Isabel.
Arkarian has brought me to Veridian, although I have no idea why. I only realised when we arrived that he hadn't actually said what we were doing here, just 'we need to go the Veridian tonight'. When we arrived, there was no explanation – he simply directed me to a room and told me to change, and then disappeared. And here I am, feeling a little ridiculous. The dress is long, floor length and dark blue. It dips low at the bust and is pulled in the waist, emphasising my figure. It's a simple, but beautiful, dress. A girl helped me change and did my hair in soft curls down my back and make-up, which I don't usually wear. It compliments me, though – nothing heavy, but a natural look that smooths and face and makes my eyes stand out.
As soon as I see Arkarian, though, I don't feel ridiculous at all. He is wearing a dark grey suit that compliments him, and looks absolutely dashing. I've never seen him in a suit before. I smile, shyly and extend my hand out to him, which he takes. "My love," He spins me round, looking at all of me, and my heart quickens, "You are beautiful."
He never fails to make my heart soar. "You don't look so bad yourself." I drop his hand and hold on to the lapels of his suit jacket, reaching up to press a light kiss on his lips. I then trail kisses along his jaw and to his neck before pulling away. I know it drives him crazy, and I am rewarded with a look of longing. He takes my hand again.
"We can't have too much of that, or we won't make it for dinner." He gives me a quirky smile and I can feel my body reacting to his words. Who needs dinner, right? But then my stomach grumbles and we both laugh.
He pulls me along and leads me to our destination. My heart is jumping. The first part of our relationship was spent fearing for our lives, so there wasn't much time for dating – it was stolen time here and there. Even after the battle, there was so much to be done that we didn't get out to enjoy ourselves all that much, although more than before. He's cooked me dinner a few times, and I try and return the favour and plan nice things for him, too. But this seems like far more than anything he has done before.
We're inside a very beautiful building. I don't recognise it – it's probably something that has been restored after the battle, and I wonder fleetingly is Akrarian did it himself. It's like a large house, with lots of rooms, and my curiosity itches to look behind the doors and see what it's like. We ascend some steps and going through a couple of open doorways before we reach our apparent destination. When he stops, I gasp – we're stood in a large room, and in front of us are some double doors, thrown wide open and leading a balcony that looks out to a beautiful night sky. The balcony railing is littered with small candles. In the middle is a table, with a high candle and bunch of roses. There is a bottle of champagne sat in ice, along with plates, cutlery and glasses. The whole setting is beautiful. I drop his hand to move over to the balcony railing, staring up at the sky and the view beyond. "This is exquisite, Arkarian." I'm in total shock – this is incredible! We have a stunning view of the city, bathed in darkness, and the open sky which is filled with stars.
He pulls the chair out for me, smiling his trademark calming smile, although he looks a little jittery. I sit down and he moves around the table to take his own chair. I notice his hands are shaking, just slightly but it gives him away. What is going on?
"Are you alright? You seem a little...weird," I say, looking over at him.
"I'm fine, my love." He stretches his hands over the table and takes mine, and I feel a jolt of power coursing through him. What has he got planned?
"I'm going to try something now... close your eyes." I do as instructed, and immediately gasp – Arkarian is letting me look into his thoughts! I'm not a TruthSeer, but I'm guessing it is something he has managed to do with his own power. Amazing.
A series of images flickers across my eyes – he's thinking about when we first met. I see the encounter through his eyes – the surge of feeling when our eyes met that time. I see him rescuing me from the Underworld – a trip I only learned about after the final battle – where I turn and come back to him at his call. I see those words he uttered to me, 'I would die for you', and I feel the love he felt for me even at that point. I feel a tear trickle down my cheek, and Arkarian takes one of his hands from mine to rub it away. The images continue, and with them I feel how he felt then and how he feels now. He loves me truly, wholly, with every inch of his being. My heart is brimming with my love for him. The last image I do not recognise, until I realise with a start that it is not a memory, but the present. It is a picture from afar – Arkarian kneeling before me, holding a little blue box. I open my eyes and there he is, a shy smile on his face, looking nervous and insecure as he holds the little box in front of him.
"Isabel..." He starts, looking up at me with those incredible violet eyes, "I love you with all my heart, and I want to spend the rest of forever loving you. You made me whole for the first time in my life. Will you give me the greatest honour, and marry me?"
I feel like words have failed me. He flips the little box open and hands it to me, and I see the most beautiful ring inside. It is made from a metal I don't recognise, but that I don't doubt is more valuable than all the metals on Earth. The stone set in the middle is small, but beautiful; it resembles a diamond, but has an otherworldly look about it. The colour seems to fade and brighten, glittering different tones, textures and colours. I look back up at Arkarian, my eyes full of tears and my heart full of love, and I nod vigorously. "Yes, Arkarian, yes!" I jump to my feet and pull him up, throwing my arms around his neck. "I would love to marry you. I love you so much."
He grins and holds me close for a minute before pulling back just slightly so that he can remove the ring from the case. I hold my hand out to him and he slides the ring on my finger, where it fits like it was made for me. I then throw my arms back around his neck and crush my lips to his. He stumbles back, just slightly, before we relax together and keep kissing.
Eventually we pull apart as my stomach grumbles again. I wipe my eyes and can't stop the grin from taking over my face – I feel like I'll never be able to stop it! We both sit down, and from nowhere a waiter appears with our food. He sets the plates down and then whips the champagne out of the ice. "Congratulations, my lord and lady," He smiles at us both and pours the champagne before leaving us to eat and drink.
"You were really nervous, weren't you?" I look over at him, still grinning.
He looks a little bashful. "Could you tell?"
"It was written all over your face. Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected – your hands were shaking!" I giggle. He sticks his tongue out at me. When we're alone, he does revert back to an eighteen year old boy at times. I'm glad he saves it for me, though.
Arkarian.
We chat through the night, staying to finish the champagne after we have eaten and the plates have been cleared. Once the drink is finished, we retire back to my chambers, a little bit tipsy and very much elated. Isabel can't help but keep staring at the ring on her finger.
"Its beautiful," She says softly, as we move into the bedroom. She collapses on the bed, still in her dress and holding her hand in front of her face. I turn to the mirror and start to undo my shirt. Isabel gets up and moves in front of me, taking my hands and putting them by my sides. My suit jacket is already undone, so she pushes it over my shoulders and I shrug it off. Then she undoes the shirt buttons, one by one, pulling it open as she goes.
"I like you in a suit," She says, looking up on me with a smile on her face. "Although I've been waiting to get you out of it all night." She winks and I chuckle. She's reached the bottom of my shirt and she pushes that off, too, helping me get my arms out. Then she runs her hands over my chest. My muscles shiver under her touch and my breath hitches. She has such control over me, if only she knew.
She moves lower, then, making short work of my suit trousers. I step out of them and, feeling a little disadvantaged, take her in my arms. I kiss her, deeply, and then move my mouth to mirror the trail of kisses she gave me earlier – along her jaw and down her neck. She moans lightly. I turn her around, unzip the back, and then push the straps over her shoulders. That's when I'm a little startled, because she's not wearing anything underneath! My heart quickens and I feel my body reacting strongly at the sight of her.
She turns back and grins, cheekily. "Surprise." This woman will be my undoing!
"You are incredible, you know that?" I say, gently pushing her backwards and lowering her to the bed. I step back to remove my own boxers, and then crawl onto the bed with her.
"Not as incredible as you." She kisses me so I can't retort, and I lose myself in her. What a night. What an incredible night.