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goddessofeternity · 1 year

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Love Amidst the Darkness

Chapter 20: End of the Beginning

Althea yawned and stretched as she snuggled against her pillow, her body felt sore. It was an odd type of soreness. She furrowed her brows as she squirmed in bed, and opening her eyes, she was met with eyes the color of the sky. Her memories of last night came flooding back into her mind. It was not a dream and Duran was really in her bed, stroking her cheek and smiling at her. She had no real idea how to feel after such a night of passion. Is this what all lovers felt like after making love? Is this why people in her novels always talked so highly about the act? She felt more connected to Duran than ever and she felt like she was floating on the clouds.

Well…if only it weren’t for the discomfort between her legs…

“Mmm…”

“Are you alright? Does it hurt?” Duran moved closer to her and kissed her forehead. “I told you to let me know if it hurt.”

“No I…it just feels a bit sore…you…you were perfect. It only hurt for a second…and then…” She blushed heavily as she stared at her fingers.

“Then what?”

“It…it felt…really really good…” She whispered out in a tiny voice and he chuckled and pulled her against his chest. He stroked her hair and found her shyness very adorable.

“I’m glad that you enjoyed it so much. I’m glad that I was able to please you.” She leaned back to look into his eyes.

“Will it always be like this? So…wonderful?”

“Yes…it will always be like this if you’d like. I would want nothing more to be close to you like this always…” The pair shared a gentle kiss before Althea pursed her lips in thought. “What’s on your mind love?”

“I…well…did you enjoy yourself too? I know…I know that you have experience…but I…I hoped that I made you feel good too.”

He coughed awkwardly as he looked away from her adorable face. How was he going to describe this? She was too precious and sweet. “Ahem…I um…well you were perfect love. I felt very very good too. I don’t expect you to be an expert at love making…but you did fantastic for your first time.”

“How did it feel for you though? I’m very curious…” His face burned even brighter as she placed her hands on his chest. His heart was thundering before he let out a deep breath.

“You…you my love…” He pulled her close and kissed her lips. “You feel like magic…”

“I…I do?” She felt her face heat up as a deep look of love and passion crossed his face. She found herself burning for him again. “How?”

“You feel soft…” He kissed her cheek and stroked her bare side. “You taste like the sweetest flower.” He held her cheek and kissed her deeply before his tongue ran across her lower lip. Althea shook in his arms as he held her close against his chest. “Your warmth…when we make love…when I feel you so tightly wrapped around me…there is no greater feeling than you.”

“...” He smiled as his love suddenly became speechless against him, he chuckled and held her tight and kissed her forehead. “Duran…”

“Hmm?”

“I…I want…I want you to love me again.”

“Are you sure? He breathed as she looked up at him shyly. “You should rest since you still are sore, my love.”

“I…I want you…more than anything…”

Duran stole a glance out the window, and considered his options. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. He would love nothing more than to give her what she craved, her pleasure meant more than anything to him. He was afraid that they would get caught in their act of passion. It was still quite early, but did he really want to risk it?

“Althea…I want too, but I think that I should leave soon…I-”

“Duran…” She hushed his words with a gentle kiss to his lips, and he groaned against her as he pulled her against him. His hands hovered over her tiny waist, but he pulled back anyway. “Duran…”

“My love…I want to make love again, trust me when I say that I do…I just don’t want to get caught. Your parents would-“

“Is my body not enough for you?” He looked at her quickly as she frowned and looked at her hands. “I-I know you said that it was fine that they weren’t large but…”

“Althea…” He pulled her back against him as a deep blush crossed his face. “Do you feel that?”

“Y-Yes…”

“You will always be enough for me. The strength and beauty of your heart will be enough for me. I…gods I love you more than you could ever realize…”

