#ALoRA | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

vanfleeter · 5 months ago

Text

Alora: Chapter 1

Summary: Never one to fall in love, Jacob finds himself doing just that when he dances with a mysterious woman at a masquerade ball. In his search to find her again, he does not realize that she is now living under the same roof as he.

Characters: Jake Kiszka x Alora Word count: 4,039 Warnings: 18+ || Fluff. Shyness. Love at first sight. Dancing. Light flirting. Angst. Panic. Chasing. Tears. Disappointment. Rumors. Self doubt. Mentions of physical ailment. Worry. Mentions of potential war. Engagement.

Dancing that night with her was magical. The way she flowed so easily with the music, her gentle touch as she held his one hand and the other placed delicately on his shoulder. Most of her face is hidden by a mask, the only visible part being her nose down to her chin. She wore a dark shade of red lipstick that still stood out from the rest of her ensemble. Her eyes, though darker than his own, still shined brightly beneath the mask. He had never met a woman such as her who seemed to have captivated him. He had no clue as to who this woman really was, all he knew in the moment was that he felt things for her. Without knowing her true identity, a simple touch of their hands meeting sent a warm feeling through his body, his heart skipping a beat, and just the feeling of knowing it was her, the one whom he was supposed to love.

Everyone was surprised to see him out on the floor and dancing, dancing with such a nobody no less. No one in the grand ballroom could recognize who the woman was. Some whispered claiming she must be a witch if she’s got him so enthralled. He had refused to dance with anyone, much less even be at the ball. He attended anyway due to it being his younger brother’s birthday after all. He must be in attendance, all royal family members must at least show themselves at functions such as this. He had been asked numerous times by different women throughout the night to share a dance with him but he declined gracefully while calling them beautiful. Truly they were, he was not one to lie. However, he just did not want to dance.

That is until she appeared. His eyes had been scanning the room, taking in all that was going on in that grand space when they landed upon her as she descended the steps. She chose to wear a black ball gown with intricate lacings that covered her arms. Her dark hair was curled neatly and elegantly it fell over her shoulders and down her back. Her hands were placed against her abdomen as her own eyes scanned the room. He could tell she was nervous, as if she didn’t belong here. Little did he know that she didn’t.

Handing off his chalice to the servant, he walks down the few steps from the throne altar and onto the floor. Many were surprised to see him leave his spot. They followed his every move as he walked through the now parting crowd, allowing him to move freely along the floor and towards whatever or whomever he was going to.

Her eyes fell on him as he approached the bottom of the staircase. She walked down the next few steps until she was in front of him, having a little more height being a step above him. He smiles up at her before dipping his head down and bowing before her. Light gasps could be heard around the room as the people still watched the scene that was still unfolding before them. He never bows before anyone, not even to his own brother who is the King, but now he is bowing to her.

Who is she?

Straightening back up, he held out his hand to her, palm facing up as an invitation to join him. With just a simple look, he promised her safety. The touch of their hands alone sparked something within them both. Neither of them spoke a word to each other as he led her onto the floor. The music changed from a quicker beat to a slower one, inciting that was indeed love in the air. She stood at the appropriate distance from him and curtsied to him, nearly touching the floor as she did so. This move was only reserved for the King, who stood in front of his throne and watched alongside the rest of the crowd.

The prince smiled and chuckled slightly as he allowed her to finish and stand back up. He stepped up close to her, immediately covering her with intimidation. She dipped her chin slightly, averting her eyes to the floor beneath their feet. He delicately lifts her chin with the knuckle of his index finger and gives her a reassuring smile, his eyes still holding the look of safety.

She thought he was going to kiss her cheek as he leaned in close to her. Instead of a simple kiss, he whispered into her ear. “That was a curtsy for the king, though I enjoyed the gesture.” He could see a light shade of pink appear on her cheeks and he chuckled. “Do not be embarrassed.” He takes a step back, letting his knuckle lightly scrape her skin as he lets go.

“My apologies, your highness.”

“Do not apologize either.” He says. “Shall we dance?”

She merely nods her head as he gently places his hands on her hips and pulls her close, their bodies touching. Bodies are not supposed to touch as when two people dance together. That act is only reserved for a man and a woman who are married. They are most certainly not married but he does not care. He felt something when touching only her hand, but he longed to feel more of her. She knew it was wrong for her body to be so close to his but he made sure that it was okay.

Together they swayed and twirled to the music, their eyes never leaving the other. They were in their own small world, not bothering to worry or think about the other people in the room.

The king, as he still kept his eyes focused on his brother and this mysterious woman that seemed to have entranced him, leaned over to whisper to the guard. “Do you know who this woman is?” He asks.

