Her mother used to tell her bedtime stories about dashing knights wearing shining armor, seated on a snowy horse that was slightly temperamental, saving sweet princesses ("like you," her mother said affectionately) from dragons and monstrous creatures galore.
She always adored those types of stories, dreaming that a handsome knight would come and save her from the horrors that she had to face.
And he did, a handsome knight came, eyes a glistering blue, hair as dark as night, freeing her from her imprisonment and returning her to her home.
But the events that came after did not fit the stories her mother told her. The knight was fickle, his emotions ever changing, with a sharp mouth and senseless bantering; he was not what she had imagined that he would be.
Yet she still fell in love with him, even though everything inside of her told her it was a big mistake. And it was, this love, this emotion, all these affections were clearly a mistake...
That's when she had remembered the other stories her mother used to tell her. How it was always the princesses and the princes that lived happily ever after...
Never was it the princess and the knight.
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Call It Destinyby Elysia and Eternal Angel
Chapter 12
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"Selenity?" She heard her brother's voice, usually very cool and calm--now transformed into shock--call out to her, pulling her away from the strange trance she had fallen within caused by Endymion's words. It could be possible that the occurrences in their trip (including their mock marriage in the camp) would not be valid. Not when the entire façade was for self-perseverance. But now, for Endymion to announce such a thing in front of her brother, the king, was too much. This would truly mean that their marriage was legally binding and real. But if the love was not, well, then it could never be.
Selenity closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath before glancing at Endymion with a firm look on her face.
"Forgive me, but I cannot make such an important decision at this time," she announced to her brother, "for I hold no affection for either of these men." Well, that was partly a lie.
"The knight Endymion and Syphis of Sylathia have both expressed their desire for your hand, my sister," Andrew replied, clearly confused with the proceedings. "Will you choose between them, or will I, as your brother and king, have to choose for you?"
"Make no mistake, I will certainly choose the better of the two, but that will be determined by a number of things," Selenity affirmed. "Before I make my final decision, they will have to prove their utmost loyalty and sincerity, not only to me, but to Avaria. In the case of Syphis, this means he will have to swear not to attack our country without foresight. And in Endymion's case, he must defend Avaria with his very life, as he swore to do."
"Is that all you ask of them?" Andrew questioned. "It seems a very small task indeed."
Selenity smiled. "My dear brother, I assure you that this is no small task. With one man being an Avarian and the other from Sylathia, not only will they have to prove themselves to me, but they will also have to work together in doing so." She let a small laugh escape her lips. "And if you had seen them when we first encountered one another, you would know I have given them a most challenging task."
She cast glances at both of the men in question. "Gentlemen, let the battle begin."
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That woman, Endymion couldn't help but curse in utmost distaste, was a horrible, spoiled, witch. If only he could get his hands around her dainty neck for subjecting him into such a task... with him out of all things, he would have had extreme pleasure in wringing it.
Endymion shot a glare at the princess in question as she walked along side Syphis, chatting with him joyfully although he could have swore she hated that man the day before. He let out a loud grunt and Selenity turned around and shot him an amused look. "Now, now Endymion, you should consider yourself lucky. Dragon slaying is a very important task. It usually takes at least a half a dozen trained soldiers to take down one dragon... but I do believe the two of you can manage to get rid of a dragon... together, don't you?"
"As long as he doesn't get in my way." Endymion grunted back.
"I'm sure he won't." Selenity responded back.
Endymion glared at her. "I don't see why you have to come too. Isn't it dangerous? Why did the king allow it?" Endymion said, remembering when Selenity announced she was following the two men up the mountain to the dragon's lair also. He recalled Andrew calling her towards him and the two of them discussing the matter. However, Selenity was here so obviously she had won out the conversation with her brother.
The man was obviously wrapped around that woman's finger.
Just like another man he knew all too well.
"Because, who else can judge this but me? I mean, I ultimately make the choice of who is my husband... don't I?" Her sickly sweet voice made him want to reach his hand over to her neck and...
Endymion grunted.
Selenity smirked at him and turned back to Syphis who was obviously amused by their exchange. "Where were we, Syphis?"
Grabbing onto that man's arm (which made Endymion grit his teeth), Selenity linked it with her own as the three of them climbed that bloody mountain together.
Endymion hoped that the dragon would eat a few, if not all, of Syphis' limbs.
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They set up camp at sunset, and Selenity sat near the fire and basked within its warmth. Staying out like this under the stars in the woods reminded her of her time with Endymion in Sylathia.
"What would you do when if you became King?" Selenity asked Syphis, who was busy gazing at the stars before turning to her to look at her in surprise. "You expressed your want to gain the throne of Sylathia."
Syphis stared into the sky. "My father was a kind man. When he was king, he dreamt up so many projects and hopes of what Sylathia would become. Avaria is a country with such much richness and resources. I believe that Sylathia holds the potential to be just like Avaria. My wish is for Sylathia to become a nation with its own richness and beauty that would bring the world to awe. The country is in current disarray. With the new king that is anything but selfless, the country has started to waste away from what my father was trying to build it to be."
