3 years ago 
Back to the night after Matthias found out about Elianna
Rivia: On the Way Back to Royal Grounds

• Naailah •

Since they left Elianna's residence and entered the carriage, Matthias hadn't said a single word. The two of them simply sat in silence and the only sounds were the gentle rockings of the carriage as it travelled through the slightly uneven path of the street. Naailah had expected that seeing Elianna for himself would place him in a better mood, but facing him right now, she would conclude otherwise. His brows were still furrowed with a tight frown and his lips pursed into a thin line in an expression of unsettling emotions.

"A penny for your thoughts," she said in a quiet voice.

The sudden break of silence caused Matthias to jump as he whipped his head around to face her, a slight surprised flashed within his hazel eyes. When they locked gaze, Naailah felt unexpectedly apprehensive and she swallowed nervously while her hands bunched onto the soft silk of her kaftan. When his stare at her like that, her heart skipped a beat right in her chest and she was growing frantic about the rising heat from her neck to her face.

Of course, she also hadn't expected for Matthias to inch in close to her. The space between them was instantly pulled closer and now, she was forced to also hold onto her breath because she was too afraid to even breathe. 

Matthias stared at her for a moment too long before a peal of laughter sounded and his hand reached to pat gently on the top of her head. "Naailah, you're still you after all these years," he grinned. "It's been too long and I missed you." 

She understood fully what he meant and she could only sigh internally.

Just before she was born, a prophecy was made that Rivia would be anticipating a divine messenger. Separated since birth, she grew up in the Temple alone without the companion of a sibling or even a peer.

Every day, she spent most of her time learning the ancient scriptures under the supervision of the Priestess or Temple Keepers. Even after her designated study time, they had expected her to have quiet moments within the sacred compound. And because of her upbringing, no one would approach her because she was said to be 'different', or worse, 'weird'.

However, she was lucky that Rowan dotes on her very much and he would visit her whenever he arrived in Rivia. As always, he would also pull Matthias together with him to the Temple to play with her. 

Years of growing up together and all the happiness was soon crushed by the unfortunate incident that happened in Iftia's Royal Grounds years ago which changed their relationships forever.

When Rowan grew apart from Matthias, Matthias never showed up to play with her anymore. It had been years since she had the chance to be this close to him and it would be a lie to say that she hadn't missed him at all. When he showed up in Alnair today, she swore that all she had wanted was to wrap her arms around him and tell him how much she had longed for a chance to talk to him again. 

"Do you think Elianna would be safe there?" Matthias moved away from her and leaned his back on the backrest of his seat. He peered out of the window, in a general direction with an unfocused gaze.

A sudden pang of emotions hit her right in the chest when she heard his question, but she responded regardless, "Yes, she would be safe."

"Thank you, Naailah," he mentioned tenderly. "Thank you for taking care of her."

Then, a rush of tears surfaced at the back of her eyes when she noticed the amount of affection he held in his voice when he talked about Elianna. Dropping her head low, she responded, "It's only right for me to do that." 

She definitely hadn't expected her voice to crack and the nasal tone had betrayed her. The urge to cry grew larger as the ache in her chest magnified. Tears eventually fell from her eyes and she hated how vulnerable she felt right now but she could only wish that he would not notice how her body had started to tremble at her own weakness. 

"Naailah?" 

Since young, Matthias had been the most observant of the emotions of others and he noticed something was wrong with her almost instantly. In a moment, he moved from his seat and approached her in a careful manner. "Is something wrong?" 

Shaking her head, she refused to speak. It was during times like this that she had appreciated her timid self because if possessed by bravery, she may have blurted out all the truth. 

The truth that she had been in love with him since the day Rowan pulled him on his arm and he stumbled clumsily right into the Temple in front of her. She also didn't want to admit that she had seen him in her foretells and in those countless of times, it had always left her wondering whether those were her own dreams or an actual prophecy. 

More of it, she didn't want to say a word because she had despised the feelings that stirred within her. It wasn't right. It definitely wasn't right to feel these negative emotions towards the only friend she had made after her entire life of being alone in that Temple.

In all gratefulness, the carriage came to a stop. She shot up from her seat immediately and left in a hurry. Hurried steps brought her across the courtyard and she entered into her palace without looking back even once. 

Yet, it was still painful that he hadn't stopped her. Not even a single attempt. She dragged her own feet back into her quarters, hoping to hide in the safety of her own space because her emotions felt so brittle right now that it had threatened to shatter in any second if she were to stay within the radius of his presence.

※

After her bath, Fariah sat her in front of the vanity and dabbed her long hair dry with a towel in hand. Then, she combed through those straight black strands with a wooden comb while Naailah sat quietly with knees tucked close to her chest, listening to the wind chimes tinkling by the arched windows. 

She was still feeling upset that she had left in a rush a moment ago, knowing that she may not have another chance to meet Matthias after this time. Vexed by it, she buried her face to her knees and let out a sigh.

"Princess," Fariah called her from behind, brushing the comb through another section of her hair.

"Hmm?" she responded silently.

"Could you be thinking about the Second Prince of Iftia?" Fariah's assumption struck fast into her chest right away, making it hurt a little more than it already did.

"I'm not," she lied even when she knew that Fariah would be able to see right through her.

"Prince Matthias' carriage is still in Alnair and he had been sitting in the Amphitheater since the both of you returned to the Royal Grounds from Ajayib."

At Fariah's words, Naailah immediately turned her entire self around and looked at her with wide eyes. She gasped, "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

"You seemed like you didn't want to talk about it," Fariah mentioned before she called out in a panic voice. "Princess? Wait— You are still in your nightgown!"