The guard shakes his head. “No, sir, I do not even recognize her. Even with everyone wearing a mask, I would still recognize who they would be, but this woman, I cannot place who she is. Does she seem a threat to you, your majesty?”

“No,” The king says. “At least not at the moment she does not. I am simply curious how out of every woman in this room, she is the one who miraculously gets my brother to dance. He never dances unless forced to, but this is him willingly dancing.”

The music only lasted a couple minutes before it came to end. Those two minutes, the prince had believed that he may have just found the woman whom he is supposed to marry and love with his whole being. It all felt right, as if he finally found the missing puzzle piece.

His queen.

Deep down he had a feeling that he would not be allowed to marry her. She was not a princess, that much he knew. The curtsy alone gave that away. Everyone knows who the king is, yet she went down to the floor for him.

When the song ended, she tried to thank him for the dance and make a quick getaway, but he held firmly to her hand, preventing her from going anywhere. “Your highness, I–”

“You must stay,” He says. “Even if we only spend this one night together.”

“I am not who you might think I am,” She says.

“I do not care who you are,” He says as he gently tugs her back to him. Their chests collide, their faces just a mere centimeter from each other. She could feel his breath along her skin, which sent goosebumps down her neck and skin. “I have never felt this way for any woman I have encountered. Not a single one had made me feel like this before..”

“Feel like what, your highness?”

“You make me feel as if I am flying high into the heavens.”

“A little dramatic, your highness.”

He chuckles, swaying their bodies side to side in time with the new song that the orchestra has begun to play. “Please, call me Jacob. I do not like the use of titles.”

“Well, Jacob, if I am making you feel like you are flying, what happens when you get too close to the sun?”

“My wings will begin to melt and I will fall back to the earth.”

“Mmm, Icarus.” She says. “You know that is not a love story.”

“You know your myths,” He says, amused.

“I know some.” She says with a small smile. “But you mustn’t fly too close to the sun, Jacob. You might lose your wings and fall to your death.”

“Then death shall be my fate if it means allowing me to be close to you. To love you.”

“How can you love someone who you have only met just a small amount of time ago?” She asks, tilting her head back to look at him better.

“Love is a thing that a mere human can never understand. I do not understand it but here I am, dancing with you and falling for you with each step we take.”

“You speak of a poet.”

He shrugs his shoulders. “I am wise with my words but I cannot rhyme to save my life.” She giggles, her head falling forward to rest on his shoulder. “I do write,” He says. “My brother assumes I am not right in the head because I just write and write and fill some many journals with ramblings and thoughts.”

“Not right in the head? As if you have gone mad? Insane even?”

He chuckles and nods his head. “Exactly that.”

“How else can one express their own thoughts?” She questions. “I have some of my own journals too.”

“So we are similar,” He says. “Why do you write? Too many thoughts?”

“I fear my mind never shuts off.” She says. “It is constantly going and writing is an escape for me to clear it.”

The music comes to an end again and soon the king is pounding his jeweled cane against the floor of the altar capturing the attention of all the people in the room. “As your king and host of this magnificent ball, I would like to invite you all to please join me in raising your glasses for a toast to my dear younger brother, Samuel, as we continue to celebrate his birthday well past the midnight hour!”

Jacob stops a servant walking by and grabs two glasses of champagne off of the tray and hands one to the woman. Together they toast his brother before indulging in the tart drink. As Jacob lowers his glass, he looks beside him only to find the woman had fled. Frantically looking around, he spots her making a run for the stairs, in a hurry no less. Handing off his drink to someone random, he quickly moves through the crowd desperately trying not to lose sight of her.

Running up the stairs, he comes out to the main hallway where small groups of people lingered, chatting and drinking. He scans the whole area until he sees the tail end of her dress disappearing around the corner leading to a separate stairwell. Following quickly after her, he stops at the stairs and looks down the spiraling staircase. There, running with her dress held firm in her hands, is the woman as she hurries down each step.

“Wait!” He calls after her. She pauses momentarily and looks back up at him. Her mask was gone, revealing the entirety of her face. She looked even more beautiful, her eyes just as dark and beautiful without the mask. They glistened at the fiery torches reflected off the tears that threatened to fall. “Please don’t go!”

Her mouth opens as if she were going to say something but no words come out. Instead she dips her head and continues on down the stairs.

“No! Please!” He calls again as he rushes down the stairs after her. He follows her out into the courtyard, the chill of the air already beginning to nip at his nose. “Please stop! You mustn’t leave just yet!”

“I’m sorry, but I must go!” She calls back over her shoulder. “I truly had a wonderful dance with you, your highness.”

