She was just a servant and he was just a prince when they first met. The story of two lovers, torn between their ranks, but survived the odds nonetheless. A true inspiration to lovers out there.
"I find him to be arrogant, pompous, overbearing and just plain stupid!" She wrung out her hair.
A young man extended his hand to help her out of the pool. "Oh, he was just playing Ashley! Calm down!"
"I don't recall you being shoved into a pool, Bryce!" Ashley glared up at him with angry green eyes.
A smile crept across Bryce's lips as he handed Ashley a towel. " I wouldn't mind... if he came in with me."
Ashley rolled her eyes. Bryce was the best friend she could ever have, but his taste in men was miserable. She hoped he'd never be cursed with winning Prince Seymour's heart. He was a terrible man.
"Whatever..." Ashley waved him away and stormed into the palace to fetch dry clothing.
Bryce dashed in after her. "But wait! What if he's picking on you because he likes you! You never thought about that!"
Ashley stopped dead in her tracks, causing Bryce to slam into her and fall over. "Well then he's immature. And I don't like immature men. And I definitely don't like him!"
Bryce sighed "Why did you ever get this job, Ashi? Why?"
"Simple. Our family needs the money, and I'm not turning down a well paying job just because the prince is a royal pain-in-the-ass." She sighed and pulled back the doors of the servant's lounge. There, she changed her clothes and freshened up. It was a warm day. The water felt good, but she would rather be offered a cool drink instead of a shove into the pool any day.
~*~*~
"When do you expect to find a bride?" Seymour's best friend paced back and forth. Nigel was a good friend. He was a little panicky, but he was a very good friend of Seymour's and of the family.
"I've found my bride." Seymour glanced out the window at Ashley, who had returned to clearing off the pool area.
"The peasant???" Nigel backtracked to the window to stare out at Ashley. "But she's common! You can't marry a common girl! How about Diana? She's a beautiful princess! She'll make a beautiful bride! She'll give you beautiful children. Seymour? Seymour? SEYMOUR?!?!" The golden-eyed man sighed in defeat and slumped into a chair. "Where did he go now?"
Seymour clasped his hands behind his back and approached Ashley, who was humming to herself. She had finished her tasks for the afternoon and sat in the shade to take a break. She gazed down at her ring. It was a plain ring, nothing spectacular. On the ring, a passage in Latin was engraved into it. Translated it meant, "To summon thine own fayth is to bring thine own calm". To the anyone else, it made no sense. To Ashley, it reminded her of what her father would say to give her hope for a better tomorrow. She closed her eyes and remembered the last night she saw her father.
~*~*~
"Her cough is getting worse..." Ashley's mother placed a damp cloth on her forehead.
"I know, I know. I'll dash into town to get the medicine tomorrow. Tonight, the snow falls to heavily for me to travel." Her father whispered.
"She'll be fine until then. I'll keep giving her liquids." Her mother held Ashley close and rocked her.
"I'm worried. I'll go tonight. I can't bear to see her in such pain." Her father frowned and kissed Ashley's forehead lightly. "I'll call you from town and let you know when I got there safely." Ashley's father drew the young girl into his arms and gazed down worriedly at her. Her pneumonia was becoming progressively worse and worse. Ashley relaxed in his arms and clutched his sleeve. "Sleep now, my little one. Be well until I come home. Fight this horrible illness inside you. To summon thine own fayth is to bring thine own calm. I'll be back as soon as I can." Her father placed her back in her mother's arms, lightly kissed his wife and dashed off into the snow. Ashley's father never came back, but the medicine showed up at the door the next morning. A note attached read:
I believe a man was trying to get this to your house. He was attacked by thieves. I found him on the roadside, bleeding badly. I offered to get him medical help but he insisted I only get this medicine to his house immediately. I ran here, then ran back to help him. He was dead by the time I returned. I'm sorry for your loss. I hope receiving this medicine keeps his death from being in vain.
No name, no trace of anyone even stopping by. Ashley was cured but her father was gone. She was left to bring in the income. She didn't mind it much. She loved working at the palace. She just... hated Seymour.
~*~*
As the first tears came to her eyes in a while, Ashley tilted her head back and tried to calm herself down. Seymour crept up on her and inspected her face.
"Now now, pretty girls don't cry..." Seymour smirked.
