We were both young when I first saw you. I close my eyes and the flashback starts… I'm standing there, on a balcony in summer air…
Feliciana Vargas was leaning against the rails of her bedroom balcony underneath the sweltering hot sun on a nice summer's day. She closed her light brown eyes as the wind softly caressed her, the air feeling cool on her exposed arms and legs. She was wearing a simple, sleeveless white dress, with her auburn hair down and barefoot. An old Italian tune was being hummed as she gazed out at the scene in front of her: a large garden and forest, with a fountain in the center. Beautiful, colorful flowers surrounded the entire area and gave a pleasant aroma.
"Today feels so good!" the young woman exclaimed, reaching her arms up in a stretch. "I don't want today to ever end!"
"I think so as well." a low Italian voice said behind her. Feliciana turned around to see her grandfather, Romulus Vargas, standing at the balcony door. He had on a dark tailored outfit matched with a red tie. His brown hair was messy as always and his arms open and waiting for a hug. She giggled and rushed over to hug him, laughing when he twirled her lightly.
"Now then," Romulus began to say as he placed her back on the ground. "Do you have everything you need for the ball tonight?"
"Yes! I'll be getting dressed and ready shortly, grandpa." Feliciana replied, smiling.
The older man smiled back and nodded. "Good. Remember, it starts in a few hours. I'll send someone to come help you get ready soon. After all, it's our biannual masquerade ball! And there will be a lot of people here tonight; business partners and whatnot. But we made sure to invite yours and your sister's friends so that way it will be all fun for you and no fun for me."
Feliciana laughed as she reached for her grandfather's hands. "Ve, don't worry grandpa. I'm sure there will be a lot of pretty girls there as well!" He laughed at her reply. "I know, I know. Well, I should get going. I need to make sure your sister is getting ready as well."
"Alright grandpa, see you later!" the young Italian gave her grandfather a kiss on the cheek before he left, shutting the bedroom door behind him. Once the door was shut, Feliciana's smile fell for a moment. He had begun to look aged, and Feliciana knew it was because of the stress of his work as a wealthy businessman. She hoped that their annual ball would help relieve him…
Growing up in a place like this, an enormous and elegant house that signaled the wealth of her family, left the girl feeling both powerful and caged. She liked the space, and she like how everyone treated her nicely. It was wonderful having all these different kinds of people talk to her with a high status. The kinds of adventures some of them talked about! One lord from France, a good friend of her grandfather's that visits often, went about Europe and told her of the different countries and their spectacular cultures. It was all so interesting!
But… because she was a woman of a high status, she couldn't just go out for "silly" reasons. It was improper and unapproved by the society in which they lived in. Though that can't stop Feliciana from dreaming about going out one day… she knew her sister, Lovina, had always wanted to travel around Spain ever since they went there with their grandfather on a business trip once when they were younger.
Maybe one day… One day Feliciana would be able to travel around, free and happy. One day when she gets out of this impractical city in Italy. Feliciana looked back up to the ever endless blue sky above her. She just wished that for once, something could happen. Something amazing and life-changing that will spin her world around. Something that would take her by surprise that would be wonderful and everything she ever dreamed about…
A light knock on her door stopped her thought process as she walked back into her light green room. Opening the door was a small, young Japanese woman with short black hair and brown eyes, wearing the common pink dress that all maids in the house wore. A white apron covered her front and she had on a bandana on top of her head.
"Miss Feliciana? We must get you ready for tonight." She said, going over to Feliciana's closet door, opening it and shifting through the many colorful outfits.
The Italian bounced over to the maid, hovering over her shoulder. "I thought I told you to just call me Feli, Sakura! We've been friends for so long!" Feliciana pouted.
Sakura Honda, use to the girl invading in her personal space, continued with what she was doing, but had a light blush on her cheeks.
"I am employed by your grandfather, and thus I must pronounce your name as such." She picked out a light green colored dress with a somewhat low collar and puffy transparent sleeves that went down to her elbows. It was long and flowed down to the ground in an elegant style. A dark ribbon was to be tied around the back, and the sleeves came down to about the elbows and also puffed out.
Feliciana smiled at the dress; it was one of her favorites. She gave Sakura a nod as the other woman began to gather accessories for the outfit.
"But we have known each other since we were kids! And there is no one watching us now. Please, Sakura?" She asked, pouting some more as she clasped her hands together.
Sakura gave one glance over to her friend and sighed, a light smile on her face.
