Archie had finally done his last inspection of their perimeter, he was now ready to head back inside his house to take a rest. Closing the gate of their farm, Archie stretched his back and arms to alleviate his ache. Watching the sky turn its colors for the night, a figure in his peripheral view grabbed his attention.
The lad was stunned by who he saw, it was Francheska. Not only because of how long it has been, for she did not wear any disguise on her way here, except for the cloak to hide her form.
Seeing Francheska in the open field, something was stirring inside Archie’s stomach and it was not sitting right. His guts tell him that there was something she was about to tell him, not about her new title for everyone already knows that.
“Archie, I have something to tell you.” Francheska slowly closed their distance.
Archie could only walk them to a log where they could sit together, he got a hunch that it would be long.
When they sat, Francheska sucked a deep breath and exhaled heavily so that her back hunched like baggage just fell on her shoulders.
“I’m sorry Archie, the words that you might hear from me will change your views about me. I cannot tell you everything– it is not enough but,” taking off her bag and handing it on his lap, “this, I wrote everything that you need to know–”
“This is goodbye right?” he asks her.
Francheska’s eyes were watery, but she fought for them not to fall.
“Yes, this is goodbye, Archie.”
Setting the bag on the grass, Archie took her hands on his.
“I’m just a commoner who cannot provide you enough for what you already are–”
“No no, you know that I am struggling in this position, but do not forget what they will do to you– especially you.” Francheska cut him off, hoping he would not say anything she expected.
“Run away with me, let's leave this place– just you and me. The world can just be damned for all I care, with you by my side.”
The pain was visible on Francheska’s face, hearing those words from him was like ‘she’ was at that moment where ‘he’ also proposed the same thing to her.
Where ‘he’ would always bring comfort, joy, and surprises, ‘he’ made her realize that living was not that bad after all despite all the criticism, abuse from her family, crazy fans, rumors, and scandals. ‘He’ and her best friend would be the ones to pull her out of her negative thoughts– show her that there are people who appreciate and defend her hard work, that she should focus on them… but, the bad always win, and look what happened to her– she died.
‘She’ knows the dreadful reality of what would happen to people like Archie.
Francheska pulled him into a tight hug. Closing her eyes, she could not help but have her thoughts filled with ‘him’ how they did not have a proper closure like this, how ‘she’ could have saved ‘him’ in ways she had.
“I miss you. And I- I–” Francheska could not say it, it's too painful to utter such a word even though it’s just three words.
Francheska felt Archie’s hug tighten his arms around her.
“I love you, Francheska–”
“--but you don't know who I am.”
“Yes, you are right I don’t know who you are, but all I know is you are a person who is kind, smart, cunning, pretty, and the one I love,” Archie loosened his head and grabbed Francheska to face him, to see the truth behind her eyes– her real answer, “Love me now, and till the rest of my days I will love you forever.”
Francheska’s chest tightened from his genuine confession, she was defeated– it was a battle she could not handle. There was passion, and determination in his eyes, Francheska could tell that– it was visible but she knew better.
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“You do not know me Archie, but I know about ‘them’, and what they will do to you.” Her head fell to look at the ground.
“I’m sorry Archie…” she mumbled, Francheska assumed she was heard because she felt his hands lose weight on her sidearms and stood up from the log she was sitting on.
“You and I live a completely different world,” Francheska turned her back to him and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks– she could not face him, “You can live a life you want, while I don’t–”
“That life I want is with you–”
“--you deserve a life Archie not with me… someone that you don’t have to worry about things like knights from my family looking for you– you will become my family’s bounty with a high reward!” Francheska shouted that the big field was not able to cover her loud voice, a wind blowing its way as if trying to calm her rising emotion.
“I can live a life without you around– that you are living well,” Francheska finally dared to face him, who surprisingly was already standing with her.
She hovered her hands near his cheeks that she stopped mid-way after realizing what he was about to act, and Archie moved his head for her touch.
“All I want for you is to live– and that is enough for me.”
“--but not to me…”
She wanted to comfort him, the pain that she saw in him was unbearable but it was best not to mend his heart– that was the purpose, to hurt him and make an end to it.