"I assume you haven't come to apologize..." Ashley spoke with dignity.
"I've come to ask you to be my bride, consider it an apology." Seymour extended his hand to help her up.
Ashley pressed her hands on the ground and pushed herself up. "And accept this as a decline on your offer, your highness." She straightened her clothes and started to walk away.
"Why do you have to be so arrogant towards me? What have I done to you?" Seymour crossed his arms and huffed.
"Why do you have to be so arrogant period? Why do you always have to tease me and pick on me? Why is it that you continue to pursue any sort of friendship with me when you know that anything between us could never happen anyway. Find a princess, I'm just another girl." Ashley turned to face him.
"I want someone worthy of myself." Seymour grinned.
"Then you want to marry a donkey. Can't help you there." Ashley turned to walk away again.
Seymour scowled under his breath and walked fast to catch up with Ashley. She placed each hand on each of her shoulders and gazed directly into her eyes. "You are to stay here tonight. You're not to leave. Do you understand? As orders of the prince... you may not leave the grounds or your employment here will be terminated."
"I'm your prisoner, is what you're saying?" Ashley raised a brow.
"Just get off your high horse and stay."
"I'm sure I can find a job elsewhere..." She slid out from under his grip and walked off in the other direction.
"Then by orders of the prince I say it's MANDITORY you remain here overnight! If you leave you will die! And tell me you're willing to die and leave your family poor and starving!"
"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Ashley started.
"YOU'RE NOT FAIR!" Seymour finished.
Ashley phoned her mother. She'd be staying at the palace overnight as per Seymour's orders. She hated him more than she thought she could ever. Holding her in this palace was unfair! What did Bryce see in him anyway?!
"I can't BELIEVE this!" Ashley pounded her fist on a desk and leaned against the wall.
Nightfall came soon. Ashley had spent all day in a room Seymour had selected for her. She spend all day pacing, watching blitzball games on the viewer and confessing her undying hatred for Seymour. He's a jerk! She stared out the window as Seymour walked into the courtyard. He didn't seem so bad when she couldn't hear him. From all the way up here, he seemed almost half decent. He was doing something, she couldn't tell what. It looked like he was practicing lines for something. Princes don't perform. What was he up to?
There was a light knocking at the door.
Ashley pulled the double doors opened and one of the servants walked into the room. "As orders of Seymour, I am to escort you to his private gardens."
Ashley scoffed "Say that again?"
The servant laid out an elegant nightdress on the bed and bowed slightly "He requested that you change into this. I'll return shortly to bring you there."
"I'm not going ANYWHERE in that little thing!" Ashley pointed at the lingerie in disgust.
The doors quietly closed.
Ashley couldn't believe she was being transported to some sort of a private dwelling of that jerk's Seymour. What did he plan to do to her? Why did she have to wear this? What were his intentions. Ashley started to feel uneasy with the situation. She wanted to escape, but before she knew it, she was already there.
Ashley stepped out into what seemed like a dream world. Hardly a garden, this meadow spread out farther than the eye could see. The sweet scent of roses lingered in the air. She gazed up at the starlit skies. There weren't this many stars in Guadosalam. It was amazing! She walked forward a bit to see a gentle, flowing river. Just beyond the bend of the river, a waterfall emitted the only sound she heard. Ashley gasped at the beauty of the surroundings. Too entranced by what she was seeing, she barely felt something slip around her neck. It was when a gentle breath blew across her neck that she turned around in shock.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Seymour looked up at the sky. "Beautiful like you."
Ashley stuttered. "What is this place?"
"I found it once, when I was little. I had run away from the palace and I ended up here. It was so beautiful, I decided I would bring my first love here." Seymour glanced at her. "You're the only other one that knows about this place besides for the servant that brought you here. It's for us and us alone." He brushed her hair out of her face.
"But why... why this for me?" Ashley rested her hand against her heart.
"Because, I like you." He smiled softly, "It's as simple as that."
Ashley lowered her head and bit her lip. She started to feel bad about the way that she treated Seymour. It didn't seem like he was the arrogant, chauvinistic, jerkoff he always seemed to be. What he did was... sweet. A blush rushed to her face as she picked her head up and gazed at him. "This... all of this is beautiful. Th... Thank you for showing me this place. I'm sorry for the way I've spoken to you in the past."
