Chapter Six is finally here! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed.
I say this all the time, but I love you all! Sailor Moon is the
property of Naoko Takeuchi and is used without permission. A Royal
Pain is the property of Ellen Conford and is used without permission.
Anything else that you people recognize that a 20 year-old
university student probably wouldn't have access to is probably
the property of someone else and is most definitely used without
permission. Now that that's over, on with the story!
Ash
Switched at Birth - Chapter 6
"_What?!_" I shrieked.
It was about a month and a half later, the beginning of May. The
queen and I had just returned from a two-week tour of Asia. I had
been my mother's translator and I had taken a major role in
negotiating trade agreements between Paradeisos and the countries
we had visited like Japan and China. Before that, I accompanied
the king to England, France, Spain and Portugal. It was a dream
come true for me. I was doing what I had planned to do before the
whole switch had been discovered. I was a translator for foreign
dignitaries.
But I'm getting off-topic aren't I? I'm so sorry. It's such a bad
habit. Anyway, I had come back to Paradeisos after four weeks, to
much praise of my negotiating skills. I was having lunch with both
of my parents for the first time in a while. They had just finished
telling me that they were extremely proud of me for all of my help
during their trips. They said that I had been responsible for
convincing the other countries to sign and agreement with Paradeisos.
Then they dropped their bombshell.
"You will start your fittings for your wedding gown this week," my
mother informed me.
That was the part when you came in.
I could tell that the king and queen were taken aback by my outburst.
I think that the sheer volume of my voice made them reel a little.
I tried to get a grip. I took a deep breath and pushed the air
through my pursed lips. Then, as calmly as possible, I spoke. "What?"
I repeated in a casual, relaxed voice.
"Your wedding gown; it must be ready by the end of June," the king
said.
"I'm getting _married_ in June?" I demanded incredulously.
"It is tradition," the queen told me. "The princess is supposed to
be wed on her sixteenth birthday."
"You aren't going to make an exception in my case?" I asked.
"I don't see why that would be necessary," the king said.
"Oh, I have no idea why," I retorted in a sarcastic voice. "I've
only been in this country for two months and I've spoken to my
betrothed for a total of forty-five minutes." It didn't matter that
I was already falling in love with him.
"Serena," the queen said warningly.
"I apologize for my tone," I murmured. "But surely you realize that
I am not ready to be married."
"This marriage has been arranged since you were seven years old,"
the king said. "Prince Darien has waited long enough."
"He has not been engaged to _me_ since I was seven; he was engaged
to Beryl," I pointed out angrily. "And he has not waited for me for
nine years, he waited for Beryl. He didn't even want to marry her."
"How did you know that?" the queen demanded. "That information was
not for you to know."
I shrugged nonchalantly. "People talk. I am a good listener."
"I order you to tell us who told you," the king commanded. "And you
will marry Prince Darien on your sixteenth birthday."
I met his gaze steadily. There was no way that I was going to turn
Andrew in for being my friend. And there was also no way that I was
getting married on my sixteenth birthday. "I will not."
"So be it." The queen narrowed her eyes. "You will not accompany
us on out international visits. All of your tours and public
appearances will be cancelled. You will not be permitted to leave
the palace. You will have a guard accompanying you wherever you
go. You will not be able to call your American friends or your
adoptive family. Will you marry Prince Darien or will you be
confined to the palace?"
I glared at my parents. "I will not marry Prince Darien on my
sixteenth birthday," I said firmly.
The king and queen exchanged worried glances. I don't think that
they were expecting me to stand my ground. Beryl probably folded
like a house of cards every time she was faced with an ultimatum.
What a wimp, I thought disdainfully.
"I suggest you reconsider," the king advised. "You will not be
able to go anywhere. You will not be able to speak with anyone
outside the palace. You will not be permitted any visitors."
"I will not marry Prince Darien on my sixteenth birthday," I repeated.
"And I will not discuss this matter any further with you. If you wish
to punish my insolence by isolating me, then perhaps you should not
talk to me any more." I pushed my chair back and stood up. "If you
will excuse me." I curtseyed and left the dining room.
