Mari: Hey guys! I am SO SORRY about the long time for the update. Aria has been SO busy and I have had writer's block. This chapter is short but I hope you like it.
PS: Thank you to all the reviews we have received during this unplanned Hiatus. And I want to send a personal thanks to OZthelazy, for their amazing parody of do you wanna build a snowman.
Be the older knight.
You walk around the castle, attempting to calm all the servants. With both the king and the princess out of the palace the whole place is bustling with activity. You walk down the hallway to the room where the previous king would prepare for his speeches and see Jake pacing back and forth, dark shadows under his eyes.
"Still can't sleep, Jake?" You ask, causing the other man to jump.
"Ah… Strider." Jake replies, rubbing the back of his head nervously. He didn't meet your gaze as you walk over to him and cross your arms.
"You need your rest, English. Princess Jade left you in charge. You can't do your best if you're not at your best." You gently scold him.
"I know, Dirk. But I can't help worry. John could be who knows where and Jade went running after him into the unknown and I just… If I could have gotten to him sooner he could have calmed down quicker, we could have avoided all of this, we could ha-" You interrupt him with your lips on his. You discovered long ago this is the best way to shut him up when he's nervous. It works. He just slowly closes his eyes and kisses back for a second before you pull away.
"You talk to much when you're like this." You reply with a smirk. Jake blushes slightly but smiles shyly back.
"I know. But you know I'm write. After all these years of helping him…"
"He's a grown man, Jake. You need to let him spread his wings, so to speak." You respond, Jake snorting at your little analogy.
"Much like he did that night?" You look at Jake with a serious glance.
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah yeah."
Be the free king.
You stand out on the balcony, staring at the sky above you. You hear the door to this mansion open and you run back inside and down the stares and see a familiar figure.
"L-Lady Zahhak?!" Low and behold, the girl with whom you danced with at the party is standing in front of you.
"Hello, your Majesty." She says with a bow. You quickly turn away from her, holding yourself in your arms.
"What are you doing here? Unless you didn't notice I'm not the safest man around."
"That's not true, your Majesty, in fact, I may be one of the only people who understand you." She says, her voice a mix of understanding and sadness.
"What do you…?" You start to ask as you turn around, but instead of the young lady who was there mere moments ago you see Dave. You blink a few times as 'he' smiles at you.
"See? You see the knight who was helping your sister, don't you?" The voice that comes out of Dave's mouth is not his voice, but that of Lady Zahhak. Then 'he' is surrounded by a fog and is replaced by Jade, then Jake, then your own parents, back to Lady Zahhak. "I have powers just like you do. I can bewitch the mind, make them see things, make them do things…" She flicks her wrist and you slowly raise your arm, not by your own choice. She looks deep into your eyes with her blue eyes. "I understand you."
"I… I always thought I was the only one…" You say slowly. You stare at the girl in front of you, gulping a bit.
"I figured. When you saw the reactions of all those people, I knew that you'd react that way." She explains, putting her hand on your shoulder. "That's why I followed you as soon as I could. I had to let you know you weren't alone! I just had to!" She quickly hugs you tightly. Your eyes widen at her sudden movement, but you hug her back slowly. "I figured you'd want someone by your side, in this time of confusion."
You push her away. "I'm not confused, and I don't want anyone with me. I'd only hurt them." You tell her quickly. She frowns and steps closer to you as you turn your back to her.
"You won't hurt me. I promise. Besides. Even if you do, I'd forgive you. You're such a cutie." She giggles, pinching your cheeks. You frown at her actions. "Besides. You'll need to go back eventually. You are the king. And they'll expect you to pick a queen."
"Before you finish you should know I'm not interested in girls that way." You explain quickly.
"Oh I know that, Darling." She replies quickly, causing you to look at her in surprise. "You give off that 'totally gay' vibe. And the look you gave that knight, the one who rushed to your sister's side, yeah. You're gay." She says, looking at her nails. "I don't need you to love me. All you need a wife for is to give birth to an heir right? I can do that for you. See me as an accessory for you to have at your side." She says, bowing to you.
"I… I can't do that…" You reply. "It… It's not right…"
"I don't mind. It won't hurt me. Besides, you're a cutie. That's all I need." She says as she puts her finger under your chin. She has the widest smile on her face.
"In other words, you want to be a trophy wife… Just there for looks…?"You ask slowly. She nods quickly and giggles. You sigh. Great. The only other person you know with powers and she's a ditz. "If… If that's what you want… But I need time to think about it…" You say as you turn around.
You walk back to the room when you hear her say. "Take as much time as you need, My Lord."