The lavender haired prince smiled softly "And do you like the necklace I put around your neck?"
Ashley placed her hand at the base of her throat and felt. It was then that she remembered that someone had placed something around her neck. She bent over the water's edge to get a better look at it. It was a silver locket. She opened it and looked inside. Instead of a picture, the words "To summon thine own fayth is to bring thine own calm" were engraved on the inside. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. It was too beautiful for words. She lowered herself to her knees and wept gently.
Seymour placed a hand on her shoulder. "I noticed you always wear a ring that says that. I wanted you to keep it closer to your heart. The words must mean something very special to you. I hoped one day you'd tell me what they meant."
Ashley gazed up at him. "Thank you... for all of this."
Seymour nodded.
"I'll tell you... what it means. It's something my father told me before he passed away." Ashley began. She told him the entire story. Seymour sat and listened attentively. When she finished the story, they sat in silence. Ashley dried her eyes and embraced the warm summer's breeze.
Seymour stood to his feet and stared at the waterfall. Ashley slowly stood to her feet and stood beside him. They stared at the waterfall for quite sometime before Ashley smiled evilly to herself. She turned to look for Seymour, once more. Of course he was leaning over the water's edge to admire himself in his reflection. Seymour will be Seymour. With a playful giggle, Ashley shoved him in the water.
"What was that for?!" Seymour surfaced and stared wide-eyed at her.
"Payback!" Ashley dived in after him.
The two laughed as they splashed around in the water. Were they actually having fun? Being friends? It was enough to make Ashley's mind spin. She never imagined having fun with prince Seymour! Bryce would be so jealous! She pushed his head underwater and waited for him to surface...
He didn't.
She looked around underwater, but he was gone. Where the hell did he go?!
Seymour surfaced behind her and pushed her underwater. Ashley came up gasping for air before she was about to yell at him. She paused, however, when she saw him watching the stars again.
"My mom's up there. Among the stars. Watching over us." Seymour sighed.
Ashley placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "My father is watching over her." She whispered.
"I miss her sometimes..." Seymour's voice grew shaky. "You remind me a lot of her. That's why I wanted you to be my bride. Maybe it's why I would do things to get your attention."
"Seymour..."
Seymour turned to gaze at Ashley. Ashley brushed the back of her hand against his face and leaned in slowly. Seymour closed his eyes and lightly brushed his lips against hers. He drew a deep breath and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Tongues danced wildly and hands rested on tensed and hardened bodies. Seymour held Ashley close and put his all into the kiss. They broke to come up for air.
"I love you"
"What?"
"I love you"
"But..."
Ashley looked at him. Seymour's flushed face showed that he was surprised by her bold statement. He thought, if anything, he'd be the first to say it. He gently kissed her lips once more.
"I love you too. Be my wife." He pleaded with his eyes.
"I... I can't." Ashley lowered her head.
"Why not?" He asked, disappointed.
"I'm just a servant girl. Our ranks would never allow us to be together." Ashley rested her head on his shoulder.
"Fuck the ranks." Seymour narrowed his eyes and held her closer.
Ashley pulled back, surprised by his tone and his words. The prince never swore ever. Now he was willing to risk everything for her. She would accept his offer, even if it meant she would be beheaded.
"I will marry you, Seymour." Ashley whispered in his ear.
~*~*~
"YOU WHAT!?" Bryce staggered backwards and held his heart.
"I'm engaged to Seymour, Bryce." Ashley sat on the bed the next morning. She didn't go home that night. She told her mother she would return home that evening with news. Seymour gave her a room, adjacent to his, and she slept there last night.
A catlike grin passed Bryce's lips. "So... how was he?"
Ashley blushed "I don't kiss and tell!"
"So screw and tell, girlie! How was he in bed?" Bryce bounced on the bed.
"We weren't in a bed. And I still won't tell you!" Ashley brushed brighter and hit him with a pillow.
Bryce pouted "But I want to have fantasies too! Give me just this one fantasy!"
Ashley brushed her fingers through her hair "Well... it was like the sweet taste of your first kiss, the way the breeze feels on a perfect, sunny day, the way the most perfect rose smells and the way you feel when your life is complete...all rolled into one passionate moment where our bodies become one and he shares with you, his most intimate gift. It's a feeling nothing can replace ever."