As she darts out of the courtyard, past the tall bushes, something falls from her hand and lands on the ground. Coming to the gates of the courtyard, Jacob finds the area surrounding it completely void of her presence, as if she were never there, as if he dreamt of the whole thing.

Bending down in front of him, he picks up her mask. It’s made of a fine velvet material with black jewels embedded into it. How he never noticed the details of it back inside the ballroom, he’ll never know. Running his fingers over the mask, he looks up towards the woods just across the clearing. His mother used to read him and his brothers fairy tales when they were younger. Her idea of love is what stuck with him the most. But never did he think he’d be living in one. Meeting a stranger at a ball, chasing after her when midnight struck, though instead of a glass slipper, she left behind her mask. No magic could ever disguise her face, he made sure to save it for when he goes out to search for her.

He had to find her again. He had to know her name, know her story. His heart already longed for a woman he knew nothing about.

“Your highness,” He hears one of the guards speak behind him. “We may go look for her, if that is what you want.”

Jacob shakes his head and turns to face the guard. “No.. That is not necessary.” He says before walking back the guard and making his way through the courtyard and into the palace.

He didn't bother going back to the ball. There was no reason to continue this night if he did not have her. He will deal with his brother’s disappointment in the morning.

Running through the woods and making it back to the townsquare, the woman rushed down the dirt road and past the still flowing fountain until she reached the steps of the general store. She stepped inside the quiet store, the only sound of the bells that jingled above her head. She hastily took off her shoes before heading to the back of the building where the living quarters would be. Her heart still beats wildly in her chest as she quickly undid the ties on the back of her dress.

She was not expecting to have danced with the prince tonight. She only went to enjoy the livelihood of the kingdom and celebrate the youngest prince’s birthday. Just go, have a drink, and go back home. Her intentions were not set on meeting a man, or even the prince no less. She was surprised when he came up to her at the bottom of the stairs. She’s heard whispers of Jacob, never really knowing what was true about him. Some said he was arrogant and stuck up while others said he was reserved and hardly ever left the palace. If a woman ever tried to talk to him, he’d be polite before excusing himself. He was never one to court, he never fell in love.

Tonight though, she got a glimpse of the prince. A small one but one to know that he neither of those things. He was kind and gentle, and made her feel safe. He spoke with elegance and poise and never once made her feel inferior. If anything he was inferior to her. He treated her as if she was the only woman in the room, the only one he had a care for.

She felt utterly regretful when she had to leave. She didn’t want to leave him like that but she had no other choice. Someone had to be the one to run the general store and that required early mornings. She wanted to stay longer, dance with him all night, but her duties lie elsewhere, though some would say her duties should be to the royal family.

Settling into bed for the night, she picked up her journal and began to write, her mind a constant flow with words that needed to be written down and expressed and as she wrote, she couldn’t stop the smile as she wrote about the prince. Maybe one day she'd be brave enough to make an appearance again, just to see him, but right now she cannot live in a fantasy, she has to live her real life. If he knew who she truly was, he would never want to be with her, let alone love her. She was of low class struggling to make ends meet as she worked hard to keep her father’s store in business. He is of royal blood, generations of kings and queens have come before laying out the very foundation with which his feet walk upon. He has never had to work a day in his life, never had to get his hands dirty. He has people for that. Why would he ever love someone like her?

Little did she know that he really was in love with her. He knew she wasn’t of a higher class. He knew that from the moment she laid her hand in his. He could feel the roughness of it, the hard work of the low class. He was sure his brother would never approve of such a courtship, now that he was to be engaged to the princess of Spain. A woman he has never met, nor has he seen. But dancing tonight with this mysterious woman, whose face is imprinted on his mind, felt like love. A love he grew up watching, a love he longed for. His heart could not, would not, allow him to marry someone he did not love. Even if it was for the greater good of the kingdom, he just could not do it.

He would happily fight for his kingdom, lay down his life for it, but to marry for it? He could not.

A knock came on the door of his bed chambers and he called for them to enter. He set the mask down on the table beside his bed. His brother, the king, steps into the room and closes the door behind him.

“May we talk?” He asks. “If you are not too tired.”

“Go ahead,” Jacob prompts. “But if you are to speak of the mystery woman, I do not care to hear what words might come from you.”

“Even if they are kind words?”

“I know your intentions for me, Joshua. Do not stand there and attempt to lie. You do not approve, I already know.”

“How can I not approve when I do not know who this woman is myself?” Joshua says as he goes to lean against the post of Jacob’s bed.

“You must sit down,” Jacob says as he goes over to his brother.

“Oh relax, Jacob, I am fine,” Joshua says as Jacob still helps him to sit on the bed. “I have broken limbs, Jacob, I am not sick.”

