The Regal Descendants

Chapter 31: Ferris Wheel

Evolet

Today started off much of the same. I picked out a special tribal patterned dress that my mother had brought back for me. It was a handmaid piece so I loved it all the more. I decided to let my wavy light brown hair hang and cascade over my shoulders. My freckles weren't in full force today, but my hazel eyes were leaning towards the brown side to match the plainness of my face and balance out the bold colored pattern. The pattern made the plainness pop.

Since I'm in the Steele Kingdom, I find myself on my usual walk around the castle. I wave to all of the guards as I pass and head into the forest. Since Arden's many visits the guards have found me to be less strange, they actually wave back and their smiles are much less forced. I guess Arden makes me less of a weirdo- even though I think he's the weird one of the two of us. I still seek the comfort that nature brings me. I sit on my log by the side of the stream and close my eyes to get myself to focus on the sounds around me. Instead, I find myself thinking of Arden visiting me today.

Since his little incident a year ago, Arden and I have been enjoying fooling around after our dates. We have been taking it slow which is perfect for me since my first experience wasn't the greatest. I felt no need to rush with Arden, he made the time fly by anyways. It was hard to believe I met him over two years ago. It feels like a lifetime ago now with how comfortable we are with each other. To think all of this came about because of a life, which is never a small price. Arden still finds a way to evade serious conversation, but not as much. It's as if I've gained his trust in my eyes. I couldn't wait to be reunited with him again. Our visits always made me clear out my entire schedule for the days he could come there or I to his kingdom; that's how excited I get.

I decide to stand and dust off my lap, there is no way I'll be able to shake the jitters and unwind today. I slip off my sandals and walk barefoot through the forest grass floor back to the castle.

From a distance I spot there's already a carriage at the front gates and I can feel my heart swell inside my chest. I take off running the rest of the way back and am out of breath as I skid to a stop, the bottoms of my feet burning as they skip on the stone like pebbles on water. I'm hunched over swallowing gulps of air to replenish my lungs when the carriage door pops open.

"You've missed me that much?" Ferris muses as he steps out of the wagon. He is every bit as dapper as the last time we've seen each other. His hazel eyes, leaning more towards green today take in the sight of me and his lips curl into a small smile.

"Oh, uh..." I slowly stand up tall. My eyes feel as if they are about to pop out of my skull. My face heats and I can see color even forming on the sides of my arms. I dig the fingernails of my right into the back of my left arm. "Hi." I spit out and nervously bite my bottom lip.

Thankfully, out steps the rest of his family to cut through the tension lingering between us- King Finn, Queen Astrid, and Princess Aurelie. Of course Ferris is Prince Ferris, but things changed three summers ago between us. Every since then he rather eagerly insists that I call him Ferris.

He looks so grown now. I blink and try to revert my eyes but they stubbornly won't peel away. Ferris has hair two shades darker than mine, it is slicked back now and in control. In the past his locks would find a way of falling in his eyes and I remember my fingers combing it back just to stare into them.

Ferris arrogantly soaks up this effect he has on me as his family heads inside of the castle. "Two years have come and gone since I've last seen you. In that time you've only blossomed more beautiful." He stands next to me and places a hand between my shoulderblades to guide me into my own castle.

"I wasn't expecting you." I say in a voice that isn't my own- it's far tinier than usual. I exhale a shaky breath and crane my head to stare up at him awestruck. I feel as if I'm in some sort of spell. Only Ferris could have the power to enchant me like this.