DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO HEARTS
740 Words
The days passed quietly after their unexpected meeting at Lake Seraphine.
Although neither of them had planned it...
Neither of them could forget it.
---
Inside the dormitory apartment...
The morning sunlight poured through the tall windows as Aurora arranged clothes inside her travel bag.
"So..."
She glanced over her shoulder with a teasing smile.
"How many times have you smiled today?"
Octavia looked up from the novel she wasn't actually reading.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Aurora laughed.
"Oh, really?"
She walked over and gently took the book from Octavia's hands.
"You've been staring at the same page for twenty minutes."
Octavia sighed.
"...Was it that obvious?"
Aurora sat beside her.
"Tell me everything."
A soft blush spread across Octavia's cheeks.
"I can't stop thinking about him."
"The prince?"
Octavia nodded.
"I've tried reading."
"I've tried helping Arina pack."
"I even tried sleeping."
She laughed nervously.
"But every time I close my eyes..."
"I remember Lake Seraphine."
"The way he smiled."
"The way he laughed."
"The way he looked at me."
Aurora smiled warmly.
She reached over and held Octavia's hand.
"I think..."
"...you're falling in love."
The words lingered in the air.
Octavia looked down.
For the first time...
She didn't deny it.
She whispered softly,
"I think..."
"...I've fallen in love with him."
Aurora hugged her tightly.
"And I think..."
"He feels exactly the same."
---
Miles away...
Inside the Nightfall Palace...
Lincoln stood in the royal gardens.
Rows of white roses swayed gently in the breeze.
Yet he barely noticed them.
King Alexza approached quietly.
"You seem distracted."
Lincoln smiled respectfully.
"My apologies, Father."
King Alexza stood beside him.
"You've been spending a great deal of time outside the palace lately."
Lincoln smiled to himself.
"I have."
King Alexza looked toward the distant mountains.
"There is someone on your mind."
Lincoln remained silent.
His silence was answer enough.
King Alexza's expression softened almost imperceptibly.
"Some people enter our lives unexpectedly."
Lincoln looked at his father.
"And change everything."
The King gave a faint nod.
"Yes."
Without another word...
He walked away.
Leaving Lincoln alone with his thoughts.
---
That afternoon...
Damien Tyler stood outside the dormitory apartment carrying a neatly wrapped box.
He knocked gently.
Aurora opened the door.
"Damien?"
He smiled.
"I was passing by."
Aurora raised an eyebrow playfully.
"Were you?"
He laughed.
"Not exactly."
"I brought something."
She opened the box.
Inside were warm cinnamon pastries from Eldoria's most famous bakery.
Aurora's eyes sparkled.
"My favorite..."
"I remembered."
She looked at him with surprise.
"You remembered?"
Damien shrugged casually.
"I pay attention."
Aurora couldn't hide her smile.
"Come in."
They spent the afternoon talking in the small sitting room of the dormitory apartment while Octavia and Arina quietly slipped out to give them some privacy.
---
Outside...
Arina smiled mischievously.
"I think they like each other."
Octavia laughed.
"I think you're right."
The two friends wandered through Eldoria's lively streets.
They stopped at little shops.
Bought handmade bracelets.
Shared roasted chestnuts from a street vendor.
For a little while...
Everything felt wonderfully normal.
---
As sunset approached...
Arina looked at Octavia.
"Our holiday ends tomorrow."
Octavia nodded slowly.
"We'll all be going home."
A quiet sadness settled between them.
"I'll miss you."
Arina smiled warmly.
"You'll see me again soon."
Octavia laughed.
"I know."
"But it won't be the same."
---
That same evening...
Lincoln stood alone on the balcony outside his chamber.
The city lights shimmered below.
He quietly removed the small silver rose pin from its box.
The matching one...
The one he had kept for himself.
His fingers traced its delicate petals.
A small smile touched his lips.
"I wonder..."
"...if she's thinking about me."
---
At that exact moment...
Back inside the dormitory apartment...
Octavia stood by her bedroom window.
The silver rose brooch he had given her rested in her hand.
She smiled softly.
"I miss you already..."
She placed the brooch against her heart.
Unaware...
That beneath the same moon...
Someone else was whispering the very same words.
Far beyond the borders of Eldoria...
Hidden within an abandoned fortress...
A hooded figure knelt before a circle of ancient vampires.
"The girl still lives."
A cold silence followed.
Then an ancient voice spoke.
"So be it."
"If fate refuses to bend..."
"We shall force it."
The candles extinguished themselves.
Darkness swallowed the room.
And somewhere in the shadows...
The first move against Octavia had already begun.
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