**********************************************************************************************
True to their word, I was confined to the palace, and they had a
guard placed on me. He stood outside my chambers when I was
sleeping, he followed me when I went for my lessons and when I went
to eat. He would follow me when I went to my studio to paint and
then he would guard the door until I came out.
I missed my American family and Molly terribly. I missed seeing Andrew
at every public appearance I made and having a normal conversation
with him. I even missed having M. Artemis chaperoning the two of us
as we talked.
Most of all, I missed Darien. I wanted to talk to him, and see his
paintings. My parents had taken King Stephen and Queen Gaia's
invitation and had gone to Outopia for two weeks without me. I'm
sure that they even made up a story to explain why I was not with
them. They were supposed to come back this afternoon, but I wasn't
holding my breath.
So there I was, by myself in the palace, bored out of my mind and
lonely. I was in my chamber, and going through the things that had
been sent to me by my American family. I took out my stereo and put
it aside. Then, I found my ballet gear that Lita had put away for
me. I put on a pair of white tights, a white dance leotard, a short,
filmy white ballet skirt and a pair of white point shoes. I pulled
on a pair of white leg warmers and a large gray sweatshirt. Then I
picked out several instrumental CDs to dance to. I picked up my
stereo and opened my chamber door. Sure enough, the guard was still
there. I walked to the grand ballroom and went in. The guard stayed
outside, but I heard him call for additional help to watch the other
exits.
I plugged my stereo into an outlet on the wall and put a disc in.
I pressed the play button and moments later, the room was filled
with the sound of Pachelbel's Canon. I sat down and started to
stretch. After years of practice, I was extremely flexible. I
could drop into a split on command. I could lift my leg behind
me and touch my foot to the top of my head. I could even bend
down at the waist and place my hands flat on the floor.
When I had stretched for about twenty minutes, I changed the disc
that was playing. I put in Swan Lake, by Tchaikovsky. I had danced
the roles of Odette and Odile two years ago with my advanced ballet
class. I took off my sweatshirt and leg warmers. To drown out
interruptions, I turned the volume up to full.
When the music started, I tuned out any distractions and started
dancing. I was completely absorbed in the music, concentrating on
the movements of my arms and legs.
Fifteen minutes into the music, I was aware that there was someone
else in the ballroom with me. Out of the corner of my eye, I
identified the person as M. Artemis. I ignored him and continued
dancing. Every few minutes, another person would enter, and I would
keep on dancing. I occasionally wondered why someone simply did not
turn the music off.
By the third act, there were about thirty people in the ballroom,
including Mlle Luna, Mme Haruna, Mlle Aino, Lita, the king and
queen, and even Darien. Briefly, I wondered what he was doing here,
but I decided that I would find out later.
The last song wound down and I held the final pose for several
moments. Then I turned to my impromptu audience and curtseyed.
"Can I help you?" I asked them dryly.
My mother dismissed everyone except for my father and Darien. "We
were told that we would find you here," she said to me.
"Well, it seems you have found me," I said. "What can I do for you?"
"I wanted to see you," Darien told me.
"Will you excuse us, please?" I said to my parents. They nodded and
left the ballroom.
"Why did you come all this way?" I asked him.
"King Terrence and Queen Serenity told me why you did not come to
Outopia," he said. "They said that you did not want this marriage.
I wanted to know why, as do my parents."
"They said that I did not want to marry you?" I asked softly. I
walked over to the French doors that led to the balcony. Darien
walked beside me. He opened the door and we both stepped through.
"Yes," he replied. "My mother and father are very upset. They are
worried that the alliance is in jeopardy."
"I only said that I did not want to marry you on my sixteenth birthday,
which is next month," I told him. "I never planned on marrying
_anyone_ before I was at least twenty years old."
"Then you do want to marry me?" Darien asked. I could detect a note of
hope in his voice
"I don't know," I said truthfully. "To be perfectly honest, I barely
know you. I wouldn't feel comfortable with someone that I knew nothing
about."
