Day: 1250

Days Left: 4230

Lives Saved: 6

Cori lay on her front on her bed, her hands tightly gripping the duvet as she forced her breathing into slow controlled breaths. Her throat was dry and hoarse even though she did not use her own voice at all today. And then there was this splitting pain inside her stomach, constantly churning.

She could hear the guards outside the quarters doing as instructed and not allowing anyone to enter. However, Sophia had been persistent, regularly coming back and asking about her.

Wanting all the noise to stop, Cori hid under the duvets, her heavy breathing louder under the covers.

Why was she so surprised that Elis rejected her? Was it because everyone constantly said no one would refuse such an offer? Who would reject being married to not only one of the most powerful mages in the world but a monarch of the most influential countries?

But Cori's greatest fear seemed to have become true. Even someone from a small country with a weak magical bloodline would not want to marry her after meeting her.

Every candidate that had been sent an invitation had accepted, all seventy of them, so Prince Elis must have decided he longer wanted to marry her after meeting with her.

Or did he?

Cori remembered how Elis had snuck away from the party. He had mentioned numerous times he did not expect to get that far in the selection, but not necessarily that he wanted to be chosen. No, rather, it seemed that he was doing it out of obligation to his family, to try at the least; hence, he left the party and did not put much effort into presenting himself. And then he did not attend the second meeting. Cori thought it was because he was tending to an injured bird, but he was only there to treat the bird because he wasn't going to attend the meeting anyway.

But what about...

What about the walk they had together?

The talk they had...

Cori's body clenched as she remembered how vulnerable she was, talking about Rhea being her surrogate mother figure, sharing feelings she had not spoken to anyone else. And then how happy she was to talk to someone about her favourite books. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled so much, yet...

That day meant nothing to him.

Of course, having a shared hobby wasn't a good enough basis for marriage.

How could I have been so foolish?

Cori wrapped the duvet tightly around her body like a cocoon.

Elis never came here to marry; it was all a family obligation.

All of the signs were there, and I misread them.

She wondered if the word had gotten out about the whole affair. If she proposed to other candidates, would they feel insulted about being a second choice? Would this mean that she would have to wait longer before proposing again? Or did all of her chances of marriage and getting an heir were lost?

Prince Fiorenzo was her second choice, as she enjoyed sharing interesting facts with him. He also ticked everything else on the list; strong leadership, military tactician, strong political and foreign connections, and strong magical bloodline; features that Prince Elis had lacked. She should have gone for Prince Fiorenzo instead and thought about the country. Either Fiorenzo or Prince Karl, who, despite having magic almost on par with her own, was only interested in using it to entertain the people and not for global domination like Prince Drustan seemed to want. There was also Princess Natasa, similar to Prince Fiorenzo in her experience in leadership but not much in the shared hobbies apartment, but who needs to get along with their spouse when you are queen? They just need to give you children, and you can live on opposite sides of the castle and never see each other.

Yes, that was how it was supposed to be, just like her parents.

She should have done that from the beginning.

*

Prince Elis looked over the royal gardens; from sitting on the castle roofs, he could see the pattern of a rose that the flower beds and uniform trees took shape.

"Excuse me," said a voice, clearing their throat.

Elis jolted, turning behind to see the balcony window nearby open and Prince Li poking his head through. "Oh, hello." Elis waved awkwardly.

"May I enquire what you are doing on the roof Prince Elis?" asked Li, folding his arms and leaning against the window pane.

"Just getting some air," Elis laughed. Partly true, but also to avoid hearing all of the whispering and dirty looks he received from the royal servants and guards.

"I see..." Prince Li paused. "It is not because of... an incident that occurred earlier this day?"

Elis sighed. "You heard about that?"

"Everyone has."

Elis focused back on the garden below, how small everything looked from high up.

Prince Li hesitantly stepped through his window and sat on the roof, joining Elis. "I only heard rumours; many of them differ in the details..."

"Queen Corinna proposed to me," said Elis flatly.

"You do not sound pleased."

"I don't know what to feel," Elis murmured, glancing away, his hand tapping his leg. "I didn't expect it-"

They both paused as they heard another window open nearby; it was Princess Natasa, whose quarters were next to Li's. To their surprise, Prince Fiorenzo also appeared next to her.

"What are you doing on the roof?" she yelled.

"What is Fiorenzo doing in your room!" retorted Elis, receiving a chuckle from Li.

"Nothing!" replied Natasa and Fiorenzo unconvincingly. They both joined Elis and Li sitting on the roof.