"Yes, Feliciana."
The girl jumped and embraced the Japanese woman, who was well prepared for it and tried not to feel awkward in the hug.
"Ve!" Feli said, stepping away from the girl. "Are you going to dress up tonight as well? I can help you too!"
Sakura blushed. "I-I was given permission to go, but I do not have anything to wear-" she stopped talking when she saw Feliciana pulling out a box from under the bed.
"What is that?"
"It's your dress!" Feli opened the box and waved the girl over.
"My… dress?"
Taking a peek into the box, Sakura gasped. It was an elegant, lavender kimono with pink flower patterns covering the wrap and a dark purple ribbon. Sakura took the outfit out gently and stared at it in awe. It was silky to the touch and looked beautiful.
"This… this is…"
"When grandpa had his trip over to Japan a while back, I asked him to bring this back for you. I know how much you miss it over there, and I thought it would be a good present for the ball tonight." Feliciana smiled.
Sakura turned to her and bowed deeply. "I am extremely grateful for this gift."
And in the next second she stood straight up and ran over to her friend, hugging her. Feliciana stood shocked for a moment, but smiled and returned the hug.
"This is the best present I could have ever received. Thank you very much." She said into Feli's dress, slightly muffled.
"No problem. That's what friends are for, right?" Sakura looked up and nodded with a smile on her face.
"So," Sakura said, walking over to Feliciana's dresser and picking up a green and silver mask. "I believe we have a ball to get ready for."
The ball, this year themed a masquerade ball, was held on the ground floor of Feliciana's home. The main room looked absolutely breathtaking with the dim lights, simple multicolored decorations, and soft enchanting music. Her house was also filled with many different people, all dressed in beautiful gowns and suits, each wearing a mask that either hid half or all of their face.
Against a wall closest to where several of the guests were waltzing was where Feliciana was in her long green dress with her hands behind her back, swaying to the music. Sakura had added a few touches to the outfit, such as the short, silver gloves, silver necklace with matching earrings, and a few flower decorations in her ponytail hair. Like many other guests, she was wearing a mask on her face that covered the area around her eyes and her nose. The front of the mask was silver with an exquisite design in swirls that faded to green on the right side where it fanned out a little beyond her face in another swirl pattern. Feliciana watched the different kinds of people dancing.
Not too far from her was her older sister, Lovina, in a long, frilly red dress with her brown hair down and curled, and her mask was a deep red color that looked similar to Feliciana's. She was currently slightly glaring with her olive eyes at her dancing partner, who only smiled back at her. He had curly brown hair, vivid green eyes with sun-kissed skin and the largest, kindest smile Feliciana has ever seen. He was dressed in a simple black tux with a gold mask across his face. The man was quite skilled in dancing and was following the music perfectly, as was Lovina.
Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. He's her grandfather's business partner and a close family friend. He had come over quite often to spend time with the Vargas family whenever he was in town, though Feliciana could tell he wanted to come especially because of Lovina. Though at first her sister was not pleased with this and would yell and throw tomatoes at him, she eventually came to love him as he loved her. They were currently engaged and couldn't have looked any happier on that floor together, even if Lovina would later deny it.
A few feet away from her sister and her soon-to-be brother-in-law was Sakura, twirling in the lavender kimono Feliciana had given her earlier with a large flower hairpiece and a purple mask, dancing with one of the Vargas family gardeners, Heracles Karpusi. He was a tall, sculpted man with long, wavy brown hair and green eyes. Wearing a simple suit with a simple white mask, he guided his much smaller dancing partner with the music. Feliciana knew that Sakura had a crush on Heracles and was happy that she was enjoying herself. Who knows, maybe they would get together after this event! Feliciana would have to discuss this later with her best friend.
On the other side of the room was a couple who looked like they were trying to figure out who was going to lead the other. They travel to Italy frequently due to business and Feliciana had been able to talk to them a few times. Lord Arthur Kirkland of England was very wealthy and powerful. Sometimes he would travel for a short while and trade things of high value to other. Lord Kirkland had messy blonde hair, dark green eyes, and the largest eyebrows Feliciana had ever seen on a person. He was wearing a black uniform jacket and slacks with many medals on his chest with a blue strip across. The mask he wore matched perfectly, hiding half of his face in a mixture of blue and white with tiny beads attached. He was elegant, sophisticated, and all-in-all a perfect gentlemen.
