THE KING'S DESIRE

🦋𓆙ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 16𓆙🦋

He'd be lying if he said his studies had revealed something about her. Nothing, not even a squeak from her parents on the subject, it was crazy how they dodged questions so well. It didn't surprise him though, Gerald was raised to be cunning with a tightly sealed mouth and, it would only do him well if he found a wife like himself.

But he was disappointed because that woman was nothing but a bitch, a terrible wife, and a terrible mother. Clearly, Flora didn't take after her with all her warmth and compassion it's sad that he couldn't say the same about Fauna, she's not a terrible person, anyone could tell but, her methods and the way she deals with certain situations are her weak point.

There she was laying on his bed, he stood there watching her as she slept soundly with his covers snuggled into her. He looked back to what she had said earlier, the way she had lied about not liking his room anymore because the moment he tried bringing her body from the room she'd begin to twist and turn in her unconscious state.

It was strange how she found peace being around one such as himself, especially since she wasn't oblivious to the rumors that surrounded him, she might have been far away from society but she was definitely caught up with the gossip.

He found peace in the fact that she was interested in him long before they met. Even if she hadn't thought the best of him, at least she thought of him. Opinions can always change, them and emotions are just like the weather.

They change depending on the time and place.

But while his thoughts remained sweet hers were all over the place, she lay there trying her hardest not to breathe too loudly, his continuous shifting by the bed had awoken her many minutes past, but somehow she couldn't and didn't find herself wanting to let him know she was awake.

She could feel his watchful gaze, and while it made her uncomfortable, she found comfort in it. To know that someone cares enough to watch over her while she sleeps. This, this is what she wished her mother had done for her. Instead, she would always be left in her room alone while her mother invited Fauna to sleep with her and her father.

It's a sad memory, but somehow she feels as if it made her stronger, made her a bit more dependent, to the point where she didn't mind her mother's favoritism anymore at least not as much as she did when she was a child. Just like the love between her parents her dependency slowly faded away.

Blue,

He reminded her of the color blue, the color that no matter how much you try to hate it, it just slowly creeps up into your heart. That's the beauty of it though, and maybe that's why she liked it that much.

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There are some things you can never be sure of, some things that are just so unpredictable that not even the creator of all can see or change.

Maybe the rain was meant to be blue, any other colour would suit it, anything but red. The weather has a way of being unpredictable- but nothing could have prepared her for this.

The sky had seemed to change when morning light, when you see something often it becomes normal right?

Skies overcast, seemingly blood red in colour, normal isn't a word used to describe this. Especially when the clouds seemed to tell stories, each very different from the rest.

A scale, a clock, a pen, and a book. " What could that possibly mean?" she whispered under her breath, 'A scale in time tells?" She had never heard of that before, and it surely didn't make any sense.

She needed to talk about it, speak to someone- but how do you make someone imagine something when they've been taught dullness all their life? The staff was boring and to her, it seemed the only thing they knew how to do was gossip and sometimes their jobs.

The King was out of the picture and she knew that, and so was Orion, you can't share something with the king's confidant and not expect it to quickly travel in whispers to his ears.

Slow and weary, her steps were calculated but far from confident as she approached the castle doors leading outside.

*pit

*pat

At first, it sounded like water dripping onto the harsh floor but she knew better, for the clouds only seemed to look angrier and she could feel the single drops falling onto her skin.

What an unfortunate day to be dressed in white, she thought. First, the drops were pink but as time flew by they seemed to get darker, now the colour of the skies.

Flora had assumed she was alone but when she looked around many of the servants were placing buckets and drums to catch the rain. Their faces showed happiness, each one having a beaming smile. They were thankful for the blessing, and that could only mean one thing.

" I'm the only one that can see it". She whispered under her breath. She had spent all her life hoping to be lucky but as the days slowly passed she realized just how unlucky she was and that it would always be that way.

With an outstretched hand, she watched as the droplets gathered and bounced from the palm of her hand.

She felt a sudden gust of wind blow and felt the fabric of her white dress blow against her leg, and watched as the branches of the trees surrounding the castle moved violently in the wind.

She couldn't help but shiver as the air around her got chillier, she could blame it on the weather and curse the clouds that seemed to get darker by the minute or she could blame it on the man whose gaze penetrated her skin.

His footsteps could be heard as he slowly approached her. The connection of his shoes to the stone pathway sounding with each step.

Something is different about today, that she was sure of but somehow she felt like he knew, maybe he could see it too.

Standing side by side in the rain, he kept his gaze fixed on the sky. To Flora, it was better to play it cool, to pretend as if the scene around her appeared the same as it did for everyone else. So she smiled and began to speak.

" The rain is a blessing isn't it? I quite like the weather today ".

It took him a few seconds to respond and when he did, his response was over nonchalant.

" I think it's quite gloomy today," He said in one breath with a soft sigh. That confirmed Flora's theory, now she is sure that he is able to see it, and for the first time since they'd been standing next to each other, he turned to face her.

" I think you should change, your dress is rather soaked" She could see how Atticus' face cringed as he said those words and for the first time since she's been standing in the rain, she called down at her dress.

The sight of her clothes soaked in what looked like blood almost made her scream, she stumbled backward almost falling when he placed his hands on her waist keeping her upright.

His eyes searched hers for answers, he had a feeling she could see it but why? He watched her stare at the blood-red liquid streaming down his forehead with horror on her face.

He could tell that she had been trying to keep her composure around him but she could do it no longer, not when you're watching someone that looks like they're bleeding to death. He wondered if she knew he felt the same, wondered if she knew that he was frightened by the sight before him.

She quickly scurried from before him, running back inside, leaving him outside in the rain by himself.

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She arrived at her room quickly stripping from her clothes and making her bath.

When she stepped into the water it became a cloudy red but when she glanced away for a second the water became black and suddenly she felt something pull her under.

Slightly more words than usual, and as promised, here's the new chapter.

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