"Is it true you rejected Queen Corinna?" asked Natasa.

"I- I didn't reject her," stammered Elis. "I said I needed time to think-"

"That's rejecting her," Fiorenzo said flatly. "That's the cruel version of rejecting someone."

"Cruel version?"

"Yes, you are basically rejecting her but giving her false hope that you will say yes perhaps one day. It is the cruel wait-"

"But I do genuinely need to think about it!" Elis sighed. "I needed time."

"Why do you need to think about it?" asked Natasa. "Surely you knew otherwise you wouldn't have come here in the first place."

"I only come to these things to appease my parents," said Elis. "Even they know it will never amount to anything."

"What about that romantic walk you had?"

"I wouldn't say it was romantic; we just talked."

"It definitely seems that have left an impression on the queen," said Li. "Did it not leave an impression on you?"

Elis glanced away, his hand tapping even quicker. "I'm not sure..." he mumbled. "I don't know."

"Well, I suggest you decide quickly," said Fiorenzo. "If you didn't want a war with Prince Drustan, then you now have yourself one with Queen Corinna, which is likely worse."

Elis froze. "What?"

"You just slightest one of the most powerful rulers in the world," said Natasa. "You really think there wouldn't be any repercussions?"

"I heard that she can paralysis whole armies with a single gesture!" added Fiorenzo. "No incantations needed!"

"She can also manipulate any mind and find all their darkest secrets! Or she can command it herself from great distances! If she doesn't get your hand, she might try to take your mind-"

"Neither of you is helping!" hissed Li, then cleared his throat. "I am certain that Queen Corinna is not the spiteful sort."

"Are you sure?" Elis' voice warbled.

Li nodded. "But I suggest that you do not take too long to answer her proposal. Be honest with her with your reasons, not out of fear, but out of respect."

Elis swallowed. "Yes, I'll do that; thank you, Your Highness."

"If you do go to war, though," Natasa began. "I'm afraid my country would not ally with you."

"Mine neither," said Fiorenzo. "Alliances and politics are all very complicated."

"Good to know," said Elis dryly. He stared into the distance, where the land was no longer so flat and uniform but to the wilderness bordering the royal grounds, where the cliff and forests stretched high to the sky.

"I think I know my answer now."

*

Queen Corinna paused from reading as she heard a faint tapping on her bedroom window. Hesitantly, she got up and pushed aside the curtains to find nothing on the other side. She craned her neck and saw Prince Elis sitting on the slanted roof. He waved slightly at her.

Sighing, Queen Corinna opened the window. "We thought We told you no more clambering around on the roof. It is too dangerous."

Elis chuckled slightly. "Apologies, Your Majesty. It is a hard habit to get rid of." He paused. "I just think more clearly in open spaces; somewhere high up is ideal."

"Because you are more accustomed to mountains?"

"Maybe, that's why." Elis shrugged, then cleared his throat, looking away into the distance. "I wanted to talk to Your Majesty about what happened before..."

"And it had to be on the roof?"

"I was too scared to leave my room or wander around the castle. Your cousin left some quite threatening letters underneath my door. I did not know how serious she was or the looks I got from all the servants after... after what I did." He paused. "Please, Your Majesty, I wish to discuss why I needed some time. I hope that it is not too late to repair this..."

Queen Corinna paused momentarily, considering before she hoisted her dress up enough to climb through the window.

"Wait! Your Majesty!" Elis reached out. "We can go back inside!"

But Cori was already on the roof, her arms out to balance herself as she sat beside the prince.

"What if you fall!" Elis continued to fret.

"We can manipulate everything around Us with a simple gesture," Cori groaned. "We should be capable of sitting on a roof."

Elis somewhat calmed, but he still tensed as he realised how high up they were, imagining that he would be at risk of starting another war if the queen fell to her death because of him and his odd habits.

They both remained quiet momentarily, staring at the horizon, the sun slowly descending and flaring into a beautiful orange.

"Your Highness said that you needed time to think," Cori began slowly. "Does that mean Your Highness has finished thinking now?"

Prince Elis nodded.

"So, what is your answer?"

Elis paused, then mumbled, "why did you choose me?" He turned to look at her. "Your Majesty has little to gain from marrying someone from such an insignificant country... and then there's the chance of any children I have being born with little to no magic..."

Cori gazed at the setting sun, her gloved hands wrapping around her legs. "I think it would be better if they weren't born with magic... the gifts I was given, what I can do with magic..." She swallowed. "I don't think anyone should have that power." She shook her head. "No, it should end with me."

