The third prince of Arcland, the so-called Hero of his nation had several important activities that needed to be done before the day ended. Some were once in a lifetime business deals, while others revolve around peace meetings with neighboring Kingdoms. Though the prince had a ton of work to accomplish, it still did not stop him from relaxing. Lying on the grass in the back of the Royal Palace, oblivious to everything happening around him.
This carefree man was none other than Fei Fong, the most promising man of the current era.
"Nothing surpasses a tranquil evening reclining on the grass, just as the sun retreats behind the clouds," remarked the prince, gazing up at the sky as the wind whispered at its peak.
The prince closed his eyes and listened to the whispers of the breeze. The wind blowing around him was calm and gentle, telling him everything he needed to know. "Hmm, sounds like fun" Fei said out loud. To many, it will seem as if Fei talks to himself a lot. Most times, that is not the case. He just tends to speak with his best friend which is the wind itself.
"Talking to you is always fun. Hey, what do you think? Should I commit to my duties today or visit my lady?" Fei said as he went in his pocket. He took out a gorgeous ring, that was dazzling even without sunlight reflecting on it. "I bought the engagement ring two months ago and I have yet to propose because of my busy schedule." the prince sighed.
The wind answered back.
"No better time than the present. You are right as always. I should pay her a visit right now" said Fei eagerly. He jumped up high from his lying position but did not land back on the surface. The prince remained a float in the air, as he flew higher. With the help of the wind, Fei never truly walked unless he was with another person.
On his way to visit his beloved, Fei made a stop inside of the Royal Palace first. There he encountered one of his many siblings. A young girl with dark blue hair, a small dot on her left cheek, black eyes and wore a yellow dress. "Evening Dawn" Fei greeted. His sister nodded in response, as she starts twirling her hair around nervously.
Fei commented on Dawn's hair. "Why did you change it from blonde? You used to always stand out from the rest of us you know".
Dawn sighed, seemingly unhappy with her hair as well. "It was father's decision. He said I don't look like part of the family with blonde. He said it was too obvious for common folks to find out I was adopted because of it" Dawn said, twirling her hair even faster.
"Where are you heading now big brother? Going to the Peace Meeting?" Dawn asked curiously.
"Oh! I am going to meet my soon to be wife. I will see you later" Fei said, on the run. The prince had a little trouble navigating through his own home but after ten minutes had passed, he arrived exactly where he wanted to be. He made it to the TeleStop, a land marking devices that allows the user to instantly teleport themselves to their desired location. The device runs off the life forces of captured creatures and humans alike from foreign countries. TeleStop was a mind blowing technological advance, the world really needed. The Developer of this quality of life improvement was the eldest Princess of Arcland, Flora D Heaven. This woman was the daughter of Carmilla C Heaven, the person who developed studies on fusing different lifeforms together. The results of her research were called Chimeras.
Many people swore to never use their despicable device to travel because it was slowly killing the people who were not lucky enough to be birth in Arcland. Fei does not care about any of that, he uses the device however he sees fit.
Fei stood on the red mark, in the center of the TeleStop. The color immediately changed from red to green, causing Fei's body to glow green along with it. Suddenly a picture of Arcland's map appeared in front of Fei, as some sort of holographic image. Fei zoomed in on the map, then proceeded to tap on the specific location he wanted to be. He tapped on Melody's Spring Beach, the place where his beloved works.
Just like that, Fei's body vanished from the TeleStop and was teleported to Melody Spring Beach. After arriving by the entrance gate to the beach, Fei asked the security guard to go and fetch a woman named Shawna Matar.
The guard did not question Fei's intent, he did what he was told, unbothered by the fact he left his post.
While waiting for his beloved to arrive by the gate, Fei's face attracted a lot of attention to the public eye.
Dozens of people eagerly rushed towards the prince, either requesting for a handshake or an autograph. In a means to kill time, Fei tried his best to accommodate as much of his people as he could before Shawna makes it. Twenty minutes flew by quickly and Fei was still waiting for his beloved to arrive.
"Where is that woman?" Fei began to wonder.
