Wars of the Heart
Amelia Luna-dynn is a young damsel of unassuming character. However, there is a deadly secret she harbors: that she is the daughter of a forbidden race, a tribe despised by the royals of the Kingdom. She is the sole survivor, discreetly living an unseen life as a commoner. But there are scars on her back that betray her origin, requiring her to cleanse herself in order to stay alive and unrecognised. With such reins attached to her race, it is impossible to find someone who would love her despite the dangers of her origin. But one night, when at the verge of being eaten by beasts, she is saved by a mysterious man from the grasp of death. Curiosity drives the damsel to chase love. Despite being downtrodden, she stumbles upon the opportunity meeting with high society by joining a Book Club run by the beautiful daughter of the Duke, Charlene Walterus. Amelia makes friendships with nobles and soon comes close to a romance with a man she suspects to be her secret rescuer, but is hopeless that his heart is far gone in the arms of the duke’s daughter. Will she win a wedding with the man of her dreams? But most importantly, will her fantasies of a perfect marriage come true? Or will she suffer a strained marital relationship, with unrequited feelings, far from the heart of the one she loves? Excerpt: That night, he was exhilarated to have married the woman of his desires. But Charlene had told him a bothersome fact about the origin of his newly wedded wife that he could not shake off his mind, for he knew she would have told him, had it been true. The tall man stepped into Amelia’s chamber and found her seated at the rim of the bed, blushing. The very sight of her innocent disposition had always brought him the insane urge to sweep her up in his arms and protect her. But before they would make love, there was an important question blaring at the edge of his mind. “Y-you’re here”, her soft voice was almost breathless. She rose to her feet, but rested against the wall, shy and nervous. “Amelia”, he tasted her name, drawing close to her. Tenderly placing a finger under her chin and lifting her face to meet his, he gazed into her eyes and asked, “Is it true that you are of the Celeste Clan?” There was silence in response and fear in her eyes. She did not deny it. A strong feeling of hurt enveloped his chest, when he realised that she was no different. Charlene’s words about her were not simply contemptuous lies of jealousy planted to his attention, but the raw truth. ~ Amelia gasped when he rammed his fist against the wall in the absolute pangs of frustration. It was like it burnt his senses to think that she would deliberately hold something as significant as her origin from him, regardless of all things of his secrets that he had shared with her, while they were yet secret lovers. She knew the fault was hers, but she had been too scared to relay, for she had loved him far too much to lose him. “Why did you hide this from me?” he breathed, voice cold and low and deadly, colored by his unpronounced rage. His face was dangerously close to hers, such that she could hear his very breath, seething. Tears began to pierce her eyes, threatening to fall. She had never meant to deceive him. But in that moment, she was afraid. Heart throbbing loud enough to be heard, her lips were quivering and she shivered. When his gaze swept down at her frightened disposition, there was a flicker of tenderness in his eyes. But it lasted not even as long as a moment’s worth. He was cold. He did not confront her for the secrets she was keeping, but silently withdrew himself. There were many things she wished to say in apology, but she could not find her voice. And by the time she could speak, he had left her chambers. Tears flurried down her face. She could not believe that her fears had ruined the very first day of her marriage. It was the day she had wished to divulge her secret to him, but it seemed like it had already been out.
3. Who is the Vigilante?
WHO IS THE VIGILANTE?
~
Edge of the wild woods,
Skirts of the Village of Drift-combe,
Kingdom of Velicia,
Night reigned by a full moon,
The Seventh Night of the Month of November,
Thirty Third Year of the Reign of King Jesse Cresting
~
The other men that had discomfited the beasts, dressed in the same dark, hooded capes as the man before Amelia Luna-dynn's eyes, assembled behind him and descended down on one knee, bowing. The damsel noticed that there were four of them, making the whole team a company of five, with the first man as the head.
They were the vigilantes that the villager folks had been blazing about.
Why did the official news avoid confronting these heroes if they were true and not a myth?
The masked man that had saved her cast a glance over his shoulder to acknowledge that they had completed their task. He held an arm out in a way that his cape curtained her from the view of the other men.
Amelia noticed that beneath the dark cloak, he was dressed in the fit uniform of the Kingdom's Royal Knights: a suit with high collars, belt bearing the insignia of the Imperial Castle and leather boots that were thigh high.
