Chapter 1: Forbidden Love

There is where Talon had found her, gazing upwards towards the moon and the stars. The moon's powerful glow seemed to glisten off her silky pale skin, gleaming through her long golden hair which was pulled back in a nice tight bun on the top. Peeking through a few strands of her hair was the same vibrant blue eyes which had captivated him, eyes which sparkled far brighter than the twinkling stars above her head. Drooping behind her was her long white dress with eloquent faded turquoise colored flower patterns coursing through the dress as if painted with water color upon an empty white canvas.

Before long she looked away from the sky, beginning to gracefully dance upon the cobble railing of the stone bridge. Luxanne had not noticed his presence just yet, merrily swaying back and forth to the reverberating tune of the thunderous water crashing below upon the stone pillar archways of the bridge. The soothing splashes were merely an accompaniment chorus to the tempo she had set, harmoniously synchronizing to a tune only she could hear, a melody which befell to deaf ears to all. Most importantly, deaf to even his own ears.

He began to slowly inch his way forward, careful as to not give away his presence, but it took only a matter of moments before the woman had stopped dead in her tracks. Briefly, their eyes had intertwined together. His stomach began to feel fluttery, his mind blind by a hazy feeling as he desperately yearned to lunge forward, but his legs were unable to move an inch further. He became lost within the gleam of her eyes. Eyes so blue he felt he was drowning in them like a shipwrecked sailor at sea.

She quickly became bright red, cheeks flushed hot pink from embarrassment as she had finally realized someone was watching her. There was a brief moment of hesitation, a flicker of weakness readying to cave in. Then she relaxed, taking in a deep breath before flashing him a bright smile as she continued to sway back and forth again. It was only a brief smile, but it was more than enough to make his heart beat faster than ever.

Unable to stand still any longer, his legs managed to carry him forward, bringing him right below where she was standing. She merely ignored him, not because she was mad but because she particularly didn't care that he had come. He knew she wanted to be alone, knew that him coming here was a mistake all on its own, but for her he could no longer stand still in blissful ignorance. For a long time, he played the role of a coward and a fool, but today he would cast aside the mantle he himself bore.

He began to extend out a hand, then he caught himself in his tracks. Did he really know anything about her? Up until now he believed her to be predictable, an open book that he could understand little by little with each flip of the page. Now he could only wonder how little he had known about her, wonder if he had mattered so little for her to build a wall around the two. Was he not good enough for her to tell him, or was she so lost in the darkness she was unable to see who to go to? Is his presence today a welcomed one, or one riddled with annoyance?

His mind swam with an endless sea of questions, questions that begged many answers, answers that he may never receive yet right now every thought of his seemed to vanish. He had not notice the princess had stopped her symphony, looking down to where he stood. She had slowly extended out her small, delicate hands for him to grab onto, letting out another smile, one so bright it was blinding him with her beauty. It felt like his heart was being impaled by daggers, racing faster and faster, and all he could do was blink and stare in her beauty.

His heart became like fireworks exploding in every direction, a bright colored explosion that filled his dark heart with the colors of love. So much so that he had finally grabbed onto her hand, climbing up on top of the cobble railing of the bridge, never letting go as he stared into her kind eyes, taking in every inch of her beauty. For a moment the two didn't look away. It was only when Lux had looked to her side did he do the same, and there it was when he figured out what she had been looking at earlier.

In the distance sat the empire, a monolithic nation that had neutralized all its opposition. Above the highest tower the moon peaked through, casting a glow all through the kingdom and onto the forests and mountains which encompassed it. Never did it cease its expansion, waging war in the name of the empire. To the commoners it offered a place of safety and peace, but to the princess he couldn't begin to imagine what it felt like. To her it was more of a web of lies, each string being spun and weaved together, and she was entangled in it, and they wouldn't let go once she was trapped inside.

"Why did you come?" Lux had finally said, eyes still looking towards her homeland.

"I have decided, after so long my mind is now clear," he began to say, his voice quiet and rigid.

"Talon," her voice was soft and kind, yet weak as if suffocating from pain, "I don't think you really understand. Don't throw away your peaceful life for this."

Talon let go of her hand and cusped them around her small, rosy red cheeks, bringing her to meet his eyes. He slowly caressed her cheeks, taking in every inch of her face.

He never looked away, firmly holding eye contact with her. What he was doing could wreak havoc upon an entire kingdom, ruining decades of peace treaties and possibly create a war among nations. What he was doing may make him the most wanted man alive, left to live a lonely life in exile and on the run. What she was asking was for him to avoid all of this to live peacefully, but she was the one who didn't understand. Even he was blinded until recently, for the only means to his peace was her by his side.

"Luxanne," he began to say, "the most painful life I could live is one without you in it. We can find a way through this, together."

"I'm a princess Talon," she said, fighting back the tears in her eyes, "Do you know why there are no princes and princesses in chess Talon? Because we are not like the knights who dedicate their lives for the king and queen. Nor are we the bishop who unites the common people under the same ideology to keep the kingdom unified for the royal family. And most certainly we are not the rooks, strong towers of stability and security for royalty to scheme behind while avoiding conflict and death. No, we are like commoners in a game of chess, mere pawns to aid the king and queen for their financial gain and expansion, using our status to further expand the empire in the name of the king."

