Color of Roses

Shocking News

Chapter 34

"Aria, will you marry me?"

"Y-Yes!" I exclaim. He rises and pulls me in for a deep, affectionate kiss. We fall back onto the bed, our bodies entangling against the soft sheets. I gaze up at Alyn's fiery eyes. "I love you," he whispers to me.

"I love you too!" I say before being showered with passionate kisses.

We spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, neither one of us parting from the other. Before we knew it, dawn had come and the inn owner, who was named Berdi, had already packed us a meal and some spare clothes as well as prepared us a pair of horses. We thanked her and the women working for her before departing back towards the castle.

I rode alongside Alyn as we raced east towards Wysteria. It took nearly a whole day to reach the border of the city. Our horses were exhausted as well as ourselves. We had reached the castle gate and servants and guards ran out to tend to us. Giles had already returned with a few of the soldiers who were able to survive the invasion on Stein. Byron had managed to escape to an unknown hiding place and Nico surrendered the castle to Giles and our men. Elias was one of the soldiers who helped lead the invasion.

"The king has asked to see you," Giles says as soon as we enter the castle.

I look to Alyn who seems as surprised as I am. We follow Giles down a hallway I've never been in. A large set of white doors with gold etched around their frames and handles stand in the middle of the long corridor. "Address him as 'Your Majesty' and do not talk unless spoken to," Giles says briefly before opening the door.

My heart pounds in my chest and I nervously step inside the room not sure what to expect. A very large room opens into several smaller ones. The walls are a deep purple with golden patterns running across them. We're lead into another large room where a frail man rests against an array of pillows. His eyes watch us as we inch closer.

"I've brought the princess as you asked, Your Majesty," Giles says with a slight bow.

"No need for formalities, Giles," the king says before a raspy cough escapes his lungs. "I apologize. My health has seen better days. Come and sit," the king says and gestures to a set of chairs against a very large window parallel to the canopied bed.

"I've been eager to meet you, Aria," he says with a soft smile. "I wish they weren't under these conditions though."

"It's an honor, Your Majesty," I say forcing my voice to remain steady despite how nervous I felt.

"Giles taught you well although I'm not as scary as he makes me out to be," the king says winking at Giles who remains emotionless. "You're probably wondering why I've asked you here. I know you've been through a lot recently and I'm glad you've returned safe and sound but I need to know if you've planned to marry anytime soon. I'm not sure how much time I have left. I have my good days but more bad than I can count."

My eyes fixate on Alyn reflexively. "Actually-" I start to say but Alyn stands up and faces the king. "I've asked Aria to marry me."

Giles and the king look surprised. "I never thought you'd abandon your title of knight for anything, Alyn," the king says amused.

"Neither did I until I met Aria. I want to protect her by any means necessary."

I glance at the king waiting for his response. He smiles widely, "You have my blessing. You will make a fine king, Alyn. I trust you two to lead Wysteria into prosperity."

"You won't regret this," I say eagerly.

We're dismissed from the room as the king begins coughing uncontrollably. Alyn whispers for me to follow him to his room and I don't refuse. We enter his chamber and I take in the familiar site of his armor on the mannequin and his books aligned on the shelves. The aroma of cinnamon fills the air and I inhale happily.