Promised To The King

Prologue

BLAKELY'S POV:

    I brushed through my naturally curly hair slowly. The curls were a gift from the gods it seemed. They never gave me trouble like most girls. Then again, it was only a few curls. Not a head full. I sighed staring at my reflection. What if he didn't like me? What if he thought I was ugly? I frowned staring at the girl who was staring back at me.

    "There she is. The lovely princess." My favorite maid said walking in. "He is almost here my dear. Need help getting ready?" She smiled.

    "Do I ever say no to help?" I laughed a little. 

    She smiled and walked over. Immediately tending to my hair. She pulled half of my black hair back. Leaving the only white streak hanging down in front of my face. She noted the concerned look on my face as she finished. "Tell me, your highness. What troubles you? Today should be happy. Most girls dream to have a prince. Especially considering you already have your whole life figured out and laid before you. So tell me, what is there to be troubled about my love?" 

    God, I loved her. Yet I so hated how she knew me so well. "Do you think he will come to love me? What if we don't love each other...or matter of fact even like each other?" My voice cracked at the thought of being trapped with someone who hated me. 

    Everything was silent for what seemed like forever until she burst into laughter. "Oh, baby. Is that all? Of course, he will come to love you! Who wouldn't? You just have a bad case of nerves. Nothing to fear."

    "Elanor." My father said standing in the doorway. "Don't fill the girl's head with a fairy tale. This is not about love. There is a good chance you won't even be able to tolerate each other. Marriages such as this are about power and stability between the kingdoms. Nothing more. So wipe those dreams from your head child." 

    She bows her head looking defeated. "Of course your majesty. Forgive me." She says walking out of the room quickly. 

    I watch him from the mirror nervously. He looks at me in disapproval. "Such foolish dreams are forbidden in this castle. You know that. I do not care what you hope for. A daughter of mine can not possibly love a bloodsucker. So make the thought disappear." He ordered. 

    I nod watching his every move. "Of course father. How foolish. It will not happen again." I promise. 

    He walks away without another word. Leaving mother behind. She smiles at me mournfully. "Oh, my baby. I am sorry. You know how he can be." 

    I look around hoping he still wasn't in hearing distance. "Mom, stop. I don't want you to get in trouble." 

    She smirks as she walks toward me. "I have handled your father for 20 years now. Being in trouble with him is not what concerns me at the moment. What concerns me is finally watching my baby girl spread her beautiful wings and fly." She smiled lovingly playing with my hair gently. "There is nothing to worry about. I am sure you two will hit it off. You already met him once. There was no issue then." 

"I was 7 mom. Things changed. I am a woman now." She laughs as I say that. And I can not help it. I laugh too. Her laugh has always been so contagious. 

    "You are only 13. Hardly a girl. Let alone a woman." She said between laughs. I blushed as I watched her. I loved how she was when my father wasn't around. 

    Smiles watching her."If I am the age of courting. Then I think I am woman enough." 

    "Touche." She smiles watching me. "Oh look at the time, my love. He should be arriving shortly. Silas and his parents are very kind people. They will love the young..." She tries to hide her laughter. "woman you have become." 

    I throw a makeup brush at her as she walks away laughing. Leave it to mom to chase those pesky butterflies away. 

                                                                            --------SILAS' POV:

    I look out of the car window, watching as the trees flash by the window. The castle slowly coming into view. I feel my mother's wet finger wipe my cheek slowly. 

    "UGH. Mom. Please don't embarrass me." I roll my eyes pushing her hand away. 

    "Well, if you didn't always make a mess of yourself I wouldn't have to." She laughed a little. 

    "When we arrive, I expect you to act like a gentleman. Treat her with kindness and respect. The princess is to never touch a doorknob. It is imperative that courting the princess goes off without a hitch." Dad cut in as the castle came completely into view. 

    "I know dad. I know. Kiss her hand. Give her the gift. Take her to the lake for a picnic. Yeah. I get it. But what if I don't love her? Isn't it wrong to lead her on? That seems cruel." I protest. 