Unable to deny her much longer, Duran pulled her into a deep kiss and once again ignited the strength of their passion, and the two made love once again just as the sun breached the horizon.

~~~

“Hmm~” Althea was bursting with energy as she sat at her harp and played a lovely new tune. It had been a week since the armies had come back and everything seemed to be falling back into place. Her dear friends were back at her side, her mother and father were happier than ever, Marina was coming back today, and most importantly, she had the love of her life by her side. She wondered what her parents were doing at the moment. Ever since her father had come back, the pair had been inseparable, and for once Althea understood the feeling. She had wanted to spend more and more time with Duran, but he had gotten busy training and spending time with his family. “Hmm~”

“You’ve been in a good mood lately…” Althea looked over at her and smiled as Honora walked into her music room. Surprisingly, she was wearing a pretty blue dress and not her usual armor. Setting her harp to the side, she quickly bounced over to her and hugged her tight. “Not saying that it’s a bad thing or anything.”

“There are many things to be happy about! My father is safe and sound and my dearest friends are back home! Also…I have Duran back by my side. There are many many things to be grateful for. What’s the occasion? This is a very pretty dress, you look beautiful!”

“Oh thank you…my parents were asked to come to the palace to discuss our territory. My mother had some ideas for some things, and I think the queen wanted to discuss things we need for our fields and things.”

“Oh? Well…it’s a beautiful dress and I can’t wait to visit you soon. I haven’t been to the manor in such a long time.”

“Yeah…my mother really took to decorating it and making it look beautiful. I would have helped her more with it, but I don’t really have an eye for it.”

“Well…maybe you will soon. We could decorate and get some nice things for your room.”

“I would like that actually…so I thought you just played the piano. You sound really good on the harp.”

“Oh yes…I was never really getting much inspiration to make new music on it, but I’ve been in a really good mood, and I just had to come down and play!”

“Well…my parents want me to learn a safer skill, so maybe you could teach me to play an instrument some time?”

“Oh of course! I would love too! We need more time together since we haven’t had the time.”

“Yeah I know…” Honora sighed as she sat on a nearby bench, smoothing out her dress, she crossed her legs and looked forlornly out the window. “My parents were terrified when I went to war. They asked me to slow down for a bit and relax at home. I didn’t want to worry them anymore, so I’m working on being a “noble” daughter. It will put their minds at ease, but I miss training and spending my days looking after you…”

“I’m sure that you will be back on the training grounds in time,” Althea sat beside her and took her hands in her own. “We are spending time together right now…how about we make the best of it right now?”

“Yeah…I think that would do me some good.” Althea smiled and went to clean up her music sheets, and Honora tilted her head as she looked at her friend and princess. “Althea…”

“Hmm? Yes?”

“You seem different…like something has changed with you…”

“Really? In what way?”

“You just…look more mature I suppose. It could be because I haven’t seen you in over three months…”

Althea pursed her lips as she considered her words, but she could not say that she felt very different. She couldn’t have changed that much in only a few months time. Her parents didn’t seem to notice anything different about her. Letting it go, she looped her arm through Honora’s and they made their way through the palace. She could hear her mother talking with Honora’s parents. Opening the door to her drawing room, she smiled at her parents as she slipped into the room with Honora.

Althea smiled seeing her parents together once more. Her mother had been smiling more than she had ever seen for the last week. They were never far from each other for too long, and she wanted to have that with Duran, but she would have to discuss that with her mother soon. Now with the war over, her fiance would come back eventually and she would be expected to entertain him. She hated thinking about such a foul person.

“So…it will be some time before the autumn season comes around. So…we will be supplying you with some crops to test out your management of the fields. We will expect your cows and chickens to have reproduced twice as much. You have the space for them now, and the more you have, the more valuable your lands will be. It will of course take time, but we will assist you as best we can.”

“Thank you, your majesties. We couldn’t be more thankful for this wonderful opportunity that you have given to us. We will work on this right away. Come Honora, you have lessons to get to.”

Althea smiled as Honora rolled her eyes and followed after her parents as they left the drawing room. It would seem that she would have to do things with Honora another day, for now, she would spend time with her parents before seeing Duran again.

“Oh my rosebud…I have missed you so terribly.” Althea giggled as her father hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. “Your mother told you about how the both of us met, I trust you enjoyed listening to how scary your mother was?”

“I could have been much worse…”

“Oh I don’t think that is possible. Merely being in your presence was enough to strike the rawest fear in my heart, my lovely tree woman.”

“Oh…oh be quiet…” Althea and Kyros chuckled as the queen grew embarrassed and looked away from them. It was nice to see them together once more, but it made her miss her own lover.

Oh.

The young princess found that her heart was ready to leap from her chest at the thought. Duran was not merely courting her, he truly was her lover in a more physical way. She fought off the growing blush on her face, afraid that her parents would notice. A thought was nagging at her mind, and since her parents were both here, she might as well ask.

“Mother…father…what is going to happen now? Do…do we have to contact my…fiance?”

The pair shared a look, before her father reached over and grasped her hand. “My princess…we don’t have to think about or talk about that. You have so long before you have to marry him, but if he was unpleasant and you don’t care for him, we can call it off.”

“Really?!” Her father chuckled at her enthusiasm and her mother smiled at her. If he was being serious, then perhaps it would be easier to be with Duran! Her mother was not a royal, and she married her father just fine. She could really have her happy ending soon and begin a beautiful life. “I-I mean…that would make me really happy.”

“Was he rude to you at your ball?!” Her father frowned and looked at his queen. “I have no problem raising hell if he did anything to you…”

“No no! Father please…he…he was a bit rude to me. I didn’t really like him, but I didn’t want to disappoint anyone so I didn’t say anything.”

“Althea…” Her mother went to her side as her father seethed and held her hand. “You would never upset us. Even if he is a prince, he should never take advantage of you and make you feel uncomfortable. We will have a discussion with his father and mother and we will handle this immediately.”

“My daughter, you deserve the world and only the best partner is allowed to be by your side. You must tell us if someone disrespects you, no alliance is worth you being mistreated. You really don’t even need someone to help you rule. I would rather have you rule on your own.”

“Kyros…” Hestia rolled her eyes as she elbowed her husband. “She deserves to be with the love of her life one day. She isn’t going to rule the kingdom by herself forever…”

