All For You

Chapter Five

Three years passed on me with Rosaline under Frank’s tyranny. Three years which through I’ve worked, been humiliated, insulted and hit in all sorts and means, but something about them made them pass sweeter than any year. That something, or someone, was definitely Rosaline.

She was unique in all ways, different from any girl I’ve seen in my life. I’ve not seen many, but I could say that much. She was beautiful, she was strong, she was fiery. I loved how bossy she would sound whenever she saw a wrong, and how quickly she’d get angry if something didn’t go her way. But inside that rose engulfed with thorns, there was a sweet, delicate smell, a kind heart that would warm me any time.

One day, that girl actually found the hope for all of us to be alive once more. At that time, I had become eighteen, a fine young man. I was blonde, with curly short hair that had a messy turn around which suited my face well and actually made me look well. My eyes were hazel brown, and I had a white face which weirdly still looked well through the pain of the years. Rosaline had once told me that I had a noble face, and I suppose I had inherited that from my father. My mother had usually told me that there was a great resemblance in my face to his.

On the other hand, she had grown to be a sixteen year old beautiful girl. She had her long, brown hair always bound in a pretty braid, and it still looked elegant despite the horrible circumstances it lived through. She’d always look at me with her determined red ruby eyes, and I’d always look back at her beautiful white face. She was a perfect rose in my eyes; a rose I wished would be mine one day.

“William!” I heard her that day call to me during what was supposed to be our working time. As she ran up to me, I turned to her but I allowed her to take her breathes first then she continued,

“I found something great, William! Something amazing! You wouldn’t believe it!”
I was surprised by her great excitement and I wondered what was so great that got her so happy. Rosaline wasn’t quite the happy person at heart, and if you found her smiling about something that sweetly, it would be definitely something wonderful.

“What is it?” I asked, more curious than ever.

“I finally found a way for all of us to get out of here. We’ll run away, William, we’ll run away!”

She seemed too excited and happy to even tell me exactly what had she found. Getting hold of her so that she would stop twirling around in happiness, I told her, “Will you please tell me what exactly you found? I did hear you mentioning running away awfully a lot, you know.”

Calming down for a few moments, she replied, “I found a carriage heading to Cephiron tomorrow night. It looks a little poor, but it will definitely take us back to the gods’ world capital. Oh William, don’t you want that? Don’t you want to finally run away from this miserable place?”

I shook my head and replied, “Of course I want to. Look, I don’t have time for you to tell me all the details now. And since it doesn’t have to do with me and you only, we will also tell the children about it. We’ll meet again in front of the town’s library at 6 p.m., okay?”

She reluctantly agreed and went to continue her duties. Meanwhile, I had taken my head off the usual work and managed to find all the children, to tell them to gather up in front of the library at the arranged time. It took some time, but it passed and it was finally 6 p.m. I headed towards the library, and I fortunately found all of them waiting. All of them, except Jason, of course.

“Okay…so I’ve found this carriage which can take us to Cephiron, and with it we can run away from here,” Rosaline started explaining, after all of had given her our full attention, “one little problem is the cost. It costs us twenty coins per person.”

“That’s not a little problem, Rosaline,” Tina had to comment, “That’s the main problem. We’re around nine or ten here. You will need about two hundred coins. Where are we going to get that from?”

Rosaline sighed, showing that she had actually thought about that before. “I know, but I thought we might find a solution together or something. Come on, people, this could be our only chance!”

I had to think quickly. Certainly, this was a chance not to be lost. We could all get away from under the hands of that brute, and we’d be all free to live in the beautiful city of Cephiron. We could find jobs, and have a better chance of life there. It was the chance of our life. However, I could find no answer and I was really pissed off.

“Now what are we going to do? We don’t have that much of money.”

Rosaline, who was obviously deep in thought, suddenly seemed to have gotten an idea. Seeming to be rather thinking aloud, she said,

“Frank and Jason do have that amount of money and more. Maybe…if we could…”
My eyes opened wide upon what she said.

“You…want us to steal from Frank?”

She looked at me uncertainly for a moment, but then as the idea began to grow in her head and strengthen, she frowned and replied,

“Well, why not? That jerk always gets the money we get and work hard for. Don’t tell me that stealing from him is wrong and whatever. I’ll do it myself if I have to. I am not going to stick around this place any longer.”

She seemed to be getting angry over it, and although I was going to tell to think again, I had to agree that she was right. It seemed to me that stealing from Frank was the only solution, and not like it was unfair or anything like that. The money was originally ours, was it not?

And so, we agreed on that. Being the oldest, I’d take care of stealing the money. Fortunately and to our great luck, Frank and Jason had decided to go out on that day, for what they called ‘shipping business’. We were supposed to be on our working time, but once we made sure they left, I sneaked into Frank’s room and managed to successfully steal the right amount of money. Once I got of there, I directly headed towards the others, told them of my success and watched them jumping happily over it. Things were going perfect, and we would soon get out of there, or so I thought.

We waited till the night, the time when the carriage had to leave. We had all packed what we had, and headed towards it. It indeed stood there, waiting for the passengers to be aboard. We paid the driver the money and got on. Sounds perfect, right?

But I wish it had continued that way. Just as I was helping Rosaline get on, her hand came on her chest by chance and she suddenly looked horrified, as though as she suddenly realized something terrible.

“My necklace!” she yelled, “I forgot it! I have to get it back!”

Get it back? What was she exactly thinking?

“Rosaline! Where the hell are you going!?” I tried to stop her as she hopped off the carriage, intending to run back, but she replied,

“Go without me! I won’t leave without my necklace.”

She ran before I could speak one word more. What hell did she just do? Did she just really wasted her only chance of a better life, for a stupid little necklace? I knew what did the necklace mean to her. It was the last gift she had from her boyfriend, that one who was killed. She often spoke so highly of it and how she’d always keep it close and treasure it close to her heart. But that was complete foolishness.

I pondered whether I should run after her, or simply wait. I had a little hope, that maybe she would come back on time. But that was only a tiny hope. The carriage would leave within minutes. It would head towards Cephiron with me, Tina, and the children. But without Rosaline. Without that rose that enlightened my heart.
I waited and waited, as I anxiously watched the road for any signs of Rosaline. Tina, who was sitting beside me, looked at me worriedly and asked,

“Is she not coming back?”

I shook my head as though as I was brushing away the thought. “She’ll come back, she’ll come back. She has to come back.”

We stayed on that for a few minutes, but then I heard the driver hail, and the horses galloping, and the carriage moving. It was leaving. Yet there was no Rosaline. It had started raining, and the streets were almost drowning in the mud and dirt.

I had two choices which had no third. I could stay in that carriage, and go to Cephiron along with the others. I would find a job there, find a place to live, maybe even meet my original family, and at least live in a clean, peaceful town.
The other choice was completely the opposite. Go back to Frank’s, risk being found by him, and search hopelessly for Rosaline. God only knew what else might have happened to me.

I pondered and thought, but just before the carriage was into the forests and officially out of the filthy town, I hopped off the carriage. Tina yelled after me,
“William!”

I could only shout back, “Take care of yourself, Tina! I have to find Rosaline.”

And I ran back. I ran as fast as I could, as fast as my legs could take me. I hoped, I wished, I wanted to find Rosaline. Safe and sound, not hurt. I was so afraid that Frank might have found her, and god knows what might he do to her. I ran and ran, not even thinking about the valuable chance I just wasted. That chance of a life.

I arrived back at town, and kept searching around frantically. I headed towards Frank’s first, and carefully searched around, but found no one and nothing. I walked back on the way, searching every single corner, through the wet muddy streets. I searched and searched, but what I found was probably the most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen.

There on the ground, lay Rosaline. Completely covered in mud, wet with blood, wounds and hurts all over her. She looked terrible, more lifeless in my head than alive. In the middle of the street she lay, not moving a limp, not making any sort of sound that gave me any hope that she was still alive, still there. Rosaline…was she…?

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Sorry if the chapter wasn't of the required quality this time, but with my mother getting on my case, I am not in a perfect mood. >_> Hopefully I will be able to update regularly, just as long as she actually lets me have a break. ._.

Enjoy~

Bryan: Oh no! My love. *runs to hug and comfort Rosaline*

That was a great chapter, Love. I hope that Rosaline is ok. XD And I understand how it is with mothers. Mine isn't any better and I know some who push their children to a certain point. Kind of cruel, really. T.T

Ahh thanks, phoenix. ^^ I am glad the chapter wasn't bad. Now that I revise it, there are some mistakes here and there but oh well. xD

And I agree on mothers. I might post sometime on the Let it all out here topic, since I really need to put out some stuff. ._.

Oh....a cliff hanger :S Oh, this are getting more and more exciting.

My heart was sinking hard as my eyes beheld the sight before them, the sight of the love of my life on the muddy ground, nothing but blood and dirt obvious over her. I feared for a moment there that I had lost her, that she was gone and I feared that I’d be gone too; for my life was nothing without her.

Snapping out of my fear and the horror that dazzled me, I ran towards her, till I reached her place and then I held her in my arms, all the while murmuring her name, shaking her to wake her up. But she didn’t move a limp, she didn’t give the slightest reaction and the fear was beginning to consume me. I put my ear to her chest, hoping to hear any beat of her heart that would comfort me, that would calm down my own fast beating heart. But the rain that fell so hard on us both, the noise that was all around and the horror that controlled me made me hear nothing.

I didn’t know what to do. Where to go with her? I thought of picking her up and running, but I didn’t know where to head on. As I looked at her face, that pale face that was covered with nothing but blood, mud, dirt and rain, I gazed at her eyes, wondering if I would ever see them awake again. I knew one thing for sure: if she were gone, I’d be gone too.

As I pondered over what to do, I suddenly felt someone approach. I felt a presence beside me and I looked to my side, I saw a group of who seemed to be ladies stand by my side. They were dressed in heavy cloaks and carried umbrellas that sheltered them from the pouring rain. One of them kneeled down to me and put her hand on my shoulder and then said, loud enough so I can hear her voice,

“My son, is she alright?”

