(( psst VoodooVanz hope you're not disappointed i tried making this as lengthy as possible but this is just 1/2)) fun fact: if you google rosella, a flower doesn't come up. A bird does. Ha. But the hibiscus plant isnt that pretty, no offense. also the hopeless romantic that is i has recently fallen in love with Renée Eslie Goldsberry's singing in hamilton I listened to satisfied (and blow us all away, i started jamming and the philip just- at first I was like smh then I cried) while writing this ha
warning: mention of slavery and poverty since said subjects were more common than not during the time period. antonios rants are mainly just the things i rant about so..yeah,
fun fact: i literally forgot the alphabet for a minute and thought i accidentally deleted it my heart fell to the floor im))
She's so mean but I kinda love it, and I just can't let her go.
It wasn't needed. Really. All he planned to do was be corteous and return the young lady to civilization. She was polite, at first. And then one day he invited her for breakfast, and she had tea and pastries spilled on her. Later, he searches for her to apologize and he's met with a conflicted, sassy, and bitter side of the Island girl.
He has no idea what possessed him to ask her for her attendance at his engagement ball. He just offers one dance, and he finds himself asking, or pleading for her to stay, because she was doing things to him, he kind of loved it. And he couldn't let her go.
JUST CAN'T LET HER GO (part 1)
All of Antonio's intentions were planned perfectly- Alright maybe not perfect, since he had literally just been rescued from her after an alligator, or three, had attempted to make a chew toy of his leg and was just being courteous; returning the favor, so to speak, when he decided to bring the mysterious island girl, of whom belonged a name that they only knew of was 'Ro' something.
He had actually spent most of the journey swinging idly on his hammock, climbing about dangerous places of the ship, and wondering what could be the other part to 'Ro' s name.
The obvious one was Rose. It was simple, and elegant. Yet, for some reason Antonio found himself scowling. He wasn't quite sure why; the girl was simple, and..elegant, to some extent. But it felt as it something was missing.
Courageous. Selfless. Those were words used to describe roses, and Antonio found himself swinging, lonely, on a hammock at some time too close to midnight, staring at the midnight black sky pooling with shinning stars.
Rose did fit quite well, he decided, but it wasn't that fitting by itself.
He tried thinking back on the information on roses Luciana had taught him.
White roses symbolized purity and innocence. At first, one could find it fitting; as she was rather innocent when it came to ...quite anything, really, shoes, telescopes, ships. Antonio lend a fond chuckle escape his lips as he fiddled with the telescope in his hand.
Red roses symbolized romance. He made a face at that, it wasn't like she wasn't amiable nor admirable, since she really was, but he decided that the idea of fawning over romance was more in Luciana's department.
Deep red roses symbolized heartfelt regret and sorrow. That seemed a little fitting. Only a little, Antonio thought to himself. The poor girl looked absolutely heartbroken about the w ay she had tried to convey that the only remainder of who she was was a small chest with the broken label, one half of the embroidered leather torn off, only leaving 'Ro' behind.
He pursed his lips and furrowed his brows as a weight settled in his chest. He didn't like that look one bit, he despised it. He had grown up in luxury with both parents by his side while the island girl only had three animals and a not so much of a home to grow up in. What made it worse was she probably had a family, if they weren't deceased.
He actually slapped himself for thinking so negatively, and it stung. He shouldn't think about how, when he brings the girl back to civilization, she would have no one to go to. Something in his chest tightened. That would be rude to just shove someone into an unknown environment , after all, there would have to be a thorough survey to make sure that her family knew and were alive and well, judging from whatever they could inspect that was in that small wooden box.
Antonio hadn't actually thought about it. He stopped swinging the hammock before raising his leg onto the hammock. He shrugged, castle accodomation wouldn't be hard to arrange, but if his father weren't journeying to another country, convincing him would be difficult, surely he would have to plead. He frowned slightly, why was he overthinking such things? And why was he trying to make sure that everything went well for a woman he had barely known for five days?
He rolled his eyes, he should stop reading those books Luciana gave him.
He was simply feeling pity, that was it.
"And back to the topic at hand," He vocalized, muttering to himself as he brushed a strand of his long hair from his face, placing a hand behind his head.
