Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Where's My Happy Ending? ((butterfly0408/Kolath))

Aiden glared at Christian as he left the prince alone to face his parent. â??Traitor,â? he mumbled under his breath before turning a smiling at his father. â??Hello father, mother.â? He bowed showing his willingness to yield to the king despite the fact that he addressed him so informally. Taking a seat he sighed having a feeling he knew what this discussion was going to be about. he was of fully marrying age and yet had to find some noble girl or other to let his eye fall on pleasantly. However that wasnâ??t the only thingâ?¦oh noâ?¦it wasnâ??t about finding a good wife no this was about something totally different his father wanted him to produce a heirâ?¦one way or another.
 
The king took a seat in the large arm chair while his mother quietly took a seat on the smaller one, between the two of them. Two armies on the verge of a war. "Aden... what are we going to do with you? You should be married by now! There are plenty of suitable women that we have paraded before you at court yet STILL you have not picked on to take to the alter and beget an heir with!"

His mother was blushing a little and staring at the floor. Once upon a time she was one of those women like her husband now spoke of. It hurt sometimes to recall that she thought theirs was some grand romance, but in reality it was all about this. Duty, heirs... no grand love. Was that what it would be like for Aden as well, she wondered sometimes.

"I am at my wits end with you boy! You are already 21! Going to be 22 in four months time! You should have been married by your LAST birthday..." his father's lips curled into and almost wicked smirk, "and you WILL be married by THIS birthday. You have four months to make your pick Aden. Either you make it, or I will make it for you. Is that clear?"
 
Aiden closed his eyes knowing what was coming or at least part of it. he had expected the stuff about him needing to get married but when his father had laid down a ultimatum he could feel the anger boiling up. How dare his father do that too him, how dare he make such a broad statement. Why should he be condemned to a loveless life jut because his father wanted a heir? There was no need for this is was just a way that his father was insisting that Aiden was supposed to do his duty. Lowering his eyes he merely nodded. â??As you wish my King.â? He stood and started to walk out of the room his heels clicking with a point each step. Only his fatherâ??s voice would stop him from disappearing into the forest for hours now there was nothing that could be done about it otherwise, but he would not dare disobey the king, father or no.
 
His father's voice never came, only the sound of his footsteps departing in the other direction. It was another voice that followed him however. A soft, warm, and loving voice, "Aden, sweetheart, please wait." It was his mother, who had waited until the king had departed before she could at last have her say, "I wish to speak with you as well my son..."
 
Aiden had to amend what he had thought earlier as he heard his motherâ??s voice. He stopped the door handle in his hand gently leaning his head against the smooth wood of the door. â??Yes mother what is it that you want to say?â? His motherâ??s voice was just as important to Aiden as his fatherâ??s if not more so since it had always been there to comfort him, especially when his father and him had just fought like now.
 
For years, the queen had tried to be making up for the lack of affection between father and son with twice the affection from her. She crossed the room and came to her son's side, wrapping and arm around his shoulders and lightly holding him, "I know it's hard, but it's the duty you were born into. We've both known that for a long time. And I know you've been running from it. I suppose I have as well, but you can't run anymore. Tell me what you seek my boy and mother will help you. I want to help you find her. The one that will make my son the happiest man alive. Time is running out to find her. Perhaps.... a ball? Just to see the options once more?" She smiled a little, "Or are you as sick of all the stuck up peacocks flaunting their feathers on the ballroom floor as your mother is?"
 
Aiden sighed softly and leaned back a little against his motherâ??s warmth. â??I know motherâ?¦A ball will not help all I will see is the same group of girls that have been trying to pull me into their bed since I was fifteen.â? He shivered as the thought of some of the older women that were trying the same thing crossed his mind. â??I honestly donâ??t know what will help, at a ball or any group event they are all trying to outdo each other and I have no time to talk to any of them.â? He sighed again stepping away from his mother, â??What I want is someone that I can get to know and spend time withâ?¦not someone that is putting on airs constantlyâ?¦I donâ??t know motherâ?¦give me some time to think about it?â?
 
"Very well," she said, giving her son a kiss on the forehead before pulling away and turning to go. "If you need anything, I'm here for you son, you always know that." She departed gracefully.
 
â??Thank you mother.â? He walked out of the room heading for the stables. He didnâ??t take long to saddle his horse and was soon out of the gate into the woods. He galloped over the familiar paths passing over terran that others have forgotten existed disappearing into the woods. He just needed time to think of what he would do. Something had to come to him something, but all that he could think about was the girl from this morning and how much he wished that she was of noble birth.

