Happy Trails

America's breathing was heavy as she focused intently on the path in front of her. The trail she was walking on with Maxon was littered with uneven rocks of all shapes and sizes. America really didn't want to spoil her honeymoon by twisting her ankle, so her attention was entirely focused on making sure her footing was secure. They had been hiking on this steady, climbing path for about an hour now, and America was starting to feel the strain. She was just about to ask if they could stop and rest for a moment when, abruptly, America felt a tug on her hand. Her hiking-boot-clad feet stopped moving. She lifted her eyes to Maxon's awed face next to her to see what had stopped them as he breathed, "Ames….look."

Doing as he said, she followed his gaze and saw a gorgeous scene before her. Two mountains, dotted with green vegetation on their slopes and topped with peaks covered in snow, towered above the trees in front of her. America was sure her expression closely resembled her husband's as they both gaped at the beauty of the land that they now ruled together.

"I'm so glad we picked this honeymoon," America breathlessly told him.

There were multiple reasons for this remark. The original reason for touring the Illéan national parks as their honeymoon was to see the beauty of the country they had sworn to protect together. They had said their vows just a couple weeks before at their wedding and America's coronation. An unexpected benefit was the royal couple had also been learning a lot more about each other. Spending time together in nature was revealing even more qualities about each other to love. So far, they had been to the province of Sumner, where they had seen the Redwood Forests, then they went to Yellowstone, and then the Grand Canyon. Currently, their attention was captured by the Rocky Mountains.

Maxon lifted his camera, eyes sparkling, and excitedly snapped pictures of the majestic mountains. This brought the other benefits of their choice of honeymoon to America's thoughts. She got to see a new, adorable, amazing side of Maxon. She found a new part of him to love everyday they were away from the palace, the only place they had even been together. His enthusiasm about photography was one of the first things she gained a new appreciation of. Of course she already knew about Maxon's affinity for all things photography, but she had never really been around when he had a photo shoot. America discovered that she loved the way his dimples showed when he took a picture and the way he looked so serious when trying to get the right angle for a picture.

"Getting any good ones?" America asked her husband when he finally lowered the camera.

Maxon grinned boyishly, "Yeah!" He pressed buttons on the camera until he found the picture he wanted and turned the screen towards his wife. The picture was not what America expected. In the foreground she saw her own red hair, glinting golden in the afternoon sunlight, tumbling down her back. The beautiful mountains she thought he was taking pictures of were just in the background.

"Maxon!" She exclaimed in mock irritation while raising her eyebrows, "I thought you were taking pictures of the MOUNTAINS. You know, the ones we walked all the way here to see?"

"I was simply taking pictures of the most beautiful thing here," he replied, playfully defending his actions.

America opened her mouth to make a witty reply but found Maxon's comment had left her speechless. Her expression settled on a poorly concealed impressed smile, and she was sure her complexion looked something like the color of the pink wildflowers she had seen on the path. Maxon carefully set his camera on the ground and stepped closer to her.

"America Schreave, even after all the amazing things we've seen on this trip, you are still the most stunningly beautiful thing I've ever witnessed." He whispered, and suddenly they were kissing.

Maxon Schreave was a hopeless romantic.

When they came up for air, America saw something move out of the corner of her eye, and Maxon's eyes had shifted too. The guard who they had brought with them (for security reasons) uncomfortably turned his gaze away from them, and stared nonchalantly at the trees. The newlyweds were both smirking when Maxon's lips captured America's again.