I was confused for a moment there over what to do. But as I looked at the face that asked me that question, I saw a pair of soft eyes, kind ones that immediately reminded me of the only pair of such eyes I’ve beheld: my mother’s. The lady seemed to be in her forties or something, and she looked sincere in her desire to help out.

No other choice than to reply, I said, “I don’t know, my lady. I don’t know if she is even…”

I couldn’t continue that, and my voice trailed off. I felt like I was going to break down or something, even though I was pretty strong in such situations. But the thought of having Rosaline disappear from my life haunted me, and I feared that it could be reality; that the girl I loved so much and held between my very own arms, could be lifeless.

The lady seemed to be extra worried as she heard my reply, and she immediately replied, “You’re coming with me and no protests. The girl needs to be checked out immediately.”

She turned to the group of ladies who were with her and nodded her head, and they nodded their heads back before I could utter a sound. But then what would I do? I was hopeless, and the lady seemed to be the only solution, a solution brought from heaven to me.

The other ladies went to a carriage that just then, I noticed it was standing nearby. The driver came down and went up to us; me and Rosaline. He wanted to carry her to the carriage but I didn’t let him. I didn’t want a man to touch her; no man but me. I felt like she was under my protect and care; she was mine to save and love.

So I didn’t let him, and I picked her up in my arms, and she felt as light as ever. We all rode the carriage; me, the unconscious Rosaline in my arms, and the other ladies. I was careful to handle Rosaline very gently, as the bruises that filled her body seemed deep and hurtful.

The carriage then moved, but not a word was spoken. I wondered for a second whether the decision I have taken was right or wrong; whether I was right in riding with some complete strangers I didn’t know who just claimed that they would help out. But what was there to lose? I had nowhere to go, and I had to make sure that Rosaline was fine; that she was alive and well.

As the carriage continued to move on, I noticed that it was getting out of town. It was getting out of Petaris, that horrible, filthy town that I had grown up in. We drove through the dark, muddy forests. The ladies in the carriage were as quiet as dead, but every once in a while they would glance at me. I felt uncomfortable by this, so I kept tending to Rosaline, making sure she was as comfortable as she could be.

Just then, I noticed something that glowed on her neck. Upon inspecting it, I discovered that it was that necklace Rosaline had all along, that one she came back for and almost-hopefully, just almost-lost her life for. It was a beautiful gold necklace decorated with an expensive blue emerald in the middle.

I found myself gently taking the necklace from around her neck. No, I wasn’t stealing it or even thinking of taking it for my own-that necklace meant the world to Rosaline and her happiness was all what mattered to me. In any case, I wouldn’t think of stealing such a thing. But we were in a dark, horrible place that knew nothing but poverty and filthiness. True, we were out of Petaris but we were surrounded by a group of strangers in a carriage, and who knew if they really wanted to help us? I didn’t want to be paranoid but I didn’t trust anyone easily-that was one thing I learned in my life.

After some time had passed, in which I have kept myself busy by tending to Rosaline or simply watching her serene face, we arrived at our unknown destination. The carriage stopped and all the ladies but one went down. That one was the same one who had talked to me earlier, as I could tell by her figure. She looked to me and spoke up for the first time since we had started our journey,
“Come with me. We’ll help your friend and we need to talk too, young man.”

She sounded firm but very gentle. I nodded to her and carrying my unconscious beloved, I went down after she had done so, and I immediately observed our surroundings. We were no longer in the filthy, muddy streets of Petaris but a beautiful temple-it almost looked like a sanctuary to me. Even though it was raining hard, and the night was absolutely dark, it still looked heavenly. The temple was made of beige marble decorated with red pillars, and surrounded it a warm garden that was full of roses and tulips, of the most beautiful colors.

I think I actually took a few minutes to watch the beautiful sight my eyes beheld, for this was the first pretty thing I actually saw. I had never left Petaris so such pretty things were new to my sight. But then I remembered that the lady was waiting for me, and I looked to her. She nodded to me, and then gestured for me to follow her. I did, carrying Rosaline, and she led us to inside the temple. Inside, where we were sheltered from the heavy rain. It was grand inside, with everything looking welcoming and very warm.

She then led me to one of the rooms, and it seemed to be a cozy, little bedroom. She then spoke up again,

“Make her lay here. I will check her along with the other priestesses.”

She hadn’t put off her cloak by then, but she had uncovered her head, putting off her hood. It revealed an elderly woman but she wasn’t too old, with dark green hair and a pair of soft blue eyes.

I did as she said, although I was kind of hesitant to leave Rosaline alone with strangers, no matter how kind they looked. But then she was in a really bad shape and needed any kind of help, so all I could do was to obey.

After that, a couple of ladies wearing white priestess outfits entered the room, carrying what looked to be medical tools. The first lady then led me out of the room, and closed the door after her, leaving Rosaline alone with those two priestesses. I was still worried about her but the warm atmosphere of that temple comforted me a bit.

The lady then led me to another room, one that seemed similar to a living room with a couple of comfortable coaches. There, we sat down and she looked to me, and with a smile, said,

“Well, young man. I am surprised at how we haven’t introduced each other yet, but then again, your friend worried us quite a bit. Now that she will be taken care of, I believe we can talk.”

I nodded to her but wondered whether I should say anything. Fortunately, she continued,

“I am Lady Katherine De Garamond, the priestess and keeper of this temple. I was in Petaris taking care of some affairs when I and my fellow priestesses found you and your friend, young man. Seeing how bad she looked, we immediately thought of helping out. You don’t have to worry about her anymore; I assure you she will be fine.”

She looked so kind and so sweet that I had my worries and fears soothed. I nodded to her, and after a few seconds of silence, I replied,

“I really appreciate your help, ma’am. I am really grateful for your help. I don’t know what I would have done without it.”

I tried to be as polite as I could be, as I wasn’t used to formality and treating nice, kind people. But I suppose the noble blood ran in me and the lady smiled, then replied,

“It’s nothing at all, darling. It’s our duty to help those in need and I could see that you and your friend needed help indeed,” she then continued, her face never letting go of its sweet smile, “But darling, I’d like to know how did your friend end up this way. She is really hurt badly.”

I nodded in agreement with her last statement, and then replied,

“Before I reply to your question, ma’am, please allow me to introduce myself. I am called William and my friend is Rosaline. We-we were on our way to Cephiron, but then my friend had to return somewhere. I-I found her this way on the ground. I honestly don’t know what happened to her although I can guess.”

My guess was that probably Frank had found Rosaline and that he hurt her this way for running away. What strengthened my opinion was the fact that I found the necklace around Rosaline’s neck, so she did return to Frank’s place. That would explain all the blood and bruises.

I think I frowned at the thought, as Lady Katherine said, “And what is your guess, my darling, if I am not intruding?”

I looked to her and wondered whether I should tell her. She was still a complete stranger to me despite all the help she was offering. But then, there we were, in her very own temple, completely between her hands. What harm was she going to do to two poor fellows anyway?

So I told her everything. I told her about Frank, about how I grew up with him, how I met Rosaline, and how we tried to escape, ending up the way we did. The lady listened carefully and with great care, and she seemed to show wonderful sympathy for both of us; me and Rosaline.

After I was done, she replied, “Oh my dear. That’s quite the story, my dear boy. I am really sorry for what both of you have seen but I hope I will be able to help out somehow.”

I nodded silently, not sure what to say anymore, what to do. I really had no idea over what to do. Where were I going? What would we do after that, me and Rosaline? Where would we go? How long were we going to stay at the lady’s? So many questions ran through my head left and right, but were interrupted as the lady continued,

“Well, you must be quite exhausted. You’ll need to get a change as well,” she looked at my outfit, which wasn’t only poor and filthy, but also full of dirt and wet with rain. There were stains of blood here and there, too, from where I was holding Rosaline. Seeing those stains of blood reminded me of how horrible she looked, and I wanted to make sure she was fine.

Lady Katherine led me to a room, and got me a change of clothes. It was nothing fancy, but it was elegant, nice and very clean. I think it was my first time to wear such a clean thing, unless we count the fancy baby clothes I wore, of course, when my father was still alive.

I gave myself a long, concentrated bath after which I changed into the clean outfit the lady had given me. As I looked into the mirror after that to brush my hair, I saw a completely new person. For the first time, I wasn’t dirty. My face wasn’t filthy. My hair wasn’t full of mud or other unpleasant things. No. On the mirror, I saw the reflection of a handsome boy, with curly blonde hair that had a strange but attractive messy way. My skin was fairly white, but it appeared whiter to me that it no longer had the dirt or ashes on it. For the first time, I could actually see that I was originally the son of a noble, of a great one, too.

I went to bed after that and I fell into a deep, long sleep. It was such a sweet sleep that I hadn’t had one like it for a long, long time. For the first time I slept without worrying about work in the morning, or about getting my slaps from Frank, or about selling the useless stuff. I slept comfortably, peacefully.

Three days passed since then. Rosaline had been sleeping all the time, but I got a chance to see her once in her sleep, and she looked sound and fine. Lady Katherine assured me that she was going to wake up soon, that she was going to be completely alright. For those three days, my mind was full of worry and thoughts for her.

And finally, on the fourth morning, one of the priestesses in the temple told me that Rosaline had awakened. I eagerly went to where she slept; that room with the bed I laid her own with my very own hands. Once I got there, I knocked on the door softly, and then opened it slowly. There, my eyes laid upon those eyes I adored so much, those ruby beautiful eyes I could stare at for eternity. My love, my life, my Rosaline, had finally awakened.

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Finally a new chapter. I am sorry it took me such a while to update this. I had Let Them Trickle to write and then Rosaline's crush on Alex. XD But I will be focusing on this more, hopefully. ^^

Also, I changed the title. I think this one works better than the old one. Any opinions are welcome. ^^

Enjoy. :>

Yays! A new chapter. I'm glad that it was a happy one and that William and Rosaline could finally get some help from good people. ^^

And Stacey says she's happy, too, to be reading about her William again.

