The gardens at this castle are full of dark flowers to match the dark, weathered stone. There are Queen of Night tulips, chocolate lilies, indigo prunellas, deep red roses climbing up the black iron gates, and so much more. I long for maybe a lavender honeysuckle or some wisteria to lighten up the mood. Ustria seems an overcast place, possibly due to the dark magic and the threat of Alekso's wrath constantly looming over the townspeople.

I'm having trouble reconciling my avid lust for Alekso with my fear of him. One minute I think about the face of Indrid, the man Alekso nearly boiled alive the other day, the next I think about his arms wrapping around me from behind, kissing my neck as he holds me against him and explores my body with gentle hands. I knew it was too good to be true. Yes, Alekso is not going to kill me or keep me as a prisoner, but he's still Alekso Aurelian, tyrant king. I can only home my goals to help show him a better path are attainable. Until then, I hope it is not wrong of me to enjoy my time with him, especially his expert touches...

"You seem quite lost in thought, your highness." I jump a little and almost crush a flower in my hand as Prince Jean walks up behind me.

"Oh! Good morning, your grace."

Jean takes my hand, kissing it lightly as he bows, then stands up straight. "Admiring the garden?"

"Yes, it's very beautiful, if a bit... gloomy?"

"I designed the layout and chose the flowers," He admits. "I must have been in a sort of mood. But come, my queen, let me show you a part of the garden I think you will enjoy."

Jean has always been kind to me, but I still feel a little uneasy around him. He seems to have no motivations; he's just happy to indulge in the benefits of being the king's uncle. Still, we walk a little ways past the main garden with its dark leaves and blood red flowers to another, smaller area. A little greenery, I suppose, underneath a beautiful stained glass window. He takes a few steps ahead of me and spins around, spreading his arms out proudly.

"Jean," I manage a little bit of a smile. He's surrounded by lots of green plants, but nothing particularly pretty. "Uhm. It's, well... It's beautiful, your grace."

"No it isn't." He laughs, reaching for a plump, green leaf. "It is boring. A bunch of plain, unopened buds. But there is a reason for that, your highness. You see, these plants only bloom at night."

My smile grows more genuine when I realize this is meant to be a secret garden. What a novel idea! "You designed this too?"

"Yes. This garden is especially for me, you see. I have always been a night owl and when I would be up here in Ustria, I would hold lots of excited banquets and parties for the nobility. I would sneak out here when it was all over, or if I just needed some quiet time to myself, and relax among the flowers under the moonlight."

"That sounds so romantic," I sigh.

"This one here is called a chocolate daisy," Jean taps his fingertips against a closed bud. "It is bright yellow, but it releases the most divine chocolate scent. And this one over here is an August gardenia. Utterly lovely. And here, these are evening primroses. They start the whole show, the first to bloom in late afternoon. But that is the magic of this little thicket I have created, Eva; only a select few know that this is more than just a patch of plants, more than a garden. It's a secret. A sweet secret for me to enjoy. And now you."

At his most charming smile, I find my cheeks turning a little pink. "Thank you, your grace."

"I just think you are someone who can appreciate the magic behind this. I mean, it is magical, in my opinion." He laughs and then reaches for my hand. I take it, letting him guide me further along. As we walk together, I feel the eagerness radiate off of him when he points to a flower or a particularly interesting tree and explains it to me; what it means and why he chose to have it planted here. The originally drab, dark garden begins to come to life merely by all the work he put in to it. It dawns on me then, how he seems happier to be showing someone his hobby than anything else. It's as though he doesn't have a real friend here and is looking to find one in me.

"You enjoy gardening, Jean?"

"I am a bit too lazy for the actual gardening; I pay people to do that for me. But I like the planning that goes in to creating a garden, and then watching it all come together and getting to enjoy the fruits of your efforts."

"Do you let the people you pay enjoy the garden?"

"Well, no... it is for me, not them."

"I think the servants should get to enjoy these on their downtime."

"You are the queen, Eva. If that is what you desire, you can surely make it so. Just as long as they avoid me when I seek privacy."

Come to think of it, I rarely see Prince Jean on his own. If he is not bossing around a servant or chatting up Alekso, he is with Bishop Lambert, or asking Sebastian questions about Alekso's mood for the day, or getting in to an argument with the Master of the Wardrobe. "Jean," I say. "Are you lonely?"

