The princess smiled at his awe-filled expression before eagerly leading him toward a mid-sized plant with blue-violet petals that were large and star-shaped. Rotund, purple fruits the size of a dime hung from this plant, so plump it seemed their weight would cause them to detach from its stems. Celeste beamed in excitement as she let go of Aestir's hand and plucked a bushel of her favorite fruit. "Do they have these in Strexxa?"
Aestir slowly shook his head no, quite unnerved by the presence of the guards and with Celeste's ease of speaking to him so comfortably. "No, I cannot say that we do."
The princess popped a few berries into her mouth and hummed, practically melting in place as the Pleasant Dewberries eased her anxiety. "These are called Pleasant Dewberries. If you're ever feeling unpleasant, you eat a few, and they cure your ailment."
The prince raised a doubtful eyebrow, not believing this for a second. "A mere fruit is capable of such a thing?"
"Of course!" Laughed Celeste, her lively smile causing her entire face to light up and her cerulean eyes to shine in pride. "I have some at the start of each day, and they help me overcome my ailment." She looked down in mild embarrassment then. "I-I know it isn't fitting for a princess to have such an affliction, but…. I do not believe it's morally just to hide it from you."
Now Aestir was worried about their developing alliance, his brow furrowing in concern. He hoped it wasn't an affliction that impeded her ability to rule by his side or bear an heir when the time came. "And what is this affliction, if I might ask?"
Celeste looked up at him, her eyes widening in surprise when she noticed his concern for her. "Oh, um… I have anxiety." She laughed awkwardly then, knowing it was incredibly unbecoming of a princess to have such a disorder. "I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable."
Aestir blinked in confusion, not understanding why she was apologizing for something so trivial. "Why are you sorry? It's a health condition; you can't control it anymore than I can control my insomnia and malaise."
The princess had never had her condition explained away with such finality and broke out into a touched grin, her cheeks heating up as she stared at the prince. He was the first person to ever hear this about her and not be turned off or dismayed; this level of acceptance was incredibly foreign to her. "T-Thank you!"
Now Aestir was even more perplexed and took a step back as the princess shot him a sweet smile, wondering what he did to be the recipient of such a charmed expression. "It's a mere fact, Princess. There's no sensible reason to judge someone for something that's medically out of their control."
Celeste had never heard of such a concept and tucked this "fact" away in her mind for later when she'd ponder it in her diary. Instead, she eagerly offered a bushel of Pleasant Dewberries to the prince. "Would you like to try some?"
Aestir was curious about trying a new fruit in the name of science and wondered if his betrothed's claims were valid. "Sure." He accepted a bushel of berries and slowly consumed one, feeling stricken to his core at the explosion of flavor in his mouth. He bit into another berry about the size of a quarter and was immediately taken aback by its sweet taste. The fruit itself was juicy and saccharine, the taste very similar to a peach mixed with sugar and tart lemons. He looked down in disbelief at the berries in his hand as he chewed, not understanding how a simple berry could be this delectable.
"I'm convinced that's the most emotion anyone has ever seen from you." Teased the princess, winking over at the prince so that he knew she was joking. It was most certainly the effect of the berries that allowed her to make such a joke, and she immediately rushed to apologize, not wanting to deeply offend the prince. "I merely jest, betrothed. Seeing that even you can make such an expression is comforting."
The prince quickly erased the emotion from his face, all too aware of the eyes monitoring him. He was well accustomed to repressing his emotions, loathe to ever appear weak or amenable. Yet as he ate these berries, Aestir felt a strange sensation growing within him that he couldn't discern. He tried to ignore it, but it lingered, only amplifying with each berry consumed. He narrowed his eyes dangerously at Celeste when the sensation became too much to bear, alarmed by the unknown sentiment that now consumed him. "What have you done to me?"
If she hadn't eaten a bushel of this fruit, Celeste would've been petrified to her core to be on the receiving end of such a minacious glare. And it was undeniably the reaction Aestir expected her to have at this moment. The air around them was tense, charged with almost palpable suspense and ire. The invisible aura radiating off of the prince was nefarious and imposing, the once bright sky quickly becoming dark and dismal above them. An ominous wind blew through the space between them, and the princess' guards immediately moved to grab the handles of their weapons, ready to protect their princess at all costs.
Celeste wasn't sure what gave her the confidence to react as she did but now found the sentiment surging within her. She responded to the prince with a gentle laugh and delicate words as if addressing a small child throwing a tantrum, and not a dangerous prince with limitless power. "What have I done to you? All I have done is give you a delicious snack!" Her voice was light and lilting yet unyielding in its conviction. "These berries ameliorate unease and discomfort of all types, whether they be physical or emotional. They then fill you with a sense of ease; which I assume is the sentiment you feel now."
Aestir was taken aback by the princess' calm words and demeanor, her genial voice and warm aura managing to quell anger and suspicion within him. As she continued to smile at him knowingly, Aestir began to feel quite foolish for believing the princess would ever do something to jeopardize their alliance or harm him.
The tense energy between them slowly fizzled out, the wind surrounding them dying down, and the once gloomy sky brightening up once more. The guards present relaxed their grips on their weapons, and Aestir sighed as he looked away from Celeste's cerulean gaze, beginning to realize that the princess had been right about the berries. They somehow managed to ease the tension in his body and mind, leaving him feeling a distinct calmness and tranquility that he hadn't experienced in years.
If he were to be more honest with himself, he'd realize he'd never felt this way before.
The prince finally looked back over at the princess, the fury in his beryl eyes now replaced with curiosity. "How did you come across such berries?"
Celeste beamed at him in triumph, her heart swelling with pride in herself. She had somehow managed to break through the prince's rigid exterior and show him a little bit of kindness, which was ultimately responsible for the quick diffusion of what could've become a rather harmful situation. "My kingdom has grown these berries for centuries, and their effects have been part of our culture since its inception. The knowledge of their effects has been passed down from generation to generation."
Aestir was shocked that a mere berry could contain such unrestrained power and pulled out his Axilan, opening it and tapping on the screen to start the device. He quickly snapped a few pictures of the berries and typed a simple description, making a note to return tomorrow with a scholar to gather more information.