Once Upon a [Hidden] Time<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d I composed myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Queen of England shouldn\u2019t be afraid of a man trying to woo her in the middle of a forest. I usually travelled alone, but for the first time, I realised I should have brought guards with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAn ordinary man with a poetic heart,\u201d he answered, his eyes glittering brightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I tried studying him for a while again, trying harder to read his mind and dive into his soul, but dammit, my powers utterly failed. Should I be afraid of this\u2026nothingness?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRise,\u201d I ordered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He obeyed me like a slave, but his look was controlling me, gripping me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA beautiful woman like you shouldn\u2019t be wandering around in the forest alone,\u201d he commented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I scoffed, folding my arms. He certainly didn\u2019t know who I was, did he?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t need anyone to guard me,\u201d I said, raising my chin high. \u201cI can take care of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat about the matters of the heart?\u201d He dared to take a step closer, close enough to reach out for my hand, holding it firmly in his. \u201cIs there anyone to guard your heart?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stood speechless, my hand foolishly given away, my heart slipping. \u201cDon\u2019t you know who I am?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCertainly not Soredamors,\u201d he smirked, \u201cnor am I Alexander.\u201d It took me a moment to fathom that he was still talking about the same poem Cliges<\/em> by Chr\u00e9tien de Troyes. Part of me was Soredamors, but before I could say it aloud, he continued, \u201cThis maiden was scornful of love.<\/em>\u201d He kissed my knuckles, daring me to defy him, but I couldn\u2019t. \u201cFor she had never heard of any man whom she would deign to love.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor a moment, I forgot myself, and I was submerged once more in his words\u2014the narrative, discovering sonnets and turns of phrase that flowed like musical motifs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhatever might be his beauty, prowess, lordship, or birth.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nHe came closer, pulling me into his embrace\u2014almost. My mind and body were losing all their powers. I licked my lips, yearning for more of him like a thirsty Bedouin wandering in a desert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd yet the damsel was so charming and fair that she might fitly have learned of love,<\/em>\u201d he continued, tucking my hair behind my ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNo one had spoken to me this way. These weren\u2019t even his words, but the way in which he recited Troyes\u2019 words, I felt like we were truly Alexander and Soredamors. But I didn\u2019t want to succumb into sadness later on when Alexander departed from this world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf it had pleased her to lend a willing ear\u2026<\/em>\u201d He kissed my temple, a mere touch that set my body on fire. \u201cBut she would never give a thought to love.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nHe smiled again, his eyes singing so many sonnets\u2014it made my soul dance with joy. My insides, the nippy air, the trees and the river, the sky and the sun\u2014they all softened and bled together, warmed and muted, running like wet paint on a canvas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By then, I was hopelessly dumbstruck, at the mercy of this creature whose words and charms I had neither means nor desire to resist. In his warm embrace, I was losing my powers of showing powers to him because I could neither read his mind nor see our future. In our case, he was a magician, giving me a heady potent to drink\u2014he was a wizard, casting a spell on me\u2014he was the ruler, invading my heart. I was nothing but an ordinary girl who was daring to take a risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He covered my eyes with his palm, which forced me to close them. He let my hand drop as I heard him stepping away, but even when his hand left my face, I didn\u2019t dare to open my eyes to check. I wanted to know why and how his distance suddenly gave me cold shivers, but his presence gave me so much warmth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow she grows pale and trembles,<\/em>\u201d he said, his voice fading, \u201cand in spite of herself must succumb to Love.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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