THE WEIGHT OF GRANTED WISHES

"I gave to you, Princess Gabriella and Princess Vanessa four months to present to me a notable man who you would love to spend the rest of your life with. One month has gone already, yet no one has come to introduce any man to me."

A burning tension rose within Gabriella, not leaving her mother and Alexia unperturbed about their daughters' inability to find the type of man that matches the King's taste and at the same time satisfies their daughter.

"Your Majesty, my daughter is still working on finding a suitable man for herself, the one that matches your taste. I'll present him to you when she finally finds him." Alexia was the first to speak.

"They were both forewarned. I have graciously granted them the freedom to choose their life partners, a privilege other Kings don't grant their daughters. They must act swiftly and make the most of this opportunity, lest I intervene and take matters into my own hands. No one must test my patience or force me to reconsider my decision."

"Your Majesty, I and my daughter are always grateful for your benevolence. I assure you, that she will not take it for granted." Alexia said.

Silence fell again, everyone waiting for Gabriella or her mother to speak. Slowly, Gabriella bowed, turning to the king she said, "Father, since I have no work to do for now that no war has been raised, I would love to live as a lone wolf, guarding the altar of Horndragon at the mountain of Agris for the rest of my life after the Masquerade ball."

Alexia beamed with another form of happiness when she heard Gabriella say she was leaving the castle.

The King and the Queen mother drew back in their seats, taken aback by Gabriella's demand.

"What do you mean Princess Gabriella?" Elizabeth's fist clenched and unclenched, her eyes gleaming in anger. "Are you trying to say you don't want to live in the castle anymore? You want to go such distance away from the castle living alone?"

"Grandmother, I..."

"You also don't want to find a man who would love you and take care of you like you do for others?"

"Grandmother, I will find a man who I will spend the rest of my life with. But for now, Queen Mother, I want to be alone after the Masquerade ball."

"No!" Queen Mother shouted. Shaking her head. Moisture formed in her eyes. She couldn't believe Gabriella could accept defeat so easily. She turned to look at the queen, but it seemed Catalina was not interested in opposing such.

But why?

"Your Majesty, I think it's best you don't hesitate to grant Gabriella's wish. That will be the only source of peace in this castle and the kingdom as a whole. Since Vanessa would be made the crown princess soon, I see no reason she has to stay in the castle anymore. They say a jealous heart is prone to be a troublemaker." Alexia stated.

Elizabeth turned to the king, stamping her walking stick on the floor, she said. "Son, please don't agree with what she said. Gabriella must find a man who will take care of her. She must live in the castle."

"Queen Mother, she has the right to choose what she wants. It is what she had chosen, we should do well to respect her decision." Alexia opposed. Her eyes went to the King, expecting him to agree to what she said.

"Why do you demand for such?" The King asked.

"Just as Alexia had said, it will bring peace to the castle, Father. I don't want to do anything that will cause chaos in the castle. My presence might bring..."

"No!" Elizabeth shouted. "You must not continue to say such!"

"Mother, please." The King interrupted. Understanding perfectly well what Gabriella was trying to say. "Living as a lone wolf is a decision not everyone can make unless one is forced to live that way. However, if that is your decision..." The king paused as if to think.

He then ordered his servant to get him a scroll. The servant brought the scroll. Handing it over to the king, everyone including the Queen watched as he wrote something on the scroll before stamping it with his royal seal.

Tension rose as the King raised the scroll, about to read what he had written.

"I King Tristan Gibon, will grant you your wish to live as a lone wolf after the Masquerade ball. However..." He paused again, this time the Queen was not looking calm anymore.

"However, if no man demands her hand in marriage before then, only then will I consider granting her her wishes."

Gabriella and the Queen's shoulder rose and their eyes shot widely at the king.

"If that is your decision, then I accept." Gabriella struggled to say.

"Do you have anything to say, Catalina?"

"I have nothing to say, your Majesty. I will accept whatever decision you make." Catalina said making the Queen mother angry. However, she knew the king well. There must have been a reason for him to grant this wish in such a manner. She must be careful because the king was not to be toyed with at all.

In Alexia's mind, she prayed Gabriella's wish would be granted. It will give her daughter more control over the castle as she wants without getting any opposition or obstacles.

Elizabeth was confused as to why Gabriella would demand such. If she took permission to live outside the castle after the Masquerade ball, that means she had accepted defeat.

Suddenly, a servant was seen rushing in and came to a halt at the doorway as he bowed. "Good day, your Majesty. Good day, your Highnesses. I'm sorry to interrupt. A letter for you has arrived, Your Majesty." The servant announced.

By the King's order, the servant was let in. He handed the letter to the king before he bowed and left.

The King opened the letter and after reading it, he announced, "This is a letter from Marquess Brutus. It states here that he and his son had entered Horndragon. They would arrive here in the castle early morning tomorrow." He glanced at them and said,

"In welcome of the Marquess, there will be a grand breakfast party tomorrow. Only a few of the top royalties will be invited." He waited for a few seconds before he finally nodded thoughtfully and continued to say,

"I believe this will be a good opportunity for the princesses to find suitors for themselves." He glanced at everyone. "For now, Princess Gabriella, you are still not excepted from my orders. I will not reject any man who demands your hand in marriage. So, the party will also be an opportunity for you. I will send words to Princess Vanessa to return so she can join the party." He then ordered,

"I will not accept lateness. Everyone must be prepared and present on time."

All heads bowed as they accepted the king's order.

~~~~

Back in Gabriella's chamber where Priscilla was ordered to prepare a warm bath for Gabriella. Priscilla set Gabriella's coat on the hanger and suddenly a purple rose fell off the coat.

"Huh?"

"A purple rose?"

Purple roses were the hardest to be found in the kingdom in both wild and home gardens. Most people take it as the most powerful treasure one can give to someone because of its scarcity and value.

Some men would use it as the most valuable gift to lure their lovers to them instead of giving them a pendent. When this is given to that woman it always means eternal love. At the thought of this, Priscilla jumped up in excitement.

"Finally, our god of war has fallen in love and found a lover!"

Gabriella was known as a woman who only trained her heart to wield a sword and fight in battles. She never gave any man a chance for a relationship despite her beauty which made men wreck of jealousy and wonder why such a beauty would go to waste. She believed that falling in love was a waste of time and would bring distraction to her work in the palace.

Priscilla bent to pick the rose and place it back in its rightful position only for her to shudder away from it

Taken aback by what just happened, confusion marred her face, a terrific shock ran down her veins and before she knew it, she was trembling.

Just a little thing could shake the breath out of Priscilla's lungs.

Before she understood what was happening, the rose turned to black colour and changed back to its purple colour in a fast range that she could barely comprehend what just happened.

Her eyes widened as she looked closely at it. Her hands were shaking in both anxiousness and fear. She was so nervous that she could hear the sound of her heartbeat in her ears.

Priscilla released a hot breath and tried to curdle her fear, assuming it was only her wild imagination again. Truly, as Princess Gabriella had said, she had to forget about Vanessa who would be made the crown princess and focus on her duties if she didn't want to be punished in the palace.

Staring at the rose which had turned back to its original colour, Priscilla shook the fear off her mind, Her face was flushed as she took in a panicked breath and bent to pick the rose again.

A gasp escaped her lips as soon as she felt an electrifying heat on her fingers again. At this point, she realized that this was not an ordinary rose, she needed to get the princess away from this danger as quickly as possible before it was too late.

"My princess! My princess!" Priscilla's loud voice could be heard as she hurried out of the room in search of Princess Gabriella.