STORY: EVERLASTING LAST PART

                Days passed, Guinevere couldn’t get a good night sleep. She always had a nightmare about Geoffrey. She would shout and wake up, her breath was uneven and she could feel her heartbeat accelerating. Poor Guinevere always thought about her dearest prince. She had a flash back. He was such a good-looking man, funny but mature and wise too at the same time that I couldn’t get my eyes off him. He was humble and honest too. Suddenly, she saw a pigeon outside her window. She quickly walked towards the pigeon and found that the pigeon carried a bundle of letters. She untied the bundle and gazed in surprise. It was Geoffrey’s letters. After reading the poems, she took a piece of paper and started to write. Ten minutes later, she curled the paper and tied it to the pigeon’s leg. She freed the pigeon, looked at the moon and hoped that Geoffrey got her letter.

                The next day, her father told her that there would be banquet at evening in the Galton’s castle. He also asked the servants help Guinevere to prepare herself for the banquet. Almost for the whole day, Guinevere prepared herself for the banquet.

                When Princess Guinevere stepped out of the carriage, Rupert Wallace, the prince of Galton, saw her immediately. Since then, he couldn't take his eyes off her. The way that she gracefully walked on the stone platform was elegant, and Rupert fell in love with her at that very moment. Then, Princess Guinevere came into the banquet hall. Upon entering, she was welcomed by the banquet host. After that, the banquet started, and the guests began to dance with each other. Suddenly, in the middle of the crowded situation, Rupert's father hit his cup with a spoon three times, to gather attention in the banquet. He made an announcement that is shocking to both Princess Guinevere and Prince Rupert. He announced that Princess Guinevere is going to marry his son, Rupert, soon after they got to know each other. The wedding was held to establish a political relation between the two kingdoms. After the banquet, Rupert gathered all of his courage and asked Princess Guinevere for a walk on the park.  They talked until Guinevere’s parents came out of the banquet, and Guinevere went home with them.

                The next day, Rupert came to see her again.  She rushed down, and saw Rupert waiting for her. Rupert asked her to accompany him for a stroll in his garden, and so she did. While they were taking a stroll in Rupert’s garden, Rupert’s father saw them. He thought that they were already getting close to each other. So he decided to advance the wedding plan.

                Until the day when Guinevere had to marry Rupert, Geoffrey was still at the tower, locked and isolated. At the wedding, Guinevere was anxious and couldn’t stop thinking about Geoffrey. In her mind, it was only Geoffrey and nothing else. What was he doing? Was he all right? And the thought of him just stayed in her mind. Since she couldn’t get Geoffrey out of her mind, an insane idea popped up in her mind. The idea was she would run away from the wedding and got herself to Geoffrey – her true love. For this reason, she made up a story that could get rid of the soldiers who guarded her 24 hours.

“Where do you want to go, Sweetheart?” asked Rupert curiously.

“Umm, I just want to take some air, I am so nervous because of our wedding. So please, leave me alone, Rupert.”

“Alright, see you at the chapel. Can’t wait to see you there, my darling.”

All the expression that Guinevere had set within her face was forged. She promised herself to do everything it took to fall between Geoffrey’s arms because of her strong will, her strong and pure love towards Geoffrey. In a very short time, she escaped from her room successfully. She acted so carefully that she wanted to escape from the custodians.

Mission accomplished! She was safe and sound now; at least that’s what she thought. She didn’t do alone; instead, she had an escort who was always there to help her whenever she needed him. It was Tom, the horse rider. Tom brought her to the tower where Geoffrey had been isolated for a couple of weeks.

Guinevere was very excited to see her dearest prince freed from the tower. She shouted loudly so Geoffrey could hear her voice. Tom also cooperated in the situation. He asked the guards who guarded the tower and explained the circumstances that Guinevere had to face, which was the political marriage. Fortunately, the guards understood and they put their lives on line to safe the strong love between Geoffrey and Guinevere. The guards helped Tom and Guinevere. They threw the rope upstairs to get through the window, so Geoffrey could climb down the vine. Guinevere couldn’t help to unleash her feelings. She really missed Geoffrey so much. It was like a hundred years since the last time she met her lover. She hopped into Geoffrey’s arms, buried her head into his chest and started to cry. Geoffrey circled his hand around her waist and kissed his lover on her forehead.

“I miss you, a lot. Sshh, my princess, don’t cry.”

“…me…too…It’s the tears of happiness.”

After the deliverance of Geoffrey from the accursed tower, they decided to go back to the wedding and told to the whole family and Kingdom about their sincere feelings.