I could see the surprise on Rosaline’s face as I entered the room. She was clean then and wore a beautiful green dress. Her hair was nicely combed and everything about her was pretty. For the first time, I realized how beautiful she actually was. It the first time I saw her in a good state, not dirty or filthy like we used to be under Frank’s control. Her ruby red eyes sparkled with astonishment and she looked absolutely innocent and pretty.

Lady Katherine was by her side, as she had been for the three days that Rosaline had slept. I smiled and feeling that I had to speak up, I said,

“I am glad that you are awake now, Rosaline,” I turned to Lady Katherine after that and continued, “Thank you for taking care of my friend, ma’am.”

Lady Katherine smiled to me and replied, “Oh, it was no trouble at all, young man. Please feel like you are at home. I am going to leave you two now alone.”

She got up, curtseyed to the both of us and then went out of the room. Rosaline and I were alone then, and it was time to explain things and answer questions. But it didn’t matter to me; I was glad that she was awake and well.

I quietly approached her and she was the first one to speak up, “How the heck-…”

However, I gently put my finger on her lips as I took a seat by her bedside and replied, “Shush now. You need to rest.”

She took a breath, calming down, and replied, “How are you here? I-I thought that you left with the others to Cephiron.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle lightly over her comment and replied, “You really thought that? Even after you ran off like that?”

She raised an eyebrow, and with a doubtful look, “Umm, why would you care about me?”

I was a little hurt by her question, although I made sure to not make it appear on my face. After all the love and care that I had shown her, all the things I sacrificed for her, all the hits and beatings that I had gotten instead of her, and she never thought that I cared about her, in the very least, let alone love her from the bottom of my heart?

But keeping my cool, I replied,

“Well, really, Rosaline, I couldn’t just leave you alone in that village. I admit it took me a while but right before we get deep down into the forest, I had to leave. I know I was late but at least not too late.”

She looked at me for a while, then replied, “So you came back…for me?”

I nodded to her and with a smile, I replied,

“I am sorry I didn’t go after you right away but I had hoped you would come back before the carriage would leave. But then as the carriage started to go out of town and I saw no traces of you, I knew I had to go back for you. I had to leave the children and come to search for you.”

She smiled at this for a few seconds, but then seemed as though if she realized that something terrible. With a worried look, she replied,

“What?! You left the children alone? But how can they take care of themselves?”

Quickly replying, I said, “Calm down. Tina is the youngest and she is eleven years old. They are not actually children anymore.”

She seemed to relax and sighed, then replied,

“Well, guess you are right about that. But I still get nothing. How did you find me?”

I took a deep breath, then told her of the whole story,

“Okay, well, I continued looking around for you. At first I went to Frank’s place and peeked in carefully but I knew that you were not there. I then had to search around the village for you. It was a long while but then I found a girl unconscious on the floor. When I approached her, that was you.”

I didn’t want to mention the horrible state that I found her in, not wanting to remind her of any unpleasant experience, not just then anyhow, although I knew that I’d ask about it sometime later.

However, it seemed that what I said confused her more. Replying, she asked, “But how? Lady Katherine said she found me then.”

I chuckled a little, although I wondered why Lady Katherine didn’t tell Rosaline of the whole thing. But replying, I said,

“Ahh not really. In fact, she found us. When I approached you, it was only seconds before Lady Katherine approaches us. She asked me if I knew you and I said yes, I was your friend. Then she insisted that she brings us both to here to take care of you.”

She gave me her beautiful smile at last, seeming to finally understand the whole thing. She replied,

“Now I understand everything. But don’t you regret doing that for me? I mean, now you lost the chance of going to Cephiron. You could have found a job there and began a good life.”

I couldn’t help but blush a little, for the real reason I had done what I did was that I loved Rosaline dearly. But how could I tell her that? I wished that I could, that I could bring myself to confess to her my eternal love. Perhaps, maybe, she actually felt the same towards me. But I was too shy to do such a thing.

Gathering myself up to reply, I said, “Well, all that isn’t worth not seeing you again.”

Her eyebrows furrowed at me and she replied, “What do you mean by that, William?”

I stammered at the question, wondering if she could have sensed anything from my answer. Again, I thought of something quickly and replied,

“Well, Rosaline, you and I have been best friends for three years. I protected you back there from Frank and Jason and in return, you were the sweetest and best friend I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t let all that just for a good life and a good job in a good city.”

I hoped that my answer was good enough for her and that in the same time, it didn’t reveal any hidden feelings. It seemed that it was, for she blushed a little and replied, “Thanks, William. I owe you.”

I shook my head with a smile and replied, “Oh you owe me nothing. I did nothing at all for you. Okay, well, perhaps except for letting out the perfect life thing.”

I tried to make a joke to lighten up the mood, although I was embarrassed by how lame it was. But I chuckled and she actually laughed quietly. Then she replied, “Well, I suppose it’s all for this little necklace.”

She put her hand to her chest to touch the necklace but of course, she found nothing as I had taken the necklace when we were in the carriage. Looking panicked, she began to search and look around madly as she said,

“Where is my necklace?! It was here, I know it was! Someone took it, I am sure! Or it must have fallen somewhere!”

Quickly, I spoke up before she gets really worried, “Calm down, girl! Your necklace is with me.”

I carefully took the necklace out of my pocket, as I had made sure to keep it near always for the past three days, knowing how precious it was to Rosaline. She quickly snatched it from me and said,

“My necklace! Why did you it take it from me!?”

She looked angrily at me and I wondered for a second if she thought that I thought of stealing it or something. Her angry look gave me that feeling and I felt hurt for a moment that she could think that of me. But trying to understand her position and to clear up the confusion, I replied,

“Well, when I found you back there unconscious on the ground and saw the necklace around your neck, I thought it wasn’t a very good idea to show it like that. I had to take it from around your neck. It wasn’t very safe to walk in a poor town wearing a golden necklace, you know.”

She relaxed once more, and sighing, she replied, “Umm, thanks. Sorry because I yelled at you.”

I shook my head as a sign that I didn’t mind, and then a knock on the door was heard. Lady Katherine entered and presented Rosaline a tray of food, as she hadn’t eaten anything for three days. She then left us alone again.

As she was eating, she turned to me and asked, “I assume that you have been with Lady Katherine for the three days I was out of consciousness. What do you know about her?”

I was a little surprised by her question as it had a little tone of doubt, but then I thought it was normal as Rosaline was nearly as paranoid as I was, and she didn’t trust anyone easily. But despite that I had stayed with Lady Katherine for a short while, I knew that we could trust her, for she had helped us quite a lot and saved Rosaline’s life.

So replying, I said,

“Ahh if you have any bad thoughts about this lady, you should erase them. This lady is a priestess, a rich one. She owes this temple and a few churches nearby and is very kind and compassionate. She is a widow, as she told me, but has one daughter called Kisara. I had the chance to meet her and she is a very nice girl.”

That was true, for the three days that I had spent in Lady Katherine’s temple had made me gain that knowledge. Kisara, the girl I mentioned, was Lady Katherine’s only daughter and she was such a sweet girl, but not sweeter than my Rosaline, of course. She was an active girl and was as kind as her mother was. The two of us quickly became friends and she kept my company during the while that Rosaline was unconscious in.

Two days passed after that, during which Rosaline recovered slowly and she could walk around normally again. We spent the time walking in the temple’s garden with Kisara, or even chatting with Lady Katherine at times. But our stay couldn’t have been forever, that was sure.

But I wondered then. If Rosaline wanted to return to the human world to be with her family again, or to just go back to her hometown, would that mean that I would never see her again? That thought upset me greatly, for Rosaline was my very own soul; I loved her so much that I couldn’t imagine life without her any longer. But if she insisted on going back to the human world, what would I do? Should I follow her there? But she would probably go back to her family to continue her life; I would be just an intruder. And, in any case, my world was the gods’ world and I couldn’t simply leave it.

What was I supposed to do then? The trouble occupied my head so much. However, things became clearer to me as Lady Katherine called us to her one day.

I, Rosaline and Kisara headed to her. All seated, she was holding a letter in her hand as she spoke, addressing Rosaline,

“Now Rosaline, from the day I have found you and knew your story, I knew that you would like to go back to your home, am I right?”

Rosaline nodded and replied, “Indeed, ma’am.”

Lady Katherine continued, “Very well, darling. You probably know that in the gods’ world, we have no portal yet that could lead us directly to the humans’ world, but the devils do. This letter, I hold in my hand, might be useful to you.”

Rosaline looked at her curiously, so she continued,

“Queen Sage and King Forbesii are the royal couple of the devils’ world. You probably know that they have a daughter, their little princess, called Nerine. Recently, they have been looking for a female companion for that little princess who can protect her and stay by her side for a minimum time of two years. I know it’s a long time but if you offer to be that companion, they will help you go to the humans’ world. Devils are not so generous by nature in any case.”

I was interested in that, as it meant that Rosaline would have to stay at least two more years before she could go back to the human world. She, on the other hand, looked more shocked and surprised. I should have felt bad for her, because she would have to wait two more years before she could head back home, but I couldn’t help but secretly be happy that we wouldn’t be separated so soon. I didn’t show that of course, however.

And as we sat there in silence, we awaited Rosaline’s reply. What were you going to choose, Rosaline?

Yays! A new chapter. I like seeing William's loving side for Rosaline grow and I can't wait until he admits to her that he loves her. XD

We all sat there, awaiting Rosaline’s response. She took a while, but that was understandable as it was definitely a difficult choice. Two years was a long time, and although I hoped that she would agree, I only wanted what was the best for her.

“Is-is it just two years? No more?” She finally spoke up, hesitation clear in her voice.

Lady Katherine nodded and replied, “Unfortunately yes, dear girl. I wish there was a way to make it a shorter time, but that’s how things are in the devils’ world.”

Rosaline looked even more hesitant than before, clearly unsure over what to do. She sighed and carefully asked,

“Are you sure there is no other way, Lady Katherine? Is this really the only way? Do I really have to wait two more years?”

