#roseapov

Scalding Sands had been way hotter than you could've ever imagined. It's simply not the heat you were used to.

Even the sprinklers placed all over the Silk City were barely helping. When you and your schoolmates had decided to split to look for souvenirs on the Zahab Market, you immediately went back to sit in some nice shade to cool down.

When you were walking towards the cooler area you suddenly froze in your own steps. There was a literal tiger laying down, one who was now looking at you intensely.

Okay, don't panic, if it's in the city it's probably harmless, I'll just walk past him but he's so cut-

The rumble coming from the tiger's mouth immediately made you stiffen, and wisely you turn around and walk back the way you came from.

What you couldn't see however, was the owner of the tiger, situated on a balcony nearby. He was looking at this whole situation with amusement, as opposed to the overwhelming boredom he was feeling seconds prior.

You loved cats. All of them. And you completely understand that the animal didn't want you coming near him, but to not even let you walk past him?

You were determined. You didn't spend that much time with Grim just to lose to the fluffy tiger. A beast tamer they said.

Your pride in the felines loving you has been hurt, but it's not gonna stop you from a chance to pet a literal tiger. Who knows if you're gonna come across a chance like that ever again!

Hellooo?? Is anyone home? Cause this brain isn't working.

When you came back, you came prepared. You had miraculously found a merchant nearby, who was selling a catnip. Bless him and his generosity.

You were now back in that same aisle where you had last seen the big animal. The tiger had been still laying down in the same position.

This was your chance.

At your sudden arrival a pair of brown eyes from a balcony above had focused on you, waiting for your next moves. The man had placed a hand on the railing ready to jump over to intervene if things were to go wrong.

You had taken a few small steps toward the tiger, who had perked up at the sound of your footsteps and narrowed his eyes. You gulped at the sight and with a new wave of nervousness, you took another step toward it.

When you were halfway there, the feline suddenly stood up and froze you in place. As the animal had begun walking toward you, you just stood motionlessly, not daring to move.

You tried your best to present the catnip somewhere accessible, so the beast could smell it sooner and hopefully became docile.

As the animal had been inching closer to you, he suddenly stilled and walked closer to your billowing sleeves, where you had hidden the catnip.

Please, please, please, please, please-

As he came closer he had pressed his nose against the herb and his pupils immediately expanded, as he started nuzzling your hand to inhale more of the catnip.

At that, you sighed with relief and fell down to your knees, your jittery legs finally giving out on you. Your hands immediately moved to scratching the tiger's head and playing with his fur.

It was so scary but so worth it. His fluff was so soft as if it were clouds...

The man from the balcony looked at the scene with astonishment, and a growing smile that spelled wonder and trouble. This is interesting, he thought as he laid his head on the palm of his hand and looked with a tilted head, as his formidable tiger had been reduced to a sweet and harmless kitten laying on the ground.

You were simply in fluffy heaven. The tiger closed its mouth and blew through his nostrils, creating a low-frequency noise, signifying his contentment and his happiness. Nuzzling himself further into you, and the comforting weight on your lap.

It's so wonderful, and totally worth it. Whoever owned that big fluffy cat was one lucky person. You mused to yourself and a second later, a man had jumped down from above, right in front of you. It took everything in you not to scream to not startle the tiger and instead you flinched violently.

The tiger however did not even react, probably too dazed under the influence of the plant.

The stranger without missing a bit has sat down together next to you down on the floor, using his hands to pet the animals fur.

"So? How did you do it, Tiger Tamer?" He asked with a raised brow and an obvious laugh in his voice. "He isn't usually acting like that."

"Wait, so you're the owner?" You had asked suddenly too aware of how you've been caught red handed.

"I'm so sorry for bothering your pet, I... I just used catnip.. " You looked at the other way, too embarrassed to look him in the face at the admission. To be fair you had just drugged his pet. AND got caught doing it.

He just looked at you in stunned silence for a moment and then burst out laughing. He was laughing so much in fact, that he had to put his hand on the floor to prevent himself from falling over.

"You are absolutely crazy!" He said looking at you breathless and smiling. His chest panting from the lack of breath. A twinkle had found a way to his eyes.

Looks like the remedy for his boredom had been delivered.