Bryce sat starry-eyed at the edge of the bed. "That man... if only he liked men!"
Ashley laughed and pushed Bryce away "Fortunate for me, he doesn't."
The double doors flew open as the King stormed in with a dignified look. Seymour crept in behind him with a terrified look on his face. Lord Jyscal looked Ashley up and down, then hummed. He then narrowed his eyes and stared into hers. Ashley said nothing but stood as she was inspected. Seymour slowly backed away from Bryce who was staring at him with starry eyes and walking towards him.
"This... She is who you are willing to renounce your throne for, boy?" Jyscal eyed Ashley up and down once more.
Seymour pressed his hand against Bryce's forehead to keep him from getting any closer. He turned to look at his father, "Yes, father, Ashley means more to me than even my place as prince of Guadosalam." He extended his hand to push Bryce farther away.
Ashley clasped her hands together and fought back the tears in her eyes.
"And you're sure she'll make a suitable queen?" Jyscal continued.
"The best, father." Seymour glared at Bryce who was trying to reach for him.
"Then..." Jyscal took Ashley's hand and slowly kissed the back of it "You have my blessings, son. From what you say, she cares about Guadosalam and she cares about you. I'll see to your request to have her father's name remembered. I'll send for the guards to move her family into the palace at once."
Seymour smiled and let Bryce go. "Father!" He beamed. "You accept it?!"
Jyscal smiled warmly "Your mother was a human, Seymour. I accepted her, didn't I?"
Bryce clung to Seymour with starry eyes as Seymour turned to gaze at Ashley.
Ashley bowed to the king and glanced at Seymour.
It would happen as it had a generation before. Seymour would wed a human girl. She would rule by his side.
Ashley pushed Bryce away and lept into Seymour's arms.
Jyscal stepped over Bryce and walked out the door. "Guard, remove this man from the room. My son needs to be alone with his wife."
A guard carried Bryce out of the room.
As the door closed, Ashley held Seymour's face and kissed him slowly. "We'll be together."
"Forever" Seymour smiled lovingly.
"You are my fayth." Ashley held him close.
The two embraced each other lovingly as the doors closed behind them.
"I find him to be arrogant, pompous, overbearing and just plain stupid!" She wrung out her hair.
A young man extended his hand to help her out of the pool. "Oh, he was just playing Ashley! Calm down!"
"I don't recall you being shoved into a pool, Bryce!" Ashley glared up at him with angry green eyes.
A smile crept across Bryce's lips as he handed Ashley a towel. " I wouldn't mind... if he came in with me."
Ashley rolled her eyes. Bryce was the best friend she could ever have, but his taste in men was miserable. She hoped he'd never be cursed with winning Prince Seymour's heart. He was a terrible man.
"Whatever..." Ashley waved him away and stormed into the palace to fetch dry clothing.
Bryce dashed in after her. "But wait! What if he's picking on you because he likes you! You never thought about that!"
Ashley stopped dead in her tracks, causing Bryce to slam into her and fall over. "Well then he's immature. And I don't like immature men. And I definitely don't like him!"
Bryce sighed "Why did you ever get this job, Ashi? Why?"
"Simple. Our family needs the money, and I'm not turning down a well paying job just because the prince is a royal pain-in-the-ass." She sighed and pulled back the doors of the servant's lounge. There, she changed her clothes and freshened up. It was a warm day. The water felt good, but she would rather be offered a cool drink instead of a shove into the pool any day.
~*~*~
"When do you expect to find a bride?" Seymour's best friend paced back and forth. Nigel was a good friend. He was a little panicky, but he was a very good friend of Seymour's and of the family.
"I've found my bride." Seymour glanced out the window at Ashley, who had returned to clearing off the pool area.
"The peasant???" Nigel backtracked to the window to stare out at Ashley. "But she's common! You can't marry a common girl! How about Diana? She's a beautiful princess! She'll make a beautiful bride! She'll give you beautiful children. Seymour? Seymour? SEYMOUR?!?!" The golden-eyed man sighed in defeat and slumped into a chair. "Where did he go now?"
