In the name of love

Hit.

Smash.

Twist.

Thump.

Her wooden sparring sword rested against the blonde's throat as a symbol of her triumph. From the ground, Judy Sylvester's baby blue eyes hinted mischievousness. 

"Rumor has it, Sabrina is betrothed to Brian Chambers for the political interest of both the countries. Ryan is now open for the taking."

The words caught Darcy off guard; it was too much a news to be taken slightly. No rumor from Judith Sylvester's pretty mouth comes unauthentic. Darcy couldn't help but momentarily stop in time. 

it was too big an opportunity to be missed.

Judy took it as her chance to hook her leg with Darcy's and trip her on the ground. Successfully straddling Darcy with her wooden sword on top of her throat. 

"Low blow," Darcy muttered pouting, "And Ryan isn't a property to be claimed. Or a prize to be won, or a thing to be taken. My Ryan is a person of his own. The sates have made a mockery out of their prince," Her forehead was frowning and lips in an unintentional scowl.

From Judy's perspective, she looked like a dedicated milkman defending her cow which was stolen and milked improperly.  

"Well his father is nothing but an opportunist. Could have seen it coming from a mile away. Ryan is never going to choose love over family," Judy grinned her precious heart-fluttering smile that would have half of the Royal High on their knees for her.

"An opportunist, just like you," Darcy whispered and suddenly Judy's baby blue eyes widened against the feeling of the wooden sword placed subtly against her stomach. 

It was Darcy's turn to grin now.

"Look who's speaking," Judy stuck out her tongue at her sparring partner and threw the sword away, standing up as soon as the doors to the sparring room burst open and in walked Alexander Scorpius with all his mighty bad boy glory.

Judy whistled and whispered dramatically, "Ooo, hottie alert!" 

His dark hair was styled to reveal his glorious forehead in a peeking manner. His dark dress shirt and pants, adorned subtlety with golden embroidery and the extravagance that came along with being the son of a Duke in Agartha, the land of wealth.

"Oh, what a view!" Alexander exclaimed cheekily, his lush lips contoured in a smile only reserved for the eyes of Darcy Solaris. His grey eyes roaming up and down on her petite body spread on the ground.

"Oh shut up Lex, I'm thinking something!" Darcy hushed him and proceeded to fold her hands under her head and become comfortable in her position.

Judy picked up the swords and shoved them back in holder, her presence going unnoticed.

 "As much as I would love to see you like that, all day, everyday, you need to get up quick. She-Devil is heading this way after having a fight with her sister. I don't want you to get into another spat with her. Not when the auditions are so close," Alexander informed in his usual cold and dominating voice, dry and lacking in many emotions. Though his Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke in his deep voice and Judy could not help but swoon.

beautiful things must be admired.

Alexander stood in front of Darcy, with an amused grin on his face. She was lost in a daydream and he couldn't help but notice how her dull peachy upside-down lips slightly parted. How she had a distant look in her doe eyes, whenever she was thinking. How her soft brown hair spread around her head like a halo on the ground. She was beautiful and Alexander could not help but admire it all.

Judy involuntarily committed the scene to her memory. The way Alexander's cold grey eyes stared at Darcy with so much love and admiration, almost as if they were not grey and dead, but a beautiful blue of the dawn. Alive, like the break of a new day and not gray like a tombstone as they usually were.

"Well hello to you too, not that anyone cares," Judy sing sang out loud, while wiping her sweat on the white towels. Her note of joy fell on deaf ears.

"The she-devil is last of my concerns at this moment. I must work. I have plans! We need to go!" Darcy spoke with a new found vigour, bolting up from the ground.

 "I'll be one my way as well. Avoid the She-devil if you can." Judy fist pumped the sky, waiting if anyone would bid her goodbye. 

But Alexander would never give any human, but Darcy, the time of his life. And the said princess was making grabby hands at Alexander to help her up.

Judy smiled knowingly. As the to-be Duchess of Xenba, Judith Sylvester decided it better to give her princess some privacy.

"Hello darkness my old friend..." She sang away while Alexander took Darcy's small hands in his big ones and pulled her up, stifling a smile.

 The blonde walked out in time.

"You lazy arse," Alexander murmured under his breath, his thumb unconsciously rubbing against the soft back of her hand.

