Natalie-My personal blog

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“I’ll never get tired of this,” he sighs happily.

You look down at him. “Tired of what?”

“Being here with you,” he answers, the smile on his face bright enough to light an entire solar system. “I know it probably sounds silly of me to say about something so simple, but there’s nothing better than being able to share these little moments like this with you.” He reaches up to caress your cheek with one hand, his touch so tender and gentle you can’t help but to lean into it. “Promise me you’ll never leave me, Emma… I don’t think I could ever live without you.”

Unable to help the flush that rises on your cheeks, you look down at him with a rueful smile. “Aren’t you being dramatic?”

You expect him to smile with you… to perhaps chuckle a bit at how sappy he’s being. But his bright blue eyes are more serious than you’ve ever seen them, and there is nothing even remotely hinting at a smile on his face. “Maybe I am,” he admits, resting his head back in your lap and letting his gaze drift to the sky above. “But I mean every word I say, honestly! I love you more than anything in the world, and that will never change. Not if I live to be a hundred, or a thousand.”

His words warm your heart and make you smile - a genuine one this time, with no traces of amusement. It’s during times like this when you can almost feel it: that red string you’ve always believed links the two of you together. The sensation is so strong that you glance down at your hand, half-expecting to see a thin line of crimson knotted around your finger.

“I love you too, Rio,” you say softly, reaching down to twine your fingers with his. “Yesterday… today… forever…”

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You can tell by the stricken expression on the maid’s face that something is wrong. “Please come quickly, Lady Emma,” she says, her voice trembling as she wrings her hands anxiously in front of her. “Prince Leon has asked me to fetch you.”

It’s on the tip of your tongue to ask where you’re going, but the moment she begins walking, your senses tingle sickly. “Rio,” you breathe. “Has something happened to him?”

“Please come quickly,” she repeats.

--

He looks like he is sleeping, but his face is drawn and nearly as pale as the white bandage wrapped around his head. Leon sits at his bedside, dark eyebrows knit in a frown that is both frightening and concerning. When he catches sight of you at the door, he stands. “Belle,” he says quietly.

“What… happened?” Your stomach is twisting in pain, a physical manifestation of your anxiety. “Leon, what happened to Rio?”

The fourth prince looks at you sadly. “He was protecting me,” he explains quietly, his voice strained. “I asked him to accompany me to town for an errand, and we were attacked. A group of ruffians tried to rob us. We were holding our own even though we were outnumbered, but one of them snuck up behind me while I was occupied. His aim…” Leon trails off and shakes his head, clearing his throat before starting again. “I suppose his aim was to knock me over the head and put me out of commission. Rio jumped in front of his club and took the blow instead.”

The gasp that comes out of you seems very far away, as though it’s come from someone else. “Leon…” The words are fighting in your throat, all trying to come out at once, and he shakes his head again.

“He’s just unconscious,” Leon answers your unspoken question quickly. “The physician said he should regain consciousness in a few hours, but the knock on the head was pretty nasty and he isn’t sure what sort of long-term effects that might cause.”

I should be relieved, you think to yourself. A blow to the head is nothing to sneeze at, and the fact that he’s still alive should comfort me. But the sick feeling in the pit of your stomach calls back to mind another blow to the head, many years ago.

--

“Will he be alright?” You can barely get the words out around the lump in your throat, and the tears just keep coming.

The physician looks up at you. “He’ll live,” he answers simply. “But as you know, the carriage accident was a bad one, and I’m unsure yet what he will remember when he regains consciousness.” He looks at you sympathetically. “In cases like this, recovery comes down to two things: a person’s will to heal, and the support of their loved ones.”

“So what should I do?”

“Talk to him,” the doctor suggests. “Let him know that you’re here and you’re waiting for him to wake up. Hearing your voice may trigger something in his subconscious that will help speed the recovery.” He pauses. “But it might not be a bad idea to also prepare for the other eventuality… that of cognitive loss.”

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“Rio,” you sob, settling yourself in the chair Leon has vacated. The fourth prince has kindly left you alone with him, and you cradle his hand close to your heart. “Rio, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m here. I’m going to stay with you until you wake up, no matter how long it takes.” You lift his hand to your mouth, pressing your lips to his palm in a gentle kiss. “Today, tomorrow, forever…”

--

His head aches.

It’s the first thought he has when he opens his eyes. “Oh,” he groans, his vision swimming a bit when the near-blinding sunlight streaming through the open drapes hits him. He reaches up gingerly, feeling the bandage wrapped around his head.

There is warmth at his right side, the kind of warmth that can only come from another body. It’s a feeling he remembers, and one that he has missed. He glances down, unable to help the smile that turns up the corners of his mouth when he sees you sleeping peacefully, curled under his arm like you have so many times before. “Still beautiful, even when you sleep,” he murmurs, his voice hushed in the silence of the early morning.

