Darling Soul

Chapter Four

you drew stars around my scars

She got up and didn't feel pain, she thought her body finally had enough time to heal itself and she felt better than ever. Last night, she fell asleep thinking of the stranger eyes and the softness with which he treated her. A man that looked so confident and dangerous but treated her with a softness she never expected, because he had asked her to dance right after she said she loved doing so.

"My Lady, someone is in the tea room for you.", a maid knocked and entered. Astra sat on her vanity putting her strawberry blonde hair in a bun with two lose front pieces, the maid gave her a pink ribbon for her to tie around her bun and she thanked her for both the warning and the ribbon.

"Thank you, Evangeline.", she got up after putting a nude lip gloss and left for the tea room.

When she reached the door, she knocked and an old male servant, opened the door, greeted her and announced her to her guest. She walked inside and noticed a blonde man standing in front of the tea table.

"My Lady, you're far more beautiful than what I heard." "Hello, my Lord.", she grabbed her pink dress and made a courtesy gesture, he bowed in return and each sat in a chair opposite to each other.

"I'm the Crown Prince of Phinglis, the Fire Kingdom, Kallias Ignis."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness.", she smiled as she grabbed a tea cup and drank it.

"I've come in regards of the ball organised in your honor. I decided to come a day earlier than the other guests to better introduce myself."

"I appreciate your time and I thank you for accepting the invitation."

"You're not aware of who am I?", he asked surprised and her hand froze mid-air. Could he be?

"I apologise but aside from what you just said, I do not know more."

"I'm your fiancée.", and her world crashed. She was prepared for this moment, she thought of herself as ready, but is there really someone prepared enough for a situation like this? An arranged marriage is nothing short of a business negotiation, a political deal, it doesn't promise you love or affection or happiness. She looked at the tall blond man in front of her, stared into his honey eyes and wondered what kind of man he was, what kind of husband would he be.

"I apologise for my ignorance.", she bowed her head and he chuckled.

"Don't worry at all, my Lady. I am glad we finally got to meet. I was hoping I'd see your brother as well, introduce myself to him." Oh, her brother, she thought, the amount of heartbreak he would feel when she wasn't there to run to him and greet him when he returned.

"My brother is away taking care of some royal affairs. He will be back in two months, he told me.", she said smiling, but the emptiness she felt was bigger than the smile she showed.

"Are you two close?", he asked.

"Very much."

"It is a shame I don't get to meet him. Maybe he will be able to attend our wedding ceremony next month? He surely can take a small break.", it felt too much too soon and her head was a mess and her chest hurt and... God, so many wishes she had.

"I'm sorry, but if you'll excuse me, I have some other matters to attend to, but I hope we'll meet again soon.", and she left not giving him enough time to respond. For the rest of the day she hid in the library rereading books she read already four times. But in the library no one would bother her and that's all she wanted. When night came, she found herself in bench from the previous night thinking about the events that occurred. She thought of her fiancée, she thought of her brother and if he was well, but she also thought of the stranger.

"Can I take this as a sign of the Fates?", a voice asked, a voice she memorised in her dreams and she looked around to see him smiling at her.

"It's you, my Lord.", she said and smiled.

"Were you waiting for me?", he sat next to her and they both stared at the stars.

"I wished to not be found but if there was a chance I would be seen, I hoped it would be by you.

"You seem troubled.", sharp as ever was her stranger, he looked at her asking her something that she couldn't quite grasp. He reached for her hand, but before he grabbed it, she said the four words.

"I met my fiancée.", he froze and closed his eyes in frustration, turned away from her and sighed.

"You chose him already? Before the ball?"

"I don't have the power of choosing who my husband will be.", she said in a low note.

"What? I thought there were five suitors to choose from.", he looked at her and she smiled at him pitifully.

"And from those five, my parents chose one. His Highness Kallias Ignis."

"The Crown Prince of Phinglis? Really?", he lets out with a chuckle and she furrowed her brow in confusion.

"He doesn't want a queen, he wants a woman to give him heirs. He has been talking about you for ages saying he only cares for your genes and beauty."

"Oh."

"Why would you marry him? Why someone like him?", this time he reached for her hands and pulled them into his lap, squeezed them softly.

"It's my duty. I was born for this."

"You were born for more."

"You don't know that."

"Marry me. Marry me and i'll spend my days providing and protecting you from any harm that might come to you. Marry me and I'll spend a lifetime proving to you that you're destined for greater things.", he brought her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I'll give you time to think, and I'll wait for you in this little ballroom of ours where the stars and moon shine just for us. I know you barely know me, but I hope you choose me.", and he left her there in the moonlight, without even noticing that her eyes were full with tears.

Astra left the garden and jumped into her bed, there she stayed thinking of what the world sprung into her hands. She barely knew the stranger, she didn't even know his name or where he came from, and she would be going against her parents plans. But she barely knew her fiancée and from what the stranger said, she didn't want him as a husband. However, Astra didn't like thinking according others, she decided that tomorrow she would seek her fiancée and learn more about him before the ball started.