Pleasing The Storm

Prologue

Asteria, 17

"Yeah, I'd love that."

"I'd love that too." He said, looking into my eyes, smiling ear to ear.

My suitor, Blake, and I were sitting on the lovers' rock near the deep waters of the Cordelian Sea. The evening sun cast long shadows on the ground and the slanting rays of the setting sun gave an orange tint to the sky. We looked up at the blanket of stars that scattered in the sky above while the occasional barking of faraway dogs echoed in the distance.

Blake was mysterious. Not in an Edward Cullen way, more like in an 'I want to get to know you more so I can fall in love with you' way. His expression was always empty, just like his head but his eyes were divine, like I wasn't even worthy to look upon them. His jet black hair complemented his hazel brown eyes under his dark eyebrows. Freckles faintly dotted his cheeks and nose, but they were only visible in the sunshine. He was intelligent and quick-witted but he always kept to himself, which is why it took me a long time to figure him out. I wish he would let others see how much of an old soul he was. 

The first time I saw him, I thought no differently about him than any other boy. He was pretty, but not in the stand-out-from-the-crowd kind of way. He was alone most of the time and used to spend his time in the Celsus Library, which was where I had seen him for the first time. He sat across my table, though there were other tables left unreserved. I couldn't help but notice how his eyes shifted from left to right every time he started reading another line from "The Catcher in The Rye". I had to stopped sketching figures from a dingy art novel onto my sketchpad to admire him, I couldn't help it. I noticed how he licked his thumb to flip each page of the book slowly. And everyday I saw him at the same library, and everyday he took the same seat across my table and read, though the other tables remained unreserved. I knew it meant something. I remember talking to him for the first time. "I see that you like sketching very much" he said. I nodded. "Would you like to sketch me?" I was amazed but confused at the same time to why he would want me to sketch him. "Why me" I managed to ask. "I've seen you sketch before. you're beautiful". "I meant the sketches" he awkwardly added. "Right yes" I mumbled. "I want you to stay as still as possible for me" I told him. He nodded, and for the next 3 hours he sat motionless, asking me if it was done every ten minutes, while I hurriedly tried to finish up his portrait. "There you go" I said flipping my sketchpad to his side. "What do you think, do you like it"? I saw his eyebrows slowly lift up as he said " Goodness, that looks exactly like me, you even captured my freckles"! "It's sort of the only thing I'm good at" I mentioned, as I blushed at how impressed he was. It was close to the closing time of the library, I stuffed my sketchpad into my tote bag. "I'm Blake, by the way" he said. "Asteria" I said back.

The next time I met him at the library, we made out against an old book rack, knocking down books as we couldn't keep our hands off of each other. And suddenly the library looked vibrant as ever, though it remained devoid of people. The room was hushed and the only noise which could be heard was of the dusty old books toppling down from the shelves of the book rack. We were standing near the last bookshelf, where no window could reach us. In the shadows, his face was so close to mine that I could smell the sweet fragrance of the Blackberry Gin he had been drinking. We were panting profusely, while I was holding onto his tee-shirt collar and his hands were gripping my waist. We sat down across each other, our backs against a book rack. We burst out in laughter after a few seconds of silence after noticing plenty of books fallen down on the floor next to us. We were young and reckless, I wish I had cherished those years more. 

And here we are now, talking about marriage and our future together.

"I need to tell you something"

Blake had reached for my hand squeezing rightly. 

"What is it, is it about our marriage?" I asked concernedly.

"No, it's not about that" he assured me.

"What is it then?"

"My father is making me go to war and fight for our kingdom"

"You mean you're fighting in the war which takes place in two days against the Thespian kingdom ?"

"Yes, I have been training for the past six months"

"Why are you telling me this now, we are supposed to get married in a few months" I asked him, anger slowly building up in me.

"I know, I tried to tell you when my father first told me about this but I thought you would leave me"

"You should have stood up against your father, Blake! What if you don't make it out alive?" I yelled.

"You don't understand Asteria, my father is a cruel man and the last thing I would do is disobey him" He tried to make me understand.

"No, I will not accept this. You can't leave me like this". Tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn't control them from rolling down my cheek.

"I promise not to die out there, believe me, we will get married" he said.

"I thought we were in love". My voice broke.

"We were, and we still are."

"Well maybe if you actually loved me, you would've stood up to your father" I snapped.

"Asteria, I do not have the time for this, just trust me" he said dismally. He stood up and brushed his pants before walking away into the forest of Morem. The crunching of the dried up leaves on the ground could be heard as he stepped on them and soon enough the sound came to a halt. 

2 weeks later

Darkness drenched the place, the only light visible was from the gaps between the branches of the trees which arched over the track, forming a canopy of leaves. Gingerly I stepped through the soil, ignoring the forgotten graves. Dying flowers bloomed in the graveyard. On the right was where it laid. The only one which wasn't ruptured of covered with moss. I knelt down on the dewy grass, while my fingers traced the carved letters-

"Blake Alan Hadley. 1899-1921"