Forever For Us

As they returned to the prince's quarters, they went towards the fireplace as normal, a thoughtful silence falling over the pair. The suns had set and it was dusk outside. Darkness had settled in the room until Basileus threw a fireball at the fresh wood in the fireplace.

Varya would never get used to his fire abilities. The way he effortlessly controlled something so dangerous was exhilarating. Her eyes were full of adoration and followed him as he walked towards the other side of the room. When he was no longer in sight, she looked away.

A faint glow now lit up the room and Varya's eyes went down to the new ring on her finger. There was a time in her life when she wanted an extravagant wedding. It would be held in her parents' home. She would use her mother's flower garden as a backdrop for the ceremony. The pool in the backyard could be covered by a sturdy cover and used as a dance floor during the reception. Varya would look beautiful in a custom gown from a famous designer. The groom…

As she thought about the face of the groom, she could only picture Prince Basileus. His hair would be slicked back and he would wear his formalwear, decorated in military medals. Women across the globe would be smitten by him. They would never know she had to go to space to find such a worthwhile man. A small smile spread across her lips as she imagined the life she should have been able to have.

However, her daydream was cut short. She knew the life she was supposed to have would never intersect with the one she had now. There was no life for her on Earth with the prince. Fate seemed to give her the choice of love or her parents and had picked love for her. There was no choice in this situation. She wanted it all, but could only have some of it.

There was an overbearing wonder if she would ever make it out of the prince's quarters into a home of their own. Basileus wanted to defeat the emperor for the castle, but would he ever be satisfied leaving this all behind? The thought of him doing something as dangerous as facing Emperor Kruos made her feel anxious at the possibility of her happiness being taken from her once more. A life away from this planet would be free. They would no longer be under surveillance at all times and they could come and go as they wanted to. She would have the freedom to experiment in a state-of-the-art lab she had built for herself just as her father did.

She couldn't stop the direction her mind was headed and wondered if they could even have babies together. Being from a different species, she somewhat doubted that.

"What are you thinking about?"

Basileus had taken off his armor before he returned to the couch. He lay next to Varya and she comfortably used one of his arms as a pillow. One of his arms rested over her. It seemed they both had been lost in their thoughts as silence filled the room. He only noticed the silence when he heard the woman in his arms let out a small sigh which caused him to ask about her thoughts.

Varya rolled onto her side so her face was buried in the prince's chest. She inhaled his warm yet fresh scent and smiled. Her thoughts had dispersed and a sense of comfort replaced them as she felt the warmth of his body within her reach. Luck didn't begin to describe the situation they were in. She believed wholeheartedly that she wouldn't have survived this long in space if it weren't for him.

"I want to do everything with you," she responded, finally.

He still didn't understand how she could seek and find comfort within him. He had been told before how cold and heartless he was - it seemed to him that she disagreed. Absent-mindedly, he traced circles on her back and stared at the fire in the fireplace.

"Everything…" he trailed off.

Her hand was resting on his side and she hugged him.

"Just normal things. I like the mundane aspects of life. I want to know what our life would be like in a place of our own. I want to cook dinner for you and see what hobbies you like when you aren't under the emperor's control," she explained and smiled when his hand went to her cheek. "I like adventure, too, though. If we could leave here, I would want to travel the universe with you," she said. Her voice lowered and she added, "I think this castle will be yours again one day."

Her belief in him made his heartbeat quicken and he hugged her to his chest. In all the time he had been trying to change the course of his life, no one had ever stated their trust that he would win one day. Emperor Kruos came from a powerful background, but so did he. Fire would eventually melt ice.

They fell into silence again and the prince watched her roll onto her back and look at the ring he had given her. He never expected to find someone to be his. As a child, he witnessed the way his father took care of his mother and made sure she got everything she wished for. Now it was the prince who wanted to give a woman everything. He couldn't do it in the situation he was in now. There was no doubt he needed more power to give her the life she deserved.

Basileus carefully brushed her hair away from her face then he took her left hand in his right one so he could look at the ring. He didn't want to bring down the mood, but there was another detail he should have told her. He hoped she wouldn't get upset with him.

"If anything ever happens to me," he started, "you can show that ring to workers in the palace. Most of them know that whoever owns that ring has the right to all my possessions."

Her eyes widened and she turned her head to look at him, shocked that he could say something so horrible so casually. Varya took her hand back from him and cradled his face in her hands as he watched her.

"That's not going to happen," she said maybe more to herself than to him.

Varya wanted to refute his claim and say that would never happen, but, in the short time they had been together, she had already seen him on death's door. Never had she worried so much for another person. If training kept him from ever being in that state again, she didn't mind if he did it for all hours of the day.

"I never know what the future will bring," he told her.

Even though they were his own words, they struck a chord within him and he stared at Varya with his eyebrows lowered. He was instantly deep in thought as realization struck him.

'I never know what the future will bring,' he repeated to himself silently. 'So why am I so hesitant for the next step?'

He had a beautiful and intelligent woman in his arms who wanted to spend her life with him no matter what it would bring. She allowed herself to trust him and care for him so openly despite him always holding back. He wondered if this situation was fair for her. If either one of them were to disappear tomorrow, he wouldn't forgive himself for never knowing what it was like to fully have her - to claim her as his.

As with other Basilains, he knew he would become possessive and obsessed, but what would be different than what he was already doing now? He already felt infuriated at the thought of another man touching her. Whenever her eyes left him, he felt the need to do something to get them back on him. He missed her blue orbs whenever she slept at night.

Suddenly, he got up from the couch and Varya thought he was going to go to bed. She almost stood up to follow him, but instead, he pinned her down with his body and captured her lips in a kiss that spoke volumes about whatever was going on in his mind. He was tender yet so passionate. It wasn't a regular kiss - she could feel it by the way he held onto her, desperate to remain close. She felt overwhelmed in the best way possible. Her body called to him and waited for his response. He bit her lower lip as he pulled away, only giving himself enough space to talk.

"I need you, Varya," he said to her lips and he bit them again. "Let me have you."

At his admittance, he instantly felt nervous. She had every right to reject him, but he sincerely hoped she didn't. Watching her face for clues, a small smile pulled at his lips as she started to blush.