Dreaming of Acceptance

(Dahlia's POV)

My feet carried me as fast as they could to the Piccola Pistrina. The pastel purple dress I was wearing trapped my legs so I couldn't move as fast. The market square was coming alive as I crossed the middle of it all to the front door of the bakery. I knocked on the door and soon enough Paul came to answer it.
"Good morning." he smiled.
"Good morning." I echoed.

The strong scent of herbs filled the air and pulled me towards the kitchen. "Good morning, Joseph." I smiled.
"Oh, good morning, Dahlia." he smiled and wiped his hands on his apron, then came over and wrapped his arms about me in a hug.
The overpowering scent of rosemary surrounded him. I coughed. "My goodness, Joseph." I smiled and waved a hand in front of my face.

"Sorry, we just go a new crate of herbs in from Rome. I had to use some of them." he smiled and placed some dough into the brick oven. Soon I could smell baking oregano.
"Well you certainly have." I chuckled.
Nicholas then came rushing down the stairs carrying his bag and dressed for kitchen work.
"Good, you're safe." I said as he smiled at me.
"Yes, but I did have to hide in a few bushes." he teased.
I rolled my eyes and smiled some. "We were wondering where he had gone last night. Paul said.

"he was with me. He was helping me see if there was compromise to my problem." I replied.
"Oh really?" Joseph teased.
I gave him a glare telling him to shut his mouth. He simply laughed. "I was just kidding."
I chuckled. "Well I must be of I suppose." Nicholas said.
I looked at him. "Late again?" I smiled.
"Mm, exactly. Except for this time it isn't my fault." he chuckled and came over and wrapped an arm around my back and kissed my forehead.

Paul and Joseph exchanged glances with raised eyebrows. Nicholas shook his head as he saw them and smiled. "See you soon." he said quietly and left.
The two men left standing in the kitchen looked at me and I only blushed. "Is there something we should know about?" Paul looked at me with a smile playing at his lips.
"He'll probably tell you later." I said and soon I was out the door from the kitchen to the store.
Joseph caught my arm. "For you." he chuckled and handed me a cloth tied up with - from what I was guessing - breakfast rolls inside.

"Thank you." and with that I was off back to the castle.
Safely in my room, I untied the little bundle which revealed a few rolls with backed rosemary and a small piece of folded up paper.
I first looked at the paper and took a bite out of a roll.

Dahlia,

Meet me at the old oak again tonight.
At sundown.

Sincerely yours, Nicholas

I smiled and my door opened suddenly to reveal my mother and a couple seamstresses.
"Mother, what is this?" I asked and shoved the note in my bag.
"Well, we must get you ready for your wedding shouldn't we?" she smiled at me.
I sighed. "If I must."
One of the women stretched my arm and measured it. The other, my waist and my leg's length.
My mother came over to my bed and looked at the cloth spread out with the rolls on top. "Where did you get these?" she asked.

"Um, I had someone bring them up from the square." Sure, I'll go with that I thought.
"Oh, okay." she replied and took a bite out of the same one I had. "Oh my, these are amazing. Do you know who makes these?" she asked.
"Actually, a young man named Joseph Jonas makes them." I told her with a smile.
"Well, we should get more from his bakery then shouldn't we?" she smiled.
"Sounds good to me." I said.

A few minutes later, Mother was trying to find me something to wear and Marco walked in. "Well good morning." he smiled.
"Good morning, Marco." my mother said. She nudged me when I said nothing.
"Good morning, Marco." I said through clenched teeth.
He walked over to me and kissed my forhead.
I wiped my face as though it was something that could come off.
My mother picked out a dress that was much to fancy for just the day. "No! Mother!" I walked over and put it back.

I heard my bag move but when I looked Marco was gone and my bag was left sitting there. Strange. I thought and looked to see if the note was still there. It was.

~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~

I went back to the old oak tree at sundown to find a blanket already lain out, but no Nicholas.
"Nicholas?" I asked looking around. With my back turned to the tree, a hand clasped around my mouth.
"He's not here." a voice whispered in my ear.
My eyes widened in terror.