For the first time, Naailah had disregarded every composure that she was taught to maintain as she ran through the empty hallways of her palace. The night breeze of the desert collided against her entire being. Wind in hair, cold tiles against her bare feet and the soft fabric of her nightgown pressed to her skin, she had refused to stop. She carried herself in that speed until she reached the Amphitheater and saw a familiar figure right in front of her. Heart pounding, rasping throat, leaden feet and a breathtaking presence ahead of her, this was the exact same scene she had seen innumerable times through her gift of foretell.

Matthias spun around and peered towards her with an equally surprised expression on his face. However, he recovered rather quickly and whispered her name in the softest and kindest quietness, "Naailah."

"This can't be real." She held onto her breath as she looked towards him. 

Matthias was no longer the small boy she once knew and remembered from years ago. He was so much taller but some things about him never changed. His eyes were still a striking shade of hazel, and everything about him was filled with pleasantness and tenderness. 

Under all the starlight and moonlight that had surrounded him with a silvery halo, she watched as his hair and the thin shawl on his shoulder flowed with rhythms of the wind. The corner of his lips had lifted into a slight smile as he stretched an arm out towards her. She had also noticed the glimpse of sadness and precariousness etched in his captivating features. 

Without a second thought, she launched into his hold and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her face was buried into his chest as all the bottled emotions tipped over instantly. The relief she felt when she was encircled within the comfort of his arms was indescribable. 

Matthias placed a hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her head as he slowly pulled her in. Despite the coldness of the night, she felt the comfortable warmth of his skin beneath all the fabric of his sherwani. When he held her close, her chilled body was instantly thawed from the cold. Matthias was fire. But he had wrapped her in a kind of heat that was soft like a flickering flame of a candle. Whispering in her hair, he asked, "You're wearing so little, why were you running in the cold?" 

"Why are you still here?" She hadn't answered his question.

"I couldn't leave." There was a tinge of hurt in his voice. "Not after I've seen you cry, precious."

He had called her by the nickname that he had for her when they were little. Rather than trying to force out words from her tongue-tied self, she closed her arms together around him. A soft laugh sounded and he gently pried her arms off him. He lowered himself slightly and lifted her by the waist to carry her in his hold. 

Sitting down, he rested her on his lap before he assertively placed his face close to hers. Their foreheads touched and she held onto her breath again. Chuckling softly, he said her name, "Naailah." 

"I missed you," she blurted with a surfacing cry again. "I missed you, Matthias." 

"And when have I stopped?" he exhaled, almost sighing. "I missed you dearly too, precious." 

"You haven't come to me in years," she whimpered.

"Doesn't mean that I don't watch you from afar," he responded sadly. "I apologise that I don't have it in my power to come to you sooner."

"You don't need power or anything to come to me." She rested her palms on the sides of his face. "I only care about you." 

"Naailah." She felt him stiffen and there was a significant pause before he spoke again. "I overheard about the plans for your marriage." 

She dropped her hands immediately. Averting her gaze, she looked far and exhaled, "About that..." 

"Do you know of your potential partner?" 

"Father still couldn't decide," she responded quietly, forcing out a smile. "But he had mentioned briefly of a young heir of a Duke in Iftia." 

"Would you be happy?" 

"Does my happiness matter?" she smiled sadly. "At least, I won't be trapped within the walls of a Temple and I would be closer to you and Rowan." 

"And you're accepting as it is?" An unknown wave of anger had marred the clear quality of his voice. "You're going to marry a person in which you don't even know whether you would be happy?" 

"I'm already of marriageable age, Matthias. It is, therefore, my duty as a princess of this Kingdom to be engaged off in exchange for a mutual benefit."

"Do you know that the candidature is still open?" he asked. 

"What about it?" She definitely knew about it since Father could yet decide who she shall be married to. 

"If it could be anyone," he paused a little before continuing. "I'll fill my name in too." 

"What?" she drew in a shallow breath. 

"Or had you mind that I'm only a prince in name?" he asked harshly. 

The pain in his tone pierced right through her chest and she quickly felt a sudden temper growing inside of her. Her hands slide down to his shoulder to grip tightly on the fabric of his suit. Slanting her mouth against his, she placed a brief but desperate kiss on his lips. The sadness and anger rose as she blurted out once again, "Did you even give me a chance to talk to you or to even get close to you in these years? Have I ever said that I cared about reign and power? You could be a royal, a noble or a commoner and I would still love you the same. I love you, Matthias. I love you since the very day you appeared right into my life. It's only unfair that you had assumed the worst out of me." 

Raising his hand to cup her cheek, his thumb brushed again the corner of her eye to take away a falling tear. Filled with remorse, he quickly apologised, "Naailah, I'm sorry." 

"You're horribly mean," she sobbed and hiccuped embarrassingly but there was nothing that could stop the tears from flowing at this moment in time.

"What should I do for you to forgive me?" he pleaded. "Please don't cry, you're breaking my heart, precious."

"Marry—"

"Pardon?"

"Marry me, then!" she shouted snappishly at him and it took him by surprise that she had broken away from her usual composure and quietness as he stared at her with wide eyes. But the stun was quickly replaced with a burst of laughter as he wrapped his hand on the back of her neck and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm going to ask for your hand in marriage," he grinned at her, with all the soft gentleness that she was most familiar with. "Promise me that you'll pick my name." 

Little did Matthias know that she had already carved his name within her heart and whispered her love to him a million times. 

 ━━━━━━━━━━  

My precious babies belong together. I hope you enjoyed this concluding chapter and got a deeper understanding of Naailah. Matthias and her would play a very important role in the next book and I would like to introduce them earlier to everyone. 

As promised, the title of the last book is Blooddebt. I hope to get it up as soon as possible! 

Here's the theme quote for the next book: 

"non timebo mala."
(i will fear no evil.) 

※

let's meet again soon!