“She could…” Althea laughed as her mother rolled her eyes at her husband. Things were moving at a better pace then she thought. It would make being with Duran much more possible! She would have to talk with her mother and Duran about this more. Her parents left her to her devices and she went to the gardens to garden. Life was finally moving in a direction that she could get behind, it was finally time to grasp that happiness.

♛

Hestia sighed as she stroked her brush against her canvas. It had been some time since she had a vision, and they scared her more and more. Winter was still some months away, but it could be that it was years away. She rubbed her face in irritation as she continued to paint, and the more the image came together. It made no sense to her and that fact did nothing to placate her intense worry. Leaning back in her chair, she just continued to stare at it.

“Hestia…”

Hestia looked over her shoulder as Kyros walked behind her and kissed her neck. “I’m sorry…did I wake you up?”

“It is never easy to sleep without you…”

“Yes…I know the feeling…I just…I felt the urge to paint and I needed to see what is was immediately.”

“Well…let’s look at it together…”

The royal couple observed the painting, but both quickly realized that it was not something they could really piece together. The painting told them nothing about their daughter this time around. It was the same dragon from the last painting. There was nothing to gain from it and it made Hestia more and more afraid. The couple had already gotten more guards around the castle and their friends from Dragleic were busy researching to see if they could find this species too.

“I can’t make no sense of this Kyros…I just want our daughter to be safe…and any other child that me have…” She held a hand against her stomach and he placed his own atop hers. “I want our family to be safe Kyros…”

“We will be Hestia, we will.” She sighed as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “You have to stop stressing yourself out, my love. It is affecting your health and you need your rest. I will worry about this issue for the time being. We have other things that we have to worry about. We need to focus on being happy.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Hestia…you have nothing to be sorry for. You are a mother and it is only right to worry about your family. Hestia, I love you and your beautiful soul. We will be alright.”

“I love you too Kyros, I just…” She blew out a tired breath as she looked into his eyes. “I’m sorry that it has been hard for me to get pregnant. All of this stress is making it harder for us to conceive…it was so much easier with Althea…”

“Hey hey…there is no rush. You just focus on your health and our baby will soon be here. We didn’t have anything to worry about when Althea was conceived. I just want you to relax and then we can try again ok?”

“Alright…” The pair shared a sweet kiss before leaving her drawing room. Hestia looked at the painting once more before letting her husband lead her back to their bedroom. “Kyros…”

“Yes?” The pair settled in their bed and he leaned back against their pillows, giving her his full attention.

“I think that we should let Althea find her own happiness. I don’t want her to marry any of these stuffy and rude royals. Our daughter does deserve that don’t you think?”

“I…” He pouted as he considered her words. “I really would like it if she was single forever…yes, I think I would prefer that…”

“Kyros…” He punched his side and he yelped in pain. “I want her to know real and true love…”

“Ok ok I know…it was annoying getting all of those marriage proposals for her.” He crossed his arms and frowned. “It was the same when I was her age…just so many proposals. I’m glad that our council is much better than the ones we had during our first few years of ruling.”

“I couldn’t stand them very much either…” Kyros kissed her hand and she moved over and straddles him. “Well…how about we focus on something more fun?”

“Oh? My fiery wife is at it again I see.”

“You love it when I get like this…” She smiled as he sat up and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer.

“Oh…I really really do…” Hestia wrapped her arms around his neck as they shared a deep kiss before Kyros rolled her under him, and they made love, letting their future happiness be the only thing fueling them forward.

♛

“Do you have to go?”

“Yes…I’m sorry love. I want to stay, but this expedition won’t take too long and I’ll be back before you know it.”

Althea pouted as Duran kissed her forehead before kissing her hands. He had been incredibly busy since their first time making love, and she missed him terribly. He was now heading on an expedition to make sure that all traces of their enemy were gone. She didn’t want him to do something so horrible and dangerous. Liam wasn’t even going with him and Honora was taking a break for the next three months. She would be alone for the next week and she didn’t want that more than anything.

“I just want you to be very very safe…”

“I will be very very very safe…” She giggled as he rubbed his nose against hers. He loved to hear her laugh and hated when she was sad. He kissed her softly before he pulled her close and stroked her hair. “It will be a routine expedition and I will be going with my father, the strongest man in the army besides your father.”

“Ok…” She buried her face into his chest and he chuckled feeling her face tickle his chest. “I love you…”

“I love you more, my princess.” Sharing one last kiss, Duran climbed from her window just as a knock came at her door.

“Come in!” Heading to her wardrobe, she sighed as she started to search for a dress. “I hope that you can help me pick out a dress for the day. I just can’t seem to pick something…”

“Hmm…I always say that you look wonderful in blue and some purple tones…to match your eyes…”

Althea gasped and turned as Marina stood in her doorway with a big smile on her face. Althea wasted no time as she launched herself into her open arms. “Marina! I’ve missed you so much!”

“It has only been a few days since we last saw each other! You couldn’t have missed me that much…”

“I know…I think that I’m being a bit too clingy lately…with the war being over I just want everyone I care about to be close to me.”

“I can understand that…war is a scary thing that no one should have to experience. I’m just glad that we did not lose as many people as I thought we would. We are once again enjoying a time of peace and that is something to be thankful for.”

“I agree…this means that we can go out riding again! I so missed our time together just being together.”

“I can’t wait for that either…so how about we get you dressed and ready for your day.” Althea excitedly went to stand on her stool as Marina helped her get dressed. Althea hummed to herself as Marina quietly went about getting her stockings and dress on.

“....” Althea stopped her humming when Marina paused and her eyes looked over her body. Althea looked at her confused before she stepped down and sat on her stool.

“Marina…are you ok?”

“I…Althea…” Marina looked at the bedroom door before she looked Althea deep in her eyes with a serious expression. “Did…did a man share your bed with you?”

“W-What?!” Althea felt her face instantly heat up at her question. Why would she ask her that? More importantly, could she really tell? “I…I have not had someone in my bed…”

“Althea…” Marina sighed and bit her lip as she looked upon her face. “I have been your lady in waiting for many years now. I have seen you flourish into a beautiful young girl…I can tell when you have now become a young woman.”

“I…”

“Althea…I just want you to be honest with me. If someone hurt you-”

“No! No he didn’t hurt me! I…I wanted it to happen!” Marina let out a breath before she placed a hand on Althea’s shoulder.

