Love Untouched

Reconciliation Part II

Princess Bellezza shrugs on her jacket and stands by the door as servants pile the royal’s suitcases into the trunk of their black town car. Her hair is pulled into tight ponytail and with the doors open, the autumn breeze moves her hair this way and that. The longer she stands by the door, the colder the air seems. Curious, she steps outside and looks up at the cloudy sky. More wind whips her hair around her face. She frowns and crosses her arms.

Winter is coming.

            Vita then emerges from the castle. The queen tugs on her fur lined coat as if the temperature is much lower than it actually is. She finds her daughter approaches her. “It’s a little cold, don’t you think Belle?”

            Rolling her eyes, Bellezza ignores the question and climbs into the car. Soon the Saharan royals are on their way to the docks. The princess stares out the window and watches the countryside roll by. People who recognizes the car stops their work and waves. The men salute while their wives and children wave the Saharan flag in the air as they pass. Bellezza can’t stop the smile the forms on her face.  Her family is loved by their people and that’s more than what some people can say.

            All too soon, the family is boarding a boat to Liam. While she leans over the railing watching the waves, Vita puts a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. When she doesn’t look up, the queen knows that she’s in deep thought.

            “What are you thinking?” She asks, mimicking the princess’ position.

            “Would you be mad at me if I told you I don’t want to marry him?” Bellezza asks.

            Vita is taken aback by the question. She could’ve sworn that not even a month ago, her daughter loved Abernathy. Now he’s prince and they can be together but she doesn’t love him anymore?

            “I wouldn’t be mad,” Vita says after awhile. “What happened? Don’t you love him anymore?”

            Sighing, Bellezza looks into her mother’s warm eyes. “I don’t know. I’m confused about everything.” She averts her eyes to the deck. “I thought I loved him before- no. I did love him, very much. But, he…” Running a hand through her ponytail, Bellezza tries to come up with the words. “He did something and now I can’t trust him. I want so much to hate him. I want to forget about everything that we had and I want all of my feelings for him to disappear. But I can’t hate him and I can’t forget.” She raises her eyes and finds compassion reflected in the queen’s eyes. “In my heart, I still love him.”

            Vita stares at her daughter and sadness tugs at her heart. There’s so much love and heartbreak in one teenage girl. How does she deal with it? Unsure of how to offer advice, the queen settles for giving Bellezza’s shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “You’ll figure it out. Listen to your heart. It’ll tell you which road to take, alright?”

            At her nod, Vita leaves the deck and Bellezza alone with her thoughts. The island of Liam comes into view and her eyes water at the sight of the stone palace looming high into the sky. She puts her head in her hands and lets the tears flow silently down her face.