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You took a deep breath and looked out to the valley beyond the castle grounds. Last night’s events rung in your mind, a painful feeling settling in your chest. King Anatoli’s mistreatment of you was all you could think about. Maybe he was right, maybe you would never be good enough for his son. After all, a peasant could never match up to the royal family. That’s at least what everyone thought about you.
Maybe leaving the castle was the solution. Maybe being a lowly servant your whole life isn’t what you wanted. Maybe Augustine wasn’t what you wanted. He wasn’t fighting to be with you, it was all some secret. You moved away from the window and glanced back at your small room, your small bed. Your mind drifted back to the night before.
“Y/N, my love, please, don’t take what my father says to heart,” Augustine was saying. He grabbed your hand in his, squeezing them desperately,
“But he completely disregarded me, he’ll never accept me,” you cried, ripping your hands away from his. “Much less as ‘your love.’”
Augustine paused, and you could never recall your heart dropping more than in that moment. He didn’t have an immediate response, your own words must have had some truth to them.
The pain of the memory brought you back to your own, still painful, reality. Snapping back, you began to rummage through your small, humble belongings. Arranging them hastily in your traveling bag, you feel tears starting to prickle in your eyes. How could you have been so foolish? To think that a Prince would ever love someone like you.
You grabbed the last of your things and took one last look at your room, one of the fondest places you’ve ever known. You took a step into the hallway, letting the weight of your decision finally hit you. After sneaking past all of the other servants, in far too much pain to say a proper goodbye, you finally reach the edge of the castle grounds, staring at the sprawling great beyond. What could possibly lie out there? Beyond the Kingdom? Beyond Augustine?
You walked for a peaceful while, taking in the fresh air and clouds in the sky, the slight chill in the air nipping at your exposed arms. You hadn’t thought much about the dress that you were wearing since you were in such a hurry to leave. The autumn leaves were now your comfort, the tall yellow grasses familiar to you.
All of the sudden, you heard a desperate echo through the valley.
“Y/N! Y/N!”
You drop your bag in shock, knowing that you would recognize his voice anywhere. It couldn’t be.
He came rushing through the valley, more desperate than you had ever seen him. His panic was practically palpable in the air round him as he reached you, grabbing your hands in his just as he had the night before.
“Augustine, what are you doing here?” you questioned, searching his face for an answer. “You should be at your coronation!”
“I couldn’t let you go,” he said, voice softer and more deprerte than ever.
“ What about your kingdom?! Your family?! Your ... your betrothed ... You can’t just abandon everything in your life! For what?! A lowly peasant, like ... me?” you lamented, now panicked yet excited about th possibility of a future together.
“ Y/N, my love, I have no life without you. I would give it all up ... just to be with you ... I only want you,” he professed, every bit of hesitation from the night before gone.
“I don’t know what to say, Augustine.”
“Say you’ll be with me.”
You smiled at him, all of your fears and worries melting away as you looked into his eyes. “Yes,” you whispered, joyful tears running down your face. “I’ll be with you.”
Right then, you knew that this was the beginning of forever.