The Winter Soldier.
Day 1
He saw her, whimsical and lost as she walked through the corridors and rooms of the palace.
The animals at the menagerie were her friends, almost her only friends, he was an exception. Him and a girl who burnt.
Her movements were graceful and dignified but in the fine gestures was something childlike, innocent.
He knew what everyone whispered, they said that she was insane in hushed quiet tones lest someone hear. He thought they might be right at times. He knew what not using one's powers could do. He saw it before his own eyes.
She was beautiful, ethereal, radiant and more. He couldn't describe her, his Princess. Not do her justice. He didn't have it in him to say what she was, to tell himself what she meant to him.
He loved her, that he knew. He loved her deeply and truly, loved her with a love that in him felt at par to all the love in the world, loved her silently.
Sometimes, he thought she loved him too. Sometimes, her graceful movements seemed to convey love, love for him.
But he stayed on guard, spine erect and eyes cold, face as blank as a canvas. And he watched her, his Princess, his friend, his love.