The event hosted by the Tealrajah family was sure to bring in lots of important guests from all across the globe to their magnificent castle. And all of them had been adults.

It felt like the party had been going on for hours on end. In reality only a few minutes had already passed. And yet Minajael was already bored out of his mind.

Everyone had sat down for the customary meal, the chatter and clatter of the cutlery had been happening all around him, yet he couldn't bring himself to care. No one was speaking directly to him anyway.

While he usually despised the small talks, filled with fake pleasantries, a person his age to distract him from the ever growing boredom would have been very appreciated.

It's so strange that there was no one his age around, the prince was that sure his father would fill up at least half of the ballroom with them to make him interact with them. And maybe meet his potential match.

And yet only adults in sight. He played with the food on his plate. His expression revealed nothing, other than a slight touch of boredom, if one were to look close enough. He masterfully kept his princely composure in place, while his mind had been working overtime with engaging thoughts to entertain himself.

If he could, he would love to sneak out and perhaps visit the marketplace, however his father had been showing great concern over him neglecting his duties lately, making it impossible to disagree.

For now, he needs to stay put for at least half of the evening. With a resigned sigh, just as he was about to start a conversation with a nearby group of older men, something has caught his eye.

That was the exact moment when his eyes had stopped wandering over the crowd. Landing straight on you.

Huh, he hadn't seen you before. Did he accidentally miss you? Who are you?

His eyes had focused on your silhouette, following your every move. There was no free seat next to you, so he instead started waiting for the perfect moment to come closer.

If during that moment you had asked some of the other guests who saw him in that state, they surely would compare him to a tiger waiting to catch his prey.

And when the chair next to you had emptied? He bolted straight towards it, with full elegance of course, as to avoid putting more unnecessary attention to his gesture.

Minajael knows he really shouldn't sneak out of the party this early, however.. Seeing as you've also seemingly been bored out of your kind he had decided to do both of you a favour.

"Want to get out of here?" He asked with a playful smile, his eyes having tiny sparks of amusement at seeing your surprised expression, which immediately got followed by a thankful and eager one.

He was positively surprised at how readily you accepted his proposal, snapping out of his thoughts and leading you away with a laugh.

Ba-bump, Ba-bump.

Little did he know that the whole event had been orchestrated by his father to get him to willingly socialize with someone his age, out of his own initiative. And as such the Sultan had been watching the two of you sneaking out, way earlier than Minajael should.

The old man just let out a hearty chuckle instead. "Youngsters these days." Hopefully this one will make his son take interest.

Little did the Sultan know, how right he had been.

. . .

The market had been bustling with various people, colors, goods and smells. All of them mixing into a chaotic and overwhelming atmosphere, who at the same time is so right and so balanced. Like that's the natural order of things. And it truly is.

Since both of you had no time to change your fancy party clothes with impressive numbers of jewelry to something more casual, both of you had to take the less used roads and obscure shortcuts.

The talk had been very pleasant and smooth. You've been very excited about exploring the city, and he was all too happy to show you all of it.

Inside one of the abandoned side alleys you were walking through, you saw a pair of kids, hugging into each other, their bones showing through their hanging clothes and a lot of dirty spots all across their clothes and skin.

When you made sure that Minajael wasn't looking, you threw one of your many golden necklaces near the kids, onto the dirt.

The sound of the metal hitting the ground had been an unmistakably heavy thud, that was hard to compare to other sounds.

You scowled at the noise, only to immediately school your expression back to neutral, when your companion had whipped his head in your direction, and then looked at the children.

You just looked at him innocently tilting your head and smiling convincingly. His eyes narrowed at you, but he didn't say a word. Little did you know that Minajael had immediately connected all of the dots. He is a brilliant mind after all. And yet as long as he didn't mention it, you would pretend it never happened.

He gave you another long soft look, before turning away and leading both of you to the top of an abandoned tower. One that he has made into his own hideaway.

The panorama of the city had been lively glowing underneath and the nightly skies had been widely embracing every nook and cranny it could find. The stars had been twinkling playfully from above, and the palace had been glowing brightly from afar, the sounds carrying over the entire city as echoes of the once loud music.

Your mouth hung agape at the stunning sight. Your eyes wandered from one thing onto another.