What could 'Ro' possibly stand for?
Yellow roses symbolized and were an expression of exuberance. Yellow roses evoke sunny feelings of joy, warmth and welcome. They were symbols of friendship and caring. The yellow rose, like the other roses, does not carry an undertone of romance. It indicates purely platonic emotions.
Joy, and welcome. That surely described Ro, but she wasn't the embodiment of sunshine either. It was getting more frustrating by the second. He actually thought of the little game for fun, but he was definitely thinking too much into it.
Pink Roses. There were a lot of variations of the pink rose. Over all, pink roses were used to convey gentle emotions such as admiration, joy and gratitude. Antonio smiled to himself, he was getting closer by the minute. Ro practically radiated gratitude and joy when they suggested repaying her by introducing her to civilization.
Light pink rose blooms were indicative of sweetness and innocence. Deep pink rose blooms convey deep gratitude and appreciation. Pink roses also connote elegance and grace. Sweetness, check. Innocence, check. Deep gratitude, check. Appreciation, check. Elegance? Quite possibly. Sure, she was rather reckless, jumping from rope to rope on the ship in a way that drove Antonio absolutely nuts because one slip and she could injure herself and he wouldn't like that. But ther was almost always a tinge of grace in her movements. He wondered where it came from.
He frowned, was he thinking too much about her? Probably not, the discovery of the island girl probably just shook him a little.
Orange roses, on the other hand...While a yellow rose could remind one of the sun, an orange rose would remind one of a fiery blaze. The fiery blooms signify passion and energy. Yet another thing that resembled Ro. Orange roses can be used to express intense pride and fervor. Alright, perhaps not exactly. They also conveyed a sense of fascination.
Antoniono huffed frustratedly, every little thing from every rose so far reminded him of Ro. But that was it, small details from every single one reminded him of her and maybe it was the way he was probably overthinking it but the desire to find out her name simply grew stronger.
He moved onto the next shade. A Lavender rose like its color conveyed enchantment. It also expressed "love at first sight". Fascination? Sure. Captivation? Alright. Love? Surely no. They had met five days ago, and though she interested him, it couldn't possibly quite love..yet. Darker shades of lavender roses (close to purple) conveyed a sense of regal majesty and splendor. Antonio scoffed as the first thing that came to his mind was the jacket his father adored; he was sure he never took it off. Remembering him, he felt the sense of homesickness settle in his stomach, despite how they didn't get on perfectly. Those roses are used to express fascination and adoration. True.
Blue Roses..A perfectly blue rose was still elusive like the perfectly black rose. Blue roses cannot be achieved naturally so they represent the unattainable or the mysterious. Blue roses therefore embody the desire for the unattainable. They say "I can't have you but I can't stop thinking about you".
Desire for the unattainable? Such as his desire to promise the girl that they could get her her family and promise her a financially well life? He felt his stomach twist. He couldn't make a false promise. Perhaps island life was better in a sense..
He shook his head, refusing to think oh so negatively.
Black Roses were next. Black was the color of death and farewell. A black rose, like the blue rose remained elusive. What was known as black roses were actually really dark red roses. Black roses conveyed the death of a feeling or idea. Sending black roses to someone indicates the death of the relationship.
Antonio frowned as a breeze blew by. Death. And yet he found himself thinking of the obvious; what if her family had drowned or died?
He shook his head, going back to the topic.
By mixing rose blooms of different colors purposefully, one could create a bouquet of emotions. For example, a bouquet of red and white roses would mean I love you intensely and my intentions are honorable. A random mix of roses would convey mixed feelings or send a message: "I don't know what my feelings are yet but I sure do like you enough to send you roses".
He decided she was a mix of all the above.
When it came to introducing Ro to his parents, he had thought of many scenarios.
None of them involved having the poor girl running-no, sprinting out of the throne room in utter humiliation because of what his father had said.
Antonio sent a forlorn look towards the door before turning to his parents and trying to convey the message of you could have been a bit nicer, not her fault she was brought upon an island in the most polite way possible before Ariana, his fiancées mother, began speaking about the engagement ball that was to happen between him and the redhead. Despite how much the strange woman had irked him uncomfortably, he was extremely grateful for the interruption, otherwise he knew that he would have barked out a harsh remark that would leave him banned from going anywhere outside castle walls for a long time.
