Epilogue.
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He hated everything about this little island. The people were nice and their lifestyle was peaceful and colourful. He hated the harsh sun that was always harsher to him because he was always wearing black. He wished to go back to Nayak as soon as possible and have his mother pampered with sweets from Ruqgu. In his entire seventeen years of life, he has never for once stepped out of Nayak but his father had sent him to Holcomb after his elder sister who was getting married to a nobleman from the island.
He doesn’t get along with Princess Aria, she was always self-centered and a little bit bitchy even though his mother warned him not to address his elder sister like that. He prefers the company of Princess Estella since they were raised together with his immediately younger sister Nabi. The three of them were like triplets. Estella is the brainy one out of them but often ignored by their father the King which makes her lack a little bit of self-esteem, she is also clumsy and tends to make mistakes most time but she is extremely intelligent which makes the Queen love her even though she wasn’t the Queen’s daughter. It was said that the Queen was holding Princess Estella while defending herself against the evil princess at Natalí’s temple.
Prince Nasir was the cool, strong, and calculated one among them. He was much closer to the king among the three, being his hair and all. From a younger age, he had to learn how to wield the strength that Nati blessed him with under the guidance of the King. He looked so much like the king that you could mistake them for each other but he has some of his mother’s features also, like her big eyeballs and her thin nose. Even though his eyes took the shape of the Queen’s eyes, they were still grey just like his father’s so it was hard to notice. He was quite handsome and with the giant body that comes with his lineage, he was very popular among the ladies, especially the minister’s daughters. He was always cold and distant but they never gave up on him.
Nabi on the other hand was the spoilt brat, outspoken and violent. Opposite of Estella, She would rather train with sweaty men with custom-made daggers than read a book or learn literature. She loves her weapons more than cosmetics, she is far away from what you would call an elegant princess. Boys around her age were scared of approaching even though she was beautiful. She was the only princess with grey eyes, obviously the king’s favorite. She has a petty habit of sending off noblewomen away from her brother. She believes that she was only keeping him holy for his true Queen.
The three of them may be different but they were inseparable and they watch each other’s back. Well until their eldest sister fell in love with the son of a nobleman who visited Nayak for the first time. Nasir sometimes wonders how the man managed to thaw the ice in Aria’s heart. She has always been a bitch to anyone and wouldn’t even talk to her siblings but fell in love with a stranger? He didn’t say a word but his father had asked him to escort her safely to Holcomb and come back after the wedding.
The experience has been nice so far but he just wishes they would get over the wedding quickly so he can go back home. He missed Nabi and Estella already and he can’t wait to train with Uncle Valtar once again.
He grabbed his sword tighter as he walked along the buzzing Street of Holcomb, his mother’s jade bracelets that were infused with Natalí’s tears clinked on his wrists as he kept walking. The clinks always calm his mind and remind him that his mother and Natalí are both with him. The wedding will happen the next day and he wants to roam around alone without facing his nervous elder sister for some minutes.
As he entered the busy part of the market, the bracelets stopped clinking and he stopped in his tracks. He looked around and found a swift shadow among the people. He took a deep breath and went after the person immediately. He sped through the people as he followed the thief with his unnatural speed. Soon he caught up with the thief and grabbed the thief’s clothes. He yanked him backward and threw him a punch which the thief dodged swiftly.
He almost chuckled at the movement, no one had ever dodged his move before. The thief threw a punch to distract him but he caught his hands and twisted it backwards. He didn’t expect the soft voice he heard. Using his free hand, he removed the mask on the thief’s face as he was met with the most beautiful set of blue eyes he had ever seen.
She was beautiful, she reminded him of Natalí’s face in the drawings. She was ethereal with her small face, her blue eyes, her small button nose, and her soft plum lips. How can such a beautiful woman be a thief?
” I will return your bracelet, just don’t report me” She spoke suddenly and he blinked twice to break himself out of his trance. He has never lost himself in front of a woman before but the petty thief got him good.
” Hand it over,” He said releasing just one of her arms. She dipped her hand inside her pocket and brought out the two bracelets but dropped it instantly. The tears inside the bracelet already stirred awake and were now shining brightly. Nasir released her fully and bent to pick up the bracelet but before he could, she was out of his sight already.
” I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to steal from you,” She said running as fast as she could. Nasir picked up the bracelet which was now going back to normal with a gasp but she was nowhere to be found. He wished he hadn’t chased her, that way he might have just lost only the bracelet but she has a greater part of him with her now. His heart. And he doesn’t know where to look for her, not even her name and he is to return to Nayak in the next few days.