"That whore of a girl will only bring us ruin, you insolent boy!" The old man bellowed, his thundering voice echoing in the halls as he reprimanded his son. The old man had good reason to beat the sense into him and whip the false and fleeting infatuation out of him before he did something rash. The boy said nothing, merely scoffing at his father and crossing his arms.

The man narrowed his eyes. "Do you test me, O wise prince of this home?"

His son grinned---an arrogant, irritating smirk as he looked back to his father. "The heart wants what it wants, dearest father. I cannot dictate what my own heart desires. If only I could tell my heart, 'do this' or 'do that' or 'stop loving that whore of girl' then perhaps I would be much easier to raise and could put my mother's mind at ease. But," the boy side-stepped his father, walking down the long halls of the ancient castle. "I cannot, and unfortunately the mind and the heart and the body are all separate. I'm sure you of all people would know, O wise ruler of this house?"

He ignored his father's retort as he left the old man to his own madness and insanity. Who cares about who he loves? Who, beyond his own family, would care about the love he would give to another? And besides, he was certain of his love for Elysia more than anything else in the world. He knew that he ought to get married to her as soon as possible.

It was a pity that his father didn't see eye to eye with him. But as soon as he could get his father's blessing, he could legitimize the union and bring his lover out of the binding claws of poverty. Even if she was a "whore of a girl." He loved her, and she loved him, and there was no condition that could make him love her any less than he did now. He felt that every time he was with her, his love could only increase.

And what a beauty Elysia was. No words could describe her perfect features. She was an angel, a fallen, poor, disgraced angel, stuck in the muck of the ugliness of poverty. A rare gem among the dull, depressing stones.

"Here she comes." He whispered as he turned the corner and found his love sitting on a windowsill. She had an embroidery ring in her hand and was practicing her stitching. Prostitutes never needed to learn to embroider, and since she would be marrying someone like him, she had to learn some basic domestic chores. She wasn't that good, but she had time to learn.

Elysia paused her work as she looked up at her future groom. Elysia's heart skipped a beat as her love kneeled before her. "My gem," he said, and his voice sent Elysia to bliss. She felt she would faint. Him reaching to take her needle-pricked hand was almost like ecstasy to her. Was this possible? Could she truly feel such a strong bond to another person, particularly to a man like him? She didn't know, all she felt was the desire to be with him for the rest of her life.

And what a handsome dove her lover was. Every time she was told to describe her love's features, she would always turn speechless. Every time he was near her, she forgot her struggles and plights. She forgot her disgraceful, sinful life from before. She didn't care about that anymore. She wanted to change. She wanted him.

"My love," she fought to keep her hand still as he looked at her and at her handiwork. He took the embroider ring to inspect.

"My, what talent my future bride has!" He exclaimed. He knew her stitching was mediocre at best, but anything done by her or made by her was like any gift from the heavens to him.

"Do not insult me so, my dove. I can never be a good stitcher like your sisters or your mother. But," she touched his arm. Electricity buzzed from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. And as if they were of one heartbeat, Elysia could feel the murmur of his soul through the skin of his arm, "will you still love me, even if I am a talentless dud?"

"To the ends of the earth, my sweet, my heart." Elysia's eyes widened. She stood up, knocking away the embroidery ring.

"Prove it to me! Prove that you would do anything for me, my dove, my love!" He stood up with her.

"Anything you ask of me will be yours, my source of ecstasy, my joy!"

"Would you be poor for me?" She asked.

"I shall be dead before you ever become destitute, my love!"

"Will you leave your family for me?"

"I would rather be separated from the woman who raised me in her womb than be separated from you, my beauty!"

"Would you kill for me, my love?"

"If it meant I could save you from the vices of man, then I will kill everyone!"

"Oh!" Elysia cried. She held her hands to her face, stricken by how far her love would go to be with her, and the lengths of the things he would do for her.

"Nothing will separate us, my dearest diamond. Not even if we are on different ends of the earth, we will be together, and even then I will fight the entire world to be with you in the flesh." He caught her up and swung her around before embracing her and kissing her. He didn't care if anyone would find them doing such inappropriate acts. Let the devil care for indecency. "Let the world know how much my heart bleeds for you." He whispered in her wonderful, beautiful hair. The locks that he yearned to feel in his hands, on his face for the rest of his life.

"Would you die for me, my beloved?"

"I would take the knife the stab it through my own heart if only you asked, my ruby."

"If I left you for another, would you kill me?"

Her beloved cried out, "never would I lay an unforgiving hand on you, my love! I would kill myself before I could ever kill you! Nothing you could ever do would make me mad--my love is far too great for me to ever be mad at you.

"But no more talk of this, my innocent lamb. No man will separate me from you. We shall be together. You will be my wife, and I will be your husband. No more will you be shackled by poverty and destitution---your life is with me forevermore."

~banana~
part 2 is the next chapter read if you want or don't I don't really care
~banana~