==============

Nearly a week had passed since that fateful day. Not only had Aiden met a girl that even now plagued his thoughts but he had been handed down a ultimatum from his father about a marriage. This week had just gotten worse as time passed. Things just seemed to not go right at all in anyway. Finally Aiden had enough of it and once again with the help of Christian disappeared into the town again just needing time to think and also in hopes to see her again.
 
The list this morning consisted of a hand held mirror for one sister, a new book for the other, yet another bottle of wine for her master, and red candles for her mistress. She didn't want to think how that red wax was going to burn against her skin. The rope had already left her wrists raw and the riding crop stung her bottom to the point she could not sit down at all the morning after. Mistress vowed to use it at least one a week. Oh joy of joys.

Crista sighed, she had not been lively even the slightest bit in the past few days. It was like that incident with the stranger had only been the start of her troubles and things only went down hill from there. As she walked now with all her items in her basket, she wore a blank look on her face, glancing through the stands. Perhaps she should just go home. More and more, her heart was no longer in things like this. The few bits of time and freedom she had to herself. Every day that passed, she lost more of her own humanity. How long before they were nothing left?
 
Aiden walked through the market sighing as he looked around for her. More than once he could have sworn that he had seen her but each time the girl was close to looking like her but not the real thing. He sighed deeper and as it was getting late into the day he was thinking about going home after all it was foolish to think that he would happen to run into her just when he thought about going out into the market. He looked down at the ground and turned to go back to that castle. And of all things to happen he pumped into someone just as he turned around once again losing his balance and falling to the ground.
 
She had just started heading down the path that would lead her towards home when BOOM! Someone collided with her or she collided with someone, she wasn't sure. All that she knew was that one minute she was walking and then another she was on the ground, the content of her basket falling all over the ground, one of them with a crash. Her heart stopped at once. It was with the mirror, or the wine. Either way, she was going to be soundly beaten for it, for there was not enough coin left to replace either item. Or even... her face went pale as she say both the red liquid of the wine spilled all over the earth AND the a thousand of her own reflection in the piece of the one lovely mirror. "Oh... no..." she voice quivered a little as she reached a shaking hand out to the broken items. Tears threatened to rise to the surface... she was in SO much trouble! She didn't even look to the person that had knocked her over. It didn't matter who it was. Nothing short of a guardian angel with a miracle could fix this mess.
 
Rubbing the back of his head Aiden sat up taking a moment to shake the stars from his eyes. Why was it that every time he came to the market he ran into someone. He finally looked at the person and frozen for a second, it was her. A soft chuckle of relief left his lips as he moved to his knees. â??Well hello again we really needâ?¦â? he stopped mid sentence as he saw the mess that had been made. Last time nothing was broken but clearly the fall had been much harder this time. â??Oh noâ?¦Iâ??m so sorry.â? It was all he could think of to say he looked over at her seeing the threatening tears, â??Please donâ??t cry this can be fixed just please donâ??t cry.â?
 
If things couldn't get worse... that voice. She looked to him at last and saw who exactly it was. "You again?" she questioned in shock. This was to much! she had made a fool of herself once now she was going to do it again! The took a deep breath and closed her eyes, commanding herself not to cry in front of him. She could do that when she got away from him. Threatening to panic now, she knelt and rushed to collect all the pieces of mirror, bottle, and... "Oh no..." she said once more, picking up a snapped in half red candles, "The baroness's candles as well... oh God I am in so much trouble! Nothing can fix this! I might be able to replace the candles, but not the mirror and wine. Oh God! What am I gonna do?!" she was merely talking aloud, she didn't mean for him to hear what she was thinking in her head. For the time, she had even forgotten he was there. "They are going to whip me for this..." she whispered softly.
 
Aiden knelt down seeing what she was doing and tried to help her. he heard her talking to herself when she got to the last statement he blinked. â??Iâ??m sorry what was that? Why would they whip you for something that is not your fault?â? he could understand using the whip as a punishment on criminals and maybe the worst servants but not fro something like this. He realized that there was no way he could let that happen.

Reaching out his hands covered hers one coming up to lift her chin to look at her. â??Iâ??m not going to let that happen.â? He stood still holding her hands gently urging her to stand, â??Come let me repurchase everything here for you after all I am the reason it broke.â? He smiled at her looking into her eyes softly his showing only concern and a desire to help.
 