Seymour clasped his hands behind his back and approached Ashley, who was humming to herself. She had finished her tasks for the afternoon and sat in the shade to take a break. She gazed down at her ring. It was a plain ring, nothing spectacular. On the ring, a passage in Latin was engraved into it. Translated it meant, "To summon thine own fayth is to bring thine own calm". To the anyone else, it made no sense. To Ashley, it reminded her of what her father would say to give her hope for a better tomorrow. She closed her eyes and remembered the last night she saw her father.
~*~*~
"Her cough is getting worse..." Ashley's mother placed a damp cloth on her forehead.
"I know, I know. I'll dash into town to get the medicine tomorrow. Tonight, the snow falls to heavily for me to travel." Her father whispered.
"She'll be fine until then. I'll keep giving her liquids." Her mother held Ashley close and rocked her.
"I'm worried. I'll go tonight. I can't bear to see her in such pain." Her father frowned and kissed Ashley's forehead lightly. "I'll call you from town and let you know when I got there safely." Ashley's father drew the young girl into his arms and gazed down worriedly at her. Her pneumonia was becoming progressively worse and worse. Ashley relaxed in his arms and clutched his sleeve. "Sleep now, my little one. Be well until I come home. Fight this horrible illness inside you. To summon thine own fayth is to bring thine own calm. I'll be back as soon as I can." Her father placed her back in her mother's arms, lightly kissed his wife and dashed off into the snow. Ashley's father never came back, but the medicine showed up at the door the next morning. A note attached read:
I believe a man was trying to get this to your house. He was attacked by thieves. I found him on the roadside, bleeding badly. I offered to get him medical help but he insisted I only get this medicine to his house immediately. I ran here, then ran back to help him. He was dead by the time I returned. I'm sorry for your loss. I hope receiving this medicine keeps his death from being in vain.
No name, no trace of anyone even stopping by. Ashley was cured but her father was gone. She was left to bring in the income. She didn't mind it much. She loved working at the palace. She just... hated Seymour.
~*~*
As the first tears came to her eyes in a while, Ashley tilted her head back and tried to calm herself down. Seymour crept up on her and inspected her face.
"Now now, pretty girls don't cry..." Seymour smirked.
"I assume you haven't come to apologize..." Ashley spoke with dignity.
"I've come to ask you to be my bride, consider it an apology." Seymour extended his hand to help her up.
Ashley pressed her hands on the ground and pushed herself up. "And accept this as a decline on your offer, your highness." She straightened her clothes and started to walk away.
"Why do you have to be so arrogant towards me? What have I done to you?" Seymour crossed his arms and huffed.
"Why do you have to be so arrogant period? Why do you always have to tease me and pick on me? Why is it that you continue to pursue any sort of friendship with me when you know that anything between us could never happen anyway. Find a princess, I'm just another girl." Ashley turned to face him.
"I want someone worthy of myself." Seymour grinned.
"Then you want to marry a donkey. Can't help you there." Ashley turned to walk away again.
Seymour scowled under his breath and walked fast to catch up with Ashley. She placed each hand on each of her shoulders and gazed directly into her eyes. "You are to stay here tonight. You're not to leave. Do you understand? As orders of the prince... you may not leave the grounds or your employment here will be terminated."
"I'm your prisoner, is what you're saying?" Ashley raised a brow.
"Just get off your high horse and stay."
"I'm sure I can find a job elsewhere..." She slid out from under his grip and walked off in the other direction.
"Then by orders of the prince I say it's MANDITORY you remain here overnight! If you leave you will die! And tell me you're willing to die and leave your family poor and starving!"
"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Ashley started.
"YOU'RE NOT FAIR!" Seymour finished.
Ashley phoned her mother. She'd be staying at the palace overnight as per Seymour's orders. She hated him more than she thought she could ever. Holding her in this palace was unfair! What did Bryce see in him anyway?!
"I can't BELIEVE this!" Ashley pounded her fist on a desk and leaned against the wall.
Nightfall came soon. Ashley had spent all day in a room Seymour had selected for her. She spend all day pacing, watching blitzball games on the viewer and confessing her undying hatred for Seymour. He's a jerk! She stared out the window as Seymour walked into the courtyard. He didn't seem so bad when she couldn't hear him. From all the way up here, he seemed almost half decent. He was doing something, she couldn't tell what. It looked like he was practicing lines for something. Princes don't perform. What was he up to?
