Astrid's Betrothal

"I just know it was him sister! I do!" Alexandria said pacing back and forth her room.

"What assurance do you have that it's him?"Astrid asked her sister even though she knew her sister might be right!

"His...his blonde hair and...and his smell! I remember when we were still children, he mentioned that his favorite fragrance was rose"! Alexa added convincingly.

"Oh please Alexa! Do you really think nobody in the whole of Frostland has blonde hair or has the smell of roses? Think Alexandria! Frostland is a place for flowers!" Astrid bursted her sister's bubble with her words.

"It's not like he's missing. Meeting him there might be normal. So what if you met him?" Astrid continued.

"Heyy, what happened to you and your excitement for love huh? Ever since you got married you're all changed and boring" Alexa asked her sister.

"I just don't want you to fall down the same hole Alexa. And remember.... you can't fall in love with anybody romantically!"

"I am not in love with Hadrian romantically! And yes... I remember that rule than anyone else can.!" Alexa replied.

Ever since childhood, Astrid had a liking for a family friend Prince named Albert. But however, she never knew she got betrothed even before her birth! Now she's unhappily married to Ashton Prince of Frostland, Hadrian's elder brother whiles Albert even still does not recognize her.

Since her marriage, she has never slept on the same bed with her husband let alone allow him to touch her. She hated him for no reason even though he was a very good man.She still liked Albert though she was now a married princess of 18. Astrid kissed her sister goodbye and left for Frostland her new home. Where she had been living quietly for six months after her marriage. On her way out she met her mother and averted her gaze.

She has been in bad terms with her mother, Queen Maria ever since her marriage to Ashton. Before her marriage, she had begged her mother to reconsider this decision! Her mother answered her sadly that there was nothing she and her husband King Magnus could do because in the past before Astrid was born,

Agland was in great need of financial help.It was King Egbert who saved them and in return, he asked for the hand of their unborn baby in betrothal to Ashton who was three by then.

That was what brought the friendship between king Magnus and King Egbert. This why king Egbert today, wanted the two lands to be joined together because he felt Agland was indebted to him. At least that was what he believed.

Astrid walked past her heart-broken mother and saw her husband, Ashton walking towards her. She walked right past him and sat in her ride. He came back and sat by her as their driver drove them back to Frostland.

Their car was silent.

"How was your day at your mother's?" Ashton asked of his wife but as usual received no response from her. They finally reached Frostland and once the servants opened their doors, she strolled off. Prince Ashton trailed behind his wife to their room. In their room, she walked into her personal chambers and banged the door.

Seriously, Ashton didn't know why he's fate had to be this way. It wasn't as if he had agreed to marry her too. He also disliked the thought but his father was stone-hearted. He went to bed to take a nap since he was very tired. By the time he woke up it was sunset already.

He decided to bath and go have dinner. He entered his bathroom and the sight that greeted him was...!

In the large bath, laid his beautiful wife Astrid with skin as fair as milk. She had laid her hands and head on the edge of the bath. He slowly went back to avoid accusation of he intentionally peaking at her.

But he stopped in his tracks when he heard a cute snore from his wife.She slept whiles bathing? 'She certainly wasn't that tired. She could easily drown in the bath. It was built just like a large pool!!' Ashton thought.She hated for the maids here to bath her so she did her thing.

He walked up to the mini-closet and took out a towel. He walked to where his wife laid and entered the water. He closed his eyes and pulled her body close to his body with her head lying on his shoulder. He froze for a while in that position with eyes closed.

After a while, Astrid turned her head to the other side and he unfroze.

He wrapped the towel around her body and climbed out of the water carrying her in princess style to her personal chambers. He ordered the maids to take care of her afterwards and had his own bath finally!

*************

Later in the evening.

Astrid woke up from her sleep and looked around her. She yawned and stretched her body to it's full extent. She examined her environment and gasped!

'Oh no did I sleep whiles I was bathing? Ugh... can I be blamed when bathing feels like a massage?' she thought.

'But how did I walk here?Did I sleepwalk?oh I have such a thoughtful brain and body. Or.. the maids brought me here?....or ASHTON?????!!!! oh no I think I am going to pass out! Oh no! No! No! No! This is bad. So bad!!I.AM.GOING.TO .KILL. HIM!' she thought and left. She opened the door of her personal room and peaked into their room but he wasn't there!

Where had he gone to? She roamed almost the whole palace except forbidden places which took her about four and a half hours. But there was one place she didn't want to think of.

THE MISTRESSES HALL!!

She widened her eyes at the thought.

'No, no he can't be there! He is a married man! He just can't be there. Wait... what is wrong with me? I don't allow him my body yet I don't want him to have other women's body!!. Well, it's because...because... it's...it just doesn't feel right' She thought.

'He can choose to do whatever thing he wants. I. DON'T. CARE!!' The jealous Astrid thought and strode off to their room where she waited patiently for him on their bed. After an hour of waiting, she heard a knock on the door. She run to get it.

"You....!"

"Huh?" Her maid gasped.

"Oh I am sorry! Anything the problem?"

"The Prince asked me to bring you dinner".

"Really? You can leave it over there" She pointed to somewhere in her room. 'He sent me food? He was thinking about me while being in ....in...there...?' She asked herself.

Astrid waited and waited until what felt like an eternity before she finally dozed off.

***********

After Ashton took his bath, he went to have a time in the garden. The feeling of his wife so close to his body in that manner was still imprinted in his mind. He spent almost an hour there and went in to have dinner.

At the dinning table, his parents questioned Astrid's presence and he told them she was asleep.

However, he ordered a maid to wheel a cart of food to their room so she could eat when she woke up. After dinner, he had a walk with his father and they had a conversation about Hadrian's Betrothal to Arabelle. It took almost about two hours.

He came back finally after his feet were hurting him so bad and met his wife sleeping on their bed.

He noticed she hadn't taken her food and tapped her to have some since it was pretty late.

Astrid stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes only to meet the eyes of her husband.

'Oh so he was now back? That was so long! I hope he had a good time' she thought whiles staring at him.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

"Why do you care? Did you have a good time?" she asked him.

"Yes, I did. Today's own was extra special". Ashton innocently replied thinking his wife was referring to the food.

"Oh wow. Well done. Aren't you a shameless person? You go out there and have a good time and you come back describing it to your wife? I don't understand you. I really don't! Shameless man!!" Astrid screamed on top of her lungs at him.

Ashton stared at her in confusion.

She stared at him, her face red with jealousy! And with tears threatening to fall down her beautiful cheeks she ran into her personal chambers. She wouldn't spend a single tear on him. He didn't deserve it. She thought but here she was with tears pouring down her eyes.

"I am not crying because he did that! No! I am crying because... because he described it to me as extra special that means he always did it! Well he did it even before we got married so ..... or maybe because I am hungry?" she said and cried herself to sleep.