Carried Away

It was funny. Spending a century-worth of time without being tied to no one, it only took a week for Arius to conclude that he wanted to share the rest of his life with the woman he just met.

Within a week, Arius managed to fit the daily rendezvous to his jam-packed timetable. Every day, at the same time, he'd go for a walk in the town square in hopes of finding the person who also happen to be running away from something similar to his reasons. Though, Xerxes had made it clear Arius needed to give him a heads up before his vanishing act lest the butler promised he would drag his misbehaving king back to the palace. They were able to extend their visit in town, somehow, and it was all thanks to Arius, staying true to his spontaneous character.

She was always there. Always.

It almost looked like she had always been expecting him as well, with the way her head turned to his direction every time he appeared. Seeing her waiting for him on one of the benches had always made Arius' heart beat a little faster each time. He couldn't help but smile before he would proceed to join her.

The week-long meetings were the best one he ever had. For once, he enjoyed something like a "meeting", given that it didn't involved his responsibilities or any kind of important matter for the nation and the people. It was all for his own wishes and desires.

Yes, it was selfish. But when was the last time he let himself be selfish? Time had already carried that record into the void.

No matter that she had her own selfish reasons—most likely because she was getting her coffee and pay, but such were little price to pay—he reveled in the moments they spent together, even the banters and the threats from her that were becoming less and less serious, leaning to have a playful note.

For someone as sharp as Zinnia, Arius sometimes wonder if she already discovered his real identity. But by the looks of things and how she casually regarded him, the answer could be far from what he suspected. However, fear of what would change in her demeanor once she knew started to grow in his chest.

He never cared for anyone's opinion of him. Heck, he let historians write whatever they wanted about him, albeit being half-biased. Yet, Zinnia's thoughts about him turned into something like an anvil, heavy, hefty, and non-negligible.

Did that stop him from unravelling his sides no one knew? Of course, not. Even Xerxes, his closest confidant, would be surprised. But there were times Arius worried if he's giving too much of himself so easily. Though, how could he resist when she unknowingly created a comfortable zone for him to undo his self, all the damn time?

Whether it was what she's meaning to do or not, he was glad for it. Did she ever know how much of her affects him?

One week passed, and bam. He found himself instructing Xerxes to purchase a ring.

"Are you sure?" Of course, Xerxes would frown at him with the conjecture. His best friend was already accustomed to his out-of-the-blue ways, but this, by far, was the most outrageous thing he'd heard. His turquoise eyes and eyebrows said so. "Arius, marriage is not something you get into without careful consideration."

The king knew Xerxes never meant to discourage him. Being the more logical one in their dynamic, Arius expected the advisor to ask him to reconsider: take a step back and think about it probably a thousand times more. He even brought up the saying from another country that marriage is not hot food you could spit out if your tongue got burnt.

He appreciated the concerns, acknowledged the apprehensions, but Arius wouldn't be Arius if he didn't decide right there and then.

To heck with the slow dive plan. That was completely trashed because Arius realized the time he'd spend to think about it might be the same demon that would take his opportunity away to the depths he'd never reach. He hated the whole thought of that.

Acceding to his decision, Xerxes could only draw a deep sigh before proceeding to carry on with the task. He did bring up the possibility of rejection, hoping it would at least knock some sense into Arius, but the man only shrugged and committed the possibility would be an "it is what it is" situation if it ever happened. Xerxes' bronze hair only swayed with the shake of his head, half-amazed and half-bewildered at the kings' attitude. One of the greatest things he admired about the king was that he was a man who was never afraid of failing. It could be attributed to his immortality, the lack of losing time or his life, but Xerxes' father's experiences would be testament to the strong and dauntless confidence Arius possessed since then.

Still, there was a worry tucked within the butler's heart for the possibility of the lady's refusal to happen. Despite his verbal disapproval, he still wished his friend the best results in his mostly preposterous endeavors.

And so, it happened.

