In a small kingdom Snow White could be seen playing contentedly in the sprawling royal garden. She was carefully collecting flowers of all kinds, gathering blooms of every color and variety she could find.
Claude watched her from a short distance away, his eyes following her every movement. He had grown deeply attached to her over time. She possessed a pure heart and an endearing cuteness that strongly reminded him of his beloved sisters back home.
He had been diligently protecting her from the disgusting men who continuously tried to court her with improper intentions. Safe to say he had killed multiple men who went out of line and crossed boundaries that should never have been crossed. He even went to war with other kingdoms who dared to threaten her safety or honor.
As of now he had successfully conquered 3 other kingdoms through these conflicts. Even Erik was quite surprised by this turn of events. He was just sent here to gain experience and learn the ways of ruling, not to take over entire kingdoms and expand his territory.
She walked over toward him with flowers in hand, her steps light and graceful.
"Your majesty, look at all these beautiful flowers I've gathered," she smiled joyously, her face radiating pure happiness.
He nodded approvingly and gently patted her head in an affectionate gesture. She took a step back, her expression shifting.
"Your majesty, I'm already an adult now. I'm no longer a child who needs such treatment," she pouted with a hint of playful indignation.
He gave a small smirk at her reaction and slowly put his hand down to his side. Then her eyes widened suddenly as if she had just remembered something important. Her eyes shone brightly with excitement and anticipation.
"Your majesty, I've recently met a prince during my trip to the market . He seems kind and gentle-"
The garden immediately filled with palpable tension, the very air seeming to grow heavy, but snow seemed to be completely unaware of the shift in atmosphere. Only the guards standing at attention and the maids tending to their duties knew exactly what was happening.
They shivered nervously from their positions beside him. They knew all too well he was fiercely protective of snow and what that could mean.
"I want to meet the man," he said in a tone that left no room for negotiation.
She smiled innocently and nodded in agreement.
"We promised to meet again in the near future, when we do il bring him to you so you can meet him properly," she said with a warm and genuine smile.
He didn't say a single word in response and simply nodded firmly, his expression unreadable. He waved a finger in a subtle gesture and a guard immediately walked forward and leaned down respectfully.
He whispered something into the guard's ear in a low voice before dismissing him with a curt nod.
He then rose to his feet slowly and deliberately.
"I have something important that requires my immediate attention, and I will return in a day's time," he said in a measured tone, and then walked away while patting Snow's head one last time in an affectionate gesture before taking his leave.
This time she didn't move away from his touch and simply stood there watching quietly as he walked away into the distance. She then begun humming a cheerful tune to herself and went back to tending to the beautiful flowers in the garden with care and attention.
New Orleans
He appeared suddenly in the bustling city and began walking through the crowded streets, searching carefully for a specific magical signature that he had deliberately left on someone during a previous encounter.
After wandering around for quite a while, he finally found her among the busy marketplace. She was running around energetically, buying various things left and right with enthusiasm, as her father followed closely behind her with an indulgent expression.
She froze completely in her tracks when she noticed his presence. Her face lit up with recognition and she smiled brightly before running toward him with excitement. She stopped directly in front of him and gave him a proper royal bow with practiced grace.
"Hello prince Claude," she said in a respectful and warm tone.
He lifted a brow in mild surprise. That was the very first time that she had ever done something like that to him with such formality.
"Who taught you that?" He asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.
She lifted her chin proudly, clearly pleased with herself.
"My father hired a lady that once served a princess in the royal court to teach me all about proper royal etiquette and manners," Charlotte said with a satisfied and accomplished smile.
He smirked with amusement.
"You are quite the entertaining and amusing person," he muttered quietly to himself, though loud enough for her to hear.
Her eyes then brightened considerably with excitement.
"So what brings you here to New Orleans?" She asked with interest, then her eyes narrowed with a playful and mischievous glint. "Maybe you're here specifically to see me," she said in a joking manner, not really expecting a serious answer.
He simply nodded without hesitation.
"That's the exact reason why I'm here in this city," he said calmly and matter-of-factly.
Her eyes widened a little in genuine surprise. She never expected him to be so direct and blunt about his intentions. But she found herself liking that straightforward quality about him.
She smiled gently at him.
"Then what is your purpose with little old me?" She asked with curiosity and a touch of playfulness.
"I'll make you my wife," he said with a completely straight face and unwavering seriousness.
She went quiet for a moment, trying desperately to process what she had just heard him say. Her father and the other people in the bustling market stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on the two of them.
"Y-you," she stuttered, clearly flustered. "Are you being serious right now?" She asked, needing confirmation.
He nodded firmly.
