Comfort.
Possible Trigger Warning. Nothing graphic, but just in case.
They met again in the forest, her beloved prince of Titania. Velvet was overjoyed to see him again but also dreaded this moment.
She knew that their relationship has progressed to a point that there are things Cornelius must know about her.
It was time to reveal to him her family's dark, dirty secrets.
After exchanging some pleasantries, Velvet led her prince to a secluded spot in the forest where she has prepared a blanket and pillows for them to rest on. It's not going to be easy to divulge her most painful, shameful secrets...might as well get all the comfort they possibly can.
"Why do you look so troubled?" Cornelius asked gently. "Princess Velvet, please don't try to hide anything from me. I'm here, let me assist you in any way I can."
"Thank you." Velvet said, touched by his gentle kindness. How she wished she could be the woman worthy of him. But with her kingdom in ruins, her people turned into Pookas, with no treasure nor land to her name, she has indeed fallen far from her previous status. But though she knew Cornelius never cared for such things, there's one more thing he has to know about her. About how she lost her virtue.
"I have something to tell you." Velvet began, already feeling her throat tighten up with emotions, making it difficult to speak. "This...this really difficult for me, but it's something you must know."
"Don't force yourself." Cornelius said in concern, "We have plenty of time..."
Velvet shook her head. "No, if I don't speak of this now, I will never be able to gather enough courage to talk about it later."
Cornelius went quiet, his face etched with worry, but all he said was "Alright, I will listen."
Velvet took a deep breath. "Let me start with my childhood...my brother Ingway and me were raised by our mother in a villa far from my grandfather's palace. Though my grandfather has never forgiven our mother for having us out of wedlock, grandfather sent us to the villa to protect her reputation and to protect us from malicious eyes."
"He was a kind man then." Velvet said, sadness reflected in her eyes as she remembered the happier days of her childhood. "He would often visit the villa and entertain us with stories from his various travels...but then one day, we were summoned without warning to the main palace. My mother...had the gift of sight. She knew that day was coming and has told us about it. Ingway and I refused to believe her, but..."
Velvet paused as pain clenched her heart. "King Valentine found out who our real father was. Had it been even a lowly commoner of our own country, he would have forgiven my mother...but it was his worst nightmare. Our father is King Odin, my grandfather's arch nemesis. Something...fundamental broke inside him then. It was as if all his anger, all his cruelty and dark side combined in one instant and took over his body. He...he killed my mother with his own hands."
Cornelius stopped her and simply pulled her into his arms to comfort her in any way he could. Velvet tried bravely to fight off the tears but it was no use. She missed her mother each day, not a single day passed by without her thinking about her. She missed her soft gentle voice, her loving touch, the kisses, the food she'd prepare just for them...
Cornelius could do nothing but make soothing sounds as he stroked her hair. He knew how she felt, having lost his own mother as a child. But it was nothing as horrific as hers, he never knew that Princess Ariel had been killed by her own father.
Did she think he'll think badly of her because of this?
But there was more, Velvet wasn't finished with her confession. "My grand— King Valentine went mad that day. He couldn't...he couldn't face what he had done, my mother was his most beloved child, his greatest treasure and yet...he had taken her life with his own hands. He became a madman, something broke inside of him, it was as if a vicious thief came in and stole my grandfather's soul and replaced it with this ruthless, heartless tyrant who only knows how to destroy and desecrate."
"He treated you badly..." Cornelius felt his chest tighten at the thought of her as a young girl, bereft with grief over the loss of her mother and now made to face the monster her grandfather has become.
"He made me learn how to dance so he could...watch me." Velvet said, her voice breaking, this is the most difficult part of her confession, and she wondered if she has enough strength to speak about it.
Cornelius sensed there was more to it, something much darker, but he didn't press her and waited patiently for her to continue.
"In his crazed, unsound mind, he could no longer differentiate between love and...lust." Velvet continued her painful tale. "Not even when the object of his lust was his own flesh and blood."
"Velvet..." Cornelius gasped, feeling his stomach turn with pain for her.
"Yes..." She confirmed. "He abused me...I tried to fight at first, but he beat me until I was at death's door. I...I didn't want to die, I couldn't waste my mother's sacrifice...she said I had a mission in this life...I just couldn't face her in the afterlife if I were to fail her...again."
"Again?" Cornelius asked, not understanding what she meant.
"Yes...when King Valentine asked us to disown our mother or die with her, we chose...to live. My mother wept...I can still see her tears."
"You were just young children...don't blame yourself." Cornelius whispered as his arms tightened around her. "I'm sure your mother understood why you had to disown her."
Velvet has no words, only tears as the emotions she'd been bottling inside broke open with the force of a dam breaking.
For a long while, Cornelius simply held her in his arms, soothing her with gentle words and caresses.
"Now that you know..." Velvet said, as her tears finally stopped. "I won't blame you if you chose to never come back again."
Cornelius went still. "What...what do you mean?"
"I'm broken, I'm not even worthy to be a commoner's bride, much less a prince's. I have no kingdom to speak of, a fugitive on the run...I even lost my virtue. That's why...I—"
He stopped her painful words with a kiss, startling Velvet. She had been preparing herself for a heartbreak...not this. Not this gentle, loving kiss that made her feel adored, cherished...beloved.
Tears that has nothing to do with pain pricked her eyes once more.
"Don't ever speak of leaving me again." Cornelius whispered when he finally released her. "I love you Princess Velvet. I'll always love you."
"Prince Cornelius..." Velvet found to her horror that tears have started to fall again, but she couldn't help it, she still couldn't believe that he'd love her despite her dirty, shameful past.
"I'll make you happy." She promised him. "Whatever it'll take, I'll do anything...I will never make you regret choosing me."
"You are all I need to be happy." Cornelius murmured, rubbing his nose against hers affectionately. "Now, no more tears...please let me see my beautiful, smiling princess once again."
But at his loving words, Velvet could only smile tearfully. She held him close as Cornelius kissed her again, and she thanked her lucky stars for sending her this man, who has done much to heal the wounds in her soul.
Velvet has always been scared of King Valentine, it was a fear that paralyzed her on the spot. I think she suffered greatly at the hands of her grandfather, and when he spoke of her dancing and comforting him, it certainly sounded darker than that. Cornelius is such a perfect fit for her, his gentle and loyal nature was exactly what she needed. And in return, when he became a Pooka, Velvet was given the chance to return his unconditional love.