Lady Katherine replied, “I wish I could help you, sweetie, but yes, it is the only way. Don’t worry, though; if the royal family accepts you as the companion, you will be comfortable since you will live in the castle. And it isn’t going to be such a bad job, as Princess Nerine is known to be very kind and gentle.”

Despite all the comfort Lady Katherine was trying to give her, Rosaline still looked depressed and hesitant. Feeling like I should help out somehow, as I really felt bad for her sake, I gently touched her arm and said, “What are you going to do?”
Her eyes closed for a few seconds, thinking. Then, she sighed, opened her eyes and replied,

“I guess…this is the only way.”

I secretly felt very happy over Rosaline’s reply that I wanted to hug her that very moment, and tell her how much happy I was, for it meant that I would spend two more whole years with her. Of course, I kept my emotions and happiness inside, keeping a fake blank face with no certain expressions, trying to be as understanding as possible.

Lady Katherine replied, “Then it’s settled. Tomorrow we will all leave to Cephiron’s castle to meet King Ethan and Queen Cineraria. As the king and the queen of the gods’ world, they are the holders of the gate that joins the gods and devils. They will help us.”

Rosaline looked up at her and replied, “Is anyone allowed to pass like that, no obligations or payments or anything?”

Lady Katherine smiled at this and shaking her head, she replied, “Those two are very kind, my darling, and they want only peace between the two worlds. One of the reasons of having this peace is to allow both worlds’ people to pass through whenever and for nothing in return.”

I was surprised to hear that, as I had no idea that it was so easy to travel between the worlds like so. Then again, I have been locked all my life in a small, poor town and I had no means of knowing more about the world.

Rosaline nodded, and then spoke again, “Will I go alone?”

My ears perked up as I heard the word, ‘alone.’ Alone? But wait, what about me? I turned to Rosaline and was about to tell her that I was ready to come with her too, but Lady Katherine was quick to shake her head and reply,

“Of course not, sweetie. Kisara will be coming with you, as she is a student at the royal academy of the castle, studying earthly magic and all. She will come with you and introduce you to the devils’ royal family. Of course, we will have contacted them first through our own means.”

As she made no mention whatsoever about me, I thought I should finally speak up and tell them that I’d like to go too, no matter how much it could cost me. However, I saw Rosaline turning to me suddenly and she asked,
“What about you? What will you do?”

As I had been already thinking about this, the concern was naturally clear on my face. I turned to Lady Katherine and with a serious tone, I asked, “Is…there any way I can come, too?”

Lady Katherine looked a little surprised, suggesting that she probably hadn’t thought about this before. She replied, “They only asked for a female companion, my darling.”

I nodded quickly, not giving up on hope yet, then replied, “I know, I know. But please, I want anything to go with Rosaline. Anything.”

Lady Katherine looked thoughtful for a while and replied, “Hmm well, I am sure we can find something but I won’t promise it will be nice. Can you get a job as a waiter or a cook or something like that at the castle? Or I can see if you could train as a mercenary between the soldiers. You are not a devil, you see, my darling.”

I breathed a breath of relief and replied, “Anything is alright for me. I will be glad and I appreciate your help, my lady.”

She smiled at this and replied, “Wonderful. You can go now, my dears, and tomorrow, we head on to Cephiron and get this job done.”

We all went to bed then awaiting the morning to come so that we could leave to the gods’ royal castle. It eventually came and with it came our preparations for the visit. Lady Katherine gave me a fine outfit to wear and took care that I look in my best.

“God, you look as handsome as a noble!” She said with a look of admiration as soon as she saw me all dressed. I smiled at this and didn’t comment, although I knew that I didn’t just ‘look’ like a noble.

Soon, everyone was dressed in their best and we rode two carriages on our journey to visit the gods’ castle. Rosaline had to wear a stylish green dress and make her hair in an elegant way, which made her look pretty…beautiful. However, that wasn’t exactly her opinion as she simply hated dresses and colors. And I, madly in love with her, just had to tease her all the way in our carriage, alone as they left us, to watch her cute pouts and reactions.

After a while, we were driving through the beautiful Cephiron. I looked eagerly around from the carriage, but Rosaline didn’t have that much interest. However, I was a lot more interested, knowing that that city was where I was born, and where I originally belonged. It was simply breathtaking to look at the pretty white buildings, the beautifully decorated streets and the wealthy people walk about.

After a while, we arrived at the castle of the gods’ world. It was a grand castle, beautifully built, painted in graceful white with pillars decorating it all around. There were statues of what seemed to be dancing angels and singing goddesses. In a way, it was similar to how ancient Greek buildings would look like. The garden around it was pretty glamorous as well.

We all got off the carriages and Lady Katherine led us to inside, after being checked by the soldiers, of course. On our way, she made sure to warn us to be as polite and as formal as possible, probably because she knew that from our looks, we weren’t accustomed to the good society.

Before we knew it, we were in the throne room, where the royal couple were seated at their thrones. The king was an old guy in his forties, looking stern and firm but also with a touch of kindness and good humor. The queen was rather in her mid-thirties, very beautiful, with long brown hair and big yellow eyes. She had such a cheerful, energetic look that suggested her being quite a lively person. However, she was a devil, unusually as she was supposed to be the queen of gods.

There was also a small throne in the middle, but no one was sitting on that.
I bowed and the ladies curtseyed before the couple, then Lady Katherine spoke up,

“Good morning, your majesties. I hope we are not of any trouble on our surprising visit.”

Queen Cineraria replied in that cheerful manner that I could have never heard before, “Don’t be silly, Kate. And I told you that there is no ever need to talk so formally.”

I was surprised at this modest reply but more surprised at Lady Katherine’s reply,

“Very well, Cine. But I hope we are not disturbing the king’s majesty.”

The king laughed and replied, “You are a friend of my wife, Kate. Any friend of my dear love is welcome at anytime.”

They continued to talk for a while in that comfortable manner of speaking, and I could guess that the triple were close friends, especially Lady Katherine and the queen. I could swear that Rosaline was surprised too, judging by the look on her face.

After a while, Lady Katherine brought up the subject that we had come for,

“Ahh your majesties, you already know my daughter, Kisara, but I have two special guests with me today,” she motioned for us to come closer and we did, being as polite as we could, “These are Rosaline and William. Both of them seek your majesties’ help.”

Queen Cineraria’s face lighted up with naughtiness as she replied, “Aww the adorable little couple! How can we help them?”

I could swear that my face was redder than a tomato at being called a couple with Rosaline, but part of my heart yearned for that to come true, to become more than just a dream one day. I didn’t know about Rosaline’s reaction but I glanced at her quickly, and I believe that she was blushing too.

Lady Katherine replied, “Ahh well, as you both see, Rosaline is a devil. She accidentally came to our world from the humans’ world. Now she wants to go back.”

The king replied, “Ahh I see. But you do know that we don’t have the power to teleport her except to the devils’ world, not the humans’.”

Lady Katherine nodded and replied, “I know, your majesty, which is why we are seeking your help. We want you to teleport her to the devils’ world and there, they can help. Same for William as well. We hope it’s not too much trouble.”

Queen Cineraria replied, “Oh don’t you say that! It will be a pleasure to help these two little cuties.”

Of course, Lady Katherine had more to explain, as I believe she needed to tell them about the personal companion job that Rosaline was to apply for.
However, before anyone could say or do anything anymore, another door opened and out of it, came a young god girl with long brown hair similar to the queen’s, same yellow eyes and the same cheerful look. She looked to be about twelve years old or something, and she ran across the room happily when another kid ran after her.

The other kid was a boy, of about fourteen or fifteen, and he was a devil. He had short brown hair and a pair of hazel eyes, but he didn’t look very similar to the girl that I didn’t think that they could be siblings. He was running happily after her when they suddenly realized where they have run and what they have interrupted, and so stopped running and looked around, embarrassed.

“Sia! How many times do I have to tell you not to run in like that? And Avi, I told you to watch over her, not encourage her,” the king was the first to speak up, with a stern look as he scolded the young pair.

“I-I am sorry, your majesty,” Avi replied with a nervous look, and was about to say more when Queen Cineraria got up, carried the young girl in her arms as the latter laughed happily and said,

“Oh Ethan, don’t be so firm. The kids were playing, that’s all! I used to do that when I was young, too.”

“Sorry, daddy! We won’t do it again,” Sia replied, and then her mother set her down. Looking at us, she said, “Ooh you have guests! That’s why you are angry, daddy.”

She politely curtseyed and said, “Sorry for running in like that. I am Lisianthus, but call me Sia! And this is my friend, Avi,” the boy gave us an awkward smile, still not quite recovered from the embarrassment, and simply said, “Hi all.”

“Now if you will excuse us,” Lisianthus said and gently tapped Avi’s arm, then ran away, laughing happily. The poor boy ran after her, laughing happily, too, but not quite catching up with her.

“We apologize for that, my dears,” the king said as he watched them run off, sighed and continued, “I don’t get how you are spoiling her like that, Cine. That's the hundredth time she tells me, 'I won't do that again, daddy.' She won’t grow up to be a strong queen like this.”

The queen sat on her throne and replied, “Leave that for later, Ethan. I know how to take care of my daughter.”

After that, we all discussed the matter of opening the portal. The couple said that they would willingly open it, but it would take about two hours or so. In the meantime, they allowed us to have a walk in the garden.

So I found myself walking quite alone with Rosaline. Lady Katherine had stayed with the royal couple and Kisara went to walk off on her own, leaving us all alone.

“How do you feel about the job of two years thing?” I asked her, as a way of opening a conversation, “Surely, this is not a short time and I don’t think it will pass fast, especially since you are going to work as a bodyguard.”

Annoyed, she looked at me with a raised eyebrow as she replied, “How do you think I am supposed to feel? Like I need two more years to wait.”

I kind of felt upset, as I felt like Rosaline didn’t care whether she would be around me or not. I didn’t let that appear on my face however and replying, I said,

“You waited three, you can wait for two.”

