It was late afternoon when Lianne and Ruen went out of his private cabin. When they ascended to the main deck, they saw Captain Marxe already holding two green 12-inch long candles with intricately-carved flower petals on it.
“Your Majesty, you wouldn’t want to miss the festivities,” the captain proclaimed, his eyes beaming with excitement.
Ruen, who was now wearing a black overcoat, accepted the candles and then slid them under his coat into a wide pocket. “Thank you, Captain,” he said.
Lianne gave both of them a puzzling look. “What are the candles for?” She directed her question to the King, but he only gave her a smile.
“Let’s go, Lianne. It’s almost time,” Ruen stated as he offered his hand to her, acting secretive.
“Start what?” Lianne asked, but was then left in awe when she saw, from the deck, the main harbor crowded with a lot of people standing, holding with them green candles, already lighted.
“What are they doing, Ruen?” Lianne exclaimed. She had never seen a sight such as this considering she was held inside the mansion’s walls all her life.
“They are waiting for the sunset, Lianne. Today is the feast of harvest, and the way to thank the sun for having assisted the farmers in their crops is to have a candle lighted when its sunset,” Ruen explained thoroughly. He saw the princess already admiring the whole activity, her eyes glowing with anticipation.
“Come!” he said, then hastily grabbed her left hand, pulling her along with him down the connecting ramp.
The moment they were inside the black carriage, the coachman drove towards the main harbor. He had much ease driving at first, but as they neared the main harbor, he began to have a hard time maneuvering the horses as there was a moderate crowd of people already piling up the road.
Ruen noticed the commotion and ordered the coachman to stop.
“Its okay, Harv, we will walk from here,” he stated. “You don’t mind walking, Lianne?”
“No. Actually, this would be better. I want to witness all of the events and to feel what it feels like attending a festivity like this,” she answered.
Ruen gave a nod of agreement.
They both stepped out of the carriage and joined the locals walking towards the main harbor. When all of them noticed the King, however, they bent their heads to acknowledge his presence.
“Thank you, but please don’t mind us. We’re here to share your celebration together,” Ruen exclaimed.
Lianne beamed a smile towards the crowd as they continued their way into the harbor.
“You never told me it’s the town’s festival today,” she stated.
“I intended to surprise you,” was his reply. He looked kindly at her as they walked together on the concrete road.
“And you did! Thank you,” Lianne replied with appreciation twinkling in her eyes.
On Ruen’s right side, the waves were splashing along the beams that supported the road. The sky now has a broad palette of orange and red with a touch of bluish-black behind the clouds. The sea breeze was now colder, making him take off his coat and place it on Lianne’s back. He took the two candles out of the pocket, gave one for the princess, and saved the other for himself.
“You’re welcome, Your Highness,” he answered with a warm smile.
“Wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable though? You said you’re not accustomed to joining things like this.” Lianne didn’t forget about what the maidservants used to comment about him. He was an aloof person, never attending banquets and balls in or outside of the Regaleria mansion since he was still a child.
Ruen shifted his eyes to look at the heavy crowd in the main harbor and answered, “It won’t matter if I’m with you.”
Taken aback by his reply, she blushed slightly and did not pursue the matter anymore.
They found a good place to situate themselves, standing not too far or not too close with the crowd. They also lit their candles together. The burning flames immediately brightened the whole area as the sunset continued.
“Ah! Breathtaking,” she proclaimed, seeing the magnificent scenery in her front.
“Yes, truly,” he answered, but was not looking at the sunset, but her.
A few moments later, darkness covered the horizon, and the only thing that brightened the harbor were the candles. Lianne saw the crowd of people starting to break up, the majority of them heading to the main street.
“I meant to ask you something,” she asked simply, turning to face him.
“What is it, Lianne?”
She had always wondered about the picture frame she bought at the Norfew village. She knew it was him in the picture, but a rather different one. “What was your childhood like? I was wondering how you ended up under Garlow’s care.”
Ruen gazed at her with eyes like the intensity of the burning flame of the candle he was holding. He exhaled deeply, feeling defeated. He turned to face the now black sea and began to relive the buried memories in his mind.
“I was seven when Garlow attacked my parent’s kingdom, the Kingdom of Since,” he started in a pained voice. “He killed all of my family; my parents, including my infant sister and her nursemaid. We were Garlow’s first few conquests in his early stage of being king here in Regaleria. He found me and the moment our eyes met-” Ruen stopped and smiled to himself in disbelief. “I don’t know, maybe it was my revengeful stare at him, or that I lack any emotion of fear, that he took me in his mansion as his son and taught me to become his future heir. Like him, cold and callous. And I excelled in that aspect of course.”
Lianne was only silent as he narrated his past. As much as it was painful for her to remember her own melancholy, she knew it was hard for him to relive his own too. She saw his cold stare towards the sea and remembered how much she always felt annoyed seeing those cold eyes in the past. Now, she realized that behind those blank eyes, there was loneliness too.
“Though I, again and again, plotted my revenge, it didn’t matter anymore,” Ruen continued to recount. “Actually, I almost convinced myself I naturally lack any emotions. But of course, that ridiculous belief was erased when I first met you in the greenhouse,” he stated as he shifted his eyes to her. His genuine gaze made her heart skip a beat.
“Ruen…” She spoke his name tenderly, slid her hands under his arms, and rested her head on his shoulder ultimately giving him an embrace.
“Lianne,” he whispered. “My life before you came was an empty space. When I was still a small boy climbing up trees so that I could touch the stars was my only solace. I longed to touch them badly but knowing the fact that I can’t only drag me to darkness even more. You gave me light and for that, I am thankful.”
