Some important tidbits:
Cora doesn't rip hearts out.
Regina and David are 18. Snow is 14.
Daniel is not the stable boy.
"Regina!" He jogged across the field to where the young woman sat on her horse. Her hair was pulled back in its usual French braid and she was wearing one of her blue riding ensembles.
She smiled at him. "Hello, David," she said as he approached. "How are you today?"
He shrugged. "Can't complain," he said.
She looked at him quizzically after a moment of silence. "Was there something you needed to talk to me about?"
A look of surprise appeared on his face. He suddenly couldn't remember why he'd come to talk to her. That was happening a lot lately. Regina and David had been neighbors their entire lives. Cora didn't approve of the shepherd as a suitable friend for Regina, but as long as he was just a friend, he was harmless. David had always enjoyed her company, but recently, he'd started to find himself speechless when he spoke to her. She had turned eighteen three weeks ago, and adulthood agreed with her. He was discovering just how beautiful she was.
"David?" Regina asked, hopping off her horse and snapping him out of his daydream. "Is everything okay? You've seemed a little distracted lately."
"Oh!" He said, blushing. "What are you doing tonight?" He asked, trying to find an excuse for coming over to talk to her.
She exhaled. "Unfortunately, mother has lined up some sort of event for me to attend. She's trying to marry me off to some rich prince or something." He could tell she was only sort of joking, a flicker of sadness crossing her eyes. "Hey," she said, the light returning to her brown orbs. "Why don't you come with me?"
"Really?" He asked.
"Yeah!" Her eyes widened in excitement. "It would be so much fun if you were there! We could make fun of all the jerks she tries to set me up with," she said, doing her best to persuade him.
"Oh, Regina, I don't have anything to wear," he said.
"You can wear something of my brother's," she insisted. He was about to say no again when her hands grabbed his. "Please!"
His heartbeat raced at the contact. He was barely able to form words. "Your mother will be okay with it?" He asked.
"No," she said with a smirk. "But that's what makes it so fun," she teased, giving him a little punch to the shoulder.
Every little bit of contact she made with him made his heart beat a little faster. "Okay," he said, his mouth a bit dry.
She smiled widely and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much, David!" She released him and smiled. "It would seriously be unbearable without you." He nodded, relieved she hadn't felt his racing heart when she hugged him. "Come over around four and we'll get you ready to go, okay?"
"Sounds great," he told her.
She smiled at him and easily mounted her horse. "See you at four," she said, lightly prodding Rocinante along.
He watched as she made her way back to her house before quickly returning to his own.
"You look like you had a good day," Ruth said as her son entered the house.
"It was fine," he said, trying to hide his excitement about the day's events. "Regina asked me to go to an event with her tonight," he said innocently.
"Ah," she said as she returned to her cleaning. "So that's why you're grinning like a dope." His mother was excellent at reading him. She'd figured out early on that her son had feelings for the girl across the field. "Knowing Cora, it must be something fancy." And knowing Cora, it must be something to set up her daughter with a proper suitor. "Are you prepared for it?"
"Regina offered to lend me something of her brother's to wear tonight."
"Well that's one thing," she said. "But we should probably give you a haircut and shave, too."
As Ruth trimmed her son's hair to a reasonable length, she couldn't help but feel serious concern for him. "David," she said.
"Yes, mother?"
"I know how much you like this girl—"
"Mother," he said, trying to stop her. He didn't want to talk about his feelings when he wasn't even sure what was going on.
"Just…be careful," she said. "Cora is very particular about Regina's suitors."
"I'm just going with her as a friend," he insisted.
She cut the last bit and dusted the loose hair off his head. "We both know that isn't true."
David stood in the foyer waiting for Regina to finish getting ready. He felt very out of place in Thomas' clothes. They seemed to be the kind of clothes a royal would wear, far more expensive than anything he'd ever seen. The pants were far tighter than the ones he was used to wearing as a shepherd, too.
He heard the clicking of heels from upstairs and looked up. Moving to descend the stairs was Regina, clad in a deep purple ball gown that clung to her torso before poufing out around her legs. Her ebony hair was parted deep to one side and the loose curls cascaded past her shoulders, ending around her breasts.
He realized he'd been holding his breath as she came down the stairs, and he made the conscious effort to inhale and exhale. She arrived on the main level and quickly moved toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug again. He gently placed his hands on the small of her back, pulling her to him just a bit more.
"Thank you so much for agreeing to this," she said, releasing her hold on him. "You're such a great friend."
He looked into her dark brown eyes. They sparkled as she expressed her appreciation for him. "It's no problem at all."
"I like your hair," she said, running her fingers through it. "It's really short," she observed.
"Thanks," he said. "I figured scruffy wouldn't be right for this occasion."
"I'm really sorry about the attire. Unfortunately it's a very formal event."
"It's fine," he said.
"No, really, I know it's not comfortable."
"It can't possibly be worse than whatever shoes you're wearing," he said, noting her change in height. She usually stood over half a foot shorter than him, but now she stood several inches taller than usual.
She grimaced. "I would much rather be in riding boots," she said. "But mother insists."
"Where is your mother?" He asked.
"She and daddy already left. She needed to go help with final preparations. So it will just be you and me for now." She leaned forward a bit, lowering her voice. "You're much better company anyway." She winked and his heart skipped a beat. He followed her out to the waiting carriage.