Another chapter? So quick? What? I was gonna wait to post this one but since it's been so long since I posted so often, I'm gonna go ahead and post this one! And I'm going to go ahead and apologize for what you're about to read. There is some more Bash and Arianna cuteness but it turns and it hurt to write this so much but it had to be done. Please don't hate me!
Arianna was just standing there, in Bash's arms, looking into his eyes. She had come here to tell him everything. To finally let him know all the secrets she had been hiding. She thought that maybe by keeping everything from him, he had grown to hate her. Obviously, that was not the case.
"I'm sorry about that. I just couldn't stand having you think I hated you." Bash said after Arianna had been silent for a while.
"Please, don't apologize." Arianna whispered.
Bash put his hands on her face, rubbing his thumbs across her cheeks. "Tell me, tell me everything."
Arianna took a shaky breath, summoning all her strength to tell this story again. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Squeezing her eyes shut and biting her lip, she took another breath.
"Here," Bash pulled her to sit in a chair as he sat across from her. "Drink this, it'll help."
Arianna nodded, taking the cup from Bash. She took a swig and realized quickly that it was wine. Over the cup, she quirked an eyebrow at Bash and he merely smirked at her with a cup of his own in his hands. Finishing off what was left, Arianna set the cup back down. She was about to start when Francis barged into the room.
"I am sorry for the way things have gone." Francis said, walking into the room to stand before Bash. "But the outcome is this. You need to leave here. You've reached for the crown and failed to get it. You be seen by many as a threat."
Arianna looked between Bash and Francis, sensing the hostility. Apparently Francis did not care that she was present for this conversation or he simply did not notice in his objective.
"The crown was never in my grasp." Bash stated, putting his cup down. "But I had Mary." Bash looked at Arianna when he said this. She merely nodded, knowing what he meant. "And it calls you."
"I was going to disappear in exile. That's your goal now, if you want to survive." Francis said coldly.
"Francis, no." Arianna gasped. She couldn't believe that Francis was going to send away his brother.
"My guards will take you south of here to ship set for the southern coast of Spain. And from there you shall keep going." Francis stood up and made his way towards the door.
"You needed to vanish because you would've been a displaced king." Bash was standing at this time. "But I'm just a bastard. In time, a very short time, if you'd accepted my presence the nobles would, too, and I'd be safe. If you were so inclined."
Francis moved to stand in front of Bash now. "I'm not so inclined."
Arianna stood up as well. "Francis!"
"Well, there it is. The truth between us at last." Bash said to Francis.
"Make sure what's between us, brother, is distance." Francis turned and made his way towards the door. "If you want to survive."
"Bash, he cannot do this, can he?" Arianna asked in shock.
"He can and he did. He will be the king. I was only staying here as long as they allowed. Now they do not so I have to leave." Bash said, drinking another glass of wine in one gulp.
"But, you cannot leave." Arianna whispered. "You cannot leave me."
Bash sighed. "Oh, Aria. I have to. You will be married to someone else and I cannot stand by and watch that happen. If I was here to witness your wedding, I would make a scene. I couldn't just be there and act as if I was happy with you marrying someone else, someone who isn't me."
"But, I'm not ready to let you go." Arianna had tears in her eyes at this point. "I don't want to let you go."
"I know, love, I know." Bash pulled Arianna into his arms, resting his head on hers. "I don't want to let go of you either, but I have to. If not, I'll be killed."
Arianna sucked in a breath at the sound of that. She always thought that if Bash were to be killed that it would be by her. That her feelings would cause his death by Daymen. Yet, here she stood with him and if he stayed, he would be killed by his own brother.
Arianna shook her head. "I'll go talk to him."
"Aria, there's no need. He made up his mind." Bash told her but it was too late. Arianna was already headed for the door and away from him.
"I'll try to reason with him. I'll be back." Arianna promised.
"You said that last time." Bash whispered.
Arianna stopped in her tracks and looked back. Bash was standing in the middle of the room, looking as broken as she's ever seen him. Quickly, she made her way back to Bash and kissed him with everything she had. At first, he was surprised but soon his response was just as fierce.
"I'll always love you." Arianna told him.
Bash nodded and watched her walk away. Arianna quickly ran down the halls trying to find Francis. It didn't take long to find him, as he was walking rather slowly back to his room.
"Francis!" Arianna called, causing him to turn.
"Aria, it's late." Francis said, knowing what she wanted to talk about.
"Francis, please don't send Bash away." Arianna pleaded.
"Ari." Francis brought his hand up to the bridge of his nose. "I can't stand the thought of him with Mary, and when I see him that's all I think of. I love her more than anything."
"Francis." Arianna put a hand on his arm. "He wasn't in love with Mary. They just loved each other, as two people would when they become that close. Mary chose you. He is your brother. Do you really have to send him away?"