    "Do not speak such nonsense. This will work. It has to." He states. His expression softens as he watches me. "You know son. I didn't think I would love your mother. But when my eyes fell on her, I knew. I knew she was the one for me." I rolled my eyes playfully. "Ewwww. I do not want to hear a love story. Let alone between you two." I laugh and fake a gagging noise.    

    The car comes to a stop in front of the massive castle. Our driver steps out silently and opens the doors for us. My parents exit first and stand next to the car not moving. Faking smiles I am sure. They always say horrid things about her father. Something about him did seem off if I am being honest though. I step out of the car silently. Immediately watching the human royals exit their home. They stand patiently. I sigh nervously and my dad secretly nudges me forward. I walk forward on shaky legs as the princess takes a step or two forward.IAs I approach her I am met with the weirdest, yet the most beautiful purple eyes I had ever seen. Absolutely breathtaking. Literally. My breath caught in my chest. I bow before her, extending my hand to hers. Feeling her hand in mine...I don't know how to explain it...but it felt right. I gently kiss it. You know. Like the gentleman, I was raised to be. As I stand upright releasing her hand I pull a flower pulled from the Jade Vine from the inner pocket of my jacket. I hand it to her gently. Her face lights up as she takes it in her hands gently. Her smile. God...as long as I live I will never forget her smile. The most beautiful smile I will ever see. 

    "You remembered." Her angelic voice said, surprised. "My favorite. Thank you. Prince Silas." She grins as she bows slightly. 

    "Please do not bow to me, my princess. A king never makes his queen bow." I smile as I lift her chin to face me, rising her from the position. I catch her cheeks turning a light shade of red. So freaking cute.

I watch as my parents and hers approach from the corner of my eye. Her father stood tensed behind her. And her mother wore a warm smile. As far as both of them went, I could tell where my family and I stood. Queen Cora was the first to speak. 

    "Welcome to the kingdom of Eudaimonia. We are so glad you had safe travels." Cora smiled so kindly.

    "Thank you." I heard mom speak first greeting her in return. "You have a lovely kingdom here. And a very lovely home." She returned her smile without effort. Something about Cora seemed so welcoming. "It is good to see you again after all of these years Cora." 

    "Ah. As it is you, Jade. The Jade Vine flower young Silas gave to our Blakely, is it correct to assume it was from your very own Jade Vine?" She smiled watching Blakely and me closely. 

    "None other than. You know that vine is my treasure." Mom smiled proudly.

    "Yes, how could I forget. You always were great with flowers." Cora complimented. 

    "A pleasure to see you again Everett." My father faked a smile. The only member of this family that mine could not stand, was him. And obviously, the feeling was mutual. 

    "As always Adrien." Everett sneered. I hated the way he looked at dad. It awoke a rage in me I have never felt before. The only, and I mean the only reason I did not kill that man now was that I wanted...no I needed this courtship to work. 

    "Well then, why don't we head inside and chat while the children get to know each other?" Cora said, desperately trying to break the tension. Everett glared at her. No doubt for showing us kindness. 

    We all walked into the castle. The guards greeting us as we walked in. As we sat down in the parlor, Queen Cora turned her attention to me. "Well hello, Silas. Oh my, you have turned into such a handsome young man. I remember when we first brought Blakely to your kingdom to meet you. You were only 9 at the time if memory serves. Now you are 15. My god how time does fly." 

    "Yes, your highness. Time does seem to go too fast. How has time treated you?" I smile at her fondly. Cora has always been so very kind to my family and me. She had a contagious smile. Now I know where Blakely gets it from. 

    "Ah yes. Time has been well. It has been far too long for your company. Tell me, today is the first day of your courtship, what do you have planned?" She smiles curiously. Looking at me with worried eyes. Probably for the sake of the princess. 

    "Ah of course. Today I have planned a picnic beneath the moonlight. And then I have planned a nice stroll by Faylinn River. The fairies that come out there make for the perfect romantic setting. Such a beautiful light. Not to mention the perfect place to see both of our kingdoms. We would walk along the side of yours of course. And ours can be seen on the other side." I smiled, confident in my date. 

