The moonlight shone into the room as Soul fiddled with his traveller's mantle nervously, gazing at the large pompous bed the princess had told him was their finest guest bedroom, which kings and queens had used when visiting Death City. The room was larger than the largest market he'd visited in a couple of kingdoms away, with curtains made of the finest silk and desks and coffee tables of deep and rich mahogany.
He wondered how the royal chamber was like.
His fingertips ran over the cool smooth fabric, eyes locked at the plethora of pillows made from every fabric to the guest's comfort. Shit. He would've been cool with sleeping on a mattress on the floor.
The door creaked open and King Spirit entered without any sort of permission. He didn't need any. His royal persona brightened the room with superiority and Soul quickly bowed respectfully at the King. The King's eyes sharpened at him and Soul shrunk in his clothes at the threatening gaze.
"I am going to make it clear," he stared Soul down with his superiority. "You are not to seduce my daughter into your evil claws."
He cocked his eyebrow. "Why the hell would I?"
"I know you are after her."
"Look, I don't know who the hell you think I am, but I just met her and there's nothing heart-throbbing about a girl with fat ankles crashing into me."
"Why you―" His eyes darkened and fists tightened with intentions of starting a brawl in the middle of the night, to then brightened with resolution and he scoffed toward him. He cleared his throat. "I'm here to make a proposal."
"Huh?"
"You heard me. If you stay away from my daughter, be rude to her if you must, and leave her without promising her to return, I will reward your weight in gold."
Soul's eyes widened with shock and his mouth fell wide open, staring at the King with surprise. "Seriously?"
The King nodded. "Yes. I want you to make sure she hates you and wishes to never see you again."
Suspicion seeded as he peered at the King and he maintained a calm facade for the first time since he entered the room. Something was up. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the lack of facial expression from the King and the request… it had his skin crawling with uneasiness. Something within him whispered to reject, to madly refuse the King's offer and continue his life, but gaining his weight in gold would solve his financial struggles and he could continue his travel around the world without a worry. He didn't even know the Princess. The Princess meant nothing to him. It would be a fool's decision to reject the offer of a fortune for the sake of some Princess's feelings.
Soul eventually nodded. "Alright. I'll play along."
A large satisfied smile grew on the King's face. "Excellent."
The first couple of days were easy to avoid the curious Princess. Every question she asked, he either ignored or answered with a nod or a shake of his head. From the corner of his eye, he could catch the smile playing on the King's lips. As the days went on, the Princess grew more persistent and short-tempered with him.
His back rested against the hard surface of the tree and leaves tickled his cheeks, branches pulling at his wrists as he let the brush run over his paper. The black ink curled and curved, growing for every line he drew as he tried to accurately capture the beauty of the white flower on the bush he'd decided to hide in this time.
His brush roughly splattered ink on his paper when footsteps and his name rang in the garden. He flinched at the Princess's voice calling for him. Crap. Couldn't the girl take the hint? Even though he ignored her, offended her and avoided her, she still persisted on finding him.
The leaves of the bush rattled and pushed aside, the Princess's angry flushed cheeks came into view and eyes narrowed as if sharpening knives between her eyelids.
Even though how well he thought he hid, she would always found him.
"Geez, woman, how the hell do you keep on finding me?"
She scowled at him and forced out. "Women's intuition."
He blew a raspberry and turned the other way. "Yeah, you found me, now leave me be."
"No listen to me, you punk!" She vigorously fisted his collar and successfully attracted his attention. Eyes shocked beyond belief at the fragile-looking Princess's usual innocent appearance that was replaced by courage and anger. "I didn't invite you here to be a prissy little brat and hide away. I don't know what goes on inside that tiny little brain of yours but I can see you're not a rude person." He choked on his spit. "Now stop being a punk or I'll slap some sense into you."
He gulped down his nerves as his body heated up to an unbearable degree. The sweet smiles she ordinary wore and the cute bouncing pigtails had him fooled that never could such a sweet-looking girl have such a side. He bit down his lower lip as his hand tightened like an anaconda around his brush.
It was attractive.
"Um… ah," he stuttered. "… o-okay."
"Okay what?"
"Fine! I-I won't hide." Damn. He'd no clue he'd a sore spot for terrifying and strong women up until now.