The lights of both the bustling city and the moon combined, shining upon your expression of pure bliss and wonder had made Minajael's breath hitch.

Even when he could feel his cheeks temperature grow, he just couldn't bring himself to look away from you.

After being brought into the world full of magic, so unlike your own magic less world.

You had little to none moments of true peace. After your chaotic entry to the school, meeting your now best friends and getting dragged into lots of troubles along the way.

Lately however one name had been repeated constantly on the student's body tongues.

Malleus Draconia.

By this point you knew that the constant mentioning of one person's name would bring trouble, and so you dutifully avoided any conversations involving him.

Not knowing is a bliss. Knowing would mean acknowledging.

So to put it simply, you had avoided all gossip about this Malleus guy. Other than what your friends had told you about his magical prowess. Good for him u suppose.

One day when you were walking back from class to your rundown dorm, you saw a man standing in the middle of the plains, staring straight ahead unmvoing. Weird, you thought, shrugged, and moved on.

After coming back to your dorm and taking your sweet time to rest and study, you prepared to leave and visit your friends in Heartslabyul, just as you promised earlier during classes.

When you were walking towards the mirror chamber, on your way you had noticed the same man, standing in the exact same place as he did all of those few hours ago.

Did he even move at all? A shiver went down your spine, but you ignored the situation and headed straight to your destination.

At your friends place, you had forgotten all about that strange situation.

All of you had so much fun, there was a pillow fight and eating snacks, watching movies and recording another petty squabble between the two men. You stuffed yourself full of food and even cried with laughter.

After looking through the window and seeing the darkness outside, you reluctantly admitted that it was time for you to take your leave.

When the cold outside air hit your face, you thoughts immediately went back to that weird stranger. You wondered, if you're gonna see the man still standing in that same spot.

If he's gonna be there, you decided to go up to him and check on him. It would be very concerning to witness him standing in one place for an entire day and well into the night.

After walking toward the fields and looking around with your flashlight, you spotted the dark figure, and you began slowly approaching.

As you've been inching closer you had noticed that the mysterious figure had horns on the top of his head, which made you hesitate before deciding to continue further. Ignoring the feeling of unease creeping up your neck.

"Excuse me sir, all you alright? You've been standing here this whole day." You asked him from afar, seeing however that he had not reacted to your call, you put your hand on his shoulder, standing a safe distance away. His entire being had seemingly lightened up at your touch, which made you jump back suprised.

In response he had turned to you visibly shocked, "You've been observing me?", he asked with a raised eyebrow. The tension thickened and you swear you could hear in the air a crackle of electricity. You could hear his murmurs about some kind of curse, but you had no time to question it.

His response made your panic immediately, realizing how you might have came across.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't meant to sound like that!! It's just that you were standing there unmoving when I was passing by and I got concerned, I'm so, so sorry!!" You immediately went on a tangent trying to apologize and explaining yourself. You really didn't want to piss off someone with magic. And especially someone with horns on top of their head.

Luckily for you, he had only bore a stunned look when you said that you got concerned over him, which he immediately masked, making you think you hallucinated it.

Thankfully after the confrontation he had dismissed you and teleported away on his own, seemingly deep in thought, leaving fireflies in his wake. Meanwhile you practically ran back up to your dorm, heaving against the door.

You're never going to approach a stranger again.

The next day during the lunch break when sitting together with your friends, you told them everything that had happened on your way back from their dorm.

"You met Malleus Draconia?!?" Both of the idiots you call your friends screamed out loud in the cafeteria, where the sound had echoed dramatically. Everyone stopped what they were doing and just stared at you, which in turn made you shrink back into yourself, "That was Mallus?!", you whisper yelled.

A few seconds later a deep voice had called out from beside you "Hello there!". Which made all of you at the table scream again, this time from fright.

The man who spoke was rather short, had bloody red eyes and black hair with pink streaks in between. After he introduced himself properly, as Lilia Vanrouge, he immediately began to question you. "Sooo.. how did you meet Malleus in the first place?".

You awkwardly explained everything, how u grew concerned after seeing him motionless for so long and wanted to check up on him. One thing led to another and yeah...

