notice me;;

After a moment Violet turned to August knowing something was up. The way he was sitting and how stiff he was in general. Putting her hand on his thigh she rubbed his leg soothingly as she just waited for him to say something as it all clicked in her head on where they were and why what was happening was happening. “Of course.” She whispered and nodded as he spoke she hopped to the other side knocking on the separation. “Excuse me, would you mind just stopping for a moment.” She asked at the man nodded pulling the horses to a stop and she moved back over to August. “I’m right here alright?”

Honestly, August hadn’t wanted this to affect him as much as it was. It was the feeling, the air around him, that made him feel so much anxiety and remember how he stood there on the ledge. Anything could have tipped him over and that was terrifying now. He would have never met Violet and lived the life he had begun to live already. Blindly he searched for her hand, taking it into his own and squeezing her hand tightly. Without words, he left the carriage and pulled her with him, touching the ledge of the bridge in a particular place and looking over the edge as the waves crashed against the pillars. “Right here,” He whispered quietly, a little scared as he looked up to find her. August was shaking, his brain felt fried from the anxiety. “I’m terrified.”

With her head resting on August’s shoulder she watched the scenery fly by as she kept their hands together playing with his finger tips. She could see it in the distance and it made her heart flutter. “Well at least my first time in a carriage has been a joy.” She randomly stated with a shrug. She just didn’t know what to say as they came onto the bridge even a little unthinking of what that meant to him.

August stayed rather stiff and quiet as they passed over the bridge. He knew that she was speaking to him but her words sounded more like mumbles and incoherent words than anything he could understand. Facing what he did just a couple years ago was more than difficult and he wasn’t sure what his heart could take. Even more so, what he could get passed in his own mind. “Can you stop the carriage for me?” He asked quietly in a mumbly voice. “I need to get out.”

“You’ll just be seen with a random blanket propped up. Which I suppose could just be as bad.” She joked looking up one last time to the palace before they left. She was leaving everything on good terms but it would be her luck someone came up her brother or the other guards couldn’t handle and she worried about that. But this was for her so she was going to focus on that. “Good, not that i’m worried about that but it would still suck if I made your family dislike me.” She sighed softly shaking her head. “I’m not going to stop you I think it’s kind of cute.” 

“Suddenly my parents believe I’m laying there next to a ghost... Yeah I could see why that might be a little bit of an issue,” He laughed, squeezing her hand as she looked back at the palace. “The palace will stay standing until you come back. I promise.” She was important and he knew that but he wanted her to be able to relax while she was on vacation with him. It was important to be able to relax a little. “When you meet them, you’ll realize how you just fit right in. They are far from formal.” They grew up living a life far from formal and straight-laced. August just liked to break that pattern. “Do you? That’s good at least.”

“I know I’m just teasing you.” She stated with a grin just nudging him with her hip. “But you can totally keep up.” He had so many skills on his own she sometimes found it hard to keep up. Music was her specialty but august was so well rounded in all of it. “Don’t forget I turn invisible so I can always get to your room.” She would just need to be woken up to go back to her room which shouldn’t be that hard to do. Even if she liked to sleep in she could bee a light sleeper. It came with the job. “I dunno I just worry about the little things like imagining I have no chance because if something I already did.” So she worried if she had no control over it. “That I’m not worried about its not as common in my time.”

August laughed, especially as she bumped him and bumped her right back, but a lot lighter. “I try to. You’re so amazing it always takes me a second to catch up to you. But you’re right, I try.” He had a lot of talents but they didn’t make up who he was. Half the time, he doesn’t even know who he is in the first place. “Oh, well there’s that too. Just disappear all of the sudden.” She would make sneaking around his old home a lot more fun than it even was before. He loved the idea of it. “You have more than a chance. I’m not changing my mind on you. I never will.” He was already sure that everything on his end would go fine. “I still feel like I should. I want to. I really do.”

Sighing in shame Violet shook her head before she laughed. “Well I’m glad then that I’m cuddly and warm. If nothing else those are the two most important skills to me.” She mused smiling up at him as they reached the main entrance of the palace. “Okay, good. I have to make a good impression on everyone and I don’t want something little to mess up that chance. Because I really would prefer sleeping in the same room as you. I know you’ll be allowed when we go to metroville.” She had just gotten too use to sleeping beside him that it would be strange not to. “But like not meeting each other’s families? Do you think yours will be mad?”

