PREQUEL: Royal Ancestors

Just as Helena began tying up the laces to Beatrice’s dress, someone knocked on the door. Beatrice nodded to Helena and she dropped the ribbon to open the door. King Arlo entered the room with his hands clasped behind his back and a crooked smile on his face.

“May I have a moment?” Arlo asked Beatrice who nodded. Helena slipped out of the room nearly unnoticed by the pair.

Beatrice turned her back on Arlo to face the mirror, reaching behind herself as she struggled to tie up the gown on her own. Arlo chuckled at her and batted at her hands, picking up the ribbon himself. Beatrice felt herself blush as his hands came to rest on her hips. He was taller than Beatrice so he stood above her in the reflection of the mirror, smiling at his mate’s red face.

“Thank you, your grace.” Beatrice mumbled and Arlo sighed, turning her around to face him.

“Your birthday is in two days. We need to discuss some things.” Arlo said, his hands still on her hips and his face inches from hers.

She licked her lips and cast her eyes down towards the ground, unable to look into his intense gaze.

“And what would those things be, your grace?” Beatrice asked.

Arlo placed his pointer finger under Beatrice’s chin and tapped once, encouraging her to look. When she refused, he added his thumb to pinch her chin between his fingers and gently forced her to look up. Beatrice sighed and gave him, raising her gaze to meet his.

“You mustn’t cast your gaze down from mine. You are my mate, my Queen, my Luna, and my equal. You must not hold yourself as anything less.” Arlo said, his eyes refusing to relent as they bore into Beatrice’s soul.

“I do not feel like your equal. I do not feel as if I have the right to look into your eyes.” Beatrice confessed.

Arlo’s eyes pinched together like he was in pain and he leaned forward intimately, pressing his forehead against hers.

“What more can I do to prove to you that you are more than worthy?” Arlo whispered.

“Perhaps once I can feel the matebond.” Beatrice mumbled.

“I’m not so sure that will change things. I think that you must look at yourself with the same respect that I do. You must see yourself as I see you.” Arlo cupped her cheek with his hand and grazed his thumb across her smooth skin.

“And how do you see me?” Beatrice whispered.

“As a strong and beautiful woman who is capable of so much more than she knows.” He smiled at her softly. Beatrice couldn’t help but smile in return.

“You must be blind then, your grace.” She teased and his face lit up at her playful tone.

“No in the slightest, my dear, my eyesight is perfect.” He smirked.

“I think not.” She relented.

“I like it when you tease me.” Arlo said in a voice that was huskier than normal, “you should do it more often.”

Beatrice’s blush returned and it took every ounce of her strength to keep from breaking their gaze.

“I would like you to start addressing me as Arlo, or at least dropping all of the your grace and your highness nonsense.” Arlo stepped back from Beatrice and dropped his hand from her face, “Can you do that for me?”

Beatrice sighed and nodded. She felt compelled to give in to the king’s request and she also knew that, if he was revealed as her mate on the day of her birthday celebration, she owed him the respect of naming him.

“Yes, I can try.” Beatrice agreed.

“That’s all I’m asking for, my dear. Now, I would like to also discuss what will happen after your birthday.” He said,

“After?” Beatrice cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Yes, things will change once I officially name you as my mate and the future Queen. There will need to be a coronation. There’s also the matter of you moving to the royal wing of the palace.” Arlo said,

“The royal wing?” Beatrice squeaked, her voice wavering.

“There are separate chambers there, one for the king and one for the queen. You don’t have to lay with me until you are ready.” Arlo assured her, “Will that be okay, my dear?”

Beatrice wasn’t used to all of the choices and questions that the king asked of her. She wasn’t used to having a say in her life at all. With the king, she had a whole slew of options available to her and, quite frankly, it was overwhelming and unnerving.

“Y….yes.” Beatrice stammered.

“I wish you weren’t always so unsure around me, my dear.” Arlo frowned.

“I’m sorry….” Beatrice began but Arlo shook his head,

“You needn’t apologize. It just means that I have to work harder to gain your trust.” Arlo shot her his handsome crooked grin, replacing his disappointment.