"So, Prince Drustan was never a contender?"

"It was only recently that I realised this," said Cori softly. "It should not have taken me this far in the decision-making to think about what I would want in marriage, what I want for my children..."

"And what is that?" asked Elis.

Cori turned to look at Elis, then glanced away briefly. "With each day, it seems that I am... I am losing more and more of my family, loved ones... friends... I never had any friends. Before, I thought marriage was just a means to strengthen the country and sire heirs, but now..." She looked at Elis directly. "I think now, what I want is a friend." She cleared her throat. "I do not know yet if I would like it to lead to anything more than friendship, but at the moment, that is what I would like; that is what I need."

Elis nodded slowly, remaining quiet as he patiently listened.

"And I would want my partner to be a role model to my heirs," Cori continued. "To possess the qualities I would want my children to possess, to be kind and just, to be honest. Though I can read minds does not mean I do not value such virtues..." She chuckled slightly. "I would very much love them to be fond of reading."

Elis also chuckled quietly.

"And that is why I chose you." Cori's hands clenched together, her fingers squeezing each other. "All the other candidates, it felt like they were desperately trying to impress me with their social standing or magical feats, but few tried to talk to me like a real person... and it has been a while since I felt like a person and not just..."

Cori grew silent, her throat seizing up.

"But I forgot to consider your own feelings," Cori continued. "We made assumptions about how you felt." She paused. "You came here because of an obligation to your family, yes?"

Elis looked away and nodded. "Yes," he mumbled. "It would be foolish to turn down such an offer from a monarch of such standing and power," he said as if reciting what someone else had said.

"I would not want you to accept my offer just because you feel an obligation to appease your family or because it would greatly benefit your country," said Cori, sitting upright with proper posture.

"My family said they wanted me to marry for love, not political gain," said Elis. "But, yes, it would benefit my country greatly if I did accept."

Cori glanced away, her hands tightly clenching onto her dress. "You do not need to be concerned with rejecting Our offer. We made it in haste and-"

"How quickly do you need an heir?" asked Elis.

Cori almost choked as something got caught in her throat.

"Sorry! That probably came out wrong!" Elis sighed. "I meant, Your Majesty, intended to marry to have heirs, and it seems that Your Majesty wishes for this to be soon, already proposing so quickly after meeting all of the candidates."

"Soon would be ideal."

"Would Your Majesty be willing to wait?" asked Elis slowly. "Or would you rather marry someone right away?"

Cori paused, considering but unable to provide an answer.

"Is there a reason why your Majesty needs an heir soon?" asked Elis. "Are there... medical problems that mean you need to do this sooner rather than later? Why is Your Majesty in such a hurry?"

Cori hesitated, glancing away before replying, "I believe you have met my cousin, Duchess Sophia Vipond; she is the next in line..."

"Ah, yes, now I understand your hastiness."

"And after Sophia, the line of succession goes to distant relatives with whom I have little communication. It may be mostly fear in my rush to have heirs at a young age, but I would rather stay safe than something bad happening to me and the country's leadership turning sour."

Elis nodded, then took a long breath through his nose. "What are the chances of something bad happening? Being the leader of such a country puts a massive target on your back, yes?"

"I will not lie to you, but it does." Cori paused. "There have been four attempted assassinations on myself-"

"Four!"

"I cannot promise that you will not be targeted if you do accept my offer, but I can promise that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, the same with your country and your family; I will protect them if anyone dares to seek them harm."

Elis gazed at Cori, seeing the confidence and resoluteness in her gestures and her voice.

"Then, I have a proposal for you, Your Majesty," Elis began. "If you are willing to wait, I would like us to know each other better before we decide to spend the rest of our lives together."

Cori cleared her throat. "Yes, I perhaps rushed things with that proposal, but according to the records, that is how most royal marriages proceed..."

"Speaking of that proposal... all of those trumpets and-"

Cori groaned, folding her arms. "Urg, I do not want to think about that! Sophia and my advisers organised that! Saying that would insult you if it weren't over the top! I would have preferred it to have been in private and no onlookers! But everyone insists on following me around like I'm some child!"

Elis laughed.

Cori turned back to him. "And you are certain that you are not doing this out of obligation or because you are scared that I can wipe all of your memories."

"Can you do that?"

"Yes."

There was a pause.

"But of course, I would not do that," said Cori.

"I look forward to knowing you more, Corinna," said Elis, offering his hand.

"Cori," said Cori softly, shaking his hand. "I prefer to be called Cori."

"Okay, Cori."