“Let me worry,” Jacob says. “Someone has to.”

“Dare I say again that I am not sickly, Jacob?” Joshua chuckles. “About this mystery woman,” He says. “She had you in a trance.”

“She did not,” Jacob denies.

Joshua rolls his eyes. “Have you forgotten we share the same DNA? You are my twin, Jacob, I feel all that you feel. I have never seen you so in love.” He chuckles upon seeing the light pink hue decorate Jacob’s cheeks. “Do not be ashamed to admit it, Jacob. It is okay to be in love.”

“Even if I am to be engaged soon?”

“Yes.. However, as king, I can still end this engagement.”

“Are you willing to start a war with Spain to make your brother happy?”

“I saw the way you two looked at each other,” Joshua says. “It was the same way Papa and Mama always looked at each other… May their souls rest in peace..”

Jacob sits down on the bed beside his brother and reaches for the mask. “I do not know her name, I do not know where she is from, if she is even from this kingdom.”

“Then shall we go look for her?” Joshua says. “I will not let you give up on love just because you were stupid and did not ask for her name.”

“I would not even know where to start.” Jacob says.

“There has got to be something about her that will give us a clue.” Joshua says. “What does she look like? I could see a little of her face.”

“Beautiful.. She was beautiful.”

“Saying she is beautiful will not help us, brother.” Joshua says. “What color were her eyes?”

“Oh umm.. Brown.. A deep shade of brown–as if they were almost black. More like those chocolates that Papa used to bring back with him when he would come home from his trips.”

“Very few have brown eyes around here,” Joshua says. “That helps narrow down the search. What else about her stood out?”

“Her hands,” Jacob says. “They looked soft but they were rough.”

“Low class,” Joshua says.

Jacob rolls his eyes and stands up from his bed. “Just say it, Joshua.”

“I do not know what you mean?”

“Say that you do not approve,” Jacob goes on. “Say that she is not of royal blood and that we cannot taint the bloodline.”

“You do not realize who is King, do you, Jacob?”

“You are.”

“And who can approve the marriages of the royal family?”

“You can.”

“And have you ever asked me what it is that I want for my family?” When Jacob stays silent, Joshua pushes himself up from the bed and limps over to Jacob. “You have never talked to me of love or of marriage before. I am not our parents, nor am I anyone who came before us. Love happens regardless of status and who am I to stand in the way? And besides, did you ever know who Mama truly was?”

Jacob’s brows furrow. “No?”

“Ahh the secrets you learn when you become King,” Joshua chuckles. Jacob helps him back to the bed. “Mama wasn’t of any royal bloodline. She was a commoner, much like your mystery woman. She was a farmhand, mostly collected chicken eggs and milked the cows. Papa fell in love with her when she was hired to work here at the palace. He was coming home from a ride on his horse when he saw her coming out of the stables.

“Papa fell in love with her as soon as his eyes landed on hers. Much like yours did with your mystery woman. Grandpapa did not approve of his love for Mama–practices forbad them being together. Papa was engaged to a princess from Russia at the time, the marriage was supposed to happen in three months' time. But then Grandpapa ended up passing before the marriage even came into fruition. Papa ended the engagement, nearly starting a war with Russia–” Joshua chuckles. “He solved that problem of course. Once he patched things with Russia, he found Mama again and he proposed and well.. You can clearly piece together what occurred after that.”

“What you are saying is…”

“What I am saying, dear brother, is that if you love this woman like I know you do, then I will help you find her. I could always abuse my power and force every woman in the kingdom to come here to the palace. Though it may take a while and you would probably be ready to rip your eyes from your skull but it could help us find her.”

“I’d rather look for her my own way.”

“Very well..” Joshua sighs. He gets off the bed again and hobbles over to the bedroom door. “Maybe your mystery woman knows a thing or two in medicine. I am tired of all this limping..” He shoots a wink at Jacob before leaving his bed chambers.

want to be added to the taglist? feel free to reach out or add yourself in the link in my master list! :)

@losfacedevil @writingcold @edgingthedarkness @i-love-gvf @katuschka @josh-iamyour-mama @sammysstolenbirks @asendingtothestarsasone @hollyco @musicislove3389 @its-interesting-van-kleep @katiegvf @tinydancer40 @gretavangroupie @lizzys-sunflower @fleetingjake @takenbythemadness @godly-sinsx @psychedelectable @dancingcarbon @cheersdannyx2 @piratejtk @katuschka @musicislove3389 @takenbythemadness @wildbluesorbit

#jake kiszka #greta van fleet #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet fanfic #jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka fanfic #gvf #alora #royalty #prince #fantasy

21 notes · View notes