Well as promised here is chapter to of Love After Loss 2. I have no idea what I was thinking when I came up with that dumb name, any way I would like to say that I'm still going to finish my other stories, but it's going to be a while. I get so busy during the day and Blah Blah Blah. I'm really happy about all the reviews I get. You people are great. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who likes my crazy stories. Thank you Naoko Takeuchi for SM you rock- rock on! OOH! That was so corny! Lol Anyway on with the story!!!
Six years. It's been six years Serena thought, as she traced her finger around the lacy patterns the frost made on her window. For six years she'd had to live without Andrew. She had grown more introverted with out Andrew's outgoing nature to balance her. She was always silent except when her mother, her maids, or Luna managed to draw her into a conversation.
Today was the anniversary of the day Andrew had left her. She'd never even said good bye. She was slowly beginning to get over his death, but she knew she would never fully recover, never. At least three times a year she went to visit him and her father at the royal family plot. This morning after the visitors had left she'd stayed and talked to him for hours.
She'd brushed away the new snow that covered his grave and placed a rose on his tomb. For just a little while her soul was at rest when she felt his presence around her. The next hours were spent missing him and telling him about the silly things the maids did to make her laugh.
I n the surrounding village Serena had become a source of mystery and tall tales. Every one in the villages and towns knew her as the ghost princess, because it was so close a comparison to what she had become. She was something ethereal to them. There in the world, but not really there. When anyone in the villages talked about her they referred to her as "the poor lass", or "the poor little princess".
They hardly ever called her by name. Her name had become lost in the many myths about her. Her favorite was the one about her being a fairy who had been adopted by the queen. Her brother had been omitted from that story whoever, because he just didn't fit into the plot.
If the story teller was asked why she never came out side since she was supposedly a forest fairy, the teller would simply say "Every one knows that forest fairies only come out at night." If they were asked when they had seen her. The teller would quickly answer "On a trip into the woods" that was where all strange sightings happened after all. The credulous listener would then become completely convinced that she was indeed a forest fairy.
Her beauty also played a part in the many fantasies about her. Those who had managed to glimpse her were stunned by her. Many had never seen anything so pretty. They all wanted to own a little piece of this seemingly perfect creature, so they made up stories, which some how became a special secret "relationship" with her in their minds.
Indeed her beauty was a match for Aphrodite, or any other mythical beauty. A body untouched by scars or blemishes, crystalline blue eyes that sparkled when hit by the sun, and perfectly shaped pink lips. Sometimes her own image in the mirror unnerved her. She thought as her beauty more as a curse than a blessing.
Because of it she was the subject of unwarranted jealousy and hatred by many. She remembered the irritated whispers of those who thought 'Why can't she just get over it? It happened so long ago'. The worst were the ones that wondered angrily 'She has everything anyone could want. Why is she being so ungrateful?'.
No one knew what heart ache she felt. All they saw was the outward beauty of their mythical princess. It was her cross to bare and she sadly carried it. She went to her bed, curled herself into a ball and began to cry softly against her pillows.
Serenity sat in the Great Hall watching the guests eat and drink happily. She sighed heavily. Serena had refused to attend the banquet. She believed that it was disrespectful to the memory of her brother, while Serenity saw it as a way to lighten the heavy cloud of sadness that filled the palace this time of the year. She wanted to make Serena more sociable like her brother had been.
It was a fight she was loosing with each attempt at progress she made. She grew sad thinking about her son. She looked down from where she sat at all the young guests she'd invited purposefully for Serena's benefit. She was so worried for her. Nothing broke a mother's heart more than to see her child in pain.
She was well aware that her daughter was a beautiful girl, and would be turning seventeen in two weeks. Serena was growing up so fast. She glanced sadly at the young princes and other young men of power dancing and wooing the other young women. It reminded her of the cotillions her beloved parents had held for her.
She wondered how her own son would have looked at sixteen. She smiled. He would be handsome of course and dashing, breaking hearts every where. She laughed at the thought. The reflection brought another more pressing problem to mind.
Serena couldn't stay with her forever. She would never be so selfish as to keep her. She would have to force Serena to find a life for herself, a life with out Andrew. She partly blamed herself for Serena's shyness. If only she had sent her to more social events, and youth functions instead of letting her grieve by herself.
The very thought gave her a head ache. She focused her attention back on the crowd. One of the young men in the crowd caught her attention. He was surrounded be a dozen or more swooning and blushing young ladies. She recognized a few of the girls to be very prominent members of the social population.
All were pretty if not beautiful women. She studied the behavior of these young women. Many were laughing loudly and fluttering their eye lashes shamelessly. Then there were the few who showcased their most prized assets, such as prominent family noses, large rounded eyes, lush breasts, or pouted lips, they were convinced could only be described as rose petals.
She flooded with pride when she smugly came to the conclusion that their beauty was no match for Serena's perfect features. The young man that was causing all the commotion smiled charming them all easily. Serenity sat back firmly. It was true that he had acquired quite a reputation for himself, but he was her choice.
Serenity looked up to see his parents looking at her from across the room, brimming with pride. She gave them an encouraging smile. With more apprehension she looked back to Darien. She just prayed he wouldn't break her daughter's heart.
Darien smiled at the women surrounding him. To some of them he whispered enticing statements of lust. They looked at him blushed and giggled, hardly believing he was speaking to them in such blunt uninhibited words. And he still said such tantalizing things to them without sounding crude or tactless. His words seemed like erotic poetry. He so shocked them and left them speechless that they loved him for it.