A smile broke like the crack of dawn, branches slapped back into place and she straightened her back as she offered him her welcoming hand. The corner of his lips twitched as he put away his brush in his other hand and accepted her hand. She heaved him up and her blazing emerald eyes found the brush and the parchment in his hand. "Do you draw?"
He nodded stiffly, noticing the warmth her hand radiated unlike his cold and beaten fingers. "I do. I picked it up on my travel around the world."
"May I see some of your drawings?"
A smirk blossomed and she seemed to have forgotten their still entangled hands. "Only if you show me some of yours." Red appeared in the background right passed Maka's head and it was the King, silently watching them. Quickly Soul retrieved his hand and ran it through his hair nervously.
He was in trouble.
The Princess face heated with colour and nodded toward him. "It is a deal."
He knew the King wasn't pleased with him. Multiple times the King lured in the background and glared disapprovingly at them as Maka would make any excuse to touch him. Everything from placing her hand above his as he painted a particular difficult line or a comforting brush on his shoulder. Not that he was complaining. It was surprisingly… pleasant. Until the King glared at him and made him jump across the room to get away from her.
…
The King rested his elbows on the railing of his balcony as he watchfully gazed at the Beast stuttering as his darling daughter kicked off her shoes, trying to convince her to let him climb up the tree to bring down the mysterious flying device they'd received from a successful inventor. He scuffed. As if the Beast had feelings.
His plan had failed.
The Beast had betrayed his trust and decided to seduce his daughter to then kidnap her. He knew letting the Beast inside of his castle was a bad idea. At least now he could keep an eye on it. Now he could efficiently come up with a plan to tackle this matter.
Beast's cheeks heated as the Princess stepped onto his clasped hands and heaved her up in the tree. The King's stomach twisted with disgust at the laughter between Beast and Princess Maka. How the Beast could be his darling daughter's soul mate was beyond his understanding.
"Are you spying on them again?"
The King didn't need to check who it was. The queen came to a halt beside him as Princess Maka freed the flying device from the tree and threw it, soaring away from them.
"This charade needs to come to an end. Out of all the people she could choose, she chose a beast."
"I do not know." Princess Maka climbed down before Beast and she had a screaming match. Eventually Beast held his arms out in panic as she slowly leaned backward from the branch. His fists tightened and Beast caught her fell to the ground, breaking out laughing in the process. "I have never before seen her so… peaceful."
He snorted loudly. "Peaceful? The Beast is grooming her! As soon as it has gained our trust it will kidnap her and feast on her flesh under the full moon!"
"I believe you have heard too many ghost stories."
"The appearance never fools anyone."
"Really? You do know you still look like the bachelor you were when I had not yet bonded with you."
His face twisted with distaste at his past. "That was low, sweetheart."
"Just as low as you are to Sir Evans."
His eyes directed back toward Beast and Princess Maka still wrapped up with each other on the ground. Disgusting.
He needed to put a stop to this.
He knocked at the Princess's door and immediately it was ripped open, revealing a beaming Maka. "You know you do not have to knock."
He licked his suddenly dry lips and snorted shortly after. "Nah, wouldn't want to accidentally witness your fat ankles."
Her punch was lacklustre and she tried to shield her smile with her hair, but his watchful eyes always caught onto her smiles. "Watch it. You might earn a book to your cranium."
The plethora of portraits of him were scattered around her room, covering the walls with his face from every angle, she even hung a portrait of him on the ceiling above her bed so she could wake up to his face. At first it was… odd. Every portrait of him looked exactly like him. How she'd managed to draw identical portraits of him before she met him was a mystery to him.
"I asked the chefs to bring a platter of fruit we could draw."
"Alright." The door shrieked as she closed it behind him.
"Please make yourself comfortable."
He swallowed loudly as he followed the Princess inside of her humongous room that was larger than the bed and breakfasts he'd stayed at occasionally. Rooms filled with luxurious golden silk curtains, golden frames and the most massive golden bed with pillows with golden flowers that had to be embroidered with melted coins. Everything in her room was golden success fit for the crown princess.
Stiffly he wandered to one of the many couches and took a seat. A cute giggle came from her mouth as her silk white glove covered her luscious lips. "I'll go and get the materials."
"Do you want any help?" He called after her moving form.