Francis looked at Arianna, seeing the hurt in her eyes. "Ari, I'm sorry. But it's not just about me. It's about you. You are engaged to someone else, yet you and my brother are still just as close. It is killing him, I can see it. And it's killing you. It's for the best. I'm sorry." Francis turned and walked away from her.
Arianna just stood there watching Francis walking away from her. She couldn't believe it. Even though his words had hurt, they were true. Turning around, she made her way back to Bash's room. When she reached it, she was a little surprised to see him asleep, still fully clothed, on his bed. Arianna smiled to herself and quietly went to where he was lying.
Trying her best not to wake him, Arianna pushed a few strands of hair away from him forehead. In his sleep, Bash nuzzled into her hand, trying to get closer to her. Carefully, Arianna sat on the bed next to him. Feeling her weight on the bed, Bash stirred in his sleep, reaching out for her.
"Aria…" he whispered in his sleep.
"I'm here, Bash. I'm right here." Arianna reassured, grabbing his hand in hers.
"Don't leave, stay, please." Bash mumbled in his sleep, squeezing Arianna's hand.
"I'll stay right here. Don't worry." Arianna whispered, taking her other hand and stroking his cheek.
Arianna stayed next to Bash for a long while that night, not knowing when she'd see him again, or if she even would. He was being sent off to live his life somewhere else and soon, she would be sent off back to Hungary to live a life that she did not want. She knew that she would have to go back with Daymen, but she wanted to live in this moment. Live just like they were now. In this moment, she was not a queen and he was not a bastard. She was just Arianna and he was Bash. They loved each other and nothing else mattered.
After a good amount of time had passed of her just laying there with Bash, she decided that she could not stay in this fantasy any longer. She needed to accept her fate and leave. Making sure not wake Bash, she got up from his bed and slowly started her way back to her room, wondering if that was the last time she was going to see Bash again.
The next day, all the girls were gathered in Mary's room to help her prepare for the wedding. In the spirit of new beginnings, Mary had invited Arianna to come help and so she could apologize about everything that happened with Bash.
"Aria, I'm so sorry for everything I put you through." Mary started as the girls were lacing her up.
"Oh, Mary, there is no need to apologize. I understand why you did it, and to be honest, I'm not mad at all. I was more hurt than anything but I do understand." Arianna said, giving Mary a sad smile.
"Thank you. I don't know what I would've done if you were unable to forgive me." Mary explained, returning Arianna's smile with one of her own.
"Now that everyone is friends again let's get down to business." Mary's mother said, going over to a jewelry box. "So we'll do another ceremony for you at Notre Dome so that all of France can celebrate your marriage."
"And what of Queen Catherine?" Mary inquired. "She's been pardoned for adultery?"
Mary's mother laugh. "Yes, it was all to legitimize Bash. Now Henry looks benevolent, forgiving."
Arianna watched as Mary's mother held up earrings to Mary's ears, talking about how her father had given them to her. It made Arianna's heart ache, knowing that when she would be wed, her parents would not be there to see it, she would have nothing to remind her of them on that day. Moving away from Mary and towards the bed, Arianna blinked back the tears that threatened to escape. She could not cry now. Today was to be a happy day, a day where Mary and Francis could finally be together and be happy.
"Greer said you were upset." Lola said to Kenna. "I cam to your room last night to cheer you with hot cocoa but your servant said you were meeting with the king."
"So?" Kenna asked offhandedly, trying not to let her feelings show.
"So late?" Arianna piped in, putting a hand on Kenna's shoulder.
"If you're back with him I think it's a mistake." Lola told Kenna, leaning in to keep quiet.
"Lola," Arianna started, trying to diffuse a fight that was likely to happen.
"I know the chateau you claim to stay at in Angers where you ran into Francis. It burned down last year. I don't know what happened between the two of you but I guess. So please, don't counsel me on mistakes." Kenna revealed, causing Lola to look away with shame on her face.
"Come along girls!" Mary's mother called from across the room. "Be of service to your queen."
The rest of the day was spent helping Mary get ready for her wedding. Arianna was happy to be included in the plans but after everything was said and done, she excused herself to see how the hall was turning out. Once out of the watchful eyes of her friends, she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. Seeing all this was turning out to be a lot harder for her than she originally thought it was going to be.
xxx
The wedding was beautiful. Mary had looked gorgeous and the way Francis looked at her as she came down the stairs made Arianna's heart swell with joy. She was so happy that Francis and Mary had worked everything out. She had always wanted Francis to be happy and in love and when she saw the look he gave Mary as they were dancing together, she knew that he had found his happiness. This, however, did not stop her eyes from trying to find Bash.
