Chapter 2

The next time the two meet, it's one week before their wedding. Cyrus requests that the princess get used to life in Phoenicia to avoid any issues, and Crecylla is more than thankful for his thoughtfulness. Her ride to the kingdom is by boat, and she gets a beautiful glimpse of the sun. Warm hues shine against her cold facial features, and Sun thinks she looks ethereal.

Crecylla is angsty. She shakes slightly when she arrives on land from her anxiety, and Cyrus helps guide her to the room she was to stay in until they were to be wed. Crecylla bows slightly when he leaves, and she examines her surroundings.

The room seemed to have been specifically designed for her. The crystals on the chandelier are shaped like little moons, planets, and stars, and the floor is an elegant shade of navy marble. Her bedding is a royal purple, and it reminds her of home. The bathroom is made of the same marble as the floor, and even the candles are scented like a dark forest. She's thankful that they decided to make her feel somewhat at home before she was to be married.

Cyrus paces in his study, and finds that he's anxious over Crecylla being in the kingdom. His parents had been notified that Luna, Crecylla's sister, was poisoned by someone from Phoenicia, and that Crecylla was to be safe from harm. He wonders if the window's glass is strong enough to block out bullets, and if her food is clean enough to not cause her stomach issues. His hand pushes back his apricot hair, and he lets out a stressed sigh. He would have the servants check.

The first thought that comes to Crecylla's mind is 'I'm lost'. She didn't mean to wander too far, in fact, Cyrus didn't say she couldn't explore, she probably should've asked for a map. So she wanders around even more, ignoring how all signs point to return. Her feet click against the warm tile, and she wanders into a tower. The staircase goes on forever, and when she reaches the top, she's breathless. The sun is barely setting over the horizon, and the moon is beginning to rise. A small golden feather rests on the balcony and she blinks in confusion. She opts to ignore it and watch the sun instead. The scenery is straight out of a painting, and she's surprised to see that she's not the only one there.

"Good evening princess" Sirius bows. Crecylla's hands fly up and she stutters over her words. She probably wasn't supposed to be here. Sirius laughs gently and shakes his head. She was allowed anywhere she wanted to be, it didn't matter since she was their future queen. He offers to lead her back into her room, and she bows as a thank you. He carries her off in a conversation about her husband to be, and she laughs when she finds out that he was easily embarrassed.

Cyrus hears laughing in the hallway and nearly scolds the people outside. Crecylla stops in confusion at Cyrus's angry face, and wonders if she wasn't allowed to wander around. His face softens at the sight of her slightly confused, and he shakes is head. Cyrus offers to take her back into her room, and she curtsies goodbye to Sirius.

Crecylla is stunned when Cyrus frowns while swinging the door to his study open. Why was he so angry? Had she done something she shouldn't have? When his face softens and he apologizes, she smiles. He talks a little about what hobbies he had while growing up, and Crecylla gasps when he says he took up the sword. She cuts him off, apologizing upon realizing that she did, but continues rambling about the word. Cyrus finds it cute how easily she rambled.

Crecylla stops talking when she realizes the prince had gone silent. She fears that she talked too much and turns to look at the prince. He smiles softly and lets her know that she had arrived at her chambers. She thanks him for his time, bows, and then enters her room.

The first thing Cyrus does when he leaves is breathe. He had forgotten how to breathe when she started talking, and was entranced by her talking. He wanders off to his own chambers, and finds that the servants had already prepared him a bath with rosewater. He's thankful for how they treat him.

Crecylla sinks into her own bath and lets out a sigh of content. With a stressful day, a bath in a large bathtub made her relax a little. She wondered if she would be able to fall asleep in her new bed, and opted for just enjoying her time in the bath. Her worries could come later. She reflects over her movement for the day, and suddenly remembers that she had seen the small golden feather. She would have to ask about it tomorrow then.

Cyrus leaves his bath in his robe, and hisses when he sees a handful of feathers in his bath water. He picks them up, and attaches them to the small quill on his desk. He would have to make sure nothing happened before the wedding. He couldn't afford to lose the treaty his family had tried to hard to attain.

Crecylla reads over her notes about Phoenicia in her new bed. The bed is comfy, and she likes it. To help herself sleep better, she opts to learn about the passageways in the castle. She notices how one patch is slightly sticking out of the wall, and she reads through her notes. She wanted a piano in her room, perhaps she would have to request that to Cyrus tomorrow at breakfast. She only hoped that her stress playing wouldn't bother anyone else.

Cyrus reads a quick novel before bed. Today's book was on astronomy and how the stars aligned. His eyes scan through the pages, and one particular deity catches his eye. Artemis. Goddess of the night and hunting. He reads through her tale, and then reads through Diana's. He wonders what origin the name Crecylla had come from. Her name had to mean something.

Crecylla lets out a soft laugh when she reaches Cyrus' name in her dictionary. His name meant sun. How cute. But she sighs when she realizes that her name meant the complete opposite. The irony in the situation would have to be that they're star crossed lovers, or chosen by the universe to be soulmates.