Chapter Six: Roaming Feelings...

“W-What?” Glovia stammered, shock flowing through her system.

Prince Stev nodded gently as he grinned widely. “Yes Glovia, I’ll be leaving with you.”

“But my lord, You’re a prince!”

Prince Stev sighed. “I have been thinking a lot recently. I really don’t want to be a prince.”

Glovia frowned slightly, perplexed at his sudden decision. “But why? There are so many others that would kill to be in your position.”

“This isn’t a position to envy, Glovia. It is a very lonely and dangerous life. You are the only one I can call a friend despite my long life in this place.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “I and my brothers aren’t close. We all want different things. I am not someone that wishes for power, but my role as the prince has imprisoned me that I can’t even explore the realms. I find myself wishing that I was just a normal man who isn’t held by the confines of the palace. When Luther becomes king, things aren’t going to be any much easier for me.”

“My lord,” Glovia said softly, knowing he was right.

“And I also have another confession to make.” He said. “I know that this is perhaps the worst timing to go about it, but I don’t think I can hold it in for another minute.” He swallowed and let out a huge breath. Glovia noticed that he was suddenly nervous, and so she wondered what was that serious to warrant that type of reaction from him. That was the first time she had ever seen him shaky.

“I don’t know how I’ll go about it, so I’ll be blunt.” He sat up straight, staring intensely at her.

“I am in love with you.”

Glovia’s eyes popped out, and her heart started beating fast. That was the last thing she had expected him to say to her.

“I know that you are still recovering from Prince Luther’s assault, and I am probably wrong to be telling you this right now, but I have been in love with you for a long time. Being the prince wouldn’t allow me to properly woo you, so I plan to do so once we escape together.”

“M-My lord,” Glovia stammered.

“I know you might not feel the same way about me,” he quickly cut in, “And I understand that. I am willing to wait for you. I promise to woo you till I’ll finally gain your heart. And I would gain it in the end.” He said smugly, a goofy grin etched on his face.

Glovia was dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe that everything she wished for, everything she had dreamt about since she began working in the palace, was slowly happening.

Her favorite prince loved her.

Prince Stev wished to run away with her. She slowly turned red, blushing profusely at his confession. She still couldn’t believe that he loved her.

“My lord, I-I am honored,” she said, lowering her eyes as she smiled shyly.

“Well, I am happy that you feel that way.” Prince Stev replied, smiling softly at her.

“If I may be so bold my lord, you are not the only one who had a confession to make.”

“Oh?” he exclaimed, his eyebrows raised. Glovia took in a deep breath.

“I have had feelings for you for a very long time, my lord. Right from when I first saw you.” She snuck a peek at him and quickly lowered her gaze when he saw his grinning expression, her blush deepening.

“You were the reason why I liked tending to this garden. I knew that I might never amount to anything in your sight, but just the thought of sharing the same space with you, despite the distance, always brought a smile to my face. Even after I was moved to working in prince Luther’s pavilion, I always returned to tend to this garden just for you. Some how, it ended up becoming my safe haven.”

She swallowed again, bracing herself for what she was about to say. “I fell in love with you the day you called me your friend. Right then and there, I knew that my heart would beat for only you. Even though there was no chance for us to ever be together, I was content with just being your friend. I confess that I had tried several times to bury the feeling, but every time I saw you, the feeling erupted tenfold. I couldn’t help it. I stopped fighting it. It was obvious i was done for.”

Silence reigned between them as gentle as a caress.

“Glovia,” the prince finally spoke up, reaching out to take her face in his hand. He raised her face to meet his gaze, and Glovia saw the extreme happiness that swam through his eyes.

“You have no idea how happy you just made me.”

Her heart beat faster. “M-My lord, it is I who should be grateful to you.”

“No Glovia,” prince Stev said softly. “It is I.”

Slowly, his gaze moved from her eyes to her lips, and Glovia gulped. He looked at her, then back to her lips again.

“May I?” he whispered softly. Glovia gently nodded her head.

He leaned closer to her and took her lips gently between his. He tested the waters, gently planting soft kisses against her lips. When she was relaxed, he went further and deepened the kiss.

Glovia’s heart thundered. She squeezed her fists as her prince kissed her, closing her eyes as she enjoyed his romance. His kiss was gentle, by far better than the one Prince Luther had forced on her. He caressed her lips with his and, at times, snuck out his tongue in-between. The action caused bolts of lighting to strike through her, and she shuddered in ecstasy. Prince Stev suddenly released his wings, enfolding them around her. That was a declaration of his love for her. Only those who truly loved their partner released their wings when having an intimate moment with them. Glovia repeated the same act, and their wings folded together as one, forming a cocoon filled with loved and hope.

Being extremely happy, Glovia pressed herself tighter against the prince, giving herself entirely to him. She took refuge in his warmth, and hope like never before blossomed within her. After a while, they separated to finally gain their breath, their wings falling back behind them.

