In Your Eyes
Chapter Twenty-One
James was escorted to the dungeon as more guards left to track down Gazelle and her son. Mathias walked Arella to her room. He opened the door for her and was about to leave but she pulled him in, closing the door. She pressed her lips to his and he kissed her back.
“I do love you,” she whispered, her eyes closed, and he smiled. “I’m sorry I never told you.”
He kissed her passionately and led her to her bed.
-
Arella was still asleep when he woke up. He tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at her sleeping face. There was a gentle knock on the door.
“It’s just me,” Arella’s mother’s voice said and he quickly dressed. “How is she?” she whispered.
“She’s fine,” he whispered back, looking at her as she turned in her sleep. “She’s safe at least.”
“James has been sentenced to death,” the queen told him. “They found Gazelle.”
“What will happen to her?”
“We haven’t decided yet. Do you love my daughter?” she asked abruptly and he nodded, blushing again. The queen smiled. “Then find a way to show her.”
She left, closing the door quietly but it still woke Arella up. She smiled at him.
She redressed as he told her what the queen had said about James and Gazelle.
“I wish it wasn’t like this,” Arella said, leaning into his hug.
“Me, too,” he said. “Would you like to go on a ride later today?”
“I’d love that.”
-
By the time they reached the lake, the sun was starting to set. Mathias had packed a small dinner and brought a thick blanket for them to sit on and protect them from the snow. They settled on it.
“What’s in the basket?” she asked.
“I made this earlier,” he answered, pulling out a roasted duck.
“Ah, your specialty?” she asked, taking the plate he offered.
“Yes ma’am,” he smiled.
He watched as she took a bite.
“Oh, this is delicious!”
He grinned, taking a bite himself. “Why, thank you very much.”
As they ate, they watched the sun set into the trees.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“Everything that’s happened,” she answered, “in only one year. I’m really glad that they caught Paul’s murderer.” She frowned as she took a sip of wine. “I thought I’d be happy but I feel pity for James.”
“That makes sense,” he said and she looked at him in surprise. “People who are driven to murder are sick in one way or another. Whatever was wrong with him, he took it out on your family. Like I took my frustration out on you,” he added, looking away.
She covered his hand with hers. “Stop beating yourself up about that,” she whispered.
He smiled at her and pulled out the dessert.
“Your mother said you love chocolate cake.”
She clapped her hands and accepted it happily. “I do indeed.”
He laughed and leaned forward, wiping some off the corner of her mouth. Their eyes met and he kissed her lightly. She leaned into him and he rested his forehead against hers, his heart thudding. He swallowed and took a deep breath.
“I have to ask you something,” he breathed, putting the plates aside and taking her hands.
“What is it?”
“I love you very much,” he said, looking deep into her eyes and she smiled. “When we came here a year ago, I had no idea I’d be with you and I’m so glad I am. But I want more.” Hand shaking, he pulled a small box out of his pocket, provoking a gasp. He opened it to reveal an emerald engagement ring. “This was my grandmother’s,” he said, looking back up at her. There were tears in her eyes. “Will you marry me?”
She didn’t answer. She just stared at him, her mouth hanging open in surprise.
“You want to marry me?” she choked out eventually and he nodded, scooting closer to her.
“Do- Do you want to marry me?”
“But why?”
He slid the ring on her finger as he spoke. “Every morning, I see myself in the mirror and I can only think about what a mess I am. I’ve spent 25 years constantly worried about what the day would bring. My self-esteem is so low.” He looked up at her and caressed her cheek. “But when I look into your eyes, I don’t see that part of me. I can see your love for me. I can see you looking beyond my seizures. I only hope that, when you look into mine, you see the same thing.” She still didn’t answer and his heart fell. He reached to take the ring off. “I understand. I get it that-”
She silenced him by kissing him passionately. She wrapped her hands around his neck and he kissed her back. It was cold and he pulled her as close as he could as she ran a hand through his hair.
“Is that a yes?” he whispered into her lips and she giggled.
“It’s a yes,” she confirmed and kissed him again.
--
They rode back holding hands. Arella couldn’t take her eyes off of the ring glimmering in the moonlight. She hadn’t been this happy since long before her brother had died.
Mathias wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked into the palace. Her parents and Dorothy were still eating in the dining hall when they entered to share the news.
Her mother grinned and hugged her tightly as her father shook hands with Mathias.
“Oh it’s beautiful,” her mother said, holding her hand to look at the ring.
Dorothy kissed Arella’s cheek. “I’m so happy for the two of you.”
-
The wedding was held with much grandeur. Arella was wearing a long white dress and her hair was in braids. Mathias was dressed in a black suit and was grinning as she walked down the aisle, holding tight to her father’s arm.
Afterwards, Mathias carried her up to the room they would now share and the night brought more love and passion than Arella had ever experienced.
Gazelle was never executed. Instead, she was banished from the kingdoms they were allies with. Her parents were kind enough to give her provisions for her son before she left. Dorothy accepted the invitation to live permanently in the palace along with Mathias and started building the hospital.
Two years later, Arella gave birth to a baby boy they named Paul. The labor was hard, leaving her bedridden for a month. She didn’t mind, though. She had her son and Mathias spent as much time as he could with her. He started doing research and schooling to become a doctor like his mother but he wanted to specialize in arthritis and soon became famous for his discoveries.
