Levi's POV
When I met her again, it felt like I'd always known her. We talked until the sun went down, and I had to say goodbye. I wanted to meet her again, but my uncle decided to talk with me about who I should marry. What I know is that I shouldn't because this is wrong.
"You have a choice, Levi," My uncle says with a growl as he shows 3 pieces of paper. "Lady Amelia, Lady Petra, and Lady Willow. You can pick one to marry."
"And if I don't choose?"
"Then I will. I'm spoiling you by allowing you to choose who want to marry from these 3 women. If not, I will choose. You have until the end of the week to decide who you'll marry before I send a proposal to someone. Do you understand?"
I wish I didn't understand. To marry someone who I didn't know was disturbing to me. I want to fight it as much as I could, but I know that it won't last forever. By the end, I would be married to someone I may not love. And I felt terrible for that person. Whether they liked it or not, it's an arranged marriage for both of us.
I ran away to Hanji, wanting to have her comfort. Being near her was like being near a goddess.
* * *
Hanji led me back to the tree she first ran to, having a basket of apples next to it. When she sat down at the foot of the tree, I sat next to her, practically leaning on her. Sensing something was wrong, Hanji ran her fingers through my hair, holding me close.
"Something's bothering you, isn't that right?"
"Yeah... something is going on and I don't want any part of it. But it's going to take place by the end of the week. I'm not ready for it."
"They sound like they belong in this forest," Hanji says softly, "left to wander forever for having put that much stress on your shoulders."
"I wish I could dump him here. But that makes me king once he's gone rather than the day of my birthday. Is it good? Is it bad? I don't know. Should I allow him to prepare plans for me until that time? Or should I get rid of him now and disrupt his plans? Hanji, I know you're not a part of this, but do you have anything to advise?"
"I don't know much about how royals work, Levi, and I'm sorry for not helping you. But you should learn how he rules his kingdom. Learn what works well and that it cooperates with your heart. Discard what you don't like about it. But most importantly, find loopholes. Don't point them out to your uncle. Keep it a secret."
"Just... follow the plan and discard it once I inherit the throne?"
"At the very most, yes."
I smiled, practically falling into her lap. A wave of relief fell upon me as she continued to run her fingers through my hair. She pulled me into this fog of peace. Something about her pulled me towards her. I can't explain it, but there was something about her that I loved. Was it the calming nature she had when she touched me? What was it... I can't remember...
* * *
When I woke up, I ended up in my room. How did I get here? As I wandered my room, I found an iris flower on my desk. None of the maids leave the castle, nor do the servants. They stay within the castle walls, keeping an eye on me. And guards don't care about anything else that doesn't fall in their line of work. Mostly, they follow the orders of whoever is in charge. Because I'm not in charge yet, I don't have much power.
I guess that Hanji brought me back before the sunset, but how? She left this flower here for me. I want to know how she got past the guards while carrying me back to safety. All these questions are for another day. I won't be able to see her for a few days. Uncle's keeping me locked here until I answer his question of who I'm marrying.
* * *
Hanji's POV
I didn't realize that his room's windows faced the forest. Every day, he can have a look at the forest, and yet he's never seen me around. With him around lately, I'm happy to have someone to talk to that aren't the lost souls in this forest nor the trees I called 'friends.'
"H-Help!" I hear a young boy's voice echoing through the forest. "Mommy! Don't leave me!"
Quickly, I raced to the lost soul's side. So many people have dumped their children in this forest, and I save them. Every child that is left behind in this forest is what I call a lost souls. Whenever I can, I keep them. Yet when I'm nursing them back to health, I'm to blame for their disappearances. I'm the one they blame when their parents go missing. It's never my fault.
"Hey there," I say softly to the boy, picking him up from his hiding spot. He was shivering as he wore nothing but thin clothes and no shoes. "It's okay, I'll help you."
"Are you gonna take me to play in the shadows forever?"
"No. I'm going to take care of you until the sun rises. Do you like apples?"
YOU ARE READING
Destiny || LEVIHAN || DISCONTINUED
FanfictionREQUESTED BY: @MissBubbles9 Hanji lives in a forest near the castle, alone and forever wandering. When a proposal was made from someone, who she had met once since she was little, to her, and though his fate was foretold to have another woman by his...
