Gabrielle looked down at her hand, seeing Ansel fingers interlocked with her's. Her heart pounded against her chest.
"You look stunning, Lady Gabrielle," He complimented, his soothing tone grabbing her heart.
She turned her head away, ignoring his sweet words.
'He already has my heart captivated but I will not let it show… I can not let him see my feelings for him… Not now… Not ever…'
"Gabrielle," He called, his tone wrapped in a lullaby, "I've missed you dearly."
She shut her eyes tightly, adrenaline shaking her body. She felt her knees go weak.
"Why did you ask me to come here," She inquired, pushing down the pain in her voice.
"Don't you remember," He soothed, grabbing on to her other hand, "You promised to meet me here."
She continued to look down, tears pooling in her eyes.
"Okay, I've met you here, now I want to leave," She stated, "I don't want to meet with you, alone, ever again."
"Surely you can't mean,"
"I do mean that," She interrupted, meeting his eyes, "I mean that with everything I have. I do not wish to meet you, I do not wish to be here."
He let go of one of her hands, reaching out to touch her face, being met with a quick recoil.
"What do you want from me, Your Majesty," She questioned, pulling away from him.
He tugged on her hand, pulling her closer to him.
He looked into her eyes, completely mesmerized.
"For months I heard you scream… I was unable to touch you, to hold you, to even catch a glimpse of you… Not hearing your laughter, not seeing your face, your smile… It made the castle feel so empty… There was no joy…" He spilled, placing his fingers underneath her chin.
He pulled her face closer to him.
"Your face, your laugh, your smile, your voice… It's stained in my mind… It's a picture, a sound I can never get rid of… Do you know how hard it was to hear you scream for me and not be able to come to you… To see you… To hold you… Gabrielle… I died everyday I heard you and could do nothing about it… It drove me insane…" He confessed, watching tears fall down her face.
She pulled her head away, shaking. She jerked back, fighting to pull her hand away.
"Stop it Your Majesty, I don't want to hear anymore," She cried, shutting her eyes.
He grabbed on to her upper arms, staring at her.
"Why Gabrielle? Everything I've told you is true… You are attached to my heart, you are a melody I can not get rid of… I won't let you go," He proclaimed.
She looked at him teary-eyed, breaking out of his grip.
She balled up her fists, gritting her teeth. She began beating on his chest.
"Don't you think I want those things? Don't you think I wanted you to hold me, to be with me? I wanted those things, Your Majesty. I wanted to be with you. The day I promised you that I was going to meet you here was the day I was going to confess to you but all I saw was your lips glued on Hattie, and then I knew, I knew that she was your love," She snivelled, continuing to hit him.
He grabbed her upper arms, preventing her from hitting him.
"Gabrielle I pushed her off… I didn't know she was going to kiss me, nor did I want to kiss her, I only want to be with you," He professed, trying to assure her.
"Oh please Your Majesty, how am I supposed to believe that? You've never even kissed me," She shouted, turning her head away.
"What are you talking about, I've kissed you before," He protested, trying to reason.
She turned her head, staring deeply into his eyes.
"Not the way you," She paused, feeling her stomach drop. She pulled her arms, trying to get out of his grip.
He grabbed her chin, moving her face to look at him.
"Not the way I what," He breathed, staring into her eyes, "Not the way me and Hattie kissed?"
She looked down, her lip quivering.
"Gabrielle," He hummed, his voice captivating her mind.
She looked back into his eyes, her body feeling weak, she gritted her teeth.
"What does it matter," She sighed, "You're in love with Hattie, it doesn't matter what I feel or what I think… I'll never be your love so just stop pretending."
"Is that what you think," He murmured.
"I do, I know how you truly feel, you…"
He pulled her in, kissing her tenderly as he held onto her.
She marvelled, losing all her thoughts. He held her upper arms, taking a step back, and gazed into her eyes.
"You are the very air I breathe, the stem of all my desires, the very thing that makes my heart beat," He professed.
She took a step back, touching her lips.
"Your M-Majesty y-you,"
He walked closer to her, grabbing on to her hand.
"I can't take not hearing my name fall from your lips. Your melody is what I long to hear everyday. I can no longer push down my feelings for you. I can no longer watch you sit in doubt of where you stand. Gabrielle let me make it clear. My heart belongs to you, my mind is filled with you, my ears ache to hear you… Gabrielle I… I desire to court you," He confessed, intertwining his fingers with her's, "Gabrielle please, please allow me to be yours. Please be mine."
He stared into her doe-eyes, his mind racing, urging for an answer.
She covered her face, crying into the palm of her hand. He felt his heart sink.
"L-Lady G-Gabrielle I'm s-sorry I shouldn't be s-so selfish l-laying my confession o-on you so soon. P-please forgive m-,"
She pulled her hand away and looked up at him. A gentle smile presenting on her face, through her tears.
She jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him, holding onto him tightly as he whirled around with her, catching his balance.