"Are you going to refuse my proposal? Because I wasn't really asking for permission," he said, his expression remaining completely the same and unchanging.
She shook her head vigorously from side to side and a big, radiant smile formed on her face.
"Of course I will accept!" She shouted excitedly with pure joy and jumped onto him without hesitation.
She hugged him tightly with all her strength. Afraid she would fall or hurt herself, he hugged her back carefully and securely.
"Be careful now," he said calmly with a hint of concern.
She then looked up at him with sparkling eyes and lifted the sides of his mouth with her fingers, trying to make him smile.
"Come on, light up a little and show some emotion. This is a happy day that we should celebrate," she said with a bright and infectious smile.
The crowd that had gathered around them applauded enthusiastically and burst into excitement. It was not every day, or even many times in their lives, that they witnessed such a romantic and spontaneous proposal happening right before their very eyes in the middle of the marketplace.
"We'll be formally wedded in exactly one year's time from today. I'll have you meet someone very skilled who will create and make a beautiful dress especially for you," he said with calm certainty.
She nodded eagerly in excitement, her mind already beginning to race with countless thoughts and ideas about the wedding. Thoughts were already swarming and swirling around in her head. He then carefully took off one of the ornate rings that he wore on his fingers and gently inserted it onto her delicate finger with care.
"This is a very special storage ring that I personally crafted with my own hands using advanced magic. Inside this ring resides thousands upon thousands of different pieces of jewelry and accessories of all kinds," he said calmly and matter-of-factly.
She blinked her eyes several times in amazement and surprise, and in growing curiosity she carefully tried to take something out of the magical ring. As she did so, detailed information about all the accessories that were stored within suddenly entered her mind in a rush of knowledge.
As she mentally went through each and every one of the items catalogued in her mind, she finally decided on and took out one particular piece. A breathtakingly beautiful tiara. One that looked as though it would have shone brilliantly in the soft moonlight, catching and reflecting every ray of light that touched its surface.
The crowd's eyes widened considerably in awe, having never before seen something so exquisitely beautiful and magnificent in their entire lives. Some rough-looking thugs lurking in the back of the crowd gulped nervously. Their eyes glinting with unmistakable greed and malicious intent.
They looked around carefully and cautiously, and not seeing any guards or protection nearby, they smirked knowingly at each other with dark intentions and then ran straight at them with aggressive speed.
Claude immediately noticed them approaching with ill intent. He then walked calmly and purposefully over to Charlotte and embraced her protectively, hugging her close and carefully covering her view and shielding her from what he planned to do next.
By now the crowd had clearly noticed the danger and quickly separated themselves from the thugs that were menacingly carrying sharp knives in their hands.
The thugs grinned wickedly to themselves, seeing no one attempting to stop them or stand in their way. He smoothly took out his sword from his own storage ring when they got close enough in range and quickly attacked with decisive precision and barely any visible body movement at all.
Before the people watching could even fully realize or comprehend what was happening, one of the attacking thugs suddenly had his head and all his limbs swiftly cut off in one fluid motion as his body fell heavily to the ground.
The entire place fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. The crowd's eyes widened dramatically in a mixture of fear, horror, and shock at the brutal display. The three remaining thugs who were still standing shook visibly and uncontrollably in absolute fear.
"Kyaaaaaa!!!!" A woman's voice shouted shrilly from somewhere in the crowd, breaking the tense silence.
The surviving thugs desperately tried to run and escape, but heavily armored men were already positioned strategically behind them, blocking their escape. They noticed their predicament far too late and were swiftly cut down without mercy.
"I want this entire place thoroughly cleansed of all criminal elements immediately," Claude said calmly and authoritatively as more and more armored soldiers appeared seemingly from nowhere and then ran off in different directions, spreading out and searching diligently for any other thugs or criminals who might be hiding in the area.
He snapped his fingers with a simple gesture and the dead body instantly burned away into nothing more than a pile of fine ash. The magical barrier that had been restricting sound from entering Charlotte's ears was finally lifted and dissolved.
He stopped embracing her and released his protective hold. Charlotte looked around with a confused expression on her face, seeing the obvious fear and distress written clearly on the people's faces all around them.
"Are they ok? What happened to everyone?" She asked him with genuine concern in her voice.
"He nodded reassuringly. Perhaps they all had a shared nightmare or saw something disturbing," he replied calmly and dismissively, offering a simple explanation.
She scratched her head in confusion but ultimately decided to believe him and trust his words. She then turned her attention back to him with renewed focus.
"Anyways let's go see this talented person who will design and make my wedding dress," she said excitedly, her enthusiasm returning in full force.