“Dear my lovely mom and dad, don’t you know that marriage is not just a game, therefore you cannot insist me to marry with a guy who I don’t love. You also killed my spiritual and morality if you ever dare to do it to your own child! You can’t do this to me! Marriage is sacred,” Guinevere clarified to her parents sorrowfully.

Through the conversation they had at the wedding, the King finally could understand what her daughter’s desire to live. He gave the approval and blessing to his daughter and promised her that he wouldn’t make her daughter heartbroken ever again.

Two months later, after the wedding preparation, Geoffrey and Guinevere could finally get married. The Kingdoms were reunited again. There were no dissension; instead there were only peace and prosperity in the kingdom. The kingdom was called the Queltin. In the end, Geoffrey and Guinevere’s everlasting love turned out to be the cause of the reunion of two kingdoms.

STORY: EVERLASTING PART IV

Between the woods, the Queen’s guard was spying on them. But unfortunately, Guinevere had an unknown escort too. The King had his talented guard protect his only daughter. Guinevere’s escort saw the Barlow’s guard but remained silent and cautious. They witnessed the proposal. Suddenly, before Guinevere answered Geoffrey’s proposal, an arrow sprang and pierced into the land between Geoffrey and Guinevere. Both of them were shocked and then looked at each other in curiosity. Suddenly, a Barlow’s guard came out between the woods while holding a bow. “Prince Geoffrey, Your Highness got me to follow you and bring you back to the Barlow’s territory.”

Guinevere was surprised, she felt electrified. Geoffrey…Geoffrey was a Barlow? The eternal rival of the Cornford? Geoffrey recognized Guinevere’s surprised emotion. By the time he wanted to open his mouth to apologize, another guard came out. Both of them turned towards the new guest. It was a Cornford’s guard, walked towards Guinevere and stood beside her. Now, it was Geoffrey’s turn to be surprised because of the Cornford’s guard arrival. She’s a Cornford? Geoffrey went numb and Guinevere went pale. Both of them were speechless. The Barlow’s guard took Geoffrey’s hand and leaded him into the woods. He never stopped looking at Guinevere and tried to speak up as there was so much to say, so much to apologize. But the goddess of fortune didn’t stand by his side. He was so surprised that he couldn’t find his voice.

Guinevere looked into Geoffrey’s eyes, even when he was dragged by his guard. She was such in a bad condition that she wished Geoffrey just knew how she felt at that moment. They tried every avenue to talk, but to no avail. Instead, their eyes talked. They understood each other’s thought through the glimmer of the eyes.

After Geoffrey and his guard arrived at the castle, the Queen was standing in the center of the grand ball. It was said that the Queen had waited for her son’s arrival. The guard walked towards the Queen, kneeled on one knee and reported everything. Every single word that guard said made the Queen furious. She looked at Geoffrey with furiousness and a slight of disappointment and sadness. The Queen’s look made him felt like a dagger was stabbing his heart. He felt he had failed as a son and as an heir. The Queen had no choice but to lock her son up in a tower of the Queltin, a kingdom which was abandoned for hundreds of years. Her action was assumed to have been done so that the King wouldn’t know what Geoffrey had done.

Day by day, week by week had passed since the day Geoffrey was locked up in a tower. It was the tallest tower even built since the Queltin’s generation. It was an old tower surrounded with thorny bush, leafless trees and vines climbing the wall. No one was allowed to visit him except for the Queen and her trusted guard to feed him. The King was told that Geoffrey had been abroad to travel around the world so he wouldn’t be suspicious why Geoffrey was missing.

In the tower, he couldn’t think of anything but Guinevere. There was time when he would wonder what she was doing at the moment, what she was thinking, how she felt after the incident. When that thought came up, Guinevere’s startled face came up. He couldn’t get rid of that memory and he blamed himself for that incident, for not being able to speak up, calm her, and hold her. He thought about it over and over again. He realized that Guinevere was special. She was one of a kind. She was mature, knowledgeable, daring, caring and a naturalist. Still, Geoffrey did nothing but writing. He got the papers, the feather and ink prepared through the Queen’s guard. He wrote poems, containing his apology, how he felt about Guinevere and what he had done during the imprisonment in the tower. He got pigeon to send his poems to Guinevere. He hoped that Guinevere would receive his poems, forgave him and replied him.

At noon, Guinevere and her father’s trusted custodian had entered the fortress of the castle. As soon as they got into the royal hall, the custodian reported to His Majesty.

                “Your Highness…” He kneeled down on one knee and bowed. The King nodded and asked him to stand up.

