A/N
Sorry for the late upload. We are in community quarantine in PH. Hope everyone's healthy and safe during this pandemic. God bless you all!

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Freya!

Lykos' voice echoed in the background. I had the urge to turn my head around and my eyes longingly sought for the Warrior King who suddenly called my name. The massive door of the Grand Hall was open but he was nowhere in sight.

My lips turned dry but my eyes went watery. What was I thinking? That he would come and save me from this misery? And he shouted my name... not Amaree's.

"...man and wife." The officiant finished. He was too late.

"You may now have your first kiss as partners for eternity."

Still lost in the moment, I shut my eyes daring not to look at my fated. Reality was sucking the life out of me. Everything was done for. Our bond had then been utterly and permanently intertwined by the sacred rite of marriage.

I felt his fingers fumbling atop my head, seemingly removing the veil that covered my jaded face. Flashes of memories of Apollo and Illaria kissing in the Rose Garden bombarded me. How dare my own mind ruin such a crucial moment in my life?

The luminous bond perched in the heap of space separating our bodies. It glowed stronger as the Duke touched my cheek with one hand, the other settling comfortably on my hip. As he drew closer and closer, my breathing started to hitch.

I inhaled deeply, feeling his soft lips pressing on mine without force, without urgency. Unknowingly, I was giving in, hoping it would look natural to the audience, especially to the woman whose presence undeniably ruined this instance for me.

There was nothing special with the kiss. I felt empty, welcoming married life without passion, without love that I thought I would endure forevermore.

Crowds cheered obstreperously as the Duke pulled back and held my hand. The bouquet of white gypsophila flowers were handed to me by Lady Claudia who whispered a soft 'Congratulations' to me. A faux smile instinctively curved from lips.

The dreaded wedding ceremony had finally come to an end, and nobody knew how shattered my heart was to be given away to someone I haven't... couldn't fall in love with.

I felt damned for the rest of eternity.
 
 
  
   
  
  

The merriment back in the Castle somehow brought sunshine to my day even if marriage seemed to be a dead-end. The people prepared for this event eagerly, thinking it was some sort of salvation to the race of the royals they honored and revered.

I commended the servants, the courtiers, the sentinels and the officials who made all of it possible, especially the Queen. She was delighted, the opposite of what I felt, but her words of advice would always echo in my mind: "You are the only one who deserves my throne."

I would never put her down. I would never pull myself down was my promise.

Sounds of glasses clinking brought me back to my senses as classical music continued to play in the background. The orchestra's performance calmed my nerves a bit, and I watched as some of the guests waltzed with mirth in their every step.

"Would you like to dance?" The Duke offered as he sat beside me.

"Can I say no?" I answered sardonically.

"You wound me." He smiled, still staring straight at the dancing crowd.

I looked at him questioningly, not because I was baffled by his remark, but because I wanted to decipher what he was feeling. His aura was clouded as usual and I could never find truth even through his beautiful face.

Yes. He was beautiful, there was no doubt. But even the most fine-looking face cannot be trusted nor be loved without good reason.

"We might as well serve them the entertainment they came here for." The Duke proposed, as if what he said made great sense.

"Let us get this done and over with." He offered once more, now reaching out his hand. "We could purposely escape this suffocating audience right after."

He was right. I stared up at him as he stood from his seat and caught the crowd's attention. My eyes scanned the assemblage, and they continued to move freely, dancing like there was no tomorrow.

Everyone was dressed impeccably and some people stayed in their tables enjoying the most fine-tasting, well-aged wine and the sumptuous feast they could only get a hand of in the Castle.

Brimming with happiness was the Queen who stared down at us from a balcony with the best view of the Palace Ballroom. She nodded at me and raised her goblet, sending her encouragement from afar.

"Just one song would suffice." I heavily agreed with the Duke as I placed my hand in his.

I caught a small smile slipping from his lips. He looked mischievous now as if he was ready to do an opening act to a concert he was not invited to attend.

Exactly at that point, the first music was about to end. He escorted me down the platform, and we blended with the crowd. Each one of them we passed by greeted us congratulatory words which we gracefully accepted.

We were in the middle, Apollo asking everyone not to distance from us too much. I didn't know why I felt he was protecting me from feeling embarrassed. He wanted the guests to put their attention away from us, and it made my chest feel lighter.