The prince pauses and stares ahead of us for a moment, then his shoulders slump. "Not anymore, no. But I was."

He walks me towards a fountain, one made of white marble – it sticks out like a sore thumb among the dark iron and greened copper fixtures. I lean over to see that the bottom of the fountain is covered in gold coins.

"This was installed by my sister in-law, Lenore Aurelian. She loved it here. I saw her as more of a mother to me than my own. She would take me here and we would throw in a coin for each of us, and wish for something. Then, she would whisper what her wish was. More often than not, it was for me to find love."

"I don't know much about Alekso's mother. I just know his father's decline in leadership began at her death."

Jean nods. "Lenore and Jarrett's is one of the great love stories that I think will live on through the ages, Eva. Alekso looks more like her. She had dark, gold skin and straight black hair. She was the youngest of seven daughters, a princess from the kingdom of Elakshi. It was to form an alliance, so no one really expected love to come from it, but the day they met... Jarrett was smitten. Similar to how Alekso reacted when he first saw you, I think. This was long before I was born of course, but I would have loved to be at their wedding. People would tell me how happy they both looked. I hoped one day Lenore's wish for me would come true and I could love someone as much as Jarrett loved her.

"I was sixteen when he suggested I marry the daughter of a duke in Blackbourne, Lady Ruby Wellstone. That girl was not considered very pretty by society. She was fat, and people often muttered that about her as she walked by, but never me. As far as I was concerned, she was exquisite. Her skin was soft, her breasts bountiful, and she gave the most wonderful kisses. Ha, she was strong enough to pick me up when she embraced me!"

Jean's laugh is a candid one, and I squeeze his hand a little. "We were to be married on her twentieth birthday. I was going to be twenty four. But instead, Henry the Usurper came, and killed my brother and my nephews. He was going to kill me, too."

"Oh," I murmur. "I'm... I'm sorry, Jean."

"I was visiting friends in Estia when I heard what happened. I tried to flee, but Henry's men caught me and dragged me here. I don't know how long I was in the dungeons for, but he only let me live because I was a bastard. The son of a concubine, I reasoned, could never rule Mercia, and therefore I was no threat to him. No one, noble or commoner, would respect me. He let me live, but under house arrest in my estate near Previtzia. My betrothal to Ruby was dissolved, and her parents pledged fealty to the Delsors."

We sit down on the edge of the fountain, his hand still holding mine. He settles it on his knee and gives me a comforting pat. "I don't blame you, Eva, I want you to know that. Your father... he had Mercia's best interests at heart, but while he wasn't a tyrant the common people, he was a tyrant to his enemies. I returned in shame, a coward and unable to leave my estate, unable to marry Ruby. I lost all my other lands and titles. The only thing that kept me going was when Alekso and Commander Anselm came to my door, replacing my guards with those loyal to the Aurelians, so we could keep him secret until he was ready to take back the throne."

"When Alekso became king, I was restored to the title of Prince, and I finally had my old life back. But... I could never get Ruby. She was married to an earl in Aldmoor, Lorenzo something or other. I believe she is happy... I hope she is. Still, I was heartbroken when I found out. Sometimes I think we Aurelian men are just naturally made for one person, and when we lose that person, we can't love ever again."

He sighs. "Perhaps that is why the gardens are so dark."

"You can find love again, Jean. Have you tried looking?"

"No, my queen. Love is no longer my goal. Being in those dungeons, then being locked in my house for years with only thoughts of training Alekso and bringing my family back filling my head... I just want to enjoy the rest of my time on earth. Happiness, that is my personal goal. The rest of my time I will devote to keeping Alekso king."

"You don't want to one day become king, then?"

"No... even in Henry Delsor's 'anyone can rule' world, no one respects a bastard. I might be liked by many, but that's it. Besides, being a king is hard. Being the king's uncle? That is fun."

Jean gives me a wink, and I stifle a little laugh. I calm down after a moment, rising up to my feet. "I'm still sorry my family has caused yours such misery."

"I'm sorry my family did the same to yours. Maybe the cycle has ended? Do you love Alekso as much as he loves you?"

My cheeks flush, "We've only been married a few days... But I do feel something when I'm around him. I can't describe it. Just this attraction, that even when he is doing something I don't like, I still want to be around him. I miss him so easily."

