Heartmate | ✔️

t h i r t y t w o

"Mama, how much do you like Father?"

The little boy looked up at his mother. His eyes, that were as blue as the vast oceans that surrounded his kingdom, were filled to the brim with curiosity. The dark haired woman sitting next to him laughed. It was a melodious sound. Her own eyes that matched perfectly with her son twinkled in mirth. She reached out to stroke his brown locks that were starting to curl at the ends as it grew longer.

"Well I love him very much. He is my bonded after well." She replied.

The little boy looked even more curiously at her now. He shifted himself so that he was completely facing her.

"What is a bonded?" He asked.

"It is somebody who is born into this world just for you. There won't be another person who will love you and take care of you as much as your bonded will." She said slowly to make sure her son understood every word.

"Will you love father just as much if he was a bad person? Just because he is your bonded?" He said and then gasped. "What if he had been really ugly like those ogres from the picture books?" He asked making his eyes go as wide as they possibly could.

His mother laughed again, reaching out to ruffle his hair. Her melodious laughter was quickly carried away by the breeze. The grass in the field they were currently sitting in swayed along.

"Wait until your Father hears that, young man." She joked. The little boy's eyes widened even more. If that was even possible. His mother paused for a moment to think.

"I would have loved him the same. The goddess chooses each bonded pair very carefully. She would have definitely given him a chance to change himself and turn into a good person. I don't believe any person is bad at heart. Certain changes in their life make them take bad decisions. All of us are given a choice when we do make mistakes. What choice we choose, depends solely on us."

The little boy nod his head thoughtfully. He then jumped up excitedly.

"Do you think I will have a bonded too? When will I meet her? Do you think she will love me as much as you love Father? Will she be as pretty as you are?"

"They're the goddess' gift to special people. People who are kind and eat all their vegetables during supper." His mother replied mischievously.

The little boy stared at her in slight horror.

"I eat all my vegetables!" He huffed indignantly.

"All the poor little carrots and peas from your plate tell me a different story." His mother said.

"You can talk to them?" His widened eyes returned with full force.

"I can do a lot of things that you don't know of."

There was a pause as both of them sat lost in their own thoughts.

"I'm sure you will have a bonded, sweetheart. You are a good boy with a kind heart. Goddess Amare will definitely give you her blessing. You will meet her when the time is right and she will be the most beautiful person that you have ever seen. Make sure you give her all the love that she needs in this world and more. Okay?"

"Yes, mama."

Another pause. And then a gasp.

"But what if she doesn't like me? Or I don't like her? What if we fight all the time?" The little asked. He even managed to look slightly sad at the thought.

"A soulmate only comes once in your life, to shake things up, show you true love and stand up to you in ways no one else ever has. They adore you yet challenge you to your fullest potential. The relationship isn't only peaches and cream, it's also roses with thorns."

The mother paused to look at her son in the eyes.

"But whatever happens, never let her go. Once she's gone away from you, you will never find her again. Never forget this. Ever."

The little boy nod his head with a bright smile on his face.

"I won't. I promise." He said with his fist pressed over his heart. An action every soldier does, when he promises to protect his country and family just before he leaves for war.

His locket sparkled in the sun as he stood up to his full height. He took a moment to stretch his muscles and then bent to grab his satchel from the ground.

"I'm going to go see if I can find any Dragon eggs near the waterfall. I brought packed lunch from the palace kitchen, so you don't have to wait for me, mama. I'll ride Glace back home. See you later!" He kissed her cheek and was off like the wind.

Queen Matilda watched her son disappear from her view and smiled softly.

"Where ever she is right now, she will be the luckiest to have you as her bonded and she as yours."