FicWad

The next morning, Sebastian had a pounding headache as he sat in the lily room(named after the white wallpaper with lily designs) and ate his breakfast of toast with peach jam and greasy maple bacon. But he was cheerful and all smiles, even when empress Hilda entered the room and turned her nose up at his disheveled state.

Only a few years younger than Roland, his mother had aged far better and didn't look any bit of her 52 years. Her dark upswept hair, although lighter than her husband and sons was still without a touch of grey. She stood stiff and regal in her embossed velvet mourning gown she wore every year for the memorial service.

"Good morning." He said in a singsong tone and her frown deepened, he knew she hated even acknowledging his existence. And so he would make it his mission to remind her every chance he got. If he had to suffer her presence, she would suffer twofold in his.

"Clean yourself up. How disgraceful." Hilda sniffed and sat primly in the pale wooden chair that had been pulled out for her. A servant brought her a tray piled high with fruit, along with a jar of wildflower honey.

"This is as clean as I get unfortunately." He said through a mouthful of bacon. He smiled internally at her look of horror.

"You will not attend the service like that." She protested, and took a delicate bite of a seilu slice.

"Oh but I will, or not at all." He grinned "my clothes are clean and befitting of the severity of the occasion. It doesn't matter if my hair is brushed or not." He gestured to his own black and gold clothing with its solar eclipse emblem, the symbol of the princes of the royal family, embroidered on the sleeves and the double sided cape draped over one shoulder. The inner gold satin of it stood out against the black outer half.

He was beginning to enjoy himself, a rarity when talking to Hilda but his mood wouldn't be dampened by his mother's scorn.

He would see her today; he was sure of it. He'd left his hair unkempt and windswept on purpose, as he had heard more women than he could count oohing and aahing over it in that state. It made him look like he'd just had sex, and he wanted to look as attractive as possible to that mystery woman.

"I suppose you'll have to explain this embarrassment to your father then." Hilda huffed, and speared another slice of seilu. He didn't know how she could stand the sour purple fruit with its bitter aftertaste. He stared at the irregular fruit with its deep purple skin, bright green flesh and disgusting juices in distaste. Many times, in childhood, she'd forced him to eat it while saving the sweeter more appealing fruits for his brother.

He purposefully took a bite of toast with an extra slather of peach jam across it, not bothering to wipe the excess from his mouth. Her open disgust was a pleasant reward for his caveman behavior. Even better than that was watching her storm off from the table, the majority of her breakfast left untouched.

One hour and an uneventful, frosty, carriage ride later and the two of them were on the steps of the spire. Throngs of commoners were dressed in black as well, being held back by guards and temporary barricades. Some shouted their sympathies with Hilda over the deceased younger prince.

Sebastian internally rolled his eyes at all the dramatics, most of the people in the crowd had never even met Arthur or liked the royal family. And knowing Hilda, she would rather they didn't express any sort of emotion towards her at all.

 He could see how offended she was in her stiff posture, and he could imagine her thinking how dare they put me on the same level as them. Inside the spire were dark banners hanging from the chandelier, decorated with golden solar eclipses. 

Many of the acolytes walking the hall wore a dark black armband over one arm of their white clothing. I guess they still have to keep on that gaudy silver cloak even when remembering the dead. He thought to himself while looking for a sign of the woman he'd seen. Taking a cursory glance around at the luxurious room, he couldn't spot anyone with brown skin amongst the crowd.

Sebastian didn't agree with his father on anything really, but he could see why Roland questioned the Archon's need for opulence. The spire was decorated in fixtures of white and gold depicting angels and demons. Deeper into the ceremony hall was a giant golden statue of Anara holding a sword in her right hand and a flower in her left. He studied the blade while Hilda climbed the curves stairs flanking the statue on both sides.

He'd heard of it in history books and knew one day he would wield it as well: Mercy. It'd been used by every hero to date to enact Anara's will and protect the saintess. The hilt had a thorny vine motif and engraved on the blade were runes of the blade's name. The flower in her other hand was, of course, another weapon named Judgement and was used by the saintesses past to banish evil. It was said to have golden petals and a dark center but no such flower existed in the world.

Unlike Judgement, Mercy was well documented to be real. Only the royal family and the Archon knew where the hidden room that contained it was, somewhere deep beneath the spire.

Hilda was now standing on a balcony fixed above the statue, and she would stay there to give the speech announcing the beginning of the ceremony along with the archon. As more invited guests began to file into the hall, filling the red velvet seats lining the aisle, he discreetly slipped out a door on the left-hand side.

It opened easily with a slight push, and his nose was assailed by the strong sweet smell of madonna lilies. The garden was filled with them, with a large anise magnolia tree blooming in the center. A small manmade river ran through the garden, with two wooden bridges for crossing it on either side.

Sitting in the grass beneath the tree, was her. Rosalin her name came to his mind and it suited her perfectly. He watched as her dainty hands gently plucked lillies, gathering them in a bouquet. Her white dress and silver cloak gleamed in the sunlight, and he noticed she didn't wear a black armband like the others.

Instead she wore a golden one, a short spiral up her bare right arm, and a black brooch pinned to her breast. He had a hard time pulling his eyes away from the swathe of cleavage exposed there. She looked up then, and her almond eyes met his. The dark of them, enchanting as the clear night sky, held him captive.