“This was a consenual decision?”

“Yes I promise…please you musn’t tell my mother and father. I…we are in love and I just…I just wanted to express that…with him.”

“Althea…I will not speak of this with your parents, but you must realize that this is a very serious thing you have done. Love is beautiful, but love also could mean the making of a child and you are far too young to have a child. You are also the princess and you could be dishonored if you are with child…I just want you to be safe. Do I…do I know this young man?”

“Y-Yes…it…it’s my knight Duran…”

“Ah…I actually am not too surprised to hear that. You both seemed to harbor feeling for each other…”

“Will my mother and father be able to tell?”

“Your mother might be able to, but I am not sure about the king. She either has already noticed or she hasn’t yet. I just hope that this was the right choice that you and your knight have made.”

“I believe that it is. I wouldn’t change what we did for anything in the world. We love each other and I won’t let anyone get in the way of that, even my own parents.”

“Hmm…when did you get so tough?” Marina stroked her cheek before continuing to help her get dressed. Althea let out a sigh of relief that Marina decided to keep her secret to herself. Looking into her mirror, she scanned her body, curious to see these changes that Marina said that she could see. She still felt the same, and she couldn’t see any real changes. Once she was dressed, Althea went down to see if her mother was ready for whatever it was that she had planned.

Walking into her drawing room, she was surprised to see her mother laughing with Honora as she fretted over a canvas. Seeing her daughter, Hestis ushered her over and Althea grimaced at the sight before her.

“Althea stop it! I can feel your eyes judging my painting! It just isn’t done yet, but when it is you will think its the most perfect thing in the world!” Althea highly doubted that as Honora had her attention fully focused on the canvas. Her mother was trying her best not to laugh, but it would not be long before it was a hard task.

“Honora…is this also apart of the skills that your parents thought you should learn?”

“Yes of course…the queen was nice enough to tutor me. I don’t think that I have a green thumb so I thought this was the next best option. I might try music too, you sounded lovely on your harp and even more on your piano.”

“I…would love to tutor you, but I don’t think that painting is your calling…” Her mother tried to hide her smirk and Althea just shook her head. “What exactly are you trying to paint?”

“Oh I thought I would do something simple and paint the fruits in that bowl over there.” Althea looked over at the bowl of apples, bananas, and oranges with a very raised brow. Looking back at the canvas just confused her even more.

“Oh…”

“What?” Hearing the tone in her friends voice, Honora finally looked back at her, her pretty face covered in various paint. “Does it not look like that?”

“I…I thought that you were painting a monster…”

It was that remark that finally made the queen burst into laughter. Honora looked at her friend in horrified betrayal and Althea just shrugged her shoulders. “It does not look like a monster!”

“It…it does Honora. I thought it was some horrible eldritch creature…” Honora gaped in astonishment as the queen laughed even harder. Pouting, Honora took her canvas and just threw the rest of her paint over it. “I only wish to be honest with you…”

“Yeah well…ugh…I guess…”

“Now now Honora…” The queen took several calming breaths as she patted the young girl on the shoulder. “This also might not be something that you are very skilled at. There are many other skills that you can work on instead.”

“I’m starting to think this whole thing is pointless, your majesty. I’m just not that talented with anything other than my sword.”

“Oh I don’t believe that. I thought that I had no real talent either, but I soon found out that I did! You just have to find something that works for you. Something that you might like and want to improve on it.”

“Mmm…I don’t have anything like that right now…”

“It will come to you in time…” Althea smiled as Honora thought about some skill she would like to learn. Sitting beside her mother, Althea leaned against her with a content sigh. It felt nice not to worry about the looming war over their heads anymore, and she could see her father and friends whenever she wanted again. “How are you Althea?”

“I’m alright…just happy…”

“Well…I’m glad that you are happy, my sweet rose. Nothing could bring me greater joy than that.” Kissing her head, the pair smiled as Honora seemed really deep in her thoughts. “Honora…you don’t have to think so hard about it today dear…”

“I want to figure it out though…I want to leave her having done something…”

“Well…the king is busy and I have nothing to do and neither does Althea. Why don’t we have a girls day to ourselves?”

“A girl’s day?”

“Oh! Yes! My mother and I often have days were the staff pampers us and we dress up and talk and eat sweets and just have a good time together. Oh! We could even get massages! Honora you’ll love it!”

“I…well…I guess it does sound pretty nice…” Althea clapped excitedly as she practically dragged Honora out of the room, with her mother following close behind. Looking back at her queen, Honora looked very worried. “I’m going to regret this aren’t I?”

“Well it depends on you dear…” Honora sighed as Althea listed all of the things that they would be doing. It was an impressive number of things that she wanted to do, and Honora was sure that they would not get them done. The princess was determined though, she wanted a nice day with her mother and friend and she would have it!

So, the trio set out to have what the princess called the “best day ever”. It was a day filled with laughter, silly talks, good food, and even better massages. Honora was more than excited to continue this little get together and maybe bring her mother next time. She seemed to particularly like the massages she received and passed out rather quickly. Hestia was just glad to see her daughter so happy and at peace again. There was no telling when her vision would come to pass, but her husband was right, they had to enjoy what they had now. It would do no one any favors to constantly stress about it, so she wouldn’t. More and more knights were on guard and their beloved kingdom would be safe, but more importantly so would their daughter. So, the queen enjoyed a day of pampering, because tomorrow was never promised, and she resolved to continue looking forward and never back. The future was theirs to grasp, and nothing would get in the way of that again.

♛

Althea counted the days that Duran had left with a heavy heart. It had only been two weeks, but she found that she missed him in more ways than one. Honora and Marina kept her plenty busy though, and she was grateful for it. They knew how much she missed Duran and had done everything to take her mind off of him. Her parents were busy dealing with the fallout of her marriage falling through, but other than that, they were busy being in love. She couldn’t count the amount of times she caught them kissing throughout the palace. She was embarrassed to admit that she was jealous of them and how open they could be about their love.

She often looked from the windows every few days to see if she could see the expedition team right over the hills. She often wondered if she might have missed them and he was waiting to surprise her in the night or early morning. She wanted to write a letter, but she decided against it, and she wanted to be more positive anyway. If he said he would be safe and back soon than she would believe him and have faith.

