December 16, 777, Nozark - Capital.
She had been awake for hours before the maids came to her room, she had bathed herself, brushed her and gotten dressed. Her body clock functioned early, as she would wake up at 4am most days to look for gems. She was born with the ability to just know where gems were, however she didn't realise the importance of that ability until she lost everything she had. She had gone for a walk in the garden outside her House, the entire Palace consisted of five Houses.
The Royal House was where the Emperor rested and lived and was also where most functions were held as well as their weekly dinners. The Pearl House was where her aunt and her husband lived, it was the second largest house and engorged in pearls. The Lily house was where her two cousins were and the Diamond House was hers.
It had once, apparently, belonged to her mother, and it had been untouched since her mother had left. It wasn't as big as the other house but it suited her tastes, the sun rose in from the largest window in her room, she could see the ocean at a distance and from the highest turret in her House, she could see practically the whole kingdom.
The final house was the Rose house, where her father was, him and his current wife and their newborn. He hadn't come to greet her since her arrival, nor had he tried to contact her. She knew that there was no point in going to him and she truly despised him.
There was a web of secrets she had to tread through before she could make any moves, for now she had to lay low and let time pass as slowly as it always did. She found herself standing in front of an apple tree and stretched to pick one off. Apples were a luxury in their continent because of the Royal Family. The fruit had been decreed to grow only on Royal grounds and thus, owning an apple tree was a worse crime than smuggling people. She found it ridiculous but missed the taste of apples, she had eaten one once in another empire. It would have been four years ago when she was fourteen, seven years after she had lost everything, she decided to save up and travel.
She loved learning about the cultures outside her own wretched country and learned the languages and traditions of many countries. They were far more accepting of her skin colour, she even got to meet their Kings and Queens after her reputation as a jewel finder caught their ears. She could have lived a different life if she hadn't found out the truth of what had happened, a life of wealth and joy rather than anger and bitterness.
Ginny took a bite of the pink apple and moaned as the sweet juice's flavour spread through her mouth. She wondered if it only tasted good because she hadn't had one in years. As the flavours spread through her mouth she decided that it didn't matter what the reason was, fruits like apples could help the terrible economy of their country that depended far too much on exporting coal and jewels rather than working on building and assisting internal communities. She found herself wishing she could go back to her favourite country and live the next few years there, she knew that the Emperor believed wholeheartedly that she didn't want to be found, that she wanted to be free and she had truly put on a performance for it, but she was glad her plan was unfolding well. She knew that one day the Emperor would find her but she needed to be old enough and strong enough to deal with everything thrown her way when he would bring her to this prison so that she could destroy everything within it from the inside.
A young maid soon found the Princess lazing in the sun, an apple in her hand, a sight she couldn't look away from. Her loose brown tunic seemed to hug her in the right places, her hair in a simple plait with a few loose strands being blown by the wind. Her skin allowed the sun to bounce off it without looking like a blinding mirror, even in her lazy posture there was a gracefulness to the new Princess that made the maid blush.
"Your Highness, would you like breakfast served here or in your chambers?" She asked, shaking slightly as she was unable to tear her eyes from the mystical pink ones staring back at her.
"Could you please bring it here, Eliza? The sun's too beautiful to shy away from." She grinned at the maid who nodded and scuttled away. Soon, a wonderful platter of food was presented to Ginny who still lazed in the sun as she ate. She sat up when it came to drinking her milk and was delighted to see that they had cocoa and sugar, her mother used to make the best hot chocolate for her, and while sugar was expensive, she could finally taste it again.
She felt someone settle down next to her and stared at the shining green eyes of the man she had almost gone too far with the night before. She grinned at him and let him have a sip of her drink, his eyes widened after the first sip and he had another. A strange calm seemed to settle within her when he was with her, sure there was a fiery lust between them but there was also comfort and familiarity she couldn't put her finger on. It was like she had known him forever but had no idea why.
"Are you here to take me on my tour?" She asked, leaning into him as she sipped her drink. He adjusted himself and her body so that she was cocooned in his arms, sitting sideways in his lap, and he could see face.
"Yes, I am. I came early so that I could spend some time with you, we haven't actually talked, Ginny, have we?" She stared up at his grinning face and felt that the most infectious thing in the world would be his laughter, if she ever got to hear it, entirely because his smile made her face melt into one too. "So, we should ask each other things. I want to know everything about you and I hope you want to know me too, Ginny." She wondered if someone had put him up to this, to spy on her, but knew that there wasn't a huge risk of that occurring. He may be called the Empire's Dog but he was far from it, he was a King in his own right and didn't require any support from the Imperials. She also loved hearing her name from his mouth, the way it rolled off his tongue, supported by his husky voice.
"I would like that, Lucius. I would like that very much. However, I'm asking the first question, okay?" She looked at him apprehensively and he nodded. She sipped her cocoa and thought for a second. "How come there are no rumours of you and the… ladies? Even my old man knew about your… how do I say this, celibacy? People even said you were gay." His laughter rumbled through her and she found herself laughing slightly too. She was right, it was bloody infectious.
"Do you think I'm fucking gay? Well, one of my mates is and he did offer it once, unfortunately I had to say no. I still think about it though, how differently the last war could have gone for me." He mused as she shook her head. He dipped down and kissed her full lips, unable to hold back, gently pecking them before coming back up. "I knew that any rumours with a woman would mean that the Emperor would want us married. Until you, I'd never met a woman worth going after, but I think I'll give it a shot. For no real reason, you just seem completely and utterly worthwhile." She found herself biting her lip and looking at her drink as a blush rose into her face. Boy, the sun was getting to her.
"Well, what's your love life been like then? Since mine only consists of my best mate offering me, what was in fact, pity sex." She laughed and decided that she would be honest with him.
"In the other continent, well, there's this beautiful Princess. She was probably my first love. She made the entire country light up with joy and she made me feel like I was high. There was this chemistry between us that I hadn't found with anyone until I met you, one I honestly thought only occurred because she was so completely irreplaceable. She died maybe three years ago because she found out too much, for my sake." She felt her voice grow quieter as he pulled her in closer to his chest. He wondered what her girlfriend had found out but knew that she would only tell him when the time was right. "I don't think I will ever stop loving her, my beautiful Aaliyah. Our romance was the talk of the country, we were going to get married, adopt her sister's beautiful baby girl, and rule the Kingdom as Queens. It's too bad, the way the fucking pain never stops."
He knew it was selfish but he hoped that she would think of him with the same love one day. However, he realised that he would never be able to replace her first love, and it truly sounded epic and tragic. Would she ever be able to open her heart the same way as she once had? "Perhaps I would have never left that country if she had never found out. I would have lived my days out in blissful ignorance and lived the happiest life I could ever manage." Her voice was bitter and laced with so much sorrow he couldn't help but tear up. He was helpless to her past, he couldn't fix or change it. It would simply always be a part of her.
"I'm so sorry, Ginny. You deserve Aaliyah and the world. That sounds horrible." His voice made her smile and she shook her head.
"You can't change fate, Lucius. You simply control whatever you can once you are able to." She whispered as she leaned into his chest.