Fiona's POV
A cold rush came over my sleeping body, immediately causing me to lurch up from the bed and gasp loudly, trying to recover from the shock.
I looked up to see what was going on, and I saw my future mother-in-law with an empty but dripping bucket in her hand, the other one on her waist.
"Mum, did you... Did you pour that bucket of water on me?", I asked in shock, being as polite as I could be as I tried to clean the water that was dripping to my face.
"What do you think? Do you see anyone else in this room? I'm the one who baptized you the bucket of water", she replied, mischief very evident in her voice.
"But... But why? What did I do wrong?", I asked.
"Do you know what the time is right now? It's seven in the morning, young lady. Everyone else in the palace is awake! Why are you still sleeping by this time? Is this how you want to be the mother to my future grandson? Is this how you want to take care of my husband? Is that how you plan on being Luna?! By trying to compete with Sleeping Beauty?!", She questioned.
The cold water caused me to shiver badly, but I was boiling with rage on my insides.
"But it's just seven, Queen Mother. Was it necessary to wash me up with a bucket of ice water? You could've just woken me up from sleep!", I tried hard to keep my voice in check, but I could barely help it at this point.
Beside the fury boiling in me, the shivers from the ice water made my voice abnormally high pitched.
I could see the look of appallment on her face and I saw her beginning to close in on me.
"Did... Did you just talk back at me, Fiona?", She pointed to herself in shock.
"No no no-"
She charged at me with her right hand high in the air. I screamed and my next reflex was to use my hands to protect my face from the incoming slap.
For an awkward number of seconds, all I heard was awkward silence. I didn't feel any force on my face.
I opened my eyes, and slowly brought my hands down to see what was going on. And to my utter surprise, I saw the Queen Mother's hands stopped mid-air. By Dylan.
Queen Mother wore the exact same look of sheer surprise I had on my face.
"D... Dylan, Why did you hold my hand?", She questioned.
"You don't have to be this mean to her, mum. She's human, you know", he argued.
"Plus, you washed her with cold water, when you could've just woken her up. All this for what? For sleeping? She just had a long journey yesterday. Shouldn't she get some rest?"
For a moment, the Queen Mother gawked at her only son in sheer appall, not knowing what to say to him. Then, she grew defensive.
"I'm the Luna, and you don't tell me what to do. I have the right to do what I want with her, as she's to be the next Luna. I can't believe you're siding this... Thing, over me, your own mother!!", She yelled and stomped out of the room, evidently annoyed and embarrassed.
Dylan stared at my wet body for some seconds and walked out of the room without saying a word. I tried to thank him for standing up for me, but he was quick to leave. I was still trying to comprehend what just happened when I saw him return to the room with a dry white towel in his hand.
He stopped in front of me and gave me the towel.
"I'm sorry about what happened. I'll talk to her. Meanwhile, dry yourself before you get a cold. I'll tell the maids to come bring you breakfast and clean up the mess", he said and took a sharp turn, heading out of the room.
To say I was astonished by his actions was a blatant understatement. I thought he hated me. He told me to my face that he'd never get married to me. Why was he suddenly acting kind to me?
****
A light knock on my door took my attention from the drawing I was focused on.
"You can come in", I answered.
I saw a maid get in with a dark blue dinner gown and a pair of silver heels.
"The prince asked me to give you this. He wants you to put it on and meet him downstairs", the maid said as she gently dropped the clothes on the bed and left.
I stood up from the bench and walked to the bed, my eyes on the beautiful dress.
What was the prince up to this time?
I'd never worn this kind of dress before, so I had a hard time getting it on. I finally got dressed and went downstairs to meet Dylan, also dressed.
He stood up when he saw me and his eyes scanned my body with a smirk on his face.
"You look like a beautiful princess", he said.
I could feel my cheeks burn with blush. Did he just call me beautiful? No one had ever called me that.
"Th... Thank you. You look good too.", I replied.
"You told me to wear the dress and meet you here? What's the reason?", I managed to ask.
"We're going on a date"
I stared at him, surprised.
"A date?", I repeated.
"You heard me right"
"But-"
"No buts. We can't waste this beautiful dress by letting you stay indoors tonight", he took my hands and led me out of the room before I said another word.
****
"Do you like the food?", I heard him ask.
I did, but there was something else on my mind.
"Fiona? Are you here-"
"Why are you doing this?", I blurted without even thinking.
My question stopped him from putting a piece of steak in his mouth. He dropped his fork and straightened up.
"What do you mean?"
"You... You told me you don't like me at all, yesterday. You said I was a classless bitch, amongst other meaner things. All of a sudden, you stood up for me this morning, and now we're on a date. What is going on? I thought you hated me?"
"Do you want me to hate you?"
"No! No no no-"
He stretched his hands across the table and reached for mine, causing me to go silent, immediately.
"I know I said a lot of mean things to you, and I shouldn't have. It was inhumane of me, and I apologize."
Did he just apologize?
"Truth be told, when I went to bed last night, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Your beautiful and delicate face, your touching story. You kept running through my mind, and I realized I was wrong for treating you badly. I think I... I've fallen in love with you", he said.
It seemed as though time stopped at that point. I had different emotions running through my body, goosebumps being one of them. I couldn't believe he just told me he loves me.
"Fiona? Are you-"
"I love you too. I fell in love with you from the first time I saw you", I blabbered like an eight year old, and it made him laugh.
"Do you want to see something beautiful?", He asked me.
I was still so mesmerized by his confession that I couldn't reply.
He waved to the waiter and paid for the food.
I took myself out of the restaurant, and into his car.
In silence, we drove away from the nightlife, and deeper into the woods. After a long drive, we got out, and the cold wind greeted our skin. We were on a path that was surrounded by a thick forest. To my sheer surprise, he began walking into the forest.
"Where are we going, Dylan?"
"Come on. I have something to show you"
"In the forest?"
"Don't be scared. I'm here with you, so nothing will hurt you", he took my hands and led me into the forest. I was terrified and uncertain, but I felt a sense of protection from him, so I clung to him as we walked.
We suddenly stopped walking.
"What did you want to show me?"
He pointed at the tree, and I followed his hands. It was an old tree that held a small treehouse.
"Is… that it?", I asked, expecting more.
"Follow me", he said. We found our way up the tree and into the treehouse, and what I saw shocked me.
From where we stood outside, I looked like a rickety treehouse, but the interior was beautiful.
It had modern oil paint, with a red rug on the floor. I had two sofas, and the incandescent light bulbs made the treehouse cozy and warm.
"Wow! This... This is beautiful!", I drooled in awe.
"Fiona", I heard him call me.
I turned to him, and he had his shirt taken off already, exposing his chiseled abs. As he drew closer to me, I began to wonder if the heat was from the light bulbs or from his divinely moulded body.