ORDER WAS LOST

ROSABELLA'S POV

"And where is it, that you are going, young lady?"

I gasp at the sound of my mum's voice and turn around.

Fuck!

This is so embarrassing. I was supposed to be sneaking out. And now I'm caught in the act.

"I'm going out for a walk," I mumble and turn back to her.

My mum sighs. "It's raining," she says. "You need a jacket and a hat."

I shake my head. "It's fine, plus I have an umbrella," I say. It's not that cold. And besides, I couldn't take the time to go back to get a jacket now. I need to be there as soon as possible.

He could easily catch a cold.

"Bella..", came her stern voice.

I knew that voice. It was the one she used with me since I was a kid. It meant, that I could either do it as she says, or I don't do it at all.

"Fine."

I quickly run back in and grab my old denim jacket that I hadn't worn in months. A hat?

I don't think I even owned a hat.

I can't believe I am here looking through my messed up closet for a stupid hat while he stood there in the rain.

My eyes glinted when I found a black hat that I was certain belonged to my mother, and ran with it.

I was so sure I looked hideous in these two additions to my outfit that I didn't even look into the mirror.

"I'm leaving, mum!"

Before she could come and tell me to cover myself with another layer of clothing, I ran out of the front door. We had decided to meet in the playground of our elementary school. I had just come back from my afternoon classes while he had just finished his shift as an intern in our local hospital.

A healer.

That's what he wanted to become, and I knew he was going to be a good one. He was absolutely spectacular with his hands, and his ability to work under pressure.

On top of that, his passion for helping people, and saving them was a bonus.

I saw his tall frame standing under a Sugar Maple tree that was planted years ago. I still remember eating my hummus sandwich during recess as a five year old under this same tree.

"Hale!", I yelled hoping he could hear me in this loud rain.

He turned around at my sound and smiled at me with the most brightest smile I had seen in days.

The smile however stood out from the rest of his face. There were dark circles under his eyes. His eyes were slightly red from the obvious lack of sleep. He had a light stubble, that didn't look too bad, but I preferred his clean shaven face.

It had only been two weeks since I last saw him but the drastic changes on his face suggested otherwise.

"You came, Rosa."

I touched his face softly, like I was scared that one rough touch and he would collapse. I don't even know how he was still standing.

"How long has it been since you slept?"

He sighed and turned away.

"You know, Rosa. You know how much this job asks of me. I can't step back now."

I sighed and combed my fingers through his wet hair. There was a wide bench near the trunk and I sat down on it. I pulled him along with me, and made him sit under the shade.

"What was it this time?"

His dull eyes immediately brightened up when he began to talk about a patient he had helped. The patient had constant seizures and his vision was also deteriorating.

All the other specialists thought that something was up with his spine. Hale was the only one who wanted to double check the brain. Turns out there was a minute tumor near his optic nerve that even pressured some other part of his brain that caused the seizures.

I knew he was passionate about medicine. The way his eyes just shone like stars when he talked about it, and the way his hands just began to move to explain it, and the way he didn't care how much it was affecting him.

As long as he healed others, he didn't care that he was hurting himself.

I patted my lap and asked him to lay down.

"My hair's drenched in water. It will ruin your clothes."

"I don't care, silly. Just come here, will you?"

He shook his head and slowly laid down on my lap. His broad frame hardly fit and I was so sure that it was uncomfortable for him, but the way his tense shoulders just relaxed in a few seconds, I almost wanted hug him. The fact that his body found comfort in such an uncomfortable position clearly showed how much rest he needed.

I caressed his cheeks, and my hand rested on his cheekbones for a few seconds before I moved to his hair. His wavy brown hair contrasted mine in so many ways. I had straight black hair that were pretty long. His finger rose and he played with the strands of my hair. I had noticed how he always did that to keep himself awake.

He was so spent. So exhausted. And here he was, spending whatever free time he had with me.

"Hale, you know I'm proud of you for what you do. So proud. But I hate what you do to yourself. I hate how you can so easily sacrifice yourself for people you don't even know."

He smiled softly and looked up.

"That's the thing. I don't care. I don't care how much I sacrifice myself. As long as I can let someone's loved one live for just one more day. Sometimes, just one more day is all it takes to make that difference, Rosa. And it gets easier with time. You know, I won't have this much pressure after a few years. But right now, I need to work hard. Hard enough to build a name for myself."

I nodded and brushed back his hair with my fingers. I loved how his green eyes tried to stay open and look at me, even though they begged to get some rest.

