the enchantress
the man is made of secrets
.
.
She twists and turns in the endless sea of cashmere-like sheets, enjoying the bliss sensation of the fabric brushing against her body. As she shifts into better and more comfortable position, her thoughts carelessly wander to the previous night, preferably on Prince Kurosaki Ichigo.
In response, she closes her eyes and parts her tainted-red lips. Her mind suddenly fills with every detail of the prince, mostly of his stoic, but handsome, face. Her lips quickly become dry from her heavy breathing, and she flicks her tongue over them while recollecting her encounters with the prince.
The first thing she remembers are his dark, amber eyes. His eyes are soft, yet hard—intimidating, yet emotionless. It is an unfathomable contradiction that only enthralls her even more, but Orihime refuses to look him in the eye, for he seems to read her every thought and movement. The next thing she remembers are his messy locks. His hair is bright and quick to grab the attention of others. Various strands of his hair would casually fall over his face, hiding his emotions, feelings. The last, but most important thing she remembers are his soft and possibly delectable lips. Of course, she didn't acknowledge how his lips would truly taste like.
And, unfortunately, she would never know.
Orihime sighs, then lifts herself from the bed. Her fingers roughly grab the sheets in her hands when the last thought hits her. From the large windows ajar, a breeze blows into the room, breaking Orihime away from her musings. The sudden scent of apples and cinnamon and burning firewood from outside enters the room and swarms her senses.
It smells just like her brother.
Again, Orihime glances around the room, taking in every detail. Her eyes drift from various paintings that scatter on the crisp-clean, white walls and gradually shift to the large, white furniture. She manages to smile; it is hard for her to believe that she is temporarily living in this room. In fact, it is hard for her to believe that she is in the castle, eating meals with the royal family, and personally meeting him.
Giggling softly, Orihime raises her head towards the frosted wedding cake of the ceiling. "Who knew that being arrested would turn out like this? I must be lucky, huh, Onii-chan?"
Silence fills the room, yet the noiseless response from her brother doesn't bother her as much as it used to.
Suddenly, the door slowly opens and a person, who seems to be one of the servants, shyly pokes her head through the door. Orihime blinks, startled by the sudden intruder.
The servant nervously clears her throat. "His Grace, Prince Kurosaki Ichigo, would like for you to meet him in the dining hall."
.
.
The doors slowly open, releasing an unsettling, high-pitched noise and revealing her.
To the prince, she looks like an angel in her long, white nightgown.
Orihime slightly gasps, most likely in surprise, when her eyes meet the prince. She quickly reverts her stance to a different object before she releases her hand from the door handle and lets it fall carelessly to her sides. A sudden gust of wind from an open window enters the room, causing her nightgown to ripple and flutter. Slowly, she walks over to large table they had eaten at the previous night and sits across from him, not daring to meet his intense gaze once more.
"Come closer," he demands, a scowl is placed on his thin lips. His voice loudly booms and thunders throughout the room, causing the luxurious and delicate china sets on the elongated table to rumble.
Startled, a loud squeak escapes Orihime's lips as she begins to feel her body tremble. Wasting no time, she quickly stands from her seat and scurries to his side. Cheeks flushed and breathing unevenly, she sits in the chair next to his.
Prince Ichigo quietly groans in frustration. He should learn how to properly talk to her without being intimidating. She is much too fragile and delicate, and he berates himself for being so tactless. Moments later, servant after servant bring food on carts and trays. They place the dishes onto the table and gradually exit the dining room, leaving the two to eat alone.
Orihime gulps as she glances downward at the table covered with various and delicious food items. The meal consists of traditional miso soup, steamy okayu, freshly-baked melopans with red bean paste on the side, perfectly-broiled, salty salmon, and green tea as a beverage. Her face suddenly shifts into happiness before she grabs her servings of each item.
She hesitantly takes a bite and slowly chews her food, taking in all the textures and tastes. Gradually, she becomes carried away and eats quicker, more vigorously. Bits of food land on the edge of her mouth, resulting for her to remove it with her thumb. Then, she absent-mindedly brings the thumb to her mouth; her tongue exits her lips and swirls around the digit, making sure to savor the flavor.
The prince watches her in amusement; his eyes attention trained on her every move.
"I'm glad to see you enjoying the food," he comments, taking a bite from his food as well.