"What would you like to know?" he asked me.
"What?" I asked, surprised.
"I said 'What would you like to know?'," he said. "Ask me anything."
"Darien!" I exclaimed. "It's a bit more complicated than that."
"It is not," Darien insisted. "You said that you know nothing about me.
I'm giving you the opportunity to fix that. And hopefully, you'll give
me some information about yourself."
I felt a smile tug at my lips. "You're very direct," I told him.
"One of the benefits of royalty," Darien said, smiling. "You're allowed
to say whatever you want, within reason, of course."
"Of course," I echoed. "I accept your offer."
"Wonderful," Darien declared. "Shall we take a walk in the gardens while
we talk?"
I looked at my clothes. "I need to change first."
"You look lovely as you are," he said, grinning.
I laughed lightly. "My clothes hardly suit a princess."
"You're right," he agreed, studying my outfit. "You look more like an
angel."
I laughed again. "Be careful, Darien," I warned him. "You're fulfilling
all of my expectations."
Darien's eyes lit up with laughter and he dropped a light kiss on my
forehead. "Shall we?" he asked, motioning towards the stone staircase
that was connected to the balcony.
I nodded. He held out his arm for me to take. We descended down the stairs
and headed towards the rose gardens. To be honest, I had not seen them yet.
I told Darien as much.
"Really?" he asked me, "I have been here before, with-" he trailed off,
frowning slightly.
"With Beryl?" I finished. He nodded.
"I don't mind," I told him reassuringly. "It was an arranged marriage.
You were required to spend time with her. I know that you choose to spend
time with me."
He looked at me with gratitude in his eyes. He raised my hand to his lips
and kissed it.
Darien stopped in front of a rosebush. It was in full bloom, with
beautiful white roses. He plucked one of the roses and inhaled its scent.
"Heaven," he said.
"Excuse me?"
"This rose; it is called 'Heaven'," he explained. He brought the flower
to my face so that I could
smell it.
"Mmm," I sighed, closing my eyes, "I can see why." I felt Darien lightly
brush the rose against my lips. I smiled against the petals.
"What are you doing?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed.
"You'll see," came the reply.
He trailed the rose over my face in long, soft strokes. As he was doing
this, he spoke to me.
"I was born twenty years ago; my birthday is on the third of August. I
enjoy reading and painting in my spare time. I attend classes at the
University of Terrania, which is located in the capital city of Outopia.
I am currently earning my Bachelor of Science."
I couldn't move. Darien's voice seductively hypnotic, and combined with
the amazing feeling of the rose on my skin, well, I don't think I need
to draw you a picture.
Then, Darien took the rose away and replaced it with something that felt
a hundred times better. His lips traced a gentle path from my cheeks, to
my eyelids, to my forehead, and back again.
"My favorite subject at the moment is physics. My favorite color is black,
my favorite flowers are roses," he continued.
"Darien," I whispered huskily. His lips trailed down my jaw to my neck
and shoulder.
"My favorite food is chocolate." One of his hands cradled my head and
our lips met in a tender kiss.
I'll try and describe what it felt like. It was as if we were the only
two people that mattered at the moment. The most incredible taste was
invading my mouth, and I welcomed it. Delicious sparks were flying
between us, where we touched; our lips, his hands to my face.
Slowly, the feeling faded and I shivered lightly. I opened my eyes to
find Darien smiling down at me.
"Cold?" he asked. I shook my head.
"Happy," I replied, smiling back. Darien's smile grew wider. My heart
melted. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. His sapphire
eyes sparkled, his grin adding light to the day, and it was directed
only at me.
"Then it's your turn," Darien said. He led me to a stone bench by a
fountain and we took a seat.
"My turn?" I was puzzled.
"To tell me about you," he responded, taking my hands in his.
