Paint it Black [The Vampire Diaries]

55

Qetsiyah glares at her handmaiden, Amara who's giggling at every word Silas says.

"You glare any harder you'll kill the poor girl," Ebony tells her from beside her.

"He wouldn't do that to me right? Betray me with some," Qetsiyah pauses, watching Amara whisper in Silas' ear, "peasant?"

Ebony snorts, "If you are worried then he is not the one for you."

"We are betrothed, Ebony, it's already set in the stars that we are to be wed by the last snow fall," Qetsiyah informs her, "my Father ensured that." Ebony looks at her friend, genuinely concerned for her. The way she thinks of the man is worrying. He is not property, he is a human being. "He will love me." Ebony watches Qetsiyah leave, grabbing Amara roughly.

Silas waves at Ebony and goes to leave only to bump into Imani again, the duo laughing before talking.
Ebony watches her sister laugh, covering her mouth as she snorts. Imani doesn't snort. She giggles. Ebony feels herself freeze seeing Silas gently grab her sister's hand in his, giving it a kiss.

This isn't good. Ebony thought to herself.
Imani giggles at whatever Silas tells her, shaking her head.

Is he really that funny? Ebony thinks to herself. He can't be, no man is.

"What are you doing today?" Silas asks.

"I'm going to check my families garden, do you wish to come?" Imani asks him.

"I'll go anywhere you want me to go," Silas tells her, smiling when she grabs his hand, pulling him in the direction of her families garden on the outskirts of town.

"What should I do?" Imani sat in Ivars lap, the duo in her room.

"I can't tell you."

Imani glares at him, "Do you want to come with?" Ivar hesitates. Honestly? He doesn't. He loves her, and while the idea of her searching for her true love or whatever hurts, she needs to find out. If not for herself, then at the very least for him.

He's been in love with her for over a thousand years, doing nothing for a majority of that, he can live having felt her and love her, but he can't live not knowing if she ever felt the same.

"You need to go," Ivar whispers, leaning his forehead against hers, "be selfish."

"Do you want to come?"

"That's not up for me to decide, you know I'll be here for you," Ivar tells her moving her off his lap, "I'll be in my room."

"I love you." Ivar stops at the door. His body frozen. His mind was racing faster than the speed of light. He could say it back but it might make her question herself. He couldn't say it back and it might ruin their friendship. "No matter what, Ivar, I love you."