Orihime stops chewing and stares at the prince with wide, honey eyes. She was enjoying the food so much that she forgot about his presence. She swallows the remaining piece of melonpan in her mouth before answering.
"Eto, I haven't eaten food like this ever since my brother..." Her eyes suddenly lower, as well as the sweet bun in her hand, as the awful thought began to fill her head. The prince raises an eyebrow, growing curious of her brother. Her eyes shyly return to the prince. "... passed away."
The prince's eyebrows furrow, but he stops himself from questioning her brother's death. He didn't want to intrude into her past life seeing she is a commoner (the enchantress at that) as it would have been the 'unroyal' thing to do.
They remain to sit in silence, yet she is quick to break it.
"He died two years ago due to an illness," she whispers under breath, her hair shields her face from the prince, her lips begin to quiver.
Slowly, the prince lays his gloved hand on top of hers before caressing it and offering comfort. Orihime slightly gasps, alarmed of his sudden touch, as a salty droplet from the corner of hers eyes begin to roll down her reddened cheeks. She sniffles, trying her best to calm herself. But, it became hard to do so when he is staring at her.
"E-Eto, it's alright," he starts, trying to be as comforting as possible. He wasn't good when it comes to things like this—when it comes to seeing such a beautiful girl cry. He lifts his hand from hers and reaches it to her cheek, carefully wiping away the tear.
Another sniffle erupts from her body before her lips slightly curve into a smile. "A-Arigatou, Your M—Prince Kurosaki-san."
He scowls. "Prince Ichigo."
Bewildered by his words, Orihime blinks at him blankly. "P-Pardon?"
"My name is Ichigo," he clarifies. "Call me Prince Ichigo."
Her eyes widen and her body shudders from his words. She urges herself to tell the prince of how unroyal it would be to to call someone of high status in such a common way. But, it is an order, and she must follow it. She sighs in defeat and gives in.
"H-Hai, Prince Ichigo."
.
.
"Who knew the enchantress would—
look so good in white?"
.
.
A sigh releases from Orihime's lips when she slowly closes the two, large doors. She rests her body against the door, relieved to overcome the tension between the two. Slowly, she opens her brown eyes only to find an elegant, middle-aged woman standing before her. Orihime gasps when she realizes that it is no other than Queen Kurosaki Masaki.
"There you are!" The queen says, slightly stressed yet relieved to see Orihime. Orihime vividly blinks her eyes, wondering if the queen is actually talking to her like she is needed for something. Before she is able to say a word, the queen interjects, "Many servants are too busy preparing for the gala, so I have a favor to ask you of."
Bewildered, Orihime's eyebrows furrow, "A gala?"
The queen sighs, as if hearing the word 'gala' brought her to a deep pit of stress. "Un, it is tonight for the celebration of my son's and Lady Rukia's wedding in ten days. Lady Rukia is borrowing the servants for the day to help prepare for the event, and I have to run errands myself..."
Suddenly, Orihime's eyes shift downward as disappointment fills her mind. She completely forgot about the wedding of Lady Rukia and Prince Ichigo. Of course, she wasn't told of this event, for she is a commoner, an outcast of the village. Only the wealthy and elegant would be invited, laughing and drinking and gossiping about. "Ah, I see."
"As for the favor, I need you to watch over Karin and Yuzu for me."
Orihime's eyes widen in shock, "E-Eh? You need me to watch over the twins?"
Queen Masaki raises a brow, "Yes, dear. Is there a problem?"
"Uh, no, Your Majesty! There isn't a problem," she continuously bows to the queen in an apologetic manner.
The queen has a sudden glint of hope her eyes as she claps her hands together in happiness. "Ah, good. Follow me, quickly."
Obediently, Orihime follows. The trip from the dining hall and to the twins' bedroom is lengthy and uneasy, giving Orihime a sickening feeling of giddiness. As the two walk towards their destination, Orihime begins to ponder about a specific thought.
Nervously, she clears her throat and whisper under her breath, "Aren't you afraid?"
The queen turns her head, continuing to walk ahead. "Excuse me?"
"Aren't you afraid that I will put a curse on the twins?"
A hearty chuckle erupts from the queen. "That is nonsense! I swear, those commoners are just as dimwitted as they look."
Orihime gasps from her comment, for Queen Masaki's behavior is unexpected and out of character of how a queen should truly act. But, secretly, she begins to admire this side of the queen. It makes her feel as if she isn't judged, mocked for once.