In the midst of the crowd surrounding him, Fei flew high in the air to avoid anymore requests. He knew the type of celebrity he was, and if he had remained by the gate then no one would actually enter the beach. As he floated in the beach grounds, he encountered the security guard he asked to fetch for Shawna earlier. The guard was on his way back to his post with no one accompanying him.
"So where is Shawna? I did instruct you to fetch her for me didn't I?" Fei asked the guard while airborne.
The guard stuttered in his reply, "S-she told me to go and fetch you, m-my apologies Prince Fei."
Fei raised his eyebrows at the guard, then proceeded to let out a wide smirk. "I see, where is she right now?" Fei questioned.
"By the shore, she is apart of a huge group playing volleyball in the sand" said the guard. Fei thanked the guard for his assistance and gave him a tip for letting him leave his post.
The prince started walking on his feet again, as he approached the group that was playing volleyball close by. Amongst the group was the woman Fei was waiting for, but never showed up. Fei counted the amount of times woman came to him and it was unquantifiable. He then counted the amount of time he walked up to women, and he could only account three times, all of them was with Shawna.
Shawna was a special lady to Fei, a lady hard to come-by. She was a mere common girl who saw Fei not as the third prince of Arcland, a celebrity or hero, but a normal guy who talks to the wind.
Fei observed quietly as his beloved skillfully hit the ball over the net. Shawna appeared striking with her hair pulled back, her intense gaze fixed on the game, wearing a black bikini that complemented her bracelet. A few minutes flew by and Shawna has yet to notice her boyfriend standing close by.
One particular incident stands out when Shawna stumbled and landed flat on her face, resulting in sand filling her hair. Despite feeling embarrassed by her error, she rose with determination visible in her eyes, radiating intensity that could be sensed from a distance. With a powerful spike, she sent the ball soaring to the other side, leaving a crater in the sand. "That's right!" she exclaimed triumphantly.
"Great work!" Fei shouted, finally attracting some attention.
Shawna instantly picked up on whose voice was behind her and turned around waving. "Oh Fei, how long have you been there?" she asked happily.
Fei answered, "Long enough to see your great plays"
The game was paused abruptly so that Shawna could walk up to Fei. In broad daylight, the two hugged each other tightly then went in for a kiss. Neither was bothered by the fact people were staring their way, from in the water and on the sand.
The game came to an abrupt halt as Shawna made her way over to Fei. In the bright light of day, the two embraced each other tightly before sharing a kiss. Unfazed by the onlookers both in the water and on the shore, they continued their affectionate moment.
"Why didn't you come to me?" Fei asked.
"I was in the middle of a game" Shawna answered.
"But, what kind of person play sports during their work hours" Fei questioned.
"Well, it's not like any one is drowning at the moment." said Shawna looking out in the ocean. Her job as a Lifeguard only brought her a ton of free time to spare.
"So, what brought you here? Did you just want to see me?" Shawna asked curiously. This was it, the moment Fei had dreamt of. He slowly reached into his pocket, while staring into his woman's eyes.
Just when his hands were about to pull out the ring, Shawna shouted. "Crap! I gotta go!" As she yelled those words, she jumped into the sea, crowded with people. Fei looked far ahead but did not notice anything out of the ordinary. "Why did Shawna jump in then?" Fei wondered. He continues to look around but noticed no discrepancies.
"Did she just run away from me?" Fei began to conclude. It seemed like the only plausible explanation for that abrupt escape from Fei's proposal.
Fei lost sight of Shawna in the water, there were just too many people to easily track her.
"Over Here!" Shawna screamed out, at the top of her lungs.
She pushed her head above the water, gasping for air, then proceeded to muster enough strength to pull an unconcious body above water level as well. On her back, was a little boy, no more than six years old coughing uncontrollably.
Unbeknownst to everyone, even Fei, there was a little boy in danger. He could have lost his life if Shawna had not picked up on it when she did.
"Move out the way!" Shawna screamed, as she swiftly swam back to shore the boy. Once she did, she started to press the boy's chest, for him to let out as much water as possible.
Thankfully, the boy was out of danger. "What happened out there?" Shawna questioned, worriedly.
After hearing the boy's story, she pinched him roughly on his left cheek. The boy was by his lonesome under water, when a seaweed somehow wrapped itself around the child's left foot. It prevented him from swimming up the surface. Eventually, the boy lost his strength and air, succumbed to drowning. "Don't ever do that again!" Shawna said, squeezing his cheek tighter.