Darcy's mind was working a mile in a minute. With Sabrina openly engaged to Brian Chambers, the first prince of Alamate, Ryan was an open clear goal. Maybe this was her chance at love. Maybe this was finally the time where she could make Ryan see light. Where she could be his light. It was now or never.

"Now, are you willing to tell me what piece of information has your mind all wrapped up?" Alexander questioned expectantly. 

Darcy shook their still intertwined hands, while replying with her precious small dimpled smile. "It's Ryan! Judith just informed me that Princess Sabrina is engaged with his older brother, Brian. Lex, do you know what opportunities it opens for me?! I can finally have my chance!" She all but jumped excitedly on her toes while their locked hands flew left and right with her excitement. 

If she would have squinted, Princess Darcy would have seen Alexander openly scowling. "Though, where is Judith? I could've sworn she was right there a minute ago..." Darcy nudged her chin at her sparring partner's now empty spot.

Alexander gave out a bitter laugh. "Of course it's Ryan who has your devoted attention." He unhooked their hands and strode towards the tables, picking up Darcy's stuff. "I'm not even surprised," He sighed, sniffing her sweaty towel, then throwing it away while making a disgusted face. "So, what do you have in your mind now?" He retrieved a new towel from the drawer beneath the benches and threw it at Darcy.

The princess, who was pacing in a circular motion while mumbling things to herself, clumsily managed to catch the clean towel and wiped her sweat on it. 

 "That's the point Lex, I don't know what to do!! I said I had a plan, but I don't! How do I get closer to him? Should I just straight up go and pin him against a locker and demand him to date me?!" She voiced her thoughts in a nervous frenzy, staring up at him with a puppy face.

Alexander cackled. "I'd love to see your small self try. But doll, you're asking him to date you, not to pay up gang money. Pansypants will shit right against his locker. Try a more humble approach which isn't inspired by me," the ravenette explained while picking up Darcy's art kit and supply bag.

"Well obviously I cannot do that. It's absolutely impractical, I can never do that. Let alone in public. The She-devil will have my head on a platter! Decorated with green apples and tangerines!" Darcy whined out loud.

"As if I'd let that happen," the Duke of Agartha scowled at his childhood acquaintance, because he denied to call Darcy his friend. Somehow, he absolutely loathed it and Darcy never wanted friends. They were an odd click. 

"One flick to her fragile ego and her Royal highness will flutter away like a dry leaf in an autumn evening," Alexander growled under his breath, striding towards the door.

The brunette, who was changing her sport shoes to wedges, caught up to Alexander's obnoxiously long strides with her jogging beside him. "Maybe I can write him a love letter?" She proposed, standing right outside the sparring room as the guards bowed to them and closed the doors shut behind them.

"You may be excused," She waved at guards who were grateful for being relieved of duty.

Alexander stopped dead in his tracks for three silent seconds, then turned to Darcy with an expression that looked like she committed blasphemy. "Doll, I appreciate your dedication but pansypants doesn't deserve that. Sabrina and Ryan have officially not broken up. I reckon, you stop getting ahead of yourself and —"

"Yes! That's it! I need to have a chat with the she-devil! We can talk it all out—" 

"Doll, I don't think it's —"

"We can come to an agreement and I can keep Ryan happy, I'm so sure of it —"

"Doll, you are not a babysitter to him—"

"And I don't even want to rule a land or anything, Sabrina can have both Alamate and Retrica and...I can give her my provinces from Xenba as well. As long as I can be happy with Ryan—"

"Darcy, that isn't appropriate—"

"Do you think she'll let me hold his hand? Touch him—"

"Darcy Solaris Xenba, stop right this instant!" Alexander snapped, making the skipping dreamy brunette stop in the middle of the deserted hallways. The sports area of Royal High was usually sparsely occupied. The royals weren't much on performing sweaty tasks without monetary gains. 

Darcy's motionless body signalled that she was listening to him finally. Her small body covered in that God awful hazel brown, that she loved to wear because Ryan liked the color, dress. Half of her wardrobe was styled in the same shade. It was sad to Alexander because he knew she liked purple, peach and green a lot. 

He stayed silent behind him as they could hear footsteps climbing up the circular staircase.

With her head bowed down and shoulders slumped, Darcy murmured almost inaudibly. "I'm doing it again...right?"