I expected her to reply, to look at me with a frustrated face or to even slap my arm, but she did a completely different thing. Instead, she looked at me silently and her eyes were full of tears. She looked so upset and depressed that I immediately regretted opening up that subject. She started to sob and I found myself doing nothing but quickly hugging her and drawing her close between my arms, rubbing her back and doing my best to comfort her.

She wrapped her arms around me too, and continued to cry softly. Despite the somber situation, I couldn’t help but blush at this, at us being so close for the first time.

She continued to cry and I finally whispered, “Shush now…there is no need for these tears.”

I said it in the most comforting, gentlest and most loving way I could make it sound. Eventually, Rosaline stopped crying and looked at me with her beautiful ruby eyes, those eyes I adored so much, wanted to look in forever. I gently wiped her tears away and putting my hands on her shoulder, then replied,

“Rosaline, I know it’s not easy for you but…you must hold on. For your sake, Rosaline, please, for mine. You must be strong, Rosaline.”

She shook her head, and softly replied, “I-I am unable to, William. I can’t. I-I feel so lonely…”

Lonely, Rosaline? How could you be lonely when you had me all the way, all the time with you? When you had me, William, who loved you more than anything in the world? How could you feel lonely when you had me, the one who was willing to sacrifice his soul for you?

There was only one way to tell her that. To tell her all of that. And I suddenly had the courage to do it.

I clenched my teeth together for a second, took a breath and spoke,

“Rosaline, I-I…” I moved a little closer to her that our faces were almost touching, and there I was about to say it, “I lov-”

“Hey, you two!” I was suddenly interrupted by the young girl’s voice, Lisianthus. She was running quickly towards us when she found us and I had to break away from Rosaline quickly, thus preventing my confession.

We awaited that Lisianthus say whatever she had come to say but instead, we saw her looking at us with a sly, naughty look. Then putting her hands behind her, she gave us a most naughty smile and said,

“Oooh…did I just interrupt something?”

I felt my face hot and stuttered as I immediately replied, “Huh? What? Interrupt what?”

Rosaline was blushing too, but her reply was steadier than mine as she said, “What do you mean by that?”

The little princess giggled naughtily and replied, “Yup, I interrupted something! Sorry, so sorry about that! If you had told me to wait a little, I could have waited!”

I felt pretty embarrassed and wanted to tell her to stop that, but I feared that Rosaline would suspect something. However, Rosaline replied with an annoyed look,

“Stop that, kid.”

At this, Princess Lisianthus seemed to actually get annoyed. Pouting, she replied in an annoyed tone, “Gee, who do you call a kid? I am twelve years old and half!”

Rosaline snickered and replied, “Yea, right. That’s so old. Sorry, ma’am!”

The princess seemed to get only more annoyed and her pout gone, she replied, “Hey, who do you think yourself are!? I am the princess here!”

Rosaline was about to give another reply of hers, when fortunately, Lady Katherine came, to inform us that the portal was all ready, and that we were to go to the devils’ world. I think I was pretty glad that she had come that very moment.

--------------------------------------


Note: I know that although the scenes are common with The Lost Devil, they differ greatly here. I just thought that some scenes were a little boring, and found a way to make them more interesting and add more to the characters as well. However, it doesn't change anything with the whole story or the biography of the characters.

Yays! A new chapter and it's not a sad one. XD I like reading the parts about Lisianthus. I can imagine seeing her as a cute girl and Ryan liked those parts, too. ^^

Ahh one question since I'm curious and all but how far apart in age are Rosaline and Lisianthus?

Ahh Rosaline and Lisianthus are about four years apart in age. In the last scene, Rosaline is around sixteen, and Lisianthus is around twelve.

And I am glad you like the chapter. ^^ And yup, it didn't come out sad, for which I am surprised.

“You know, Nerine, you should talk a little more often if you’d like us to know each other more.”

Rosaline was the one speaking there, talking to the little blue-haired devil princess, whom she had become the personal companion of.

The little princess, Nerine Forbesii, or just Nerine as she asked us to call her, was the princess of the devils and the only heir to the throne of King Forbesii. She was such a sweet girl to be around and to talk to, beautiful and extremely kind. With her long blue hair and wide red eyes, she was such an angel on earth. She was known to be shy and reserved and didn’t seem to talk much to anyone, and that was why Rosaline had said the previous to her.

“Umm…I am sorry, Miss Rosaline. I just don’t know what to say, that’s all. We-we haven’t been together for long, you know,” answered Nerine in a shy manner, keeping her head down and eyes low, something she did often out of politeness.

The three of us, Nerine, Rosaline and I were walking peacefully in the garden of the devils’ castle. We had arrived there a week before and had settled down. Lady Katherine went back to the gods’ world to take care of her work while Kisara stayed with us. She attended the royal academy of the castle, as Lady Katherine had already told us, and so had the chance to be around us often. However, as she was busy with her studies, she didn’t hang around us very much except on weekends or when she had a holiday.

Myself, I found a work to do at the castle as well. I became a mercenary soldier in the army of the devils under training. It was a hard work but I got the chance to stay around Rosaline and in the same time, I gained the knowledge of wielding swords and other kinds of weapons.

Rosaline seemed frustrated with Nerine’s reply but kept herself under control, remembering who she was talking to, her work and how she was supposed to gain the love and trust of the royal family in order to go back
to her world. So forcing a smile, she replied,

“Okay. I’ll try to start a conversation then. And Nerine, call me Rosaline, ok? Just Rosaline. Just like I call you Nerine, you call me Rosaline.”

Nerine nodded shyly and waited for Rosaline to speak. Rosaline looked thoughtful for a moment, trying to come up with something, and then said,

“Okay. We can get to know each other better. All of us. We’ll say what there is to say about us of likes, dislikes, and history, whatever. How about it?”

Nerine nodded and I shrugged my shoulders, silently saying that I had no problem with whatever they did. I had finished my work-time a while before and was spending the evening with my beloved and the little princess.

“Okay, so Nerine, you start,” Rosaline said, “Tell us about yourself. Then I’ll go. Then William.”

Nerine nodded then said, “Umm as you know, my name is Nerine and I am almost twelve years old. I like drawing a lot, and I can say that I am good at it…I also love school although I don’t like the sports class nor the chemistry one. My best friends are Sia and Avi although sometimes I wish they lived here with me. But you two are going to be great friends too, I am sure. And I like flowers although I am allergic to roses, especially the red ones. Umm that’s all, I think.”

Rosaline nodded and replied, “That was good. I know more about you now, Nerine. That’s nice.”

She was silent for a few moments then continued, “You don’t have any siblings, right, Nerine? It can get lonely at times without them.”

Nerine seemed to be almost shocked by the question that she stayed silent for a few minutes, and her soft, gentle expression suddenly turned into an annoyed, angry one. I was wondering if it was my imagination or something until the reply came and she said,

“No, I don’t have any and I don’t want any. It’s better that way, to be alone and free. Who needs stupid siblings anyhow? I’ve got Sia and Avi and my school friends. That’s pretty enough for me.”

I was puzzled by her angry tone and wondered what the reason was for it, as Rosaline’s question was pretty simple and had nothing annoying about it. I could see that Rosaline was completely confused, too. But, strangely, none of us questioned her about it.

“Ahem…Okay, Nerine, okay,” Rosaline said after a few minutes of silence, in which Nerine gradually came to calm down, “It’s my turn now.”

After taking a breath, Rosaline began to tell us about herself. She told us about her background first, the same story that I knew when I first met her. Except that she was a lot calmer about it then, although the hurt was still there in her eyes. Nerine quietly watched her with sympathy in her eyes and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her as well. Despite that I’ve heard it from her before, the love I had in my heart for her and that beat so strongly made me want to wipe all the hurt away, to comfort her and make her the happiest person on Earth.

“I am really sorry about this, Rosaline,” Nerine said after Rosaline was done with her story, “I had no idea that you went through such an ordeal. But why didn’t Mama and Papa help you? You didn’t have to work with me so that you go back to your world.”

Rosaline quickly shook her head and replied, “It’s okay. It’s been a pleasure to be with you, Nerine, so far. Plus, that’s a friend more for me. I’ve been tight on friends lately. Well, without forgetting William of course.”

She giggled and Nerine did as well while I chuckled quietly although I didn’t find the comment very funny. I wanted to be more than just a friend of Rosaline’s. I wanted to be her special someone. I wanted to be her love, her knight, her everything. Maybe I was selfish to think like that, but I couldn’t help it. And after Lisianthus had interrupted my love confession for her, my desire to let her know of my love grew more inside me.

I must have been lost in my thoughts as I heard Nerine say,
“William, you there?”

I quickly snapped out of them and smiling to her, I replied, “Ahh what? What did you say, Nerine?”

Rosaline burst out laughing and replying, she said, “It looks like William is thinking of his crush or something! I was asking you if you were my friend or not, William, but it looks like you were out of it there.”

I was blushing hard, embarrassed by Rosaline’s comments. She was such a forward type and had a strange argue to spread humor around even in the worst situations. But deciding to laugh it off, I replied,

“Uhh yeah, my new crush. That’s it. But yes, we’re the best of friends, Rosa.”

Rosaline smiled to this and commenting happily, Nerine said, “Rosa? That’s a nice name. I’ll call you Rosa too!”

“Hey, what happened to ‘Miss Rosaline’ a while ago?” Rosaline replied although she really made it more of a joke, and we all burst out laughing.

Right after that, Alexandra, Nerine’s nursemaid, came and took her away to the castle. Rosaline and I were left alone to wander in the gardens, and as both of us weren’t used to go to bed early, we decided to spend the night walking around together.

“So, William…” Rosaline started as we walked, “You didn’t get the chance back there to tell us anything about yourself.”

I chuckled lightly and replied, “But what’s there to say? My name is William, aged almost nineteen, and that’s all. What’s more to say?”