“Althea!” The young princess jumped as Marina rounded the corner of her room quickly. “The knights have returned!”

“Oh!” Althea wondered if there was a god out there listening to her worried mind. Rushing to the courtyard, she looked around for Duran, but she only saw his father. After searching for another ten minutes, she realized that she should check her room instead. He often did that in the past, so why would he change that now. With an excited smile, she dashed up to her room and quickly shut her door.

“Duran?” She whispered as she looked behind her curtains and wardrobe. Frowning, she looked over her room more and called out his name. “Duran?”

She was starting to get worried now that he was clearly not in her room. He must have gone home first, yes that would make sense. He would want to see his mother and siblings after being gone and he would visit her later. Walking past her window, she stopped as she spotted him in the courtyard. Her heart fluttered in joy at seeing him, but she was confused and surprised that she didn’t see him at first. She was sure that she looked everywhere for him, but that did not matter because he was home at last!

She quickly went around her room to clean it up a bit and find a pretty nightgown to wear for the night. It could be the night that they make love again! She had missed him being close to her in that way. She’d have to ask him not to leave again for so long, he deserved a break after all.

She busied herself for the rest of the day and before long night had fallen over the kingdom. Althea sat excitedly in her nightgown and made sure the candles she lit weren’t burning anything. Smoothing out her nightgown again, she looked at her window in anticipation.

“Where are you, my love?” Althea played with the frills on her dress as a full hour went by without anything. Another two hours passed as she laid against her pillows, eyes getting heavy. By now, a full five hours passed and the young princess was fast asleep. As she turned in her bed, a sound at her window woke her up. “Duran?”

Rushing to her window, she smiled as she threw it open. Her smile fell as it was only a bird roosting outside. With a sad sigh, she closed her window and fell face first into her pillows. “I guess I’ll see him tomorrow…”

Falling asleep she dreamed of nothing more than being in the arms of her love, eager to hear about his day and to talk of hers. She wanted to also discuss speaking with her father about their relationship finally. Her mother would also be on her side and Duran was a good and honorable young man, who only wanted to love her and protecting their beloved kingdom. His father had a good standing in the kingdom and he fought valiantly in the war. It was clear to see that he was a good choice to rule beside her and be her husband someday.

The various thoughts ran through her head, and she fell asleep with a pleased smile. She would talk with her beloved in the morning. He was never far from her side when he wasn’t busy, and she would shower him in many many kisses. She finally drifted off into a blissful sleep filled only with dreams of a beautiful day with her love.

“Althea…”

“Mmm…”

“Althea wake up…it is almost noon…” Jolting out of her sleep, Althea rubbed her eyes as Marina smiled at her with a dress in her hands. Althea gasped as she leaped from her bed, Marina close behind to get her ready for the day. She almost tripped as she raced down to the courtyard once she was dressed. The knights were taking their break and she remembered that Duran liked to relax by himself and eat in a secluded spot. He was such a people person, so she was surprised that he preferred to be alone. He would be glad to see her!

“Hmm~” Humming to herself, she smiled as she spotted him. He wasn’t eating but was instead, swinging his sword. He was entirley focused on his swings, and Althea loved how determined he looked. He was so handsome and she took the time to appreciate him as she looked him up and down. He was getting more muscular, something that she found that she liked alot. “Duran~”

“....”

“Duran~”

“....” She frowned at him now, because she was sure that he heard her the second time. He couldn’t be that focused that he was ignoring her. Walking around to face him, she planted her hands on her hips and he finally looked up at her and sheathed his sword. “What?”

“I…” She blinked in surprise at his irritated tone. “I’m sorry? I…you didn’t come to see me after you came back…did something happen?”

“No…I didn’t realize that you needed to see me so often…” Althea folded her hands together as she looked down at the ground. Something must have happened…why was he being so cold to her?

“If something happened…we can talk about it and maybe we can figure it out…”

“I told you nothing is wrong. Do I have to continue to repeat myself around you? Don’t you have some lessons to get to?” He unsheathed his sword again and began to swing it with more force. Althea looked at him with wide eyed hurt and shock. The tears sprang to her eyes before she realized it, and hearing her sniffle, it was like a switch turned in his head. “A-Althea…I’m so sorry I…”

“I-If you wish to be alone…that is all you had to say…”

“No no…my love…” He rushed forward and took her hands and kissed them. She flinched as he took her hands, even his hands were cold. Wiping her tears, he pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m just a bit stressed out…I haven’t been feeling to well lately…I should not have taken my stress out on you. I love you.”

“I-I love you too.” She pulled back and looked deep in his eyes. His eyes still sparkled the same as they always did. For some reason, he felt so distant, but now he just seemed to be back. “You must tell me if something upsets you…I want to help you.”

“I know…” He kissed her hand once more, before leaving a small kiss on her lips. “That won’t have again…but, you shouldn’t be so close to me when I swing my sword. I don’t want to hurt you accidently.”

“You could never hurt me Duran, but I will be more careful when you have your sword.” Sharing another kiss, they sat in the grass and he handed his beloved the other half of his sandwich. “Oh…you don’t have to share your lunch with me, you’ve been training all day. You need your strength.”

“Don’t worry about me. I will have a full meal when I get home. My mother makes sure that my father and I eat until our stomachs burst. You look like you just woke up so I know that you didn’t eat anything…you have some bedhead love…”

Althea gasped as her hands flew to her hair and Duran chuckled. After helping her fix her hair, she nibbled on his lunch. “Duran…”

“Hmm?”

“I think that we should talk to my father about our relationship.” Duran choked on his sandwich and beat his chest as he looked at her like she had grown a second head. “I mean it…we have nothing to hide. We are at peace and I won’t have to marry my awful fiance…we should finally grasp this chance at our happy ending.”

“I…I know that you are right, but the king might not want a peasant to marry his only daughter and heir…we might need to really convince him, and I’m not sure I will be able to.”

“You won’t have to worry about that. I recently learned that my mother didn’t come from the most royal of backgrounds.”

“Really?”

“I’ll tell you about it someday, but just think about it please? We also have my mother on our side too if you’ve forgotten.”

“Well…when you put it like that…ok…we should talk to your father. I do admit that I dislike all of this sneaking around…”

“Hehe…me too. How about we tell him…this week. It’ll give us some time to think about what we want to say, and we can get it over and done with.”

“Alright…that sounds like a plan. Although, I think I would like to spend some more alone time with you before we do that…”

“Yeah?”