The chief vigilante turned to her and nodded over to the banks of the river where her clothes were hung on a tall tree. The damsel of brown hair gave him a quick nod before hurrying over to her garments.
She felt terribly conscious of his gaze, and hoped he wasn't looking. Then, she wasted no time in donning her apparel, while staying completely eclipsed behind the tree and the shadows of the woods.
After she was dressed, Amelia was excessively hesitant to face the men again. There was a maddening weight of embarrassment that overwhelmed her. But there was no other choice she had at her disposal, for she needed their protection to make her way back to the village safely.
She hugged herself before walking back to the gathering. The men were standing around, still hooded, and seemed to be discussing something, investigating the dead bodies of the beasts. Their voices were low enough to keep her from recognising their identity.
Then, when they heard her approaching stride, they ceased their conversation. The leader of the group, who had saved her, gave her a nod before extending a hand. She softly placed her palm in his, realising that his hand was much bigger than hers and was very calloused.
His eyes gazed over what she was wearing and how it fit her voluptuous figure, for a brief moment, before he turned and began leading her away. In her mind, Amelia berated herself, wondering why she had not worn something that was better that a fit gown made for daily labour.
But his single glance filled her chest with feelings of flattered feminity.
Then, there was the sound of a quiet rustle behind her and she turned to find that the four other men were not where they had been, save one hooded vigilante. He gave her a wink and she waved at him, before he took a lofty jump and landed on a tree branch, leaping his way there-from and into the misty night.
The tall man that was leading her turned to cast a glimpse down at her, and she hurried to keep pace with his long strides. Then, in a few moments, he stopped his tread and she looked up to see that they were at the skirts of her village:
It was quaint and rustic, with stone walls and brick roofs composing the houses. The streets were vast and empty and the lampposts were unlit.
Amelia turned to the robust stranger and nodded, whispering "Thank you". The man with fair eyes nodded in response.
The damsel scuttled over to her house that was quite close to the edge of the village and when she had reached the porch, she quietly unlocked the door. Once it was opened, she cast a glance behind her, to see that the man was still standing there, arms folded, blended in the shadows, and watching her to make sure that she was safe.
Amelia waved at him and he gave her a slow nod. Then, she scurried inside and closed the door behind her, knowing that he waited till she was secure. The damsel rested against the door, feeling various exhilarated emotions boiling inside her.
Her heart was beating like a wave of thunder and she took deep breaths, hoping to calm her nerves, but it did not help. Her mind continued thinking back to the way he had saved her.
Amelia couldn't help the excited squeal that escaped her, before she cupped her mouth, hoping not to wake her brother.
There was a distant feeling of sadness when she realised that there was no means of meeting the mysterious man, for she knew not his identity. A sense of longing to see him and ask of his name sprouted in her heart. Her emotions were chaotic.
Then, for a second, excitement enveloped her senses at the prospect of hoping to see him again. So she hurried up the stairs, desiring for a chance to see him through the balcony.
Just then, she heard a groaning voice call her name, "Mel, is that you?"
"Jas? Aren't you asleep?" Amelia asked, sounding innocent.
"I should be asking you that", Jasper's voice sounded annoyed.
The lad of fifteen years crossed his arms and stared at her, like he wasn't about to entertain any of her excuses. "Oh, you know", she cooed, hoping her younger brother would understand her circumstances.
"Did you go to the river for a dip?" he asked, his voice seeming most frustrated.
"Jas, you know it was inevitable", Amelia whined.
"At the cost of your life?" her brother snapped. "You know there are beasts on the rampage. What if you had encountered one of them? They could have torn you to shreds!"
The damsel remained silent. She was far too afraid to tell him that she truly had seen them, but was saved by a miracle.
At that moment, though, her focus was to have him understand her circumstance. Thus, she reasoned: "I had not gone last month either, for fear of the beasts, and the marks on my back were growing strong! If someone saw them, I could be killed!"
Jasper did not argue her stance, for he knew she was right.
The marks that spread up her skin on a fortnightly basis were a grave secret she needed to hide from the people she lived with. And only her brother knew their significance.
~
i actually can't wait for more interactions >.< and when she finds him and stuff HNNNNGGH-
Until then, I hope y'all doing gooood! Bless you for reading this far! Please vote and add this book ;-;
also I would love to read your comments