I said it in a light-hearted way but it seemed like Rosaline didn’t find my reply very amusing. Looking seriously at me, she replied,

“Really? No background or anything? You fell from the sky on this world? You know, William…I am surprised that for the long time I knew you, you never told me anything about yourself. It was all about me. Me, me, me. I want to hear about you now. Where you came from. How you ended up with Frank. Who your parents were. Stuff like that. I want to know you, William. We didn’t have the chance at Frank’s to talk much because of the stupid work but now we have the time.”

I didn’t feel comfortable by Rosaline’s many questions but I had to admit to myself that she was right. For the long while we’ve known each other, Rosaline hardly knew anything about my background while I knew almost everything about her. That wasn’t really fair, I had to admit.

So there was no choice but to tell her the whole story.

“Okay. If you want to know, I suppose,” I replied then took a seat under a tree in the garden. Rosaline sat down beside me then looked to me,
awaiting me to begin.

“To put it bluntly…Frank was my mother’s husband.”

Rosaline looked shocked by the fact and she immediately replied, “What?! You mean that he is…? Oh come on, that can’t be!”

I quickly shook my head and replied, “Oh no, not my father, no way. Umm…I originally came from a pretty comfortable family, according to my mother. My father was a rich respected noble in Cephiron, son of its duke, Duke Gustav Rosenwell. My mother worked as a maid in his mansion, but he fell in love with her and they married. This marriage was against his parents’ will as they didn’t approve of a maid to be his bride. You know those snobby nobles.

Time passed happily for them despite the troubles from my dad’s parents and they soon got a boy child, who was me. But after two years of its birth, my father got injured in one of those battles and passed away. Immediately after his death, his parents and family kicked my mother and her child outside to the streets, to starve and die of the cold.

My mother somehow ended up in that poor town and somehow married that Frank. They were married for like, six more years, before she passed away. She was too weak and too kind and Frank treated her truly badly. I can’t remember every single detail but I remember seeing him hit her and torture her right in front me. There was nothing I could do…I could just watch as my mother was being hit and hurt.

She told me that on her deathbed. Funny how can I remember it all, considering how I was only eight years old, but I suppose that such a memory cannot be forgotten. It really can’t be forgotten.”

As a man, I believed that men should be always strong and never cry, especially not in front of others. But that very moment, I couldn’t help it. I felt every memory hit me like a sharp blow and all the pain and hurt returned to me. I couldn’t help but feel a few tears in my eyes that I quickly turned my head away to wipe them secretly, not wanting Rosaline to notice my weakness.

“I am really sorry to hear this, William. It looks like you had a bad past as mine. I suppose after that, Frank took you as one of his slaves, right?”

I nodded and replied, “Yeah. Then he began gathering other poor children to do his bidding and work. I always wanted to do something to stop him…but what could a child like me do to him? I had no choice but to grow up watching him like that and all I could do was to try to protect the children from his tyranny. As best as I could, anyhow.”

I sighed and I could see the sympathy and gentleness in Rosaline’s
beautiful eyes. She gently touched my shoulder and replied,

“Umm I am sorry, William, I really am. I didn’t mean to remind you of this.”

I quickly shook my head to her and giving her a small smile, I replied,
“No, it’s fine. You deserved to know more about me just like I know a lot about you. But yeah, that’s the whole story. Now you nearly know everything about me.”

I chuckled and she laughed, and we spent the rest of the night talking about this and that. It was wonderful to be alone with Rosaline in such a quiet, beautiful place under the light of the three moons (the devils’ world had three moons, unlike my world which had only two) and no worries on our minds. Eventually, we both grew tired and went to our rooms to get some sleep.

But day and night, I thought of her. And day and night, I wanted to tell her. To tell her of my deep, undying love for her; one that was almost driving me to madness.

Yays! A new update. I liked getting to read about Nerine and yup, her reaction over the mention of a sibling didn't surprise me. You know, it seems at times that Nerine has a dual personality. XD

And Stacey says that she loved reading about William although it made her sad to hear about his past and how his mom passed away and all.

lol Nerine is saying that she doesn't have a dual personality or anything but it's more like that anything about a sibling (or more specifically, Lycoris XD) annoys her.

And I'm glad that Stacey liked the chapter. Hopefully, the next chapter will be happier although I'm not sure if Stacey will like it. XD

Yes, another chapter!

I feel sorry for William. But I like how evil Nerine appeared.

Days continued to pass over me and Rosaline in the castle of the devils’ world. We both learned to settle and merge with our surroundings and by time, we could blend in fairly well. Rosaline stopped complaining and whining about going back to the human world and she seemed more happy and comfortable than before. I think Nerine’s company had a good influence, as the latter was very calm and friendly, which had a positive effect on the short-tempered Rosaline.

I was happy, too, but to an extent. The subject of my love to Rosaline haunted me day and night, and I wished I could tell her and rest my own mind. But whenever I stood in front of her and began to gather some courage to speak, I’d lose all the words that I had formed and my courage would melt away.

One day, Rosaline was called by King Forbesii, Nerine’s father and king of the devils, to some sort of a special training for bodyguards. As Rosaline was Nerine’s companion, it was part of her duty to protect Nerine and in order to do so; she had to train well and know the arts of fighting and combat. Therefore, I was to accompany Nerine after my mercenary training for the day.

After my training was over, I headed towards the garden, looking around and searching for the little princess. I felt sad that I wouldn’t be able to see Rosaline for the day and I felt lonely without her, even though I knew I would have Nerine for company. But even she wouldn’t be able to fill the void in my heart without Rosaline’s presence.

With those thoughts in mind, I walked through the castle’s garden while searching for the princess. Finally, I found her sitting quietly under a shady tree, surrounded by irises and other flowers, minus roses, whom she was allergic to. I went up to her and smiling, I spoke up,

“Good afternoon, Nerine. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”

She seemed startled, and when she looked up at me, something almost seemed wrong. It was like she looked scared or worried, or both. I didn’t know what was up and once I was about to ask her about it, she replied,

“Umm hey…No, you didn’t keep me waiting long.”

Although I felt an urge to ask her about her earlier expression, I thought it might have been a momentary thing so I decided to let it slide.

I sat down on the soft grass beside the little girl and she seemed to look at me curiously, almost inspecting me as if it were her first time to see me. But realizing that I looked a little puzzled at her altitude, she quickly looked away, blushing in embarrassment.

To break down the awkwardness, I spoke, “So, what have you been doing?”

She took a few minutes to reply, but not looking at me, she replied,

“Nothing. I-I was observing these beautiful flowers.”

She turned her attention to the flowers beneath her and seemed to observe them carefully and curiously. Again, I felt as if she was seeing them for the first time but I wanted to shake off that strange feeling. It wasn’t quite easy though.

Being friendly, I replied, “I see. They are quite pretty, right?”

She nodded shyly but I still got that feeling that she was feeling awkward or embarrassed. For a few more minutes, the silence continued but then she spoke up, her voice broken and hesitant,

“William?”

I turned to her and asked, “Yes, Nerine?”

She didn’t reply, but she looked to me and there was a beautiful smile on her face, looking genuinely happy. She looked quite innocent-I don’t think I’d seen such innocence before on Nerine’s face or on anyone’s face for the matter. Although I didn’t know what she was smiling before, I smiled back.

She then turned her attention back to the flowers and softly asked,

“What were you doing before you came here, William?”

I looked a little surprised at her question, as Nerine supposedly knew that I was at my usual training. But thinking that she probably forgot or that it slipped from her mind, I replied,

“At my mercenary training, you know. What else would I be doing?”

She looked a little embarrassed, but she quickly replied, “Umm sorry, I didn’t kno-I didn’t remember. Sorry.”

She looked quite embarrassed that I felt a little guilty over my reply and I quickly replied, “Nah, don’t mention it.”

She nodded and then turned her attention back to the flowers again.

She then said,

“Do you have any other friends, William? Other than…Rose-Rosa…Rosaline?”

I began to wonder more at her questions but I replied, “Kisara, of course. She’s quite a nice friend to have. And you, Nerine. We’re friends, right?”

She turned to me with a look of surprise and curiousness, and she seemed almost touched by my words, which was a little strange as I thought we were already friends. She nodded happily and her face beaming with pure happiness, she replied,

“Definitely! We’re friends. I am really happy to be your friend.”

I smiled and we continued to chat for a while more. She seemed more comfortable than before and as time passed, I forgot about her strange behavior earlier. We’d laugh happily and she seemed quite open and happy, more than the usual. Although she’d usually be reserved, polite and shy, she was more of a free spirit that very while.

As we continued, I couldn’t help but remember my thoughts about Rosaline earlier. Although it was quite fun to chat with Nerine, the love I had in my heart for Rosaline just had to make me feel a little lonely without her. And suddenly, I had this impulsive idea.

Without thinking, I turned to Nerine and said, “Nerine, is it okay if I ask your opinion about something? But it is a secret.”

She looked a little surprised, and for a few minutes, she was silent. But then she nodded, and replying, she said,

“Alright. I promise I won’t tell anyone ever, and I’ll try to give you advice if I can.”

I smiled to her and replied, “Thanks, Nerine.”

I took a deep breath and turned my eyes towards the garden, observing its beauty and such. I realized what I was about to say and for a moment, I thought about apologizing and continuing to keep my love a secret. But it was becoming a burden to bury it all in my heart and I need to tell someone of it, even if that someone was just a young, 12 year old girl.

So I spoke, and I told Nerine of my love to Rosaline. I told her of every little bit that I felt, of all the feelings and all the emotions. I told her how Rosaline had my heart and held it, how she was the queen of my heart and how I was a slave of her love. I told her of how I thought Rosaline was the most beautiful, kindest, most wonderful creature ever. I told her of how long I’ve kept my love a secret, of how long I’ve kept it in my heart when she was always around me, of how much I suffer when I look in her eyes and want to show her my love, but I quickly withdraw myself, afraid of being rejected.

She looked to me and she seemed quite touched by my words, quite curious too. She listened to me carefully and with great care, and I felt like she felt truly sad for me.