“Mmhmm…” He moved closer to her and left a passionate kiss against her lips before he held her chin, and rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. “I have to admit…I have missed you…”

“I’ve missed you too,” she released a shaky breath as he planted another kiss on her lips. “Will you…come to my room…tonight?”

“Of course.” He brushed a strand of her hair over her shoulder, before he laid a kiss on her bare shoulder. “I fully intend to show you how much I have missed you…”

“Oh Duran…” She sighed lovingly before wrapping her arms around his neck and the pair kissed with the strongest passion. Althea left his side that day with the biggest smile, and she could not wait to share her bed with him again. The prospect of talking to her father was scary, but she was confident. He would probably be upset, but she would not give up! She bounced through the palace, going through her usual routines for the day.

She would look out the windows occasionally to see Duran training, and sometimes he would catch her eyes and smile up at her. She should probably talk with her mother first and discuss it with her, but that could wait until later. She had something more important that would take up her time tonight. So, the princess waited in her room, eager to share her love with Duran. She waited…and waited…and waited for her knight that never came. He said he would come, and she believed him that he would come. It was far into the night before she realized that he was not coming and she finally just went to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up in a foul mood. Marina had asked her several times what was the matter, but she never received an answer. Althea had looked for Duran, but none of the other knights had seen him that morning. She had even gone to her mother, but she didn’t see him either. She had now gone from upset to worry, and matters only grew worse as the days dragged on. The days blended together and now Althea felt nothing but panic. She would have gone to see Honora, but she was away with her family.

A full two weeks had gone by, since anyone had seen Duran. It was another week before he appeared again. She had spotted him walking through the halls of the palace. It was a lonely hall and there was nothing of note where he was walking. Althea had rushed forward to him, more happy to see him alright then upset.

“Duran! Oh where have you been?!” She gathered her skirts so she wouldn’t trip, but he was just scanning the walls and mumbling to himself. She did not care if someone heard her, she just wanted to know where he was. “My love!”

She ran around him to face her, but he just kept walking and looking around the walls. He just brushed past her, like she wasn’t even there. She ran back in front of him, but once again he just walked past her.

“Duran!”

“What?!” She flinched as he raised his voice at her. Dropping her skirts, she folded her hands in front of her, and willed her tears to go away. His eyes held an anger to them that she had never seen. An anger towards her, that she had never seen. What had happened?

“D-Duran…please…don’t yell at me-”

“Why not?! Why should I not yell at you?! Tell me Althea…please explain to me why I shouldn’t yell at you for always being up my ass?!”

“I…I don’t see why you-”

“Would you just leave me alone for once?!” He pushed past her an retreated further into the castle. Althea blinked away her tears before she chased after him. Throwing open the door he disappeared behind it, she quickly descended the stairs after him.

“Duran! Yelling and getting angry at me won’t fix whatever is wrong! We can talk about and fix whatever is wrong-”

“Enough!” Althea stopped as he yelled once more. The anger in his eyes had now become a raging inferno as he ran a hand through his hair. She looked down at him from her step with nothing but pain in her eyes. She only wanted to know what was wrong and what she could have done to make him so angry. “You have no idea how much your neediness has pissed me off!”

“Duran…I…I’m sorry, but…how could I have made you upset? You’ve been gone for weeks! Just talk to me!”

“Listen to me, Althea…” Duran ascended the stairs and stopped in front of her. Holding her face in her hands, he leaned in close and Althea closed her eyes, waiting to feel his lips against hers once more. “I want you to never seek me out again. You’ve been nothing but a pain in my ass ever since I took your virginity. I should have known this would happen…you’ve been a waste of time.”

He released his hold on her with an annoyed toss. Althea held her head to the side as tears fell down her face. Duran continued to walk down the stairs, with not even one more glance at her. Balling her fists up, Althea continued to follow him. This was not her knight, there was something definitely wrong with him! “Duran!”

He stopped once more and let out an exasperated breath before he turned to look at her. She paused once more as she looked into his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as there was nothing in his eyes. The usual sparkle in his eyes was gone, there was just a blank expression. “You have to realize that you’ve overstayed your welcome. I have no use for you anymore. Playing with you was fun, but I have things that I have to do…”

“Playing with me? What-”

“Is the princess of a kingdom really supposed to be so uneducated? Yes, playing with you. I would have never thought you would be so easy. I say a few nice things and go above and beyond and you spread your legs just like that!” He laughed as he crossed his arms and walked back up to her. Her lips quivered as he got into her face, he looked her up and down before another chuckle came from his lips.

“Y-You…d-don’t mean that…”

“Aw…don’t cry beautiful…” He held her face and wiped her tears away. A shiver ran up her spine as she looked into his emotionless gaze. His hands suddenly felt colder than they had before, she bit her lip so that she wouldn’t cry out. “I had fun at least…you were nice and tight like I thought you would be…”

“....”

“Now…get the fuck out of my sight. I had better never see you again.” He let her face go and continued his descent. “Fucking virgins…always getting attached and bitching…”

Althea shook terribly as he finally disappeared. Unable to hold herself together much longer, she collapsed on the stairs and cried her heart out. Why would he say such awful things to her? Did he truly not love her like he said that he did? Was all of it a lie? Just to get into her bed? The young princess could not understand as she kept crying and holding herself. Her heart felt like it was right on the verge of shattering.

Was it something she did? Why was he so hostile and rude? Althea could not think of where it all went wrong, but she would do whatever she could to make it right.

♛

Althea spent the next week trying to get Duran to talk to her, but he did nothing but ignore her. He would train with the other knights and just go right home. Marina was beside herself in anger as she tried to make Althea feel better, but nothing seemed to work. Althea had barely eaten since Duran had snapped on her. The princess kept a brave face in front of her parents, but it wouldn’t be enough eventually as Duran grew more and more difficult to talk to. It was not only Althea feeling these changes with him, but those around him too. He had grown more aggressive in his sparring with the other knights. He had managed to put over thirty men in the hospital and his father was beside himself in rage. Liam had even tried to calm him down, but he only received a broken nose in the process.

Althea could barely sleep at night anymore as she spent half of that time crying into her pillows. When she was awake, she would wonder the quiet halls thinking of how to rectify the situation with her love. It was late one night, that she spotted Duran in the courtyards again, and she quickly ran out, not caring one bit that she was in her nightgown.