Alexander's lips curved into frown as he walked up to her. "Princesses don't bow their heads, chin up," He softly whispered while hooking his index finger under her chin and raising her head to his eyes level. He gave her a smile that reached his eyes as Darcy's doe eyes watered. "Square up," He pressed a hand on the small of her back and another against her shoulders, making her stand straight. "You are your own person, doll. Don't you dare beg in front of anyone for something you like and deserve. Alright? As a person, you have all the right in the world to pursue someone you like, as long as you are being reasonable with your confessions. Small steps at a time. You can make it, if it's meant to be," He kissed her the forehead on her small face.

"Small steps for Ryan?" She questioned in a pout, wrapping her arms around Alexander's waist and resting her head on his chest. She was so small, Alexander could rest his chin on her head.

"Small steps for love," He answered with a sigh.

"But Father, how can Retrica, the highest kingdom in all of Atlantia, suffer from a slump?! The meer thought of which is impossible to even conjure. Let alone the fact, you cannot just betrothed me to someone I barely even know! What of the throne of Retrica? Who is going to ascend that?! You need me here!"

Clementine Sabrina's rage rightly bellowed on her father, as she tried to maintain a poise in the Dinning Hall while still managing to get her anger across the humongous table decorated with silver cutlery.

Whilst the maid servants served the food, King Reynolds, who was sitting on the centre chair, coughed in a gesture of warning.

Sabrina's lips pursed shut, though her fierce hazel eyes remained fixated on her father with a deathly glare in them. Queen Celestia, sitting opposite to her first daughter, shuffled around with the crockery.

The latter part of Sabrina's question had too obvious an answer, but who would dare voice it out.

Queen Celestia passed a goblet of red wine to her husband who took it graciously and sipped on it, muttering a humble, "Thank you, dear," with a soft smile on his lips.

Knowing there was no further hope as long as the servants lurk, Sabrina turned to look at her sister, Gwendolyn Claire, sitting straight up in a princessly manner beside her, too concentrated on the peas and greens in her plate to notice the world around her.

Her meals were a contrast to everyone else's in the family. Prepared differently, served early, all for the youngest special princess.

Gwendolyn Claire Reynolds was the perfect princess of Retrica, and if Sabrina knew her sister even a quarter, she was definite that Claire was the planter of their father's decision. She had it in her concentrated face, sly emerald eyes and perfect plump lips upturned into a sleek smile.

I mean, who's ever that smug while eating peas?!

"You were in on it, were you not? I know it for sure. You just couldn't keep your pretty little nose out of my matters for once, could you?!" Sabrina seethed through her teeth, breathing deeply while her blonde sister remained as calm as a clam.

With a calculated swallow, Claire turned to face her sister and gave a sickly sweet smile. "Sister dear, try not to embarrass yourself in front of the maid servants. Not that there's much respect to begin with. And thank you for appreciating my nose. I knew Alice was just jealous of its perfection when she had the audacity to size-shame my nose."

The Queen cut her steak too hard, her knife clanked against the glass plate.

"She did not size shame your nose, she said that your face was too small to handle all that ego on the tip of your gigantic nose, sister dear," Sabrina corrected her with a dry cough.

"Same difference. She is just insecure and made me her vent-hole because I'm the only one who can actually tolerate her obnoxious self," Claire countered, drinking her vegetable broth.

"Look," Cough, "who's," Cough, "speaking," Cough, butted in Claire's older twin and their only brother, Christopher Nicholas.

"Manners Nicholas dear, no coughing on the table. Excuse yourself first," The king chided and Nick rolled his eyes.

"Plus, you had her hair chopped off! Her beautiful long blonde hair, you ordered it to be trimmed off so it looked like a mouse nibbled on it!!" Sabrina exclaimed vehemently.

In hindsight, King Richard almost choked on his wine.

"At least she rocks a blob," Nick spoke in between the chewing and Claire visibly almost showed an emotion. It was disgust. Sabrina nodded along in agreement. Queen Celestia's eyebrows met her hair line.

Was Nick finally noticing people around him?!

"At least I have a family who can tell me that," Claire gave a cold smile, then proceeded to fork another pea, signalling the conversation was over for she and she would not be participating any further.

There were multiple gasps. Everyone knew about the scandalous death of the King and Queen of Agartha and how Princess Alice had to hold the reigns since she was 11. Most people respected the young Royal for her excellence, but then again— Claire wasn't most people.