(Nicholas' POV - a few moments earlier)

I spread out a blanket on the grassy ground beneath the tree. Smiling to myself, I thought about Dahlia. How she fell in love with me - as she had said she did - I don't know.
I heard footsteps coming closer to me. It wasn't sundown yet, so it couldn't be Dahlia. I turned around only to see a man coming towards the tree. I ran and hid in the bushes as the figure came closer. Lord Marco? What is he doing here?

He looked around as if expecting to find something and then hid behind the strong, gnarled trunk of the tree. I wanted to jump out and ask him what he was doing here, but I couldn't he could get me put in jail.
Soon, Dahlia came towards the tree, she looked puzzled and started looking for me. "Nicholas?" I heard her say, and that's when Marco covered her mouth.

(Dahlia's POV)

I writhed, trying to break free from Marco's grasp. He had such a strong hold on me though. "Stop it!" he hissed.
I bit down on his hand. He let go of me and I turned around and spit out the taste of flesh in my mouth. "Why are you here!?" I demanded.
"Oh don't think I didn't know about you and.. Nicholas? Is that his name?"
I looked at him anger flooding my body. It must have shown through my eyes for he backed up a step.

He regained his composure. "I've known what's been going on all along. Ever since the masque." he said.
"Oh have you?"
"Of course, you've been sneaking out and you were out all night last night." he replied.
My eyes widened but I took a deep breath in and calmed myself down. "How do you know if I was out with him last night." I smirked, thinking I had him cornered.
"Oh, I know you were. You two just can't seem to stay away from each other can you?"

I stood there. "You just can't seem to stay away from her can you, Nicholas?" he asked as if he were there.
I heard a twig snap from a bush across the small dirt road. I inhaled sharply but then I heard no more movement.
"He's been lying to you Dahlia, he doesn't really love you." he said coming closer to me. "He was just playing a pawn for me."
Marco's words stung. "You're wrong." I said trying to control my breathing.

"Am I? Did you ever think I could pay someone who needs the money to act?"
I thought about how the bakery could use the money. No, don't think like that. I told myself. "No, he wouldn't do that!" I said louder than normal.
"How do you know he wouldn't? You barely know him." Marco said in a whisper next to my ear. "How do you know he wouldn't give you up for money? How do you know he wouldn't hurt you?" his arm snaked around my body close to the tie on my dress.

I backed away, trying to escape him. "Because, he's the exact opposite of you." I tried to remove his hand but he kept a tight grip on me. He kissed my neck.
That infuriated me to no end. I pushed him away with such a sudden force, it caught him off guard. "Nicholas! If you're here, run!" I yelled.
I heard faint footsteps. First slow, as if wanting to be here but then going faster as the sound drifted away. Nicholas had been here, he was trying to meet me.

Marco chuckled smugly. "What?" I asked angrily.
"That's good he should get used to not having you around."
"What do you mean?" I asked somewhat alarmed.
"Because, once he tries to see you after the marriage, you'll be in Rome." he smiled, thinking he had won.
"You'll never get away with it." I said.
"Oh, but I have, you're marrying me." he said.

I ran

~<3~<3~<3~<3~3~

I heard a knock on my door later that night as I continued my reading of Utopia.
I walked over to it, and opened it a tiny bit. "Hello?" I said softly.
"Dahlia, it's me. Please let me in." Nicholas' soft voice whispered.
I opened the door quickly and he came in as fast. I shut the door and turned to face him, but all I felt was warm lips crash against mine.
After a few moments, he pulled away. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't do anything while he was with you. I wanted to so bad though, I didn't like him that close to you." he held me to him

I let him and then I looked up to his face. "You wouldn't do any of those things he said would you?"
"No," he said softly. "I don't want to hurt you like he does. I would never hurt you."
I smiled up at him. "Thank you."
He kissed my forehead. "You're welcome." he smiled back.