XERIS' POV
She hadn't said a word to me since the announcement. I still held her hand and led her back to the apartment. Once we entered our chambers, I led her to the sitting area. She stood still not moving. She was facing ahead of her, but I could tell she wasn't really looking. I tried squeezing her hand to get her attention.
She turned to look at me. I sighed.
Maybe revealing my status that way wasn't the best idea.
I moved closer to her and was glad she didn't recoil. I pushed her down by the shoulders and made her sit. I then walked around the table and sat down as well. I looked at her, waiting for her to initiate the conversation.
For a long while she didn't say anything at all.
What are you thinking?
It didn't matter how long it took, I would wait for her to speak up first. I continued looking at her as the minutes passed. I shifted my leg a little and this seemed to bring her out of her daze.
Her eyes focussed on me. She mouthed something but I didn't quite catch it. She was still looking at me and I continued waiting. She whispered this time.
"Princess?"
She said it even louder the third time, confusion clear on her face.
"How can I be a princess? This isn't a Disney movie. I know it's not every day a girl gets kidnapped by aliens, but princess?" she started to laugh, "that's too much of a stretch, even for my imagination." She continued mumbling to herself, "wow, I never knew I could get this creative. I know for sure now that I'm dreaming," her eyes darted back and forth as she looked down, "I mean, first I lose all the weight in a few months, and then my hair grows so long in such a short period of time. Let's not forget the fact that I'm almost kind of maybe pretty now. I'm so stupid, how could I think any of this was real," I decided to approach her as she continued mumbling to herself. I crouched before her and took her hands in mine. Her gaze drifted to me.
"Not to mention this Greek god in front of me. How could I possibly think someone like him existed? Even if he did, why would he waste his time on someone like me? I must be in a mental institution right now. That's the only explanation. I must be tied down to a bed and high off on meds because..."
"Victoria," I interrupted her rant.
She paused at my interruption, but soon continued, "even the way he says my name sounds too good. Was I that deprived of affection that I conjured up my own sham of a world? I mean I guess I was a little lonely, but this is..."
"Victoria," I said more forcefully. She looked like she was about to continue. I took her face in my hands and said her name once more, "Victoria, look at me."
Her eyes drifted to my face, but I knew that she wasn't really looking at me.
"Please, look at me." I pleaded. Her eyes seemed to come into focus a little. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was going to tell you, but it never was the right moment. And all this time had already passed, I didn't know how to say it." My emerald eyes kept darting between her honey toned ones.
"How about, 'hey, my name is Xeris, I like long walks on the beach and reading to my cats at night. Oh, and by the way, I'm a prince'?" she retorted.
I smiled a little, she was back.
With my hands still holding her face I said, "I didn't want you to treat me like a prince. I wanted you to treat me like a normal person."
"Normal? You thought a human from another planet was a normal person to me? There was nothing normal about you from the beginning, you might as well have added royalty to the pile."
I chuckled.
It was only then that I withdrew my hands, already missing her soft cheeks. I straightened and went to my seat. She seemed to have come back to reality, but just in case, "this is real, I am real. You're not dreaming and you're not insane." I said as reassuringly as I could.
"This is real? You're real? I actually look like this?" she looked down at herself.
"Yes, you do?" I said.
"You're a prince." She wasn't asking. "As in royalty. Like your father is a king. And your mother is a queen. And you live in a kingdom." I couldn't help snort at what she was saying.
I let her go through it on her own and awaited whatever questions she would have.
"Those guards outside, they're guarding the prince. We are the only ones who wear black because you're a prince. That's what you meant by important person. That's why everyone kept bowing down to you. That's why you're such a control freak." My eyes narrowed at this.
She looked at me sheepishly.
"Sorry, but it's kind of true."
She tilted her head to the side, "Is that why you talk funny?"
"Talk funny?" I asked.
"Well not funny, just...sophisticated like. You use really good English. Speaking of English, why do you speak English so well? Shouldn't it be like, Hebrew or something?"
"We left after the English language had already been created. It was the most widely spoken language even then, so of course I speak English very well. I've been speaking it my whole life."
She let out a breath and slouched into her seat. "A prince. A real life prince." She looked up at me as if seeing me for the first time. "How did I not notice this before? All those slip ups that I thought were just that, slip ups. I never would have thought this," she gestured with her hands, "not in my wildest dreams." She continued looking at me.
"Are you infuriated with me for not telling you?"
"Infuriated?" she repeated, "mm, a little," she replied.
"Only a little?" I asked.
She pondered for a bit, "if you had told me when we first met, I might not have been able to get to know you like I do now. The very idea of royalty is intimidating. Even if you were nice to me in the beginning, the fact that you were a prince would have forced me to act a certain way around you."
"So, what I am hearing is, I made the right decision to keep it from you?" One side of my mouth rose.
She saw the look on my face and said, "That isn't what I said at all."
"I was just reading in between the lines."
"Well, you should consider reducing what you read," she crossed her arms in front of her.
I chuckled, "don't you have any questions for me?"
"Tell me about yourself, this time, without leaving anything out." She uncrossed her arms and sat properly.
I told her all there was to know about me, without leaving anything out, as per her request.