There was no sign of him anywhere, no matter how often Arianna looked. She didn't see him during the ceremony and to be honest, she hadn't seen him since their talk the other night. Sighing, she watched on the sidelines as everyone was dancing around Mary and Francis enjoying the lovely wedding. Arianna knew that soon, everyone would leave this lovely hall and it would be time for the consummation. Thinking about how nervous Mary must be, Arianna did not envy her at all. Having everyone watch the most private moment of your life, it was so invading. Arianna started to feel ill knowing that she would have to go through the same thing soon with Daymen. The thought of Daymen touching her in that way almost made her empty the contents of her stomach right there on the floor but she contained it.
Walking in the opposite direction of all the commotion, Arianna was about to turn a corner when she heard voices, voices that she clearly recognized.
"You missed the wedding." King Henry announced.
"I thought it'd best." Bash answered with no emotion in his voice.
"I've been thinking about what's best for all of us as well." King Henry started but Bash cut him off.
"I'm leaving. You needn't worry." Bash said simply.
"And yet I do. So you won't be leaving us just yet." King Henry told him walking away as his footsteps could be heard getting quieter down the hall.
Bash was heading in the direction Arianna was hiding and she knew that she didn't have time to avoid him now so she might as well deal with whatever was coming. Taking a deep breath, she rounded the corner only to collide into Bash not realizing he was already that close.
"Aria." Bash breathed as he caught her from falling. "Why aren't you at the ceremony?"
"I just…" Arianna started but she couldn't finish her sentence once she looked into Bash's eyes. She knew that she would make up an excuse to why and she was tried of lying to Bash.
"It was too much to handle?" Bash offered, seeing she was having a hard time answering.
Arianna just nodded, biting her lip as she did. Bash didn't make a move to let her go and she wasn't about to force him to. She had thought that last night would be the last time she saw Bash but seeing him fully clothed to head out into the winter, she knew that this was the last time.
"Where did you go last night?" Bash asked breaking the silence that had engulfed them.
Looking around, Arianna moved from his arms to take his hand to lead them to the small alcove that was near them. "I came back when I had got there, you were asleep in your bed. I came over to make you more comfortable and you asked me not to leave so I didn't. I stayed a while but I knew that getting caught in there would be awful so I left before you awoke."
"I'm sorry. I had tried to stay awake but the stress and the drinking I did were not helping that at all." Bash shook his head and looked away from Arianna as he spoke.
"I don't blame you for falling asleep, Bash." Arianna pulled his face back to hers so she could see him clearly. "I just don't want to say goodbye."
Bash quickly pulled her into his arms, crushing her to his chest. "I know. I don't want to say goodbye either but I must."
Arianna felt the tears come to her eyes so quick she couldn't stop them. Burying her head into his chest, Arianna clutched the back of Bash's shirt even tighter. Bash nuzzled his face into Arianna's hair, trying to remember exactly how she smelled.
"You said you'd tell me everything." Bash whispered into her hair. "Please tell me."
Arianna felt a sob come out of her mouth as she shook her head. "There isn't time now, love. I don't want to have our goodbye tainted with that anyway. I just want to remember you as you are now. I want you to remember me as I am now. I don't want to send you off with that horrible story. I'll always love you Sebastian."
Bash pulled away from Arianna slightly and stared into her eyes that had tears spilling from them. He felt one fall down his cheek as he saw the heartbreaking look on her face. Checking the area, he pressed his lips to hers lightly, only meaning it to be a quick kiss but Arianna grabbed the back of his neck, holding his lips to hers and she poured all the love and passion she felt for him into the kiss.
Breaking away, Bash wiped away the few tears that were still on her cheek. "I'll always love you, Arianna. I wish I could've been there for you. Maybe things would be different if I could've just been there for you."
"Shh." Arianna put a finger to his lips. "It's not your fault. You were there when I arrived. You were there for me, Bash. You've always been there for me."
Bash pulled Arianna into his chest once more, kissing the top of her head and she cried. "I'll try and write so you know I'm okay. I'll let you know that I am safe." Bash promised.
"I'd like that." Arianna whispered, unable to make her voice any louder. "Even though you'll be far away and without me, I want you to find happiness. Please try for me?"
"I can't promise I will but I can promise I'll try. I'll try for you." Bash told her.
Arianna squeezed him one last time before letting him go. She looked up at him and tried to smile before she took of to her room. She knew that saying goodbye to Bash was going to be hard but she never imagined that it was going to be that hard. She knew that this was coming for a while but that didn't make it hurt any less. She wasn't sure how long she laid in her bed but it must've been longer than she thought because the sky had darkened immensely. Getting out of bed, Arianna made her way towards the window just in time to see Bash leaving with two guards. She damned her timing to hell and watched as the man she loved left the castle. Leaning against the wall, she slid down to the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks, knowing that she would never see Bash, the man she had loved since she was little, again.