"No thank you."
His clammy hands gripped his wooden box with his painting tools and a piece of parchment. The Princess returned shortly after with her own high quality equipment and dumped it on the coffee table. A knock on the door and the Princess invited the person in. A young female in a maiden uniform entered with a platter full of pompous fruits glistering in the sun light leaking through the balcony window.
"I bring you your order, Princess." The maiden bowed deeply and with trembling knees, she made her way toward the table. Her eyes stayed away from him and she nervously chewed on her lower lip. She lowered the platter and he noticed her hands quivering to the point the fruits trembled.
His eyes evaded the clearly terrified maiden. It reminded him of people with high pitchforks and torches chasing him out of their village and priests with garlic necklace decorating their neck as they sprinkled holy water on him and tried to rebuke the demon sleeping within him.
He was a monster.
The Princess had almost made him forget.
Almost.
His head whipped to the side and the Princess's warm hand rested on his shoulder, a warm smile on her face as the door slammed loudly from the fleeing maiden. His heart delightfully stumbled on its own beat as her thumb caressed his shoulder.
Almost.
…
Soul laid awake staring up at the plethora of angles swirling through the sky as naked as they entered the world. He couldn't stop thinking about the Princess's radiant face and blazing emerald eyes. Her kindness was heart-warming and her touches made him think that perhaps, he wasn't the worst thing in the world. The civilians that had hollered monster and called for the guards when Maka showed him around the kingdom, made him remember he was nothing than his looks; a disgusting beast. As much as he could pretend he was normal with the Princess, the reality was he was a disgusting animal.
He didn't deserve the Princess's kindness.
Tomorrow would his invitation to stay at the castle expire and he would continue his adventures travelling the world.
He would leave the Princess behind.
His nails dug into his chest above his aching heart. His stay at the castle had gone from the lowest of valleys to the highest mountain top. The Princess approached him like he'd never experienced by someone outside of his family. Her eyes never evaded his. She never flinched when he moved. Her smile only widened when he smiled wide, exposing his teeth. She made him feel like he wasn't cursed with the appearance of a monster.
But he didn't deserve her.
She was too kind, too brave, too strong, too much! He'd never met someone he could completely relax and be utterly at peace around. She was like the friend he'd never had. He was happy he didn't ignore her.
His eyes squeezed shut as if he could deny the offer's existence. He'd gone back on his word. The King had disapprovingly glared at him multiple times. He knew he was in trouble. Whatever the King had in store, he was sure it wasn't going to be good.
He sat up in his bed when a knock on his door echoed in his room. "Come in." The door creaked open and the candle in the Princess's hand brightened her face. Her night gown caressed the floor as she soared inside like a bird, closing the door behind her. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep, Princess?"
"I could ask you the same." She took a seat on the edge of the bed right beside him, placing the candle on his night stand.
"Why are you here?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Women's intuition."
It was her excuse for everything. It was as if, every time he felt down, she always appeared out of thin air or silently comforted him with either a hand on his shoulder or his back. She was always there. For some reason.
"Women's intuition is weird."
"What happened to you?" His eyes fluttered with confusion before he knew what she was looking at. Her eyes were fixated at his bare chest where pale scars littered his torso and biceps.
"Um," his hands tightened on his blanket. "Just scars."
Her hands slapped on his chest. "These are not 'just scars'." Her eyes critically examined the scars littering his chest and fingers ran over the pale bumps on his skin. Her face twisted with disgust as her fingers ran over a large cut on his bicep.
Of course she would be disgusted with him. His appearance always scared people away. It was only a matter of time before she would be hightailing away from him. He knew this all was too good to be tr―
"These were not an accident, were they?" Her voice dropped. His mouth fell open with shock as her thumb sooth the scar as if she could erase its presence. "Someone did this to you."
His heart flipped in his chest and his hand placed above her much smaller one. "Yeah. From scared citizens."
"That doesn't justify their behaviour." Anger fuelled her voice. "I swear if anyone dares or has the slightest of intention of harming you, I will protect you."
He wouldn't dare mess with the Princess. When she got angry, he wanted to be miles away from her. Never again did he want to be the target of her rage. Never.
But being miles away from her left a sour taste in his mouth.
"I don't blame them. I'm a monster."