August laughed and squeezed her hand, deciding then that he didn’t exactly explain correctly. “You’re a lot more than cuddly and warm but you know that. You’re skillful in lots of other ways. Tons of other ways. I can’t keep up.” He smiled toward her and then to the palace, trying to remember what it looked like before he left. He thought of the place as more a sanctuary than what everyone else thought. Here he could just be. He never had to be anything else. “I wake up earlier than everyone else anyway. They would never even know a thing... We will be fine.” He would be lost without sleeping next to her. He was just too used to it all now. “About the engagement? Not meeting you? I think they will understand. I don’t get out often so if someone won my over, they had to be important. Plus, they expressed their love through letters about the engagement... I just still need to ask your father for permission. That’s a necessity.”

“Not even the traits just good that I’m cuddly and warm.” Violet mused unable not to laugh just a little bit. “Even if they let you will I get in trouble for corrupting you or you know not being seen as pure or something?” As much as she was a confident person she didn’t want others to judge her before they even had a chance. “Do you think we’re doing all this right? Like time frame wise?”

“If you weren’t cuddly and warm than this relationship would never work,” He explained, trying his best not to laugh at his own words. “It’s important.” For a second he thought about her question and soon shook his head. He spent so much time converting his mind to a more modern way of thinking that he actually forgot where he lived. Maybe that his way of protecting himself. “My parents met in a tower where my mother was stuck for years. We’re not really used to keeping things traditional.” They were always very lay back as parents and August definitely liked it that way. “Vi, yes. We’ve been dating for much longer than a year. Even then, we’re in love. We’re doing this right.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t be good wife material if I didn’t. ” She teased with a grin pecking his lips gently. “I honestly can’t wait to see it and the places where you grew up….wait I’m probably going to have to sleep in a different room won’t I? ” it wasn’t something she would be fond of but she would understand if she had to. “I was scared. I wish I hadn’t been but I was.”

“You are the best kind of wife material. You’re the cuddliest and warmest material there is.” He smiled into their kiss, giving her hand a little squeeze. “You live with a boy that scaled those walls everyday of his life. Even if they don’t allow it, which I doubt because I’m me, I’m sneaking into your room.” It was so common for him to sneak around and his parents never knew. They put too much trust in him. “I was too. I was scared the moment I proposed.”

“You’re not the wrong person. I know that already.” Sure it wasn’t something she could see on the outside but how could someone like August be bad for her. She couldn’t even imagine. “I’m not even going to make fun of you. I’m really curious to see all those parts of you.” Good and bad. She already knew it would have to be both and she was all for it.”It is so close. Especially with how weird I was being at first.” Wanting it to be so far in the future. “Very excited. I promise.”

“You have that much faith in me?” He asked cautiously. August needed people like Violet in his life. She was the one person to hold him up but never expect anything of him. She just let him be who he was. “You’ll get to see my very interesting room. By interesting I mean it’s covered with sketches and books.” Though he was still very excited to show her those parts of him. “You were anxious. I was too. I still am.” He just wanted it to be real. “Good.”

“They won’t. I know them and they won’t. You’re kind of my type I’m sure of it. Besides parents always know the right person. And unless you’re the wrong person we don’t have to worry about it.” And he wasn’t and he couldn’t be the wrong person. “Well I’ll get to, so that will be interesting. You’ll actually get to show me all these little things. and anything major.” Anything they talked about but never had a chance to show one another. “I’m thinking perfectly six months.” She mused leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked down. “I’m glad.”

“I don’t want to be the wrong person.” He was afraid that it would all go wrong and they would tell her just that. But that was his insecurities speaking. August was so sure of that. “Then you can make fun of me. But only then.” Admittedly though, he was a little afraid to even cross over the bridge where he once stood upon it’s ledge. It was impossible not to cross it so it was inevitable but he felt like maybe he could handle it. Maybe. “It seems so close now.” He smiled at her as she leaned against his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her small frame. “You’re excited too, right?”