After a few exchanges and light-hearted banters, Arius segued like he had been an expert at being a romantic from the very beginning, dropped to one knee and finally popped the question whilst revealing a simple silver ring.

The color in Zinnia's face drained in an instant. An expected reaction, Arius thought. He did get into action with consideration to the worst-case scenario. But no matter. He would try again in another time, or perhaps, would try a different approach at wooing her. He just wanted to let her know how she had carved herself a special place in his life. If all else failed, it wouldn't be put past him to accept that it wasn't meant to be.

Her ambivalent eyes never left the sight of the ring, her expression being understandable. However, Arius was never a mind reader. Immortal, yes, but other than that, he never acquired any other kind of supernatural ability. That was why it was a bit daunting to guess what thoughts were running through her head.

"Are you sure you want this?" Her pair of eyes finally met his, holding an ambiguous message behind them. Her creased forehead didn't look like she was keeping a kind of fear for her own. The tiny details on her face were enough for Arius to take a mental note to execute a significant task later.

But right at that moment, he didn't want anything else. His answer was determined from the start.

With a gleeful smile and a firm voice, he responded, "Yes. I want this… as long as it is also what you want."

Just as her gaze tried to send hidden words for him to decipher, the translucence of Arius' grey eyes held them with reassurance.

With shut eyes and lips pressed tightly into a thin line, Zinnia was silent for a moment.

"Okay then," she said, finally unlocking her lids to reveal an unreadable expression in her eyes.

In spite of the uncanny reaction, Arius felt colors had burst and exploded in the sky to paint the indescribable feeling that washed over him. His widened eyes were set still on her face, unbelieving of the answer he received.

He was so sure she'd say "no". He even admitted it to Xerxes that he had a lot of back up plans on stand-by, putting a check on all the alphabets for the variety of action plans he prepared for a "no". However, he was unprepared the most for a "yes" from the get-go.

Zinnia was left dumbstruck when he gathered her hands into his, tears welling up in his eyes before he said softly, "Thank you."

The conclusion was already drawn. Preparations to receive Zinnia in the palace were immediate. She arrived a few days after Arius returned with Xerxes. Though he preferred to give her more of his time to help her settle, the accumulated work load in his absence kept him to his study, losing sleep more than usual. But he braved the mountain of papers and matters to sort just so he could face the day he'd be married to Zinnia without any kind of reservations for anything.

And one of those matters include a particular confirmation that has to be done.

"Xerxes," the advisor recalled it has been a while before he heard a stern and serious tone from Arius. He was mostly whiny or a bit too hyper, "House Ruby… dissect it. Leave no details uncovered." His grey eyes darkened with intensity.

"Understood," Arius only needed a short affirmation from the veteran butler.

Xerxes took a few days to have everything his master needed. Arius' happy-go-lucky demeanor disappeared when he got the organized files.

His mouth twisted into a dangerous smirk after scanning the documents and images on hand. They seemed to hit a jackpot with what buried secrets they just uprooted. His eyes shone with a cold and calculating glint on it. One could feel the temperature in the room dropped as Arius' cast his chilly gaze on his table.

Everything had suddenly become so interesting. The gears turned inside his head, already forming and processing ploys and schemes that would be executed shortly.

But he'd have to hold it off… at least for the meantime. In the interim, he'll bask and swim in the current joy he was given.

True. This new feeling that had carried him away—into a decision that would turn his life upside-down—was anything but calm. If anything, it was like torrents.

He'd ride it and enjoy where it will take him further, but he'd never let it decide everything for him. He still had a hold in his own heart; he just chose to let it float in delight. But when the time comes and the difficult choices had to be picked, he was confident that he'd have the gut to do it. For now, he'll try to be friends with the crazy emotions he recently acquired and learn how to bend them to his will.

Getting carried away in this wide and deep ocean wasn't so bad though. It would probably buoy him to uncharted islands he could later conquer. But the waves wouldn't be allowed to control his sail. They would serve to be the moving factor, but never the driving one.

No one else could steer King Arius of Stygia but himself.

Well… at least that was what he thought.