She simply forced a smile on her face, a tight, constricting smile that made Antonio squirm from discomfort. "Shall we get to planning?" She asked in a clipped tone, and from the way she was boring her wide eyes onto the floor, he could tell Luciana was just as comfortable and alright with it as he, which was, not at all.
"Of course." His father nodded approvingly, sending him a warning look of furrowed eyebrows, narrowed eyes, and lips pressed into a firm line of don't do something stupid.
Ironic, He thought wryly, because stupid was his middle name and he was bound to do something ridiculous, something reckless- in other words, he was bound to be the opposite of what his father wished for him to be; immaculate. A plan forming in his mind, he turned his attention back to the prestigious woman with a leisurely smirk that looked almost sadistic and hooded eyes, offering a tour around the castle grounds with the most charming, silky voice he could muster.
Not knowing where his plan was headed, Ariana smiled smugly, commenting on how a queen should know her grounds as she looked at her daughter who looked extremely uncomfortable in her mothers presence, as if she could detect malicious intent in her.
Rolling his eyes after turning his head so that neither parents would see his clear annoyance with the woman, the flamboyant Prince put on a dazzling grin and lead the way.
Their first destination would have been the castle green house, but Antionio had a feeling that a certain rose was taking shelter in there, so he took them to the orchards of blooming sunflowers and peonies, where Ariana began her raging complaints, one being that she would soil the hem of her extravagant dress with the dirt, Antonio held back another eye roll when she cursed the rich soil when a smidgen got on the tips of her shoes.
He also sent a sympathetic glance towards Luciana, who looked like she would rather be trapped in a prison cell with hungry wolves from the sheer discomfort and embarrassment at her mothers actions. He didn't fancy her in any way, but they were friends, and he didn't approve when any of his companions were upset or displeased- he made a mental note to go after his rose later and briefly apologize on behalf of his father later.
Luciana sent him a grateful, relieved smile as if she knew how he was planning on ending both of their miseries in one go. Then her eyes flickered to something over his shoulder, and when a devilish smirk formed over the face of the otherwise amiable, sweet princess, he knew that she was planning something wicked, something genius, and something great.
She lead her mother to the stables, which was connected with a pig sty. Antonio made a mental note to shower his friend with praise later because within minutes, dark, disgusting chunks of mud coated what was once an intricately embroiled silk gown- or at least the hem of it, but for him it was good enough.
As it turned out, while grumbling, Ariana had tripped (The prince held back a witty remark of tripping over her large ridiculous hair or her too small of a size shoes that suffocated her feet, but held against it, not wanting to get on his fathers bad side even more than he was) and landed in the mud, coating the entire backside of her dress, and a few strands of her unlucky, unnaturally red hair as well.
Faking shock but not slight sympathy, Luciana scurried over to her mother who gripped onto her like a ladder as she stood up, and the younger devious girl had directed her to a well, advising the prince who had been muffling his pleased snickers to return to the castle and advice his parents of what had happened.
Danielle looked partially concerned, beckoning the maid who had entered with a tray of tea and pastries to scurry off and help the other queen whereas Peter looked like he was fuming, and Antonio held back the smug grin once he realized that his father was attempting to keep his anger in check after his mother had presumably lectured him on letting the young boy 'live', so to speak.
After averting his gaze so that he wouldn't smirk when his parents exchanged a look, one fuming, the other pleading, his eyes focused on the vase on the table his mother was seated at. A bright pink rose stood in the small ceramic creation filled with water and his eyes remained trained on them, and remembrance struck him like lightning; once his surely coming lecture was over, he would set foot to search for his rose, God knew the young girl would be devastated and humiliated, he would have to find some way of making it up to her. After all, a few hours in and she should feel welcomed by her own kind, should she not?
He chewed the side of his lip in thought before the sharp, exasperated voice of the king cut in, and the prince resisted the temptation to sigh. "Antonio." Disappointment clutched his voice in a death grip, and suddenly Antonio felt a tug in his chest, he felt blue.
