Welcome to Gaia! ::

She winced at his words and abrupt dissapointment though she didn't need to look at him to feel his irritation. She hugged her knees tighter as he walked away, leaving her alone under the tree. Much like her dream, she supposed. Yet she did not cry nor feel bitter about it, she could only blame herself. She was scared of opening herself. Of speaking about her desires, of her complaints on her life, of her dreams. Asriel admired Alister for at least being able to get that far. She was at fault, she knew, but she couldn't get herself around to talk about it. She heard his horse speeding away and at last, she was alone in the beautiful clearing. She stretched out yet wasn't prepared to leave. She laid down on the grass, staring at the sky. Yet a day dream didn't come to her but a memory.

"Grandfather," Asriel went on, her face full of ignorant innocence and naivity. She was around fourteen at the time, she remembered. The stern man looked down upon her in disgust. She who looked so much like her mother, the daughter who betrayed him, yet with the eyes of a stranger, a commoner. "You'll adress me as Your Majesty. I will not have such ill-mannered people in my court." Asriel stepped forward, stopping when the guards gave her a glare. She held a hand to her chest. "I dislike living in that room. Staying there...it's killing me! Do you not love me? We share the same blood, do we not? I want to be free! I want to see the world unbound by stone walls! I want-" Asriel was cut short; the slap to her right cheek took the words right off her tongue. She held her hand to her cheek, a hurt expression from the sting of pain. Her eyes brimmed with tears as her grandfather reseated himself with an angered expression. "I will not have it! Not at all! I will not have such a weak, worthless person in my court! Who knew you to be such a selfish child? You are no blood to me! You are no blood to me! Get out of my sight!"
Heartbroken, Asriel was led out of the room. She wiped at her tears, hating herself for being so stupid as to thinking such a way. To think that she actually had a chance of being freed from her chamber. The lock locked behind her. She turned quickly and began to bang on the walls, screaming. She only stopped when her hands got bloody and her throat began to hurt. No, she would not cry. She backed into the corner and stared out her window once more, longing to be outside. She watched the horizon set on the sun, her hope of leaving this tower dissapearing along with the last rays of the sun.

Asriel rolled over, the snout of the horse snorted in her face. She sat up, watching Bloom graze on the grass where her head was formally before patting its nose. She got up then, dusting herself off. She shouldn't have given a reason for Alister to get angry. Asriel climbed back on the horse, after several long minutes and moments of difficulty, she began riding again. If he really wanted to know, she'd tell him. Why hide the truth? Asriel felt a tad more at ease riding Bloom again who led her back to the stables. She slid off and headed back in the general direction of the castle, guessing at where the gardens were. After asking two maids where they were, she found herself back outside. The gardens weren't even that far from where she was in the first place and any normal human being could've easily found them if they had the right mindset. But, after all, Asriel was one that was quite stupid with directions.

"I wasn't lying when I said it was lonely," Asriel called in a soft tone, unsure of whether to interrupt his day dreaming. She had watched him for some time then, wondering what time was best for her to interrupt. "Or that it was boring. I just..." She paused. What was she trying to do by telling him what she did and what she was telling him now? "Didn't want to dishearten you from thinking ill of me or my country." Asriel came to sit next to Alister on the bench, glancing at him every couple minutes. "I...Was locked away in a tower all my life. All I could think now is how much of a fool the rulers of Demetria are, thinking that in their treaty they got a wealthy princess from rich lands when they actually got a worthless half-blood. My grandfather hated me so he put me in that tower; I couldn't leave so all I knew about the world was from books or what I could see from my window. I feel really bad for you; now you have to put up with me."
Of course, Alister would know nothing about her being a half blood; that was a secret amongst the royal family. "So I don't know much about what 'home' is like. I'm sorry I can't answer your question correctly," she murmured meekly, looking to the floor.