When it came to his wife though, it was like a new personality stepped in and kicked the perfect image of Lord Kirkland out. She had short, dirty blonde hair that was curled and sky blue eyes, laughing loudly as her husband tried to lead her into the dance. Her dress was bright red that fit her figure and hugged her curves in all the right places; the style of the dress was very different compared to the other ladies in the room. On her face, her mask matched her husband's, only it was on the opposite site and red instead of blue.
Lady Allison Jones hailed from the United States, far out across the ocean, and was not afraid to speak her opinion. Feliciana secretly admired her and hoped that one day she could be like that, but not in the extreme way that Lady Allison took it. She was determined to save everybody and to always be there for anyone, had brute strength, and loved doing things that men did. Feliciana imagined that their story on how they met must be an interesting one. Their personalities clashed with one another so much that it was a wonder on how they even got married.
Feliciana sighed. She didn't have anyone like that. Not like what Lovina, Sakura, and Allison had. Many of the men she met tonight she only danced with because she was the daughter of the host and it was common courtesy. The Italian took another glance at her friends, silently envying them.
Just as she was about to leave the room for some fresh air, something caught her eye. A tall man in a white military uniform with red sleeves and a gold sash was walking her way. He had slicked-back blonde hair and a stride in his walk that told her he was confident, but also… nervous? The medals on his chest clinked with each step he took. As he got closer, she noticed that his mask covered the upper part of his face, similar to hers, but was black with a gold tinge around it. And his eyes were an incredible shade of blue that she had never seen before…
He came in slow motion to her, with everything else around them being blurred from her sight. The sounds of the party were nonexistent. Feliciana could only focus on this man, who had made her heartbeat go twice as fast and made her look at him like he was the only source of light in the room. When he reached her, after what seemed like hours, he stopped a few feet from her with a look that matched hers: stunned.
"Hello." He breathed out in a deep, German accent.
After swallowing, she replied back politely. "Hello."
"Have we… met before?" The man said, still looking shocked. She shook her head, her eyes never drifting away from his.
"No… I don't believe so. I would have remembered if we did."
A comfortable silence fell between the two. For some reason, the more Feliciana stared at this man, the more she wanted to never let go of him. She put her hand to her chest, in an attempt to calm down her heart as she looked at him. They were both breathless, both just struck with something they couldn't put their fingers on.
A new song filled the atmosphere, pulling the two out of their trance as the couples on the dance floor gently began to waltz with one another. The man in front of her offered his white gloved hand and bowed to her.
"May… May I have this dance?"
Giving a smile, she curtsied and placed her own gloved hand in his.
"It would be my pleasure."
Only after an hour of dancing and waltzing, the two had become closer than they could have imagined. They shared many similar interests, such as baking and of wanting to travel more out of their hometowns, and of how they each had an older sibling who always caused some sort of ruckus in their respected homes. It was strange yet magical how they seemed to get along quite nicely.
Currently the two were outside in the middle of the garden, a little away from the ballroom, sitting on a cement bench staring at the white, simple fountain with a sculpture of a man on top. Each still had their masks on and had no idea of the other's identity, though it was the last thing on their minds at the moment.
"You haven't had pasta? I'm going to need to cook you some sometime! It's absolutely amazing, ve!" Feliciana said, throwing her arms into the air to emphasize her point. The man lightly laughed and nodded with her.
"I'll have to try it sometime."
She smiled and sat back down, giggling while swaying her feet. After a moment of quietness, she realized something.
"You mentioned earlier, while we were dancing, that you were not… exactly invited to the ball here?"
He nodded, giving a slightly angry grunt. "I was forced to come by my brother, whose fiancé's friend gave him two invitations because he begged for them. Since his fiancé is out of town at the moment and since my brother did not like the idea of me reading all night long, he decided to drag me here to spend some "quality time" with him. A few minutes after arriving, he was already gone." He gave a soft sigh, but turned to look at Feliciana and a small smile appeared on his face.
"But I am glad that I came tonight. I got to meet someone truly beautiful."
Feliciana blushed. "And I am glad I came, ve. I got to meet someone very handsome and charming."
He reached out and gently took one of her own hands and weaved it with one of his. Feliciana looked up in surprise.
"I… I've never found someone who has affected me this way before, to be honest..." He said, adverting his eyes as he blushed. The Italian, after giving a mental thought to remember that look, brought up her free hand and turned his head towards her once again. Their faces were only a few centimeters away as she leaned forward slowly.