"So... His name is Malleus?" You asked the newcomer, wanting to be sure, since the man from that night had never introduced himself. "Is he alright?" You added trying to be polite but also wondering what had made him stand in the same place for long.

What you missed, however, was the look of delight and mischief on the male's face. As Lilia had assured you, that the male had just spaced out and lost the perspective of time, which as you found out, happened to fae often, since they never had to worry about their life being too short to do what they needed to.

That very same night when you were sitting in the living room of your dorm, finishing the assignments, you froze when you noticed a figure with glowing green eyes looking straight at you through your window. You tensed horrified, but when you blinked that glow was gone, as if nothing had been there in the first place.

You immediately ran over to the window, looking to your left and right, trying to find the source. You found nothing, except for a few fireflies, but that wasn't anything unusual. Nervously you made the decision to go back to your room upstairs and finish your work there. You didn't feel safe on the couch anymore...

The next morning, when walking through the halls of the college, you had found yourself following a trail of an almost imperceptible, glowing green mist. It felt so right and so familiar, like you just had to follow it. And follow, you did.

The trail had led you to an empty classroom, with a single person sitting in the middle. When you walked inside, the door closed in on you with a loud thud, which was the work of the short man you met the day before, Lilia.

Now you're stuck with 2 people in the classroom. Or should you say faes?

One second you're next to the doorway, and the other you're in the middle of the classroom on the lap of the horned male.

Lilia began to speak cheerfully, "Hello there, little one, sorry for the scare, but you see. You have accidentally broken a curse, you know, that stuff with feelings, pure intentions, true love and all."

"Anyways, that had made a lasting impression on our dear Malleus, as you can see". He gestured towards the male who had placed his head in your neck, breathing in your scent.

"And now you two are getting married!"

You tried to scramble out of Malleus's lap after you heard that, screaming your protests, begging for help, but it was all futile, as a silencing spell had been casted onto the entire room.

"Trust me, we're also not satisfied with the current sitatuion. The marriage of a Crown Prince should be way grander than just a classroom, however this will have to do." The shorter fae had already opened up the wedding officiant binder and folder for the marriage.

You've sneaked out again.

The destination? Unclear. Reason? Being fed up with the palace life, and for pleasure of course.

Escaping the palace had always filled you with the feeling of thrill and adrenaline. Besides, escaping the royal guards is also a considerable feat and not a joke, which makes you even more proud of your skills.

Perhaps it was your own way of sneering at the system your father, the king, upholds with an absolute rule. He's no tyrant by any means, but he is more connected to the old traditions than the modern, more favorable solutions.

All that spiell about the importance of safety, while it was insanely easy to enter and leave the castle at will. Laughable. Or you were just that good at sneaking around. Maybe it's both.

As you swam around in the water without any purpose, you had eventually drifted closer to the golden beach, just to lay down in the sand and enjoy the sun while it was still here.

After you got yourself comfortable and closed your eyes, you felt a presence nearby. You could clearly feel that person's gaze on you for a while longer, which you allowed basking in the attention. After a while you decided that enough was enough and had finally spoken up.

"It's rather impolite to stare, don't you think?" You said with a light tone, opening one of your eyes, and turned your head towards your observer, with a cheeky smile.

And oh, what a sight the stranger was. The shiny hair, the tanned complexion and those dark brown eyes... The patterns on his silky braid were gorgeous too. Nevermind your words, he can stare all he wants.

If you weren't trying so hard to look unbothered and not squirm under his intense gaze, you're sure your mouth would be left hanging agape. You couldn't help but feel the warmth on your cheeks, that you hoped wasn't visible.

At your question the stranger seemed to snap out of the daze and shook his head. "My apologies for staring. I just hadn't expected to see anyone on the beach at this hour. Someone so extraordinary no less." He lowered his head seemingly truly remorseful, yet his gaze was yet to leave your person.

"A charmer, aren't you? That was smooth." You replied coolly, having fun with the lighthearted atmosphere.

"This hour? Actually, what time is it?" After a moment you asked the stranger, if it was too late you would have to swim back home quickly to not get found out. A sigh has escaped your lips at the thought.

"Mm, it's almost the sunset." Just as the words had left the male's lips, you noticed the sky slowly turning pink and you cursed under your breath. So much for relaxing and decompressing.