After I finished, I wrapped it up with, “I want to tell her all of that but I can’t. She still harbors feelings for her dead boyfriend and I don’t even know if she would be ready to know that I love her way too much. She thinks that we are just friends but I can’t help feeling more than friendship for her.”

I turned back to Nerine, waiting for her reply. She turned away, avoiding my gaze and looking at the flowers again, but she looked deep in thought. After a few minutes of silence, she softly replied,

“What would happen if she rejected you?”

I looked a little puzzled by her question, and it took me a few minutes to get a ready response but I finally did,

“I-I don’t know. I don’t want to even think about it. But if I told her of my love and she rejected me, I don’t think we’d be the close friends we used to be.”

I observed her and for a moment, I noticed a serious but sad look on her face. She looked deep in thought, and had that serious look about her that I don’t think I’d seen before. She replied,

“For a while, you might not be. But she’d never hate you or call you names. She wouldn't refuse to be your friend still. For some time, things might be awkward, but they would get better eventually and you'd be the close friends you are again. On top of that, you’d have rested that you let her know of your love, and you wouldn’t be clinging to some false hopes. And maybe, with time, she’d realize that it could be possible to love you too, and you’d have a happy ending.”

I looked astonished at her, wondering where she got such a good opinion from. Right when I thought that all I’d get from her was some comforting words, I found those realistic, good words coming from such a young girl.

And I had to admit, most of what she said was right.

She continued, her voice quieter and softer, “After all…You never hurt her or caused her any harm, right? So she has no reason to hate you.”

I looked at her and I noticed a sad expression on her face, that I asked,

“Are you ok, Nerine?”

She quickly nodded and turning to me with her previous happy face, she replied,

“Yup. So you should go ahead and let Rosaline know of your love for her. There is nothing better in the world than knowing that you are loved by someone. Even if she rejected you, know that you’d be giving her such a beautiful feeling by letting her know that you love her.”

She turned away and continued, “Trust me. I’d be the happiest person ever if I was ever. . .” She paused, and quietly continued, "I wish someone would love me."

She stopped suddenly, and quickly got up. I looked to her and worriedly asked, “Nerine, is everything alright?”

She nodded quickly and preparing to go away, she replied, “Y-Yeah. I-I’ve got to go. I remembered something that I needed to do-alone.”

I replied, “Hey, but what about-?”

I was going to ask her about me accompanying her for the rest of the day but she looked to me and said, “It’s okay. I’ll be fine by myself.”

I nodded and smiling to her, I was about to reply when I looked into her eyes and noticed something. Her eyes-those ruby red eyes that resembled those of Rosaline’s and whom most devils had. They weren’t there. Instead, there was a pair of beautiful ocean blue eyes, full of innocence and purity.

Astonished, I said, “Nerine, what happened to your-?”

She quickly went away, running like a free bird, shouting back to me, “I hope to see you again soon, William! Thanks for the company!”

I sat where I was, a look of pure surprise and confusedness on my face. I wondered if I was just imagining for a second there but I felt so sure that her eyes were blue for a moment. And looking back at the time we talked, I could swear that they were blue all along but I just didn’t notice it until later.

But thinking about what Nerine was saying, I realized that she was right. Her words gave me courage and I felt more motivated to tell Rosaline of my love, of my passion and affection to her.

Aww that was a very beautiful chapter. I liked how Lycoris appeared and talked to William. ^^ I wish Nerine could see that Lycoris is nice. XD

And Alex and I agree on one thing. We still want Lycoris to be happy. XD

That was a nice chapter, sister. It is really cool. I liked that William and Lycoris met.

Keep going, I'm looking for more.

After my talk with Nerine, I was seriously beginning to plan for my confession to Rosaline. I had loved her for quite a long time; I had buried my love inside for years, and I felt like if I kept it in any longer, it could explode. I needed to tell her and to let her know so that if there were a chance that she, perhaps, could return my love and affections-I would be the happiest person on Earth. If that weren’t to be, I would have felt good enough by just letting that burden slide away.

So I spent my days planning what I’d say, what I’d do. I would stand in the middle of my room, right in the middle of the night, and I would repeat over and over again what I was to say to the beautiful Rosaline. I wanted to choose my words carefully-I wanted her to know the deepest feelings of my heart, the purest and strongest love of all. I wanted her to feel how honest it was, that it was coming right from the bottom of my heart.

A time came and I was kind of satisfied with what I had planned, and after a few times of saying it over and over again, I decided that it was time. I only had to take Rosaline somewhere where we could be alone-say, the garden at night when everyone was asleep-then look into her eyes with true love, and get all the words out.

Well, it sounded so simple and easy. But in fact, the truth wasn’t like that at all.

Because I could swear I had tens of chances when I was alone with Rosaline and in the most romantic places ever, but I still wouldn’t blab one word out. My tongue would suddenly feel tied and I would feel too shy to speak, and in the end, I’d end up saying nothing, and doing nothing.

It was making me go crazy. I wanted advice; I wanted to ask someone about it. I thought about talking to Nerine again but for some reason, I didn’t. After what I had noticed with her eyes and her strange altitude last time, I felt a little weird about talking about the matter again with her.

Anyhow, time passed and the princess of gods, along with her mother and her friend, Avi, came to pay the devils’ world a visit. This was some trouble because instead of having to watch Nerine alone, we had to watch over Lisianthus and Avi as well.

Now we didn’t mind more company-and I personally loved kids so it wasn’t a problem to me at all. But the fact that Lisianthus had such an energetic personality and loved to run around so often made it hard work to watch over her. Even Nerine herself had trouble keeping up with her cousin’s playful energy.

One day, when we were all together, the kids decided on playing Hide and Seek. Of course, I and Rosaline wouldn’t play, but we would allow the kids to play as much as they wanted. However, that time, Lisianthus insisted so much that we play with them that we couldn’t refuse-after all, she was the princess of gods and who could disobey her? It didn’t help that she had that commanding personality.

So we all started playing and in a few seconds, we were all searching for each other. Except that I really thought the game was a bit silly for me, and I eventually stopped looking around. Unfortunately, I was caught by no one by Lisianthus herself.

“William! Why did you stop playing?!” She asked angrily, addressing her question to me.

Coming up with a quick excuse, I said, “Uhh I was just taking my breathes, Sia.”

Lisianthus didn’t seem so pleased with my answer and pouting, she replied, “No really? You didn’t seem like you were taking breathes just now.”

I was a little lost for words and I looked at her apologetically, hoping she’d let it slide. Fortunately, she just let a sigh of disappointment and replied,

“Oh whatever. You don’t look fun anyways. Gee, even Nerine runs faster than you.”

I didn’t know if she wanted to annoy me, but the comment didn’t get me much and I continued giving her the same look. She observed me for a bit then suddenly, her face beamed with happiness, as though she had an idea or something suddenly came to her.

Looking at me with slyness in her eyes, she replied, “Hey, did you finish up what I interrupted last time with Rosaline?”

I was confused for a moment, but my confusion suddenly made me stammered as I realized what she meant.

Realizing that that I hadn’t replied, she looked at me naughtily and said,

“Aww come on! Don’t tell me that it was nothing. I know exactly what was going on there!”

Deciding to play silly, I replied, “What was going on there?”

She grinned and confidently replied, “You were so going to tell her that you love her! Aww but isn’t it cute!”

I blushed and looked around quickly, hoping that no one overheard. Noticing my reaction, she continued,

“And I am totally right. So, did you?”

I looked back at her and I found myself shaking my head. Great, William. You were practically spreading your little ‘secret’ everywhere. But perhaps the fact that I wanted encouragement so much was what made me tell her.

She looked a little disappointed and replied, “Aww why not? You should totally her, you know. There is nothing sweeter than when a guy goes up to a lady and confesses his love for her. Personally, I can’t wait till my special guy does that!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle over her comment and replied, “Oh? You want a special guy already?”

Lisianthus nodded excitedly and replied, “But of course! I know that one day, I will meet a strong, brave and cute guy and he’ll be totally head over heels for me! Then he’ll take me in his arms one day, declare his love for me, and give me a most passionate kiss!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle even more, and Lisianthus giggled along, then she continued, “And you know, I bet he’ll do that in the most romantic place ever. Maybe in a beautiful garden or on top of a mighty tower!”

We laughed together for a while, before the others found us and we had to go back to their company. Talking with Lisianthus did give me some energy and courage, and I had to say-it was right on time.
Because later that day, when the kids had entered the castle for the night, Rosaline and I were alone again in the garden. Before I could say anything however, Rosaline spoke up first, while handing me a small colorful box,

“Happy birthday, William.”

I hadn’t even realized that it was my birthday, yet it touched me so much that she remembered it. I gratefully took the gift from her and opening it, it was a simple male perfume. It wasn’t too fancy but to me, it meant the world that Rosaline would give me a gift.

I smiled happily to her and said, “Thank you, Rosaline, but you really didn’t need to do it.”

She laughed a little and replied, “I know I needn't but I really appreciated that beautiful bouquet of flowers you gave me on my birthday, and I wanted to return the favour. I know it's not much, and I wish I knew better about what to get men on their birthdays but that was the best I could think of. I hope it's alright.”

I nodded happily to her and gave her a hug, then replied, “It’s perfect, thank you.”

She smiled and casually replied, “So you didn’t wish for anything else?”

That very moment, I felt my heart almost go out of its place, and I almost told her everything: my love, my passion for her, everything. My lips moved, but I pulled myself in time. However, it didn’t escape Rosaline, and she looked at me curiously and asked,

“What were you going to say?”

I looked with surprise in my eyes, but I shook my head, silently denying anything. However, again, she replied,

“You were going to say something, I am sure of it. Say it. We're friends, aren't we? No secrets between us.”

That word again-friends. That word hurt my heart so much and normally, it would have discouraged me from saying anything. But no, for some reason, perhaps remembering little Sia’s words, I was suddenly given a thrust of hope. I looked into her eyes and she looked back into mine. It was then when my lips moved and I murmured,

“I wished for you.”