There was a light knocking at the door.
Ashley pulled the double doors opened and one of the servants walked into the room. "As orders of Seymour, I am to escort you to his private gardens."
Ashley scoffed "Say that again?"
The servant laid out an elegant nightdress on the bed and bowed slightly "He requested that you change into this. I'll return shortly to bring you there."
"I'm not going ANYWHERE in that little thing!" Ashley pointed at the lingerie in disgust.
The doors quietly closed.
Ashley couldn't believe she was being transported to some sort of a private dwelling of that jerk's Seymour. What did he plan to do to her? Why did she have to wear this? What were his intentions. Ashley started to feel uneasy with the situation. She wanted to escape, but before she knew it, she was already there.
Ashley stepped out into what seemed like a dream world. Hardly a garden, this meadow spread out farther than the eye could see. The sweet scent of roses lingered in the air. She gazed up at the starlit skies. There weren't this many stars in Guadosalam. It was amazing! She walked forward a bit to see a gentle, flowing river. Just beyond the bend of the river, a waterfall emitted the only sound she heard. Ashley gasped at the beauty of the surroundings. Too entranced by what she was seeing, she barely felt something slip around her neck. It was when a gentle breath blew across her neck that she turned around in shock.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Seymour looked up at the sky. "Beautiful like you."
Ashley stuttered. "What is this place?"
"I found it once, when I was little. I had run away from the palace and I ended up here. It was so beautiful, I decided I would bring my first love here." Seymour glanced at her. "You're the only other one that knows about this place besides for the servant that brought you here. It's for us and us alone." He brushed her hair out of her face.
"But why... why this for me?" Ashley rested her hand against her heart.
"Because, I like you." He smiled softly, "It's as simple as that."
Ashley lowered her head and bit her lip. She started to feel bad about the way that she treated Seymour. It didn't seem like he was the arrogant, chauvinistic, jerkoff he always seemed to be. What he did was... sweet. A blush rushed to her face as she picked her head up and gazed at him. "This... all of this is beautiful. Th... Thank you for showing me this place. I'm sorry for the way I've spoken to you in the past."
The lavender haired prince smiled softly "And do you like the necklace I put around your neck?"
Ashley placed her hand at the base of her throat and felt. It was then that she remembered that someone had placed something around her neck. She bent over the water's edge to get a better look at it. It was a silver locket. She opened it and looked inside. Instead of a picture, the words "To summon thine own fayth is to bring thine own calm" were engraved on the inside. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. It was too beautiful for words. She lowered herself to her knees and wept gently.
Seymour placed a hand on her shoulder. "I noticed you always wear a ring that says that. I wanted you to keep it closer to your heart. The words must mean something very special to you. I hoped one day you'd tell me what they meant."
Ashley gazed up at him. "Thank you... for all of this."
Seymour nodded.
"I'll tell you... what it means. It's something my father told me before he passed away." Ashley began. She told him the entire story. Seymour sat and listened attentively. When she finished the story, they sat in silence. Ashley dried her eyes and embraced the warm summer's breeze.
Seymour stood to his feet and stared at the waterfall. Ashley slowly stood to her feet and stood beside him. They stared at the waterfall for quite sometime before Ashley smiled evilly to herself. She turned to look for Seymour, once more. Of course he was leaning over the water's edge to admire himself in his reflection. Seymour will be Seymour. With a playful giggle, Ashley shoved him in the water.
"What was that for?!" Seymour surfaced and stared wide-eyed at her.
"Payback!" Ashley dived in after him.
The two laughed as they splashed around in the water. Were they actually having fun? Being friends? It was enough to make Ashley's mind spin. She never imagined having fun with prince Seymour! Bryce would be so jealous! She pushed his head underwater and waited for him to surface...
He didn't.
She looked around underwater, but he was gone. Where the hell did he go?!
Seymour surfaced behind her and pushed her underwater. Ashley came up gasping for air before she was about to yell at him. She paused, however, when she saw him watching the stars again.
"My mom's up there. Among the stars. Watching over us." Seymour sighed.
Ashley placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "My father is watching over her." She whispered.
"I miss her sometimes..." Seymour's voice grew shaky. "You remind me a lot of her. That's why I wanted you to be my bride. Maybe it's why I would do things to get your attention."
