too long that it hurts. She begged for the Gods to lead him to her once again and with all the dreams she had these past few days adding up, she was certain that these are the signs, of his return.
She plopped herself on the bed yet again and covered her body with the quilt to shield it from the coldness of the rainy night but all of it were futile. She couldn't sleep, not after the shocking thing that happened to her. She was grateful that she was able to indulge his sweet company even just in her dreams, but many questions kept floating on the surface the more she dreams of him, which are still left unanswered lingering on her mind. This was the worst feeling for her, anticipating something with uncertainty.
She pondered of what shall she be doing now that she can't seem to bring herself back to sleep. She wanted to do something like read a book or perhaps write one but a good night's rest is more crucial than ever for her as she barely gets any rest due to the loads of work the fast approaching festivity has brought to her. And so she settled her mind, she shall head to the Royal Kitchen and fetch herself some milk to help her bounce back to drowsiness.
She sauntered towards her room's door and opened it slowly as to prevent it from making any sound. Once she got out of her room, she found herself navigating the dark hallways. Curtains that were dangling were dancing by the wind's force, it was the only sound one can hear through the silence of the night aside from the rain itself. Before she head out, she brought her quilt and wrapped it around her figure as to prevent herself to suffer from the cold. Moments later, she found herself inside the Royal Kitchen, holding a bottle of milk whilst staring at the stove. She was contemplating if she should figure out how to use it and have a hot milk or just drink it straight from the bottle, cold.
"Cold milk it is." She sighted in defeat as she opened the seal of the bottle. She was about to drink it when she heard a familiar voice. She hold her chest to steady her breathing and her heart that probably jumped in shock. It was Bahiyyih.
"What are you doing here at this time, Your Highness?" She questioned as she leaned on the wall.
"You could've just showed yourself instead of startling the life out of me, Bahiyyih."
"My apologies, Your Highness." She said, biting the inside of her cheeks, trying to stop her laughter from bursting out.
"So, what made you go here at this time, Your Highness?" She asked, shrugging off the fright of the girl in front of her.
"I couldn't sleep. Well, I did sleep but I dreamt of him yet again and I jolted awake when a thunder rumbled. I was so close to deciphering the mystery of his disappearance but that damn thunder!" She groaned. Bahiyyih was the only one who know of this side of Catherine except her closest cousins and her older sister, Joanne. She found it amusing how her demeanor turns 180 whenever she is around the people who are closest to her.
"Then out of nowhere, I heard a man call me endearingly. My Catherine." She said as she squeeled right after. Bahiyyih could only chuckle at her antics.
She was well-aware of her brother's whereabouts as he often sends letters to her. She was also aware of the fact that the prince she was talking about was her brother and she approves her for him more than anyone else could.
They flee their kingdom together before all of it happened but she was separated from her brother when they desperately needed to disperse. It was the hardest for her, she felt extremely cold and she couldn't find anything to eat as she lost consciousness on an icy mountain. When she opened her eyes, she was already lying on a tree house surrounded by the vast greenery of a forest. Everything was new to her as their Kingdom experiences winter all year round. Then suddenly, a girl with a bow and arrow appeared, it was Joanne who saved her and brought her to the Palace. Since then, everyone in the Palace became her family. Her brother somehow managed to locate where she is due to his connections and they spent the last 5 years sending letters to each other. She was snapped from her thoughts when Catherine clapped her hands in front of her face.
"What were you even thinking about?" The Princess questioned.
"Nothing. Oh, by the way, I can heat that milk for you Your Highness!" She proposed before grabbing the bottle of milk and lighting the stove. Catherine has yet again learnt another thing from Bahiyyih as she watched her do the trick, although she'd prefer to not associate herself with flames at all.
Catherine silently drank the heated milk and felt warm all of a sudden, a relief considering the fact that it was a chilling night due to the rainstorm.
"Say, Bahiyyih. Want to sleep with me?" The Princess asked with utmost enthusiasm. They used to sleep together a lot when they were younger and it has been a long time since they last did it.
