Must I Be Your Bride? - Chapter Seven

Once we were done, we still kept seated, and I was starting to wonder if there was another step in this breakfast.

"We should be on our way", William says, standing up from his seat. I was relieved that we were leaving; I was almost horrified that this gesture meant he had to let me go. I was back to my nervous-wrecking self. It was as if, holding William's hand, made me feel controlled, even though his powers were now useless against me.

"We'll be expecting you for dinner," the king says.

William pulls out my chair and helps me to my feet, his warm hand against mine once again, sending relief throughout my body.

"Oh, and Serene," Athela get to her feet, "I have asked the maids to send your wedding dresses starting this afternoon, just in case."

My heart goes cold, and the only thing pulling me to the door is William. I only manage a nod, knowing that giving them no answer would be disrespect.

Once the dining room doors closed, I felt my rigid muscles relax, though, the last sentence the queen said stuck into my mind.

"When is the wedding?" I choked. He noticed.

Without getting an answer, I was led to some stairs, and I supposed we were going to the village. But he stopped midway, and instead, opened a door that I've never even bothered to notice. When we stepped in my eyes grew wide, studying the plants of all the sizes. A greenhouse was the first thing that came to mind. Roses, Lilies, apple trees, orange trees, it was all such a beautiful garden. It wasn't until I saw a glimpse at the sky through some tree branches that I noticed we were outside. I felt like I was in some fairytale dream, simply waiting for her happy ending to come.

Not letting go of my hand, William bent down to cut away a scarlet rose. He blew on it before handing it out to me. I took it slowly, not sure if my heart was racing because of this brief move, or for other unknown reasons. Either way, I still couldn't find the strength to let go of his hand.

Reality was bound to strike during that moment, the moment where William and I just stared at each other with no words to say. I looked away, and repeated my question. "When is the wedding?"

"I'm trying to get them to give you more time", he said. The way that he spoke only told me that he didn't seem like he was succeeding.

"You didn't answer my question."

He sighed. "Next week."

Without meaning to, I drop the rose that had made my heart race only seconds ago, my hands going completely numb in shock. I knew, the only one keeping our hands linked, was William.

He pulled me deeper into the garden, sending me into a maze of some flowers and plants, I've never seen before. Everything was so colorful; like a rainbow. It was sort of like walking through a colorful forest. If you didn't watch your step, you could trip. I knew this because I almost tripped a couple of times, until it got to the point where William had to link his arm with mine to keep me from falling.

We made it to a round clearing, where a square quilt lay in the middle, with a woven basket beside it. He led me to the quilt and helped my tense body sit down before taking a seat beside me. I was still frozen without words. It wasn't until William spoke that I noticed he was holding the rose I had mistakenly dropped.

"Nobody knows this little Rose
It might a pilgrim be
Did I not take it from the ways
And lift it up to thee.

He lifted the rose before me with the most heart-taking smile.

"Only a Bee will miss it
Only a Butterfly,
Hastening from far journey
On its breast to lie
Only a Bird will wonder
Only a Breeze will sigh
Ah Little Rose - how easy
For such as thee to die."

As he spoke those words soothingly, I sunk into the ground, resting my head on the thin quilt that felt like the grass below it. I closed my eyes, and simply listened. The calmness I was starting to feel merely vanished when his words stopped.

"Emily Dickinson", I sigh.

He hummed a reply, and I could feel him lie down beside me. The sun was hitting down on us, giving us a warm comforting blanket.

I opened my eyes only to realize that William was propped up on one of his elbows watching me. I had to close my eyes again, to stop myself from getting sucked into his blue glimmering eyes.

"You don't know", he says in an almost distant voice, "How much I wish I could just kiss you."

I'm too scared to move, to accidentally open my eyes. I didn't want this to go too far. I had already planned going back home, right? I couldn't get too attached to these feelings that surged inside me, or the way my heart raced with every simple word he spoke. It was as if today I woke up with a whole different idea; actually considering on staying.

My eyes fail me, so does my curiosity, and soon I'm watching William watch me, a bit closer than he was before. Here we were again, where he was hoping I'd give him permission.

I sucked in my breath, a butterfly actually forming in my stomach, blowing away all of my negative thoughts with its wings. I was trying to push back the words I so ached to say. But there was a reason why I didn't want to look in his eyes, because I knew they'd make me vulnerable.

"Why wish?" I whisper, the words finally betraying me.

He looks shocked by my answer, but he doesn't hesitate in leaning down to press his soft lips against mine. The sudden electricity that sparked throughout my body was so much that I found one of my hands clutching onto the quilt, while the other desperately searched for his arm. It surprised me when he slid it behind my head, his hand entangling in my now messy curls. This was the first time, out of all the couple kisses we had, where I actually got to feel the pleasure of his lips pressuring onto mine. Warm, soft lips, craving for me as much as I craved for them.

Our breaths were starting to turn ragged, letting us know that we'd have to back away soon or else die from lack of breath. Well, I would probably be the one to die before William could get to that point.