“Well, I don’t know if you really have to work that much harder. I didn’t get the chance to thank you for bringing my friends here and stopping Madam Grace.” Beatrice said, offering Arlo a breathtaking smile.

“You never have to thank me, my dear. Your friends seem to have lifted your mood and have made you feel more comfortable here.” Arlo said,

“You did not have to do all of this, though. You didn’t have to be so accommodating to them and so patient with me. You have done more than you needed to.” Beatrice’s voice softened as she willingly locked her eyes with Arlo’s.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Beatrice, nothing. Nothing is going above, nothing is more than you deserve because you deserve the whole world.” Arlo closed to space between them, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her body towards his chest.

Beatrice gasped at the closeness and intimacy of the moment, but she didn’t pull away. She allowed her body to give into his and, for the first time, she felt the shower of sparks that were rumored to come with the matebond. Her skin felt like it was on fire, but it was a comforting warmth that made her insides turn to goo.

She felt herself relaxing in his grip and her eyes snapped up to lock with his sparkling green ones. Arlo’s eyes were wide when he realized that Beatrice was comfortable in his grip. He pressed the palms of his hands against her back, desperate to feel as much of her body as possible.

“Do you have any idea how important you are to me, my love?” Arlo’s voice was low and deep as he spoke to Beatrice. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“I’m starting to have my suspicions.” She replied in a soft voice.

“It’s about time.” He laughed, “If you’d allow me, I would like to show you the royal wing.”

Beatrice released a breath of air and nodded,

“I think that would be okay.” She agreed.

Arlo grinned and released his hold on her body, offering her just his arm instead. She took it and Arlo led her through the second floor of the house and to another staircase.

“The third floor is solely the royal wing. Only the royal family is permitted to it.” Arlo explained as they ascended the marble staircase.

At the top of the staircase was a wooden door with curved iron handles and a keyhole set into the iron door plate. Arlo fished a skeleton key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open to reveal a long stone corridor.

“Here we are.” Arlo smiled, “The doors at the end of the hallway are for the children. The first two doors are for the king and queen.” He said, motioning towards the matching arched wooden doors.

“There are many rooms.” Beatrice observed, thinking about the children he had mentioned. Arlo chuckled and pushed open the first door on the left.

“This will be your room.” He said, stepping aside so Beatrice could see inside the room.

It was a luxurious room that made her bedroom back at Madam Grace’s house look even more rickety than it already was. From the dark, wide plank wood floors to halfway up the wall was similarly stained wainscoting. Above that was blue floral wallpaper that covered the remainder of the wall, stopping at the dark wood trim that was around the perimeter of the octagon shaped ceiling. A crystal chandelier lit with tiny candles dangled from the center of the wallpapered ceiling.

The room was furnished with oak side tables by the four poster bed, a dressing table with a three sided mirror, a wardrobe, a bookcase, and a small coffee table that sat in front of a victorian style sofa. There were two doors across from the bed that led to a closet and bathroom.

“It’s beautiful.” Beatrice gasped as she examined the room. She couldn’t imagine that such beauty and luxury would belong to her.

“You can make any changes that you’d like.” Arlo shrugged, gesturing around the room.

“It’s perfect just the way it is.” She smiled at him.

“Not unlike the woman who will reside here.” He teased her with a crooked smirk and a wink. Beatrice blushed again and he chuckled at her expression.

“Come, I want to show you my chambers as well. I hope that, one day, you’ll share them with me.” His suggestion only made her blush deepen.

Beatrice complied and left the room that would be hers in two days time. She followed him to the door right next door and peeked inside. It looked just the same as her room, only it had a deep blue color wallpaper with some sort of intricate geometric pattern on it. The room was also larger in size, as were the bed, the closet, and the bathroom. There was a leather chair in the small sitting area along with the sofa and coffee table.

“This room is just as stunning.” Beatrice observed.

“I want this to be your home, my dear, so I’d like you to make any changes that you desire.” Arlo gently placed his hand on her back and smiled down at her.

An odd sort of feeling began to form in the pit of Beatrice’s stomach and she couldn’t quite explain it. Something about the way Arlo was looking at her had her swooning and she wasn’t sure if she enjoyed the feeling or not.