Keeping his head low in shame, he responded, "Yes, your majesty?" Acidic venom laced his voice as he said the title, bitterly staring. All he wanted was to make his father proud, all his travels and adventures, he wanted to prove that he could help locate certain plants necessary for herbal remedies that could cure people. He traveled and ventured to learn more about the patterns of the ocean to aid sailors so that they could avoid shipwrecks. He traveled and lurked to help, and his father referred to it as being reckless. Recklessness came with passion, he wanted to spitefully state.
A loud sigh emitted from his father, who rubbed his temples while his mother couldn't face him, hurt and pity on her dainty features. "What ever you do, whichever reckless stunt you pull, whoever you think you may be," Peter began firmly, sternly. "I am still your father, to you I'm not a King, I am your paternal figure." He stated, voice hard but Antonio knew that the lecture was only because he was unsure of how to express his emotions of overprotectiveness and love.
"And I only want what is best for you." He stated, warmly, somewhat. Antonio felt surprised, but at the same time he expected it. "Luciana can provide the patience and knowledge that the wife of a Prince should have, and she's a noble." A bitter portion of the Prince knew that it was simply too good to be true, having anticipated a catch. "She is also your closest friend, and I am sure there would be no better option." It made him feel a bit better. Instead of inviting noblewomen who he had no idea the names of, his father was considerate enough to choose someone who he was close with, despite no romantic attraction between the two. The friendship was simply symbolic of siblings.
The prince remained silent, even when he was dismissed. The sun was slowly beginning to rest, the oranges and pinks casting a beautiful view with a few splatters of lavender here and there. His chest felt heavy, and he had a feeling that his rose felt the same. His feet moved on their own and in a matter of minutes, he was standing in front of the greenhouse, fist raised to knock before realizing in embarrassment that the Island girl would haven't idea what the gesture meant.
Awkwardly treading in, he kept his steps slow and careful so that he knew whether he was interrupting a moment or not, the thought being questionable when the only sound in the place being the slight rustle of the leaves when the wind blew from the open door and the clicking sounds the bottom of his shoes made with each step he took.
Antonio wondered whether the girl had scrambled off onto a ship and set sail on her own or not when silence was his only companion. He was about to sigh and leave before he caught sight of something grey.
Steps slow and careful, he made his way around the tree. The sight that awaited him was purely endearing and admirable. The girl was passed out, leaning against the side of her baby elephant, the peacock and red panda curled up near her. A soft smile made itself prominent on his features as he stared at the sight, leaning against the bark of the tree. He was going to ask her to accompany him to breakfast the following day, but he would ask later, not having the heart to awake the exhausted quad.
As he stood there for a few collective minutes, the wind grew colder and the sky turned into a pool of royal blues, azures and lavenders with the stars gleaming proudly in the sky, he remembered the girl saying something about how a certain group of them 'represented' her three companions, needless to say, he found it rather endearing how passionately she talked of two animals that had taken her in after being stranded and one baby animal that was a new addition to the group.
He left after the sun had completely disappeared past the horizon, making sure the door was shut so that no cold airs would seep into the place.
Dinner was eventful.
Luciana assumed that he was in love.
Captivated, curious, fascinated, perhaps. But he knew that love would develop over time, he had only known her for two weeks and he knew that he was a doomed man; should she stay longer, he would surely fall in love.
It took someone 0.4 seconds to fall in love upon meeting someone physically.
It took one week to be infatuated, he had reached that point.
And if she were staying for over thirty days, his infatuation would morph into the inevitable; love.
When he said nothing, spooning some soup into his mouth, the girl sent him a knowing look, one of pure bewilderment. "You didn't deny it at all." She said in awe, a smile forming over her face as she childishly cooed.
Ariana approved of the action, "Look at those lovebirds." She mused.
Antonio bore holes of irritation into the metal spoon, but Luciana didn't happen to notice. Her gaze softened. "You really do admire her, though. Don't you?" She asked, a dreamy approving look in her eyes that fueled a small, candle sized flame that urged him to pursue the girl whom he barely knew. Silly, it was.
She took his silence as a yes, which, it quite frankly was. Pondering for a moment, she placed a hand on his shoulder with a bright smile. "You should invite her for tea tomorrow morning, I'll get a dress." She suggested, not even attempting to conceal her excitement at the idea of dolling up the girl.
Thinking for a moment, he agreed.