She quieted then. His view on life was much different than hers. She admired it. For he looked out the window that was life in a different manner; as to shield himself from the cruel world rather than feeling like he was kept from it. She didn't say anything after awhile, maybe ten minutes or so until she stood then, straightening her uncomfortable skirts, and walked a little ways from Alister to look at some flowers. Irises caught her eye and she bent low to pet the delicate pedals with care before standing, looking at them. "I hope to never have my children live in times like these, where countries fight for power and of greed. I'm tired of all this fighting and even though how it went about surely was an unimaginable prospect for me," she had mentioned their marriage, "it stopped the fighting between our two countries for the time being. And...The treaty freed me from my prison," she noted on a happier thought and gave a soft smile. Throughout all the good and bad in the world, she could find it in herself to smile about such things. It was of her personality, to be optimistic. Yet she blushed when she talked about having children and negated her eyes. She didn't want to think about it, about that type of future involving Alister. It was embarrassing. And yet, the garden was so peaceful. It calmed her light blush and put her in a tender mood.
To see that she had such a caring husband also lifted her mood, making her forget about the recent dreams she's been having momentarily. "As long as you're hopeful, I'm sure it can be acheived." She then went on to another set, roses it seemed, where she bent to smell its sweet scent. "This garden is well kept. Or at least I think so since I haven't seen another garden to compare it with," she admitted.

Asriel was a tad suprised. His mother liked her? Usually, any relative of the royal family looked down upon her for she was the shame of the country. She took his arm carefully, painfully aware that she was wedded to this man, and lowered her head. Whatever the case may be, she could only hope the conversation with his mother would be a good one. She heard that Alister's mother was strict; his father far more stricter. Tales of him in Eureka called him a brute. She could only imagine what might become of Alister himself yet kept quiet about it.
Asriel felt very...awkward. For someone to be so accepting of her, and at this moment she gave a sideways glance to Alister, was surely a new experience for her. She thought, at the very least, he'd be disusted to have her as his wife, having to share the same bed with a foreigner. Asriel shivered. But Alister was very...pleasant. Her skepticism kept her guessing at him; that he might turn out bad and hurtful. She'd await that day. Yet, she was hopeful. The man Asriel was with right now reassured her she'd at least be welcomed momentarily.

As Asriel was escorted to Alister's mother, her mind began to wander.

Asriel swallowed the lump in her throat and entered the parlor room. Alister seemed so distant from her; she couldn't grasp his presence anymore. With a sharp slip of the tongue, Alister had dissapeared. Was that how he was in front of his mother? How... She looked to his mother who seemed to treat her so differently than that of her own son. Quietly, Asriel seated herself across from the woman, avoiding eye contact with the queen. She lowered her head, as if to bow, as to show manners. "Good day to you..." She prolonged her sentence until she added quickly, "madam." Alister's mother seemed so cold to him; to see her kind eyes then made Asriel confused of ehr character. She could tell that Alister didn't care much for his mother; maybe it was because his mother, though Alister was second in line, always pressured Alister to be king. Nonetheless, Asriel decided to show her hospitality to this woman unless given a reason otherwise.
"As for your son..." She paused in her speech then. What did she think of Alister? She surely didn't like him; though she found reasons to, as shown today, as to not hate him. She was not obligated to love that man. "`He has treated me with the most kindness he could manage to give me on our first day together. I understand he isn't the most friendly of people but he makes up for it with his wit," she muttered lightly.

Asriel felt it; that oppresive feeling emenating from her. Asriel shivered and took her cup in hand, her fingers shaking slightly yet calmed herself and firmly held her cup as she sipped it. It tasted terrible; she was unused to the tea here and missed the herbal teas of Eureka she was served with her modest meals alone in her room. Yet she presumed to hold her fake smile. "This country is so very different than my own," she murmured. She didn't say she liked it nor hated it clearly.
Her last quesiton was odd and she looked down, not wanting to see this woman's dissapointment when Asriel would say no. Trying to find some words as to make it sound not as bad, she opened her mouth to speak. "Sadly, we couldn't get to the tour since he took me outside to his lovely garden this afternoon. I assure you that I'll see to it he give me a tour."
Yes, that's how she would play it in front of this distasteful woman: she'd kiss the rings on her fingers and act like a good wife.

Asriel kept her eyes down, focusing on the tea in the delicate cup. She took another sip; her skin crawling as she did and set it back down. With a hefty yet shaky sigh, she finally looked at him. "Even though your mother unpleasant, you shouldn't call her old or a bat but cherish her because she gave brith to you," she commented. "However, I can tell why you feel unease with her," she added and held her hands in her lap. If she had a mother like that...Asriel glanced to the door. She wouldn't even know how she'd grow up to be.
"However," she cleared her throat, "she commented on giving me a tour..." And with that she led on, looking at him. She wanted one; she didn't like asking things of people and she didn't take too well with the maids here. They always stared at her. Asriel always felt unwelcome.