Alistair and I stood below his father's grave. It was boldly written on the stone, King George, the third of Aerendia. The flowers on the grave were fresh. He must have dropped them this morning.
I stole a glance at him. He was looking at me, so my eyes rested upon him. He looked so innocent yet there was still a strange aura following him around. It was difficult to read him.
"Have you lost someone before?" Alistair asked with his eyes focused on his father's grave. The love between them was beyond even in death.
"Yes, my brother. He died of asthma." My heart was heavy. I felt like something was tearing it apart. The day my brother died, I remember sitting beside him. We spoke for sometime before he went to sleep. He never woke up again.
I was just a child yet the trauma never left me. It followed me like a shadow.
"I am so sorry about that."
"Thank you," I could not fight the tears coming. My eyes were going to be wet with tears soon. Taking a step closer, I asked the same question, "how did your father die?"
"He was killed," Alistair told me. He was holding back his anger. "Its been years yet I can find any clue to his death. His killers are out there…what can of son am I? What kind of a king…"
Fear gripped me tight. The late king was assassinated? I wondered if my ears were playing a game with me. How come no one said anything about it? Not even Emily.
Alistair walked away before I could comfort him. He was in a terrible mood and I did not know how to act like a wife to him. However, I followed him.
Outside, Liza and Emily were still waiting. Alistair was ahead of them. They asked me if I was okay. I went after the king to find out more about this assassination story. If his father had not been assassinated, then he would not have been safe.
I held my gown tightly as I ran after him. Liza and Emily kept on shouting, my lady, please stop. I wish they never did.
The path was rough. I had to be careful with the little rocks. Alistair was not far away anymore. I would have called after him but I did not want to offend him further. He wanted privacy, but I did not think it was the best option right now.
"Ouch," I let out when I stepped on a hard rock. Like air, Alistair flew to where I was, giving all of a surprise. If he was going to show up like this, I would have faked that.
"Are you hurt, Arabella?" he asked, as he held my hand. A cold chill ran through my spine as one of his hands slipped onto my back to support. I was worried about him but he was not worried at all.
"You should not have left me alone," I reminded him that he was the reason.
Alistair looked at me. A smile crept to his thin lips and he shook his head. "Did you understand why I like you more?"
Wait… did he just say he likes me? Other women would have expected him to love them but for me, the like was enough. Before our wedding takes place, love will come in.
"No, your highness," my eyes brightened like a torch in the dark. A smile wanted to settle on my face but I tightened.
"Because you are stubborn," Alistair told me. I would have been happy but stubborn? Was that all he saw? "There is this feeling that comes with seeing your face every day."
A feeling? I did not want to continue with this conversation even though I was eager to know what type of feeling it was. I looked away with my head low.
I could feel his eyes on me. He got closer and lifted my chin up. A sudden chill spread throughout my body. He smiled and stepped back. "Now you look more like the future queen of Aerendia."
I did not say any word, even my lips moved. I wanted to ask if we were going to the garden or not.
"Let's go to the farm. It's my farm," he told me as we walked together. "If you like, it will be yours as well. Did you like farms?"
"Farms?" I asked, with a surprise look. We have a big farm at home but I rarely go there. My grandmother's little garden was the only place I visited frequently. Even so, I never did any work on it.
"Yes, you don't farm?" he asked with his eyes widened in shock.
"I do," I found myself saying. Foolish me, I didn't tell him that I don't know anything about farms. "What's your take on women getting involved with politics?"
Alistair halted and looked at me. It was as if I said something terrible and he did not want me to speak about it again. "I don't think a woman should be involved in state politics."
"What?" I should have known the answer to this long time ago. Aerendian men were like barbarians. They believed that women should not do what men do. "But that's discrimination, your highness."
"Its not."
"Then what is it called?"
"It's a dangerous game and I won't allow my woman to get involved," he told me. I could not read his facial expression again. However, I think there was more to his sentence.
***