Crista only stood there, jaw half opened, desperately trying to take deep breaths to calm herself. She was so dazed with the thought of facing the lash when she got home, she rose with him, not even thinking. She was looking in his eyes, watching his lips moving, but she could not hear him. All she could do was nod a little in agreement. He had offered to help, she thought. That was what the look in his eyes told her. And so she nodded, "Th-thank you... but... you don't..." she stuttered out looking down at the mess once more. Her protest stopped at once. She really did need his help this time. She'd find a way to repay him later, somehow, but right now she really did need his help. "Thank you."
 
Hw smiled nodding bending down to get her basket he smiled and gently slipping her arm through his he started to lead her back through the market. â??Iâ??m sorry about last time we met I was behaving badly just so stunned by meeting you that I couldnâ??t think of what else to say.â? They got to the middle of the market and he paused a confused look on his face, â??what was it that you had bought?â?
 
"Uhh..." she looked around, point in each direction as she recalled where she picked each thing up, "the mirror, the wine, the candles, and..." she reached into the basket to check on the books. They were covered in wine. She sighed, "and the books as well."

They started off in the direction of the mirror and books first, "And... I'm sorry as well. I mistook you for someone else and I only realized to late that you were not. I was so ashamed the way I acted. And now this. I owe you... I owe you a LOT. I promise you I will find some way to pay you back. I swear it even."
 
He looked into the basket with her and winced, the books were just about ruined but he knew of some people that could help with that. However right now they just needed to be replaced he could take the soaked ones to his friends later. He walked along side her smiling as she said she would repay him he shook his head laughing and turned to look at her standing in front of her making her stop and look at him, or have another fall. â??you owe me nothing it is enough to have run into you again and been able to apologize. The only thing you could do to make me happier is to tell me your name but that is up to you.â? He winked slightly and then turned back toward the shop.
 
She smiled at long last. The first time she had smiled in days and they first time he had ever seen her smile perhaps. "I insist I repay you one day. If all I can give you now is my name, consider it the first small payment of many." They had just then reached the stall and she stopped a moment to face him and properly introduce herself, facing him, "My name is Crista."
 
He smiled even more nodding, â??Itâ??s a pleasure Crista, and I amâ?¦Aiden.â? He smiled more to cover the pause as he had almost started to give his title. â??Now then about these books.â? He turned to the vender getting the manâ??s attention and reaching to his belt pulling off the small amount of money that he carried with him. â??Whatever the lady wants it will be on my bill please.â?
 
The vendor's eyes lit up with the prospect of a lady getting the go ahead to buy all she wanted from a man, but she quickly dashed his hopes, "Just two more books and a hand held mirror. As similar to the same ones I bought this morning. All three worth the same. That's all." The vendor sighed a little and went to get the items for them.

Meanwhile, she smiled a little. So, her handsome stranger was no longer a stranger. Aiden. There were many a young man his age named Aiden. The same year the prince was born, it became a very common name in mostly all the newborn boys of that time. She had no idea it was the prince himself she spoke to. "So, Aiden, what brings you to the market this day? Where are you from. I have never crossed your path before, and that's rare since I come to the market every morning."
 
He blinked slightly as she started to ask him questions that he wasnâ??t sure how to answer. He had never thought about her asking about him, he had so many things he wanted to know about her but now she wanted to know about him. â??Umâ?¦ well I am not normally in the market at this time. I work in the stables over by the Green Dragon Inn.â? His mind raced glad that he could remember the way that the city was laid out enough to pick a place that was far enough away that it would take some time to get there.

â??But what about you? What brings you to the market so often?â? he wanted to find out from her own lips that she was a servant, rather then just what he was guessing from what he thought her heard her say.
 
"Errands for the baron and baroness," she answered casually, at last confirming for him what she had no idea had troubled him not knowing all this time. "They always seem to need something so it's become part of my routine. Mornings to the market, serve lunch promptly at noon, then mending, cleaning, dinner..." she stopped there. She might tell him about most her days, but she never wanted anyone to know the things she was forced to do after dinner was over.
 
He nodded not noticing that she seemed to stop in the middle of saying something. His mind was too busy working over the confirmation of his worst fear, she was in fact a servant. His mind teamed with things that could go wrong with knowing that she was never going to be in the same class as he was, and that was one thing that his father would never accept. Finally he smiled, after all they were just talking and having a good time and just friends nothing more. â??I see it must be nice to work in a big manor house and serve fine ladies and gentlemen. All I ever see is the riff raff from the wharf and shipyards.â? He shrugged a little trying to cover up what he was doing. Finally the merchant came back with the mirror and books asking hopefully that she wanted something more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom