Freya's POV
King! What did she mean by the King? Surely she must be mistaken.
I pointed in his direction "That's the King? the King of the underworld?" I asked in shock, "But the king is old and ugly."
"Freya!" It was my father this time. "Sit down." His voice was cutting and commanding.
Immediately, I sat down. Adrien was the King? How was he the King? And why was this happening to me? Panic bubbled up inside of me. Was he here to punish me or my family for how I addressed him? His presence in our residence was utterly unexpected. The swirl of thoughts continued to dance around in my head, each one vying for attention.
I sneaked a glance at Adrien, and the man was hiding a smile. His dark ruly hair framed his chiselled face and his aura exuded both power and allure. I glared at him, making him smile openly and I so wanted to slap the stupid smile off his face.
"I'm sorry about that, King Adrien, Freya is just tired." My father said and sent me a sharp look. Helena didn't look too pleased either.
"I'm sure she is." The infuriating man replied. I could sense the mockery in his words. "I'm here because of Freya actually, we met at the ball and she left quite the impression." Adrien made sure to keep eye contact with me as he spoke his next words. "I'm intrigued."
My father and Helena exchanged looks before turning to me. The hanging tapestry suddenly looked very interesting.
"You're here to visit Freya?" My father asked incredulously.
"Only with your permission, of course, Lord Bale." Adrien answered. He had made himself comfortable on the sofa on which he sat. An unaware person would think we were the guests, and he was the host.
"It's granted then." Father said even if it seemed like he wanted to say something else. There was a tension in the air but Adrien seemed oblivious to it or he just didn't care.
Father and Helena stood up to leave the room "Make yourself comfortable, Your eminence." Helena was saying and I scoffed internally. "I'll send in a maid with refreshments." She smiled and exited the room. Father left too, but not before sending me a warning glare, and he left the door to the sunroom wide open behind him.
Adrien spoke immediately after they left. "So you think me to be old and ugly?"
I turned to him with a glaring look. "What are you doing here?"
"Did you skip the whole conversation I just had with your father?" He was still very much relaxed in his chair.
"I mean why did you come to see me? Who told you you could do that and how did you fail to mention that you're the King?" My breath was coming faster when I was done.
"Careful Snow, I could have you beheaded, or hanged, or flayed, or your limbs chopped off." His eyes flashed briefly as he spoke then he smiled "I am a King after all." He looked like he was only half joking and his smile looked threatening. Strangely, I wasn't scared, his words gave me an internal rush and made me feel excited. The magnetic pull I felt in his presence tugging me closer.
This was the King, the same one I'd heard scary tales about but I didn't care. "Those are the only options I would have?" I scoffed, my eyes daring him to do something about my tone.
Instead, his hearty laughter filled the room. "You are very entertaining, Snow." And I had to hide a smile of my own.
"So what should I call you now, 'Your eminence'?" I hand quoted "or 'Your excellence' or 'My King'" Sarcasm wasn't my strongest suit.
"I like 'My King' a lot." He leaned forward in his seat. "It feels like you're saying I'm yours." He smirked.
My scoff was loud, and a maid entered the room with a tray at the moment. "You should take that back, we're going for a walk." Adrien said to her as he stood up.
"We are?" There was a hint of uncertainty in my voice. Would my father be ok with that?
"Yes we are Snow, get up." He was already beside my chair and he offered me a hand. "I'm sure the grounds around your palace hold lovely sights; we shouldn't be confined to a room." The maid was still in the room, so I stood up without accepting his hand.
He walked behind me as I led us out of the room. Father or Helena were nowhere to be found outside, and the spacious dining space next to the sunroom sat empty as me and Adrien walked through. The corridors only had some cleaning maids who greeted us as we passed.
I wondered where my father was. I thought he would be close by, or perhaps I had simply imagined the tension in the room earlier.
Soon, we were outside. Our residence couldn't be compared to his palace but it was also magnificent with several hectares of land covering a wide range. Lush greens covered the grounds where we allowed them to grow, and the far back of our big house offered a little forest. I remember me, Mom, and Hella always playing around in the woods.
The property also offered a great hall, where we hosted balls and where official meetings were sometimes held and we had stables as well. Father was in love with demon horses and he had several of them. They were wild creatures that could barely be tamed, but for my father, it was an easy feat and one he loved.
The servants tending to the gardens in front of the house kept on sneaking looks at us as we walked past and I was feeling self-conscious already.
"Would you like a ride instead, Freya?" Adrien asked from beside me and I turned to him.
"What means did you use to get here, King?" I also asked.