The next morning, Antonio was all nerves and sweaty palms, hurriedly, flusterdly scurrying towards the greenhouse. He wasn't usually one to be nervous but there was something about the rose that made him jittery. Maybe it was because it was her first taste of civilization and he wanted her to cherish and savor it instead of grimacing at his father and Luciana's mothers bitterness. Either that or he was trying to shove his feelings of fascination away but he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like on an island, surviving with only three animals as a family. The survivalist in him admired that ability to no end. The expertise when it came to fending off the animals actually made his survivalist side swoon a little- no, correction, it made him swoon a lot and a part of him knew he was long gone when she fended off the alligators.
From a few feet away from the greenhouse, he let out a relieved sigh he didn't know he had been holding when the girl was actually awake. He paused for a moment when he saw the way the orange tinted sunlight gleamed off of her and the way her bare feet carried her around gracefully. The latter had him confused. Harsh conditions, fighting for survival, yet as graceful as a rose petal.
He shook the thought, he was looking into every detail a little too much, but he couldn't help his fascination, she was foreign to the concept of civilization after all.
When he reached the glass exterior of the greenhouse, he raised a fist to knock before blushing, remembering that she wouldn't understand and gently opened the door, standing by the doorway before loudly clearing his throat.
Thankfully she heard it and saved him every ounce of humiliation, an emotion alongside embarrassment and the need to please that he only felt around her. If he were idiotic, he would've wondered why and brush it off as she's new to all these things, might as well make the first experience the best experience, but he knew that his infatuation was getting ahold of him, and he mentally cursed the way his heart beat had stopped and sped up at the speed of light when her ocean blue eyes met with his.
Realizing that he had just been mindlessly staring, he quickly regained his composure, smiling brightly, "Good morning." He greeted, eliciting a grin that bedazzled him to the point where he actually forgot how to breathe. If he told anyone, he doubted that anyone would let him live it down. For a strange reason, he didn't find it that bothersome.
"Morning," She greeted, and he noticed something about how the single word passed her peachy lips, he wondered if her voice had always been so lovely and smooth, and it was such a pleasant sound, he wondered if she sung, he wondered how it would sound, and then he wondered how he could hear it and- had her voice been so sweet, like honey? He wished he noticed the smaller details earlier.
"W-" His tongue trips over his words and he curses how flustered he'd gotten around the girl, he was usually such a debonair, it bothered him slightly. He cleared his throat slightly. "Would you like to join us for tea?" He asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.
She stared at him with what seemed like intelligent eyes for a moment, contemplating, and his hands started sweating when she looked askance for a moment.
"Tea?" She asked skeptically, the word rolling off of her tongue as if it was a foreign language, but a familiar one. Inwardly smiling at how he might have tugged at a hidden memory, he nodded, holding out a hand.
Ro stared at it for a moment as if going through her options before letting out a sigh and slipping her hand in his.
His smile brightened.
His smile fell.
The butler tripped, spilling the pastries oh so conveniently on an unsuspecting Ro and the floor. He bit down harshly on the inside of his cheek, everything was going disastrously that morning. According to Luciana, the first pair of shoes the girl tried on out of her own suggestion might have twisted her ankle when the heel broke. Luciana immediately went onto tightening it in some spare cloth quickly as they were already late when Ro refused to see a doctor and Luciana had tried getting her in the most comfortable pair of flats she owned, a suede pair in a magenta shade, but once again the girl refused, saying that she would go barefoot as if it was comfier for her while thanking her.
Then, at the pavilion, Ariana had boasted about how wonderous her daughter was with her multiple talents while subtly comparing her to Ro and both girls simply looked like they were ready for the word to swallow them whole. Everything went downhill when Ariana compared Tallullah, his mothers rescued white 'monkey' to the island girl and he was sure he saw the animal glare at her from where she was seated near his mother.
The situation seemed helpless.
Then, Ro attempted to take a sip of the tea and had burned her lip. Luciana sent her an apologetic glance before subtly showing her how to properly hold the cup, to which the girl sent an extremely grateful smile and the Prince found himself feeling fond, he adored the kindness the girl who had been deprived of so much acquired. In fact, he loved it about his rose.