Her embrace tightened as she heard him say that. “I’m sorry, Ruen. I didn’t-”
“Shhhh…”
She was cut mid-sentence when he placed a finger on her lips.
“Right now, everything is just right. You don’t need to feel sad for me. You had gone through so much in your own way also. That’s why I promise now, I would do all I can, to protect your smile and your freedom and especially, protect you.”
Their eyes locked and without any reservation, he kissed her tenderly like it was their first kiss.
Lianne’s heart fluttered with passion. At last, they had opened up their pains and desires. What more could bring them down?
To Ruen, he knew exactly what it was and it increased his apprehension even more. He has been researching about the prophecy and all the more he knows, it made him all the more scared for Lianne. The Felic book did mention about her blood as the ultimate sacrifice and that alone he knew the future will be filled with obstacles for both of them.
***
Cain reached the Regaleria Port after only an hour of riding. It was sunset when he arrived and then headed directly to find the princess. Thinking that the King and the princess could be at one of the royal ships, he went straight ahead to the main harbor, but he was unable to continue his way there as the roads were blocked by the huge crowd. Walking on foot now would be a better idea this time so that’s what he did.
He tied his horse in a metal post and made a quick stop at a nearby tavern that he was quite well-acquainted with. He swung the door open and saw a lot of guests inside; however, he immediately caught sight of the man he was looking for, a man known to effortlessly battle the temperamental seas of Regaleria.
After a few minutes of talking with the man, Cain exited the tavern hurriedly with a devious expression on his face.
Ruen and Lianne continued to join the festivities of the town. They headed towards where the crowd gathered once again, this time to the main street of the Rassington town that interconnected the main harbor. There were no more candles that lighted the streets, instead, there were a lot of neon-colored lights glowing which were hung next to the flaglets. Drumbeats were heard all over the area and trumpets playing in a symphony. There was merriment everywhere. Laughter and singing were rich in the air.
Lianne was again in awe with all of it. They both stayed in an elevated platform near a hat shop. A place Ruen specifically chose so that Lianne could clearly see everything going on in the streets. She couldn’t take her eyes off the colorful costumes that many of the locals were wearing. Colorful feathers of birds on their heads, and shining beads and fringes covering their clothes.
Across the street, a couple of feet away from them, Cain was already hastily maneuvering himself out of the main street to the main harbor. As he passed by a group of drunkards dancing to the tune of the drums, he unexpectedly spotted the woman he had been looking for.
Time seemed to stand still as he gazed at Lianne standing at the platform, looking lively and with a beaming smile across her face. This was the same smile he loved since he first saw her. No pretensions. No reservations.
She was like a goddess standing in the platform, but that vision slowly crumbled down as he noticed the man standing beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist. Immediately, a searing feeling of anger exploded out of him. He curled his fist into a ball realizing his suspicions could be right.
‘Now is the right time. Now definitely is the right time,’ he thought to himself furiously.
***
“You did mention you want some hot chocolate muffins right?” Ruen stated to the princess after he eyed a small bakery adjacent to the hat shop.
Lianne looked at him and replied, “Yes I did, but I don’t think that’s available here.”
Ruen smiled and touched a tress of her hair. “You can stay here for a minute. I’ll buy some for you over there,” he said as he pointed the bakery.
“Oh, Ruen, you really don’t need to,” Lianne answered, hesitant for him to leave her, but seeing how insistent Ruen was, she conceded.
Just as he stepped down the platform, a massive float of a lion, covered with numerous different flowers turned up to their street. The crowd was in rapture, shouting and waving at the float. Many quickly swarmed the side of the street, few on the benches and a couple managed to stand up beside Lianne on the platform.
Lianne saw the massive lion and admired the complexity and creativity of it. She noticed the reaction of all the people also, seeing them all hyped up upon the arrival of the float. She smiled in amazement.
She noticed two strangers now beside her. One on her right was a young woman, about twenty years of age. She was as much in awe as the princess was and pretty too, wearing a green wide-brimmed feather hat. The other on her left was a man, about the forties of age, lifting a small boy up over his shoulders. The child’s laughter was a melody in her ears. He was definitely ecstatic, based on the way his face brightened up upon seeing the lion.
“I finally found you, Lianne,” a low male voice suddenly emerged from her back. Then, she felt two hands on each side of her shoulder, situating her in place. She wasn’t able to turn around to see who it was, but when he spoke again, this time close to her ear, she realized who the man was.
“I have been looking everywhere for you Lianne,” he announced.
“Cain?!” Lianne exclaimed in surprise.
She tried to turn to look at him but he didn’t let her, still holding her shoulders tightly. The liveliness of the area seemed to turn dim as she felt something wasn’t right. Her eyes scanned speedily trying to find the King, but she was unsuccessful.
“I want you to come with me to Olga, Lianne,” Cain offered in a stern voice.
Lianne frowned. She felt her heart beating rapidly as she remembered their last argument in the Soulisse mansion. She wasn’t ready to forgive him then. She wasn’t ready to forgive him now, either. “You know I can’t do that, Cain,” she replied simply.
Cain hissed in disappointment. “Why? Because you found your friendship with him enjoying?” He didn’t miss to add sarcasm in his words.
“Cain, stop this nonsense,” Lianne voiced out through clenched teeth.
Like lightning, he forcefully hauled her out of the railing, holding tightly her right arm. “Come with me now!”
“Cain! No!” Lianne vehemently protested. She scanned her eyes again hoping to find Ruen in the crowd, and there he was standing a few feet away from the platform facing her, looking almost as alarmed and surprised as she was.