"Child, why in Kami-sama's name would you let them treat you like this?"
Orihime doesn't answer her question; she only stares at the groud in shame. She is heavily embarrassed to think that the queen would scold her so, yet she feels relieved to know that the queen—the ruler of the entire kingdom—doesn't think of her as the enchantress.
And that thought makes Orihime happy and excited and giddy and cheerful for once.
"But, I-I don't understand..."
"What is there not to understand, dear?"
"You... of all people... do not see me as an evil person."
The queen stops in her steps; Orihime cautiously stops as well, trying not to bump into the queen. Queen Masaki turns her head towards Orihime before smiling.
"If my son believes you are innocent, then I do as well."
.
.
The entire day was tiresome, but, nevertheless, Orihime enjoyed it with the twins. In fact, she rarely did a thing—she just kept an eye on them. Occasionally, the servants would bring the twins their meals, as well as Orihime's, and exchange their soiled diapers for new, fresh ones. All was left for Orihime to do was keep them satisfied and entertained.
She sucks in a deep breath, taking in the rich scent of food emanating from the bedroom door, most likely prepared for the gala, while she sits in a comfortable, plush rocking chair with the twins in each of her arms. A moment ago, she hummed a tune that drifted them into deep slumber, resulting for the two to rest and nestle into her chest.
Suddenly, the door creaks open and reveals Queen Masaki, followed by a crowd of servants.
"Come along, dear. We shall now get you prepared for the gala."
"The gala!?"
The queen raises a brow. "Haven't I already explained this to you, dear?"
"U-Un, it's just that..." Orihime drifts off, her glance lowers to the twins in her arms. "I thought only the wealthy and prestigious go to these such events. Besides, you only met me just yesterday.."
The queen loudly scoffs before folding her arms. "Oh, please! I know you more than I know half of the people coming!" Two servants carefully grab the twins from Orihime's embrace; another helps her out of the rocking chair. The queen takes a hold of Orihime's hand and drags her out of the bedroom door and into the hallway. "Now, we have a lot to do, so we should get moving quickly. You want to look gorgeous at your first gala, don't you?"
Startled, Orihime stares at the queen in surprise. She opens her mouth, trying to refuse the order of going.
Then, it hit her. The memory of her brother and her at the oak tree in the center of the village, watching carriage after carriage pass by as they headed towards the castle for a gala similar to this one. She would occasionally catch a glimspe of their gleeful faces, secretly envying how happy they looked to attend the gala. Ever since that day, she dreamed of going to such an event.
Now, she is able to experience one for herself for the first time.
.
.
"The gala?"
"Un. It's an event that the most prestigious people in the village attend. Some even come from different kingdoms!"
The young redhead awed as she stared at her brother in amazement. She then shifted her head to the side, strands of hair falling in her face, "Ano, why did you not go, Onii-chan?"
He chuckled. "I'm flattered, Hime, but I don't think I'm prestigious enough."
"Oh, I see," she said, slightly disappointed. The young man, filled with determination, placed his arm around her small frame.
"I'll tell you what: one day, we shall go to a gala at the castle. I will be dressed in my favorite pair of pantaloons and dress shirt, and you will be dressed in a beautiful, white dress."
"Why a white dress?"
"Well, when a girl wears white, she represents purity, innocence. The color makes her stand out amongst others. She easily catches the eyes of admirers and the eyes of misanthropes. She is the true star of the party."
She smiles at his eloquent words and diligently holds out her pinky. "Onii-chan, do you promise that one day we will attend a gala at the castle?"
The man chuckles as he wrapped his pinky around hers.
"I promise, Hime."
.
.
to be continued.
—e/n: finally, here is chapter three. sorry that it's short; i wanted to make the gala an entire chapter. i'm already halfway finished with the next chapter, so hopefully it won't take as long to update.
so, how are you guys liking the story? for some reason, i find this chapter to be my favorite so far! i love the interactions i made between masaki-san and orihime-chan. i feel as if this is how the two would act towards each other in a way. masaki would treat orihime like her own mother, y'know?
and i am sooo making ichigo-kun a total mama's boy in this story! he just doesn't know it yet...
oh, and big, sloppy kisses to maggie-chan for beta-ing this chapter. love you, hun. (^3^)
so, i hope you enjoyed this update. your feedback would be much loved by moi.
-audrey
