The Chosen Star

Chapter Five

Jasmine's breathing was quiet as she tried to soak in the information about where Seren got the painted picture from.

Unbeknownst to her, the queen of Athen came into her shop three years ago, dressed as a commoner, and requested a special painting from her that specifically entailed a deep and emotional portrait of her son.

"Why did you come specifically looking for me?" She whispered, her voice completely lost.

Seren looked into Jasmine's eyes and answered, "I needed to know where you were so I could offer you the job of being my personal artist."

Jasmine nodded, taking in Seren's words.

"I hung up your picture of me above my bed. I would look at it whenever I would wake up, and it would be the last thing I saw before I went to sleep. And I couldn't let go of the fact that someone out there was so talented and smart but wasn't getting the recognition that she deserved by her own people."

Jasmine looked away from him for a moment before looking back at him and asking, "So... when King Wright told you the best artist was a female, you already knew?"

Seren gave her a nod.

"I wanted to see if he'd lie to me," he confessed, "and he did."

Jasmine looked at the painting once again.

She softly smiled as she told him, "I should've known. I've heard of you, seen other painted portraits of you around Windings when it came to your birthday, people describing how beautiful your unique features are... and yet, I never put the connection together that day."

Seren softly smiled as well.

"When Queen Eleanor came into my shop, her hood was on and she was dressed like a commoner," Jasmine began, "but her voice sounded as smooth as silk that I immediately knew I had to listen to her. Even though I treated her with kindness and gentleness as I do with any other customer, I treated her extra special for some reason. I wondered why that was for a long time until now."

Seren told her, "Mother has that unintentional effect on people. But you were the first one to ever treat her like a normal person outside of the castle whenever she was dressed like a commoner or if she was dressed in the uniform of the queen herself. Others would just suck up to her or try to mess around with her, but she never took any nonsense from anyone."

"However," Seren continued, "you were the only one that inspired her and lit her fire in believing that there are still good people out there who won't treat her the way they did, whether they knew she was the queen or not."

Jasmine was smiling brightly now.

"Your mother sounds as lovely and wonderful as people have described her to be," Jasmine said.

"She is," Seren agreed.

He looked away, breaking their gazes.

His facial expression changed immensely, and the smile on his lips disappeared.

"Oh," Jasmine lightly gasped as she set the painting on the opposite side of her.

She quickly grasped Seren's hand and asked, "Are you alright?"

Seren didn't answer.

He didn't want to look at Jasmine in fear of looking weak in front of her.

A prince is supposed to be strong, Seren believed.

Jasmine's free hand gently touched Seren's cheek and slowly turned his face to hers.

She was stunned to see tears welling up in Seren's eyes.