He smirks. "Well, it might not be love just yet, but it is certainly something."

We exit the gardens and Jean is accosted by the chamberlain. The two begin to argue about the furniture builder commissioned to make my throne and how he wants the seat cushion to be a softened cotton, but Jean prefers velvet. I quietly separate myself from the conversation to go find Alekso.

Cliffside Castle is always its busiest in the late afternoon. The household staff bow to me, and a few comment on my beauty. Others tell me how happy the king seems and it brings them hope. Those things make me a little uneasy. If I can't help Alekso, they will remain in fear of him. I know plenty are uncomfortable after what happened to Indrid.

It does not take me long to find my king; when Kwenthrith and Gisela are both heading in the opposite direction of me, I know this means they have been shooed away from our bedchambers. Alekso decided after our first night together that we would not sleep separately, but I find I am quite all right with that. I am so used to sleeping in a small room with my step sisters that I don't think I could fall asleep in a large, grand, and empty one.

"Your highness?" I call out as the guards open the doors for me. There is a fire going in the fireplace, and the bed is unmade; but not like my ladies never finished cleaning. It looks like someone intentionally pulled the covers away.

I approach the bed curiously, and as I lean forward to inspect my findings, I hear footsteps. If someone is trying to sneak up on me, they are not doing a very good job. Still, when I turn around to catch the culprit, Alekso is already in front of me, lifting me up by the waist and dropping with me on to the bed.

I can't help but land with a shout, but smile when I see it's just him.

"How many times must I remind you to call me Alekso?" he asks, giving me a wink. When he smiles, one can see that his canine teeth are sharper than normal. A side effect of diablerie, like his red eyes. And yet they bother me less and less. I find his unusual features just as handsome as the rest of him. He sits up slightly to take off his shirt, revealing the muscled planes of his chest. I make no effort to stop myself from running my hands down his stomach.

"I will get in to the habit, Alekso," I say as I curl my fingers in to the waist of his trousers. "I promise."

He settles beside me, nuzzling my breasts and tugging lightly at the neckline of my dress with his teeth. "I have missed you today, my sweet. I think you would be proud of me."

Content to simply cuddle him for now, I wrap my arms around him and run my fingers through his dark hair. "I would?"

"Yes. I made time to visit the kitchen man, Indrid. He does not live in the castle, but rather down in a little house in Cliffside. He has a wife and a son."

"Oh..." I am proud of him, but a bit nervous at the same time. "How did his family treat you?"

"They were very hospitable, but I terrified his wife. The boy was about seven and had no fear of me. He said he was very angry that I hurt his father, and he challenged me to a sword fight."

The look he gives me is completely blank as I sit up and watch him.

"I lost, of course. He restored his father's honor by beating me soundly, and then gave me his helping of stew as a show of good faith."

"Did you..."

A frown shifts on to his face and I daresay he actually blushes. "No I did not kill him. Is that what you were going to ask me?"

"I was going to ask if you apologized, Alekso." I run my fingertips along his jaw, then tug lightly on his earlobe.

"Ah. Yes, I said I was sorry for what I did to Indrid. He wanted to personally thank you for stopping me from doing him more harm." Alekso sighs a little, then leans over me. "You were right in the end. I should not have done what I did, my dear. All he did was make a little remark, and he has every right to speak his mind. My reaction was wicked. I have his forgiveness, but do I have yours?"

"Of course." I reach up to give him a peck on the lips.

"Good. I was planned to seduce you in to forgiving me, but taking it willingly works as well."

We kiss again, this time more deeply. I enjoy the feel of his cool skin on me, and we both work my dress up my legs. He grips my thighs with both hands before propping himself up.

"Alekso," I ask as he slowly pushes my knees apart. My thoughts keep drifting to how sad Jean is about his lost love, and how he wants no one else. "Do you believe in true love? That there is only one person out there for everyone?"

"Hmm." He settles between my legs and starts to work his pants down. "I believe in true love now that I have met you, Eva. And I do think that there is someone for everyone. Soul mates."

He goes silent a moment, looking upwards as if he is talking to his own head. "Maybe not just one. You can certainly be loved by multiple people. Even love them back."

I smile a little, holding my arms out for him. He lies down on top of me and brushes his lips over mine very delicately. More a tease than anything. "I have eyes only for you though."