"Thank you for that but I'm afraid I'd have to decline your offer Your Highness." She rejected.
"Awwww we used to do it when we were kids! What's so different now? please let's sleep together, I can't sleep without a company tonight and I still need a good night's rest for I will be bombarded with a ton of work tommorow!" She reasoned out as she pouted while displaying her pleading big doe eyes at her. She even held on her arm and with this antic, her defenses crumbled as she let out a defeated sigh.
"Alright, but just this once okay?"
The princess jumped in pure joy as she dragged her servant towards her lavish room.
I believe you shall see the need to ready your witts, Brother. For you are destined to deal with her stubbornness for your entire life.
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Sunset, more beautiful than any flower she ever saw. The fact that one is able to witness it only once everyday made it even more special like how one can witness the flowers bloom every spring. Why does the sun needs to set? Why do flower need to wither? Resting herself on the branch of a Sycamore Tree in the Royal Garden as she admired the scenic view of the sun setting. It was silent, no words were uttered yet she felt a close connection to it more than anything else.
Will she still be able to do this when the throne is already bestowed upon her? How will she lead this country? Will she be just like her Mother? Those were some of the thoughts that were circulating on her mind for quite some time now and she can't let the third one happen under all circumstances.
Her thoughts were all over the place and she couldn't concentrate on the scenery she's currently in the midst of taking in. She closed her eyes momentarily and heaved a sigh to ease herself. When she opened her eyes, she thought of the lad she was about to marry.
She would be lying if she says that she didn't find him attractive at all. Upon glancing at the imagery plastered on the page of the book she and Catherine read back in the Royal Library about a week ago, she couldn't help but feel some type of way. And his description did not make it easier for her to disregard his traits as a lot of those were commendable on her mind. She just wished that it will be a smooth marriage for them, something that stands by the foundation provided by harmony and not solely on wealth and power the marriage come with.
The idea of marriage was pretty foreign for her. She was pursued by a number of Prince from different kingdoms too but it would always end up in small talks. She didn't know if it was her or the Princes that pursued her but she definitely struggled keeping people, not that she blamed herself for her father's death. A few moments has passed and the sun has sunk completely with the sky gradually being dotted by stars that twinkled upon her gaze.
These alone moments were like the calm before a storm yet it was also a breath of fresh air for her. It was blissful, at that very moment, everything was blissful. She was just hoping that her marriage with the lad would be like the sunset and the starry night. Whether it's only harmony between them, or something more, the two options will be just fine for her either way.
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(2 months ago)
Their relationship after what happened that night was doing just fine as if nothing had happened between them. Not that the girl remembered what happened which the lad assumed that she did. They are well-aware of each other's feelings but didn't make any move, not that they have to, right? wrong.
She started feeling nauseous a few weeks after their intercourse. she thought she just ate something bad or any other factors concerning her diet. She considered pregnancy as one of the reasons too but immediately brushed it off as there wasn't sufficient evidence for such claims. But when she saw no blood on her bedsheet one morning when it was supposed to be that time of the month, it was enough to shake her spirit as she connected the dots. Memories of what they've done suddenly flashed through her mind as she gripped her hair and yelped when she felt unbearable pain in her head as if it was being smashed with a hammer.
Daniel who was cooking something downstairs was alarmed of the sound he heard causing him to dash through the stairs and hallway, breaking in her room to see Lucy kneeling on her carpeted floor whilst using her quilt to wipe the tears that flowed out of her eyes. He heard muffled sobs coming from her as he approached her instantly and kneeled to wrap her around his arms and caress her back in hopes to calm her down.
When the girl took notice of his presence, she looked up to meet his dark orbs that exhibited worry and confusion with her bloodshot glistening eyes, brimming with tears. She breathed steadily as she attempt to calm her nerves down before uttering the words that seemed too impossible for her to utter to the lad in front of her. She was trembling, it was too overwhelming for her and the last instance she felt this way was when she found out that their parents had died. A hurricane of emotions devastated her system. With one last breath, she composed herself as she prepared herself for the revelation of the millenia.