"Oh!" I smiled sheepishly. "Well, I was born here almost sixteen years ago,
on the thirtieth of June. I lived in America for over fifteen years, and
then I returned to Paradeisos. I enjoy the performing arts, as well as
visual arts. I also enjoy studying foreign languages. I had dreams of
becoming a translator for foreign diplomats or an ambassador to another
country.
"I do not go to school, rather, I have a tutor who educates me. I am
currently studying for my high school diploma.
"My favorite subject is world history. My favorite color is anything pastel,
especially pink. My favorite flowers are roses, too. My favorite food is ice
cream, especially vanilla," I finished. Darien looked like he was memorizing
everything that I had said. It was very touching.
He reached out to caress my cheek. "Your birthday is coming up soon. I would
like to help you celebrate it."
"Oh...you don't have to go through the trouble," I started to say. He silenced
me with a finger to my lips.
"I want to," he insisted. "My fiancée should celebrate her sixteenth birthday
with style."
I smiled at him. "Call me your fiancée again."
Darien smiled back and put his arms around me. "Serena, my beautiful fiancée,
who wants to marry me." He pulled me closer and kissed me.
I wound my arms around Darien and kissed him back. His lips pressed firmly
on mine and his kisses grew more demanding. Sensing what he wanted, I parted
my lips and let him enter. A wave of emotions crashed over me as his tongue
plunged into my mouth. In all of my life, I had never been kissed like this.
At that moment, I knew that I would never want anyone but Darien to kiss me
like that again.
Tentatively, I stroked Darien's tongue with my own, and I was rewarded with
his groan of pleasure. We couldn't get close enough. His strong arms crushed
my body against his hard frame, while my hands explored the contours of his
muscled back and tangled in his silky black hair.
We broke apart, gasping for air. I could feel his heart beating staccato, in
time with the pounding of my own. He touched his forehead to mine, breathing
heavily. We sat there for a minute or two, not saying anything. When I finally
regained my powers of speech, I said the only thing that seemed appropriate at
the moment.
"Wow."
Darien gave a short laugh and kissed me again. "Wow," he agreed, looking into
my eyes.
That was the last thing that was said for a long time as his lips found mine
again.
I say this all the time, but I love you all! Sailor Moon is the
property of Naoko Takeuchi and is used without permission. A Royal
Pain is the property of Ellen Conford and is used without permission.
Anything else that you people recognize that a 20 year-old
university student probably wouldn't have access to is probably
the property of someone else and is most definitely used without
permission. Now that that's over, on with the story!
Ash
Switched at Birth - Chapter 6
"_What?!_" I shrieked.
It was about a month and a half later, the beginning of May. The
queen and I had just returned from a two-week tour of Asia. I had
been my mother's translator and I had taken a major role in
negotiating trade agreements between Paradeisos and the countries
we had visited like Japan and China. Before that, I accompanied
the king to England, France, Spain and Portugal. It was a dream
come true for me. I was doing what I had planned to do before the
whole switch had been discovered. I was a translator for foreign
dignitaries.
But I'm getting off-topic aren't I? I'm so sorry. It's such a bad
habit. Anyway, I had come back to Paradeisos after four weeks, to
much praise of my negotiating skills. I was having lunch with both
of my parents for the first time in a while. They had just finished
telling me that they were extremely proud of me for all of my help
during their trips. They said that I had been responsible for
convincing the other countries to sign and agreement with Paradeisos.
Then they dropped their bombshell.
"You will start your fittings for your wedding gown this week," my
mother informed me.
That was the part when you came in.
I could tell that the king and queen were taken aback by my outburst.
I think that the sheer volume of my voice made them reel a little.
I tried to get a grip. I took a deep breath and pushed the air
through my pursed lips. Then, as calmly as possible, I spoke. "What?"
I repeated in a casual, relaxed voice.
"Your wedding gown; it must be ready by the end of June," the king
said.
"I'm getting _married_ in June?" I demanded incredulously.
"It is tradition," the queen told me. "The princess is supposed to
be wed on her sixteenth birthday."
"You aren't going to make an exception in my case?" I asked.
"I don't see why that would be necessary," the king said.
