Christian walked the streets back to the castle with a heavy heart. The night concealed his identity, not that he really cared that much if anyone did recognise him. He thought of today and last night; he thought of Ana and that brought a smile to his face before he remembered that he'd just left her and where he was heading. He couldn't even imagine what his parent's reaction would be but he felt strong; strong enough to stand up to them, strong enough to fight to see Ana again. That was his incentive. He'd known her a day and had fallen head over heals. He knew now that she was what he wanted, who he wanted to be with and he'd stop at nothing to make sure that he never had to say goodbye to her for good. He walked up the street passing a number of people, they didn't pay him much attention. One woman's eyes widened when she saw him but he didn't stop.

When he reached the gates to the palace he noticed the guards eyes widen and they bowed their heads. He was Poseidon and they were the sea, ready to part at his command.

"Your Highness," they said in unison, opening the gate for him to enter. It was the first time he'd ever spoken to the guards on the gate and they both looked surprised to see him. Obviously they had not been told that he was missing. His mother would have tried to conceal it from the rest of the household to make sure it didn't reach the press. He walked up the path watching numerous guards bow to him before returning to their stoic positions. This was it, he was returning. A guard opened the doors to the palace for him to enter and he headed inside to be met immediately by his mother, her arms were crossed across her chest and her eyes were cold; as always.

"Where on earth have you been?" she asked. Her voice was calm but he could tell she was holding back.

"I went out for the night," he answered simply.

"That is not an answer! you have duties! you are the future King and I will not have you doing that again Christian." He started to walk away from her and she followed him continuing on her rage.

"...and you missed your meeting with the Prime minister today and you.."

"Mother stop," Christian said turned around to face it. This was it, it was now or never. It was time to stand up for himself; to put his foot down and speak his mind for once.

"I'm not happy mother and I haven't been for a long time. Do you know how much I dread waking up knowing I have my whole day worked out for me without a moments rest. My life isn't my own, I don't have a life. I'm lonely, I'm depressed, I hate it. I ran away last night, I jumped from my window and ran out into the cold just so I could have a moment to myself. A moment to feel normal. I didn't care that I was literally sitting in an alleyway waiting to freeze to death, I was free for once in my life," Christian could see she was about to interrupt him but he wasn't going to let her.

"For once in my life you have to listen to me!" he growled, banging his fist on the wall, not hard enough to do any damage but hard enough to startle his mother and send a thumping echo across the wooden hallway. The secret service guards were watching them closely.

"I didn't ask for this life. I never ask for anything. I do as you ask all day everyday and I'm sick of it. I don't even feel like your son anymore, I'm just the King in waiting to you," he said sighing. "I met a girl last night, she saw me in the alleyway and she took me into her home. She was ..." Christian smiled as he thought of Ana. How could he even find the words to describe her. "She was everything and she made me feel normal for once in my life. Before last night I can't remember the last time I laughed, I can't remember the last time I smiled without it been forced, I can't remember the last time I didn't feel like I had a huge weight on my shoulders. I was happier than I'd been in a long, long time, I haven't been that happy since Mia was here and I'm not willing to give that feeling up lightly. I know what the world is like now, you didn't give me a chance to see it but now I have,"

Grace looked stunned as her son finished speaking. He was out of breath, the force of his words turning him from a strong man into a vulnerable child who'd just breathed his feelings from the bottom of his heart. His eyes were red like he was going to start crying at any moment and she couldn't bare to see him like this. But being a monarch was what she'd been bringing him up to do. All she'd done is try make him into a noble leader and maybe in doing that, she'd lost her way with being his mother and confused her roles.

"Christian, you're just tired, look maybe you can have the day off tomorrow and we'll.."

"No mother don't you see. I'm standing up to you for once. I want to have freedom to do my own things, I'm not a child anymore,"

"Okay Christian," Grace said, her tone fake and condescending, "what do you want then dear,"

"I want to be able to go out of the grounds and meet real people, I want to be asked about things before you schedule them in, I want to be able to go and see Anastasia, I want Mia to come home, you know she never wanted to go to France," Christian said.

"Who's Anastasia?" Grace asked confusion evident in her tone.

"The girl I met last night,"

"You're the future King Christian, you can't just go out with random girls," Grace raised her eyebrows.

