Shattered with Our Love.

Dante and Isla sat on a roof top of an abandoned house watching the sunset. Before their eyes laid a green field that was peaceful and enormous. They were slightly far from major cities and her village.

It was just the two of them. Deeply in love with each other and completely obsessed that everyone knew.

Isla lived in a village, slightly far from the city. Her family was not poor nor rich, but middle classed. Her parents owned a thriving shop, her brother was still in school and she... well she, would be classified as a lazy, laid back, and 'everyone ridicules’ kinda girl.

She was a 23 year old stunning and a very gorgeous woman. But was pretty much just that. No gold medals, no silver medals - she was just Isla. Her parents would often remind her that they preferred Sky, her brother over her.

She wasn’t the beautiful girl that was loved and cherished by everyone. But just an extra, not the main character. Not loved by everyone, or hated by everyone either.

Though she was very gorgeous, people weren’t really that obsessed with beauty. From time to time every woman can be extremely stunning and beautiful.

So how did she catch the prince’s eye, she didn't know either.

Dante was an extremely breathtakingly handsome prince, soon to be king. He had gorgeous women from noble families falling for him whenever they had the chance to see him, who was Isla compared to them?

He had icy alluring eyes, a captivating smile, tall and a wholesome humor.

He just did not aspire to be king. He wanted a peaceful and quite farm. He’d always tell her he wanted her by his side forever, living with sheep, goats and pigs.

Catching chicken from time to time for a meal, and running in the rain on a huge field, having a peace of mind. Not hearing Your Highness, Your Highness all day.

Not walking normally and people bowing just because they saw you. Not being authoritative over every living man and woman on "your" land, and certainly not having men that guard you at every turn you make and even when asleep.

He wanted to feel like a normal human, to feel the rain without people having to rush with umbrellas to him whenever he starts to feel just an ounce of it.

Life like that for him felt monitored and controlled. He would not be his true self but would have to follow what the other pass kings did. He would have to behave like them, dress like them and walk like them.

It was not life, it was not living his life but living a scripted life for him the moment he was born.

Palace women were palace women. They were the same thing, the same tea or the same coffee. Isla for Dante was very different, she was care free.

Doing things at her time, not trying to impress anyone but had a lot in her heart, a lot of love and wounds that like everyone else.

He promised himself to be honest and always loving towards her.

Dante was a gentleman, he despised violence and loud environments. He knew he wasn’t suit to be king and didn’t want to be.

He glanced at Isla, the sun radiating on her face. It made her look surreal. A thought so swift came in his mind as he laid his eyes on her. To run away, together.

It seemed like fantasy to think so and too typical, but this idea in his mind became a plan. A determination.

She turned to look at him feeling his gaze. Without saying a word she scooted towards him and placed her head on his shoulder.

It was evening time, but her eyes were slightly heavy. So without a second thought, she closed her eyes. Her closeness warmed his heart, he felt home and happy from the bottom of his heart.

Though none of them said a word, a lot was spoken. He continued to watch the sunset while gently holding her hand, and a gentle smile on his face.

***********************

“Soft! Useless, useless!” Mason shouted across the huge dining room decked with brilliant silver and golden antiques. Erica sat at the far end of the table, across the fuming Mason.

Three of her personal maids stood before her. One massaging her shoulders, the other holding a teapot ready to pour her more tea while the other was just standing, ready to be sent.

She was looking at the furious king, that often sent people to monitor his ‘weak’ son. A report from one of his men just arrived and he was indeed not pleasant.

“How will he rule this Kingdom when we pass on, how will he? Huh? All he knows is to fool around with low women!” Mason shouted. His voice occupying the entire hall, as he slammed the table with his hands with utter rage and veins forming on his face.

“Your Highness, Your Highness! Please calm down and eat. Dante will be able to rule this Kingdom, he’ll grow up. But for now please, let us handle this with care.” Erica interjected unable to bear the noise anymore.

Mason reluctantly stopped shouting, but instead continued with the noise by aggressively stirring the cup of tea with the spoon.

Though she was not shouting like he was, Erica was completely displeased with the way his son was. She was as angry as Mason was, but she had to push down that anger.

She could see what some could not see in Dante, his heart was way softer than others could ever imagine. That girl that he was always with..., it seemed as if things could go far to a point where Dante might run away with her.

Erica knew that Dante didn’t want to be king, it was sometimes quite obvious. For her, it was easy to read her son’s eyes.

This was what she feared the most, that he would suddenly run away. Her dislike for that girl was incredibly strong.

So without alerting Mason, because he would overreact and lock Dante in his chambers. She stationed people around him at all times, just in case something like running away came across his mind.

***********************

“Do you promise?” Isla said, walking beside Dante under the street light just a few steps from her home.

“Would I ever lie to you?” he responded, they were holding hands and swaying them like a loving teenage couple.

She stopped walking, let go of his hand and turned to look at him.

“If I wasn’t alive then who would you love. Would you stay single forever?”

He shook his head “If you weren’t alive then I would probably be a different man with a different mindset and personality. Perhaps you form a part into shaping me into being a better man. And I into shaping you to being a better woman. Your man and my woman.”

He reached his hand forward to hold hers again but she avoided his hand.

“You are soon going to be a king Dante, many noble women and princesses from other kingdoms will surely be presented to you by the royal court. What about your parents? The king and queen would surely not allow us to be together.” Isla folded her arms at him waiting for a response.

Dante furrowed his eyebrows, he couldn’t answer. He couldn’t even for himself. He avoided her gaze but looked around instead with a heavy heart.

“How then do you promise to be with me forever? How do you vow to not marry any other woman except for me?” her voice raised slightly. Tears welled up in her eyes while she looked at him determined, waiting for an answer.

Dante hurriedly responded “We’ll run away together. I don’t want to be the king at all Isla, I can’t bare to lose you either.”

Silence, only their heavy breathing sounded along with the crickets near by.

“I will never leave you. All I want is to be with you away from this place, forever.” he added, trying to catch on with the pace of his heartbeat.

“Isla?” he muttered under his breath, desperate to meet her eyes.

She laughed, she glanced at him in amusement. No longer forcefully holding them in anymore, the tears fell from her eyes.

In a whisper she responded “You? The prince? You, Dante? Are you thinking only for yourself, what about my family? Don’t you know that they will be mercilessly murdered and dragged into this if we run away together?”

Dante froze for a second, realizing that he did not think about any of this.

Seeing that he was speechless, she sighed and wiped her tears.

“I’ll see you afternoon tomorrow Dante, it’s late already. Bye.” she said in haste, waved at him in exhaustion and left.

Dante stood there watching her walk inside and locking the gate. This time she never looked back like she normally would, he sighed “Goodnight” he muttered.

This was not how he wanted to end the night.

He left feeling defeated.

Just as everything cooled down, three men wearing black clads emerged out of the dark.

One dialed Erica's phone number, while another stared at the direction Dante disappeared into.

“Yes” her steady and commanding tone sounded from the phone.

“Your Majesty, the prince has finally suggested running away with that... young lady.”

Erica frowned, “You’ve done well. I have been expecting this, I didn’t think it would be this soon. But I think it is time my son comes home now.”

She spoke with full determination and assurance. She would do all it takes for Dante to wake up and rule, all it takes.