Once upon a time...
August found out about me going to the ball with Denton. He was not pleased. His friends told him about it and I was accused of cheating and never loving or caring for him. After his accusations, I should have just shrugged and moved on. I was the most eligible bachelorette in all the land far far away. Enough suitors would have loved to court me. Instead I decided I wanted to be with August again. The next little while I pleaded and did what it took to make him take me back, and soon enough he did.
Things seemed to be back to normal. He was still himself. Rough, shallow, and loved jousting. I had my best friend back and things were comfortable. I attended his matches again and began going on journeys to foreign lands with August's family. I wasn't sure August was my prince charming, but I didn't want to be alone again.
In part two of our relationship, August was a lot more jealous and not very trustworthy of me. One day I went out with a group of friends, most of them being years younger than me, and because one of them was a male, I was again accused of cheating and August refused to speak to me for a period of time. We worked things out after weeks of silence. During those weeks, I had kind of just assumed it was over. If only it had been that simple.
At one of August's matches, I was sitting with his father. "August is so talented at jousting," his father said. "He truly is!" I agreed. "Brailee, do you know if August has submitted his papers yet?" his father asked me. I was confused. "His papers?" I asked. He looked at me as if August had told me. "The one for his mission," his father said. I was stunned.
At August's age, people often signed up to go fight for what they believed in. It was a long battle of good against evil. I knew some brave men who had signed up to go before and I knew how devastated their significant others were when they left. I had no idea August had even considered going.
"Oh, right!" I said, trying to act like I knew. "I'm not really sure. He's kind of private." His father agreed. "You should help him get them finished. I almost think I am going to have to fill them out and send them for him," he said. I felt a lump form in my throat. I didn't have a response. I felt betrayed. How could he not tell me?
August didn't tell me until months later, once his forms had been sent in. When he finally informed me of his plan, I had nothing to say. I had decided I knew without a doubt that August was not my prince charming, but I was too attached to end things a second time. Him leaving was my way out and despite how hard it'd be to say goodbye, I knew that would be the only way to bring the relationship to an end. It was just a matter of waiting.
The approval came for him to be sent on a mission and he was to report for duty in a little over two months time. It was sooner than what I had expected, but I took deep breaths trying to prepare myself. What was going to occur in the next two months however I had no way to prepare for.
Rather than trying to spend time with me before leaving, August was more concerned with spending time with his friends (the toads, as I liked to call them). I knew we were going to be saying goodbye, but he didn't know that. Why didn't he care that he would be leaving me? I felt unimportant and it through me off a little bit. I just wanted his attention.
I brought it up one day when we were heading to his cottage. He was driving his small wagon and I was in the passenger side. "August you're leaving and it's like you don't even care that you may never see me again," I said. "Brailee, you're being ridiculous. Me leaving isn't about you. Don't you just want me to be happy?" He said rudely. I didn't respond. "Just be happy for me," he said. I still didn't respond and it made him angry, causing him to lose control of the wagon. The wagon and horses went opposite ways and my side of the wagon went over a rock and into a tree, causing me to fall out of my seat and on to the ground. I was shaken up, but more scared of what August was going to do to me. It was my fault for upsetting him. He got out and examined the damage. The wheel was broken, but other than that the wagon was okay. He didn't even bother asking if I was hurt. He told me he was going to go get help and left me there.
I sat in the cold waiting, terrified. Finally he returned with another man and a new wheel. They fixed up the wagon and we headed back on our way, in silence. "I'm sorry for upsetting you," I whispered. "You just need to stop overreacting and start being happy," he responded.
A few weeks later when I was at his cottage waiting for him so we could attend a banquet, I found a letter. It was signed by a girl named Kaia. I knew it was disrespectful to go through people's personal items, but I couldn't help it. The letter implied that August had been courting Kaia as well as courting me. When he entered the room I was waiting in, I held up the letter. "Would you liked to explain this to me?" I asked him. "What about it?" he asked. "You've been seeing someone else according to this letter. A 'Kaia,'" I said. "She's just a friend," he said. "Doesn't sound like just a friend in the letter," I said irritated. He snatched it from my hand and got defensive and really close to my face. I felt afraid of him. "Stop overreacting Brailee and lets go," he said rudely and stormed out.
I followed him angrily and we drove in my carriage to the banquet in silence. When we got there, there was a table saved with all of his friends. Except it was short one seat. They hadn't included me. I stood there as August took a seat. I felt extremely stupid and left out so I turned preparing to walk off and go sit somewhere else. I was a princess for crying out loud! And here I was being treated as less than them. "Brailee share a seat with me," August said. "August it's not polite and mannerly for me to share a seat, I need my own. I'm sure other citizens would be overjoyed to have me at their table. I will just go somewhere else," I said and started to walk off. He grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me down to his level. "Stop it, you're embarrassing me. I will get you a chair," he said whispering. He released me and I was stunned at how aggressive he'd been.
A servant brought me a chair and I sat awkwardly positioned at the table. There were a few new friends at this table that I did not know. One of August's friends began to introduce the new faces to me. My heart stopped when he introduced one of the girls as Kaia. The servants began bringing out food, but I couldn't eat. I just kept watching her. I couldn't help it. My superstitions were confirmed as the night continued. Kaia and August flirted and looked at each other and would laugh at each other's comments. He barely said anything to me the whole time. I tried to hold his hand, but he'd pull away. I wanted to run. To cry.
How could this be happening? Rather than kissing me to awake me from death, he was feeding me the apple that would send me to it. This story was being written all wrong.
His friends invited us over to their cottage after the banquet and we agreed to come. Me and August climbed into my carriage and began to head there, when I lost all control. "You liar!" I screamed. "Excuse me?" he said. "That was Kaia. From the letter. And I could tell. She was obvious about it!!" I said, my tone reaching an all time high. "I do not know what you are talking about. Stop acting crazy," August said, calm as ever. Tell me honestly nothing ever happened with you two," I said still at the top of my lungs. "Brailee you're overreacting," he said. I began to sob.
The coachman pulled the carriage over to make sure I was okay. When he was assured that I was not harmed, I told him we had a change of plans and were going to August's to take him home and then to the castle because I was not feeling well. On our way to August's cottage, I finally got August to open up. Kaia had pursued him, he said. He told me about how he always told her he was courting me, but she didn't care. He also told me she wasn't the only one who pursued him. There were other girls who would make breakfast in bed for him and invite him to the city baths.
I was so grateful when I finally got to my chambers. I crawled in bed and stared out the window, watching for a shooting star. Two and a half weeks. Two and a half weeks left until he was to depart on his mission. What was I to do? End things and let him be with Kaia until he left? Or follow through with my plan and just have it be our goodbye when he left? I decided to just follow my plan and I helped him prepare to leave.
The fateful day arrived and I went with his family to see him off. I had told him that that goodbye was our final goodbye, and I didn't think he believed me when I said it, however he would realize it soon enough. We arrived at the training building and I hugged him goodbye. He was then escorted by others who signed up to go on the mission and I watched as they took him away.
I thought I was prepared for this moment, but I wasn't. In that one moment, walked away two and a half years of wasted time, wasted opportunity, a relationship built on lies, and a piece of my heart that I'd never get back. I spent the next 48 hours sobbing hopelessly. The emotion I held in for the dreadful two and a half weeks and all the pain that had occured in the two and a half years finally came spilling out. August wasn't and could never be my prince charming.
And so we lived happily never after.
