Eleanora retreated to her rooms in all haste, worn out by the day's splendor. The moment the door swung shut behind her, she exhaled a sigh of respite and dropped onto the silk bed. Her crown, now a badge of her new rank, clattered onto the floor, unregarded.
"I cannot believe they made me stand for four interminable hours after the Ascension," she groaned aloud, burying her face into the pillow.
"Finnian, was I presentable?" she asked, her voice laced with fatigue and hope. She turned to face him, her cheeks flushed with a soft glow, her eyes shimmering with a rare vulnerability that stood in startling contrast to the regal poise she had kept through the entire ceremony.
"Your Highness, you shone bright above all others," Finnian said with a respectful bow of his head. Yet in having done so, the air seemed to have been let out of her from her words of formality.
"No, I would know the truth from Finnian, my friend-not my knight," she repeated, quite serious.
He gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "May I speak frankly?"
She nodded, "Please do."
"Eleanora, you were Drop Dead Gorgeous," he admitted, and a soft pink colored her cheeks.
The hardness in Eleanora's eyes melted away, and a mischievous sparkle danced in them. "Drop-dead gorgeous, you say? Such flattery from my knight," she teased, her tone light and airy.
Finnian, tall in his formal attire, allowed a rare, boyish smile to spread across his face. "Flattery would imply exaggeration. I merely state the obvious," he replied, the sound of his voice light with humor.
The princess sat up against her ornate headboard now, patting the space beside her. "Come, sit. You've been on your feet as long as I have," she invited through gentle command.
As Finnian took his place beside her, their shoulders brushed, sending a ripple of awareness through the room. "I must confess," he said on a breath, low and meant for her ears alone, "the view from beside you is even more enchanting.".
Just then, as Eleanora was about to reply, the heavy wooden door creaked open, and the imposing figure of a king cast a long shadow in the room. The playful teasing just abruptly stopped with the sound of the opening creaking door. Eleanora stood up straight as her father entered-a no-nonsense king, imposing and direct. Finnian, too, rose in his own decorous manner to the heights to which the gravity of a Knight entitled him.
"Father!" Eleanora exclaimed, her face in a near-instant flux into composed royalty.
Sharp, discerning eyes scanned the pair. "Finnian," he commanded with no room for protest. "Leave us."
Finnian bowed, fluid, respectful. "As you wish, Your Majesty," he said, exiting the room-the door closing with a definite thud behind him.
It felt like the temperature in the room plunged when he entered, his gaze of steel settling on Eleanora. "A blood pact," he began, his tone both unbelieving and anger on a rise, "with a knight? Have you any idea what danger you have called into your life?"
Eleanora stood up tall, her chin held high in defiance. "I do, Father," she said with steady voice. "Neither was it a choice taken light.".
The king's fists clenched at his sides. "Such a bond is irreversible, Eleanora. It intertwines your fates, for better or worse. And you chose this. with Finnian?" There was pure incredulity in his tone and disappointment palpable.
She met his gaze, her head held up in a standoff. "Aye, with Finnian. He is far more than a knight to me, Father. He is my protector, my confidant, my—"
"Enough!" the king interrupted boisterously. "You are a princess, and you will be a ruler. You cannot be so careless with your heart, let alone your life!"
Eleanora did not yield. "It is because I am to rule that I need someone like Finnian beside me. Someone who knows me, who understands the weight of the crown.
The king paced, the lines in his face softening as he regarded his daughter. "Eleanora," he sighed, resignation now tingeing his tone, "if this is truly your wish. if you believe this pact to be in the best interest of your heart and kingdom, then I will not stand in your way."
Tears of gratitude welled up within Eleanora's heart. "Thank you, Father. I will not let you down."
He nodded then, his face a mask of resignation. "I trust you won't. And as for Finnian," he paused, weighing his next words, "if his heart be true, then he hath my blessing."
A bright, hopeful smile overspread her countenance. "Thank you, Father. Your trust means the world to me."
With a final nod, the king turned and left the room, leaving Eleanora to consider the future now before her.
Outside the royal chamber, the stern mask of the king melted away, and the father's concern became apparent. He stopped briefly to collect his thoughts, the weight of the crown suddenly forgotten. With a purposeful stride, he went to find Finnian, the knight in possession of his daughter's heart.
Finding Finnian alone, the king did not mince words; weighted with the authority of his station, his tone brooked little room for argument. "Finnian," he began, his voice commanding yet tinged with a fatherly concern, "a word, if you please."
Finnian turned, his posture straightening as he faced his king and, more importantly, the woman's father to whom a blood pact now bound him. "Your Majesty," he replied, bowing respectfully.
His gaze latched onto Finnian, his eyes searching. "You have entered into a blood pact with my daughter," he said, the weight of what he meant between them. "It is not just a matter of the heart but of the future of the kingdom."
Finnian returned the stare to the king, inflexible. "I understand the gravity of the pact, Your Majesty. My loyalty to Eleanora is as formidable as my fealty to your throne."
The king nodded, and a small sigh escaped him. "I have given my blessing, but know this," he said, firmness in his voice, "the path you have chosen is fraught with peril and sacrifice. Are you prepared to stand by Eleanora's side, not just as her knight, but as her equal, her partner in all things?"
"I am," Finnian returned not a second later, his voice clear of even the slightest shake. "And I will protect her and sustain her, and honor the pact with the last breath in my body."
The king's lips, so seldom curved into a smile, quivered now in approval. "Then I give my daughter's heart to you, Sir Finnian. Take care of it well, for it is worth more than all my realm."
Before he went, the king said, "Meet me in my chambers tonight. There is something I must speak with you about."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Finnian answered with a bow.
With that, Finnian was gone, his back vanished down the corridor.