    She smiled in awe. "It sounds perfect. The perfect beginning to a perfect union." 

                                                                         --------BLAKLEY'S POV:

    I couldn't help but blush as he spoke of our date. It sounded...father would be so mad to know I was thinking of these illusions again...but it sounded like a fairytale. Something about him was different than before. Before when we met, although it was so many years ago, he was so shy and awkward. Now, well he held the authority and power a prince of only such strong supernaturals would hold I hated to admit it, but mom was right. My how the years have treated him well. I could only hope that everything would go well tonight. It wasn't until my mom had called my name for the fifth time that I realized I had dazed off staring at the beautiful flower he gave me. 

    "Blakely dear? Is everything alright sweetie? Jade was speaking to you." Mom said gently trying to steer the conversation back on track. 

    "My apologies your highness. I seemed to have spaced out momentarily." I apologized. My cheeks growing hot with sudden embarrassment. I stared at the room and all eyes were on me. Even his. God his eyes caught me in a trance. But I snapped at it quickly watching him smile. No doubt finding my embarrassment amusing. But man...did he have a wonderful smile. 

    Jade laughs kindly. "Oh, nothing dear. I was just saying how beautiful you are this evening. Please though, do not call me your highness. Call me Jade." She smiled. Like my mother it was contagious. Maybe this was just a Queen thing. Did all Queens have such a beautiful smile?

    I returned the smile quickly. "Thank you, Jade." 

    She smiled at me and her and my mother continued to talk. Leaving me and Silas to ourselves. He sat, possibly waiting for me to start the convo, but boy was he wrong. My heart sped up as my nerves heightened. Being a vampire, I was 100% sure he heard it as his head snapped in my direction. Curiosity in his eyes, and an amused smile crossing his face. I felt his hand wrap around mine as if to calm me, or to simply say 'it is okay.' I was extremely grateful for the gesture though. 

    He cleared his throat before he spoke. "Princess, tell me about yourself? Do you still collect flowers in that journal you kept when we were kids?" I would lie and say the statement didn't shock me, but it did. I was completely taken aback by his memory of me. 

    I smiled watching his every movement. "Yes, I do. But mind you I have filled up 5 since then. Yet none can still compare to the one I filled in your mother's garden. But please, don't call me by my title. Just Blakely would suffice." 

    His smile reached his eyes. "And you should call me Silas. Whenever you visit our home again, you must bring another. Mother never stops messing with the garden. There are so many new flowers and trees to collect from. We recently just planted a Japanese cherry blossom tree. I can not wait for you to see it bloom."

    I couldn't help but smile. He had already planned on taking me to the garden again. "That would be amazing. I can not wait." I smiled so big I was sure that my excitement was noticeable. 

    I looked over his shoulder at the sun setting from the window and watched it, mesmerized by the beauty. He smiled noting my wonderment. " I would say it is time for our evening. Wouldn't you, Blakely?" He said rising from his seat and reaching for my hand again to help me up. 

    I nodded and stood with him, accepting his hand in mine. I straightened out my white sundress. Silently thinking to myself thank god I wore flats. Seems we have a lot of walking to do. 

    "Oh, how exciting! I can not wait to hear all about it when you get back!" My mom raved on and on. She was such a sap for these kinds of things. My father on the other hand was trying so hard to hide his dissatisfaction as he huffed and leaned back.

    We walked out of the parlor and out of the castle. I followed his lead, noting that not only were his guards watching but a few of mine. Always standard protocol for courting royals. Never left unguarded. He held my hand as we walked, never once letting go. And man, I would lie if I said I didn't like the connection I felt with him. We walked into a clearing after a short while with the picnic already set up. Standing to the side was none other than Elanor, my maid, and a young woman I assumed to be his. it was funny really. While we were having an innocent conversation, his date was already in motion. I smiled at the thought. It seemed he had put so much work into this. It was absolutely perfect. I smiled as he motioned for me to sit down on the gold-embroidered picnic blanket. There was everything you could ever want from a date. A glass bottle full of grape mocktail, grilled chicken salads, finger sandwiches, and even a cherry pie for dessert. 