Sabrina scoffed through her nose and had already murdered Claire, thrice, inside her head. Two of them consisted a pretty bloody scenario of her clawing out Claire's eyeballs with a small fork. It fuelled a smile on her angry face, that looked borderline disturbing.

"She was in it, wasn't she? She made father think that Brian was much better of a match than Ryan, right?" Sabrina turned to Nick, coming back to the topic at hand.

"When is she not?" was Nick's ever the direct reply, accompanied with a complimentary eye roll. He did not even bother looking up. Family drama was never his thing to participate in.

Claire, not even slightly bothered, continued munching on her disgusting boiled peas.

Everyone knew anyone would be better than Ryan. Even water had more personality than pretty faced Ryan Chambers.

Sabrina turned to her father for an explanation. Sensing a gaze on his face, the king all but groaned out loud.

"Now, now, princess, don't blow up on your daddy like that," King Reynolds spoke as soon as dinner was served. "You have to marry one way or another and your mother and I thought it would be highly appropriate if we made it easier for you. Right darling?" He looked over at his wife for moral support.

Sabrina stared up at them like a judge at court, hearing both parts of defence.

"Yes of course, my love. Alamate, if home to the Royal Crest, would have undoubtedly been the most powerful kingdom in Atlantia. They can overthrow Retrica anyday they want to, if not the respect for our lands' crest that we bear. Prince Brian Williams is their first born and the direct heir to the throne and with him by your side, Retrica's position would strengthen and no one would dare conquer or question us housing the crest for another century or two," the Queen spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, pausing to chew on the steak and waiting for her daughter to react.

Contrary to popular belief of Sabrina being an impatient brat, the royal brunette listened to her parents with an utmost concentration.

"Why do you need me to specifically wed Brian Chambers, why not the second prince? Ryan?" Sabrina questioned calmly, sitting back in her seat, crossing her hands against her chest and legs at the knees.

King Reynolds placed the knife on the table and looked up at his first daughter for a second, two, then ten.

"My love, you understand that the second prince is rumoured to be illegitimate, right?" He chose his words carefully.

Sabrina did not seemed phased by this information as she continued, "My father, you do understand that the second prince is my boyfriend, right? You cannot expect me to marry his brother when I'm absolutely in love with him!!"

Queen Celestia danced her eyebrows, up and down.

Sabrina stood up from the chair and stared her father in the eye, "If I don't get to marry him, I might as well die a virgin."

"Oh what an entertaining irony," Nick mumbled with food in his mouth.

With the pervious night's incident burning inside her head like a fresh scar, Sabrina Reynolds strode through the lavishly decorated halls of Royal High with her fleet of maids and minions in tow. All of them in weird synchrony of heeled footsteps, plaid printed dresses and placid personalities.

The crowd parted, making way for the First born of the highest kingdom in all of Atlantia. What people cannot handle, they make way to pass the trouble onto others.

To them, Clementine Sabrina was like a common flu. No matter what you do, where you stay or how you live, barring all social, economical and mental stereotypes, it just invades your privacy every once in a while and leaves you all red and whoozy after it has had it's fun with you.

No body wanted the flu, but everyone got it eventually. And to avoid it constantly, there was only one true way — social distancing.

Whenever the princess made her way through the hallways, everyone but Claire Reynolds took five steps in the opposite direction (enough to keep distance without being awkward or painfully obvious about it).

But if Clementine Sabrina was the common cold, then Claire Reynolds was a mother fucking pandemic. If Sabrina made people social distance, then Claire's presence made them want to lock themselves up in their homes and never come out again.

Maybe it was the genes.

And when the common cold and the pandemic have a brag battle of who ruined more lives, then obviously the pandemic wins (it's younger, new and improved) and the Flu marches away in a pissed fashion.

That is exactly what happened this ugly afternoon. Sometimes, even the sun knows it's gonna be a horrible day so it just stops even trying.

Hence why Sabrina waltzed inside the gym building to vent out her rage by stabbing stuffed men with pointy arrows, archery, that is, and had the misfortune of opening the elevator and coming face-to-face with cheapness incarnate.

Alexander rolled his eyes at her face.

"Gauge my eyes out, it's too early in the afternoon to witness this roadside monstrosity. Where did you pick that dress from, the seaside trashcan?!" Sabrina greeted the presence of Darcy Solaris with her words of.... twisted endearment.

She smiled bitterly, which was mirrored by her classmate.