Her nails painfully dug into his flesh. "You are definitely not."
"I am. I―"
Her hands slapped over his mouth. "Don't." Her eyes sparkling with fire and determination. "You are not a monster." She spoke calmly. "A monster destroys. A monster hurts people. A monster lacks emotions. You are nothing like a monster." Her eyes fell down to his wounded chest. "Your scars prove it."
He removed her hands from his mouth, tilting her head to meet his eyes. "I…" his voice husky. She stared into his eyes and the warm light from the candle made her skin look unbearably soft. "So if a serial killer had scars he wouldn't be a monster."
He deserved the punch to his chest.
"There is actually a place I want to show you." She broke the silence after minutes of sitting apart from each other. She looked over at him, her loose hair perfectly framing her face.
He got dressed in his shirt as the sleeping pants he'd been given hung loosely on his bony hips. He offered his travel mantle which she humbly accepted. The Princess knew her way around the castle. When the guards turned their backs to them, she tugged at his hand and they silently tiptoed around the castles corridors until the humid fresh air hit their faces.
"It's this way." Their backs stayed hunched as they quickly hurried passed bushes and trees toward the edge of the garden not to be spotted by the too many guards securing the castle. "I always come here when I cannot sleep." They rounded a tree and the silhouette of a hill came into his view. The Princess led him up the hill and the bright full moon shone down upon them. She shrieked loudly as she fell forward, instinctively he dived after her and they tumbled down the hill. They came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, limbs entwined and the Princess laid diagonally on his chest. They found themselves laughing at the ridiculous situation they found themselves in.
His laughter abruptly ended when floating lights caught his attention. Countless of tiny warm yellow lights floated peacefully around them as if the stars had descended from the heavens and blessed them with their presence.
"Those are fireflies." The Princess spoke as if she'd read his mind. "They are very rare around these areas, but they seem to enjoy staying near the trees at the edge of the royal garden."
"Fireflies." He tasted the word in his mouth.
"Yes. They are certainly very intriguing and entertaining to watch." She made no attempt at removing herself from him to, oddly, his liking. Even though his arm was uncomfortably stretched over his chest and then crushed under the Princess's back and he didn't know his leg could twist in such an angle, he found himself enjoying the closeness. His eyes darted down her not so hidden legs and her exposed ankles. He knew if anyone caught them now, he would be in trouble for associating so intimately with the Princess.
"Soul, may I ask you a favour?" She broke the silence.
"Of course, Princess."
"Please, call me Maka."
"Princess, I couldn't―"
"It would be an honour." He found her eyes sparkling brighter than the fireflies surrounding them and were far more fair and interesting.
His mouth opened and closed repeatedly as he tried to capture the right words to speak. "If you wish…" a grin spread on his face. "Your royal highness."
He totally deserved the slap to his thigh. "I'm being serious."
"And so am I. Do you know what kind of punishment I would receive if anyone caught me addressing you by your first name?"
"And I would cover your back the way you have covered mine."
He found himself chuckling heartily. "Okay… Maka."
A smile spread on her face and she cleared her throat. "There was actually something I wanted to tell you. Now when you're leaving at the break of dawn."
Worry settled in his gut at the sudden nervousness she cladded her face with. She untangled their limbs and sat beside him with her legs drawn up toward her chest. "I know my parents are expecting me to find a husband to marry soon." She fiddled with her hands as her eyes evade his. "And I know I have found the person I wish to spend the rest of my life with."
His hand swung to his chest and his nails dug into his flesh right above the excruciating pain exploding in his chest. Never before had he experienced such an agonizing hurt before in his life, and he'd witnessed a lot. The idea of Maka marrying someone made him feel like she cut off his limbs one by one. He knew he was leaving and couldn't enjoy her company but… not another man. No.
"It is you, Soul."
Ice spread from his spine throughout his body. Him?
"I have always felt connected to you. Like I understood you better than I understood my own parents."
He was a monster. A beast. No one could ever love him. Let alone Maka.
"It is silly. I have known them my whole life and yet I feel like I have known you since I was born instead of a couple of weeks."
He didn't deserve anyone. He didn't deserve Maka. He couldn't punish her by cuffing her to his side. He couldn't hurt her so.
"Please say something."
He couldn't.
