Forbidden ~ Marcaniel Royal AU

chapitre huit

As he sat in front of a small koi pond, he heard a snarky voice speak up. "Wow, this must have cost a fortune! Tell me, who did you hire to design this? You might have built this but surely someone else planned it! Must have costed a pretty penny since none of you Kurtzbergs can do anything right."

Nathaniel blinked, looking down at the small fishes swimming about. With a small smile, he glanced towards the Princess, a bit of his confidence returning. "I designed this, believe it or not. I appreciate your compliments!" He only kept his eyes on her long enough to see the look of realization on her face, soon to return to studying the colorful water-dwellers.

'Ugh! As if I'd believe that!" Chloe quickly snapped, full-well knowing he was speaking the truth.

As a small frog's head popped out of the water, Nathaniel pointed towards a small plaque in the middle of the garden. "My name's right there engraved in the stone, if you need evidence."

Princess Chloe nudged her servant forward, giving her a look. "Go look for me, Sabrina. I don't want to waste my time."  Sabrina nodded swiftly, dashing throughout the pathway towards the plaque. Crouching low to the ground, she saw the words confirming his statement. Popping up, she drifted back to Princess Chloe.

"Well?" Chloe demanded.

"It's true..." Sabrina spoke quietly.

The princess just huffed and propped one of her legs over her opposite knee. "I don't get it- how could someone like you make something like this?" She grumbled, her silk-gloved arms crossed tightly.

Thoughts of Marc floated across Nathaniel's mind, a smile gracing his face. "Elysian inspiration leads to Elysian creations. Creating things with meraki often leaves a greater impression on those who experience the creation."

Chloe's mouth hung open, trying to form words. She turned to Sabrina, clearly confused. "Sabrina, what'd those words mean?" She whispered. 

Unluckily for her, Sabrina was just as lost as she was. The most she could do was look at her, utter confusion apparent on her face, at a lost for words.

Nathaniel caught onto their confusion with a slight boost in confidence. "In case you were wondering, those words originate from ancient Greek mythology. Elysian means 'divinely inspired; peaceful and perfect'. It's relating to the Elysian Fields; a place heroes and heroines alike are sent to retire in by the gods who have seen their righteous life fit for a blessed paradise. Meraki is the soul, the creativity or the love someone puts into their work; the essence of yourself."

As he babbled on about his knowledge of the subject, he was unaware of his mind starting to wander off to what it subconsciously was always finding ways to think about. He remembered the way Marc's eyes lit up when he talked about things he was interested in learning about. Nathaniel could listen to him go on for hours, simply just taking in the natural shine that Marc had when talking about what he loves. All of his unusual vocabulary he used he learned from Marc, storing it in a special place in his memory.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the familiar bratty tone. "Jeez, somebody's a bit passionate about mythology. I didn't need the lecture, I knew exactly what it meant!"

Nathaniel just looked at her. "Whatever you say."

"How'd you even learn that? Everyone knows that you aren't the best learner."

He made a small chuckle, lifting off the marble floor. "You're not wrong. Truth be told, I wouldn't know any of that if it weren't for a friend of mine." Walking towards a wooden chest that was hidden away behind the greenery, Nathaniel grabbed a stone watering can. As it was already filled with water, he began to give the plants their daily water. "They do a lot of research in their spare time. I think they'd actually keel over and die if there was a factually incorrect line in their writing. As of lately, Greek mythology has been their focus."