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Adele's mother smiled kindly. "Ah, Adelaide already thought of that. She suggested I go to Prince August's parents and tell them that the betrothal is off. Removing a betrothal is complicated, but if she really wants it..." Here she looked at her daughter, "I believe we could make it happen." . After a few more minutes of talking, Adele realized there was one more thing about Caelan she hadn't told her parents. "Um, mother? Father? There's one more thing you should know about Caelan. He sort of has... Wings. He can fly, but that's all I know he can do with them. Most royals there have them, so it's not that unique in the Night Kingdom. Just don't... Freak out." Adele nodded to Caelan, saying that he could take off the cape that had been draped over the wings. She held her breath, worried her parents would freak out, call him a 'creature' and throw him in the dungeon. She didn't think they would after agreeing to let him court her, but anything could happen.
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Caelan slightly paled with fear. He looked to Adele for some reassurance before gently tugging off the cape. He hesitated, keeping his wings tucked for a moment before keeping his eyes on the floor and unfurling his wings. "They're hideous, I know. I can even have them removed if wanted..." Caelan said, not making eye contact out of fear of the king and queen
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Adele looked nervously between her parents and Caelan, worried for their reactions. When Caelan unfurled his wings, Adele's father flinched and the queen grimaced and closed her eyes. Her father finally said, "We have seen such wings before, on other royals of the Night Kingdom. Our guards are trained to do anything against people like you, so I would say always wear that cape around here. We do not want to upset or set off anything among the guards, word travels incredibly quickly." Adele was glad her parents were somewhat okay with Caelan's wings, but she was still worried about the guards and the townspeople in general. It was probably best for Caelan not to go out in public, because even without his wings he looked... Well, like he didn't belong. Adele thanked her parents for being so open-minded and stood. "I think Caelan and I need to catch up privately. Thank you for talking with us, and being so kind to me." Her parents smiled and stood as well, and the queen said, "I'm just glad my daughter is finally talking again. A silent queen is almost always a bad queen." Adele smiled and nodded, then hugged her mother. She left the room, Caelan following behind her, and walked up to her room, closing the door behind them.
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Caelan immedietly grabbed Adele gently and crushed her against his chest. "That was terrifying" He muttered, burying his face in her hair. He sighed gently, holding her for some sort of grounding that yes, he was alive. And yes, he had a truce between the kingdoms. Along with that, yes, he had a girlfriend and her parents didn't want him killed.
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Adele yelped a little when Caelan hugged her quickly, but sank into his embrace. She let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding, now that she knew Caelan wasn't freaking out. Adele hugged him back tightly, grateful for his warm presence close to her again. She hung on to him like he was an island in a storm, so glad to have him back that her heart hurt. After a few minutes of simply being with each other, Adele pulled away from Caelan, hands still on his shoulders, and asked, "What happened? With your father, I mean." Edited at July 14, 2025 12:27 AM by Fantasy Horses
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(By the way if you ever think my posts don't follow the plot or agree with Adele's personality, please PM me to let me know. Most of the time I write these late at night, when I'm tired and my brain isn't functioning properly XD I hope you can keep up with my weird thoughts :P)
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"I...don't know" Hesaid truthfully, shaking his head slightly. "My mother began yelling at me and hitting me so I left the room. I saw my father dead and...that's it. No blood, no screams, nothing." He said quietly, reliving the moment in his mind
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Tears formed in Adele's eyes as she listened to Caelan. His parents really were awful to treat him like that. Well, now it was just his mother. Hopefully, though, since he was king now, she would stop bothering him. Hopefully. Adele made up her mind. If she heard that his mother did anything like that again, she would go speak to her herself. Adele dried her eyes and looked into Caelan's. "I'm so, so sorry. Even though he was awful to you and your mother and probably everyone... He was your father. You must love him, in some way. Having someone you love pass is so hard... Though I guess I wouldn't really know." Adele looked away, realizing she had no right to tell Caelan those things. How would she know that? She pulled away from Caelan and sat on her bed, wrapping her arms aorund her middle and looking at the ground. "Sorry," She mumbled, unsure why she was saying it. So many thoughts and emotions were going through her head that she didn't know what to do. She was glad that Caelan was back, happy that her parents agreed to the truce, angry at Caelan's mother for being so horrible, and.... What did she think about Caelan being king? Well, it meant he had more control over his mother and her awful ways, and it meant he could make the night kingdom better. But it also meant they probably couldn't be together, even if her mother cancelled the betrothal to Prince August. Adele's mind swirled, and she didn't know what to do.
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"I...feel like curling up and never getting up again. But it wouldn't be the first time I felt that way...I don't know what to do...I at least have to make sure the kingdom is okay at some point tonight. Would you come with me? Please?" He pleaded softly.
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Adele moved her hands in front of her face to hide her tears. She shouldn't be crying right now. She should be happy that her parents agreed to the truce, that Caelan was king, and that his father was gone. But she couldn't be happy about those things, about anything, really. Life was too confusing right now. She wanted to go with Caelan to the night kingdom, and she knew he needed her, but she couldn't go. Not now. But maybe it would help clear her mind, getting some fresh air. Or maybe it wouldn't. She didn't know. Adele moved her hands and looked up at Caelan, eyes red from the tears. "I don't know" She said, voice full of sorrow and confusion and pleading.
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