I don’t know how I said it, how I made it sound so beautiful. It came right out of my heart and in such a few simple words, I got it all out.

She looked confused but I was already mesmerized by her beautiful eyes that I got such courage that I don’t know where I got from. I didn’t know it except when I found my arms slowly moved towards her and around her waist, pulling her close into my arms. She looked surprised and her arms fell softly upon my shoulders, but I only focused into her eyes. Slowly, slowly, slower than ever, I leaned in and our lips touched ever so softly. Finally, that moment I had been waiting for, the moment I had been anticipating for years. The moment when I’d kiss Rosaline.

She didn’t react for a few moments, and I was too pulled into the moment that I didn’t wait for a reaction, but I began kissing her and my lips moved against hers ever so romantically, ever so passionately. The love I had saved in my heart for years-I got it all out in that kiss.

The next thing I felt was her arms slowly moving to wrap my neck, and ever so slowly, she began returning the kiss. That made me only kiss her more, love her more, and it gave me a new world of hope.

But eventually, the sweetest moments of my life had to come to an end, and the kiss was over. But that romantic moment wasn’t over. Not yet.

Still holding her in my arms, I looked deep into her eyes and said softly,

“Rosaline, I...I don't know how to say it, but-but I love you. I love you with every fibre that beats in my heart. I loved you ever since I have seen you, ever since I have seen your eyes, ever since destiny brought us together. I-I don't know what to say anymore, but I love you, Rosaline.”

I had forgotten whatever words I had prepared, and those words came out spontaneously right out from my heart, without preparations or speeches. They just came out like that, and even I thought they were quite touching.

But the happy moments couldn’t last long for me. Rosaline looked at me for a few moments with such surprised looks, and the next thing I knew, she had run off-away from, far, far away from me as possible. I was too disheartened to call after her, or to hold her, catch her, anything. Only one thing ran through my mind: have I lost Rosaline as a friend?

The thought tore me apart, and I felt my heart turning into thousands of pieces by just coming across it.

Yays, a new chapter.

I liked the part where Lisianthus teases William and talks to him about confessing his love for Rosaline. I wonder if Lisianthus had a premonition about Ryan, based on the part about the tower. XD

And I think I know why Rosaline ran away but I guess I'll have to wait for the next chapter to confirm my thoughts. ^^

lol I am beginning to wonder that as well. XD But Lisianthus says that she was all a dreamy girl when she was young and she felt that she'd meet a man as wonderful as Ryan one day. XD

And I am curious to hear why you think Rosaline ran away although I won't spoil anything yet. XD

On Rosaline, I think she ran away because she felt confused about her feelings for William. Based on the RP, I remember that she didn't truly love him although she cared for him a lot. XD

lol I see. That is a valid theory and I think more will be revealed in the next chapters. XD

That night after Rosaline had left me and run off, I could hardly close my eyes to sleep. I spent my whole night turning and tossing in my bed, overcome by worry and fear. What had I done? Why did I tell her that? Did I really lose Rosaline as my friend? Wouldn’t she talk to me anymore? Would she avoid me from now on? But I couldn’t live without her; how would I bear that?

All these questions ran in my head and I didn’t really have many answers, which was driving me mad. I wished I could already see her and talk to her, ask her why she ran off like that, and whether she hated me then and didn’t want to talk to me again.

But then a question would pop up in my head-why did she return my kiss so passionately?

I ended up having quite the little amount of sleep, so I woke up the next day tired and weary and furthermore, having a huge headache because of my endless wonders and thoughts. But I had work and work was to be done either way, so I headed towards my training as usual, hoping that I would be able to focus normally.

But what was I thinking? I wasn’t really able to focus in my training and it was the first time the trainer comments on how careless I seemed that day. I apologized to him and explained that I felt a little tired and although I truly did, my distraction was also caused by the thoughts that refused to leave my head.

I finished the training and was free for the rest of the day but had no idea what to do, where to go. I knew that Rosaline would have been probably taking care of Nerine’s company as usual as well as Avi’s and Princess Lisianthus’ and although I usually went to join them, that time, I couldn’t. I was afraid of facing Rosaline and hearing her answer or worse, seeing her ignore me and avoid talking to me.

So instead, I decided to go somewhere else where they wouldn’t be present. Walking around the garden wasn’t an option as that was where they spent their time, so I decided to try going to the stables. I had gone there once or twice before and it was a nice, cozy place full of friendly horses, and the stable man was a very friendly person. Thinking that spending time there could help me calm down, relax my thoughts and avoid Rosaline in the same time, I headed towards the stables.

It took me a few minutes to get to the stable and fortunately, I didn’t catch any hints of Rosaline, Nerine or Lisianthus around, and was able to get to the building safely. Being the castle’s stables, it was a huge, fancy building which was kept clean and comfortable for the horses always.

I pushed the gate open and right away, I could smell the hay, clover and oats all around, hear the friendly whinnying of the horses and see their fascinating colors and kinds. There were horses and often, one could see pegasuses among them too. It was my favorite place in the whole castle, and the only place where I felt home.

I entered and petting the head of one of the horses as I looked around, I noticed the stable man who was checking over the fellow stable boys’ work and making sure everything was in place. He was the boss in the stables, and the boys worked under his commands, but he kept things in track besides being a very friendly person. A man of about sixty, a devil, tall and well-built, could even say handsome with white hair covering his chin and head and a lovely laugh that would come out every now and then. His name was Patel Nuffield.

Upon seeing me, he smiled warmly to me and said,

“Hey, fella. Good thing to see you. Thought you’d be with the princesses and their lady?”

By ‘lady,’ he meant Rosaline. I internally wished I could with her, but I had come here to try to forget about her and the problems between us, even if just for a little time. So shaking my head to him, I replied,

“Well, I missed you and the horses. How is everything going? Need any help?”

He laughed and replied, “Great, great. Thanks, fella, but the boys here know their work well and I wouldn’t want them to get used to spoiling or something. Plus, it’s enough help they are getting from Avi back there.”

As if on cue, the boy appeared from the back of the stable, rolling his sleeves up and seeming as though he was just hard at work. Smiling happily to me with that innocent smile of his, he said,

“Hey, William. Why aren’t you with Nerine and Rosaline?”

God. Could someone just not mention her to me? Once?

I smiled back to him and replied, “Hey, Avi. Just thought I’d change the routine but I thought you would be with them?”

He grinned to me and replied, “I should but I took permission from Sia to come here. I wanted to spend some time with grandpa.”

I was surprised at this. Grandpa? Inadvertently, my head turned to Patel and my eyes asked for confirmation or denying. He laughed at my surprise and nodded his head.

Confused, I asked, “How come? You’re his grandfather? No one told me that before.”

Avi chuckled shyly at my surprise then replied, “Eh, I didn’t get the chance to but yeah, Patel is my grandpa. He’s one who’s brought me up after both of my parents passed away. I miss him when I’m away with Sia but I try to make use of these chances to spend more time with him.”

I nodded in understanding, surprised by the discovery but not commenting much on it. I spent the rest of the afternoon with Patel and Avi, talking about the horses and taking care of them. It wasn’t only fun to be between the animals I love and to enjoy the company of two wonderful friends, but it was worth a lot of knowledge about the horses as well. We had lunch and even dinner together and overall, I had a peaceful time and my mind wandered away from Rosaline’s troubles for a while.

In the end of the day, I said goodbye to both of them and left the stables, although I wasn’t sure where to head. It was late and I thought I should probably head back to my room and turn in for the night. But then my heart couldn’t help itself. Was it possible that a whole day would pass on me and I wouldn’t see Rosaline or talk to her?

So instead of heading to my room, I decided to take a walk around the gardens under the moonlight. Rosaline and I would spend our nights together this way, walking around and staring at the sky. But she wasn’t with me and I was walking around alone, although my eyes looked around, wondering if they could catch any hint of hers.

Well, at least that was how it was at the beginning. But then I caught the glimpse of a body lying down on the grass, seemingly sleeping. And when I approached it, it was no one but my beautiful Rosaline.

She was lying down peacefully between the grasses, sleeping soundly under the moonlight, looking as beautiful as an angel. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight and even chuckle quietly. That was Rosaline. If she were tired, she’d simply fall asleep, no matter where she was or when was the time.

But it was night and the air blew coolly, and I couldn’t simply walk away and leave her like that for she could simply catch a cold. I thought about waking her up but then I’d have to face an awkward situation with her and furthermore, disturb her slumber. So I did the only thing my mind and more importantly, my heart told me to do.

Quite gently, I scooped her up in my arms and carried to her room. Thankfully, no one saw us as it was late and most of people were inside in the castle, or I would have been probably questioned about it. And thankfully, Rosaline didn’t wake up or stir even.

We reached her room and I quietly opened the door to it, entered and softly laid Rosaline down on it, pulling the covers over her and making sure she was comfortable. I gazed at her one more time, admiring her and hoping that everything would be ok between us. But fearing that I might be caught or something, I left her room quietly and headed towards my room.

I entered my room and for some reason, I felt happier than I felt earlier. Gazing at Rosaline as she slept and seeing her beautiful white face made my heart feel better, gave me some hope that the friendship between us, even if I wished it would be more than just friendship, wouldn’t be broken so simply.

Having these new high spirits, my hands reached for my harmonica and I sat on my bed, playing a quiet, melodious song that came right out of my heart. I played it and my heart was totally feeling for Rosaline, my mind thinking of her and my fingers and mouth playing for her. It was a romantic, beautiful song in which I put a part of my soul.

However, as I played, I thought I heard a sound coming from outside my room, as though someone were outside. Curious if I had any visitors, I quietly got up and opened the door, looking outside to see if there was anyone. And indeed there was.

Kneeling at the window of my room, there was Rosaline, her eyes closed dreamily as she looked inside sneakily. I could only guess that she had been listening to me as I played.

Yays, a new chapter. It was really sweet reading at the end about how Rosaline listened to William playing the harmonica. ^^

Can't wait for the next update. XD