• When the welcoming ceremony for the soldiers had ended, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Lucia ordered Mrs. Coldwell to show Prince Samuel to his room. During the ceremony, the Prince decided that he wanted to stay a few weeks in Bright Splendia. He’d said he really loved how bright the kingdom was and how nice it would be to get away from Translutia for a while. He also mentioned that he would love to get to know the Princess a little bit better. Queen Lucia was so delighted that her crown almost fell off her head. Princess Lorien felt otherwise.

    When Mrs. Coldwell and Prince Samuel left the room, Princess Lorien was about to step out of the room before her mother called her.

    “Lorien, could I have a word with you first please my dear?” Queen Lucia said kindly. Lorien turned around, frustrated.

    “Yes?” Lorien tried to hide her frustration. Thankfully, Lucia didn’t notice.

    The Queen turned to face her daughter and smiled.

    “Look at you my dear, 18 and more beautiful than ever. I think you are ready to be married, don’t you?” Lorien pulled a face when her mother said this and Lucia noticed. “Alright, so maybe not marriage yet. I don’t want to rush you my dear. But I do have to ask, what do you think about Samuel? He’s a nice boy isn’t he?” Lucia asked, hopeful.

    Lorien put on her best fake smile but Lucia could see right through her.

    “Alright, what’s wrong with this one now Lorien?” Lucia was getting frustrated.

    “Really, there’s nothing wrong with him. It’s just that I can’t really make a judgement yet can I? I barely know him,” Lorien said, desperately trying to convince her mother to let her go.

    Lucia sighed. “I guess that is a fair statement now isn’t it? Alright, I guess you’re right my dear. I’ll see you at dinner then,” Lucia concluded and Lorien was out of the room in a matter of milliseconds. Lucia stared after her daughter, irritation swelling inside her.

    As soon as Lorien was safe in the confines of her room, she read the note that Lucas had given her.

    I’ve missed you. Meet me in our garden after dinner, if you can. Forever yours, Lucas.

    Lorien smiled and all of a sudden her face was plastered like that. Lorien lay on her bed and closed her eyes. She was slowly drifting into a light nap when she got distracted.

    “Soldier boy talk to you then?” Lorien opened her eyes, startled to hear Mrs. Coldwell’s voice. She was standing at the doorway, looking concerned.
    “Really your Highness, you shouldn’t be sneaking behind your mother’s back like that. She’ll find out one day,” Mrs. Coldwell said sternly.

    “I know I really shouldn’t but who can help it when they’re in love?” Lorien said, sighing. Mrs. Coldwell returned the gesture and laughed.

    “18 or not, you will always be a little girl to me Lorien,” Mrs. Coldwell said chuckling. Lorien giggled back.

    At dinner, the princess could hardly breathe after wolfing down a large plate of beef and premium quality gravy.

    “Lorien! You’re a princess for God’s sake. Eat properly please,” Lucia would tell her over and over again. It irritated Lorien but she still couldn’t stop smiling with excitement.

    After wolfing down her dessert plate of crème bruleè, the princess excused herself from the dinner table and went to meet Lucas in their special garden, the garden where they first met, Crystal Garden.

    It was dark and if it weren’t for the lights that surrounded the castle’s perimeter, Lorien wouldn’t have been able to see anything at all. She ran as quietly and as quickly as she could to meet Lucas. He was the only thing that was running through her mind right now.

    While the princess was running to meet him, Lucas waited in the garden and in his hands were a bouquet of 12 red and pink roses.

    “One for every time you tried to kill me before we fell in love,” he whispered to himself and started chuckling quietly. He was dressed in a charcoal black suit and the only hope he had of her being able to see him in the dark were the roses.
    “What in the world are you laughing at?” a soft voice came from behind him. Lucas smiled.

    Lorien was surprised to see the roses in his hands.

    “You didn’t just pick them now did you?” she asked as Lucas handed her the roses.

    “Oh no, they were roses that I picked off the bush, right? I mean, it was so hard to see in this darkness, they could have been weeds for all I knew,” Lucas said sarcastically and they both laughed together softly. “No, I bought them as soon as I got back,” Lucas said, slightly more serious now.

    “They’re beautiful,” Lorien whispered.

    Lucas lifted Lorien’s head lightly so that their eyes met. “Not as beautiful as you,” he whispered back before he kissed her lightly on the lips.

    When they pulled apart, they sat on the grass talking and laughing about old times. Lorien was glad that she picked an emerald coloured dress because with every move that she made to get closer to Lucas, she could feel that the grass underneath her was leaving marks.

    “What happened...with Sham?” Lorien asked quietly. She saw how agonizing it was for Lucas to think about his brother, let alone even talk about him. Lorien looked at the ground. “Sorry, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Lorien said, trying to comfort him.

    “No, it’s not that. I will tell you, just not now. But I just need to ask you something first, if that’s ok,” Lucas said, staring at the ground. Lorien looked at him, puzzled.

    “Of course,” Lorien said, feeling a little uncomfortable about what might be coming next.

    “Look, I’m sorry, I really am. I should never have left. I should never have tried to be a hero. If I stayed here then everything that’s happened never would have. It’s all my fault. First I lose my father, then Sham, now you,” Lucas had no control over the words that were coming out of his mouth.

    “Lucas, what are you talking about, none of this is your fault,” Lorien said a little loud than what it should have been.

    “Samuel, is he the one?” Lucas asked, the words coming straight out of his mouth without him even having to think about it.

    It fell silent for a while until Lorien finally answered.

    “Do you really doubt our relationship that much?” Lorien asked sadly, not being able to look at him anymore. She made a move to stand up but Lucas pulled her back down and held her face in his hands.

    “No, I don’t. I promise you I don’t. It’s just that when I left, everything had gone horribly wrong. Everything I did always led to something worse. I felt like I was cursed. I thought that when, or if, I came back here everything would be different too. That’s what I felt. Lorien, you mean the whole world to me and you know that. You also know that I will do whatever it takes to fight for our love. But when I saw Samuel, standing beside your mother, I thought that that was it. I thought that I was too late. I…” Lucas stopped talking for he saw that Lorien had tears in her eyes.

    “Lucas, you won’t ever lose me, I will always be yours. I promise you that. I promise you that I’ll fight with you. I don’t care how dangerous it is, as long as I’m with you, it doesn’t matter. Besides, you know what I can do,” Lorien said, trying to hold back her sob. Lucas let go of her and held her in his arms.

    “Don’t take your gift for granted Lorien. You never know how dangerous it might be,” Lucas was serious, and scared.

    Lorien held Lucas tight in her arms. “I love you Lucas. I always will,” Lorien whispered into his ear. Lucas held her tighter.

    “And I will always love you, my princess,” Lucas said, fighting back the tears.

    It was then that he noticed a hooded figure standing in the distance. It was tapping its wrist, like it was trying to say that time was running out.