“That was wonderful.” Prince Stev said, placing another kiss on her face.

“My Lord,” Glovia replied shyly.

“It’s about time you stopped calling me that. I want you to call me Stev.”

Glovia stared at him, love shining through her eyes. “Stev,” she whispered shyly, and he grinned.

“See? That wasn’t so hard.” He gently removed a wisp of her hair that had fallen over her face.

“Are you really sure of your choice?” she asked again. She wanted to be highly convinced of his love for her.

He leaned closer to her. “I am sure.” He whispered, and he kissed her again because he couldn’t resist.

Unknown to them, standing in a corner just a few feet above where there were, was Prince Luther. He emitted cold air, his face impassive to the point of turning to stone. His anger had built up to a point, and he was on the verge of an explosion.

Glovia had betrayed him.

And worst of all, with his brother.

He felt like killing something, anything. He folded both his fists so tight till he could feel the sting of his nails on his palms. His eyes turned red with hate, and the magic around him slowly built up.

Earlier, he had returned to see Glovia splayed on the ground. A quick look around his room told him that she had been cleaning. Her presence was enough to calm the anger and guilt that had been riding him all day. The latter was what annoyed him the most. He never expected to feel guilty for taking something that would one day be his. He had walked towards her to study her serene face, and a small smile graced his lips. He remained in that position for a while, staring at her. He had decided to do something good for her. He could not apologize, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t show it in his actions. He will take her around the realm and buy beautiful things for her; after all, most women he had seen were obsessed with things like that. He would take it slow with her. She had every reason to be scared of him. His past actions might have frightened her and made her wary of him.

He smiled, planning out all the steps he was going to take. A change in her breathing alerted him that Glovia was about to wake up, and quickly, he hid. He watched as she stood up quickly and looked around the room. He saw the relief that passed through her face, and he frowned. Was she really that afraid of him? She slowly rose and walked to the window. She remained there for a few seconds, then she quickly rushed towards the fireplace and lit it, along with all the candles in the room.

Prince Luther’s frown had deepened as he watched her rush to the door and search the hallways to see if anyone was roaming it. After a while, she left, closing the door softly behind her. He came out of his hiding place and watched the entrance she had just left. Where exactly was she going?

After a minute had passed, he went out of the room. He silently followed her down all the halls and passages, blending with the shadows to avoid anyone from seeing him. She arrived at the garden close to the training ground, and he was surprised to see his brother there. Then, he had watched in shock the intimate way his brother related with Glovia. His Glovia.

They walked into the garden, and Luther couldn’t see them anymore. He flew a few feet to the air to a place where he could easily see all that transpired in the garden without alerting any of them. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the closeness they shared slowly enraged him. Then his anger exploded once he saw them kiss, and he watched, outraged, as their wings enveloped each other.

This was who had made Glovia smile all this while, he thought.

His brother, Stev; the weakest of all his brothers.

Glovia had not only lied to him, but she had also betrayed him with his brother, and both of them were going to pay for it. He watched them one final time, silently swearing his vengeance upon them before he then flew away.

“So, what’s your escape plan?” Glovia asked, basking in his warmth. Stev enveloped her with his arms, placing her head on his chest. He smiled in contentment as he held his love in his arms.

“We leave tomorrow night.” He said.

“Tomorrow?” Glovia said surprise etched on her face. She gently peeled herself away from him and watched his face. “Isn’t that too close?”

“I thought the same thing, but if you want to get away faster, tomorrow is the best time. Luther would be having another battle with a warrior, and he would hardly be around for the duration of the day. Also, a celebration dinner would be hosted in his honour after the end of the fight.”

“You talk as if you already know he is going to win.”

Stev scoffed. “He has won all his matches. Right from childhood. That is why he is our father’s favourite son. If he can defeat Agar, one of the most powerful noble in the realm, I doubt anyone else can contend with him.”

Glovia studied him, a complex look in her eyes. “Is that why you train everyday? In hopes that one day, you might be able to defeat him?”

He sighed, then dragged her closer to him. “I just want closure, that’s all. All my brothers are warriors to the core. I on the other hand, do not like the shedding of blood. But if I do not train to make myself stronger, my brothers will surely hound on me, forgetting the blood we share.”

“You really aren’t fit for this place.” Glovia whispered silently. “Despite all its grandeur, it is still not good enough for you.”

Stev placed a kiss on her head. “I can’t wait to start a new life with you.” he said, hugging her tighter. “Once we leave, we go get your parents.”

“Where would we hide?”

“We would switch realms. Or hide in the lowest realm. Anywhere that you deem fit.”

“Hmm. I have always dreamt of travelling to the other realms.”

“Then that’s what we would do.” Prince Stev declared. They continued their discussion straight into the night, planning their future together. They were finally going to be rid of the castle, and they couldn’t wait.

Little did they know that fate had other plans for them.