"Those are beautiful flowers." Sebastian smiled at her, reaching out a hand to help her up.

"They're for the memorial service. May I help you, your highness?" She asked, ignoring his hand and standing on her own. She reached up and grabbed a branch, adding a few of the magnolias to her bouquet, then tying it all together with a thin rope.

"You know who I am?" He sidled up to her, keeping pace with her as she began to walk around the garden.

"I'd assume everyone knows who you are, that symbol is very distinctive your highness." She replied with a slight smile of her own, "I didn't think you would come here instead of attending your brother's memorial."

"Ah, but I am still attending. I'm following you there after I got lost in the halls." He said slyly, walking with his hands behind his back. He couldn't stop staring at her. Her round upturned nose and soft full lips. He found the coloring of them charming, the top one a light brown and the bottom a pale pink. His eyes lingered on them, hoping to see her smile once more. "I'm surprised you're here in the garden and not with the Archon and that woman, saintess."

"Ah. Well, I'm not allowed to attend anything officially yet till after the ball when I'm announced." She winced at his use of her title, and he took note of that in his mind. Everything about her interested him, like a puzzle he couldn't figure out.

"Where we'll both be announced really, although its mainly about you. The kingdom has known my role for a long time now." He mused, pushing the door open for her. Her head barely reached his shoulder when she walked by, wafting the smells of lilies past his nose.

Her head turned in surprise at his words "Wait, you're the hero? How cliché can this world get?" she laughed and although he wasn't sure what was funny, he was pleased all the same at eliciting that reaction. Something about her smiles was arousing, and he shifted on his feet uncomfortably while closing the door behind them.

"Yes, the hero isn't usually a member of the royal family, but Anara has blessed us before." He replied as they continued back towards the ceremony hall. The sounds of the crowd inside were audible even from this distance, and looking out the window the commoners outside had doubled in number. He had to focus just to keep the noise from becoming overwhelming with his supernatural hearing. The low hum of all the voices was distracting enough, but he intended to push through it, at least for this conversation.

"If I had to imagine what a goddess given hero would look like in my mind, I suppose he would look like you." She said, looking at his face intently "although you look more like a typical rake than a hero."

"A rake? I've never been compared to a gardening tool before." He grinned, slowing his steps to keep pace with her better.

"No, I didn't mean that. You know, a guy who runs through women? Sleeps around a lot? A heartbreaker? Y'all don't have a word for that?" She laughed back, and his cock throbbed in response.

"So, you think I've fucked a ton of women?" He asked, stopping in front of her to block her path.

"I think maybe we should change the subject your highness. I shouldn't have said something like that on a day like this." She said apologetically, attempting to walk around him.

"Don't be like that. I was enjoying our flirting. I'm glad to know you think I'm attractive, although I haven't sown any wild oats yet." Sebastian smirked and stepped in front of her again.

"I did not say that!" she cried, her brown skin gaining a tinge of pink.

"Oh but you did. You said I sleep with scores of women. An ugly man wouldn't give you that impression." His smile grew wider watching Rosalin attempt to get around him again, and he thwarted her efforts.

"You're being very childish your highness. I need to get this last one to the ceremony hall. I don't have time to stroke your ego." She sighed

"You're offering to stroke me now? Not very saintly of you, saintess." He couldn't help but enjoy her frustration, and the blush it created.

"Oh, you're just so...ugh forget it!" She bit out and this time when she tried to leave, he stood aside falling in line behind her. Soon they were just outside of the ceremony hall, and he could hear Hilda's voice, sharp and grating, in the middle of her speech. Knowing how angry she would be that he not only snuck out but missed part of the memorial service gave him even more joy.

Today, in his opinion, had turned out to be one of the best days he's had in a while. Not only was his mystery woman more beautiful than he'd imagined, but she was also the saintess. Which means, she was his. Every hero and saintess in history had been rumored to be lovers, and he intended to make their pairing a reality.

The goddess intended for them to be together after all, and he considered this a just reward for the shit childhood she'd allowed him to have. He'd take good care of her. And the more he spoke to her, he could envision how happy the two of them would be married together.

Oh, it would be a challenge to go against the empress's chosen match. But he would enjoy defying Hilda's will. He'd have the might of the order behind him as well. Surely the Archon would want the saintess to be with the hero as the goddess wanted. He smiled to himself as he imagined their wedding night.

"Can you take these your highness?" her voice pierced through his imaginings. Rosalin held out the bouquet, looking at everywhere except him. He looked her over again, more and more pleased with his idea. They would do well together, he'd make her laugh every day just to see her smile. And at night...well he'd make sure she wanted the nights to never end. He was openly staring at her breasts now, wondering how they would feel in his hands.

"Y-your highness?" she stammered, shaking the bouquet in his face to get his attention.

"Hmm?" he replied, his mind still on what the color of her nipples would be.

"Here." she said and thrust the bouquet at him, covering up her breasts with the opposite hand. He grabbed it and she hurried off back the way they came before he could say anything.

So I botched the first meeting a bit. That's alright. I've got plenty of time to redeem myself...

His thoughts were still on their future when he entered the ceremony hall, bouquet in hand.