[https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/92684946-843e-4d5f-bd40-760d09e1c780/dgi9obg-48cc8de4-51fc-4acb-8a4b-be53a110c2a1.jpg/v1/fit/w_800,h_1200,q_70,strp/the_colors_of_reality_by_se54_dgi9obg-414w-2x.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTIwMCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzkyNjg0OTQ2LTg0M2UtNGQ1Zi1iZDQwLTc2MGQwOWUxYzc4MFwvZGdpOW9iZy00OGNjOGRlNC01MWZjLTRhY2ItOGE0Yi1iZTUzYTExMGMyYTEuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTgwMCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.4IfmOaePWhzD3mstn7_6WLJ-Gbguvgrf8OR2soOt1ZE]
‘I'm sorry I could not spend this lifetime with you, I love you deeply from the bottom of my heart.’
Roughly removing her hand from his cheek, she then put on the hoodie of her cloak above her head and started to run her way back from the road she took.
Francheska then turned away, leaving her thoughts, plans, past life, the truth, and everything on him– never looking back on her first love– she did not have any courage, there was no time, no future for them, and no hope for the past.
Unbeknownst to Francheska a loyal knight of hers was following her.
----------------------------------------
After successfully crossing the gates of their property, Francheska realized that someone was waiting for her… not her trusted maid Shelly but her knight.
Walking past him, she could hear his footsteps behind her following.
“Your Highness what were you doing, you could have gotten yourself killed! And meeting a commoner in the dead of the night!? I know I'm in no position to ask you this, your highness but what were you thinking!?” the knight was full of concern and anger.
“Knight!” she shouted.
“I know your top priority is me and your life depends on my existence but you have no right to question my every move.”
“Your Highness when words get out of this…” the knight trailed off, as his eyes widened in shock at the dread realization, "you- he is not just a commoner is it?”
Francheska could only squeeze her eye shut and pursed her lips at the words that were about to be spoken
"You love him"
With a defeated look on her face, Francheska could only look at the ground as she sucked in a deep breath and spoke her truth.
"Yes."
“Your Highness knows that you are endangering the life of that commoner right!? You're going to have him killed by your love– literally!” His frustration was voiced.
“I know I know I am no fool knight!” Francheska shouted angrily, “So no need to tell the fucking obvious.”
“Your Highness it seems you are not looking the problem right to your face.”
Walking close to him, Francheska grabbed the collar of his shirt making him surprisingly for Francheska to stumble his back on the bricked wall.
“What do you know huh? You do not know me knight which same goes for me– I know nothing about you and I do not care. So do not lecture me about this, like you know anything about love.”
The knight could only scoff and had Francheska unhand him.
“You, a noble like you know love? give me a break, the world must be ending. Nobles are taught commoners and civilians like nothing, your Highness– your love for that commoner is nothing you are just playing with his life–”
The knight was able to finish his sentence before a loud slap echoed the night and the hard face of the knight was imprinted with a red mark.
“It was between his life or mine. I was prepared for everything that I built now to be lost– gone forever like the wind just for him…”
Francheska could not contain herself as the plans that she kept on thinking on those days of how she would face Archie and the 'what-ifs' in her mind– but she knew better that it would only go smoothly in her mind.
Tears dripped on her cheeks like heavy rain in the middle of the summer.
"I love Archie so much, I have to let him go. I cannot have him be mistreated and have the world hate him for who he is– for just loving me. If loving me would be his sin, I'd rather not let him live his days like hell, solely because of me."
Liam could only watch the lady in front of him, he could not dare say anything to her anymore. He could tell that she was genuine with every word she said to him, that she loved that commoner back there. He wanted to comfort her but the words he spoke wounded her highness so much that he questioned his sworn duty to protect her, yet he did the opposite.
Numerous footsteps were heard and the knight was alerted to his focus and had his top priority of saving her highness reputation.
He called on Francheska for them to move on, but her sobbing seemed to drown his words of them escaping the area. He had no other choice, and there was only one plan he had– as the steps were approaching theirs, the knight took her highness for a hug and hid the small frame of her highness over his.
"State your name, who are you– ah, lower your swords, it's the new knight. It's the middle of the night Liam go back to your quarters and take a rest, her highness needs your side early tomorrow."
With his back showing to the guards, he answered the question with a resounding, "Yes."
One of the guards wanted to ask him another but as they moved a little closer, they could hear a muffled sob beyond Liam, and together they knew what the missing puzzle was and went back to their business.
Liam wanted to distance himself from her highness but he knew that this hug was something she needed.
They waited a bit until Francheska was able to compose herself, and could barely look at the face of her knight as she walked slowly her way to her chambers.
Liam was so restless from what state her highness was in, especially how she walked like a drunkard that he decided to trail Francheska a few steps back from behind.
Watching her go into her room and close the door behind her, all he could do was stand guard of her room, as he heard her faint cries of the room.