The issue was not over, once Shawna gave the kid a good lecture, she proceeded to help him find his parents. Once she finds them, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she will lecture them as well.
Fei sat under a coconut tree, patiently waiting for the events to pass along. At the very least, he was relieved that Shawna suddenly left her to save a kid. It was not to escape his proposal.
The situation did not end after Shawna lectured the child; she then assisted him in locating his parents. Once she located them, there was no doubt that she would also give them a lecture.
When the situation settled, Shawna met up with Fei again. "Sorry, I left without explaining" Shawna bowed.
Fei expressed his admiration, saying, "You saved a life today. I am proud of you." He then humorously remarked, "Although you spotted a child trapped underwater quickly, it took you a few minutes to notice me in broad daylight. That doesn't quite add up."
Shawna swiftly changed the subject to Fei's pocket. "You were about to give me something before I left right? What was it?" Shawna questioned. That reminded Fei of the ring. He pulled it out without hesitation, no turning back.
He showed her the diamond ring with a charming smile on his face. "Shawna" he uttered softly. Shawna kept a straight face, showing no reaction to the ring being displayed. Trying to get an expression out of her, Fei stroke her neck up to her chin. "You can have this ring" he told her.
"Are you proposing?" Shawna asked, keeping a straight face still.
Fei nodded yes in reply.
"Then do it properly" said Shawna.
Fei wasted no time going on knee, then presenting the ring to her in his hands. "Shawna, under the shimmering moon and the gentle whispers of the wind, I can't imagine my life without you. Will you be the queen of my heart and marry me?". The words roll off his tongue perfectly, just as he rehearsed for the past several days.
Shawna's face cracked a smile, but her response did not align with it. "Sorry, I can't" she told Fei bluntly.
"What?" Fei was confused. He knew the possibility existed but, he never considered it. Shawna just rejected Prince Fei's proposal. What made it worse for Fei, was that he ignored his duties to make this proposal happen.
"Hmm, where is this coming from all of a sudden? I love you, and you love me right. It is not too late to change your answer" said Fei.
Shawna's eyes clouded with uncertainty. She sighed, torn between love and the challenges ahead. "Fei, it's not that I don't want to. It's just... it's complicated."
"You're the third prince of Arcland. Meaning you are third in line to the throne. Five years ago, you single handedly stopped the war between Apsychos Skyland and Moutain Chiao. You also created a good relationship between our kingdom and rival countries such as Sou," Shawna mustered the strength to say.
"Where are you going with this?" Fei asked, still confused.
"You may be third in line Fei but be honest. You, me and everyone else know you are the most qualified person for Kingship. And if that is the case, you will inevitably marry someone else to increase the power of Arcland. I am just looking into the future, we don't have much longer together" said Shawna, disappointedly.
"So you heard the rumors then" Fei sighed, getting off his knees.
Recently, false rumors were spreading about Fei being next in line for the throne. That was not true, it was made up by Fei's fans to influence the current King's decision. The true and rightful heir to the throne will be the First Prince of Arcland, Ricardo Di Rigo.
"I wont take no for an answer Shawna. I'll propose to you again and again until you accept. We love each other, there's no point in conjuring up reasons for us to separate" Fei told her.
"We should break up Fei. For a while now, I have been really uncomfortable around everyone except you. My friends and family talk behind my back many times. I can feel the envious glares piercing through my chest, every time a woman looks at me. Being your girlfriend has been very stressful in the past seven years. A normal folk like me do not deserve you Fei. Please understand"
.....
Fei sat next to Shawna, processing what he just heard. "Break up?" he repeated. The prince was beyond shook, he lowered his head for a brief moment thinking all sorts of things. "Is there another man or something? First you reject my proposal and now you want to break up?" asked Fei, tears gradually forming in the man's eyes.
Fei's tears also made Shawna's face tear up. She could not bare the words she uttered either, but she felt as if she needed to say them eventually. "No, I am not seeing anyone besides you. Sorry Fei, this is going to be rough times for us" she said.
