Little Town of Torriden (rewriting off Wattpad)

4 ~ Louis and Liam

The morning sun shined through the windows of the castle and the girls awoke, before heading down to meet everyone for breakfast. It was early, for many were still sleeping, but as the girls politely sat and talked, they saw Kian and Sebastian walk into the grand room. Kian nodded when he saw the girls and began to speak up.

"I see you haven't snuck off this time." He made eye contact with Annora before calling one of the maids to tell the cooks to prepare breakfast. Estelle looked up and noticed Sebastian staring at her, but he quickly looked away, drawing his attention to the incoming food.

"Father has planned for you two to meet some people from a village nearby, and your parents are going on a short trip to discuss something that is not our business with a wealthy village not too far from here." Sebastian told the girls while being served food, and Estelle began.

Estelles curiosity peaked. "Who exactly is coming, and what for?" She asked.

"I don't know exactly, but I recall that there are two prince's coming along." Sebastian answered, thanking the server quietly as a plate of delicious food was placed before him.

"Seriously? Well Estelle and I have plans." Annora said before looking to Estelle in agreement.

"Those plans will have to wait." Kian said sternly.

Annora would not let her be talked to in this manor. "You know, you don't control us. We have our own lives too."

Annoyance creeped into Kian. "You think I don't know that? You should be mature enough to postpone your 'plans'" The four sat in silence for the majority of breakfast, all annoyed with one another, until Curtis walked into the room with a surprised look as he saw Estelle and Annora.

"Now how come you're not ready? There are people visiting from a nearby village and two young men that aren't looking for untidy girls." Curtis spoke in a slightly disgusted tone. The sisters looked embarrassed and the boys noticed, but only gave their father a look of disappointment. A part of them wanted to speak up on the sisters behalf, but fear of Curtis stopped them, so instead, they watched as Estelle and Annora apologized before getting up from the table.

Just minutes later, the girls prepared to be dressed in formal clothes, not looking forward to the tight corsets that they would be forced to endure. They talked as two hairdressers made their hair presentable and elegant, taking clips and ties, sprays and bows, eventually building a seemingly piece of art on top of each of the princesses' heads.

Kian and Sebastian looked in awe as the two walked down the grand staircase. They held out their arms for the girls and escorted them to the front entrance where the visitors were waiting. The four bowed to each other while Sebastian and Kian walked back to their father.

"Nice to meet you, m'lady. I'm Louis, and you must be the two beautiful women Annora and Estelle. Is that correct?" Louis, one of the two princes, asked.

"Yes, very nice to meet you, Louis." Estelle said with a warm smile.

Annora then contributed. "Pleased to meet you too. May I ask who you are?" She finished, looking at the other male who stood beside Louis.

"Yes, I am Liam." The other answered shortly. They all stood in brief silence, smiling in politeness, before the boy's father spoke up.

"As you can see, our sons are well fit for marriage with your daughters." Estelle and Annora were shocked at his comment but let him continue.
"They are highly trained with fighting and will protect your daughters in marriage. Our towns will unite and become more powerful, while having your daughters suited with exquisite husbands. What do you say to this proposal?"

"Excuse me, but King Vivian and Queen Roselle will not be back for a couple of days, and I cannot make this decision, but I invite you to be introduced to Annora and Estelle until their parents arrive back at this palace. I hope that is okay with you." Curtis said maturely.

"Well, how could I refuse spending time with these exquisite women?" Louis said with a charming smile.

The parents frowned and shrugged. "I suppose that would be acceptable. Now, where can we stay? I hope you know that we do not live like ordinary guests." The woman responded, a stern tone filled her voice.

The boys held out their hands, and while Annora and Louis went to explore the castle, Estelle and Liam headed for the gardens. Curtis and his and her majesty talked in a quiet room as the fire quietly went on. Annora and Louis strolled around the castle while telling each other about their town and selves. Annora noticed how charming and flirtatious Louis was, but not even her dream person could make her want to marry. She thought of herself as too young and worried that if she got married now, she would miss so many opportunities in life, that her life would not be taken to its fullest potential.

As Estelle and Liam admired the gardens, creating small talk, Estelle couldn't clear her mind to focus on Liam, and Liam being quite vague didn't help. She thought about her vision, questioning everything about the last couple of days.

When Liam noticed Estelle's sudden lack of conversation, he asked her what was on her mind. "Excuse me, but a penny for your thoughts?" As he spoke, Estelle snapped out of the trance her thoughts had locked her in and tried to make some sort of excuse, for she couldn't tell him that she was thinking of a creepy vision she had. He surely wouldn't talk to her after that.

"I..." Estelle began, thinking of what to say.

Filling the silence, Liam started. "I'm sorry if I don't talk much, I just, this is new to me, and I guess I always let my brother deal with the love stuff." A nervous laugh came from the man.

Estelle looked into Liam's eyes, and knowing how he must be feeling, felt sorry for him. "I'm sorry to hear that, and you have done nothing wrong, it's just I don't know if I want to marry yet. I feel there is so much more in life to do before a huge event and decision like this must be made... I fear that marriage will stop me from doing so many things that I still long to do. I'm sorry if I disappointed you. You are a nice guy, it's just..."

Liam felt Estelle and spoke before the conversation could go badly. "I know how you feel, I just didn't want to sound stupid saying I'm not ready for marriage either. I know my parents would be disappointed." Estelle and Liam were glad that they felt the same way, and as the two looked at each other, they couldn't help but notice how beautiful each other's eyes were.

Liam noticed Estelle's mesmerizing dark green eyes with a beautiful brown mixed in, creating what seemed to belong in an enchanted forest. Estelle noticed Liam's eyes in the same way, for they looked as if autumn had chosen someone's eyes to bless.

With the creeping want to admit how they felt about marriage out of the way, the two felt as if a layer of fog that clung onto themselves had been lifted. Conversation seemed to grow easier, and walking through the breathtaking gardens, they began to enjoy each other's presence, talking about anything that came to mind.

"So, when did you find out about this marriage plan?" Estelle laughed, feet kicking little pebbles a few inches away from their previous placement.

"About four days ago, the news came as a surprise to me, but I couldn't fight them on the matter, I knew this time would come."

"Yeah I get that, wanna know something?" Estelle smiled.

"Sure, go on." Liam's eyebrows came closer together as he wondered what the girl would respond with.

"I found out today."

His eyes widened. "What?!"

The princess laughed before elaborating more on the matter, and this became the topic of conversation before the two's walk eventually came to an end.

1375 words