WRONG #complete

Chapter Nine

Eve rested her hand on the crook of Mark's arm as they took a walk in his beautiful garden. Flowers lined both sides of the walkway; roses, daffodils, sunflowers. They had made it a daily ritual to have dinner and take long walks in this garden. She always enjoyed her time with Mark. He was smart, handsome and interesting to listen to. She had never met a man like him; a man who made her happy to be a woman and content to be by his side. With him, she didn't feel a need to prove she was just as smart or courageous. On the contrary, she wanted to be weak, she wanted him to protect her, to teach her, to love her even. Oh, for she had fallen deeply in love with him. She dreamt of his smile every time she closed her eyes, she imagined what her life would be with him.

She cared deeply for Mark and she knew she had to tell him the truth, even if telling him would mean losing him. But was she willing to lose this amazing man?

They came to a halt by a big male statue with what appeared to be curly hair and a fabric thrown lazily around his waist. It was rare to see a statue that wasn't nude in Greece.

“Adrianna?” She turned from the statue and looked at him. “I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you”

“Mother says it is natural for men to lie” She remembered her Mother's words.

He smiled a little then his face took on a serious look. “It is not a good thing to be fond of lies, Adrianna. Not for a man or a woman.” He took a deep breath. “I'm afraid I have fallen in love with you”

She gasped. He had? Well, that was a good thing right? No, it wasn't. He loved Adrianna, not Eve. He didn't know her, so, he couldn't love her. She shook her head.

“Oh Mark, I'm such a liar!” She exclaimed, tears filling her eyes. She could no longer lie to this precious man. “I'm not Adrianna, I'm Eve! Princess Eve. I'm such a horrible person for lying to you. I should have told you the truth but I was too selfish” She held her eyes shut. “If only I had told you earlier. Please don't despise me now!”

He withdrew his arm and her hand fell to her side. She opened her eyes to see a horrified look in his eyes as he stepped back.

“Eve, what have you done?” He whispered, fear lacing his voice.

“Mark, nothing has to change, you can come with me to Celin, father will love you, I'm sure he will”

He shook his head and she cried some more. What had she done? Why did she tell him the truth? Why was he taking the news so poorly?

“Mark!” She reached out to touch him but he withdrew his hand and took another step back.

“You do not understand, Eve. I'm the heir to the throne of Graceland, our kingdoms are at war”

****

Mark turned his back to the woman before him and ran his hand through his hair. What was going to happen now? How was he going to explain to the King that he had fallen in love with the daughter of his arch enemy, that the girl he had written to him about, the girl he planned to spend the rest of his life with was the Princess of a Kingdom that had waged war with his for centuries?

He heard her soft sobs behind him and shut his eyes tightly. What was he going to do now? Walk away, Mark, walk away quickly. I can't walk away, it's not that easy. Neither can you stand by and let your heart go to the princess of Celin. Think about it! I'm afraid it's too late for that now. He was at conflict with himself. But one thing he wasn't conflicted about was how he felt for Adrianna, no, Eve. He loved her. Always has. He loved her the first day he spotted her with the heavy tray in her hand. He had never seen such a fragile slave. Seeing that the tray of turkey would probably come crashing down, he had gone to offer help to her but he was too late; the turkey had landed on him and knocked him off of his feet. He never recovered from that fall. He smiled. It had taken weeks to finally see her again. He had never been so fascinated with a woman before. 

“What are we going to do now?” He heard her soft whisper. “Father will have my head if he knows I've been with the Prince of Graceland for weeks. And I can't imagine what he'll do when he finds out that I have fallen in love with you!” She moaned.

His heart beat slowed down. She was in love with him? Oh, hearing her say those words out loud took his breath away. He wasn't ready to walk away from her. He turned to her and saw the look of hopelessness in her eyes. He couldn't stand seeing her like this.

“Perhaps it's our destiny to end the war” He heard himself say.

“Really?” She glanced up and looked at him, her eyes lighting up. “Yes, perhaps it is! Oh Mark, you are right. I have the keys to my father's heart, I can convince him to end this war. And you...” She began to pace back and forth, hands clasped behind her back like a man. “You are the heir to the throne of Graceland. Surely you have the keys to your entire Kingdom, your father shouldn't be a problem”

She had no idea how difficult his father could be. It would take a million years to convince the man. Even if he could convince his father, there were other Royal Statesmen that needed convincing. Graceland was not run solely on his father's decisions, there was an assembly of lawmakers who had to approve of the decisions of the King. Especially decisions as grave as this one. How was he going to convince them all?