Chapter Seven: The Gift of A Rose
The Earth Kingdom...
He slowly entered the rose gardens with a heavy heart. The past year since Princess Serena's last birthday, he had been training really hard and as the King had told him, he was becoming one of the strongest knights. Even stronger than Prince Samuel. Everytime he trained, he thought about her and her beautiful smile that had captured his heart long ago. He hadn't realized until that night, of her fourteenth birthday, how much he cared for her. He looked up at the night sky and stared up at bright shiney moon.
"Darien, honey, what are you doing out here so late?" A soft voice asked as they walked up behind him. He turned around and smiled at his mother as she stood in front of him. "Can't sleep." He replied. She smiled brightly as she glanced up at the moon. "Are we missing the Moon?" She asked as she sat down on a stone bench in the rose garden. He was silent as he ran his fingers across the petals of a nearby rose. "Or are we missing Princess Serenity?" His head whirled around and stared at his mother with a surprise look on his face. Her smile widened as his expression confirmed that she was right. "Don't worry, you will see her soon..." She said softly. He sighed as he turned away from his mother.
"I know, but.." He began. The Queen listen closely as she waited for her son to continue. "There's so much I want to tell her, but don't know how...Everytime I open my mouth and try to say what I want to say, something totally different comes out." He said sadly. The Queen rose to her feet as she walked over to a rose bush closest to her. "You know Darien...your are exactly like your father." She began as she picked a rose from the rose bush. Darien turned and looked at her. "What do you mean?" He asked. She smiled as she stared down at the red rose. "When your father and I met, he was the same way...instead of telling me kind things I wanted to hear, the words that always came out of his mouth were insults and jokes. Then one night he got up enough courage and brought me out to the rose gardens, where he gave me a red rose. I then knew exactly how he felt." She finished as she looked over at her son.
"I am not sure I understand, Mother." Darien said with a puzzled look on his face. She smiled as she walked over to her son. She placed the red rose in his hands and stared into his eyes. "You will, when the time is right." She said softly. He sighed as he looked up at her. "I don't think it matters anyway mother..She is betrothed to Roman." He said sadly. The Queen smiled brightly at her son. "Roman has asked that we lift the arrange marriage, for he has fallen in love with someone else." She stated. "What?" Darien asked confused. "We talked with the Moon king and queen and they have agreed." She answered. "Darien honey, think about what I have told you.." She said as she walked out of the rose gardens. Darien stood there staring at the rose trying to understand what his mother was telling him. He sat there for hours just staring at the rose when an idea struck him. He smiled brightly as he stood up and headed back for the palace. Just maybe he could finally tell her how he truely felt...