Palace

-Mario's Pov-

The crowds settled down after a few minutes and started to make their way out of the castle. I was relieved that the meeting was now over, I couldn't handle all the pressure standing up here as everyone stared at me. All this talk of the human that is now among the fairy community has put an extreme amount of stress upon me. There was a part of me though that was happy that the fairies accepted me in their community as if I was just one of their own.

After the crowds left the castle's throne room, Ashley suggested that she could take me on a tour throughout the castle, "I could give you a tour of the castle. I wouldn't want you to get lost, better know where everything is." I was very forgetful and would most likely not remember where everything is, especially since this is a very big palace. I thought about rejecting her offer but then I saw her give me a look that suggested that I shouldn't. Then I knew what she was trying to do, to get us away from her mother so we could spend some time together in peace.

Agreeing with her suggestion, I stated, "Of course, I would love a tour." Once I said this, Ashley grabbed my wrist and pulled us off into a nearby corridor. As we sauntered off, away from the Queen, we quickly made our way through the hallways. I have no idea where Ashley was taking me but I would rather be with her than near that judgemental mother of hers. When we were a safe distance away from the throne room, Ashley slowed down at a slower pace. She still held my hand as we walked through the castle and stepped into every room. Ashley told me the history that happened in every single space and explained how they were being used today.

However, I wasn't focusing on what she was saying, I was too preoccupied with her beauty. As she twirled with happiness, Ashley showed me the huge library that was present in the castle. Her excitement of being in this room made me smile, I also wanted to join her as she danced throughout the room. Ashley was very knowledgeable about the history and the environment of not just the castle but the whole civilization.

Explaining the history of this Kingdom she, shared something that happened to the Kingdom a year ago, "Our Kingdom, Fairyland, has a strong military. Throughout history, we have endured many things, even last year we were attacked and prevailed." Ashley's excitement subsided as she looked down at the ground, possibly remembering what happened to the Kingdom and her civilians. I stood there silently, not wanting to disturb her as she processed everything that has happened. Although, it seemed like there was something that bothered her as she looked back at me with worry in her eyes.

Wanting to know what was on her mind, I asked what was bothering her, "Are you alright? You have suddenly lost your bright energy." Gazing into my eyes, she shook her head and bit her lower lip in nervousness. I have no idea why but that action just made me want to dive in for a kiss but I remained still and waited for Ashley to respond to my question. Although, it seemed like she did not want to respond to my question because she remained silent as she looked at me.

She laughed and swatted her hand trying to dodge the question, "I'm fine." I did not believe that anything was on her mind, I knew there was something that she was thinking about. Though I am going to let it slide and give her time, she will tell me when she is ready.

While we stood there in the library, awkwardly staring at each other, I decided to change topics, "What are all these books for, do they hold any importance?" Laughing at my question, I waited for Ashley to take the bait and she did. Smiling, Ashley turned around and gestured towards the bookshelves that stood so tall that they reached the ceiling. Continued to blabber about the history of each book and how they were passed down for centuries and how there was one book that countered all the others.

This book was one of great importance yet it has the potential to create catastrophic destruction, she stated, "The Black Book is the oldest and most historic of them all. Unfortunately, we do not have it in our library but it is stated to be twelve billion years old, right after the big bang. It is rumored that it can consume all of its readers and keep them in stasis for as long as the book remains closed." I've never heard of such a book and thankfully I was not interested in seeing it in the first place. Books were not my thing, even books that consume their readers. I was never really one to read, there are too many words on a single page and I get bored extremely easily. After reading just a few words I end up falling asleep in my bed and I never read that book again. Taking me out of my trance, Ashley continued, "Only the most powerful person in the world can open it without being sucked in." This fun fact made me curious, I know that I am not the most powerful person in the world but it made me wonder who was. Could it possibly be the Queen of this kingdom? I have no idea and part of me wanted to find out who it was. My curiosity couldn't be held back as I listened intentively to every word that Ashley was saying about this historic book.

As we made our way out of the Library we carried on throughout the castle talking about the architecture of the castle and the purpose of every room. Our conversation that we had about the history of the castle even changed to different topics as we asked about each other's interests. I was quite interested in Ashley, we shared a common ground and even had some similarities with each other. We were interested in the same topics and even shared a favorite color, this was something that caught my attention. I hoped our similarities would bring us closer and maybe one day we would be more than just friends. Although I was going to wait for Ashley to say something first, I don't want to get pushed away from her or hear her say that she does not feel the same about me. Only time will tell but I was planning to sweep her off her feet, maybe just maybe she will fall for me.