His hands found both of my arms, and I felt his grip wrap tight around them. It was almost like he was afraid that once we backed away, that would be it. After this kiss, we won't know when I'd break again and finally give in for another. He was letting this kiss melt into him with the little time we had left. I didn't blame him, because I was doing exactly the same.

The dreading moment finally arrived, where I could no longer resist the need for air. William gave me one more lasting kiss before letting me regain myself. He didn't back away; he had his head placed right in between my shoulder and my neck, on that slight cradle. His breath on my skin sent shudders down my spine, but those shudders were only followed by gratification. It seemed to take minutes for us to calm down our breathing, but mine would only ignite every time one of his breaths would send my heart racing.

His hold on me was slowly resigning, and soon enough - too soon - he forced himself upright to take a good look at me, his smile only making me let out another ragged breath. His hand found my cheek, and I couldn't help but shudder again as his finger traced my face. I close my eyes and enjoyed his fresh hand and the beams of the sun concocting together in my contentment. We were still savoring the moment.

"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous," he said softly.

"Who says that?" I managed to say.

"Ingrid Bergman." I heard his smile.

I sighed, and we both lie there for who knows how long, William's hand never leaving my face.

As the warm sun starting to make its way to becoming fire, I was starting to wonder what William was thinking right now, at this moment. Did he take my kiss and my lack of movement as an answer to the wedding and the vampire transformation?

That reminds me. He said the wedding was next week.

Too late to stop myself, I sat up at the thought. I had to blink a few times, the sudden sunlight blinding me. When I looked over to William he was trying to hide his disappointment with a warm smile. No. He didn't take my kiss as an answer to the conflicts that were going on; he simply took it as a kiss. I was relieved, but I couldn't help feel a bit doleful as well.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

He only takes my hand and we sit there in silence for a while. The view of the rainbow plants helped calm us down a bit.

"What's in the basket?" I said, once I realized that it was still beside the quilt.

He grabbed it from it's handle and placed it beside him, fumbling inside of it before he handed me a sugar cookie. I couldn't help but smile as I took it.

"We just ate a feast", I said, but I don't hesitate in taking a bite. It melted into my mouth just like the oatmeal did, and I couldn't help but moan. "This is delicious."

William also took a bite from another cookie he pulled out of the basket, and was nodding in agreement. We savored the cookie slowly until, sadly, there were only crumbs left. Reading my mind, he handed me another.

"Teach me", I said, once we finished our third cookie. His blue eyes met mine with curiosity. "the poem. I don't know every word."

And so, he did. He pronounced every line, patiently waiting for me to memorize it. It might have been difficult, if I had not loved the poem. It was so comforting to say it, and to be able to speak perfectly beside William's words. By the time the sun was getting too much bear, I had memorized the poem, the quote, and we had eaten almost half of the three dozen cookies he had brought.

"Nobody knows this little Rose
It might a pilgrim be
Did I not take it from the ways
And lift it up to thee,"

I recited as we started to make our way back inside. William had returned my rose, so I lifted it up to his nose with a smile.

"Only a Bee will miss it.
Only a Butterfly,
Hastening from far journey
On its breast to lie
Only a Bird will wonder
Only a Breeze will sigh
Ah Little Rose - how easy
For such as thee to die!"

With a giggle I couldn't contain, I linked my arm with William's, resting my head on his shoulder as we walked. My body was ready to shut down, but my mind was just so overwhelmed with the things that happened today that I doubt I'd get some sleep.

"You're a fast learner", he said, his arm securing itself around my waist.

"You're a good teacher", I corrected. "How is it that you have time for me now, when you didn't have time for me before?" I looked up at him to see if he was going to conduct some answer, but he didn't.

"I was trying to settle things down with Matthew; stall."

"Oh", I say, not wanting to get to that topic that would soon have to involve the transformation. No need to talk about that now.

"Do you like horror movies?" He said suddenly. I looked at him shocked.

"You guys have TVs?"

He smirked. "You underestimate us."

Soon we were in a large room, larger than the one I was staying at. There was a king sized bed placed in the middle, with scarlet canvas covers. There was an open doorway beside it, and as William and I walked in, I realized it was sort of like a living room. Two black plushy love seats were placed several feet away from each other, facing the large TV that covered half of the wall at the end of the room. I stared at it in wonder. I've never seen a TV that large. Or maybe I have, but it might not have seemed so big if they advertised it on my small flat screen. On each side of the over-sized TV were shelves of DVDs, looking like they were filed by every genre. William sat me on one of seats, we reluctantly parted our hands, and he went in search of a movie as I sunk into the most comfortable couch I've ever sat on. Once he chose something, he placed the DVD into the DVD player, grabbed the control that was placed on a shelf, and took a seat beside me, linking his hand with mine again.

"So which one is it?" I said curiously.

"Hellraiser", he smirks.

I frown. "That sounds like a man's action movie. Didn't you say we were going to watch horror?"

"By the cover it had, it looked pretty horrific."