"And I'm not asking to, I'm telling you that I will be seeing Anastasia again whether you like it or not,"

"Christian after the stunt you pulled last night you're never leaving this place again," Christian rolled his eyes. He knew there was one thing he could say. One thing that would make her take him seriously and listen to him. He'd said it once before and she'd fretted about it for weeks after.

"Then I'll announce to the public that I'm going to abdicate," Christian said, "in fact, I've recently come into contact with a Royal journalist who will write the story for me," Christian smiled thinking of Ana. Grace's eyes went wide.

"W..What?" she stammered.

"You heard me, I don't want this so if you won't be reasonable then neither will I,"

"Right, let's just calm down a moment," Grace said trying to placate him and calm herself in the process after his words, "tell me what to do and I'll do it,"

"It's not that simple anymore mother," Christian sighed.

"What do you mean?" Grace asked panicking slightly.

"I mean that its too late," Christian said, "but for now, I want to do what I want and I want to see Anastasia and continue seeing her. So no more royal balls where I have to dance and smile all night with people I couldn't care less about, no more trying to set me up with Italian princesses, I'm done,"

"Well I want to meet her," Grace said. She wanted to meet this woman who in a matter of hours had managed to turn her usually perfectly manners Prince of a son into this angry man who stood in front of her and she needed to get rid of her and fast.

"I will be inviting her next weekend and I will be taking the car out to see her,"

"Christian..."

"That's final mother, you don't get to schedule that in for me, that's what I'm doing," Christian said with finality in his voice, "goodnight mother, sleep well," he left the hallway going up to his room leaving his speechless mother to stand watching him open mouthed.

He slammed his door shut and locked it the second he got to his room. He was proud of himself for what he said but he was emotionally and physically drained. He went over to his bed and lay down for a moment heaving out a heavy sigh and closing his eyes. He just needed a minute's peace; one moment to collect his thoughts and get himself together again. Brushing his hands over his face and into his hair he finally calmed down. His mind went over what he'd said, his mothers reactions and he felt himself getting angry again. And then, like an angel, Ana's beautiful face crept into his mind calming him instantly. He thought about what they'd done today, their time at the market holding her hand, their lunch date and their time at the park. The feel of her soft lips when they kissed for the first time and the sadness in her eyes when they kissed for the last time.

Groaning he pulled himself up and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed, when he came back out kitted in his silk pyjamas, he went to sit over at the window. He looked out at the twinkling lights of the city bathed in a blanket of darkness and wondered what Ana was doing right now. He wondered if she was still awake; he wondered if she was thinking of him as he was her. He hoped whatever she was doing she was okay. Pulling back the covers he climbed into bed with Ana in his minds eye and for the first time in forever, he went to sleep with a smile on his face.

A week passed slowly for Ana. The days were somehow more lonely and she knew why. She missed Christian. At first she thought herself stupid for missing a man she'd only known for a day, a Prince no less, but she couldn't help it. She missed holding his hand, she missed talking to him, she missed kissing him and seeing his smile. She'd tried to fill her time as best she could. Her job kept her busy but researching the Royals for her column only made her think of him more. By Wednesday she knew she needed a distraction so invited Kate over for dinner and a girls night. She badly needed to talk to someone about what had happened and see whether she was crazy or not for how she felt.

Ana was making dinner in the kitchen for the two of them when she heard Kate knocking on the door before just pushing it open in typical Kate fashion. She rolled her eyes to herself. Kate had no boundaries but that was one of the reasons Ana loved her. She could talk to her about absolutely anything, even about a certain Prince who she couldn't stop thinking about.

"Ana, I'm here!" Kate shouted and Ana giggled. There was only one floor in the flat and four rooms so there weren't many places she could be.

"I'm in the kitchen," Ana called back. Kate came in looking flustered with a bottle of wine and her pyjamas in her hands making Ana laugh. Kate only lived around the corner so it was easy for them to go around and see each other.

"I brought wine," Kate announced, holding up the bottle.

"Is there any reason why?" Ana laughed.