She rubbed her nose on his, looking into his love dazed eyes, she pressed her forehead against his.
"Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds," A familiar voice called out.
They looked towards the door, seeing Josephine, Hattie, and Nylah entering the room.
Gabrielle let go of Ansel, watching as Josephine, Hattie, and Nylah bowed to him.
"These two idiots have something to say to you," Josephine announced, pushing them forward.
"Go on," She (Josephine) urged, "Tell Milady what you need to say."
Hattie hung her head, gritting her teeth.
"Me and my maid are sorry," She mumbled, bowing to Gabrielle.
"And what else," Josephine pushed, a grumble in her tone.
Hattie balled up her fists, digging her nails into her skin.
She glanced up at Gabrielle, biting the side of her cheek.
"Go on," Josephine insisted, "Tell Milady the rest."
Hattie straightened up her back, staring directly at Gabrielle.
"You're a cry baby, a pathetic cry baby! You're so easy to fool it's ridiculous. You ran away causing all these problems and stress and for what? Because you know His Majesty will always choose me. So what if I forced a kiss on him, that kiss will always be mine and you'll always be known as a floozy," Hattie jeered, giving a menacing smile.
Veins popped out of Ansel's neck as his cold demeanor chilled the room.
"Hattie I'm…"
Gabrielle placed her hand on his chest, interrupting him.
"It's okay," She sighed.
She walked up to Hattie, the sounds of her footsteps echoing throughout the room.
"What are you going to do? Cry again, you have nothing, you are nothing, and no matter what you say or do there's nothing you can do to get rid of me because of the decree," Hattie mocked, with a brightened smile.
Gabrielle slapped Hattie in the face leaving a bright red mark.
She looked at Hattie, watching as she held her cheek.
"That was for me," She stated calmly, giving her a back hand on her other cheek, "And that was for Auggie."
Hattie fell to the floor grabbing her cheek, as Nylah rushed to her side.
"Your Majesty, look what she did to Lady Hattie, do something, she's gone crazy," Nylah whined, holding on to Hattie.
Gabrielle turned her head, looking at Nylah. She backhanded Nylah in the face, making her fall back and hit the floor.
"I've had enough of you two, and that stupid decree. You two are the worst people in the world. You're cruel and vindictive. You stomp on others to get your way. Your stupidity and selfishness is what destroyed Auggie's life. I wonder if His Majesty knew that you, Hattie, were the one who stole and planted the ring if he would've still put in that decree. You let an innocent man suffer for personal gain and dare to make yourself bigger than what you truly are. You are slime and a coward and Auggie's brother may have stabbed him, but you Hattie… You killed him. You deserve nothing in life, you are the scum of the earth," Gabrielle lectured, staring deep into her eyes.
Hattie's eyes widened, as tears dripped down her cheeks.
"Your Majesty, you see how cruel she is… She leaves and comes back telling lies. Help me Your Majesty, she's a scheming woman," Hattie cried.
Ansel walked next to Gabrielle, wrapping his arm around her. He pulled her in closely.
"There's no helping you Hattie, she gave me all the information I need to banish you and your maid," Ansel informed, with a smile.
"Y-You can't do that," Hattie stammered, sitting on her knees, "The decree says that I can't be thrown out over small things."
"Ah yes, but stealing a valuable thing from the late Queen is a crime punishable by death. The decree is now void," Ansel smirked.
"Y-Your Majesty please, you can't do this to me, p-please," Hattie begged, "This was all a plot, a plan devised by her. Can't you see, she's cruel! Please save me, Your Majesty."
"Shut your mouth," He stormed, "Be happy all you get is thrown out and not stripped of your title and thrown into Thieves Forest as Auggie was. There are no more chances for you. Open your mouth again to disrespect my love and you will have no title or life."
Hattie trembled, tears rolling down her cheeks, she hung her head.
"Guards," Ansel called out, watching as guards entered the room.
"See to it that Hattie and her maid are thrown out immediately, they are no longer welcome here in the castle," Ansel commanded.
"Yes, Your Majesty," The Guards responded, dragging Hattie and Nylah out of the room, ignoring their cries.
He grabbed Gabrielle's hands, looking into her eyes.
"I'll just leave you two alone," Josephine chirped, leaving the room.
"Your Majesty,"
"Ansel," He interrupted, caressing her face.
She smiled gently, placing her hand on top of his.
"Ansel… You have to put it in all the papers that Auggie isn't a thief… I promised him before he was killed that it would be put in the papers that he wasn't a thief… I know he helped kidnap me but he also saved me and tried to have me released… He died trying to save me… But even if he hadn't helped save me, it is still owed to him that the Kingdom knows the truth," She advised, "Please, please let the Kingdom know."
"I'll have it done right away," He nodded, "But… I still need an answer to my question… Will you have me… Will you be mine?"
"Forever," She breathed, giving him a quick kiss, "Forever and always."