“Duran!”

Her knight stopped with his back facing her, his shoulders tense and his fist shaking in anger. He didn’t turn to look at her, but he stayed and that was enough for her. He would only have to listen to her and they could fix everything and go back to how everything was before.

“M-My love please…I-I know that you are upset…and I don’t know why…but! I…I want to fix whatever I didn wrong! P-Please don’t leave me…I will do anything! I l-love you so much Duran! Just talk to me!” She held her nightgown tight as she cried out to him and he turned with a fire in his eyes and marched up to her. She stumbled back and fell on the ground as he towered over her.

“You don’t fucking get it you dumb bitch! None of this is about you! I could care less of a fuck about you! You were a good little girl to fuck! That is it! That is all you will ever be! A good thing to fuck! You have no other value than that! I do not love you! I do not care about you!” He knelt down and a dark smile crossed his face. “You see what I’m saying girl? You are nothing to me…a spoiled little princess so desperate for love that you let the first man who was nice to you get in between your legs.”

“D-Don’t say that…”

“Oh…but it is so true. It was not hard to be everything that you wanted. This game has been fun, but I’m afraid that I am bored with you. In fact, I bored with everything around here. Goodbye little princess, I do hope that whoever has you next will have a better time than I did…if that ever happens.”

He patted her head and stood up to leave her in the dirt, but she grabbed his pants. He looked down at her and rolled his eyes at her tear stained face. “I-I’m sorry! D-Don’t leave me Duran please! I can be better! Whatever it is that you want I will do! Y-You…w-we are in love…d-don’t throw it all away! We talked about our future so much! Will you really give up on us?! Just like that?!”

“Yes.”

He moved his leg from her grasp and walked away from her, smiling at her pained cries. The princess laid in the dirt until a patrolling knight happened to find her there. She continued to cry as he carried her through the halls, the other various knights took up his flank. The king and queen were more than confused as they were woken from their sleep. Seeing their distraught daughter however, send them both in a raging fit. The princess was completely unconsolable as she cried against her mother, neither of her parents able to figure out what was wrong. The king had yelled all the night trying to figure out what had happened, but no one had an answers for him.

Althea soon cried herself to sleep in her mothers arms.Not wanting her to sleep alone, her parents laid in bed with her. The king was intent on finding out in the morning the cause for his daughter sadness, but the queen had a feeling she knew what was wrong. She would have quite the talk with her daughter’s knight when the morning comes around.

Althea was an empty shell of herself for the next two weeks. She barely talked or ate, she had even less sleep than before. Marina and her parents did everything to get her to talk, but she would not make a sound. Hestia had contacted Duran’s family immediately, but she was surprised to hear that they had not seen Duran in over two weeks. They were just as confused as their queen was. Hestia kept her anger in check for the most part, but seeing the devastation on the face of her daughter made that hard. Kyros was even worse off as he relentlessly tried to figure it all out, and Hestia realized that she would have to tell her husband about the secret romance. He was beginning to take his anger out on the knights during training, and that was not something he should be doing at all.

The queen sat at her desk highly frustrated as she looked over her papers. How could she focus on things going on in the kingdom when her daughter was like this? She leaned back in her seat with a tired sigh, but a knock at her door made her fix her posture. “Come in…”

“Your Majesty?” Hestia smiled as Honora peeked into the room, holding some paperwork in her arms. “We have returned from our trip. My mother caught a fever so she sent me to bring these to the palace for you. If I missed something I could have them back here before the day is over.”

“Oh thank you Honora, you can place them on the desk.” Rubbing her temple, she looked at Honora and wondered if she could break through to Althea. “Honora…I need you to check on Althea…”

“Of course, your majesty. I…is something wrong? You seem…agitated.”

“Something happened with Althea and no one has been able to console her for the past week. I thought having a friend closer to her age would help that out some…”

“Oh! Of course! I’ll head to her right now!” Honora sprinted out of the study before the queen could say another word. Gathering up her skirts, she dashed up the stairs until she was finally at Althea’s room. Leaning an ear to the door, she couldn’t hear anything, but she gently pushed the door open.

Althea was seated at her window just writing in a book at her desk. Walking further into the room, Honora placed a hand on her shoulder and Althea looked up and Honora held back a gasp. Althea was always a vision and she always looked perfect, but this was not who Honora was looking at right now. Her eyes were bright red and tears stained her pretty face, and her hair was a complete mess. The bags under her eyes looked as if she hadn’t slept in months. A plate of untouched food was by her side and Honora noticed how sickly she suddenly looked.

“Honora…” Honora blinked her thoughts away as Althea said her name in a raspy tone. Had she not been speaking? Fat tears rolled down her face as she threw herself into Honora’s arms and cried. “H-Honora you have to help me!”

“O-Of course! You have to tell me what is wrong! Did something happen?”

“Only the worst possible thing in the world! You have to tell him to talk to me again! He doesn’t love me anymore! Please please please fix this! I-I’ll do anything!”

“Shh shh…just tell me what is going on…”

Honora listened quietly as her friend and princess recounted everything that had happened in her absence. It was hard for her to talk about it as she sniffled and cried, but Honora still understood all of it. Honestly, she couldn’t really believe her ears because nothing about it sounded right. It didn’t sound like her friend that she grew up with. He loved Althea and that was clear to see, so to hear everything that she was saying right now? It was a hard pill to swallow. Althea could barely recount most of the story as she burst into tears. Honora held her close as her anger spiked and she felt ready to punch through a wall.

“I’ll talk to him and fix this…”

“You will?!”

“Of course…I’ll just have to find him…”

“N-No one has seen him for some time…”

“Well…I know the places he likes to hang out at. You need to eat Althea…once I smack him around, I’ll have him back here on his knees begging for your forgiveness.” She wiped away Althea’s tears before she left her. Once she closed her door, Honora took off with the rage of an angry bull. The knights quickly cleared a path for her as she made her way out of the palace. She didn’t even bother changing from the pretty dress she was wearing. She was far too angry to be concerned with what she was wearing.

She had stopped at several places that he often went to after a long day, but she grew more and more frustrated when she could not find him. The various catcalls were also not helping as she stormed through the streets. She went down the back alleys of the last place she thought he might be at, but was more irritated to find nothing once more.

“Where the hell are you?”

“Ahh!”