And then, the present events has taken place and he found himself flinching and praying that the pastries weren't fresh out of the oven.
His mother gasped, His fathers face blanched momentarily, Luciana and Tallullah's faces represented pure concern and he was honestly so thankful to have them in his life, Ariana looked purely smug, causing him to frown. But before he could put an input on how sorry he was for that to happen and could ask her if she was alright and whether she got burned or not and could overall just suddenly turn into putty or turn into a mother hen, quickly clucking about anything in worry, she ran off.
"Where are you going?" His father asked, or rather, demanded when he abruptly stood to his feet out of instinct. He opened his mouth to answer but no words came out of his mouth while his mind was screaming and rather rare happening happened then; he felt helpless. Yet, at the same time there was a sudden surge of bravery in him that wanted to roar at his father about all the things he'd put his son through and he wanted to rant so much but his being was physically held paralyzed at that moment and with a draw of a breath, he pushed his chair back and walked away attempting to keep calm while inside he was boiling with uncontrolled emotions.
"Where are you going? Get back here!" His father yelled at him and he heard a palm slap down on the tea table and the slight rattle of chinaware so he gradually picked up his pace until he was sprinting away from them, realizing that he had found common ground between them; neither of them could ever please his father without attempting to be pampered beauties that was anything but what they were. Her, a woman brought up under harsh circumstances, a survivalist. Him, born with riches at his feet but with adventure in his heart ready for the unexpected to shoot at him, a prince passionate about survival and the wilderness.
He hadn't known where he was sprinting as the ribbon securing his hair gradually loosening until there were whisps of his bark coloured strands in his face and he brushed it away and kept on running or sprinting or whatever the heck he was doing until his legs felt tired. He paused for a moment, with his hands on his knees heaving in breaths. He straightened up after a moment, only to slouch a moment and let out an aggravated noise, and kicking at loose pebbles.
He hated feeling frustrated.
He hated feeling like he didn't know what to do or where to go.
He hated feeling helpless.
And he hated feeling selfish.
Selfish for wanting for things to go perfectly when in reality, he was the equal opposite of that, he wasn't immaculate, he wasn't flawless, he wasn't perfect, he was just..him. Someone born with the privilege of sitting on a throne with riches at his feet and servants at his beck and call whenever he wished. He was grateful, who wouldn't be? There were people who were suffering and in poverty- even sold as slaves for people, of course he was grateful for it, he was grateful for every second he was alive, but the words riches and the power to rule didn't quite appeal to him as righteousness and equality did.
Of course he would ascend the throne one day, and he hoped to rule in the most beneficial ways so that no citizen should starve in the streets or work with their lives old away.
He wanted to be beneficial.
He wanted to do beneficial deeds and acts.
He wanted to sail the seas in search for remedies or learn the tidal patterns to aid in shipment so that the predictable shipwrecks could be avoided- at the word shipwreck, his heart sank. His mothers friend lost a child and a husband because of one. He didn't remember the child, nor did he remember the father, but it didn't matter to him how close they were because innocent lives were being taken every day with happenings that could be avoided and it drove him nuts and it made him realize something;
He wanted to leave his mark on the world.
He didn't want to be just Antonio.
He didn't want to be just another man with a privilege or two or more.
He didn't want to be just another human to walk the earth.
He didn't want to be just another ruler of his Kingdom.
He wanted to leave such an imprint in the country, in the world, that it would take eons to forget him.
He wanted to lend a hand to any country needing it, he wanted to provide for anyone needing it, he wanted to do good for anything needing it and he wanted to make himself known to the world as him before ascending the throne so that he wouldn't go down in history as the two hundred and thirty seventh ruler of Appolonia, but so that he would go down in history as Antonio, a man who can bring right into the wrong, a man who can bring the ones suffering in poverty and turn them into ones blessed with prosperity, a man who can aid whoever he wished, a man who could make mistakes and acknowledge it, a man who can help.
Help.
The word rang soundlessly in his ears, the chime of the bell of remembrance jingled slightly and his thoughts paused. Then it struck him, and he began his strides, that time, it was rid of anger, and fueled with passion and the fastness was fueled by the need and want to do it.
He would help the world, but it'd require baby steps.
Help his country first,
help his friends first,
Help his Ro first.