The brunette moved closer, sitting next to you on the sand.

"I see.." You just buried yourself deeper into the sand and savored the last bits of your little escapade, while a comforting silence had enveloped you two.

"What's your name, by the way?" You would be damned if you left and hadn't at least asked for the name of the handsome stranger. You rolled yourself to lay on your side, with your hand propping up your chin.

"Ah, I'm.. Minhaj. Yes, it's nice to meet you. What's your name, mysterious beauty?" He said his name in an unsure way, as if he was hesitating but the second he asked for your name, his entire behavior changed drastically. He leaned in as if he wanted to hear your every word clearly, like he couldn't bear the thought of not hearing clearly your enchanting voice.

The sight had made you smile lightly, and just as you were about to answer,

"Oh I'm-" you didn't manage to finish your sentence as the corner of your eye had caught the sight of the fully set sun. "Oh shoot! I gotta go, I'm sorry, take care!" You said hurriedly and then quickly jumped back into the water with a splash, and swam as fast as you could back to the palace.

What you couldn't see was the disappointed face of the man on the beach. His hand reached forward as if he wanted to stop you, even if for a while longer.

When you burst back into your room, you were extremely red and panting from exhaustion. You were always way more mindful of your timing, and yet.. It was all that strangers fault, you almost got caught.

And yet, even after days of meeting Minhaj, you couldn't quite forget his face..

. . .

It's been a month since the encounter. And today you finally had an opportunity to go on land, in a human form no less.

The reason? Cheering on your brother Rielle, during the Interschool Tournament, of course!

The second you stepped onto the land, your legs had wobbled so terribly, you couldn't help but laugh at the sight. You fell over so many times too, legs were really hard to navigate unlike your tail. Rielle however, was always by your side, helping you every step of the way, until you got the hang of it!

Both of you then spent a very lively time going through the shops with old trinkets and some open stalls with food you couldn't find underwater.

The price of sugar here has shocked you significantly too! It was much more expensive underwater, a true luxury, and here it was just everywhere.

Taking advantage of that, both of you had entered the closest adorable looking patisserie. There were so many options of sweets, you couldn't choose just one! All of them looked so appetizing..

During the ordering process, Rielle got a notification from his Magicam, which he promptly responded to.

"Who was that?" You asked, wondering what kinds of people were Rielle hanging out with. A kind hearted one, you assumed, looking at how pure and joyous your brother looked in the moment.

"It's my best friend Minajael. Here, look!!" He showed you his phone with their latest conversation open. You just nodded not wanting to look too much to invade his privacy. "He asked to see what I'm doing, Can I send him our selfie?!" After seeing how excited the redhead got, of course you couldn't say no. Besides, it's just a photo, no big deal right?

You posed nicely to the camera, the second Rielle had sent the photo, his phone immediately started ringing. An incoming call which he promptly answered.

"Hi Minajael! Yes, it's my sibling! They're visiting for the Tournament. Oh! We're at that one patisserie near the market, the very cute one, you remember? Oh! You're gonna come too? Yeah sure, that would be so fun! Okay, see you soon!!"

It turns out that friend of his really wanted to join you guys. While you felt a bit disappointed at not being able to spend time with only your family, the more the merrier you supposed.

While you were in the middle of enjoying your dessert, you heard the bell from the front door ring, you didn't look up. You only lifted your gaze when you heard your brother excitedly screaming out the strangers name, which immediately made you look at the-

The same stunning man from the beach?!?!

Your cheeks immediately flushed at the pure shock you felt in that moment. But wait, wasn't his name supposed to be Minhaj??

You always had a crush on your cute upperclassman, and no one could blame you.

Lilia Vanrouge is such a charmer! Whenever Cater, your best friend, would post a picture with him on Magicam all the comments were all over him.

You were no different. You had admired the man quietly from afar, being content with just standing to the side and fantasizing inside your head.

He is so adorable there's no way he would go out with you, not to mention how shy you're getting whenever he is in your vicinity. And he doesn't even have to look at you for you to stutter when talking with your friends.

