Adelia Fitrei
"I don't... know why. I just... I guess I wanted you to know I wasn't going to force you to... be in a loveless marriage? I did mean that. If you did ever find someone else, someone you felt like you truly love, I'm not going to stand in the way of that." Adelia finally looked away, gaze turning onto the view outside the window. The hand he had taken hold of, and then released, still resting on her knee, the fingers gently tapping against it.
"As for you romancing numerous women... I don't know. I don't know anything about your personal life. Just... because we're in this together doesn't mean I'm willing to make you miserable for it. If... being with multiple women made you happy then... who would I be to stop you?"
That was her train of thought. It made sense to Adelia. While she had pushed potential suitors away and refused the offer of dates, that was her choice. And even if this marriage didn't work out, she wasn't about to go looking for someone who she could end up loving. It was too tiresome, being judged for her family's affairs and also exhausting hiding the truth about her abilities.
So afraid, she was, of opening up and telling someone everything, that it just seemed easier to keep people at an arm's length.
However the King seemed determined, as yet again he hinted toward the secret he seemed to know she still held dear. Her gaze flickered back to him, lips pressed together as the carriage rocked lightly over the cobblestoned road. She didn't say anything, however, knowing better to than to do so. How many more times could she deny any knowledge of what he was talking about? He would keep pressing her and pushing for that secret. And Adelia had a feeling that he would keep doing so until he knew he had squeezed every possible fact out of her.
Instead of responding, the young woman turned her head away from her king, and her future husband, to peer out the window once more.
Just as she had done at the finals of the competition, Adelia pulled herself together and smiled for the media. She had thought things were intense before, when she was attempting to win... she had no idea that things were going to get more intense. It had been a while since she had last attended such an event as a noble, let alone now as the future bride of the king. The moment they stepped out of the carriage, cameras were flashing and their names being called. Adelia was well aware of the cheering and the gushing from the crowd, although she wasn't entirely confident it was for her. She knew the reputation that Maverick had with the people, it was one of the things she actually admired and respected about him.
Adelia waved and smiled as she knew she was expected to, a hand slipping into the crook of Maverick's elbow once they were close enough to walk together. That action, and their closeness afterwards, sent another flurry of flashes their way. While Adelia's smile was relaxed and warm, there was a slight firmness to her grip on his arm that hinted toward her unease.
Security flanked either side of the docks as they walked down toward the Golden Rose, some dog handlers dotted nearby while others sat on horseback. Adelia knew the reason for the security, it would be stupid not to have some level of it with Maverick being king. Even if it did seem a bit obsessive.
The sending off of the Golden Rose was beautiful, that Adelia had to admit. The christening it with a bottle of champagne, the cheers, the celebrations... she briefly forgot about all her worries and concerns for the time being; she allowed herself to simply... enjoy the moment, and engage with the people.
However, as they began to leave the end of the dock, Adelia was extremely aware of how close the security on horseback were getting to them. She recalled what Maverick had said about horses reacting to him, hence his tendency to keep away from him. There was a jangling of tack that she was acutely aware of too and as her head turned, she noticed one horse closest to Maverick kept turning it's head so it could get a proper look at him. It's eyes wide and it unnerved her to see the whites of it's eyes. Partnered with the ears which were flat against the back of the beast's head, and the nervous and jumpy gait, Adelia's stomach tightened in anticipation of what would happen next.
A loud, aggressive roar sounded from the animal within seconds of Adelia noting the anxious, fearful behaviour. Soon it was rearing, front legs barely touching the floor before it was back up again. Instinctively, the young woman moved to put herself between Maverick and the horse, who, in the next moment, had tossed it's rider.
She shrugged off the grabbing hands that attempted to pull her away by her arms, keeping her eyes on the horse as it continued to rear in front of her. She barely heard the shouts to get the rider out of the way, and to get the crowd back. She definitely didn't hear the calls of her own name and the occasional clicks of camera shutters as the pressed worked to get a photo of the stand-off. Adelia was far too focused on the animal before her, the one that was terrified and seemingly young.
Adelia held her arms out and only slightly raised, stumbling sideways a little to get fully in front of the beast as it continued with the guttural roars and shrill whinnies of warning. There would be a point later where Adelia would feel pain in her forearm, unsuspecting to the bruising hit she had taken on it while trying to keep the horse from bolting off into the crowd.
"Woah, woah now. Woah... woaaaah." The young woman cooed, keeping direct eye contact as she murmured and whispered softly to the frantic creature, taking a few small steps toward it as the rearing got less high and less frequent. Her feet had slipped from her heels, once again unbeknown to her, and now made direct contact with the cool dock flooring.
"Woah now, easy. You're alright. You're alright." She breathed, hands raised gently as she backed the four-legged creature up and therefore away from the crowd.
"Now... now calm. Calm. You calm down now."
Soon the reins were in her hands and a heavy sigh of relief escaped her as she felt the familiar coarseness of leather in the palm of her hand. Her other hand raised to stroke along the horse's neck, another long breath leaving her as the creature's head bowed and pressed it's forehead against her sternum.
"There we go. Nothing's going to happen to you. You just got scared, that's all. Happens to the best of us." She whispered to it, forgetting just where she was, and whom she had just done all of that in front of.