"I have never found someone who gave me this type of feeling as well." Feliciana whispered, closing the distance between their lips.
It was a gentle kiss, but it had sparked much more than the other could imagine. He wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her closer. Feliciana's hands cupped his face, applying more pressure. A few moments later he licked her bottom lip, asking for permission as she gave it. Their tongues danced as they had back in the ballroom, never missing a place and fully enjoying the pleasure it gave off.
With a small smack sound they separated, foreheads touching one another as they lightly panted. They both were flushed and smiling at each other.
After a few minutes, the man spoke up. "And… And to think… That I have not yet… Had the pleasure of seeing your face or knowing your name."
Feliciana giggled and replied, "Same here! So… Why don't we take off our masks first? We could do it at the same time so that way it would be more fun!"
"More fun you say..." he chuckled. "Alright."
They both reached up and touched the strings of their masks. "1…" Feliciana said, slowly undoing her strings.
"2…" The man counted, the mask on his face now being held gently in his face. Feliciana did the same. And at the same time, they both said, "3!"
The moment their masks were down from their faces, they looked back up, flabbergasted.
"Y-You're Romulus Vargas's granddaughter?"
"You… you're a Beilschmidt!"
Before either one of them could say another word, a yell came from inside the ball. The two turned to the noise only to see Romulus himself quickly running and punching the Beilschmidt man on the right side of his face. Feliciana brought her hands up to her mouth and gasped. The man fell to the floor on his knees, holding his chin.
"A Beilschmidt, you say?" Romulus said, glaring down at the man at his feet. "Spitting image of your father and grandfather you are, Ludwig. But I'm afraid you know the rules, which I am quite surprised that you broke them seeing as your older brother would usually be the one to do something like this."
"Ludwig?" Feli thought as Ludwig stood up, his cheek red and slightly puffy.
"Grandpa, what is this all about? Why did you hurt Ludwig?" She asked, rushing to Ludwig, holding his cheek. She gingerly touched it; a frown upon her face. "He didn't do anything wrong! Why did you punch him?"
Romulus frowned as he looked back and forth between the two. "Feliciana, we have rules that have been here for about a hundred years, and because the two families, Vargas and Beilschmidt, could not get along we had agreed to never set foot into the other's home! Surely I have told you this before?"
Feliciana only shook her head, not pondering too much on where she had heard this before.
"That was a hundred years ago! Why can't you be civil now? This is ridiculous! Ludwig is a good person and he hasn't hurt anyone and-"
"Feliciana Veneziana Vargas! These are the rules and we are going to follow them!" Her grandfather yelled at her, causing her to give a shriek cry. She backed up slightly with her head down, tears threatening to pool down her cheeks. Romulus walked over to Feliciana and pulled her aside, away from Ludwig. "And you!" he said, pointing at Ludwig who watched this all with a mixture of sadness and anger.
"Stay away from Feliciana. Don't you dare try to get near my granddaughter again. We have an agreement between our families and I hope you won't break it again."
Ludwig's sharp eyes quickly looked over to Feliciana, who noticed that his eyes had softened for only just a moment. He turned to Romulus in front of him, his eyes now holding determination in them.
"…Yes, sir."
Romulus nodded and wrapped an arm over Feliciana's shoulders, guiding her back into the house. He lifted his right hand high into the air and yelled back to the Beilschmidt. "I trust you know the way out!"
Not looking back behind them, Romulus returned indoors with his granddaughter. He took Feliciana to an area where there were no people around, looked at her and sighed. She in turn gazed over to her grandfather with a gloomy look.
"I'm sorry I did that back there. I shouldn't have hit him and I knew it, but we have rules that we cannot not honor and by those rules we are governed by I had to do what I did. Feliciana," he said, holding her by her shoulders. "You can't get close to him. It will only cause problems and he is a Beilschmidt-"
"So what if he's a Beilschmidt?" Feliciana yelled. "So what? I had a lot of fun tonight with him and I could feel something special about him! I can just feel it deep down…!"
"No, you cannot Feli!"
"Yes I can! And I hate these stupid rules that you follow! They have no connection to us here, in the present! We can overlook-"
"We cannot!" He said sharply to her. "From long ago, the two families just could not get along! In an attempt to stop either one of us from having any ill-will, we agreed simply to not be in one another's presence if we can avoid it! We don't want another feud so we will not allow that Ludwig Beilschmidt on these grounds! Do I make myself clear?"