"Now it makes sense, Nala, your mother, Anigra." She said. She quickly looked at me, I'm sure to see if the mention of Nala or my mother affected me, but it hadn't. I was glad someone knew about me, and I was glad it was her. I hadn't even told Purit about any of this, I just couldn't trust anyone with my ghosts, no one but her.
We migrated to the kitchen to have our lunch.
"So, do I have to like, start bowing to you and stuff?" she asked and then shoved some food into her mouth.
"Treat me as you have always treated me." I replied and did the same. She chewed and swallowed then asked, "what did you mean when you said 'if I will have you'? don't I already have you"
I finished swallowing then looked at her. "Are you sure you want to talk about this while we eat?"
"Why not?" she said without hesitating and carried on.
Here goes.
"Marry me."
She sputtered her food and started coughing. Once she had settled down, "You do not spring that up on a girl," she said.
"I did ask if you wanted to discuss it while we ate."
"Well, I didn't expect that. And you could have at least waited until I swallowed." She said.
"I could have," I simply stated.
She pushed the food away from her and turned in her stool to look at me. "I don't even get a ring? Not that I'm accepting or anything. But I at least deserve you getting down on one knee and asking me properly."
"Why would I get down on my knees to ask for your hand?" I asked.
"Because that's how it's done on Earth. You want to marry me but don't even know of the customs of where I come from. That makes it hard for me to take your proposal seriously." She verbalised.
Why would I have to kneel when asking her to marry me? What logic is there behind it?
"A prince doesn't beg." I uttered and continued eating.
She huffed, "who wants to marry who here? And I thought you wanted to be treated like a normal person?"
"I do"
"Then why bring up your status in this situation?" she said a little loudly.
I was getting a little irritated by her tone of voice, "will you marry me or not?" I said in a raised voice as well
"Now you're shouting at me and making it sound like an ultimatum! What will you do if I refuse?" she was shouting now.
Shouting? I'll show you what shouting is.
"Do you refuse?" I was shouting too.
I couldn't believe I was having a shouting match with her. This was so undignified of me.
"Don't answer my question with a question!" she yelled.
"Do you, or don't you?" I yelled back.
"How do you expect me to answer your questions if you won't answer any of mine!" she screamed at me then walked away.
How childish!
I was worked up and needed someone to vent to. I stormed out of our apartment and went directly to Purit. He wasn't in his apartment so I headed for his office. Everyone I met along the way knew well enough to keep out of my way. I entered the training section and headed for Purit's office, all the while the trainers bowed as I passed them. I entered Purit's office and he stood up to bow to me, "Forget the formalities," I said in a raised voice.
He gauged my mood and sat back down, a small smile on his face. "What is so funny it causes you to smile at the mere sight of me?" I was almost huffing as I paced the length of his office.
"Trouble in paradise?" he asked.
"Paradise? What paradise?" I wanted someone to direct my anger towards.
"Why don't you sit down and talk to me about it? I assume that is why you sought me out."
I moved towards his offered chair and harshly sat down. I had never behaved this childishly before, but I couldn't care less at the moment.
"Now, what is wrong?" his calmness was irritating me even further.
"How dare she? How dare she raise her voice at me? And that's not the worst part. She expected me to get on my knees? Me? A prince? Get on my knees? Ridiculous!" I wasn't yelling, but my voice was pretty loud. I didn't really care if the trainers outside heard me, I was so angry.
"Why did she expect you to get on your knees?" he asked.
I paused before answering, "because I asked her to marry me. She wanted me to get on my knees and plead for her hand."
After hearing this, he leaned back in his seat, failing to hide his smile.
"I do not see what is funny about this situation." I glared at him.
"Forgive me, it is just that I have never seen you like this." He said.
"Like what?"
"Emotional," he stated. "You always keep your emotions to yourself. Yes, we have conversed about your worries, but you have never told me anything personal about yourself. She has made you human." He wasn't trying to mask his smile at this point.
"Oh, was I robot before she came along?" I sarcastically mumbled to myself.
"I have always been human," I replied to him.
"No doubt about that," he mocked, "if I am not mistaken, the Earthian way to ask for a hand in marriage is to get down on one knee. I know you are a prince, but if you are asking someone to spend the rest of their lives with you, it would only benefit you if you asked nicely."
"I did. She is the one who blew it out of proportion."
"I was not aware that you were capable of whining, your highness." He jested.
I huffed one last time and leaned back in the chair I sat on. "I could have phrased it in a better way," I admitted.
He chuckled, "My prince, women need reassurance. What you are asking her is not something easy. You're asking her to leave whatever dreams she may have had or discard the plans she formulated, all to be with you. One requires surety and sincerity from the asker before making such a big decision. I know that you care for her, but you haven't told her," I reddened at this.
"How can you know?" I asked still holding his gaze and not wanting to break it.
"It is written all over your face. I see it whenever you are with her, the look in your eyes. You have grown to love her these past months, and deeply if I might add, but you haven't told her. I only dare to say this so boldly because it seems like you are in denial and are looking for excuses to refute the fact."
I love her?.....I love her.
I slouched, "I have made a mess of things, haven't i?"
"Nothing that cannot be remedied. It is up to you to mend things. I can offer no more guidance," he answered.
"Now go, before too much time passes," he chased me out of his office.