He turned his gaze toward her. "I seek to make my country great. Is that not the same as what you wish for Avaria?" Syphis asked her, his eyes serious and deep.
Selenity looked at him with a soft expression. "You're right. That's what I seek for Avaria also. For it to be great... let me ask you something then, if I were to tell you where the crystal was, would you take back your request for my hand in marriage?"
"No, princess," he said firmly, surprising her. "Because I do believe you are someone that could truly bring greatness to Sylathia. Not because of your connections to Avaria, but I do believe your heart can bring about a new change in Sylathia.
"The secret of the crystal's location would not be given to just anyone. The fact that you were told where it was only confirms my beliefs. You are a person can bring about change and beauty. Is it wrong for me to want to monopolize that?"
Selenity closed her eyes and sighed. "No, I suppose not. But it really all depends on how you do in this competition. I'm anxious to see how things reveal themselves."
Syphis chuckled and got up from his seat by the fire. "As you wish, dear princess. Good night."
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As the fire began to die down, Selenity retreated towards the far left of the three tents that had been set up for each member of the party. Although her brother and several of her attendants had strictly advised her not to enter the tent of either of the men while away from their inquisitive eyes, she couldn't help but reminisce about her recent adventures involving tents. After sharing a tent with Endymion so many times during their travels, it didn't seem to faze her, except for one thing.
Endymion.
Where was that man, anyway?
Selenity realized she hadn't seen him the entire evening, not since she had been talking to Syphis. Once they had finished their meal, off he went, into the depths of the forest somewhere.
No doubt to 'commune with nature,' she thought slyly. Endymion was always doing some strange thing or another. But it was that odd behavior that seemed to make him so mysterious... so dangerous... so exciting...
So forbidden.
As she lifted the flap to her tent, she heard a rustling of the leaves in a tree behind her, but paid it no mind. After her first adventure in the woods, she came to recognize that many of the sounds she encountered were mostly harmless.
But harmless sounds rarely reached out and took hold of a person's arm.
Selenity gasped and whirled around to find herself face to face with the aforementioned missing Endymion.
Willing her racing heart to slow down, she clawed at his powerful grip on her upper arm. "Endymion!" she hissed. "How dare you sneak up on me like that!"
He smiled that quirky smile of his, the one that used to make her legs go weak at the sight of it. "Had no choice, princess. Not with him around."
Selenity raised an eyebrow. "Not with who around? Syphis? Don't tell me you're jealous, Endymion. It isn't like you." She knew very well he could be possessive, but jealous? If his jealous streak was anything like his possessive nature, then she could very well be in trouble.
He didn't answer her question. "Come with me, princess. There's something I want you to see." Endymion took her hand and led her further into the woods.
After a few moments of silence, Selenity spoke. "Endymion? There's something I want to know."
"Can't tell you where we're going, princess. That's my secret for now."
"It's not that..." she trailed off. "I want to know... since we returned to Avaria, you've only called me 'princess.' Why is that?"
He didn't look at her right away, keeping his eye on the path ahead of them. "Because it's the proper thing for someone like me to do."
"But on our journey home, you were always calling me by my first name. Why was it not proper then?" Secretly, she wanted to hear Endymion say her name again. There was something about his voice that moved her... so deep, so warm, so sincere...
So passionate...
...that she was almost afraid of the feeling it gave her.
She was afraid that if he said her name once more, she would fall in love all over again.
He smiled secretively, placing a finger on her lips. "I can't answer that right now, princess. Besides, if I do, you'll miss what I wanted to show you."
"And what is that, Mr. High-and-Mighty Knight?"
"This." He pointed out and her gaze followed.
Selenity gasped at the sight before her. Endymion had brought her through the thick woods to a hillside high above their campsite, and from it, she could see above the trees and beyond to the sea that bordered the western side of Avaria. The sunset was just about over, but a tiny sliver of sun still peeked above the edge of the horizon. As the breeze drifted by, it was strong enough to shatter the reflection into a thousand pieces and swirls of reds, oranges, pinks, and purples danced upon the water.
"It's... incredible. I've never seen anything more beautiful in my life," she breathed softly, as if she would break such a glorious picture by making a single move.
Endymion leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I have, and she's standing beside me."
And for once in her life, Selenity actually found herself utterly speechless.
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Author Notes
EA: It's not as though we forgot about this fic, no, it haunts us every night before we go to sleep and once again when we wake up. It's just that many other things haunt us as well -- like school, sleep, laziness, procrasination, shopping sprees, and stuff like that. Sorry for taking so long. We'll try and work on timing. But don't expect anything from us anytime soon -- our lives are chaotic. Though if anyone is willing to tutor me in physics, hell, I'll work on it weekly if I must.
Ely: and I really have no excuse, other than proofreading algebra textbooks for 8 hours a day all week has nearly fried my brain, even more than school ever fried it. It's what I get for reading all the textbooks I ignored in college. But like EA said, we'll do our best to finish this once and for all.