Claimed By The Tyrant King

As preparations were being made for departure since the treaty had finally been concluded, Rowan found himself wanting to take Rosalind somewhere one last time.

It was her final day in Eryndor and tomorrow she would be gone, and although he tried to act steady about it, the thought still sat heavily in his chest.

Two weeks with her had passed in a way that felt both too fast and too unreal, and now all that would remain between them would be letters.

When Rosalind eventually arrived to meet him, a brief look of surprise crossed her face as she noticed him dressed differently.

He wore a sky-blue shirt and gray trousers paired with boots, the shirt loosely folded at the sleeves, revealing his veiny hands. Also, a few buttons of his shirt were left undone while his hair was neatly pushed back although a few strands still fell forward.

Rosalind came closer. She smiled and said, "You finally took my advice."

Rowan’s expression softened immediately as he looked at her, "It was good advice,"

Rosalind’s lips curve slightly as she accepted the compliment without saying more.

She herself was dressed in a green gown that suited her perfectly, her hair pinned into a bun while the rest flowed down her back with two neat braids meeting at the center.

Then she looked up at him and asked, "So where are we going today?"

"You’ll see," Rowan replied simply as he turned toward the horse, clearly unwilling to spoil the surprise.

Rosalind narrowed her eyes at him as she followed, crossing her arms slightly in protest. "You never tell me. Let me guess, we’ve been to the market, the fair, the observatory, the greenhouse, the cliff... what else could there even be?"

Rowan glanced back at her with a faint smile, enjoying the way she tried to piece it together. "Don’t you like suspense, Rosalind?" he asked, and the way he said her name made something subtle flutter in her chest even though she tried to ignore it.

"It gets boring sometimes," she replied with a small huff, stepping closer as if trying to read the answer off his face. "Just tell me."

"Grass... water..." Rowan said slowly as he came to stand in front of her, "Can you guess what that is?"

Rosalind frowned slightly as she tried to connect the words, turning them over in her mind, but nothing came together immediately, so she guessed, "A lake?" though he only shook his head.

"Wait," she said again quickly, her curiosity rising, "a beach?"

Rowan let out a breath through his nose, clearly not expecting her to jump so far from lake to beach so quickly, especially since he hadn’t even mentioned sand, and instead of continuing the guessing game he simply said, "Just get on the horse, Rosalind," as he offered her his hand and helped her up before mounting behind her and settling in place with his arms lightly around her as he took the reins.

"Can you not just give me one more hint?" she asked as they began to move, still determined. "I’ll get it this time."

"Fall..." he replied calmly, guiding the horse forward. "That’s the closest."

Fall? She thought.

Rosalind leaned slightly against him, still trying to figure it out, but the steady rhythm of the ride slowly began to distract her.

Rowan, on the other hand, seemed far more content simply watching her, watching the way her expressions shifted as she tried to solve it.

There was something about her curiosity that made her look even more endearing, and even when the wind brushed strands of her hair against his face he didn’t look away, knowing fully well that this was their last day together.

After a while, as the ride began to slow, Rosalind turned her head slightly and narrowed her eyes again. "Don’t tell me it’s a waterfall?" she asked just as they approached a thick cluster of vines and bushes that blocked the view ahead, while faint sounds of rushing water drifted through the air from the other side.

A small smirk formed on Rowan’s lips. "Finally," he said as they moved forward, guiding the horse through the hanging vines.

The space grew cooler and darker for a moment, until suddenly they emerged into open light again and Rosalind’s breath caught in her throat as she took in what lay before her.

She could not even speak as her lips parted in disbelief.

The place looked almost unreal, as if someone had taken pieces of different worlds and blended them into one.

Soft green grass stretched beneath, flowers scattered naturally across the ground, butterflies moving gently through the air, and ahead of them water flowed in layers, falling like a living curtain into a lower stream that shimmered beneath the light, creating something that looked almost like a floating garden suspended between sky and earth.

Rosalind finally managed to whisper, "Are we still in Eryndor?"

She slowly climbed down from the horse, feeling the softness of the grass beneath her feet as she looked around in complete awe, unable to stop her gaze from moving from one detail to another, while Rowan followed her down more slowly, watching her reaction closely as if it mattered more than anything else at that moment.

"That’s because it was inspired by a painting," Rowan said quietly, as Rosalind turned back toward him in surprise.

She was genuinely interested in it, and Rowan used the opportunity to explain, "My great great grandfather as I was told usually painted and he had the vision for something like this and afterwards he had deliberated with his people and they had carried on their work on it, then my great grandfather took off where he left and my grandfather too... it had taken a lot of years to build,"

"It’s beautiful," Rosalind said as she looked around properly, her eyes slowly taking in the intricate carvings that connected the gardens from one section to another, and for a moment it truly felt like she had stepped into an entirely different world, one that didn’t belong to Eryndor at all.

After a short pause, she found herself asking, "Why not make this place a tourist attraction? It’d fetch really good money for Eryndor."

Rowan smiled lightly at her suggestion, "Your idea is good... but they’ve decided to keep it hidden lest it gets known to some other people that may try to claim it for themselves. It belongs to the royal family now and those families that helped with the project," he stated.

Rosalind pressed her lips together. Inwardly, she thought that something this beautiful and vast should not be hidden away when it could be shared.

Yet she said nothing as they continued walking deeper across the soft grass while the horse remained behind, already tied and calmly grazing.

The air was fresh and cool, almost soothing against her skin, and calling it beautiful still felt like an understatement, especially with how clear the water nearby looked as it shimmered gently, almost tempting enough for anyone to step in, though she doubted anyone was ever allowed to.

Even the fish inside moved freely as if the water belonged entirely to them, untouched and peaceful.

When she finally turned to him, her expression softened as she said, "Thank you for bringing me here, Rowan," and after a brief pause she added,

"Thank you for making every day around here lovely."

Rowan met her gaze then, holding it for a moment longer than necessary as though weighing his words, before he finally said what he truly felt, "I’ll do anything for you, Rosalind."