White Lilies and Black Roses
A single white lily, that's what Adakias used to give me. One for every meeting. He would hold it behind his back, handing it to me with a kiss. I had asked the caretakers to plant white lilies in the gardens, where I sat with Adakias under the starry skies.
In his memory, I sat there still, every night since I returned home. I allowed my mind to slip, and I often dreamed my love would come floating into the garden and kiss me, assuring me it was nothing but a nightmare. But for twelve months, no such thing happened. His brother, Pallis, his murderer would sometimes come near the white lilies, but only to check on me. After all, we had eloped to reunite our kingdoms, just as the prophecy Adakias died for said. I had forgiven the dark prince, but nothing more. I married him for Adakias's sake.
The cool breeze teased my silver hair. My mind wandered off, just like it always did. I felt calm, with a quiet sense of certainty that everything would be okay, because Adakias was okay. Where ever he was, he was okay...
Someone had entered the garden and sat down beside me while I had zoned out. I couldn't see their face, because I had turned to look out over the hedges towards the stars. Slowly, I twisted my head around to see who my visitor was.
Pallis, prince of the Dark sat beside me, holding a single black rose.
"Princess," Pallis looked down at the rose, his voice quiet. He appeared to be at a loss for words, so he held the flower out to me. Calmly, I took it. The thorny stem felt rough, very different from the familiar, smooth texture of the lilies behind me. The petals were, however silk-like, and very cool under my touch. The rose reminded me of the Dark; a cold, rigid exterior with a completely opposite interior. But, it wasn't at all like Adakias. No, it was more like... Pallis?
The prince got off of the bench and sank to his knees in front of me. He delicately held my hands, stroking my thumb with his.
My mind was lost, and I succumbed to my fantasies.
...
The room was filled with darkness. The shadows caressed my skin, giving me the feeling of the Dark surrounding me, just as it had when I was with Adakias. I didn't mind it, though, for the Dark had become a part of me.
The temporary peaceful moment shattered as I gasped in pain, and in pleasure. I ran my lithe hands up his cool skin, grasping his shoulders tightly. A trail of wet kisses ran down my neck and chest, ending just above my stomach. I tilted my head back, exposing my throat to his hungry lips. He cupped my cheek in his hand and pulled my head up gently. My breaths were staggered, and I could barely see his face in the dark.
"I love you," he whispered. His breathing was just as chaotic as mine, and I felt the breaths on the bridge of my nose. His forehead, normally chilled, was pressed up against mine with beads of sweat rolling down his skin and onto mine.
"I love you too," I replied, closing my eyes. "Adakias."
With his other hand, he gripped my shoulder, squeezing tightly. An alarming amount of pain shot up and down my arm. I buried my head in his shoulder and screamed. The pressure on my forearm slowly vanished, but the pain remained. He pulled himself off of me carefully, as if I were a delicate doll. A lone tear rolled down my cheek, and my lip began quivering.
He stroked my unharmed arm, pulling a thin blanket over my body. As I cried, I tried to fall asleep, not wanting to have to face him just yet. I was too much of a mess.
The next morning, light filtered into the room from behind the maroon curtains. My eyes fluttered open, and I hazily looked down at my hurt arm. I could see little thorns wedged into my skin. I looked at the red patches on my arm curiously. Where had the thorns come from?
Almost immediately after silently asking myself the question, I discovered the answer. Right next to my arm, on my beige pillow, I saw a black rose.
And once more, I had to remember my Adakias was gone.
But was he?
I'm still left with a flower.
A black rose, to be exact.
Maybe he was just changing things up, giving me something that was more like him.
Maybe it was time to move on from the white liles, and embrace the black roses.
AN: Hm. I don't know if I liked this one. But I posted it anyway... Hahaha. If you see any spelling errors, please yell at me. My spell check isn't working on here, and I wrote this on my phone, which has no spell check...
Disclaimer: I don't own Razia's Shadow.
