A Dove's Innocence

white flag

. . . [ PREVIOUSLY ]

The rest of the night passed by in a flash as Milani chatted with many others who had attended the gala. They came from all over the world, some people coming from kingdoms that Milani had never even known existed. It wasn't until the end of the night where the people were heading to their rooms or leaving the palace altogether that Crimsyn brought Milani to a balcony. Despite the darkness of the night, with how Crimsyn's sleeves were rolled up slightly Milani noticed some tattoos peeking out from the white fabric and wondered to herself about the designs that were covered. Pushing those thoughts aside,

"The view is nice here." Unaware that Crimsyn was looking at her, she only heard the response,

"It really is." There was a moment of silence that met the two yet it was an oddly comforting one. The silence was something almost needed after all the socialization. A few minutes later, Milani turned to Crimsyn speaking the question on her mind all night.

"Why did you ask me to accompany you here?"

. . . [ PRESENT + author's note at the end of the chapter ]

With the thought finally spoken aloud, Milani wasn't quite sure just what kind of answer to expect from the Raven King. Despite having agreed to be his partner for the week-long gala they had yet to actually talk to each other given the amount of time she spent socializing with others.

"A white flag in exchange for a white dove," comes the Raven King's response, "that was my motivation in asking you as my partner to the gala."

"Why?"

"The previous rulers of my kingdom—the Morel Family—are long gone and it's been years since I became king. I didn't start The Takeover but when my father passed I was left to pick up the pieces of the order he shattered. Your kingdom is one of the few who still fights for something that cannot be revived. For this war to end there must be something to bridge us together and what else is there besides marriage?"

"I don't want to get married to someone I don't love." There's a momentary silence that settles over the two after the spoken statement.

It's a four-lettered word Crimsyn hasn't recognized for a long, long, long time now.

There was a chapter of his life when Crimsyn Andraste loved his father. And when his father only had his eyes set on becoming a king, Crimsyn foolishly believed that helping him in that journey would finally offer him parental acceptance. If Crimsyn were to equate his father to a king then perhaps King Arthur would suffice. After all, it's always felt as if the sword lodged through his back that still lingers today bears the weight of Excalibur.

There was a chapter of his life when Crimsyn Andraste loved his mother. Yet that love disappeared the moment he learned his mother's hands took on the role of Eros, shooting arrows through the hearts of others to get them to fall for him. Yet she wasn't satisfied with the conquering of hearts alone, she sought to control souls too.

Once upon a time, Crimsyn Andraste loved a certain someone. They were too young to have known any better. After all, some stories don't have a happily ever after. But deep down, he knows that what they had has to have been love. Regardless of how young you are or whatever level of naivety you live life at, what other term is there to describe the human embodiment of home?

When it comes to love the romantics will often talk about the heartstrings. The story of the Ugly Duckling often tugs at people's heartstrings because no one deserves to be ostracized for the way that they look. Seeing a stray dog or kitten on the side of the road tugs at people's heartstrings because what kind of monster would dare to abandon such a defenseless creature? The "heartstrings" aren't fictional by any means, more formally it's referred to as the chordae tendineae.

Crimsyn Andraste has realized that when you want to be loved you willingly offer up the key to your heart in the hopes that whoever holds it is not a puppeteer in disguise.

"Do you think love can be learned?" Crimsyn asks. Milani's gaze diverts away from the view of the kingdom in front of her and settles on the man beside her.

"It's not impossible."

"Would you allow me to learn how to love you?"

[ AUTHOR'S NOTE ]

to any readers out there, i'd first like to start off with an apology. i'm sorry for not having updated this story in a while (and for leaving things off a cliffhanger last time). tomorrow would have been officially 2 years since i last posted.

when i first wrote this story i was 15 turning 16 and now i'm 18. it's been a while since i've even opened the drafts i had of this story until i decided to finally write this chapter. from the start i've always known how i wanted the story to end and after all the time that's passed, that ending still hasn't changed. though the ending of the story has always been written out, it's just a matter of getting to it that i somewhat struggled with.

i often think about this story and i think it'd be a shame to leave it unwritten and i never wanted to 100% discontinue it so now i'm coming back to it. when i reread the chapters i published i wanted to change certain parts and add more details to some things to flesh out the plot more but with how long it's been i've decided to keep the previous chapters as is as a reminder of growth and to just build off of what's already been written going forward.

i can't promise a guaranteed date for the next chapter but when it's finalized i'll post a sneak peek of it as an announcement!

if you've read it this far, then thank you so much for your time and patience <3

[ NEXT CHAPTER'S TITLE ] — love is a currency