In your mind never addressing your feelings is a hundred times better than a clear rejection. So instead you had been gushing about him to both your best friend, and some friendly bats you had met one night during your walk. They were so lovely and well behaved, as if they had a master.

So when one day you find yourself being spooked by a cute senior hanging upside down right in front of your face, you panic. ...Which must've been very entertaining for the man, since he had started doing so regularly! Much to your chagrin and embarrassment.

"What are you looking at?" Said the voice right next to your ear, just as you were sitting in the library studying, with 2 cute little bats keeping you company. The answer to his question was a noise of the chair falling down and a groan of pain from the victim of the scare.

When Lilia was apologizing and giving you his hand to stand up, you could clearly see the way he bit his lip trying not to laugh at your predicament and in that exact moment a fire had ignited within you. A want for revenge.

To hell with all of this, this is probably the closest you're ever gonna be with him, he's going to be out on internships during the next year anyway so might as well go all out. You pulled him by his tie, made into a bow, and brought him close enough so that your lips had touched his pointed ear when talking.

"Don't be so hasty now, Lilia." You shot him an embarrassed look, took your book and left the room in rushed steps, not looking back. When you were finally out of sight your soul had officially left your body and you had to lean on the wall for support.

The words spoken were nothing intense, truly, but for how shy and panicked you always became in his presence it seemed monumental! You'll never be able to look into his eyes again...

. . .

When the evening rolled around, you went over to Heartslabyul, for your weekly gossiping sessions with Cater. Usually they consisted of eating some snacks, scrolling on phones and watching some trending movies.

Standing in the doorway with the little bat sitting comfortably in your hair, you knock on the door and you're immediately pulled into the world of relaxation and comfort.

After your spontaneous retelling of the events that happened earlier today and the situation with your crush, both of you settled into a slower pace. Cater had been scrolling through funny videos on Magicam, showing you the funnier ones while you had been painting his nails.

A few moments later the tranquil moment had been disturbed by the door bursting open and hitting a wall. The action made you snap your head back to it's direction with a surprised yelp.

"Hiiiii Cater! Thanks for inviting us over!!!" Said a white haired boy, Kalim, your mutual friend. After the meaning of his words reached you, you paled a little. Us?

You tried your best to keep up the positive thoughts, please don't let it be Lilia cause that would be so awkwar- and your crush had entered through the doorway.

You shot a sharp look at Cater who just raised his hands up, as if capitulating with a wink sent your way. He really wanted to play a matchmaker didn't he? You're gonna kill him after this is over, you thought.

A pop music club meeting after hours! So fun, no?

You sighed at that, taking a blanket to cover yourself partially, and scooted over on the bed to make the space for others. After a while of your initial awkwardness you finally started to let loose and relax again, playing with the little bat you brought with you, but still being wary of the short man after your previous encounter.

To your surprise the bat seemed to be extremely close with Lilia, nuzzling him and squeaking at him as if feeling him a story.

You wish you took those animal communication lessons more seriously... And Lilia's ever growing smirk and increasing look of mischief has made you regret that choice even more now.

When you were about to offer Cater to finish painting his nails, he instead made it into a game that everyone had to play. A game of painting each other's nails, based on the name on the paper they're gonna draw.

And soon the draw started and the little animal dived head first into the box containing the paper slips.

Cater got Lilia, Kalim got Cater, you got Kalim and Lilia got you.

You were pretty sure you saw the bat looking through the names on papers and intentionally putting them up for hands to grab.

After you have decorated Kalim's nails with various charms, flowers and water like designs, the time for Lilia to do your nails had came by way too fast.

He took your hand in a gentle but steady grip, taking his time with choosing the colors and charms, getting unnecessarily close at times.

When you started talking with others, shifting your attention away from him, you could feel a kiss being pressed into your knuckles which immediately made you snap your head back towards him with shock, to which he responded with his usual mischievous smile.

Since he was holding your hand, you couldn't take it away from him to cover up your face, opting to just bury your face in your blanket instead. The blanket had been thrown off of you in record speed by Lilia's other hand, making you state at him shocked. Your face grew hotter and hotter, which in turn made Lilia's smirk grow wider and wider, showing his adorable little fangs.

"You are so cute", he muses. "Don't hide your reactions from me", he added out loud.