Usually it would be a wise choice to stay inside behind the castle walls rather than being out inthe dark, inclement winter midnight but Jason had a promise to fulfil. The moon and the stars in the dark,cloudless night was illuminating the path as he walked. The trees were bare and covered with snow, theforest was bereft of life. Jason thought it was soberly beautiful as he slowly reached his destination.
A figure clad in a red hood emerged from the trees. The figure lifted her hood to reveal a face of an alluringbeauty.
"You are finally here", she whispered even when there was no one around. Jason pulled her infor an embrace and they stayed like that for a moment, savouring the time they have left. Before the sunrises, before Jason ascends the throne and marries another, before Reyna leaves for good.
They continue to hike up to the cliff, their sacred place. The place where they spent midnightscounting stars. They both sat down but they did not speak. Instead, they gazed out at the freezing sea andthe ships that were abandoned at the port with the fishermen in their warm cabins.
Reyna opened her mouth and said, "I have met your queen in person, she is a phenomenalwoman. You will learn to love her."
"It is quite hilarious that everyone has met my betrothed but me. I would have married you in aheartbeat."
"At the end of the day, I was born a commoner. I thought the king was merciful when he took me in. Yet,he only raised me in the palace with you so I would become and eligible bride for Malcolm to secure ouralliance. I also realised he was responsible for my parents' deaths, he sent countless soldiers out to a warof his own making."
"I despise him because of that, but if he didn't take me under his wing we wouldn't have grown uptogether. I did not believe I would be able to love again after what happened to my parents, you showedme that I could. You are the love of my life and no one can change that. Even though, you are not theperson I share my life with, you will never leave my mind. In a crowd full of people, my eyes will alwaysbe searching for you."
Reyna gave him a smile, a smile he has not seen for a long time, to reassure him that she would be okay when she ismarried off to but he can still see the tears that are threatening to fall.
"Reyna, you changed my life the moment I saw you. You are my best friend and my beloved. Youthought the cruelty that the people face beyond the walls of the castle. The truth that my royal family shielded me from. We would sneak outside, dressed as normal people and you would show me how to bean honourable king. I promise that I will make a difference and I will never let people suffer like how your parents did."
They stayed there for a while and talked about every little thing they remember about each other.
The next day, Jason ascended the throne with his queen. His life changed forever that day as
Reyna left too. He was able to catch a glimpse of her carriage as she rode away to Athens where herking was waiting.
For years and years, they could only watch each other from afar while reminiscing the lastmidnight together under the stars.