    "I...know we come from two different kingdoms. In mine, we are allowed to drink wine from the age we can talk and walk. But in yours, that is not the case until you are married. So I tried to cater to that. And everything else, I made myself." He said smiling. And I swear, beneath this moonlight, I saw him blush. 

    I smile watching him. "It is amazing. Thank you for all of the efforts you put into this." 

    His face lit up as I spoke. "I am so glad you like it. I really wanted to make this special. I wanted you to feel special." He smiled. 

    He poured us some of the mocktails and we ate. I honestly thought it would be so awkward with him, but I felt so, what's the word? Comfortable? My heart started skipping beats, my eyes would always drift to him. Finally, it is time for dessert. I watch him as he puts one piece on a plate. I watch him as he takes a fork, preparing a bite. And he glances at me nervously. He slowly moves the bite to my lips. I feel my cheeks getting hot and I watch him as I take the bite he offers. 

    "Mmm. Did you make this? It is so good." I smile watching him. Absolutely loving the way he treats me. Almost not wanting the night to end. 

    He smiles feeding me another bite. "Yes, I did. I am so happy that you like it." His face held such a loving and excited expression as he fed me the rest. 

    "Are you ready for the second half of our date?" He smiled watching my face carefully. No doubt trying to read my emotions. 

    I smile letting a little of my excitement show. "Absolutely. Let's go."

                                                                               --------SILAS' POV:

    I stand slowly nodding at the maids to clean the picnic up and I reach for her hand. She takes mine in hers and I help her to her feet. I smile at her, her beauty absolutely captivating in the moonlight. Maybe this arranged marriage wouldn't be so bad. Could...could it be possible I have found her? My soul mate? My other half? I led her to my favorite river, my mother used to bring me here when I was younger. It had always been my favorite memories. Hopefully, I can make it hers as well. As we get to the Faylinn River I watch her eyes light up taking in the breathtaking scenery. The fairies flying up to meet us. I listen to her child-like giggle as they play in her hair and with her dress. Flying circles around us. 

    "Have you ever seen a fairy before?" I ask watching her. 

    "No, I haven't. They are so cute. So friendly." She said staring down in what seems like embarrassment. God, she is so f*****g cute. 

     I smile widely. "Yes, they are. To me, this is the most peaceful place on the planet. I wanted to show it to you. I wanted you to get a better understanding of me. Just like I want to understand you better." I take the jade flower she is still holding and place it in her hair gently. I watch her face grow red again with my touch.

   She stopped walking and looked at me. Her purple eyes catching the fairies light at just the right angle. "I think I do understand you now. At least a little." She said, the words coming out as a fragile whisper. She gently touched the flower in her hair, her smile never fading. 

    I looked deep into her eyes. Getting lost in the moment and the whispers of the fairies. My eyes drift to her lips and back to her eyes. I lean in slowly as she does the same. I have to stop myself before I get carried away. Damn the rules of courting. Nothing is permitted other than holding hands and hugging. I sighed in frustration and pull back. Seeing the understanding behind her eyes. What I wouldn't give for a kiss. Just a peck. 

    I force a smile. "You know, fairy light suits you."

    She laughs a little, releasing her breath as if she were holding it. "Thank you. That is very kind." 

    I look at the time. "Forgive me. It seems...it is time to go home." 

    Her smile falters as if this is the moment she was dreading. That is a good sign, right? 

    I pull her chin up to look at me. "Hey now. I am positive I will see you again. We are engaged after all." I laughed trying to lighten the mood. 

    That angelic smile came back quickly. "I guess so. We should go back then." 

    I nod agreeing. I hold her hand as we make the walk back to her home. Trying to savor every moment. Every touch. 

    "Until we meet again my princess." I smile as I kiss her hand.