Voice thick with emotion, she finally responded to him, the tears in her eyes finally falling down her face. "Then… I am humbly honored to receive your assistance." A soft smile graced her lips. "Thank you, Aestir. Your sweet words mean more to me than you'll ever know."
Aestir smiled so sincerely that Celeste could see every ounce of authenticity in his beryl gaze. His traditionally sharp eyes were crinkled in genuine admiration as he looked at her, and she felt a rush of fondness for this man who had promised to be there for her in a way no one else had before.
A wave of emotion swelled within her chest as she stared into Aestir's kind gaze, and for the first time since they'd met, she felt a sense of security and safety emanating from the man before her. He was offering her something that no one in the kingdom had ever offered before -true friendship and support without any strings attached. And she accepted it ever so graciously, feeling as if she could breathe uninhibited for the first time.
The prince was thankful that he'd been able to help Celeste and relaxed back against the Weeping Sapphire tree, thoughts of how he could implement his plans beginning to flit through his mind. "In your education here, what do Aephisians teach their women? I ask because this will help me determine how to help you."
Celeste took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling embarrassed and ashamed of her lack of education. "We primarily learned housekeeping, child-rearing, basic math, and measurements, how to sew, and how to read." She expressed in a small voice, unable to meet Aestir's gaze.
Aestir furrowed his brows in concern, remaining quiet for a moment as he mulled over his response. "Alright… is it safe for me to assume that you've been taught nothing about diplomacy?"
The princess shook her head no, biting a lower lip in shame and remaining silent.
"And what of Sihir? How proficient are you at that?" Asked the prince, his eyes widening in disbelief when Celeste again shook her head no. "You can't use Sihir?"
"Women are forbidden from learning Sihir in Aephis," Confessed Celeste, her smile growing wistful once again. "Other than basic spells and learning how to glimmer, we're prohibited."
"By the Six," Groaned Aestir, covering his face with his hands. He couldn't imagine not knowing Sihir, the very notion akin to trying to walk without legs.
Celeste felt ashamed of herself for making Aestir become this distraught over her lack of education and reached out to him, placing a placating hand on his forearm. "Aestir, I-I can take care of the more domestic obligations in our lives. I will still be a good wife to you and an excellent mother to our children."
The prince fiercely shook his head no, hastily taking Celeste's hands with his own in a desperate attempt to help her understand him. "Celeste. You must understand that a wife and a mother are not all you are or are destined to be." The pair stared at each other for a tense moment before Aestir squeezed her hands, trying to get through to her. "What do you like to do? What is your hobby? There has to be a facet of your identity that does not revolve around being a wife or a mother."
Hurt flashed in Celeste's eyes, and she snatched her hands away from the prince, incredibly overwhelmed by the night's revelations. "There are none; my kingdom ensures there aren't any." Her eyes welled with bitter tears, and she quickly wiped them away, wanting to defend her kingdom and its ways, yet not knowing how.
Because the prince had torn away every shred of her that had been born and raised to believe that being a wife and a mother was all she had to aspire for in life. It was all she ever needed to be; everything else in her life and her identity paled in comparison to those aspects if her kingdom's teachings were to be believed.
Panic flashed across the prince's face, and he exhaled slowly, trying again to be more considerate. He was taken aback by the sorrow in Celeste's eyes and the depth of her own self-loathing. The prince had never encountered someone so resilient yet so broken and was determined to stick to his promise if only to give Celeste the life she so achingly deserved. "Celeste… I do not mean to say that these things are wrong. If you genuinely feel connected to these aspects of your identity, then… that is okay."
He retook her hands, saturating his voice with all the care and compassion he could muster. "All I ask is that in Strexxa, you allow yourself to discover other aspects of yourself and that you pour into them, whatever they may be."
Celeste looked at him with tears in her eyes, split between her desire to believe him and her fear of stepping outside of the rigid boundaries set by her kingdom. "I...I don't know if I can," she whispered, her voice trembling with trepidation. "I don't know how to be anyone else but me."
Aestir met Celeste's dismal gaze, his very core twisting in distress as he witnessed her in such a state. The prince wanted her to know that there was more to life than what her kingdom expected of her. She deserved to have the autonomy she so desperately yearned for, the freedom to discover her own identity without being shackled by the impossible expectations of others.
Against all reason, Aestir pushed past the logical impediments of his mind and reached out to touch Celeste, cupping her face tenderly with his hands. "You don't have to be anything other than who you are right now." He spoke softly and earnestly, his eyes conveying the very conviction he felt in his soul. "And she is enough. I have no doubt that you can find a way to honor your kingdom's ways and values while also embracing your personal interests, whatever they end up being."
Celeste nodded slowly as she processed Aestir's words, allowing them to plunge sincerely into her heart and soul. She felt lighter somehow as if a hefty weight had been lifted from her shoulders. And yet… something still lingered inside her, preventing her from fully embracing this newfound freedom. "What if… what if I fail? What if I try to find who I am, and I can't? What will I do then?"
Aestir's gaze softened at the princess's concerns, and he leaned in closer, her face still in his hands. "Celeste, failure is the pathway to success. You are not expected to have all the answers right away, and it's okay to make mistakes. It is in those mistakes that triumph happens." He tenderly swiped his thumbs underneath her eyes, wiping away her tears. "If I had given up at the first sign of failure, I wouldn't be the elf that I am today. And I certainly wouldn't be the man that stands before you at this moment."
Celeste broke out into an appreciative grin, feeling a distinctive hope for the future. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "Thank you for believing in me, Aestir. And… while I cannot promise I won't make mistakes, I will do my best to become an equal partner for you."
The prince hurriedly shook his head no, not wanting Celeste to misinterpret his encouragement. "I don't want you to change yourself to become fitting for me. I want you to discover the parts of yourself you haven't been allowed to in this kingdom and embrace them confidently and assuredly because they're parts of you." He swiped away more of the princess's tears, hoping she believed in his words. "Whoever Celeste is, I want you to find her. Not because I want you to be the perfect wife for me, but because I want you to feel content with yourself; regardless of what anyone else thinks."
Celeste had never had something like this said to her before and remained silent as she searched the prince's compassionate gaze, genuinely mulling over Aestir's words. "The thought of doing that terrifies me, quite frankly. And… and it also intrigues me." She held Aestir's hands with her own, a radiant grin returning to her face. "I don't know who Celeste is outside of Aephis, but I must trust that the sun led us together because being in Strexxa will help me find it. And I am thankful to have you by my side while I find her."
The brazen comment made Aestir's face heat up, but he couldn't help the warm smile that spread across his face. He was grateful for Celeste's willingness to take a chance on herself and on him. He took Celeste's hands in his and brought them to his lips, pressing a temperate kiss against them. "And I look forward to discovering her with you."
The princess' face heated up as they stared at each other in understanding, unable to look away from Aestir's compelling gaze. Celeste felt a sense of freedom and possibility that she had never experienced before, and she knew then that whatever the future held for her, she was ready.