The Chosen Star

Chapter Ten

Once Jasmine was finished speaking, Seren was shocked to hear everything she had to endure while she was at Windings.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him and rested his head on her shoulder.

She was shocked by the sudden movement for a moment then felt comfortable.

"It's alright," she told him as a smile began to appear on her lips, "it's no big deal."

Seren's winter eyes held sympathy but his soul looked inimical. Like he wanted to go back to Windings himself and do something.

But with him holding her close... he chose to stay where he was. He slowly raised his head from resting on Jasmine's shoulder and he looked into her dark eyes that showed a hint of brown.

"No," he whispered, "it is a big deal." Her smile disappeared when she saw his face.

Before Jasmine could ask what he was talking about, Seren leaned back and told her, "It's never okay to think that such actions toward you could ever be acceptable just because someone is royalty and just because they can."

"Whether they have a mental problem or not," he added.

Jasmine's eyes widened at her friend's statement then relaxed as tears began to well up in her eyes again.

She hugged him as she said, muffled, "Thank you."

Silence... before she felt Seren's arms wrap around her and his head rested on her shoulder again.

They both stayed like that for a while, taking in each other's comfort and warmth.

"I've only just met Seren nearly a day ago," Jasmine thought, "why does this feel so right? Why do I feel so safe in his arms? Why do I feel like I've known him from various lifetimes? Why does he... make me feel like I'm at home?"

"Here? In his presence? Here? Where he is?"

She didn't know.

All she knew was that if she hadn't taken Seren's hand to get on his horse with him, she wouldn't be here in Athen.

She wouldn't even be alive.

She wouldn't be punished.

Only sentenced to death for escaping Windings.

For all the right reasons, she knew that she couldn't return unless she had a death wish.

For once, she was happy.

And a handsome prince with a heart of gold, despite him being a walking winter, granting her something she knew she did not deserve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours later and it was sunset, which meant it was going to be the first hour of the evening.

Jasmine was inside her bedroom that happened to be across from Seren's.

Turns out that both William and Seren had instructed the servants of the castle to make up a room for the artist of Windings before making the trip to bring her to Athen.

Especially having her in the royal's hall, not the servant's hall.

She had the same size bed as Seren's but her sheets and thick but fluffy pillows were colored a rich purple and the texture was silk.

She had a bath full of the bath essentials she needed.

A desk and chair across from her bed that was like the king's in his study but the color of the chair was the same pink as her mother's cloak.