"Oh" Was all he said after a moment of silence.
The gentle breeze blew my hair over my shoulders; I pushed it back and smiled. "It's ok; I'm not going to scream it to the world"
"So, you knew all along?" He asked inquisitively.
A short laugh escaped my mouth and I shook my head "No. This morning when I opened the front door, I didn't know who you were…"
"Yes, I thought it was a little strange that you didn't scream hysterically or desperately throw yourself at me, trying to win my affection" He smirked.
"Hey!" I cried out, leaning over and playfully hitting him on his shoulder. "I wouldn't have acted like that even if I had known who you were" I finished, folding my arms annoyed at the fact that he could possibly relate me to any of those stupid fan club girls.
He pretended that where I had hit his shoulder actually hurt, and he put on a sad puppy dog face.
"For someone who's supposed to be the future King, you're not very tough" I said teasingly.
Char raised one of his eyebrows in pretend shock, but quickly changed into an expression of what looked like an idea. He slowly leaned over to me with a slight smirk on his face. I darted my eyes from his face to the gap in which he was filling between us. What is he doing? Is he going to... kiss me? Before I knew it, he reached out and started wildly tickling me, causing me to squirm and cry out from laughter.
"No! Please… stop!" I cried, trying to block his hands.
"Looks like you're not so tough either, Ella" He chuckled. "I would like an apology from you"
"Ok, Ok! I'm sorry" I cried out in defeat.
He slowly released his hands from me and leant back a bit, his laughter filled the air. Before he could finish laughing, I scooped up a handful of grass and threw it at him. "Hey!" He protested, and went to grab some grass to throw back. But I had already stood up and started to run off.
"Come back here!" He demanded.
"Give me one good reason" I teased, heading down to the edge of the lake.
"Because… I've got the horse, and you need me to get you home"
I spun around and eyed him from a distance. He had a smug look on his face as he stood up, placing his hands behind his back and began to walk my way.
"I don't need you to get home. I've got legs, I can walk" I laughed.
"Oh is that so?" He asked, starting to get closer to me.
I nodded and eyed him suspiciously, knowing he had something behind his back. I stepped backwards, making sure I wasn't getting to close to the waters edge.
"So you wouldn't mind if I just got back on my horse and left you here?"
"Awe, but we were having so much…" Quickly I looked down and saw that I was now standing in shallow water. I kicked some in his direction, slightly wetting his pants and yelled. "…Fun!"
Char released a handful of gum nuts, trying to hit me with them, but I quickly ran around him.
"Now this means war!" He called after me.
"You tried to throw nuts at me!" I shrieked as he was quickly catching up behind me.
Just as my head was turned, I tripped over a tree root and tumbled to the ground, hitting the soft grass. Char managed to stop in time.
I rolled onto my back and looked up at him, shielding my face from the sun. He stood towering over me with a sneaky grin on his face.
"Truce?" I asked hopefully.
He sighed and offered me his hand. I took it, feeling grateful that he was being quite a gentleman and not wanting to get even.
"Thank you" I said, brushing off leaves from my clothes.
"Yes. Until next time, Ella"
We smiled and headed back to the grassy spot under the tree where we had been sitting before.
"I am curious though, when did you find out about who I was?" He asked.
"Oh, well you see after you had left this morning, my stepsisters arrived back home and couldn't contain their excitement at the fact that 'Prince Charmont' was coming to town…All that screaming is still ringing in my ears!"
Char sighed and mumbled "Yeah, I get that a lot"
There was silence between us for a moment. I watched as a butterfly slowly landed on my skirt and I gently scooped it into my hands, admiring its colours.
"You know, you're very different to how I would've expected the Prince of Kyrria to be"
He looked up at me, and saw the butterfly I had caught in my hands "Well you Ella, are not like any girl I've ever come across"
I raised my hands and let the butterfly continue on its journey. "No lady has ever dared to throw grass or splash water at me before" He chuckled.
"Well you started it Char, you're the one who tickled me remember?"
"You deserved it" He smirked.
Time flew by very quickly as we talked about everything from my love of animals, art and reading books, to his view on politics and how things were like around the castle. Before long, the sun had slowly set beyond the horizon, casting long dark shadows across the lake. Char happily sighed and laid down on his back, resting his hands behind his head.
"I've never done this before. Just getting away from the castle, admiring nature while spending time with a very interesting young lady... I could get used to this"
I smiled, laying down beside him and looked up at the tiny bright stars which were now scattered throughout the sky.
"This has been fun" I said.
Char moaned all of a sudden as if remembering something.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, turning my head to face him.
"It's just… I have to leave tonight. My guards were supposed to meet up with me and take me back to Lumeah…" He rolled over onto his side and looked down at me with a serious expression. "Ella, I was wondering… would you like to come back with me?"
My eyes opened wide in shock, his question caught me completely off guard. I sat up a bit and looked down at the space on the ground between us.
"Umm, Char… I don't know"
"Forgive me Ella, I'm sorry. You hardly know me and here I am, trying to take you away from your hometown" It looked like he was mentally scolding himself.
"Oh no, it's not that!" I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'd give anything to get away from my stepfamily. You're a great guy – It's just…" I trailed off, avoiding his gaze. "I'm not sure if it's right…"
He looked blankly at me for a moment, then he gazed at where my hand was resting on his shoulder. I quickly moved my hand back into my lap.
"Char, you said it yourself before. I'm not like other girls…"
"Yes, and I meant it! Ella, that's what makes you so interesting"
I peered down at my ordinary clothes. "I'm nothing special, I mean look at me"
"I am looking at you…" He whispered, gently lifting my chin up with his hand so that I was now looking straight into his bright blue eyes.
"You're so beautiful, Ella"
Char slowly moved in closer, his face nearing mine by the second until our lips were millimetres apart. I could feel his warm, steady breath against my face… and then, he kissed me. His lips were so soft and gentle; I felt a tingling sensation run through my entire body like an electric shock. I moved one of my hands up to his cheek and ran it through the side of his thick curly hair. He instantly moved one of his hands around my waist and pulled me closer against his warm body, while his other hand caressed my cheek. This was the most wonderful moment in my entire life; nothing could ruin this…
... Until all of a sudden it started to rain. And I mean it poured down.