Whatever this turnaround in his personality was, I was still capable of thinking clearly that I should be wary. Though considered his spouse now, even with those vows we've shared in the earlier rites, I knew I should be more careful now more than ever. He was going to use me and he made that broad declaration not so long ago. I was one to never forget.

We stood in front of each other, waiting for the next ensemble to commence. He gave me a thin expression I couldn't figure out. He moved closer, pulling me in on cue as the orchestra started shifting to different notes.

He placed my hands in a waltz position. My left hand resting on his shoulder and the other clasped with his on the side. I could feel our bond dancing together with our bodies. I decided not to think of the people around us, or if I was dancing gracefully or not.

Everything else was a blur as the energy of the bond consumed me, bringing me to wave of memories-- of ecstasy.

Lykos shared the same dance with me but there wasn't this big audience around us. We shared it intimately in the Palace's greenhouse. He would sneak out and make time for me. Memories of him made me happy and melancholic at the same time.

"I want you to live happily."

He said those words to me before and more memories of us came crashing in my head. What triggered it, I couldn't guess. But this dance with the Duke of Therion felt different. It was as if Lykos had reunited with me.

Suddenly, a tear slid from my eye and the Duke quickly noticed. He surprisingly didn't utter a single word. He pulled me closer, placing both of my arms around his neck, allowing me to bury my face on his chest.

His feet continued to move, now slower. His hold on me tightened as though he was comforting me in silence.

I wanted to tell him what I saw but I couldn't put the words out. I could only let another tear fall as I grieved my beloved Lykos whom I could only be with and remember in my memories.

I had to let those memories go. Maybe those weren't mine after all. Maybe those were memories of the blue ball of fire living in my head. I couldn't be with Lykos now for I was married to the Duke of Therion.

"What are you doing here, milady?"

Lord Dilmond entered the greenhouse. I sat still on the edge of the fountain, recovering from the emotions I suddenly felt when I danced with Apollo. A glass of wine was perched beside me.

"Getting some air. The occasion is obviously suffocating." I tried to jest.

He invited himself in and sat beside me as we watched the water flowing back and forth. "You seem a little drunk." He laughed. "Not that I would not do the same if I were in your shoes."

He absolutely knew how to nip the thick atmosphere. The greenhouse was bland. Winter made it look gloomy. I was readying myself for the storm that was about to ensue-- my life as the Duchess, and all I could view was this melancholic greenhouse as metaphor of what was to come.

"I cannot weather the storm forming inside me, Dilly." I confessed. I looked at him, my eyes a little tired from socializing and drinking a couple glass of wine-- the reason why I was somehow being honest.

"I am now married to the future King of Sidus. And by far, I am troubled inside whether I did the right thing to give up my happiness and freedom in order to obtain power in this land."

I had no tear to shed. I must have suppressed the rest when Apollo and I danced publicly. "I never thought of marrying someone I do not love." I continued.

"I think I was once in love... and this marriage seems like the opposite of that love. It truly feels like a fallacy. I was adamant in my resolution to do this to one day be the queen, but I am questioning my choices now. Can I live with him without love?"

"He certainly could live with me like that. Should I simply use him too in order to gain what I aspire?" I babbled.

"Can I sleep in the same bed with the man I so despise?" I blankly stared at the pebbles on the earthy floor. Taking off my heeled shoes, I nonchalantly swayed my feet as we both sat against the brim of the fountain.

Lord Dilmond's chuckle ricocheted on the glass walls. "You are absolutely drunk, lady. You say all of these things because you're tense of what is about to happen on your first night together?"

Heat crept on my cheeks. He was a terrible confidant at the moment, taking only the last sentence I said and not the gist of my whole confession. He somehow hit something right though. I was queasy and got myself drunk in order to lessen my burdens of sharing my first night with Apollo.

"I can only give you the heaviest sigh of my life." And indeed, I gave him that whilst raising the glass of wine with hooded eyes.

"Long live your future Queen, Lord Dilmond." I chanted, smiling sarcastically at my own words.

"The Duke is a riddle one could not easily read." The earl's tone shifted to a serious one. "But one thing to me is certain." He continued.

I took another sip of wine. Bitter taste overpowered the sweetness.

"He has gone through the wildest, scariest nightmares but I believe he has the heart to make this union prosperous. He left Illaria for you."

I hated it.

I hated how he could easily defend the Duke of Therion with his past I barely knew. The Duke didn't even have the heart to spare me from this cruel world because I was of use to him. I was a tool for his revenge. That was all I ever was to him and Dilly would never understand what was going on.

