Cosmic Love

It had been a long day, a very long day. The way he just jumped off into the forest as if nothing could hurt him intrigued me. I tried to tell a servant, but they looked at me like I was ridiculous. They would say, Ivy, you're probably just tired, and the heat just took advantage of that. You should stay in and sleep for the rest of the day.

Tired? No, I wasn't tired. I was fully awake and the questions wouldn't stop filling my mind. I couldn't answer them, the servants wouldn't answer them, but who would? Not Mary or my parents, nobody would. Only Peter would be able to answer them. He's probably dead by now though. Nobody makes it out of the forest alive.

Mary had been busy cleaning and catering to the villagers that came from town, getting drinks, food, and escorting them out. There hadn't been much time for us to speak, and my mother hadn't been feeling well and went to sleep early. My questions would have to be answered by myself. Tonight would be the night that I'd break my promise to Mary. Tonight, I will go into the forest.

I walked down several corridors with my fingers grazing the walls. The fires were illuminating everything and shining through the windows. Anybody who walked through the halls admired the beauty of the paintings and stained glass. I thought they were beautiful when I was younger, but now all I see are the spoiled lives of old kings and queens. My father saw it too, he hated the fact that he had to keep them up out of respect. If he could, that would be the first thing to leave the castle.

I turned right and opened the main chamber doors. My father sat on his throne entertaining villagers, and smiling. He looked so happy and at peace. Everything about the scene made my heart swell with admiration. I walked forward so that I could speak with him, I did the normal routine, bow and smile.

"Oh, my beautiful Ivy. Look at you, so angelic." He cupped my face as he spoke. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He never drinks unless the occasion is special. "What have you done today my lovely?"

I sat in my throne and stared at him, he looked so wise. It was like if you told him something, he'd never judge you or sentence death upon you. He rarely did that anyways.

"I enjoyed the day in the sun. I took a swim, and picked some flowers for my quarters. How was the visit to the village?" I didn't tell him the full truth. I didn't swim, what I did do was meet a strange man in the garden.

"It was eventful. We told the village about the arrangements on your marital status. I told them the importance of you being married soon, and if you did not choose soon, I'd arrange it."

He didn't look at me, he felt bad about what he was doing. It was in my blood to know what he was feeling, he was my father. I was angry with him for this, but I forgave him. Forgiveness is how this family works, it's always how we've worked.

"Daddy, I'm not mad at you, not anymore. I understand what you're trying to do, and I know you mean no harm." I stood up and straightened out my dress, "I just came down to tell you that I love you and I miss you. If anything happens to any of us, I just want you to know that I love all of you." I leaned down and wrapped my arms around him loosely.

"We love you too Ivy, nothing will ever happen." He hugged me back tightly before letting go.

I left the chamber and sped walked down the corridor again trying to get to my living quarters. I had to change out of this gown, get a little bag to put my tiara in, and put a different lose fitting gown on. The last thing I did before leaving for the forest was write a note to Mary. I know she'll never forget what I'm going to do tonight. She'll never forget me breaking a promise. She'll never forget knowing I'm dead. The feather glided against the paper, smoothly making loops and curves. I wrote as neatly as I could, it was a hard task when you're shaking with fear and excitement. I put the note on my pillow after signing and sealing it with a kiss.

I walked out into the summer air; it was hot and sticky against my skin. You could smell the rain in the air, maybe late tonight, early tomorrow morning it will begin, but right now. The forest is mine. Every dream I've had about it is going to be reality in only a few minutes. Every wonder will be put to rest. I steadily descended from the balcony stairs, walking through the freshly cut grass to the wall. It was intimidating up close, I'd have to find some way to scale it. The wind picked up and brought all the smells from the kingdom to me, it was home. I already missed it and the ones I love. The smell of sunshine and the ocean came along with it. The smell was so sweet and alluring. It always seems to instantly calm me down.

"I thought you'd never come." a mans voice spoke confidently. "I almost thought about giving up there for a minute, then I saw you coming down the stairs."

The man stepped out of the light and revealed himself. It was Peter. He looked even more handsome than what he had earlier. His hair was tousled and his shirt was revealing more than what I had seen earlier in the day. If anything was perfect, it had to be him.

"How did you know?" I asked, "are you taking up stalking?" I couldn't help but smile at the way he chuckled and looked down at me.

"I can smell curiosity from a mile away. I can also tell by the way you look at the forest when you're out during the day, and sometimes at night. The other night, when you were screaming, that wasn't too pretty, it hurt our ears." He mumbled the last part and leaned against the wall.

"Our?"

"My family." His face was distant, but his eyes were dancing with excitement. He ran a steady hand through his hair.

"So you are stalking me." It was more of a statement than a question.

"No, just looking. We really should get this show on the road." He took my satchel and put it around his shoulders. He laughed and reached into it. "Here, you may want to put this on." He handed me my tiara and laughed. "Safety. Just in case."

"What about the werewolves?" I asked, maybe the heat is to extreme for them.

"Oh, they're out here. We'll most likely see them, but don't worry about them. They won't hurt you or even bother you. They're harmless." He smirked at me and bent down a little. "You're going to need to get on my back. So I can climb the wall."

Something about the smirk put me on edge. Ivy, you shouldn't trust a stranger who was stealing from your garden. I pushed the voice out of my head and did as I was told. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and my legs around his waist. He touched one of my feet and laughed at them. What was wrong with them?

"Heels? In the forest? Really?" He laughed as he unfastened them and threw them in the bag. "I'll just carry you wherever you want to go."

"I only own heels, being royal and all." I rolled my eyes at him. I honestly hadn't thought about my shoes or my feet at all. Think the heavens I wasn't alone.

He only shook his head. I tightened my legs around him as he started scaling the wall. I rested my cheek against his back not being able to look forward, or look back at what I was leaving behind. His muscles were flexing and tightening because of the erratic movements he was making. That sweet smell was so strong and I realized that it wasn't a flower. The smell I had dreamed about wasn't a flower at all, wasn't anything remotely close to that.

It was him. It was Peter.