"Soul?" Her hand placed on his shoulder, thumb rubbing the exposed flesh. "Are you okay?"
He couldn't accept her love.
"I-I'm sorry." He abruptly stood up. "I-I can't accept your hand." He turned on his heel and quickly hurried away from her to her calling his name. She didn't follow him. He snuck back into his room, clenching his chest at the hurt where it only grew. The thought of marrying Maka was too good to be true. He enjoyed her company more than anyone else, but he wasn't like his brother. He couldn't charm her panties off like his brother could and he was disgusting and not handsome as Wes. Everybody loved Wes while everybody hated him.
He couldn't stay. He packed up his things and strolled down the corridors, this time not caring the looks and scowls from the guards. He left the castle to continue where he'd left off, before Maka had suddenly fallen on him. Not caring about the reward he'd been promised to break Maka's heart.
…
"I knew this would happen." The King spoke with superiority with his hands clasped behind his back. "This was inevitable. It was a beast and beasts do what they do best, hurt innocent people."
"Oh hush." The queen crossed her arms over her chest. "Do not speak so foul about our daughter's soul mate."
"It's gone and now she can bond with a new and honourable man." He strolled back and forth in the King and Queen's master bedroom. "She will forget about it in a few days."
The Queen's mouth fell open as she backpedalled with disgust at her husband's statement. "I cannot believe you said that."
From outside of the room, Maka went down the corridor to speak to her parents when she caught the yelling voice of her mother within their room. She wiped away her tears as she pressed her ear to the door.
"I bonded with you when all you were was a disgusting disloyal cheating immature man. Even though I had bonded with you you still went out with girls." She furiously yelled at her husband who took off his large crown to run his hand through his hair. "Believe me, if I could, I would've broken the bond with you."
"At least I am a man―"
"And he's more of a man than you have ever been!"
"It has fooled you, darling. It has sunk his manipulating claws into your mind. Next it's going to come for you."
"He's not a beast!" Maka flinched at the sheer volume from her mother. "Can you not care for a second that our daughter refuses to eat and come out of her room because her soul mate has left?" Her eyes fluttered with confusion. Soul mate?
"This is for her best. When she realizes it isn't going to come back she can finally move on and find a more suitable soul mate."
"You cannot break a bond between soul mates."
A large sinister grin spread on the King's face. "She will be forced to find someone new when the Beast… disappears."
Maka stiffened on the other side of the door. She was well aware of her father's disproval of Soul. She knew he would rather have Soul thousands of miles away from her. But was he implying what she thought he was…?
"You would not dare."
"Oh yes I do. Once the Beast is slaughtered, she can find a new soul mate."
Her fists tightened when fear for Soul paralyzed her body, quickly replaced by blinding hot red rage. She slammed the door open, the King and Queen jumping at the sheer volume. "If you do…" Her voice dipped threateningly as she stormed toward her parents. "I will cut off your head and serve it to the pigs!"
Her father whimpered and immediately shrunk at the murderous presence of his daughter. "B-b-but s-s-sweeth―"
"No!" She came to a stop in front of him and roughly shoved her index finger in his chest. "If you even as much as think about hurting him, I will reject the crown." She shoved her finger at his chest repeatedly for every sentence. "Then I will leave to be with Soul and if you as much as breathe his name, I will forever forget you. You will not have every existed in my life."
He pouted and bit his lower lip. Defeated by his own daughter.
She directed her lethal gaze toward her mother. "And you will tell me everything about this 'soul mate' you seem to be awfully familiar with."
A smile played on her mother's lips as she nodded proudly at her daughter. "Of course."
…
She left. Her mother had insisted on bringing one guard to accompany on her quest to find Soul. After her mother had explained her weird obsession drawing Soul and her odd and sudden connection to him, it all made sense. They were destined to be together. They were always meant to be together. He rejected the wealth her father had promised him.
But Soul had left her.
It put doubt in her mind. Could a soul mate bond only be one-sided? If he loved her, then he would've stayed with her, right? He wouldn't have left.
She needed answers.
Even though he was gone, what she'd thought was her intuition, was her bond with Soul. It was much vaguer now when he was far away, but she could still feel it and trace his steps. She and her guard rode day and night until on the fourth day at noon they came to a stop in front of a shady bed and breakfast. With balled hands and anger making her blood boil, she ordered her guard to take the day off and stormed inside, up the stairs and banged her fist on the door.