"So we can drink it of course! I'm guessing the fact you needed a chat means that something has happened so I think we might need it," Ana nodded and smiled. Kate was a good friend; the best. They'd first met each other when they were in primary school. In fact, Kate was the first face she ever saw when she walked through the door clinging to her fathers leg. Kate had burst through the door blonde hair bouncing and a beaming smile on her face like she owned the place and immediately locked eyes with Ana. They'd sat together at lunch and story time that day and had been inseparable ever since. One of the main reason's she picked her flat was so she'd be close to Kate and she liked the size of it. It was just right for one person to live in.

"What's cooking Steele?"

"Chicken, we're having Chicken salad,"

"Sounds yummy, I'm going to go get changed into my Jammies then we'll have a chat," Kate waltzed off to Ana's room without another word and Ana laughed to herself whilst plating up the salad. This was one of her specialities. This and her macaroni and cheese. Christian had loved that, he told her as much. She wondered what kind of meals he had at the castle; probably caviar. She took the food into the sitting room just as Kate was coming back in with her bright pink fluffy pyjamas and Ana's slippers on her feet. She curled up on the couch and grabbed her salad whilst Ana opened the wine and poured them a glass each of the alcohol.

"Right, go for it Steele, vent to me or confide in me, do whatever you have to do," Kate said, waving her fork around, "this is amazing by the way, you need to teach me how to make this," Ana laughed and nodded before eating a bite of her salad.

"On Friday night, after I left your flat I was walking back to mine when I saw someone sitting down an alley in fancy clothes literally freezing to death," Kate raised her eyebrows but continued to eat, "so anyway, I walked a little closer and looked at him and realised who it was,"

"Who was it?" Kate asked curiously.

"Prince Trevelyan."

"Shut up," Kate said, dropping her fork and staring at Ana with wide eyes. Ana would have laughed at Kate's reaction if she could but she couldn't blame her for being shocked. She was still in shock that Friday night and Saturday had happened.

"So I went and got his attention and he was freezing cold with nowhere to go so I asked him to come back here," Kate continue to stare at her friend unblinking with her mouth open in awe.

"Prince Trevalyan has been in this flat?" Kate asked, her tone one of utter astonishment. Ana nodded.

"Yeah, he slept on the couch,"

"You've got to be kidding me! wait why wasn't he in the palace?"

"He'd run away, he told me how much he hated it and that he wanted one night away so had jumped from his window and run,"

"Was he as handsome in person," Ana smiled. Handsome didn't cover it, he was beautiful.

"Even more so,"

"What happened then?" kate asked intrigued, her salad long forgotten.

"We stayed up late talking and then he slept on the couch. I made him breakfast the next day and we spent the day together. I gave him some of Jose's clothes as a disguise, they didn't quite fit him though, he's so tall," Ana giggled. "He put sunglasses and a hat on and then we headed out. We were walking out and he grabbed my hand,"

"No way!"

"Yeah, we walked hand in hand to the market and the bread man made eyes at me so he put his arm around me to show him he was with me," Ana giggled and Kate laughed too.

"Wow,"

"And then we saw two of his guards in disguise but managed to get past them without Christian being recognised and we went for lunch together. Kate you should have seen him, he was so excited, he'd never had a chip butty before," Kate rolled her eyes muttering something about him being spoilt with caviar under her breath.

"And then we went to the park for a while and ... we kissed," Kate nearly spat out the gulp of wine she'd just drank and started coughing violently. Ana smacked her on the back a few times until she stopped.

"You.. you kissed him?"

"Well, he kissed me but yes and it was," Ana smiled to herself reliving the feel of his lips on hers, "amazing,"

"Oh my god," Kate shouted, "you kissed a Prince,"

"I know,"

"Then what happened,"

Ana continued to tell her best friend the rest of the story, from the first hello to the final goodbye and when she finished, Kate looked absolutely stunned.

"So let me get this straight, you met a Prince down an alleyway, snogged his face off and fell in love with him all within the space of a day," Kate summarised.

"Well, I wouldn't say I fell in love with him," Ana said sheepishly.

"Come on Ana, the look in your eyes and the blush on your cheeks when you were telling that story says it all," Kate raised her eyebrows, "So, are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know, I want to and he promised me we would. He was adamant that we would be seeing each other soon. But I'm not so sure, I mean he's royalty and I'm..."

"Don't even finish that sentence Ana," Kate reprimanded, "you are amazing and beautiful and every bit as worthy as Royalty to have Prince Trevalyan's affections." Ana smiled. She hoped she'd see him again but she didn't want to get her hopes up.