                “Your Highness, I stand before you to inform you that all this time Princess Guinevere had been meeting Prince Geoffrey Barlow, the heir of the Barlow kingdom in the Calisto Forest.”

                “What?! “ He couldn’t believe his ears. He looked at his precious daughter with anger. “How could do this? You know that the Barlow was the Cornford’s eternal enemy. It is in every…”

                “Cornford’s blood. I’m aware of that, Father. First of all, I apologize. I do realize that the Barlow is our rival but then, I think I’m in love.” Guinevere stated with a smile. The King got angrier.

                “Don’t you dare say the word love! You can love anyone you want except the Barlow. For God’s sake, Guinevere, don’t disappoint me. You are my one and only child. You’ll be the future queen of this kingdom. Be wise. That’s the basic requirement for a leader. You have a lot of time to think about it in your room. You’re forbidden to get out of the castle…” Guinevere wanted to complain but her father added,” And that’s my final decision.” Guinevere was disappointed and she went to her room.

STORY: EVERLASTING PART III

“Thank you. But this is as far as we can go.”

“Why? At least please let me escort you till the forest.”

She smiled again and said, “Just meet me here in the morning a week later. See you.”

Instantly, he held her hand before she got on the canoe, leaned towards her face and kissed her gently. She was shocked and became speechless. Without any word, she got on a canoe. Then, she got someone he didn’t know to paddle and they disappeared in the mist of the river.

“I guess I’ll see you soon” A little joy overcame him. She kissed me back!

One week later…

The sunlight pierced through the massive window in Geoffrey’s room and shone upon his face. He winced and then opened his eyes. The feel of delight overwhelmed him as he noticed that today was the day he would meet Guinevere. He took a bath, he got his maids to put on his best clothes and coat and he also had his servant prepare his horse. He rode his horse as quick as possible so he could meet his first love sooner. From a distance, he could recognize a young lady was standing near the river. Guinevere had arrived. He could feel his heartbeat accelerating, his breath was uneven and he couldn’t strain himself to run into her. After he stopped his horse, he got down and approached Guinevere.

“Good morning, dear princess.”

“Morning to you too.”

“So, did you have a good night sleep?”

“Sure, I did. How about you?”

“Well, I dreamed about meeting a young lady who resembled you. In the dream, we had a wonderful time together for the whole day.”

She smiled. “My, my, what a wonderful dream you got there.”

“Yeah, sure. So, may I start our adventure?” He asked her while holding out his hand. Without any word, she held out her hand into his and they walked together, vanished into the woods of Calisto. They talked, they laughed and they were amazed by each other’s attractiveness. Unfortunately, time did flow very fast. It was dark and it’s time to leave. That day, Geoffrey hoped he had the chance to accompany Guinevere home but she wouldn’t let him. Finally, she went home alone, paddling the canoe, without any escort.

The meeting continued. Day by day, month by month, they got to know each other well and they realized something. Geoffrey always thought about Guinevere and so did Guinevere. They were attracted to each other. They felt that they couldn’t live in this cruel world without each other. Whenever the time for them to leave had arrived, they were worried; worried that they might not be able to see each other again; worried that someone might lure one of them; worried that something bad happened to one of them. Unfortunately, their love story had to end.

Geoffrey’s mom, the Queen of the Barlow, realized her son’s odd habit these days. To the Queen’s perception, Geoffrey hardly ever went outside, let alone the territory, he even didn’t pass the castle’s fortress. As a consequence, the Queen ordered her most trusted guard to follow where Geoffrey was going today.

Guinevere was waiting for Geoffrey to arrive when she realized she had a bad feeling just now. Oh God, something’s bad is going to happen. I hope it’s not Geoffrey. Please protect him, God.

Last night, Geoffrey couldn’t sleep. He was thinking about Guinevere when a brilliant idea popped into his head. They had known each other long enough and he was thinking to move on to a more serious relationship, marriage.

Tomorrow, I’m going to propose Guinevere. But I’ve got to figure out a way to propose her so it will be memorable for the rest of our lives. Hmm…

His mind went wild, thinking about the surprise. After he was sure of his plans, he went to sleep.

Geoffrey saw Guinevere standing between two oak trees when suddenly gentle wind blew, making the atmosphere more passionate. Moreover, the wind gently stroked her ebony hair, showing her beautiful face, her perfect cheekbone, her chin and her glistening eyes. Her scent lingered over his nose. The summer dress she wore that day somehow looked gorgeous on her. Guinevere turned towards him and their eyes met. He could see from her eyes that she did miss him, a lot. He was happier than ever that day.