"I am with child, and it's yours."
That was all it took for him to realize what he had done to the girl's life. Her future, their future, it was all he thinked of after he regained sanity from the shocking news he received. He wouldn't even think of leaving the girl, he has feelings for her and he wasn't raised to be that kind of a man. Pay for the consequences of his actions, he never knew he could grip on that statement tightly until now. In a few months time, he shall be able to settle everything for his family back at Larkspur and his soon to be family here in this very room.
The weekend came and them informing Sam of her pregnancy did get rough. He landed the strongest punch on Daniel's face, although Daniel was unfazed of her brother's action because he thought that he certainly deserved it, shock was an understatement for how Lucy reacted upon her brother's sudden outburst.
She had never seen her brother this enrage and violent before. He was fuming in anger and one can't look directly on his eyes. His veins popping on his temples, neck and arms as he gripped Daniel's collar tightly. He expected better from the Prince, yet he failed him miserably. Lucy on the other hand didn't know what to do, she was shaking too. Not from anger but from being overwhelmed of the sight in front of her. It was too painful to watch, a tear escaped her eyes once again and before she knew it, she was sobbing with her hand covering her mouth as she tightly closed her eyes to prevent more tears from escaping.
Sam took notice of this and all of a sudden, all the rage that were coursing through his system was washed away and was replaced by remorse. She had always been his weakness, ever since their parents left them, Sam didn't think of anything else other than to protect his sister at all cost whether it'd be physical or emotional protection, he'd provide it for his most cherished sister so seeing her crumble into deep sadness also broke him, he kneeled on the floor as he uttered his apologies to the girl, after all, he pledged to their parents that he would protect her.
A few moments passed and all of them calmed down. They talked about what to do and they decided that it would be better for her to live with him in her father's homeland, Larkspur. She shall be his queen and he shall be her king, but Lucy was anxious.
What if his family won't accept her and her child?
What if the citizens dislike her?
What future does Larkspur has in store for their child?
These kinds of questions are indeed inevitable to think of. Afterall, there was no certainty of what will happen to them. Although Daniel was a man of his words, the girl couldn't help but worry, it's just there. Sam has left the dining table to ready his carriage for a trip to the capital once again, that leaves the pair sitting across each other, with the girl deep in thought.
"Lucy, I know it is certainly wrong for me to say this to you considering the fact that what I had done itself was wrong-"
"What we had done, Daniel. I, too am responsible for this. Also, don't think of this as a burden, a new life is a blessing. I don't want you to be hard on yourself forever, please let that go. I don't want our child to be seen as a mistake." She cut him off.
"Please be my Queen, Lucy. Please be the Queen of our Kingdom. Please be the mother our child needs, I can do anything for you, I could be anything or anyone you want me to be just... please." He pleaded as he wrapped his hands around her resting hand on top of the table.
"I will accept the duties and responsibilities that comes with this wholeheartedly, Daniel. You don't have to be anything nor anyone else, be who you are, be yourself, be Daniel." She reassured, showing a soft smile to him.
"All set!" Sam yelled from the outside.
Lucy and Daniel stood up and head outside to bid their goodbye to the lad.
"You will leave me alone, Lucy." He faked cry as he pouted and shook his body like a child, Lucy chuckled at his antics.
"You will not stay alone for long. once I depart this household, you shall take care of the field and this house and the field and temporarily stop traveling to the capital to sell off our flowers. Is that well-taken?"
"Yes, mademoiselle." He answered as he playfully bowed, earning him a chuckle from the girl.
"Shoot your best shot Sam. I'm sure you will find him." She said as her laughter died down.
"No matter how many years it will take, I will never give up on him. I'd search every corner of the globe to find, our little brother."
OMG that was some 4663 words! This is certainly the longest chapter I've ever written! Let me know your thoughts about this chapter y'all! Don't just be a silent reader! Converse with your author and also vote! Lovelots! <333