"Pawns are born without a destiny, without a path carved for them," he said, "they are the ones who choose their own destiny. So instead of being a bird behind a cage, spread your wings and fly on the path you want."

"I can't," she replied, her voice growing shaky, "unlike you, my actions affect more than just me, it can affect an entire nation. I don't get a choice on what I want. You just don't understand Talon."

"Tell me one thing then," Talon said, "do you love him."

Her eyes began to widen, tears streaming down and rolling off her cheeks as she had been unable to control her demeanor any longer. He could feel her delicate body shake in his hands, doing his best to hold her tightly to reassure her he was there.

Through the tears, she smiled as she lied, "of course I do Talon." She waited for a moment, trying to calm herself down before continuing, "you really just don't understand Talon."

Seeing the tears had made him sick to his stomach. Why must she endure such a path that brings so much pain, such sorrow. Was there really nothing he could do, anything so he would never have to see her suffer so much? Even if it was not him, couldn't there be happiness to be found elsewhere with someone else other than being tied down by that man. Was there really nothing he could do for her?

The frustration became suffocating, the confusion unbearable. There was so much causing her pain, and no matter how many webs he tried to tear down, she just never seemed free, unable to escape the clutches of the empire that used her like a puppet. Being unable to do anything, this feeling of being powerless, it frustrated him to no ends, so much so he could hardly handle it anymore.

"You're right, I don't understand," he began to say, letting himself drown in his own frustration, "I don't understand why my stomach feels like it is twisting in knots when I see you cry. I don't understand why I feel so jealous when I see you with him, despite knowing you don't love him, despite the charade you try and maintain. I don't understand why the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in this dark world is your radiant smile and why something so simple makes me smile the hardest. But what I don't understand the most is why you won't let me inside of your heart, why are you afraid to love."

"Because," she squeaked out through the tears, "if I let you in I know I will never want to let you go."

She leaned her head in to rest on his chest, letting the warm tears roll down to his plain white t-shirt as she tried to calm herself down. He wrapped his arms around her body, fully embracing her tightly. He could smell the sweet aroma of honey from her, feel the warmth of her delicate body on his. The two merely stood there in the silence together, but it was peaceful and welcoming.

The wind began to pick up, the gentle breeze sweeping through their hair. The forest which encompassed the bridge rustled in excitement, shaking as the wind whistled through the branches. In the silence you could really hear the monstrous power of the water that quickly surged through the archways, tumbling down hundreds of feet below from the waterfall. The fish began to come to life, special night fish that peaked their heads from the water, letting their tendrils of light cast a glow of yellow, blue, and red. Some of the fish had jumped from the water, soaring briefly with the orange lighting fireflies before diving back below.

He began to understand why Luxanne had chosen to run here, despite the lengthy distance she would have to take. The forest was brimming with endless life, as if dancing with the winds. The color all around was magnificent to behold, painting the night sky in beautiful lights. It was breathtaking and relaxing to be around.

"Do you know how hard it has been Talon to tell the man I hate how much I love him, and be unable to tell the man I love that I don't love him at all?" she began to say, head still buried in his chest, breaking the silence and snapping him back to reality, "that for a long time I grew up knowing I would have no choice in love, and how much I desperately tried to push everyone away so I would never have to experience the heart break of a love which would never be. Yet you, you just wouldn't ever leave me alone, even as kids, that no matter how hard I tried not to, I couldn't help but fall in love with you anyways."

Talon didn't respond, unable to think of anything to say. Instead he only listened to every word she said, being extra attentive and cautious as he figured out the best way to answer.

"To save the people you cared about, you sacrificed your own happiness, yet you must first find happiness in yourself and your own life to bring happiness to others," he said, "a man like him is not perfect. Even he falters to corruption and greed, and if we can exploit it, perhaps we can free you of this marriage."

"If not him, then I will be sentenced to another who will take his place," she said, "There is no other out Talon, there is no out."

Talon gently pushed her off his chest, hands firmly on her shoulder. He let them slide down her body, tracing every curve and imperfections of hers with tender care until he grasped her small delicate fingers in his, locking them together. Lux slowly looked down to her hands then back to him, not saying a word.

"I have decided for a long time now, something I was too blind until recently to see," he said.

"Decided what?" she spoke softly.

"That I am not letting go," he answered.

Tears began to pour out of her eyes again, but she let out a small smile as she said, "even in the past and now, no matter how hard I push you away, all I can do is fall all that much more in love with you."

Then she leaned in, brushing her soft, delicate lips on his as they finally embraced each other. Time began to stop, his heart racing faster than ever before. It was long and passionate, their bodies wrapped up closely together as they couldn't let go of each other, no one wanting to break the kiss first. Tonight, their love would bloom, even if it would be the last time their lips locked together. It was on this night they did not hold anything back, that they forgot all about kingdoms, all about marriages, all about royalty and the common people. Tonight, it was only them, and them only.

This is the tale of a forbidden love that should never bloom, a love that the princess Luxanne Crownguard desperately tried to let wilt away. A love that her foolish hero, Talon, would water every day, desperately trying to pick away the weeds to let it bloom once more. This is their story, one riddled with conspiracy of an empire, of the rich and royalty, and a conquest for true love. True love that can be found in the most hidden places, places sometimes even right in front of them. This is their story.

Author's Note: Hey guys, so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I would of course appreciate any word of advice and criticism to help me improve and I appreciate all your support along the way!