"No! Come live with me in the Palace. There I will show you I have no plans of marrying anyone other than you. You will get to see with your own two eyes, so please, let's stay together" Fei begged.
"This is unbecoming of your stature, please just let it go" Shawna said, wiping her face.
"Then why are you crying Shawna. You are hurting not only me, but yourself too. Let's rethink this okay. I never intended of endings things when proposing to you" Fei grabbed Shawna's hands. Shawna's hand were shivering upon Fei's touch. She turned her face away from him, unable to look him in the eyes.
"Please, don't make this hard" she cried.
Fei blew a kiss at Shawna, and a huge gale of wind forcefully started to lift her in air. "Woah! Stop this Fei!" Shawna screamed.
Fei instructed the wind to bring his beloved to the Royal Palace. The prince followed suit, both traveling at high speed. Within a few minutes, the two made it by the Royal Palace's entrance gate.
Shawna was gently placed on the floor. "I can't believe you just use your gift on me" she said, puffing her face upsettingly.
"Hehehe, how are you feeling from that experience? Being in the air is cool am I alright?" Fei chuckled, trying to ease up the tension.
"Feels like I have been kidnapped" Shawna replied.
"Do not worry. I am just remedying the situation is all. I will show you there is nothing for you to worry about. You will get to live a happy life with me, I have power after all" said Fei, creating a miniature tornator on his fingertips.
As the two entered through the gates, Fei's big brother was there to greet them. The man similar features to Fei, dark blue hair that reaches his shoulders, ice cold blue eyes, wore a luxurious robe and sash.
"Ricardo!" Fei called out.
"Good evening Fei, Hey Shawna, it's been a while" Ricardo greeted both of them. "I was starting to think you were avoiding us" he said, directing those words to Shawna.
"Yes, I was actually" Shawna replied honestly.
"No, she's a jokester" Fei denied his beloved's claim.
"No need to cover it up. I know she meant what she said. I do hope you come and visit us more often" Ricardo approached Shawna for a handshake. Shawna stared at the first prince's hand, with plenty of things flowing inside her head.
"Aren't you going to shake his hand?" Fei asked.
Shawna apologized for the delay, then shook Ricardo's hands. While she did it, not only her hands but her entire body was trembling. Was it out of fear?
"Did Ricardo do something to you?" Fei questioned, noticing the trembling.
"No, I am fine" Shawna answered. Ricardo added "Yep, she must be fine. If she knows what's good for her anyways". Ricardo walked away, leaving the couple on their own. Once he was out of earshot, Shawna questioned Fei "Did you think this through? Bringing me inside your home so easily?"
"I don't see an issue. You are my fiance, and you've been here several times in the past" Fei explained.
"You're being unfair. I did not want to come here but yet still you brought me anyways. I wanted a normal under the radar break up but you still decided to drag me here using your gift "powers" Shawna said, unsatisfied.
"Feel bad all you want. We love each other, so we shouldn't be separated because of some assumptions and stupid rumors" Fei replied strongly. He grabbed onto her hand, then forced her inside the palace.
"Please stop this Fei, let go of me. I already told you everything that's been on my mind. Understand that someone like me isn't deserving of you"
Fei shook his head, refusing to accept her reasoning. "I don't care about any of that. All I care about is you."
Shawna's eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm sorry, Fei. I just can't do this anymore."
Fei's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I understand," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Desperate to prove his love, Fei used his powers to bring Shawna to the throne room, hoping to change her mind nontheless.
Breeze carried Shawna to the throne room while Fei walked on foot. Without even knocking, Fei entered the throne room with Shawna in hand. The King's name was Alex D Heaven. The King was an elderly man, in his retirement years. Despite his age, he was still adept in leadership.
"Good evening Father" Fei greeted with a smile. Shawna on the other hand swiftly went on her knees out of respect. "It is a pleasure to be here your majesty" Shawna said, with the utmost respect.
The king smiled at his son's unexpected arrival, and told him to have a seat but Shawna will still have to remain on one knee. When Fei took his seat, he asked his father "Could Shawna sat beside me, she has a bed knee that I would hate to become worsened" Fei lied. The King allowed Fei's request to make Shawna sit next to him.