"I know you are in there!" She hollered and slammed her fists on the old wooden door.
Only a second later the door knob clicked and the door swung open. Instantly the bond shivered pleasantly when her eyes laid on him. Dark bags decorated his eyes and messy hair going in every direction. Her hands tightened to the point of her nails painfully digging into her palms.
"What are you doing here?"
"What I'm doing here?" She pushed him and he stumbled backwards. "You left!" She pushed him again. He stumbled and fell backward on his bed, the hay under the sheet crinkled loudly. "You didn't say g―" She cut herself off. Her eyes settled a piece of coal beside a parchment with a coal drawing of her. Her pigtails went down her shoulders and she gazed over her shoulder, whatever she stared at, it made her happy since her eyes sparkled and smile wide, showing off her teeth. The lines were shaky and the shadows were a little bit flawed, but it was a beautiful drawing he'd put down a lot of his time on.
He'd taken the time to draw her. He wasn't rich and the little parchment he had he'd used one to draw her. She grasped the parchment and caressed her thumb over her shoulder.
"How did you find me…?" He asked. "Oh wait, let me guess, women's intuition?"
Her anger melted off her and she looked him in his red eyes. "No." She shook her head. "I need to talk to you about that." The hay beside him crinkled when she took a seat beside him. "I know this sounds weird but I want you to have an open mind and consider it."
She explained everything. How it never had been her intuition, but her bond to him as his soul mate. She explained how for generations the royal family had soul mates, their destined partner for life, and the royal child would end up drawing the face of the soul mate.
"So you're saying… I'm your soul mate…?" He whispered, bangs covering his eyes and his hair even more unruly.
She nodded and placed her hand on his clasped hands resting in between his legs. "You are. I can feel the bond we share."
He slowly shook his head. "This can't be. I don't feel it. I can't be your soul mate." His voice grew rushed. "You can't be mine. You must be mistak―"
"I'm not." She cupped his cheeks and steered his face to her, forcing him to look into her eyes. His eyes were distraught as if the news were too much. "I know what I'm feeling and I truly sincerely love you."
"You don't love me."
"I do."
"You don't even know me."
"The little I know is good and I trust our bond as soul mates."
"I don't want a soul mate."
She retrieved her hands as if he'd burned her, standing upright and backed away as if he stabbed her right in her heart. Pain coursed through her veins and the bond shrieked with agony and if it was a person it would be scratching its face wildly due to the pain. Her knees bumped into the nightstand and she pressed her palms against the wall.
His eyes widened and he shot up. "Shit. I didn't mean―"
"What?" She snarled. "You don't want me. That's what you mean."
"No. No, that's not at all what I meant." He desperately ran his hand through his hair. "I love you too."
Her heart skipped a beat. "You love me?"
"Yes― no! What I was supposed to say is I've a brother."
"What?"
"He looks similar to me. I mean― he doesn't look weird. He's the same features― he's better. You could've mistaken me for your true soul mate."
"Soul."
"He's the better brother― better friend― he would be a better soul mate to you―"
"Soul!" He flinched at the power in her voice. "Do not take my feelings to lightly." He shifted his eyes to the floor as his shoulders shamefully pulled up to his ears. "You are my soul mate. You are the one I love. I do not want your brother or anybody else."
"I'm not the one for you."
"Do you like someone else?"
"Never! There is no one else than you."
Her hands balled and her eyes stung with tears. "I need to know Soul. No more mixed signals." She bravely took a step toward Soul. "Do you want to be with me?"
He bit his lower lip and looked away from her. Hands tightened as if an internal battle was being fought within him. Silence hung between them as he stared dead into the wall.
"Soul…?" She reached out toward him and he chided away from her. She bit her lower lip and lowered her outstretched hand. She ripped her gaze away from him and slowly nodded as her being was breaking. "I understand…" She breathed out.
"It's not like that." Instantly he moved in her way when she was about to walk pass him.
"Then what is it?!" She sneered at him. "One moment you love me and the next you hate me."
"I don't hate you. I've never hated you." He sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're wearing my mantle." His thumb ran over the green worn material. "I guess I forgot I let you borrow it that night."
