Enchanted

      → It is with a suspicious stare and a weary expression that Fragile observes the rain from underneath the tree, her umbrella raised over her head despite the covering from the flora. Everyone else seems to be out and about in the rain with almost no worries… So naturally, this must not be the same as Timefall, right? Yet even so… She can’t help but feel that mild fear gripping the back of her mind.

      ❝ …. ❞

               ❝  hh!  ❞ her breath catches in her throat, as a stranger cuts into her path. her heart quickens, and she clutches her phone to her chest, gathering herself. a man on a horse… he seems kind, though she reserves judgement in silence.

               ❝  oh, i—  ❞ shaking her head, kyrie lowers her gaze, ❝  it’s nothing— i’m okay.  ❞

       when she raises her head again, it’s with a weak smile to spite her reddened cheeks. she’d rubbed them raw trying to wipe her tears away.

               ❝  that’s very kind of you to ask, but i’m alright.  ❞

With a pull of the reins, Destiny comes to a full stop. Edward hops off the saddle in one graceful hop and lands on the ground with nary a thud. A look of concern upon his visage as he stares down the stranger before him. 

“Tear stained cheeks are not a sign of okay. It’s either relief or tragedy that they do happen. Either or...Your heart has gone through something. You may choose to not share your pain but you have no need to hide it.” 

He reaches a hand out to shake hers. 

✿           “my, your spirits are as high as ever tonight.”

he’s woven his way through the crowd with the vigor of a puppy looking for its toy. it is undoubtedly one of the more… unusual things thats ever happened to her. but should martel expect any different from this rather dramatic prince? but a prince, to be so kind to her– maybe that alone is what threw her off most. but, then again, spending so much time in this place has spoiled the half-elf.

but it hadn’t erased the discomfort with having such glowing praise place her up high. maybe with edward, though, it was fine. she wasn’t sure if she could hold much stock in his praise.

"its okay, i like being under this roof.” she’d just leave it at that, standing up, “ but i’m glad to see you’re having a marvelous time, prince edward. the night is very young, and i don’t think i can very well say no to someone looking so excited, but i’m afraid that you’ll find yourself in perilous company. this isn’t the type of dance i’m very… skilled at.”

“Excellent!“ 

He shouted, followed by a clap of his gloved hands. Unwavered by her so-called inability to dance. Instead a smile grows upon his face and his hands goes over to grab both of hers. His grip on her fingers soft. He raises them up to his hand to give them a small kiss. 

“Just take my lead, it’ll be simple as if walking in a box. Let the song in your soul guide you. It’ll be easy as one-two-three-and four. Trust me it will be the most magical of times. Plus.....” 

His eyes veer around to the public around theme. 

It was and is an exquisite affair, of how the sites and sounds reminded him so much of the banquets and parties back home, though back then he never really had time to enjoy the festivities. Then the last ball he last remembered in the skies above the Isle of Manhattan had ended in a bittersweet heartbreak. 

Oh but the past is the past and today was a gift. As music played, and he watched dance partners twist and turn like autumn leaves he noticed the contrasting green that had before caught his eyes in the days and weeks past. A quick step into the crowd, dodging dancers with the grace of a swan he caught up to his mark. 

An Inhale. 

✿           “that’s… true,  i can’t deny that pain and pleasure are two sides of the same coin, no matter whether you come by it sooner or later. i think, though, that hope is a beautiful thing and a blessing to have.” martel brought a hand up to twirl uncomfortably in her hair, fidgeting. “giselle sounded like she was very special to you, im sure that wasn’t easy to let go… but it sounds for the best. but hope can sometimes be more fragile than the heart. so, protecting it until it can survive alone is okay too…. i suppose.”

“to be frank… i’m not good at this sort of thing. i’m not the most wise in these ways, but its just a little… dissatisfying to expect pain from something like love. is that even love, or is that just… attachment?? i don’t even know what the difference is sometimes myself, but i know it’s not a secure place to be… so i worry for you.”

“She was very special, and she continues to do so. But she found true love and soon so will I.“ 

Another sigh left his lips as his azure eyes gazed upon her verdant ones. 

“To expect love and know that pain follows is true love. To know that you’re willing to give yourself to yourself and as quickly as lightning flash have it taken from you is what it truly is. To love and expect nothing but the best of times is the definition of attachment or even a crush, for the heart has not yet found it voice. It is the knowledge to expect the pain but the luck to never experience it is what love truly is. ” 

✿           “… i’ve never looked for it, so maybe i don’t fully understand how a search weighs on your mind.after all, normally people don’t simply stumble upon a romantic relationship by offering one to any stranger willing to entertain your openness. i wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself. that kind of relationship is a special one, a direct pursuit upon meeting may frighten more than aid your quest, or be taken advantage of. i suppose what i’m trying to say is that… love doesn’t care if you’re looking or not.  it’s something that emerges over time as your bonds forge naturally.”

A small exhale leaves his lips, not of annoyance but of contemplation. 

“Growing up, I was told to do my princely duties you know like hunting trolls that harm the forest and falling in love. I’ve had my share of grand adventures. (Losing) Battles of wits, a dual of blades, racing the wind and the odds upon my trusty steed. 

But never did I feel my heart a flutter like the gentle wings of a butterfly that was until Giselle came into my life and since then I have been wanting that drive again...I feel like its the only thing missing in my life other then great camaraderie. I found a friend and I miss him so but now my heart yearns something more and trust me my verdant maiden. 

“I see. You are truly dedicated.” If only her love interest back home had such a mindset, though that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon.

“You did? What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

✿           “dear… there is more to life than simply romance. love has… many faces. surely you’ll find a love that is meaningful to you at a time that is right, i guess… um… i’ve never really thought about making it a mission to go out and look for that kind of love. i don’t think romance is that simple…”

“Romance isn’t simple and thus why the search for it so fun. The chase of it! The way your heart swells upon getting to know them, the song your heart sings when you realize you want to spend the rest of your days together.“ 

A soft sigh. 

“Just one woman?” Normally such claims came from, in her experience, womanizers. Plus, it wasn’t uncommon for many a lord or noble to have more than one woman where she was from.

And what was a ‘coquette’?

✿           “oh, really?? that’s a shame…” is it though? “i only know those who are grounded, but love will find you when you’re least expecting it. you mustn’t put yourself too out there. it wouldn’t be good to hurt yourself…”

✿           “oh my, um…  well… thats nice. haven’t we met before?? i don’t have much of an eye for these things, but i wish you the best of luck finding a dear companion. have you tried the grocery store?? i’ve many friends in the frozen foods section.”