"Oh, I have no idea why," I retorted in a sarcastic voice. "I've
only been in this country for two months and I've spoken to my
betrothed for a total of forty-five minutes." It didn't matter that
I was already falling in love with him.
"Serena," the queen said warningly.
"I apologize for my tone," I murmured. "But surely you realize that
I am not ready to be married."
"This marriage has been arranged since you were seven years old,"
the king said. "Prince Darien has waited long enough."
"He has not been engaged to _me_ since I was seven; he was engaged
to Beryl," I pointed out angrily. "And he has not waited for me for
nine years, he waited for Beryl. He didn't even want to marry her."
"How did you know that?" the queen demanded. "That information was
not for you to know."
I shrugged nonchalantly. "People talk. I am a good listener."
"I order you to tell us who told you," the king commanded. "And you
will marry Prince Darien on your sixteenth birthday."
I met his gaze steadily. There was no way that I was going to turn
Andrew in for being my friend. And there was also no way that I was
getting married on my sixteenth birthday. "I will not."
"So be it." The queen narrowed her eyes. "You will not accompany
us on out international visits. All of your tours and public
appearances will be cancelled. You will not be permitted to leave
the palace. You will have a guard accompanying you wherever you
go. You will not be able to call your American friends or your
adoptive family. Will you marry Prince Darien or will you be
confined to the palace?"
I glared at my parents. "I will not marry Prince Darien on my
sixteenth birthday," I said firmly.
The king and queen exchanged worried glances. I don't think that
they were expecting me to stand my ground. Beryl probably folded
like a house of cards every time she was faced with an ultimatum.
What a wimp, I thought disdainfully.
"I suggest you reconsider," the king advised. "You will not be
able to go anywhere. You will not be able to speak with anyone
outside the palace. You will not be permitted any visitors."
"I will not marry Prince Darien on my sixteenth birthday," I repeated.
"And I will not discuss this matter any further with you. If you wish
to punish my insolence by isolating me, then perhaps you should not
talk to me any more." I pushed my chair back and stood up. "If you
will excuse me." I curtseyed and left the dining room.
**********************************************************************************************
True to their word, I was confined to the palace, and they had a
guard placed on me. He stood outside my chambers when I was
sleeping, he followed me when I went for my lessons and when I went
to eat. He would follow me when I went to my studio to paint and
then he would guard the door until I came out.
I missed my American family and Molly terribly. I missed seeing Andrew
at every public appearance I made and having a normal conversation
with him. I even missed having M. Artemis chaperoning the two of us
as we talked.
Most of all, I missed Darien. I wanted to talk to him, and see his
paintings. My parents had taken King Stephen and Queen Gaia's
invitation and had gone to Outopia for two weeks without me. I'm
sure that they even made up a story to explain why I was not with
them. They were supposed to come back this afternoon, but I wasn't
holding my breath.
So there I was, by myself in the palace, bored out of my mind and
lonely. I was in my chamber, and going through the things that had
been sent to me by my American family. I took out my stereo and put
it aside. Then, I found my ballet gear that Lita had put away for
me. I put on a pair of white tights, a white dance leotard, a short,
filmy white ballet skirt and a pair of white point shoes. I pulled
on a pair of white leg warmers and a large gray sweatshirt. Then I
picked out several instrumental CDs to dance to. I picked up my
stereo and opened my chamber door. Sure enough, the guard was still
there. I walked to the grand ballroom and went in. The guard stayed
outside, but I heard him call for additional help to watch the other
exits.
I plugged my stereo into an outlet on the wall and put a disc in.
I pressed the play button and moments later, the room was filled
with the sound of Pachelbel's Canon. I sat down and started to
stretch. After years of practice, I was extremely flexible. I
could drop into a split on command. I could lift my leg behind
me and touch my foot to the top of my head. I could even bend
down at the waist and place my hands flat on the floor.
When I had stretched for about twenty minutes, I changed the disc
that was playing. I put in Swan Lake, by Tchaikovsky. I had danced
the roles of Odette and Odile two years ago with my advanced ballet
class. I took off my sweatshirt and leg warmers. To drown out
interruptions, I turned the volume up to full.
