Dreaming of Acceptance

"We need to figure out a way to stop the wedding." I said pacing across the floor in front of my bed. Nicholas and I had been talking for the past hour and nobody had found out he was there yet.
"I know, but how?" he said watching me pace.
"I don't know, there has to be some loophole in this whole thing." I said stopping only a second and looking at him before continuing to pace.
"Well where would that be found?" he asked.
"I don't know, the laws that started off the Senate are still a mystery to my parents, there could be something in the beginning laws that could help call it off." I said before sitting down. "All I know is, is that it has to be found soon."

He sighed. "I know, but I just don't know how we're going to find it Dahlia." Nicholas looked at me, the sadness clouding his deep brown eyes.
"Well we just will have to. I don't want to get married to that self-centered jerk named Marco." I replied and wrapped my arms around his torso, laying my face against his chest.
"I know, but I just don't know what to do." he sighed and ran his fingers through my hair. "But we'll worry about that tomorrow, right now, you should try to fall asleep."
I looked up at him and sighed. "All right." I said and climbed up to my bed.
Nicholas walked around and pulled a sheet up to my chin with a slight smile on his face. "Good night." he said and kissed my forehead. I felt as though I was a little girl and chuckled.

"Be careful." I told him as he nodded his head and walked over to my door. He took one last look at my face and then slipped out the door. I closed my eyes and heard his fleeting footsteps on the stones as he went down the corridor.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning I woke up to the sun shining through my window and hitting the stone floor and brightening the room entirely. I smiled to myself, I always loved the sun. There was a knock on my door. "Come in." I let out in a soft voice.
Yawning, my mother walked in my room. "Good morning, sweetheart." she smiled at me.
"Good morning, Mother." I replied while sitting up and rubbing my eyes.
"We still have some details to attend to on your wedding." she replied in a soft voice.
I nodded my head silently and she took out a small book and a pen and opened it. She started asking me questions about what I would like and what I wouldn't like though I would have just said that I didn't want to marry Marco for the millionth time.

Later...
Nicholas' POV

I stood kneading dough in the kitchen of the castle when Marco came rushing through.
"Good morning, Lord Marco." someone greeted him.
"Good morning." he said hurriedly and went out the back door.
I looked around, something was going on. I slipped past everyone in the room and followed him out the door and to the stables. He stopped to talk to one of the workers there and then payed him after he mounted a horse.
After Marco had left the stables I walked in nonchalantly and asked to borrow a horse myself. When asked why, I said it was to do something for the princepessa.

Richard let me go without a question more, and I took off after Marco. He rode through town and to a house on the outskirts where there was a barn next to it and such. I kept my distance and saw Marco go inside. Dismounting the horse, I tied the reins to a tree and walked cautiously up to the house. Voices coming from an open window was my only sign that there were two men talking. I went over to the window and knelt down under the sill. One voice was Marco, whereas the other I wasn't quite sure about.

"Father, what happens if the commoner and Dahlia find a way out of the marriage?" I heard Marco say.
"Oh, he won't the only record is this book here." The man said and that was when I looked above the sill and saw a small brown leather bound book.
"What's in there?" Marco said reaching for the book.
"A copy of the laws from the beginning of the Senate." the man said and swatted his son's hand away.
"But what does that have to do with anything?"
"The laws we have today are the same as old and if either of them found this, well the wedding would be off and our dreams shattered." he said looking at his son and then at the window.

"What was that?" he asked.
Marco looked over to where his father had. "It was probably just an animal, Father."
"Okay, well then, I'm putting this in here." he said and turned around and placed the book in a small safe and shut the door.
A small gasp escaped my lips as I saw what was going on. "There has to be another way." I said to myself and ran back over to my horse. Mounting it, I untied the reins and took off to the library. There had to be something there.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dahila's POV

I sat in the ballroom, imagining it full of people and music playing. I imagined myself dancing with Nicholas and my hand in his and his hand on my back. My hand and the place on my back started to grow warm again along with just my body in general. I longed for his touch. His gentle.. caring... touch.. and his warm.. brooding.. brown ey-
"You're Highness." a servant came in.
"Yes?" I raised my eyebrows.
"A young man named Nicholas would like to speak with you." she said sweetly.
I nodded my head. "Of course, send him in." I smiled.

Nicholas then walked in with a book. "Hello, Your Highness." he bowed as the girl exited the room.
"Nicholas, what is it?" I said as we walked towards each other.
"I've found it." He replied and smiled, holding the book out to me.
"What did you find?" I asked flipping through the first few pages of the book.
He put his hand under my chin, making me look up at him. "Hopefully a way out of your marriage."