Feliciana could only look back at her grandfather with an impassive face, silently fuming.
"Yes, grandpa. If you will excuse me, I am going to leave for the night to my chambers. Buonanotte." Feliciana walked away with as much grace she could muster up.
The moment she was away from the eyes of the guests and her grandfather, she flew up to her room, ripping off the jewelry that was around her neck and ears and took off her gloves. Once the door was shut, she threw the items onto her dresser, rushed to her bed with a flop, taking a pillow and curling next to it, crying.
The one time I find somebody… Somebody I think I may have fallen in love with… It is broken. Once again, by these stupid, stupid rules!
The Italian stayed like that for quite a while, letting everything out. Her frustrations with society rules, her anger at imprudent family fights from long ago, and the idea of being torn away from Ludwig forever.
She did not hear the door open and did not notice that someone had sat on her bed. Only when the person touched her back in a soft, welcoming way did Feliciana turn to look. Sakura sat there with a sad face, rubbing the girl's back comfortingly.
"S-Sakura?" Feliciana hiccupped, sitting up right next to her. "W-what are you d-doing here? You sh-should be w-with Heracles!"
The other girl only shushed her and continued massaging her back. "Heracles understood the situation when we saw you run to your room. I could not stay down there having fun while knowing my close friend is sad and hurting."
Softly smiling, Feliciana wrapped her arms around her. "Thank you…"
Hugging her back, Sakura replied, "It is no problem. But I think I know what can help."
Sakura smiled and pulled Feli up, leading her to a door behind a dark red curtain in the far corner of her room. Confused, Feli asked "Why are we going outside? And I thought the passage was blocked?"
"I fixed the passage few weeks ago with some help, so it should be alright now. And it is what's outside that will cheer you up."
They opened the door and began to walk down an old spiraling staircase, each step creaking with the next. It was old, made from stones and it was only used in an emergency or if Feliciana desperately needed to get out of the house. It was only one of a few escape passages on the third floor of her house.
As they reached their decent, Sakura stopped. "This is as far as I go. I will cover for you if anyone asks. Please take your time."
"What…? What do you mean? Sakura!" But it was too late, for the girl had already walked back up the staircase and out of sight.
"I don't understand her at times." Feli shook her head. She walked down the staircase a few steps more, only to gasp at the sight in front of her.
There sat Ludwig, the man she might had just fallen for a few hours prior, sitting on the staircase. He was looking out of the only window in the staircase. It was tiny and barely let any light come through. Ludwig was watching the half-moon with little interest.
Feliciana started to cry again, alerting the man of her presence. Leaping into him, she held on and cried into his suit, grasping it with her hands. He placed his hands on her back and leaned his head into the crook of her neck, embracing her.
"Please…! Please don't go! Please please, oh please don't go!"
Ludwig brought her closer to him, whispering into her ear. "I'm not going anywhere."
They stayed like that for only a few short minutes, but to Feliciana it felt like years. Years since she had last been in the arms of this man and feeling this feeling. He brought his head back slightly, only to cup her chin and kiss her on the lips. She eagerly returned the gesture.
"I don't," he said as he left her lips to kiss her cheek. "Want to go anywhere. I was going to leave as your grandfather had requested, only for a short woman with black hair in a purple dress to stop me. She said she saw everything and asked for me to wait here."
Feliciana made a note to do something special for Sakura the next day. Ludwig continued. "But… Only after meeting you for the first time today, I…"
Ludwig turned his head to the side, blushing. "I felt something… Unlike anything I've ever known before. I don't just want to let this go… I-If I may be so bold to ask… I want to…" He turned back to her with the blush prominent on his face.
"I want to go out with you."
Smiling, Feliciana reached her hand up to her eye and wiped off a stray tear, only to start sobbing with her hands on her face. Confused and losing hope of courting this special girl, Ludwig reached down a bit and gently took her hands. "Y-you don't have to if you don't want-"
"I do, I do, I do!" Feliciana said, hugging Ludwig. In return, he hugged her back, placing his hands behind her and bringing her closer.
Staying in this man's arms made Feliciana feel so comfortable and so… right. It was just right to be with Ludwig like this…
Suddenly, her smile stopped for a moment.
"Ludwig, we'd have to meet somewhere where we can be alone. Our families… And…! And… you don't care that I'm a Vargas?"