When the music started, I tuned out any distractions and started
dancing. I was completely absorbed in the music, concentrating on
the movements of my arms and legs.
Fifteen minutes into the music, I was aware that there was someone
else in the ballroom with me. Out of the corner of my eye, I
identified the person as M. Artemis. I ignored him and continued
dancing. Every few minutes, another person would enter, and I would
keep on dancing. I occasionally wondered why someone simply did not
turn the music off.
By the third act, there were about thirty people in the ballroom,
including Mlle Luna, Mme Haruna, Mlle Aino, Lita, the king and
queen, and even Darien. Briefly, I wondered what he was doing here,
but I decided that I would find out later.
The last song wound down and I held the final pose for several
moments. Then I turned to my impromptu audience and curtseyed.
"Can I help you?" I asked them dryly.
My mother dismissed everyone except for my father and Darien. "We
were told that we would find you here," she said to me.
"Well, it seems you have found me," I said. "What can I do for you?"
"I wanted to see you," Darien told me.
"Will you excuse us, please?" I said to my parents. They nodded and
left the ballroom.
"Why did you come all this way?" I asked him.
"King Terrence and Queen Serenity told me why you did not come to
Outopia," he said. "They said that you did not want this marriage.
I wanted to know why, as do my parents."
"They said that I did not want to marry you?" I asked softly. I
walked over to the French doors that led to the balcony. Darien
walked beside me. He opened the door and we both stepped through.
"Yes," he replied. "My mother and father are very upset. They are
worried that the alliance is in jeopardy."
"I only said that I did not want to marry you on my sixteenth birthday,
which is next month," I told him. "I never planned on marrying
_anyone_ before I was at least twenty years old."
"Then you do want to marry me?" Darien asked. I could detect a note of
hope in his voice
"I don't know," I said truthfully. "To be perfectly honest, I barely
know you. I wouldn't feel comfortable with someone that I knew nothing
about."
"What would you like to know?" he asked me.
"What?" I asked, surprised.
"I said 'What would you like to know?'," he said. "Ask me anything."
"Darien!" I exclaimed. "It's a bit more complicated than that."
"It is not," Darien insisted. "You said that you know nothing about me.
I'm giving you the opportunity to fix that. And hopefully, you'll give
me some information about yourself."
I felt a smile tug at my lips. "You're very direct," I told him.
"One of the benefits of royalty," Darien said, smiling. "You're allowed
to say whatever you want, within reason, of course."
"Of course," I echoed. "I accept your offer."
"Wonderful," Darien declared. "Shall we take a walk in the gardens while
we talk?"
I looked at my clothes. "I need to change first."
"You look lovely as you are," he said, grinning.
I laughed lightly. "My clothes hardly suit a princess."
"You're right," he agreed, studying my outfit. "You look more like an
angel."
I laughed again. "Be careful, Darien," I warned him. "You're fulfilling
all of my expectations."
Darien's eyes lit up with laughter and he dropped a light kiss on my
forehead. "Shall we?" he asked, motioning towards the stone staircase
that was connected to the balcony.
I nodded. He held out his arm for me to take. We descended down the stairs
and headed towards the rose gardens. To be honest, I had not seen them yet.
I told Darien as much.
"Really?" he asked me, "I have been here before, with-" he trailed off,
frowning slightly.
"With Beryl?" I finished. He nodded.
"I don't mind," I told him reassuringly. "It was an arranged marriage.
You were required to spend time with her. I know that you choose to spend
time with me."
He looked at me with gratitude in his eyes. He raised my hand to his lips
and kissed it.
Darien stopped in front of a rosebush. It was in full bloom, with
beautiful white roses. He plucked one of the roses and inhaled its scent.
"Heaven," he said.
"Excuse me?"
"This rose; it is called 'Heaven'," he explained. He brought the flower
to my face so that I could
smell it.
