Chapter 12: Obstacles

                                    

                                          
Adrian 
     At this point I became fully convinced, after all these years of searching, I had found her. It was like something just clicked and I knew that I needed her. She is the only one I have ever met that was so bold to question me and to suggest that I do things differently. 
     "Fara, I want you to stay here with me." I said softly, turning to face her. I felt somewhat disgusted with myself. I sound so weak, I should be demanding that she stays. She broke eye contact with me and took a deep breath. I studied her intently, she seemed to shrink down and rubbed her arms worriedly. 
      "Adrian, you are the man of my dreams literally, and I might be the woman of yours, but you know I am not right for you. I can never be your Prodigy or Queen." Fara's hushed tone made me flinch. 
     "Why not," I asked not meaning to sound as offended as I did, she shuffled away from me. I'm justifiably offended though. Nobody has ever just rejected me before! Why does she think she can? Does she have any idea how many women have begged to rule by my side?  
     "Adrian, I do not trust you. We only met a week ago, but I suppose I will stay only long enough for you to come to the conclusion that I am not the right woman for you." and with those words, she climbed down from the boulder pile and began to walk off back toward the castle. It felt as though my heart had broken all over again. There's no way she can deny the connection when I kissed her. She felt it too, I know she did. 
    Several days ago I had a long talk with my advisor, telling him that I've made up my mind and I was convinced I was right this time. He told me that he would keep a close eye on things and that I should do what felt right. Something about the way she stood up to me felt right. I was completely enraged about it at first but then I realized how incredible she was. She was brave, and determined to make me do what she felt was right. 
     When our lips made contact I felt like a lost part of my soul had reconnected. I could tell by the way she reacted that she had to have a similar feeling. I've kissed plenty of women in the past and have never experienced such a feeling.
   I watched her walk off into the darkness for a few minutes before I decided my next move. She can't leave. I will not let her.  I teleported after her and cut her off from walking any further. My appearance spooked a nearby family of deer, who quickly tore off deeper into the forest. Fara crossed her arms and looked rather impatient. 
   "How many times do I have to tell you that teleporting into my personal bubble at random is rude?" She asked with a smirk.
     "Fara, listen, I know you haven't known me long, and almost everything you do know is bad, but I can prove to you that I am not all bad. I do everything for a good reason, I swear to that. I need you to give me a chance." I didn't want to come across as desperate, but I was begging. 
    She stepped toward me and took one of my hands in hers. She took another deep breath and looked up at me. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight, her hair fell in waves perfectly framing her pretty face and those freckles reminded me of constellations in the night sky, she was absolutely gorgeous. She squeezed my hand and looked down again. 
     "I have a lot of mixed emotions about you Adrian, I am horrified at your ability to be so cruel. But at the same time I can't help but admit that there is something about you that draws me in." Fara's gentle tone took me by surprise, but not as much as when she lifted my hand and placed a gentle kiss upon it. 
   I didn't even get a chance to say anything before she pulled away and took off running toward the treeline. Now I really have no idea what she feels. This woman is ridiculously confusing. I don't think that she even knows what goes on in her own brain. I walked back to the castle instead of teleporting, mostly to make sure Fara didn't get lost on her way back. But another part of me just needed the time alone to think. 
   There has to be a way for me to convince her. I just haven't figured it out yet. I kept my pace slow on the journey back enjoying the cold night air.  When I finally arrived back through the castle doors I was greeted by the lovely lady sitting at the base of the staircase. 
     "Took you long enough," She said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and sat beside her.
     "You are such a strange woman" I muttered shaking my head. Her confidence will come in handy in a leadership position. I could already picture her as a queen, everybody is going to love her. They loved my mother when she was queen, and they've all been waiting centuries for their next monarch to be revealed. 
     "You're calling me strange? Look who's talking" She said pointedly looking me up and down before standing up and  briskly walking up the stairs. I watched her disappear down one of the hallways and I slowly rose to my feet. All this time I have been trying to understand her, I didn't even consider the fact she was in practically the same position, if not worse. No wonder she is so hesitant about staying. I suppose I can't blame her for the concern. 
   I began to pace, deep in conflicted thought, but was quickly interrupted. 
     "Sir Adrian" Maren's familiar voice startled me and I turned to face her, she beckoned me to follow her and she led me to one of the meeting rooms upstairs. "So what do you think? Is she the one? You have got to tell me." She said in her usual upbeat tone. Maren and I have been close friends for a very long time, she's always been this effortlessly happy. I'm glad I haven't managed to scare her away after all these years. I pulled a couple chairs out for us and gathered my thoughts before responding. 
    "Yes she is. This isn't going to be as easy as I have imagined though. For some reason I just thought that all I had to do was find her, bring her home, and everything else would fall into place. " 
   "First of all, literally nothing is that easy when it comes to relationships. Second, You've gotta understand what she's been through, where she comes from. She is definitely interested in you and that's a good start if you ask me! But I have a concern, I'm not sure if anybody else has brought it up-" I cut her off because I already know what she is going to say. 
    "Is her werewolf blood going to be a problem? I'm not sure, Mother and Gregory think that she should be fine. There's not many cases to study when it comes to something like this but knowing that her father was a half-blood and her mother was human, my venom should be plenty strong enough to work against the wolf." 
   "But are you sure that she is strong enough?" Maren asked quietly. 
   "I hope so. Either way I think we're pretty far off from that. I'll keep you updated, I promise." I said with a weak smile. 
   "I think she has a lot of questions, maybe it would help if you explained some things to her." She suggested before standing up and pulling a golden timepiece out of her pocket. "Lady Ana will be here any minute. She wants to meet her." 
   I covered my face with my hands and groaned. "I forgot she was coming... I haven't really told Fara anything about her yet." 
   Maren laughed and patted my shoulder. "She's your mom, and she's lovely. You've got nothing to worry about."
    I heard the castle doors swing open downstairs. I took a deep breath before standing up. "I hope you're right..."