Amelia stands nervously before the carriage staring at it intently. 'This is it, my journey to an uncertain future in an unknown land will begin in minutes' she thought to herself.
Although she had told herself that she would make the best experience from her miserable fate, she was still scared and nervous 'what if things doesn't go as planned?' This question has been on her mind. She thought she would have an hour or two to herself in her room before embarking on this journey. Karl stood beside the carriage waiting patiently to assist her go in.
But despite her apprehension, she knows she must put on a brave face to make her dad happy. So with a deep breath, she gathers her strength and maintains a cheerful demeanor, masking her inner worries.
Behind Amelia, was her dad, mom and brother, their expressions telling a different story. Her father was the only one who was genuinely happy, but not for her. He was happy because he was finally able to secure an alliance between his kingdom and the Southern Vampire Kingdom.
But her mom and brother, their eyes betraying their concern, do their best to keep up a facade of a smile. Amelia turns back to bid her family farewell. She wraps her arms tightly on her brother and mother squeezing them with all the love in her heart. While she gives her dad a tight smile. With a brave face, she says, "Goodbye, see you all...whenever," trying to reassure them and herself. Her words hang in the air, carrying both the weight of her departure and the hope of a future reunion.
With Karl's help, she got into the carriage. As the carriage begins to move, Amelia takes one last look at her family, etching their faces into her memory. Amelia kept staring outside the the carriage even after her family was out of sight.
Now, this was the part she didn't think of or make plans for. 'Oh shoot, what do I say to him now? This silence is unsettling. I was so nervous about leaving with him that I forgot about making plans for the journey' she complained to herself, face palming inwardly. 'I should strike a conversation, an introduction or something' she thought. 'Yeah, you should do that' she heard a voice say in her head and she smiled at the voice.
Turning to face Karl, she found him already staring at her. He had noticed the smile on her face and...
"What's on your mind?" He asked staring at her intently.
"How I'm going to strike a conversation" she said aloud without thinking. 'Just great' she heard the voice say. She felt really embarrassed. But she tried remaining unfazed on the outside. But Karl could see through it. He smirked and..
"So you want to speak with me?" he asked teasingly. His statement further embarrassed her and she wished she could just hide from this man. "I thought you would be really scared" he added.
"Oh trust me, I am really really scared, but I need to appear strong for many reasons" she said again without thinking about her response. "Oh My God! What's happening? Why am I voicing out my thoughts?" She said aloud again thinking she asked herself inwardly.
"It's okay to voice out your thoughts to me" he replied. She looked at him with a bewildered expression on her face.
"Did I say that out loud?" She asked.
"Yes." She was shocked. How was this even happening, she was always good at communicating with herself. She had incredible interpersonal communication skill, so what was happening? She decided to look outside the carriage through the window on her side to avoid further embarrassing moments, when...
"I'm Karl Wyatt Stone" he said stretching his hands out towards her for a handshake. She took it "I am Amelia Christopher" she responded. "Wyatt" she said the name slowly, testing it out. He looked at her when he heard her saying his name, but she wasn't paying attention. She was lost in her own world still testing out the name. "Wyatt" she called looking at him. He raised his brow at her. "It's a nice name" she said with a smile on her face. After that, the carriage fell silent again. They rode in silence for hours.
Amelia started feeling really dizzy and tired. She hated traveling and she hated traveling in carriage. This was the longest she had traveled in her life. She battled to keep her heavy eyes open.
"Would you like us to stop and take a rest?" Karl suddenly asked her. She turned to face him with her lazy eyes. This was a really tempting offer for her because she badly wanted to sleep and she wouldn't sleep comfortably in the carriage. But she also wanted to get to his land which is now also hers as soon as possible. Their trip is a four days trip, so she didn't want to extend it even by an hour. After contemplating her answer for long, she said
"No, I'm good" Karl had thought that she didn't hear him and was ready to repeat the question when he heard her response. She wanted to remain awake badly that she started talking
"I thought vampires are cold? So why are you warm?" She asked the question that came to mind first. His expression darkened
"For different reasons" he replied dryly. She had remembered that when she took his hand during the wedding to put the ring on his finger, his hand was warm. Even when she took his hands to get into the carriage, so she was naturally curious, but she was preoccupied with her own thoughts that she didn't pay much attention to it.
"Do you also hate traveling in a carriage?" her voice sounded sleepy as she asked him another question. He looked at her and was surprised to see the little woman in a half-awake state battling to keep her eyes open, his face relaxed and there was a gentle smile on his face as he took in the sight before him.
Meanwhile, Amelia was confused as to why he wasn't responding. As she turned to look at him, she caught the smile on his face
"You smile?" She asked. And that earned her a laugh from Karl. "Yes" he replied after laughing at her facial expression and question. "I hate traveling in a carriage, I've only traveled once using a carriage, but it was a short distance journey" he said with deep lines forming on his forehead.
Amelia began speaking gibberish with her eyelid fluttering. She was super sleepy. Just as she was about to let the god of sleep in, their carriage screeched to a halt. Amelia was caught of guard by the sudden stop of the carriage. She was about to fall on the floor of the carriage when big, strong, warm hands caught her just in time. They looked at each other with same question dancing in their eyes, 'what's happening?'