"This is perfect timing my son. I was in a bind, thinking of who should take the General Seat for Territory XI. Seeing as you came here in the middle of my thought, perhaps I should entrust you with that responsibility" the King suggested.
Fei asked, "What about Alice father? Did she resign from her post?"
"She has become mentally unstable. In her current condition, there is no way she can run an entire Island. How about it? Want to be her replacement?" The King questioned. He then stared at the girl next to Fei with a curious expression. "Who is that girl next to you? Her name please".
"Seriously Father, Territory XI. Sorry I can't do that, I feel like I've done enough for this country now. I am thirty and all I want is to marry this woman next to me and start a family. Oh, her name is Shawna Matar. You two met before but it seems like you've forgotten her" Fei expressed his thoughts clearly.
The King took a deep breath, absorbing everything Fei had just said. "My son, all your siblings are generals, except you. Do you truly wish to squander your talent like your elder sister? You can balance family life and a military position. You don't have to be defiant all the time," the King remarked.
Fei held Shawna's hands and told the King, "I want a family with this woman next to me. She loves to live in Territory III, so why would I want to move from this island".
The King scratched his head, amazed by how blunt his own son was. He asked the woman next to him, Shawna, "Hey Miss, I think I am starting to remember you now. Doesn't your Grandmother work in Territory XI?"
Shawna nodded yes in reply. "I rarely see her these days" she added.
"Hear that Fei, If you go to Territory XI and become it's general there, then you can easily make your beloved her her grandmother again, anytime she wants" the King tried to be persuasive. Fei gave it some thought and responded casually. "Nah, I can move there and not be general if Shawna wants to see her grandma that badly"
The King gritted his teeth at his son, while Fei smiled brightly his way. Beneath that smile, was contradictory to what he shows on the surface. "What a handful, I am too old for this" The King said, giving up on Fei. The King glanced over at Shawna, then laughed to himself.
Fei quickly took offense to it, "What's funny gramps?"
"Nothing, I just got a joke is all" the King chuckled in reply.
"I hope it's as funny as your age. Hurry up and make Ricardo inherit the throne already. We have long needed a new king" Fei said harshly. Before the King could reply, Fei whipped up a gust of wind under Shawna and forcibly pushed her out of the throne room. Once she left, Fei followed suit.
After successfully provoking the King, the two ventured into the halls where they met more of Fei's siblings. They were two young women both gorgeous in their own right, reading a book as they walked in the hallway. The girl on the right was the youngest of the Royal Siblings in the palace, Dawn Cruz while the older woman next to her was Flora D Heaven.
"Dawn! Flora!" Fei called out, as he lets Shawna back on the surface again.
"You need to stop doing that! I am not luggage" Shawna complained.
The two princesses, greeted. "Good evening again big brother, I see you're with Shawna today" Dawn said politely. Flora on the other hand, rudely told Fei he was in her way. "Shawna, have you broken up with this loser yet, please tell me you have" Flora questioned.
"Loser?" Fei repeated.
"Yes, I heard everything you dummy. I can't believe you gave father such an attitude when Shawna was with you. You could have put her in danger you know. Gosh I hate simpletons" she said, harsh with her tone. Nothing inside of the Royal Complex escapes Flora's ears. It was one of her several gives she bestowed onto herself. No matter the distance or how soft the voice is, as long as it's in Flora's one hundred kilometer range, she can hear everything even non-human activities. Her gift makes it impossible for anyone to hide information from her or surprise her.
Shawna stood between Flora and Fei, and heartedly disagreed with Flora's statement. "Fei is not a dummy. Please dont give your brother such unpleasant names. It's unbecoming" she told Flora.
Dawn nodded, agreeing with Shawna.
"Oh my, I guess you are right" said Flora, visibly annoyed. The princess then stared at Shawna's fingertips. It lacked beauty one would expect from most women. "This simply cannot do. Permission to do your nails please" Flora strongly requested. Shawna could not refused whether she liked it or not, for she was already getting dragged by Flora.
If it was not Fei, then another Royal would be forcing Shawna to go with them. To her, life has been nothing but being dragged and tossed around the Prince and Princesses of her own Kingdom.