Hearing someone yell, Honora ran toward its source and was relieved to finally find Duran, but it was not a sight she expected to see either. A man laid facedown in the dirt and Duran just looked at him before rolling his neck. Upon closer inspection, she saw a pool of blood form under the man.

“Duran!” He turned at the sound of his name just as she stomped forward and slammed him against a wall. “What the hell are you doing?! Did…did you just kill this man?!”

“That’s what it looks like isn’t it? Now would you piss off…I have other things that I need to do…” He tried to move from her grasp, but she slammed him back against the wall. Now he was starting to get angry as he looked down at her. She almost faltered under such a cold glare, but brushed it aside.

“Bullshit! How could you say those things to Althea! How could you just kill this man?!” Her hands shook angrily as he just stared at her. “You have to make it right with her! There was no reason for you to break her heart like that!”

“….”

“Say something!” She flinched as he grabbed her arm, it wasn’t the fact that he did, but it was because how cold his hand was, like he had taken a dip in a frozen lake. What the hell had he been doing?!

“Is it just a thing in this kingdom for the women to be insufferable…” Twisting her arm, he jolted from her grasp and slammed her against the wall, twisting her arm behind her back. “I think I’ve had my fill with the lot of you…”

“Get off! Duran…damn you! What the fuck is the matter with you?” She tried to break out of his grasp, but he was so much stronger than she was. It was almost unreal how much he was, she would have easily broken out of this. “Fuck! Just go and talk to her!”

“Why would I do a thing like that?”

“She loves you dumbass! I will kick your ass the second I get out of this hold!” Honora groaned as she pressed her face against the wall. She was about to try and push him off, but he just pushed her further against the wall.

“Why are you really here Honora?” His voice at her ear made her pause, but it also held a sick undertone to it that she didn’t like one bit. “Is it to be a good friend like you think you are? Is it the guilt you still feel at judging the princess so harshly? Or…is there something more beneath the surface?”

She stuggled against him and her face burned up as he pressed himself against her. His other hand held tight to her arms, as his other tailed her bare back, before playing with the beads there. He chuckled before he turned her to face him, holding her wrists above her head. She kicked between his legs but he just moved out of the way. She flinched away as he reached forward and playing with her necklace.

“You know…between you and Liam…I thought you were the more honest one, but who am I kidding? Women are sneaky creatures…”

“What the fuck are you talking about?!” She tried kicking at him again, but he just swatted her attempts away. “I’ve been nothing but honest! If anyone hasn’t been honest it is you! You never really cared about her at all did you?!”

“Who can say?” He got close to her face, his eyes raging a stormy blue. “Now…you interrupt me again and I’ll fucking kill you.”

“....” What had happened? He was fine after they had come back from the war. She narrowed her eyes as she thought back to what had happened recently. All she could think of was the expedition, but everyone else who came back didn’t show…this personality change. She had read once that head injuries could sometimes affect the mind, maybe that was what this was. It has to be, because if it wasn’t she wouldn't know how to deal with. Hell, she couldn’t handle it now.

“You seem to like your pretty dresses and the attention that you’ve been getting, haven’t you? You are no longer just an ex knights daughter…a lowly farmer. You actually hold some value that you never did as a knight.”

“Shut up! I have never been ashamed of my life! Much less abouth my father! I have never cared about jewels and dresses!”

“Don’t lie! I can see it all over your face!” He slameed his fist into the fall beside her head, before he chuckled. “You will never be anything in this life. The knight commander? Don’t make me laugh…if you led this army it would nothing more than a laughing stock. You prance around in this dresses and hold your head up high and look down at the people who are now under you. They sneer and plot behind your back Honora.”

“You’re a liar!”

“Or…ah…I see now….there is some jealousy under the surface. Did you hope that someone would notice you more if you wore the pretty dresses and grew out your hair? You want someone to look at you the way I do at the princess? What did you really come out here for?”

“I…I came to get you to talk to Althea! She’s heartbroken…you…you mean everything to her…” Honora looked away from, missing the wide smile that crossed his face. Feeling content, he released her and she fell to the ground, rubbing her wrists and glaring up at him. “What is wrong with you?”

“I’m merely bored with all of this. This kingdom, you people, that girl, it was a fun experiment while it lasted, but I think it has run its course…”

“What are talking about?” She stood up slowly as he sighed and shook his head. That same expressionless look was once again on his face, and now she was truly convinced that something had gone wrong in his head. “This isn’t a game! The princesses feelings aren’t some game or experiment that you can just toy with!”

“You can say that, but there was a time that you wished to be rid of the princess…”

“What? No I didn’t! I would never want-”

“Her gaze began to shift towards me and it sparked a fire in you. Her insulting you in your home was just the final straw. You couldn’t stand to watch someone who had never know hardship, struggle, loss, and genuine hopelessness get what you could never have! You couldn’t believe she would be so stupid as to wanting genuine friendship, but you never wanted that! You never wanted her close!”

“N-No I…I…”

“It was always me Honora!” He stepped forward and looked down at her as her lip quivered. “You just wanted me to notice you! How pathetic and petty to think I would give a damn about you if you tried to be some lady of the court! You will never know the pleasures of love and you will never be Althea! You are a farmers daughter who thought that she mattered…who thought she could change. Thought she could change my heart, but here’s something you should know Honora…”

He knelt in front of her before he snatched the necklace from her neck and inspected the precious jewels on it. “You have no value…not even worth a good fuck. Your pretty dresses and new holier than thou attitude will never make me want you. Why would I want such a desperate and pathetic woman at my side?”

“....”

“Now pick yourself up,” she flinched as he threw her necklace at her face before he got up and walked away. “Seeing that pitiful look on your face is making me want to hurl.”

Honora looked at her destroyed necklace with teary eyes. He was a monster, a far cry from the person she once knew. He destroyed more than a necklace, he destroyed her pride. How was she going to explain this to Althea? Could…could she even face Althea after this? It…she hated that what he said was so very true. She hated feeling like this. Her tears fell against her balled up fists, but she would not allow herself to cry. It would do no one any good, she had to make all of this right.

Just as she picked herself up, gathering the last bit of her will, a particular and odd sight went across her vision. Looking up at the sky, she was shocked to see a familiar sight before her eyes. Despite the warmth of the sudden season, and it being far off. There was no mistaking what she was witnessing.

Falling from the sky, in showers of white, was an ominous snowfall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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