"Mmm," I sighed, closing my eyes, "I can see why." I felt Darien lightly
brush the rose against my lips. I smiled against the petals.
"What are you doing?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed.
"You'll see," came the reply.
He trailed the rose over my face in long, soft strokes. As he was doing
this, he spoke to me.
"I was born twenty years ago; my birthday is on the third of August. I
enjoy reading and painting in my spare time. I attend classes at the
University of Terrania, which is located in the capital city of Outopia.
I am currently earning my Bachelor of Science."
I couldn't move. Darien's voice seductively hypnotic, and combined with
the amazing feeling of the rose on my skin, well, I don't think I need
to draw you a picture.
Then, Darien took the rose away and replaced it with something that felt
a hundred times better. His lips traced a gentle path from my cheeks, to
my eyelids, to my forehead, and back again.
"My favorite subject at the moment is physics. My favorite color is black,
my favorite flowers are roses," he continued.
"Darien," I whispered huskily. His lips trailed down my jaw to my neck
and shoulder.
"My favorite food is chocolate." One of his hands cradled my head and
our lips met in a tender kiss.
I'll try and describe what it felt like. It was as if we were the only
two people that mattered at the moment. The most incredible taste was
invading my mouth, and I welcomed it. Delicious sparks were flying
between us, where we touched; our lips, his hands to my face.
Slowly, the feeling faded and I shivered lightly. I opened my eyes to
find Darien smiling down at me.
"Cold?" he asked. I shook my head.
"Happy," I replied, smiling back. Darien's smile grew wider. My heart
melted. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. His sapphire
eyes sparkled, his grin adding light to the day, and it was directed
only at me.
"Then it's your turn," Darien said. He led me to a stone bench by a
fountain and we took a seat.
"My turn?" I was puzzled.
"To tell me about you," he responded, taking my hands in his.
"Oh!" I smiled sheepishly. "Well, I was born here almost sixteen years ago,
on the thirtieth of June. I lived in America for over fifteen years, and
then I returned to Paradeisos. I enjoy the performing arts, as well as
visual arts. I also enjoy studying foreign languages. I had dreams of
becoming a translator for foreign diplomats or an ambassador to another
country.
"I do not go to school, rather, I have a tutor who educates me. I am
currently studying for my high school diploma.
"My favorite subject is world history. My favorite color is anything pastel,
especially pink. My favorite flowers are roses, too. My favorite food is ice
cream, especially vanilla," I finished. Darien looked like he was memorizing
everything that I had said. It was very touching.
He reached out to caress my cheek. "Your birthday is coming up soon. I would
like to help you celebrate it."
"Oh...you don't have to go through the trouble," I started to say. He silenced
me with a finger to my lips.
"I want to," he insisted. "My fiancée should celebrate her sixteenth birthday
with style."
I smiled at him. "Call me your fiancée again."
Darien smiled back and put his arms around me. "Serena, my beautiful fiancée,
who wants to marry me." He pulled me closer and kissed me.
I wound my arms around Darien and kissed him back. His lips pressed firmly
on mine and his kisses grew more demanding. Sensing what he wanted, I parted
my lips and let him enter. A wave of emotions crashed over me as his tongue
plunged into my mouth. In all of my life, I had never been kissed like this.
At that moment, I knew that I would never want anyone but Darien to kiss me
like that again.
Tentatively, I stroked Darien's tongue with my own, and I was rewarded with
his groan of pleasure. We couldn't get close enough. His strong arms crushed
my body against his hard frame, while my hands explored the contours of his
muscled back and tangled in his silky black hair.
We broke apart, gasping for air. I could feel his heart beating staccato, in
time with the pounding of my own. He touched his forehead to mine, breathing
heavily. We sat there for a minute or two, not saying anything. When I finally
regained my powers of speech, I said the only thing that seemed appropriate at
the moment.
"Wow."
Darien gave a short laugh and kissed me again. "Wow," he agreed, looking into
my eyes.
That was the last thing that was said for a long time as his lips found mine
again.