I bent down and kissed his forehead.

"Rest for a while, will you?"

"Nah, I would rather just talk with you."

I lightly stroked his cheek and pulled him closer to me. I treasured each second I spent with him. Maybe because every moment with him felt like a goodbye. Both our parents weren't aware of this relationship. It would break my parent's hearts to know I was dating a mortale.

And I could only imagine how his parents would hate him for dating me. They were the descendants of the first Mortale King, and having him date someone who was not just a Lormeian but a Lormeian with no political status.

I continued to stroke his head and looked at the playground. The swings were empty and the slides looked worn out.

I remember being a kid in this very same ground. I didn't know Hale at that time. I only got to know him in high school. He was a senior that year, while I was a freshman. He tutored me in algebra. I was awful in that subject, and I needed good grades to get into law school.

Maybe, it won't come true. Maybe, the Lormeians and mortales will always live in a peaceful treaty, despite the pent up frustration of the Mortales.

Maybe, my worst fear might not come true.

I looked down when I heard soft snores slowly leaving his tired face. He looked so tired. I knew this was what he wanted to be, but was it worth it?

I slowly brushed his cheek, and then his nose. I caressed his forehead and stroked his head repeatedly.

I wanted to hold him like this forever. I hadn't even realized that his arms had found his way around my waist as he snuggled closer into me.

We had been together for two years, and in these years, not once did I feel this way about him.

I didn't just like him, or love him. I admired him. I pitied him. I wanted to hug him and tell him to give himself a break, but at the same time I wanted to encourage him to keep going.

I didn't even realize that I was crying. It was only when the drops fell on his forehead that I came to know about my watering eyes.

Why was I even crying?

He was right here. I was right here. We were together. And that's all that mattered.

But why did it feel like it was ending?

Like these were our last moments?

Like our relationship was taking its last breaths?

"Should we wake her up?"

"I strongly believe that we should. It looks like Her Highness is crying."

I heard voices that came from around my room. I couldn't really identify who was speaking though.

"Maybe she had a nightmare."

"Maybe it was a sad dream?"

Okay that was definitely Mia.

I dreamt of it again. Those were one of the last days I had spent with him. The war started just five days later. And for some reason, couldn't help but feel that I knew what was coming.

I steer awake and rub my eyes, only to see all of them surrounding my bed.

"Good Morning ladies!"

They looked almost shook that I had woken up out of nowhere.

I climbed out of the bed and walked into the bathroom, hoping they weren't going to raise any questions about what they just witnessed. I swear to Daeg himself that if they mention it even once, I am going to drop dead, right there and then.

Once I looked presentable enough, I decided to get out of my hiding place and into the castle. We were just done with the theme of the annual ball and the invitations. I had ordered the planning committee to send out the invitations this morning. I was sure that it would have just taken minutes to distribute them in all the Lormeian neighborhoods, because of the efficient transport system, but I wasn't so sure about the Mortale Kingdom. Especially because they decided to implement the traditional postal system rather than using the high tech model made by the brightest wizards here.

All three of them had left the room empty and I was glad they did. I was still not ready to confront them after what had happened.

Once I checked myself in the mirror for the last time, I exited my chamber. I had decided to go with a plain white dress, that was made of net and reached my knees. It flowed till my ankles from the back. Inside, I wore a white corset, along with some white pants to cover myself.

Honestly, I would have just skipped the dress all together but I had to remember that I no longer lived alone.

Surprisingly there were no guards outside my chamber. What was happening?

Were they off duty?

Was there a delay in the shift change?

I shook my head and walked down the hallway towards the main wing. I could have some breakfast then get back to the planning committee. My soul almost left my body when I entered the wing.

There was chaos everywhere.

Order was lost.

The shouts were strange. In my very short time at the palace, not a single sound had registered as anything close to loud. Beyond that, there was a kind of music to the click of the guards' shoes on the floor, the massive doors opening and closing, the forks touching the plates. This was complete and absolute mayhem

People ran from corner to the other. The maids tried to hold each other and tried to pull themselves together while guards fought with men that were dressed in a completely different attire than our own.

Green.

Who were they?

Were they Mortales?

Suddenly, I became aware of what was going on. My vision began to blur as my airway began to contract. My hand went to my neck, hoping it would make breathing a little bit easier.

It didn't.

When did something as easy as breathing become so difficult?

A guard came near me all of a sudden and I flinched not knowing which kingdom he served.

"Your Majesty! It's me. Colin. I guard your chamber every night. We need to take you to a safer place. We are under an attack."