"Don't try to change the subject."
"I'm not trying to."
"Can you get to the point then?"
He chuckled and squeezed her shoulder. "Geez, you're so impatient." He spoke as if he wasn't nervous, but his hand was quivering anxiously as his eyes travelled around the small room. "You don't deserve someone like me. I'm not a prince. I'm not rich. I'm a poor traveller who tries my hand at drawing. I'm a monster. You deserve someone far better than me."
"Are you kidding me?" She grabbed a hold of his shirt and yanked him closer to her. He spluttered with surprise. "I think I'm the one who should be saying that."
"B-but you're a princess!"
She rolled her eyes and flattened her hands on his chest. "Simply because of my title doesn't mean I'm entitled to any men. Especially you." Her hand settled above his rapidly beating heart. A smile spread on her face. "You're kind and you're so loyal. I know my father offered you a fortune to stay away from me. You broke my heart and you left, but you never returned to claim your offer."
"Your happiness if worth more than a fortune."
"Then the question resurfaces, do you want to be with me."
He bit his lower lip and his eyes fluttered shut. Liquid shimmied through his eyelids and trickled down his cheeks as a smile grew on his face. A sincere smile she only witnessed in drawings where the artists capture the truest and happiest of smiles. After a beat of silence he nodded. "I love you too. But I do think you should reconsider your choice of p―"
"I already have and nope. I have decided I want my soul mate as my life partner."
"You didn't even consider it, did you?"
"Nope."
He chuckled and placed his hands above hers, running his thumbs over the back of her hand. "You're unbelievable."
"No. Believable. You are my soul mate. And I would love you none the less even if I were not bonded with you."
A smile spread on his face as he leaned down to rest his forehead on hers." Fickle woman. You don't know a good man from a monster."
"I don't need to. The man I've chosen is neither."
"Low blow."
She giggled as her hands escaped his, climbing up his chest and snaking around his neck. "No. He's the perfect man. With his flaws and all."
"Hmm, princess, you do know how to make a man's knees buckle."
"Is it enough to maybe be rewarded with a kiss?"
He chuckled softly and cupped her cheeks. "Absolutely." She rose on her tiptoes and their lips locked. Her eyes widened when the bond harpooned into his chest and rooted to his core. A tide wave washed over her with memories, thoughts, and his uncensored monologue coursed through her mind. Memories of his family's love for his abnormal appearance washed over her and the verbal arguments and isolation their family had to go through because of his appearance. Silently he suffered because of his family's sacrifice for their son, until he decided to leave them. The loop of self-hatred kept going on and on and on and on inside of his head. The thoughts he wasn't ever going to be enough because he was a beast. He wasn't going to get a job because he was a monster. He wouldn't ever deserve a woman as her because he was a beast.
"You're more than enough." She whispered into his mind as she pulled him closer to her. "You're more than I could've ever asked for."
She could feel his heart swell with happiness as if it was her own. His thoughts of gratitude for finding someone that was capable of loving someone like him and joy for finally being happy with someone bounced around in her mind as if she was the creator behind them. His emotions bounced to her, to heighten and bounce back to repeat the process. The emotion grew and grew and grew in strength and their lips sloppily slid over each other's.
They both tumbled down on the bed, hands fisting the fabric of their clothes with clear and mutual thoughts of their desires on their minds.
Back in Death City the king paced back and forth in his master bedroom with the queen already snuggled in bed with a book in her hands. "I pledge when it gets back, I will cut off its penis. I will burn it and the priest will rebuke the sins within it."
The queen sighed heavily and closed her book. "For crying out loud, come to bed. You know it is normal for bonded soul mates to bodily engage."
"I know! B-but for my precious darling beloved daughter to engage with a beast, it's revolting!"
"I think it is good for her. She has found a good man who supports her and loves her from the bottom of his heart. And I know our grandchildren will be handsome."
"Handsome?!" The king spun around on his feet toward his wife. "We will be lucky if they do not have a tail!"
The queen rolled her eyes and placed the book on the night stand. "Oh hush. See pass his unique appearance and see the wonderful man he is. I truly think they are the most perfect couple and the strongest soul mate pair this kingdom will ever see."
The king almost choked on his saliva and spluttered incoherently as she turned the lights off.