An Eternal Love

After the moment Danyel met Yasvie, he became a very different man from who he was before. All his thoughts changed. The way he spoke, the gestures he made while talking…everything. He was turning into a soft young man rather than a tough warrior; who he used to be and who he was expected to be. 

As for some times, Danyel totally forgot who he was. In his thoughts, Yasvie was already his. He did not want to research her background or anything else, he just wanted her company. No one, not even Danyel thought he would fall that much madly in love.

As for Yasvie, she was having weird feelings too. 

While working at the laundry, she could not stop recalling that moment she shared with the Crown Prince. Yasvie felt like she was seeing the prince’s face everywhere and sometimes found herself smiling for no reason; exactly the symptoms of Love.

But she feared to let her feelings grow because it was the freaking crown prince that she was thinking about!!!!

Even an ordinary palace guard would be considered off-limits for a water maid. The Crown Prince? Way out of her league.

But she could not help constantly feeling that the Crown prince was treating her in a special way.

“Maybe he was just being nice to me. Maybe he treats everyone else that way.” Yasvie muttered to herself, avoiding her inner voice. 

Miranda- the harp player felt that Yasvie was acting weird. She immediately understood the cause of Yasvie’s change. Actually, anyone could have guessed it if studied her for two minutes straight. While preparing the instruments to perform, Yasvie glanced numerous times at the path which Danyel came on last night.

“Give up on your thoughts, silly girl. One praise from the crown prince and now you’ve forgotten who you are.” Miranda said angrily.

Yasvie had a quick blush, realizing that her thoughts were revealed. She understood that her hopes were ridiculous. 

“For helpless people like us, it is best to not have any big hopes because they are always going to lose. Dreams and goals are for big people, we are here just to help them.” Miranda continued.

“Whoa! You are such a negative person! I am sorry Senior, I can’t agree with you. My grandmother always said ‘Anyone can be anything if they have courage.’ And I stand by that.” Din uttered confidently.

“How dare you?! Anyone can be anything? Huh… So Yasvie can marry the crown prince? Oh, she can be a concubine, of course.” Miranda yelled.

“Yes, look at Lady Arya. She was a water maid too. Now she has everything.” Din argued.

“No Din. That’s how everyone sees it. Servants and silk dresses and all. But being a concubine is the worst thing that could happen to a woman. She might receive all…but respect. Everybody bows and speaks politely to her…but behind her back, everybody laughs. A concubine is a varnished name for a mistress after all, isn’t it?” Miranda’s voice softened. 

Din was speechless.

Yasvie wondered how a single glance led to a deep conversation. They started performing. No sign of the prince.

In the middle of the singing, Yasvie saw someone waving at her, far from the chambers.

It was the crown prince!!!!

He had managed to find a perfect spot to look at Yasvie without being caught by others. 

Seeing him, Yasvie started to feel various things at once. Miranda was wrong. The prince came for real!!! Yasvie took his return as a confirmation that their feelings were mutual. 

“It’s all clear. Oh my god, he likes me!!!” Yasvie’s inner voice shouted happily. 

But she felt insecure when she recalled Miranda’s words about concubines. There was no way that a water maid could become the empress consort. If the prince liked her, her destiny would be to become a concubine and lead a very unhappy life. Yasvie’s smile faded.

Weeks passed. Danyel did not miss any evening and kept sneaking into the concubines’ garden. Unknowingly, that became his topmost concentration.

Watching from the distance, Danyel admired Yasvie’s beauty.

Her navy blue and turquoise uniform made her look like a goddess, unlike other thousands of water maids he had ever seen. He preferred those long sleeves rolled up which showed her hardworking, yet charming hands. He did not care that her knee-length blue skirt was a bit dirty all the time. Danyel always saw her hair in a simple braid, which was a part of her uniform. 

One day, Danyel got the chance to catch up with Yasvie in private. What a lucky day!

He hid near the water maids’ quarters and waited for Yasvie to finish her work for the day and return. When the time came, he grabbed Yasvie from her wrist and gave her a sign to be quiet. 

“Yasvie, I wanted to talk to you badly. Can we get some time?” Danyel whispered.

Yasvie was stunned. She could not believe that the crown prince had struggled just to speak with her. She began to feel important.

“Yes, your imperial highness,” Yasvie said in horror, shivering. She still had not recovered from the instant panic attack which Danyel caused.

“First, you don’t have to speak to me that way. Just call me Danyel, alright?” 

“How can I ever do that, sire?!” 

“It’s a command. Only when there is no one else around.” 

Danyel had understood the keyword; command.

“What I wanted to tell you was…I think I…I…I think I love you. From the moment I saw you, I could not get you out of my mind.” Danyel admitted.

Yasvie could not think of a proper reply. Though she had feelings for him and knew that the prince had too, she never prepared herself for such a moment. 

Inside her head, Miranda’s words echoed. But…what if he was different? He was different from every other royal in every way. So, why could not he be different in that too? Yasvie’s heart wanted her to trust the Crown Prince and tell him about her feelings, while her head warned her with Miranda’s curse-like statement. 