“Hey, beautiful. How can you become even more beautiful since the last time I saw you? You’re making me fall in love with you again.”

She chuckled. By the time she stopped chuckling, she caught the sight of Geoffrey kneeling down on one knee and holding out his hand. He took Guinevere’s hand and kissed it gently. He put on a ring, made of dandelion’s stalk, to Guinevere’s ring-finger. The ring was almost invisible because of the dandelion itself but it fitted her finger perfectly. Guinevere was amazed.

“Guinevere, would you marry me?”

 

STORY: EVERLASTING PART II

Both Prince Geoffrey and Princess Guinevere agreed to come to the ball. At the masquerade ball, all the guests had to wear a mask. At dawn, all the princes and princesses had arrived except Prince Geoffrey. He was running late because he had to attend a court assembly with the lords. By the time he arrived, the ball had already begun and all the guests had paired up to dance. In just one-millionth second, he immediately sighted a young lady, standing near an epic window which is made with a crystal-clear glass and coiled golden frame. The moonlight shone through the window and glimmered her beautiful facial features; her shoulder and her sparkling gown. He was mesmerized by that view. He thought that she was a goddess coming from the heaven. Then Geoffrey approached her and Guinevere realized someone was approaching her. When their eyes met, Geoffrey and Guinevere experienced something wonderful. Geoffrey was charmed by her round and glowing eyes. He was drowned into the deepness of her eyes and sighted something familiar, as if they have known each other for a long time. On the contrary, Guinevere was startled. Geoffrey stopped a few steps away from her and at that moment, Guinevere could feel her blood rushing to her head. Both of them fell in love at the first sight.

With full of respect, Geoffrey bowed and said, “May I have this dance, dear Princess?” while holding out his hand. Guinevere nodded and reached out for Geoffrey’s hand. Afterward, the two-in-love couple joined the dancing crowd. They danced and danced until the clock struck twelve but then none of them had introduced themselves. They just let the time flew as they enjoyed the moment. After that, Geoffrey asked her to join him for a stroll near the royal garden.

“Would you join me for a stroll, Your Highness?”

“Please, call me Guinevere. And of course, I would love to.” Guinevere replied bashfully.  

“Guinevere, what a stunning name. I’m impressed. By the way, I’m Geoffrey.”

“Pleased to meet you, Geoffrey.”

                Guinevere smiled her sweetest smile; a kind of smile that would make any man in the world fell for her. Fortunately, Geoffrey was one of them. He was stunned by Guinevere’s smile. For a second, he felt gentle wind brushed all over his body and penetrated through his heart. He felt something, something comfortable. 

At that moment, they had a wonderful and meaningful conversation, trying to know each other deeper. They chattered while walked through the royal garden. Suddenly, Guinevere stopped and looked up. Geoffrey kept on talking until he realized Guinevere was nowhere to be found.

“So, would you prefer to join a fancy banquet or an adventure to the Calisto Forest?”

No answer from Guinevere.

“Guinevere?”

Geoffrey turned around and sought for Guinevere’s existence. He caught a view, the most gorgeous view he had ever seen, again. Guinevere was looking up to the dark and clear sky, directly to the full moon. He must admit that the moon was fascinating. Moreover, the sky was clear and the full moon monopolized the sky to show its own beauty. Her eyes sparkled and she smiled when she saw the moon. He wondered if he was the only one to notice that. She was even more beautiful than the first time he caught her looking to the window then.

“Guinevere?” Geoffrey called her again.

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry, Geoffrey. I didn’t hear you calling me.” She was startled and her startled face made Geoffrey chuckled.

“It’s okay, princess. You seemed to enjoy the panorama of the full moon. I should be the one who apologized, princess, to ruin your moment.”

She shrugged.

“No, please don’t. I’m fine. It’s just the sky, especially the moon, it’s so beautiful. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, it is. Would you tell me what’s so fascinating about the moon tonight?”

“My pleasure” Guinevere answered with delight. Geoffrey could see that in her eyes. Oh my God, what is this feeling? How can a human being as beautiful as she is even existed in this world? As Guinevere explained it all to Geoffrey, he didn’t pay attention to what Guinevere said. She’s intelligent too.

“…So, the full moon is believed to be the time when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. But that’s what my ancestors believed in…”

Instead, he focused on Guinevere’s beauty, the way she smiled, the way she talked and the way she laughed. Time did flow very fast that day. Dusk was about to arrive soon. It showed the time for them to leave. Geoffrey escorted the princess he hardly knew. He didn’t know the kingdom she was from as she wouldn’t tell him. By the time they reached the river, she laid a hand in his chest and smiled.