"That's too specific of a random guess, love, have you been using it as a secret hideout to meet Brian?" Darcy countered a cheeky retort, skipping out of the golden elevator with Alexander smirking in tow.

"You would know all about secret hideouts, wouldn't you? Spent half of your life hiding till the King pitied your mother and married her," Sabrina rolled her eyes, stepping inside the elevator as the colour drained from Darcy's face.

Shifting on her feet, she softly caught hold of Alexander's cuff and pulled it, gesturing them to leave.

Alexander coughed and an eerie chill passed above everyone. Sabrina turned to see the raven haired Duke to be giving a her a cold stare.

"What are you staring at? Finally find me prettier than her," Sabrina almost seethed out the last word, eyes burning holes in Darcy's skull.

"In your dreams blockhead," Alexander whispered his counter, not wanting to engage further in the voluntary decoration of his brain cells.

Darcy kept ruffling her dress frills as Sabrina got inside the lift, standing beside her and in between the duo. The brunette, feeling uncomfortable, wanted to leave but Alexander stopped her with a subtle shake of his head.

The air in the elevator turned thick with unsaid things and it suffocated everyone in a veiled manner. Gratefully, the ting of the elevator announced Sabrina's destination as the princess left without any bloodshed.

Darcy released a breath she had been purposely holding. You never know what you do wrong in the presence of Clementine Sabrina that triggers her to murder you.

The brunette could feel Alexander's burning gaze on her head and she pouted in annoyance. "What is it Lex, say it before it eats you whole. You are not one to keep things from me."

Alexander turned to face Darcy and questioned more like a fact, "You didn't get out when Sabrina got in. That was our stop."

Exasperated, Darcy looked him in the eye. "Are you kidding me? You stopped me!"

Alexander smirked, "And you agreed in a heartbeat. You sure you have no hatchet to bury with Princess Sabrina?"

"I don't like what your insinuating—" Darcy all but whined.

"It's your first step towards making things right."

"That's not a baby step! That's a step through the dragon's nest! That's a giant step! It's a dinosaur step!" Darcy exclaimed dramatically.

Alexander smiled at her and as the elevator door dinged again, he pushed her out. Before the princess could regain her balance and run back to the lift, it was already gone.

"You've got to be kidding me," She swore under her breath, the Royal Archery Room standing right before her face.

This isn't right.

Something bad is going to happen.

It's awful. She should take the stairs and run away!

And run Darcy would have if not for the cute guy waving her way with a big smile on his face.

"Archery practice? Mine too! Have we ever met? I'm Zen and I'm too peaceful to do archery. It's scary and it scares me, but father wants me to be a good ruler, so he we go I guess! Don't you worry, I'm sure it won't kill you or anything," He rambled on, taking her hand in his and pushed the doors open.

The momentary lapse of judgment and here she was standing in the way of Doom itself.

Sabrina, hating being disturbed, looked back to see the poision of her life with a strange person.

"Who are you supposed to be? Whitewash?" She scowled, staring at Prince Zen and his obnoxiously pale self. 

"Oh no no, I'm Prince Zen and I'm here for archery! Just like you two! Look at us go! I'm sure we'll do brilliant and be spectacular friends! Right?" He turned to face Darcy who was avoiding to look anywhere but at him.

"Friends?!" Sabrina scoffed staring at them in mockery. "Yeah sure, over my dead body."

"Now, that isn't very pleasant—" Prince Zen began but Darcy beat him to it.

"We used to be best friends..." Darcy dragged out.

Sabrina's hand tightened on her bow as she shot an arrow straight through the heart of a silhouette.

"You're nothing but a stranger to me," The blonde replied with so much passion in her voice, Darcy shivered on spot.

"Friends or not, as humans, shouldn't we all give each other chances?" Zen chimed in.

"Some people don't deserve second chances, no matter what the circumstances," Sabrina seethed out, shooting two arrows at a time.

"You're not one who decides that," Zen grinned, peacefully polishing his arrowheads.

"I will if it is a matter that concerns me!" Sabrina scowled out.

"It wasn't a matter that concerned you. It concerned us. As friends. It was ours to decide but you ruined it all. You changed our love to something as pathetic as baseless rumors!" Darcy all but shouted, head thumping and chest paining.

"Oooo— that's harsh, what did you do princess? Did you frame your best friend? Looks like we have a culprit..." Zen whistled out.