After a quick battle, her heart won.

“I was feeling the same way your imperial…uh…Danyel.” Yasvie wondered how fearless she was to say it. She had never acted that way before, never. 

Danyel felt extremely joyous. That was too good to be true; love at first sight, directly responded ask-out… Danyel felt like the whole world was revolving around him, as always. 

After chattering for a few minutes, they agreed to meet each other at the same place, same time,every day.

Neither Danyel nor Yasvie could sleep that day. They were dreaming…awake.

******************************

Emperor Narendra was waiting for his royal messengers to return, who went to represent Hesmia and explain its decisions to the annual council of all kingdoms and empires. 

In the latest session, the council was analyzing the recently occurred security problem at the Hesmia-Lisdonia boundary. Even though both emperors agreed to put an equal amount of soldiers at their boundaries, Emperor Narendra secretly  plotted to increase the number of soldiers and invade Lisdonia. Before it was brought into action, Lisdonian spies discovered the plan and complained to the highest council with captured Hesmian soldiers as evidence. Hesmia was ordered to present a proper explanation and the council was to decide the fine which Hesmia had to pay to Lisdonia for breaking a royal vow.

Emperor Narendra was eagerly waiting to know what happened there, his heartbeat fastened when he saw the messengers enter the great hall.

“What happened, Bertillon?” the Emperor asked impatiently. 

“Your Majesty, the council did not accept our explanation. They had strong evidence, our own soldiers. So the coun…”

“The fine, how much?” Emperor Narendra interrupted.

“Fifty thousand Semiis…” 

Emperor Narendra interrupted again with a relieving sigh.

“…per month for a year.” Bertillon completed.

Narendra’s expression changed.

“What? Oh, we’ll have to increase the taxes.” 

What a great ruler to make the people suffer for his fault!

“Did all the kingdoms and empires stand with Lisdonia?” the Emperor was curious.

“One kingdom asked the council to reconsider the decision and stated that we should be given a second chance. The council did not listen.”

“What was that kingdom? They shall be rewarded and the others will have to pay.” The Emperor said in a cunning way.

“It was Werto, your Majesty. A small kingdom near Aloma Mountains.”

“I know that one. One of my cousins married its king. How should we reward them?”

“I suggest a royal marriage, your majesty. Their support meant a lot that time, though nothing happened.” Bertillon stated.

“Oh, yes Bertillon. We will get the future empress consort from Werto. We cannot trust any other kingdom. Find out if the Wertese king has a daughter of the eligible age.” The emperor ordered.

Though Bertillon agreed, some of the aristocrats in the Hesmian royal council who wished to make their daughters the crown princess tried to stop it.

But the emperor suddenly said, “Dismissed.” 

It meant that it was the final decision and the others’ opinions were unnecessary. 

**********************************

Danyel heard the rumors that he was going to be married to a complete stranger from a faraway kingdom, as a reward. He was furious. 

Well, if that happened before meeting Yasvie, Danyel would calmly obey and do as ordered. But after the recent events, he could not think of another woman at any cost. Yasvie had become his entire life. 

Danyel went to see his father.

“Your Majesty, is it true that you have arranged a marriage for me, as a reward for something?” Danyel asked politely.

“Yes, my son. You are at the age which I married your mother. Now it is your time.”

“But father, I don’t even know anything about that person. How can I allow myself to be married to a stranger? And her kingdom is not familiar either.” Danyel argued.

“Werto is located far away. But we have our blood in there. My cousin Artha was its queen once. And she’s the mother of your future wife. Winddane, tell the prince what you’ve found about her.”

“Your Imperial Highness, Princess Gianna is the first and the only daughter of King Edgar of Werto. The princess and her mother- Queen Artha were deposed by the king several years ago. Therefore the princess has lived a secret ordinary life in the island of Stri…”

Danyel interrupted,

“Father, what if we make a difference in our marriage system? Instead of exchanging princesses to strengthen the bonds between kingdoms, what if we choose a girl from the public and get closer to the people that we rule?"

The Great hall filled with laughter.

“What do you mean? Like a girl from a middle-class family?” The emperor asked, laughing.

“Even a girl from the bottom line will be fine, like a water maid?” Danyel answered.

“Oh my son, I never thought you would say such a silly thing. A water maid to be the empress consort? You are just joking, right? I didn’t have a good laugh for years.” Emperor Narendra could not stop his laugh.

Knowing that his wish was not going to fulfill that way, Danyel said,

“Of course I am joking father. I will obey any decision your majesty takes. I am glad to make your majesty laugh.”

But inside, he was thinking of a plan to get rid of it.

********************************

“So this is it. This is where we part, isn’t it, sire?” Yasvie broke into tears.

“No way, Yasvie. We won’t part until death. This princess Fiona…uh, whoever is not going to survive here. I will make sure she won’t marry me. Those princesses in frolicking dresses are so easy to defeat. I am sure this one is going to be an ugly, weak, annoying freak.” Danyel said in disgust. 

He knew nothing about the person that he was speaking about.