He looked down to Feliciana, giving her a small smile. "The family issue thing was over a hundred years ago and I never saw how it related to this current point and time, just as you had thought. No, I don't care that you're a Vargas, but you are right about meeting somewhere private. I wouldn't want to get hit by your grandfather again."
"I'm sorry that he punched you."
"I'll be fine. I'm a soldier. It'll have to take something more than that to hurt me." Feliciana giggled. "So how about we meet here, tomorrow night?"
Feliciana nodded her head. "Mm! I'll be waiting! Be sure to run past the guards but if you take the east side you should be fine. Ve, this is like a fairytale, isn't it Ludwig? Like you are a prince and I'm a princess! Like a love story!"
"A love story… I suppose." Ludwig smiled softly at her. "So, until then?"
"Until then."
"Until then, my princess." They kissed one more time, more passionate than the last as Ludwig started to part ways with Feliciana. Their hands, still clasped together, lingered there as long as possible before he dropped her hand and turned. Feliciana watched his silhouette move down the stairs and through the door, passing through the garden, past the gate, and off into the darkness.
Feliciana practically ran to the gardens after she had announced to her family that she would be retiring for the night. Sakura offered to cover up for her if anyone decided to come to her room. After giving her a heartfelt hug and a quick thank you, she went out through the door in her bedroom.
Now in the garden late at night, Feliciana looked around frantically for the tall blonde haired man. The garden lights were on and very dimly light, creating a soft outlook on the various arrangements of flowers and bushes. The night sky had grown darker and the stars were shining brightly. The young girl had just passed the long row of rose bushes when she saw him.
Crouching somewhat low to the ground was Ludwig, completely in military mode from the look of it. He was wearing black slacks with a black tank top, his jacket hanging off of his shoulders.
"Ludwig!"
Surprised, Ludwig looked up to see Feliciana running towards him in nothing but her white night gown. It only took seconds before she toppled over him, squealing and laughing.
With a light blush on his face, he placed his finger on her lips, shushing her. "Feliciana, we need to keep quiet. Do you want your family to know that we're secretly meeting up?"
She blinked and nodded as Ludwig sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sat up as Feliciana did the same. "This is stupid, we could get caught and with you dressed like that-"
"Dressed like what?" Feliciana asked.
Ludwig's blush only deepened as he shook his head. "I-It's just that… W-Well… Why are you wearing… That?" Feliciana looked down and motioned to her dress. "This? But I told my family I was going to bed and it'd look silly if I wasn't dressed as such, ve! Even though I don't normally even wear this… You're not mad at me, are you Ludwig?"
"No, it's just… I hate disobeying your grandfather and the fact that we could get caught at any moment…"
"Then, why don't you close your eyes?"
Ludwig gave her a weird look. "My eyes?"
Feliciana nodded. "To escape this place; just for a little while. Just imagine that we are not at my place and that we're in a big open field somewhere with lots of flowers." She gave a giggle and pulled him down with her so that they could lay side-by-side.
"Isn't it better this way? That way we can just talk and watch the pretty stars go by. Don't worry, my family should be retiring to their rooms soon and there are tall bushes surrounding us so we can't get caught that easily!"
It took a few minutes, but Ludwig finally relaxed and closed his eyes as he listened to her animatedly talked about her day and of how much she missed him.
A few hours later they were still lying on the grass and everything was going great, so Feliciana had thought. Even if she did most of the talking, he would listen to her every word and even gave his opinion back on some things! It was wonderful to just talk to Ludwig like this.
Now for a few minutes, there had been silence and Feliciana began to really think about what they were doing. Ludwig noticed how she had spaced out and grabbed her hand, causing her to look over at him.
"What's on your mind?"
"Ve? Oh, it's nothing! Really! Really…"
Ludwig brought her hand up to his mouth and gently kissed it. "We've been talking about so much these past few hours. Surely you can let me know what is on your mind, princess?"
She turned to Ludwig, giving him a quick smile at the name, and laid on her side. Ludwig followed suit, turning towards her.
"It's just that… you are amazing and fantastic and everything I could ever hope for. And what we have going on here is like a scarlet letter; forbidden. And my grandfather telling me to stay away from you… You mean everything to me and I don't want to lose that. I don't want you to ever go." Feliciana brought a hand up and cupped his cheek, stroking it. A silent tear rolled down her face. "Please don't go."