"Seymour..."
Seymour turned to gaze at Ashley. Ashley brushed the back of her hand against his face and leaned in slowly. Seymour closed his eyes and lightly brushed his lips against hers. He drew a deep breath and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Tongues danced wildly and hands rested on tensed and hardened bodies. Seymour held Ashley close and put his all into the kiss. They broke to come up for air.
"I love you"
"What?"
"I love you"
"But..."
Ashley looked at him. Seymour's flushed face showed that he was surprised by her bold statement. He thought, if anything, he'd be the first to say it. He gently kissed her lips once more.
"I love you too. Be my wife." He pleaded with his eyes.
"I... I can't." Ashley lowered her head.
"Why not?" He asked, disappointed.
"I'm just a servant girl. Our ranks would never allow us to be together." Ashley rested her head on his shoulder.
"Fuck the ranks." Seymour narrowed his eyes and held her closer.
Ashley pulled back, surprised by his tone and his words. The prince never swore ever. Now he was willing to risk everything for her. She would accept his offer, even if it meant she would be beheaded.
"I will marry you, Seymour." Ashley whispered in his ear.
~*~*~
"YOU WHAT!?" Bryce staggered backwards and held his heart.
"I'm engaged to Seymour, Bryce." Ashley sat on the bed the next morning. She didn't go home that night. She told her mother she would return home that evening with news. Seymour gave her a room, adjacent to his, and she slept there last night.
A catlike grin passed Bryce's lips. "So... how was he?"
Ashley blushed "I don't kiss and tell!"
"So screw and tell, girlie! How was he in bed?" Bryce bounced on the bed.
"We weren't in a bed. And I still won't tell you!" Ashley brushed brighter and hit him with a pillow.
Bryce pouted "But I want to have fantasies too! Give me just this one fantasy!"
Ashley brushed her fingers through her hair "Well... it was like the sweet taste of your first kiss, the way the breeze feels on a perfect, sunny day, the way the most perfect rose smells and the way you feel when your life is complete...all rolled into one passionate moment where our bodies become one and he shares with you, his most intimate gift. It's a feeling nothing can replace ever."
Bryce sat starry-eyed at the edge of the bed. "That man... if only he liked men!"
Ashley laughed and pushed Bryce away "Fortunate for me, he doesn't."
The double doors flew open as the King stormed in with a dignified look. Seymour crept in behind him with a terrified look on his face. Lord Jyscal looked Ashley up and down, then hummed. He then narrowed his eyes and stared into hers. Ashley said nothing but stood as she was inspected. Seymour slowly backed away from Bryce who was staring at him with starry eyes and walking towards him.
"This... She is who you are willing to renounce your throne for, boy?" Jyscal eyed Ashley up and down once more.
Seymour pressed his hand against Bryce's forehead to keep him from getting any closer. He turned to look at his father, "Yes, father, Ashley means more to me than even my place as prince of Guadosalam." He extended his hand to push Bryce farther away.
Ashley clasped her hands together and fought back the tears in her eyes.
"And you're sure she'll make a suitable queen?" Jyscal continued.
"The best, father." Seymour glared at Bryce who was trying to reach for him.
"Then..." Jyscal took Ashley's hand and slowly kissed the back of it "You have my blessings, son. From what you say, she cares about Guadosalam and she cares about you. I'll see to your request to have her father's name remembered. I'll send for the guards to move her family into the palace at once."
Seymour smiled and let Bryce go. "Father!" He beamed. "You accept it?!"
Jyscal smiled warmly "Your mother was a human, Seymour. I accepted her, didn't I?"
Bryce clung to Seymour with starry eyes as Seymour turned to gaze at Ashley.
Ashley bowed to the king and glanced at Seymour.
It would happen as it had a generation before. Seymour would wed a human girl. She would rule by his side.
Ashley pushed Bryce away and lept into Seymour's arms.
Jyscal stepped over Bryce and walked out the door. "Guard, remove this man from the room. My son needs to be alone with his wife."
A guard carried Bryce out of the room.
As the door closed, Ashley held Seymour's face and kissed him slowly. "We'll be together."
"Forever" Seymour smiled lovingly.
"You are my fayth." Ashley held him close.
The two embraced each other lovingly as the doors closed behind them.