You stir at the sound of his voice, and suddenly you’ve roused yourself. Am I dreaming? You wonder, when you open your eyes to find his clear blue ones staring back at you.

There is something different about those eyes, something present in his gaze that you haven’t seen in a very long time. “Rio… how are you feeling?” You speak softly, uncertainly, afraid to break whatever spell has been cast over the two of you during the night.

“I’m just fine!” He looks fondly back at you. “I’m glad you’re okay too,” he smiles cheerfully. “I’d endure getting hit by a thousand carriages if it meant you’d be safe!”

And there it is again, that look in his eyes. It is a look you have missed, and one that tugs so strongly at your heart that your eyes fill with tears. “You…” You trail off, the words dying in your throat. You glance down at your finger, almost sure you’ll see the crimson string. It isn’t visible, but you know it’s there. You open your mouth to speak again, unsure what words will come out until they’ve hit the air. “Rio… do you still love me?”

“Of course I do,” he answers without hesitation, drawing you closer to him, so close you can feel his heart beating. “I love you more than anything in the world, and that will never change! Not if I live to be a hundred, or a thousand… Emma, why are you crying? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong,” you answer, smiling up at him despite the torrent of tears streaming down your face. “For the first time in a long time, everything is right.”

--

“Belle you are Dismissed” Sariel’s voice is a saving grace as he finally releases you for the day. You let out an exhausted sigh, your entire body is sore from all the rigorous posture, etiquette, dancing and other royal mannerism classes.

You drag yourself to your room too tired to even summon Rio from his work, instead you faceplant on your bed, not even bothering to lay down properly and throwing all of Sariel’s lessons about being graceful out the window.

“Em? What’s wrong?” Rio sounds worried as he appears in your room, rushing to your side. You shake your head as you try to gather the strength to take off your shoes, your body too sore.

“I’m okay Rio, just a little sore,” You try to reassure him, but doubt flickers in his eyes. He gently kneels next to the bed to help take off your shoes.

“You are probably sore from all the training aren’t you? Every time I see you you are always working so hard” He murmurs as he pulls off your shoes, you are too exhausted to respond, just closing your eyes as you feel his hands start massaging your feet, rubbing some of the soreness from them.

“Rio-”You start to protest until you turn your head and you see something flicker in his gaze. He smiles at you and brushes his hand across your cheek.

“Let me take care of you Em, please” He asks, his fingers finding one of the knots near your and working out the tension. You give in to his puppy eyes and lay back on the bed.

“Here I actually got some massage oil, it should help you relax” He helps you adjust so that you are fully on the bed and making sure you are comfortable on your stomach. Gently taking a foot in his hand, he kneels behind you, massaging your ankle and leg, rubbing a sweet smelling oil into it. The muscles start to relax and a warm sensation moves through your leg and a sigh escapes your lips. Tilting your head, you rest it on your arms and let out a content hum as Rio starts your other leg, working to your upper thigh.

“Emma, I am going to remove your dress so I can massage your back and shoulders. I locked the door already” Rio warns and you nod feeling his fingers nimbly start unlacing your corset and dress, until you are just in your underwear under him. Rio starts working on your lower back, finding a knot just above the small of your back and he starts massaging it out, his lips grazing your shoulder as he rains kisses on your shoulders.

“Rio” You purr softly, a moan escaping your lips as heat starts radiating within your body and you arch slightly. Rio lets out a soft hum and you feel him suck a mark into your shoulder blade. Doubt flickers through your mind, you know you shouldn't let him do this, but his fingers and the heat spreading through your body is clouding your judgement. You rock your hips slightly and you feel his body press against your back as his kisses start to trail up your neck, his hands going higher on your back and the heat spreading hotter through your body.

“Just for tonight Emma, let me show you how much I love you, let me take care of you.” Rio’s voice is a purr in your ear and without thinking of any of the consequences you find yourself agreeing. Rio’s hands continue to run across your body, and he unsnaps your bra, his hands moving around to your front, fondling your breasts as his mouth latches unto your shoulder, leaving more kisses. Your eyes shut and toes curl in pleasure, the desire clouding your mind as soft moans and please leave your lips.

“Such sweet noises, all for me,” Rio purrs against you, his fingers rolling your nipples and tugging them as heat blossoms in your chest.

“More Rio please” you finally start to beg, feeling his hips rock into yours as his hands massage their way back down your body. His hands cup the flesh of your ass as he massages the mounds of flesh, his fingers slipping between to tease your core.

“Rio” Your voice is a plea and you feel him take off your last piece of underwear, prompting you to bend your knees a little and spread your legs. His fingers move along your core and a moan falls from your lips as his finger enters you, fanning the fire deep within your core. Whines of his name and soft moans fall from your lips as one of his hands keeps massaging your butt and thigh and the other hand stays occupied with your core, fingering you and rubbing your clit with his thumb.