Some tried to lure him in a more "private" place so that they could "talk" with out so many listening ears around. When presumed he wasn't listening there were the most desperate ones who claimed to have a "secret" relationship with him. But ssshhh! No one most know about it, because it was soon to be announced.
The truth was that they all wanted their chance with him, so that they could steal him away from the others. Rather than having their rivals see them throw themselves wantonly at him, they tried to cover up their embarrassing attempts at seduction by turning on each other.
It was "accidentally" whispered to him more than once that that "poor girl" over there was soon to be financially destroyed because of the extravagant tastes of her family or because she was no longer of means. Darien found it funny that these very same women who thought themselves better than others wantonly threw themselves at him, offering him money and themselves, if he would have them.
He neither declined nor excepted their offers. He was after something much bigger than any amount they were willing to give him. He had been made an offer to wed Serena, the sister of his late friend Andrew. He remembered her as the shy and quiet little girl he had made cry effortlessly. He smiled, making one of the women squeal with delight.
"Will you really?" she asked. He nodded his head, having no idea what he was agreeing to. The voices around him were blocked out by his own thoughts. 20% of the lands owned by Serenity and two islands had been offered along with Serena to him as part of her dowry.
This generous offer had caught his attention out of the thousands that flooded his door each year. He lived in his own castle now, which he himself had constructed. He also owned a fourth of his fathers holdings. He was becoming a power to reckon with , and he was basically king over the king.
His aging father could make no decisions major or minor without him, and he was more than willing to relinquish the crown of authority to his son. Like the saying goes heavy is the head that wears the crown, and he had had his share of head aches.
Darien already over ruled his father in many matters. His father had been a weak and feeble ruler. Already sixty years of age at Darien's birth, his mind was quickly fading. When battles with the Neyga lands had risen he Darien had been the one to ride out with his knights and defend their kingdom.
That was also another reason queen Serenity's offer had interested him. An alliance with her would be much to his benefit. She was a powerful ruler, but he had surpassed her in terms of power. Sooner or later he would have taken her kingdom, not by force of course but Darien had rather it be sooner than later. He turned his attention back to a very petite brunette with large plump breasts.
Serena could hear the noise from the banquet three floors below her. She refused to attend furious with her mother not having a memorial instead. But out of pure curiosity she crept to her room door and slowly opened it. Cold air gushed into her room. She ignored it and stuck her head outside, looking down both ends of the long hall.
No one was around, except the candles that lit the hall. She huffed loudly. They were all probably filling their stomachs at the banquet. She tip toed out side. She wanted to see the display of gluttony she was sure would sicken her.
She smoothed out the white dress that flowed out around her as if made of air. She walked down the hall quietly. She felt awkward and vulnerable. It was the first time in years she had worn any color other than black or gray.
She neared the balcony that that stood high above The Great Hall. She held her breath as she tip toed towards the balcony, hiding behind one of the huge twelve white marble pillars that circled around the balcony. She scooted into a dark corner where she was sure she could see, but not be seen herself.
She stared in awe at the transformation her mother had done. The hall looked like a dream land decorated in gold and cream colors. Four spectacular ice fountains were set in the four corners of the hall. She imagined the whole thing was a scene from a fairy fantasy.
She giggled nervously feeling embarrassed about spying on her own banquet. It reminded her of the many times she and Andrew had snuck out of their rooms to this very spot to spy on their mothers late night banquets. She noticed a crowd near the center of the floor.
She inched closer, being careful to stay out of the light. There was someone in the middle of the crowd who all the attention seemed to be focused on, but she couldn't see who it was. She leaned closer to the railings straining her eyes to see who was this person that enthralled so many people. Again she compared the scene to Andrew. That's how people gravitated around him during their parties she thought.
She decided that she could not be seen, so she stepped towards the rail, and further into the light of the candelabra. She could see right into the middle of the crowd. She stared transfixed at the face she saw. It was a man, but only the top of his head the left side of his face were visible.
The little of him she did see shocked her. Her heart began to pound hard and fast in her chest.
She'd never seen anyone so handsome in all her life. His hair was ebony black on his skin was porcelain white. She wanted badly to see the color of his eyes, so she could put his face together.
Where they blue, green, gray, brown? She wanted to know if he really was all that beautiful, or if it was a trick of the lights, or distance. She gripped the railing tightly overwhelmed by the different emotions that flooded her.
Darien had a funny feeling that someone was watching him. He knew that people were watching him of course, but this feeling was different. He ignored tried to ignore it and kept talking to his knight Malachite, but the feeling wouldn't go away.
As if the power of Serena's stare was drawing his eyes, he turned his head and looked up at the twelfth pillar on the balcony.
Darien's heart stopped. For a moment he lost all hearing and sound. He stared into wide baby blue orbs. The reflection from the light on them was breath taking. Thos eyes belonged to a young woman. She was bathed in the golden light of the candelabra. He took all of her in one look. Her was a dark blond. He could almost swear it was gold in the light of the candelabra.
Her lips parted. She turned quickly and fled into the darkness beyond the balcony.
"Serena" he breathed.
Serena clutched her chest breathing heavily. "Darien!" she gasped. It was Darien! The bully from her child hood. How could she not have known? The same deep blue eyes, except this time they were in a different face. The same but still so very different. She could still see his eyes in her mind's eye staring at her.
She had been shocked senseless when he'd just turned to look up at her. He'd just looked up out of the blue. Out of every where else he had found her staring at him. Serena felt flushed and confused she stumbled to her mother's room and climbed into her bed.
What was wrong with her? Her heart was beating so fast. Was she going to die? She closed her eyes waiting for the darkness to come and claim her.
Ta da! Da! I'm finally done with chapter two! This is such a relief for me! Pleas review if you like my story