Dawn wanted to accompany them but she really needed to finish her daily studies first, before she could relax. She continues to read her book as he journeyed in the halls. Fei followed Shawna and his sister outside, to spectate the nail polishing. In the blink of an eye, the tension vanished between Fei and Shawna.
The couple spent the rest of the evening with Flora. Most of the time was spent on painting on Shawna's face, applying various skin products and even trying out different hair styles on her. When the sun came down, Flora was finally finished with Shawna and Fei.
"That was fun, please come by again soon Shawna. I have more things I would like to try out" Flora said, as she left the couple on their own.
Now that Fei and Shawna were alone again, Shawna made a request. "It is getting late. Could I sleep over just for tonight?"
Fei had no objections. "Why not, let's head to my room right now then". The two made quickly headed upstairs, where Fei's room was located. Upon arriving their, Shawna jumped on the prince's bed exhausted. After sitting up, Fei and Shawna started staring at each other, not uttering a single word for over a minute.
Earlier, Shawna had broke up with Fei but Fei's determination prevented that from happening smoothly. Instead, one thing led to another and now they were in Fei's luxurious room. "Fei, kneel down okay" Shawna ordered softly. Fei did as told and went on one knee. Shawna's hands were still trembling, proving she was still scared of everything. Scared of being inside the Royal Palace, scared of Fei abandoning her, scared of the King and many other things.
Those fears did not stop her from moving forward. Fei motivated her, his actions may had been silly and too forceful. He managed to drove the message home. While Fei on one knee, Shawna leaned closer to him and pushed out her right hand. "Put it on, hurry before my heart turns to stone"
"Before our heart turns to stone" Fei corrected her. He reached for the wedding ring, and place in on her ring finger. "Let's get married Shawna. I promise, there is nothing you have to worry about. You know I am capable of anything" Fei reassures her. Tears of joy fled from Shawna's eyes, as she retrieves her hand and covered her face.
Fei wiped away the remaining tears on Shawna's cheeks, determination in his gaze. "Shawna, life is uncertain, but my love for you is unwavering. Will you take this journey with me? Will you be my forever?"
"What did I do to deserve you? Is this truly okay?" she asked herself.
Fei left her alone on the bed, giving her some space to process her thoughts.
"Stop thinking so lowly of yourself Shawna. You can't see your greatness but I can. Flora, Dawn and Ricardo sees greatness within you too. That's why they never once questioned your presence in the palace. Have more confidence in yourself" Fei told his fiance who was rolling in the bed crying.
"You just turned our break-up into a proposal. Am I being manipulated right now?" Shawna grinned.
"Who knows? All I know is, that our love is genuine and I would have done everything in my power for you to not leave my side" Fei responded.
"Thank you for loving me so much Fei. In return, I'll return your love tenfold" Shawna promised. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world" she said happily.
"While I am the luckiest guy in the world" Fei added. Fei slowly went on the bed, and tucked Shawna in his arms. They both started kissing passionately while stripping each other's clothing.
Knock! Knock!
Just when the couple were about to heat things up, a knock came from their door. To make it worse, the person on the other side did not wait for a response before entering.
"Huh? Whoops" Ricardo said, as he attempted to close the door.
"Don't bother! You already ruined it" Fei sighed. "What do you want?" he asked.
"Are you sure you don't want to finish your business first? I am more than happy to wait outside" Ricardo suggested.
"Quit being weird, You should have thought of that before barging in. What do you want!?" Fei yelled, miserable. Shawna turned around with Fei as her cover, buttoning up her shirt before the first Prince sees.
"So you proposed then" Ricardo said, pointing at the wedding ring on Shawna's right ring finger.
"Yes, now tell us why you came" Fei said, getting increasingly more annoyed.
"I was going to talk to you about the opened position as Territory XI General. Father asked me to persuade you somehow. Is that possible by any chance?" Ricardo asked.
....
The two brothers did knew the answer to this already, so their only giggled. "Thought so, well, I will report back to father. Just be ready for tomorrow's Peace Meeting okay. You missed today's"
"I know, I'll be sure to attend tomorrow's Peace Meeting" Fei replied. Ricardo politely bowed before the couple, then exited the room. As soon as he left, The newly proposed couple made love to each other until they fell asleep.