And in a split second Ludwig had brought her closer to him, her head nestled into his shoulder. A protective arm wrapped around her waist and she found her hands being wrapped around Ludwig's waist. Ludwig wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here for you. Always. I've fallen for you so quickly, and there will come a day where we'll be able to see each other normally, but until then we'll just meet up like this."
Feliciana got as close as possible to the man's body as she whispered in his ear. "Take me somewhere we can be alone again, for I'll be waiting. No matter what, I'll always be waiting. Even if for now that all we can do is run… You are my prince, and I am your princess."
Ludwig chuckled. "A love story?" Repeating what she had said the following night.
"Yes. A love story, about me and you…"
"FELICIANA VENECIANA VARGAS, YOU WILL STAY THERE UNTIL YOU HAVE UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"
The door slammed shut as Feliciana fell to the floor in tears. Her grandfather had found out about the secret meetings between her and Ludwig, which had been going on for a few months. He found out why she was suddenly so much happier and why she was more willing to do things that she wouldn't normally do. All in all, he was not happy to find out that he was disobeyed. Lovina had reacted similarly, though she seemed somewhat more sympathetic to her than their grandfather… But who could tell what Lovina truly thought?
"Ludwig… s-save me… why do they a-always try to tell me how to f-feel? Why…? What's so wrong a-about loving s-s-someone? I don't understand!" Feliciana thought.
Time had escaped Feliciana as she sat there crying her heart out. Just what was wrong about loving a Beilschmidt? About loving Ludwig? Her family should be happy that she finally found someone to love, not upset and angered.
Still crying, she sat up and leaned against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. A knock on the door caused her to gasp and hold her breath in fear. Feliciana didn't think she could handle talking to any more family members at the moment.
She gave a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Sakura at the door. Sakura entered the room and quietly shut the door behind her, immediately rushing to her friend's side, softly stroking her hair and hugging her close uncharacteristically.
"Feliciana, I've heard about what happened. I apologize for listening in on the conversation between you and your grandfather; it was quite rude of me. Are you feeling alright?"
Feliciana nodded. "I-It's no problem, don't worry about it. I-I'm okay… Really… I just don't understand what's s-so wrong about falling in love w-with Ludwig…"
"Well," Sakura said, sitting right next to her friend and looking at her straight in the eye. "I will not lie. Your love… it is a difficult one."
Feliciana was about to interrupt but Sakura shushed her. "Let me finish, please. Your love is a difficult one… But it is real. You truly love him and I can tell. Everything about you changes when you talk to him… your eyes sparkle more… you are so in love and he loves you as well."
"B-But everyone-!"
"Do not concern yourself with that. They are stuck on an old family tradition that they do not want to break. It is making them blind to see what you and Ludwig are truly feeling for one another. There will come a time where they themselves will understand."
Sakura helped Feliciana sit up straight as she wiped the stray tears off her face.
"Don't be afraid. You and Ludwig will make it out of this mess. If this is a "love story" as you tell me, then I expect there to be a happily-ever-after, yes?"
Feliciana nodded her head, now smiling. "Yes. A happily-ever-after."
Helping her to her feet, Sakura took Feliciana's hand and pulled her towards the balcony. They were greeted by the cool air of the night and the open sky full of bright, shining stars above them.
"You just have to keep believing, Feliciana. People have to go through many trials to do what they believe is best. You and Ludwig just have many more obstacles in the way, but I am sure you will make it."
"Yeah…" Feliciana turned to her friend, giving her a smile. "Thank you so much for everything. For supporting me, for helping me, everything. I can never thank you enough."
"That is what best friends are for, correct?"
"Yes."
They stayed on the balcony for another hour, talking about small things, embracing their friendship, and thankful for having a friend such as each other.
After Romulus had found out that she was seeing Ludwig against his wishes, security around the house tightened at all hours of the day. Though Feliciana was upset about this, she was more upset about Ludwig. After her family found out, she had not seen him. Even though Sakura confidently told her she successfully was able to sneak a letter to him that informed him about trying to change the meeting place, she still had not seen him. It had been weeks, months even since she last saw him.
And at this point, Feliciana became tired of waiting. It was hurting her too much, wondering if he would ever come around again. Though she had yelled at herself time and time again, her faith in him began to fade. What else was there to do? She could not leave the house without an escort, even if she was with Sakura, and she had received no word from Ludwig. Maybe… It wasn't meant to be, as Feliciana had thought. What if everything they had was… a lie?
