My guard, Aerendyl Stryder, is showing me his garden, right outside of my village. The garden is sat upon a hill, along with a small house to where his parents live. Off to the side, a small patch of vegetables, fruit, and wheat is to provide nourishment and money for the family. Colourful flowers, and humongous trees encase the calming land.
"This garden is beautiful Aerendyl, all the plants have grown in since I last saw it." I say. He smiles wide.
"Mother helps me when she can" He never makes eye contact. His mother, Alma, sells some of the food they've grown and his father, Rohan, is a baker in the village. They both refuse to let Aerendyl help pay for the house
"Aeren, my father isn't out here. And you're off duty besides" He looks at me as I take his hands.
"I know, it's just that-" he stops. "Keeping this, us, a secret especially near your father. I guess I'm just used to it." His smile softens. "You're so beautiful" he changes the subject. He puts a piece of my hair behind my ear.
"Kiss me" I say playfully and he does. To which we lose our balance and roll down the hill into a patch of lillies. Laughing, we clutch our stomachs and lie there waiting for the stars to appear.
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"I've wanted to ask you something since, well, a while now" He looks me in the eyes "Will you Princess Illya be my other half?" He pulls out a silver band with an emerald ingrained in the middle.
"Yes!" I sit up. I put it on and hold it out to look, it glistens in the moonlight
"I'll get you a better ring once I can afford it"
"No, don't you dare! I love this one" I reassured him.
After awhile he stood up and offered his hand "We should be going Princess."
"I wish I could stay out here forever" I say.
"In due time my love, now let's get you home" he kisses my hand as helps me up. I stand there and gaze at the ring on my finger. "Preferably before your father kills me" he says as he looks at me with a smirk.
"Sorry, just admiring the beauty" I confess.
"I do that all the time." I blush and look down.
"Now let's go, please. I want to marry you while I'm alive" he says in haste. He grabs my hand and we run through the forest. Our hair bouncing through the wind.
Finally there we were, in front of the castle door. Just before he opens it, I grab his arm to stop him.
"Did you ask my father?"
"I'm going to ask him first thing in the morning" I nod my head, hardly able to contain my excitement. Meaning I couldn't say a word to my father til morning. We head inside and try to hurry upstairs.
"Illya!" I heard my father yell.
"Go ahead up the steps, I'll follow after I'm done." I told Aeren in a whisper. He quickly went up as I went to my father.
"Yes?" I ask with caution, not knowing what he wants.
"Where were you? And what happened to your dress?" He asks. I look down to see my dress slightly torn, covered in dry mud, Autumn leaves and blue flowers.
"I went to pick the flowers near the edge of the castle walls and I fell, sorry for not brining you back any." I say as I pull him into a hug.
"For the whole evening?" He asks without breaking the hug. I nod and looks up to see if he believes me.
"Alright, off you go" he lets go.
"Did you want to ask anything else?" I ask.
"It's late, we can talk about it in the morning. Goodnight" I bow and walk carefully, until I'm out of my fathers line of sight, then I run up to my room. I jump in bed next to a barely awake Aeren.
"I love you, you know that right?" He asks seemingly out of no where.
"Yes, as do I" I respond.
"We should get our sleep love, tomorrow's another day" he tells me as he kisses my head goodnight.
'What was that about?'
"Alright, see you in the morning" and I fall asleep to the sounds of his breaths
(A/N) Thanks for reading the first chapter sorry this is a short short, the second chapter will be longer :)