“They are going to love the man that I’m in love with I just know that for sure.” If they didn’t she would probably just read them the riot act for now. They would see how happy she was and then she wasn’t worried about after that. “It’s kind of fancy you have to admit that at least.” She explained. “It kind of feels more real in a way. Like getting all these little things done.” Like she knew she was going to look at wedding dresses while she was home with her mom too. It was just crazy.

“And what if they think you’re absolutely insane for having feelings for someone like me? What would happen then?” That was his worst fear. That they would see right through him and notice the person he once was. Maybe they would pick him apart and he was definitely afraid of that. “You really have to see my other trunk before you call this thing fancy.” It was all so funny to him still that these types of things didn’t exist in the modern world. He was going to go through culture shock soon. “We’re getting married in about six months. Maybe less, maybe more.” He gave her hand a little squeeze and let out a breath. “I’m excited. I really am.”

“But still different then I man I’m engaged to. Something you put on when you want others to see you one way. You’re perfectly respectful and kingly to me as you are now.” She stated simply before shrugging and nodding squeezing his hand tightly as well. “One fancy trunk for you one suitcase for me.” She giggled slightly again and shook her head feeling weird to just leave it knowing someone would grab it for her. “Honestly I don’t even know but I couldn’t be happier.”

“And they’re going to like that? The way I am now?” He didn’t want them to think that he was too weak to be with her or even too formal. August wanted to be perfect for her in both of their eyes. “It’s not even that fancy. It’s my smaller truck.” He had an even bigger one that he brought to the palace with him a long time ago. “I couldn’t either. Maybe that’s why I’m so calm.”

“You, you. They want to meet the guy I’m marrying not a perception.” She explained softly before slipping off the bed and holding her hand out to him. “Do you need help with the chest thing?” She asked glancing at it unable not to giggle. “God look at our time periods.”

“It’s not a perception, it’s who I am, just a little more formal and respectful than the way I act around you.” He took her hand into his and intertwined their fingers so he could keep a tight grip on her. “Trunk. It’s a trunk. And no, someone going to come up and get it for me. Along with whatever you packed your things in.” He rolled his eyes at her, though he laughed at the difference too. “How the hell did we ever fall in love?”

“You’re going to be fine, be yourself and I mean yourself and you’re be fine.” She mused groaning and sitting up so she could kiss him quickly. “Fineeeeeee, Are carriages comfortable enough to cuddle in? Cause I just want to cuddle with you.”

“Like me, me? Do they really wanna see me, me? Cause I can be kingly me if they wanna see me be kingly.” He rambled on as she sat up, only quieting himself when she kissed him. “They’re big enough that we can cuddle in them. We have a long way to go before we get there.”

“I wish I could say the same but my Dad is going to try scaring you but my Mom will be chill I promise that.” She mused closing her eyes as he played with her hair. I’m glad you’re calm. Also I know we should just get up and go but I’m so comfy right here.”

“I’m a little less calm now but that’s fine. Just fine,” August began, closing his eyes and nodding exaggeratedly. He wondered how he should even act around her parents. Like himself or like his formal self? He was clueless. “If you don’t move I won’t move. You know that right?” 

Letting her eyes pop open she rolled over so she could rest her head in his lap. “Nervous. But I don’t know how I couldn’t be. We haven’t been home in so long and no to do that and meet parents. It’s just nervewracking.” She explained softly. “How are you dealing?”

August chuckled softly as she rolled into his lap and continued to play with her hair since she liked that he was doing so. “My parents are going to love you. I promise.” They were so lay back compared to him that he wondered if she would really believe that they were his parents. “I’m surprisingly calm. I thought I would be shaking.”

August had packed his trunk pretty early in the day, just to guarantee that whenever she was ready, he would be too. He found that his trunk was decently heavy but he hadn’t packed much so he would manage as they made their way downstairs. Quite satified with himself he looked over to find that she packed a much smaller case. Not exactly a trunk but not a sling either. It was confusing but he figured it was something more modern. Breathing out he settled into their bed next to her, fiddling with the ends of his fiancée’s hair. “How are you feeling about all this?” He asked softly.