"You only need to believe in the bond you have with him, milady." Dilly stood up, snatching the goblet from me, pouring the rest of the wine on the fountain.

"Keep in mind that there is always a reason why we are given our destiny."

I stared up at him with wistful eyes. The alcohol must have kicked in because my vision started blurring. My eyes squinted as I tried to carry myself away from the fountain.

"Destiny?" I murmured what he said. My head spun and I felt myself struggling to exert force on my legs to keep my balance.

"She's intoxicated, Milord."

I couldn't remember when he entered the greenhouse. The scent of Apollo lingered as soon as he caught me in his arms before I could even land on the ground. A soft chuckle vibrated on his chest.

"Do you despise me this much?" he whispered, sounding amused of my state.

"Hmm." I couldn't even give him a proper reply. Everything was unclear to me but I knew he lifted my body, carrying me with ease.

There were small flutters in my stomach as he carried me away from where we were. I drowned myself in liquor and I might have pecked him on the neck on our way to the King's chamber. There was that alluring rosewood scent that made me do it. I wasn't sure if it were my imaginary thoughts or a dream.

I was expecting an audience at the anteroom to witness our physical union according to customs of royal marriage but there was not a single soul in view. I felt my back pressing on the soft mattress.

"Where are the onlookers?" I drawled, eyes closed. My mind reeled in wild thoughts caused by the bond. I knew I was not myself, free of the heavy thoughts I had mentioned to Dilly earlier.

"I sent them away." He simply replied as he closed all the lancet windows and let the curtains of his room fall.

Every part of me felt consumed by the alcohol. Needless to say, I was not afraid of the darkness when the Duke blew the candle lights off.

"How would they know of our consummation?" I was blabbering questions out of mindless curiosity. "Aren't you keen on marking me once more in front of a crowd?"

The bed creaked as I felt his body slump beside me. There was a slight dip of the mattress below my neck and I felt his arm slipping behind it. His arm suddenly became my pillow and I was floored by what he said next.

"Sleeping together does not mean we will be consuming each other. Let me bask in your warmth each night we fall asleep. That's all I ask from you."

His arm curled a little, pulling me closer to him, his other arm wrapped around my waist. His embrace was surprisingly full of warmth. The temperature of the room rose and I found my face buried on the Duke's chest.

I couldn't see his face. When I tried to lift my chin up to meet his gaze, he cupped the back of my head and he tightly embraced me.

"Are you drunk?" I murmured, furrowing my brows.

"Am not" was his answer, and I felt the light touch of his fingertips caressing my hair.

"You were never warm to me, Apollo... Not until this moment." I began to say. "Are you a hundred percent sure about making this work or is this a mere act to earn my favor?"

He did say he would give me his loyalty because he didn't want to be part of a broken family. I could vividly remember that in the midst of my clouded, drunken mind.

"You can say either. I want your favor, and when I decide to do something, I do it with certainty." His breath started to fan the crown of my hair. The feel of his lips wisps away from my forehead.

"You better be certain." I smugly replied, letting the bond triumph even just for one night. A soft yawn escaped from my lips.

"Sooner or later, I bet you'll swallow your own words, allow your greedy beast to take over, and then consummate this marriage even without my consent." I muttered sardonically.

For the second time that night, I heard his soft laughter filling my heart with emotions that I thought could only be felt for one's fated. The universe was rattling my soul with its secrets unfolding at random, indefinite times.

How could one possibly resist the bond without destroying oneself? Tragic ideas assailed my hazy psyche. This bond we were feeding with the close proximity of our bodies, will it ever end and set us free?

"I will not force you to give yourself to me until you're willing to do so."

There was that resounding respect that made me close my eyes, wondering if all of these was a dream.

"You have never even kissed me willingly." He added. I felt him pulling the soft blanket up to cover our entangled bodies.

"When the day comes that you offer me your lips freely, right then will I only consider taking all of you..."

"From your body down to your soul. Only then will I consider you mine."

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Hi everyone! How are you all doing?

Since almost all of us are trapped in during these trying times, I thought of using this opportunity to continue writing Apollo.

It has been a while and I have no excuse. I hope all of you are doing fine.

Stay home and stay safe.

Please don't forget to click the star button on your screen to support this story.

If you have reached this end note, I would like to thank you for hanging on. I really appreciate it.

So what do you guys think about the turn of events?

- Lady Therese