Meanwhile, Christian's week had been strange to put it lightly. The morning after his row with his mother he hadn't been woken up to Gretchen knocking on his door at the crack of dawn and Taylor hadn't come into his room. He'd got out of bed in his own time, had a shower and a shave and got dressed at his own pace before leaving his room. He'd headed down to the dining room to see an array of food had been left out for him and his mother was sat with a plate of her own. She looked up at him when he came into the room and gave him a small smile.

"Good morning," she said softly.

"Good morning," he replied, nodding at her before heading over to get some food. He was starving, the last thing he'd eaten had been Ana's delicious macaroni and cheese. He sat down opposite her and started to eat.

"I thought about all of the things you said yesterday Christian and you're right," Christian looked up in surprise, "I haven't been a very good mother and I haven't given you time to yourself but I promise you, that will change," Christian nodded. "But one thing I won't accept is this woman you met yesterday and you suddenly want to court, do you know what that would do to the Royal family if you..."

"Anastasia is non negotiable mother," Grace sighed.

"Christian there are so many beautiful Royals from better class backgrounds who could make you happy,"

"I don't care, I want Anastasia,"

"Tell me about her, if you're going to bring her here I want to at least know a little about her,"

"She's amazing. She's a journalist and she's so smart. She is an amazing cook, she's kind and funny and beautiful," he found himself smiling as he tried to describe Ana. There really weren't enough adjectives in the English language to describe her.

"And you're in love with her," his eyes shot to his mothers who was looking at his curiously.

"I wouldn't go that far yet but I like her very much," he wasn't ready to admit to his mother that he'd fallen in love with her the second he looked into her eyes. Grace nodded and they continued eating in silence. She'd let him have this for now but she was determined to make sure it didn't last.

For the rest of the week, Christian made his own schedule. He went to his Royal visits and met with the people he was supposed to but he was able to exercise his freedom a little more. He went outside and played football with Taylor one afternoon and got to know him a little better. Before Taylor had barely said two words to him but they got into a deep conversation about football and Taylor started to open up and spoke about his daughter. It was a fun afternoon for both of them.

On Saturday afternoon Christian woke up bright and early. Today was the day he was going to surprise Ana and ask her to come for dinner. He'd organised the arrangements with Taylor for the car on Friday night and just hoped that Ana would want to come. He got dressed in a white shirt and black slacks, a change from his usual suit and tie look. He headed down to the dining room and his mother was sat at the table.

"I hear from Taylor that we'll be meeting the famous Anastasia today," she said, a fake smile on her lips. Just like Christian, she'd perfected that look.

"Yes, we will hopefully, I'm going with Taylor in the car to ask her to come for dinner this afternoon,"

"Well then," Grace said trying to keep the contempt out of her voice, "I'll ask the cooks to make enough for one more tonight,"

"Thank you," he nodded, "and please be nice," Grace plastered her fake smile back on her face once more.

"Of course I will dear," she said, biting into a slice of toast, "are you going to your meetings this morning?" she asked.

"Yes, all of them, the Prime minister is coming by in half an hour so I'll be in Dad's study," Christian said, taking his food and morning tea with him to his fathers study.

His day seemed never ending. Maybe it was because of the boring Royal meetings he was doing with small talk and politics mixed in or maybe it was because he was so desperate for them to all be over so he could go and see Anastasia. He was slightly nervous to see her again just in case for some reason she'd changed her mind about him. He hoped she hadn't, he certainly hadn't about her. As soon as his final guest had left, he heaved a sigh of relief and went to call for Taylor who came to the door within moments.

"Come Taylor, we're leaving now," they went out to the car and Taylor drove them taking Christian's directions until they were down Ana's street. The Royal car was unrecognisable. It was simply a black ford and didn't look out of place at all on the road.

"I shouldn't be long Taylor, park up," he said, getting out of the car. No one seemed to be on the street which made walking to Ana's flat easy. He knocked on her door and heard her voice muffled through the door saying she'd only be a moment. He hopped from one foot to the other as he waited patiently for Ana to come to the door and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally heard the latch being opened. She swung the door open and stepped back in shock as she noticed him. He smiled at her and after taking a second to collect herself she smiled back.

"Hi," he said softly.

"Hi,"