"Why, I could run if I wanted to, I'm quite fast" he grinned "Or I could fly, or use a portal but I used the most boring one, a horse." He said, like a demon horse was the most boring thing ever. It drew laughter from me. It was obvious that he was trying to make me relax in his presence and he was succeeding.
Adrien paused, watching me as I laughed. A look of wonder on his face "You are breathtaking, Freya Bale."
I stopped laughing but a smile stayed on my face still. In the sunlight, I finally saw the color of his eyes. They were a deep shade of blue and their endless depths drew me in. I couldn't understand why this handsome man was here with me. Surely there were a thousand other girls out there.
"I am not dressed for riding, perhaps I should go and get changed?" I spoke, breaking eye contact first.
"Don't worry about that, just come with me." He held my hand and pulled me along with him. I followed, unable to stop staring at that hand holding mine. I wanted to keep my hand in his always.
I shook my head to clear it of my intruding thoughts, I didn't even know this man!
We got to the stables, and one horse wasn't locked in like the others, instead, it stood outside, feeding on the hay left out for it. It was a beautiful white horse, with its fiery mane and gleaming horns.
It whinnied when it noticed us in the yard and trotted happily to Adrien. It bumped its head onto Adrien's chest and Adrien rubbed its mane while cooing "That's my girl, good girl."
I laughed at the sight and both man and horse turned to me with glares. They looked ridiculously funny and I laughed some more.
"Snow, this is Maya; she's my favorite horse." Adrien said still rubbing its mane "Come, touch her."
I tentatively stepped forward, I loved demon horses but they could be intimidating and Father didn't even let us near them. They were known for their errant temper. Her white mane had red tips and it was silky and smooth to the touch. The animal bumped into me too as I rubbed its mane, making me laugh. This animal was a demon horse?
Adrien mounted the horse, then reached down, easily lifting me, and placed me in front of him, my back to his hard chest. He grabbed Maya's reins and then, we were riding out of the stable.
Never before had I been in such proximity to a man, and I tried to maintain a rigid posture, but it was impossible. Soon, I was relaxing into his chest. My dress wasn't as big an issue as I thought it was going to be, with the material just floating around in the breeze.
As we ventured into the forest, Adrien slowed Maya to a leisurely walk. His strong arms held the reins and gently balanced me. In silence, we soaked in the tranquil surroundings. The rustling leaves, the whispering wind, and the occasional birdsong harmonized with Maya's rhythmic hoof beats on the forest floor.
As we rode, I became increasingly aware of the hard chest at my back. His warmth seeped into me through the thin material of my dress and I couldn't stop wanting to feel more of him. I needed to distract myself somehow.
"We should have taken snacks." I said after clearing my throat.
He leaned very close to my ear and spoke into it. "Don't worry, Snow, we won't take too long before we return." His breath in my ear did unimaginable things to me, and that voice! I was in a worse situation now, than I was in before.
I shifted around a bit, and it startled Maya. "Whoa!" Adrien exclaimed and grabbed my waist tightly with one arm. "You should stop moving around."
I nodded glumly. "You have little experience with horses then?" He asked.
"Yes, this is my first time on one actually." My voice came out smokier than usual so I cleared my throat again. The arm on my waist remained, pushing me more into that chest. I was attacked by different new feelings, and I just wanted to leave that position and understand what those feelings were.
"I think we should head back, my father would be wondering where we went already."
Adrien agreed and turned Maya around to lead us back to the stables. I breathed a sigh of relief as we got back. Adrien dismounted first and lifted me off the horse. I was finally away from that body and the feelings. After putting me down, he mounted his horse again.
"I'll be back to see you Freya." He said before galloping away. I stood in the stable for a while, trying to process what I was feeling before I headed back to the house alone.
True to his word, Adrien's visits continued. As we spent time together, I learned all I could about him; he was quite old, thankfully it didn't show in his appearance and he was also kind and gentle with me. Slowly, I started to steadily fall in love with the man. When we were apart, I couldn't stop thinking of him and I longed for us to be together.
Alongside my new feelings came fear, was I the only one in this? Did he even like me back too? But my thoughts didn't prevent me from spending time with him though.
The weeks went by, and Adrien's visits continued. I could feel my father's discomfort about the whole situation, but he never said anything directly to me, until one day.
It was a sunny day, and after Adrien left our house, I was happily going back to my room, and I came across my father sitting in the living room.
"Freya, come sit with me." Father said to me as soon as I entered the room, his voice somber. My heartbeat quickened as I wondered what this was about and went to sit beside him. He put my head on his shoulder and gently caressed my hair. It reminded me of when I was a kid.
"You're going to stop seeing the King." He said in a measured tone. I pulled away from him, the words hitting me like a bolt out of the blue.
WHAT DID HE JUST SAY!!