“That’s it Emma. Relax, let me take care of you.” Rio coaxes and you feel the stress leaving your body, the coil of pleasure coiling tighter in your core and yo rock against him. Rio adds a third finger, stretching you out and finding the right spot that has louder moans falling from your lips.

“RIO!” Your orgasm crashes over you suddenly, the coil pulling taunt and snapping without you fully realizing it was happening. Calling his name, your eyes roll back and your legs start shaking. Rio pulls his fingers from your body and you hear him bring his hand to his mouth, sucking the juices off his hands.

You closed the door and let out a big sigh. Finally, you were in the “comfort” of your room. That room you had seen for the first time yesterday. And now, your first day as Belle was over. You couldn’t wait to take off your clothes and lie in bed. That bed still felt foreign, but being under the covers helped the anxiety fade away a little bit.

You moved from the door to the bed, and just as you kicked off your shoes, you heard a loud knock on the door. Your whole body froze in place, reacting faster than your brain could.

“MC, it’s me, Rio.”

Relief washed over you in a big wave, and for a second you thought that it wasn’t that bad being at the bottom of the ocean. Being swallowed by water was better than frantically paddling in an effort to find shore again. That shore, you knew you couldn’t go back to.

You almost ran to the door, opened it and took Rio’s hand to urge him inside your room. You weren’t sure if you were allowed to receive visitors in your room, much less at night, and you didn’t want to find out. He was the only remnant of the life you led until yesterday. You didn’t want them to take Rio from you.

“How are you feeling, my sweet MC?” Rio smiled that big smile that he always gave you, and you felt your throat closing. Yes, his clothes were different, but he was still the same Rio that you knew. The same Rio that cared for you.

You pulled your arms around his midsection, burying your face in his shoulder. He gasped and stiffened for a few seconds since it was the first time you had hugged him. However, when he got over the shock that his favourite person in the entire world was hugging him, he remembered what one was supposed to do in a hug. Rio caressed the back of your head with one hand, while the other pulled you closer to him.

Tears flowed from your tightly shut eyes into his work clothes, and as much as you didn’t want to cry in front of him and you didn’t want to wet his uniform, you couldn’t stop.

“It’s okay. I’m here with you. I won’t go anywhere,” he whispered while loosening his grip on your body to rub slow circles on your back.

You felt like a little child, or worse, a lost little child, but hadn’t you just lost the reality you were used to? You were allowed this much. You knew it wasn’t the end of the world, it could’ve been worse, that a lot of people had it indeed way worse. It was only a temporary change of place, a temporary job, but still, you hadn’t chosen any of this. Yes, you had agreed to it in the end, but only out of a sense of moral obligation. If Sariel thought you were the right Belle, then you thought you couldn’t let down your entire nation.

Still, right there in Rio’s arms, you weren’t Belle. You were just you. And for a few minutes, you started wondering if perhaps you had made a mistake accepting that role.

“Rio, do you think I’ll be able to do this?” You pulled away from him to say that, searching for a response in his expression before he even opened his mouth.

“Yes, I think you can do this and so much more.” He didn’t smile, but you saw support and determination in his serious expression. “But you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I already signed the contract.” You looked away, cowardice taking hold of you.

“We could always elope. I think I’m good at that, considering we don’t who I am.”

You laughed, feeling the weight lifting off your chest. Even if he was only joking, the possibility of that happening offered you a sense of freedom you had thought lost. Just as your life had changed so tremendously, you could also create that same change. The consequences wouldn’t be the same, of course, but just knowing Rio was there by your side offering to take your hand and run away…

“Come, you must be tired.” He took your hand to guide you to the bed, and you sloppily climbed on top. He kneeled next to the bed, leaning his chin on the mattress.

A sudden fear and uneasiness made their way back into you.

“You’re not going to leave me, right?” You remembered last night. The crippling fear that ran through your spine every time you woke up amid darkness.

“I’ll never leave you, MC.” He extended his arms, his bare forearms and hands caressing the sheets.

“I mean, you’re not going to leave me tonight.” You lied down facing him and curled into a ball. Rio raised his eyebrows, startled.

“But… there’s only one bed… and this is your room…” Rio’s eyes darted away from yours, ashamed of the thoughts that were running through his head.

“You can sleep next to me in bed, it doesn’t matter.”

“But…” he wanted to object but didn’t know how to.

“I’ll be able to sleep much better if I know you’re here with me.”

He finally looked at you, something close to pride flickering in his eyes. He slowly started climbing on the bed, first the arms, his torso, then one leg, then he stopped to take off his shoes. You moved to make space for him.

At least this bed is big enough for the two of us, you thought. Your bed back home would’ve never been able to hold both of you – not that you had ever tried. Maybe this new situation had its advantages. Rio took one of your hands between his and looked into your eyes.

It seemed that he wanted to say something, but his lips never parted before you drifted off.

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