Sabrina's head swirled as her past came hurling back to engulf her present. 

"Why did you do it..." Darcy's voice shivered.

"I owe you no explanations." Was Sabrina's firm reply.

"Actually, you do. As a prominent part of each other's lives, you both do owe explanations to each other. Thriving on this hatred fueled on miscommunication and unsaid feelings isn't something for either of you. You see, love and hate are two sides of a double edged sword. If you don't wield it wisely, it's gonna end up hurting you." Zen spoke up.

With breathing haggard and almost bloodshot eyes, Sabrina aimed her arrow at Zen's head and all but cried out loud, "And who the hell are you philosopher incarnate?! Why are you after us!" 

"You never changed...still getting mad at people who are trying to help you..." Darcy whispered out. Sabrina's aim changed from Zen's head to Darcy's.

"Do you want to shoot me Bree? Do you think you can do it? Will you hurt me just like you did back then? Was it worth it? Worth ruining us for? We were best friends, peanut butter best friends. Our friendship started over our mutual hatred for peanut butter and thirteen years later you thought you could let me go by saying, 'You know what, I like peanut butter now.' is that all what we were?!"

"Friends make you weak. Love is pain. Friends will always betray you. Everyone is selfish and I hate you and you know what? I will shoot you!" Sabrina shouted out.

"Shooting her isn't going solve anything. Shooting her will further burden you with guilt that you cannot bear and it would make you more detached from yourself. You'll hate yourself and everyone around you. Don't you feel yourself to be lonely? Everyone deserves a second chance, you do too. Try giving yourself a chance. Aren't you sad that you have no one to confide in? Is that why you shoot arrows to vent your sorrows? Do you imagine someone's face while shooting them? Is it yours?" Zen spoke with a bitter honesty that made Sabrina's heart drop in her chest.

Love hurts.

She doesn't loves herself.

And it hurts.

Hating herself is easier.

Saying that she never had a choice.

Being a victim is easier.

Sabrina could feel her walls crumbling down, her defences now choking her. It pained her. All of it.

"Why are you...why are you doing this to me.." Her voice finally broke down, her loaded arrow loosening up as she descend to the floor, finally breaking out to cry. "Why— why are you.. Like this...what did..i..do to..you...why are you making me feel...things..i don't want to...feel...it...hurts.. .it hurts so bad...!" Sabrina clutched her chest and Darcy came up to hug her, rubbing her back and soothing her. 

If Sabrina was the precious bud, Darcy would always be the fragile petal protecting her.

"It's alright, deep breaths in, you can do it. You aren't alone, you have me. Deep breaths in. Let all the bad things fall apart, you are brilliant the way you are..." Darcy whispered in Sabrina's ear, bringing her close to herself and wanting to never let go. Like old times.

When Sabrina used to be fragile open and raw, straightforward about everything. When Darcy used to be her shield, her sword and her medicine. They had each other through it all. All their lives, they believed love would tear them apart so they promised to never let go of each other. But as puberty struck her mighty blow, they fell for the same person. Dating replaced friendship, their time together was taken away. While Sabrina smiled with the one they both loved, Darcy had to stay in a corner and cry. Still she wanted never wanted to betray her friend or let go. So she decided to engage herself in school activities. Plays and paintings, musicals and theater uplifted her mood. She met Alexander and befriended him, but Sabrina saw it as the first sign of betrayal.

Love betrays.

And when Ryan chose Darcy as Juliet over Sabrina (because Sabrina had no theatrical skills whatsoever) the teenager couldn't help but ruin Darcy's chances at being a star alongside Ryan by spreading rumours. Harsh ones. They rode the tide, day and night and killed her best friend on the inside. The preparator and the prey, both of them got hurt.

And Sabrina wanted to apologize, she really did, but it was too late.

Darcy wanted to make a breakthrough, hug her friend and say that everything will be alright if they were together, but it was too late.

They were long gone from each other's sides, their love eaten raw with teenage malice and spite.

"And what was it all for?" Zen questioned, ruffling his beautiful icy blonde hair.

"In the name of love," Darcy replied.

Pained as it was, toxic as it was, bitter as it was, sweet as it could be, it was all in the name of love. 

"You cannot hate a person you don't love," Zen sighed under his breath, smiling at the sight of the two princesses sobbing in each other's arms and apologising over and over again. 

"I think that's enough for Archery today, we shot enough hearts for the day."