Everything was just as Arella had dreamed it would be.
“I do love you,” she whispered, her eyes closed, and he smiled. “I’m sorry I never told you.”
He kissed her passionately and led her to her bed.
-
Arella was still asleep when he woke up. He tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at her sleeping face. There was a gentle knock on the door.
“It’s just me,” Arella’s mother’s voice said and he quickly dressed. “How is she?” she whispered.
“She’s fine,” he whispered back, looking at her as she turned in her sleep. “She’s safe at least.”
“James has been sentenced to death,” the queen told him. “They found Gazelle.”
“What will happen to her?”
“We haven’t decided yet. Do you love my daughter?” she asked abruptly and he nodded, blushing again. The queen smiled. “Then find a way to show her.”
She left, closing the door quietly but it still woke Arella up. She smiled at him.
She redressed as he told her what the queen had said about James and Gazelle.
“I wish it wasn’t like this,” Arella said, leaning into his hug.
“Me, too,” he said. “Would you like to go on a ride later today?”
“I’d love that.”
-
By the time they reached the lake, the sun was starting to set. Mathias had packed a small dinner and brought a thick blanket for them to sit on and protect them from the snow. They settled on it.
“What’s in the basket?” she asked.
“I made this earlier,” he answered, pulling out a roasted duck.
“Ah, your specialty?” she asked, taking the plate he offered.
“Yes ma’am,” he smiled.
He watched as she took a bite.
“Oh, this is delicious!”
He grinned, taking a bite himself. “Why, thank you very much.”
As they ate, they watched the sun set into the trees.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“Everything that’s happened,” she answered, “in only one year. I’m really glad that they caught Paul’s murderer.” She frowned as she took a sip of wine. “I thought I’d be happy but I feel pity for James.”
“That makes sense,” he said and she looked at him in surprise. “People who are driven to murder are sick in one way or another. Whatever was wrong with him, he took it out on your family. Like I took my frustration out on you,” he added, looking away.
She covered his hand with hers. “Stop beating yourself up about that,” she whispered.
He smiled at her and pulled out the dessert.
“Your mother said you love chocolate cake.”
She clapped her hands and accepted it happily. “I do indeed.”
He laughed and leaned forward, wiping some off the corner of her mouth. Their eyes met and he kissed her lightly. She leaned into him and he rested his forehead against hers, his heart thudding. He swallowed and took a deep breath.
“I have to ask you something,” he breathed, putting the plates aside and taking her hands.
“What is it?”
“I love you very much,” he said, looking deep into her eyes and she smiled. “When we came here a year ago, I had no idea I’d be with you and I’m so glad I am. But I want more.” Hand shaking, he pulled a small box out of his pocket, provoking a gasp. He opened it to reveal an emerald engagement ring. “This was my grandmother’s,” he said, looking back up at her. There were tears in her eyes. “Will you marry me?”
She didn’t answer. She just stared at him, her mouth hanging open in surprise.
“You want to marry me?” she choked out eventually and he nodded, scooting closer to her.
“Do- Do you want to marry me?”
“But why?”
He slid the ring on her finger as he spoke. “Every morning, I see myself in the mirror and I can only think about what a mess I am. I’ve spent 25 years constantly worried about what the day would bring. My self-esteem is so low.” He looked up at her and caressed her cheek. “But when I look into your eyes, I don’t see that part of me. I can see your love for me. I can see you looking beyond my seizures. I only hope that, when you look into mine, you see the same thing.” She still didn’t answer and his heart fell. He reached to take the ring off. “I understand. I get it that-”
She silenced him by kissing him passionately. She wrapped her hands around his neck and he kissed her back. It was cold and he pulled her as close as he could as she ran a hand through his hair.
“Is that a yes?” he whispered into her lips and she giggled.
“It’s a yes,” she confirmed and kissed him again.
--
They rode back holding hands. Arella couldn’t take her eyes off of the ring glimmering in the moonlight. She hadn’t been this happy since long before her brother had died.
Mathias wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked into the palace. Her parents and Dorothy were still eating in the dining hall when they entered to share the news.
Her mother grinned and hugged her tightly as her father shook hands with Mathias.
“Oh it’s beautiful,” her mother said, holding her hand to look at the ring.
Dorothy kissed Arella’s cheek. “I’m so happy for the two of you.”
-
The wedding was held with much grandeur. Arella was wearing a long white dress and her hair was in braids. Mathias was dressed in a black suit and was grinning as she walked down the aisle, holding tight to her father’s arm.
Afterwards, Mathias carried her up to the room they would now share and the night brought more love and passion than Arella had ever experienced.
Gazelle was never executed. Instead, she was banished from the kingdoms they were allies with. Her parents were kind enough to give her provisions for her son before she left. Dorothy accepted the invitation to live permanently in the palace along with Mathias and started building the hospital.
Two years later, Arella gave birth to a baby boy they named Paul. The labor was hard, leaving her bedridden for a month. She didn’t mind, though. She had her son and Mathias spent as much time as he could with her. He started doing research and schooling to become a doctor like his mother but he wanted to specialize in arthritis and soon became famous for his discoveries.
Everything was just as Arella had dreamed it would be.