No, Feliciana told herself, shaking her head as she walked through the halls of her home during one afternoon in a short, light blue dress with simple shoes on. Her bangs covered her eyes, which were now beginning to water a little. It wasn't a lie, it was definitely true. This was just another obstacle… Just another thing in the way between them and she was just tired and not thinking straight. That had to be it…
She turned around the corner and bumped into someone that appeared to be rushing. Feliciana took a few steps back and looked up to find Sakura, flustered and out of breath.
"Sakura, what-?"
"Feliciana! You have to go! Now!" She rushed to her friend's side, grabbing hold of her hand and dragging her through the house as she continued talking.
"Heracles was able to get in touch with him! He's waiting on the outskirts of town for you, near the park! You must go!"
And without another word, Sakura took Feliciana outside the house and pushed her in the general direction. Feliciana turned around and tried to ask what was going on when she saw several of the guards running towards them. Sakura shouted once more to her to run, and Feliciana did without a second thought. She grabbed her dress so she wouldn't trip and ran. Despite her looks, she was quite fast and managed to outrun all of the guards trying to stop her from going through the main gate.
It only took a few seconds for her to successfully get out of the Vargas estate and to run towards her destination. Feliciana ran, and ran, and ran. The only thing on her mind was Ludwig. Ludwig was there. Ludwig was waiting for her. Ludwig wanted to see her. Ludwig, Ludwig, Ludwig!
After running for twenty minutes straight, she arrived at the park that was settled near the outskirts of the town. She twisted her head around as she quickly walked through the park, passing by a few people, looking for the tall man with blonde hair.
Getting impatient, Feliciana began to call his name out, shouting it as loud as she could. She could care less if there was someone she knew here, she had to see him. It was when she reached an old, oak tree did she see him.
Standing near the tree, he looked over at her. He was wearing a simple shirt with slacks and his usual slicked-back hair was a little messy with a few strands out of place. He was the same as Feliciana had remembered him, aquamarine eyes and everything. When Ludwig smiled, she couldn't help herself as she ran to him with tears in her eyes. It had been much too long.
Ludwig caught her and hugged her close as she openly cried. He tried to calm her down by saying how much he missed her and wanted to see her. Feliciana tried to respond, but it was too much for her.
After a few minutes, her sobs had died down, but she was still crying a little. Looking up to Ludwig's face, she said, "I... I've been feeling so alone since you left…"
She shook her head and looked down at her feet, holding onto his hands. "I k-kept waiting for you! I waited and w-waited, but you never came around! For a while I had thought that e-everything that happened was just a lie or that it was j-just in my head… I… I don't know what t-to think! Ludwig-"
She was cut off when he suddenly gave her a soft peck on the lips and, much to her surprise, knelt to the ground in front of her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet box, opening it to reveal a simple, beautiful silver ring with a small diamond on top.
"L-Ludwig…?"
"Marry me, Feli. I'm sorry I left you alone for a while, but I had to if I wanted everything to be in order. You'll never have to be alone ever again."
He smiled up at her. "I love you… and that's all I really know. I want to be with you, now and forever. Don't worry about anything. I talked to your grandfather and we've settled everything and he even gave his approval. You can go pick out a white dress, and we can get married and have everything we've ever wanted." It took a few moments for Feliciana to respond properly.
"But… The family feud… Your family… Grandpa said yes? He's really, really okay with it? Lovina too?"
"We got both families together and agreed to stop this silly nonsense, especially once they saw how in love I was with you. Your grandfather is okay with it, and though Lovina isn't happy, I think she is okay with it. Her fiancé manage to calm her down a lot."
Feliciana began to cry once more, her sobs becoming louder as she tried to wipe her eyes. She smiled at him and responded, "Ludwig… Yes, yes, of course I'll marry you!"
Ludwig didn't have a chance to stand up as Feliciana threw herself at him, holding onto him as tightly as she could. He laughed and kissed her cheek, hugging her back. After a moment they sat up in a sitting position and he slipped the ring onto her left ring finger. She held her hand close to her chest and sighed contently. They looked at each other once more and kissed, knowing full well that everything will be alright.
It's a love story, baby just say yes.
A/N:
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or any of the characters, it belongs to Himaruya Hidekaz. I don't own the song lyrics or the song itself, "Love Story."
Song lyrics used: "Love Story" by Taylor Swift
Thank you everyone and have a Happy Valentine's Day :)