~One week later~ (Continued from last chapter)
After what felt like an eternity Charming, Emma, Ava, and Robert arrived safely back home in the Enchanted Forest and Charming was greeted with an enormous embrace from Snow. "I missed you SO much!" she said as she threw her arms around her husband's neck.
"I missed you so much too!" he replied as he tightly embraced Snow, slightly lifting her off the ground as he did so but before he set her back on the ground he delivered a sweet but passionate kiss on her lips.
"How was your trip?" Snow asked as Charming set her back on her feet.
"Can I say that I'm glad it's over?" he answered with a chuckle. Apparently the whole Charming family found Aurora and her family… exhausting.
"Yes you can," she then turned to her children. "Oh my goodness I've missed you three so much!" she exclaimed as she embraced all three of the Charming children at once. "And oh my, Robert I think you've grown since you've been gone! I told you not to do that!" She gave him another hug as she mock scolded him. After they all had gotten their hugs, they made their way back into the castle.
Later that evening after everyone had finished supper and had wound down Emma and her siblings readied themselves for bed. Emma decided she wanted to soak in her tub to wash off the dust and grime from their trip. While she soaked and bathed Eleanor sat and worked on her embroidery in a chair in a corner in the room; also listening to her mistress tell and vent to her about her trip. She agreed that Princess Aurora seemed rather intrusive and very spoiled and if she had been completely honest, she was glad that she didn't have to accompany Emma to that kingdom; she had dodged a catapult.
After her bath Emma slipped into one of her more casual dresses; a purple loose-fitting yet figure-hugging dress with a belt that rested over her hips*.
Eleanor looked at her suspiciously. "Emma…? What are you doing?" she laid her needlework on her lap.
"It's been over a month since I saw him last, Eleanor!" There sounded to be a hint of desperation in her voice as she spoke.
Eleanor shook her head disapprovingly. "You -" she forced down the urge to roll her eyes. She sighed before continuing. "Okay. Fine. You go out there, but what if he's not there?
Does he even know you're back?" Why was she even wasting her breath? Emma was going to do what she wanted to do regardless of how many times Eleanor tried to talk her out of it.
"Ugh, the whole kingdom knows we're back so he too must know I'm back." she rolled her eyes as she finished her reply.
"Okay… but what about your parents? What if they hear you sneak out?" Even if it was pointless Eleanor would still try to persuade her young mistress to do the right thing.
"Pfft!" Emma swatted the air. "Yeah right! They're not gonna hear me sneak out, not tonight. TRUST me." she made a look of disgust and shuddered at the thought of her parents… well, she wasn't even going to go there. Emma then straightened her posture. "I'm going to go see him." She added in a rather defiant tone and Eleanor uttered a silent sigh of defeat and frustration. Just like her father, Emma was stubborn; there was no point in trying to change her mind. "Fine." Eleanor said briefly. "Just make sure you're back before midnight."
A victorious smile (Eleanor would argue that it was smug instead) spread across Emma's face. "I always am!" She then grabbed her cloak and was off; Eleanor only hoped that she would be safe and behave herself.
"If he's not there I'll just turn back." Emma quietly said to herself as she made her way to the pond they always sat near. She knew he went there often on his own before they met when life got stressful - at least that was what he told her once - so she hoped he was there tonight. "This is terrible, but I hope he had a rough day so he'll be there." she said aloud to herself.
She walked a little farther and then she saw him; sitting on the log they always sat at, intent on what was probably a drawing in progress, his lantern pulled close. He looked so cute sitting there, she thought to herself as a smile spread across her face. "Bae!" she exclaimed in a loud whisper as she quickened her pace.
Baelfire quickly popped his head up at the sound of his name. "Emma?" he put his things to the side before standing up to greet her.
Emma flung herself into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and tightly squeezed him as an even bigger smile flashed across her face. Baelfire returned her tight embrace, slightly lifting her off the ground as he did so, and then planted a sweet kiss on her lips. "I've missed you SO much!" her voice was muffled under their kiss. She kissed him back and as she kissed him she let her fingers migrate up to his head to play with his perfect, finger-length gorgeous brown tousled hair. Oh how she had missed him.
"I missed you too," Baelfire replied as they finally broke away before they sat down. "More than you know." He added and Emma noticed there was sadness in his tone. He quickly snapped out of it. "Anyway, how was your trip? I didn't know you would even come out tonight - I feel bad. You shouldn't have walked here by yourself in the dark -"
"Baelfire!" Emma interrupted. "Stop! Its fine! I am MORE than capable of handling myself and you know it." she shook her head before going on. Sometimes he was too much of a gentleman… if that even made sense. "And as far as the trip goes… it was terrible, just like I thought it would be." She uttered a sigh. "She even served a roasted swan for supper on the first night." she added with clenched teeth.
Baelfire shot her a puzzled look. "Who eats swans?"
"Apparently Princess Aurora does." Emma answered with a mocking expression.
"That seems a little… inappropriate, doesn't it? Or insulting maybe. Isn't the swan one of your favorite animals?"
"Yes!" Emma answered hotly. "And they mate for life which means a poor swan is grieving out there somewhere because of her!" she huffed out another sigh. "And that's not all she did. She practically asked me why I'm almost 17 and still unmarried." She felt her eyes start to well and tried to hold back the tears.
"She did?" he was beginning to understand why Emma dreaded this trip. "Did you tell her that that's none of her business?"
"No…" she answered slowly. "I didn't really say anything and then she assumed that I just don't want to get married." she looked at Bae and then looked at the ground. "And that's not true…" she added quietly.
"If I had been there I would've told her to back off - who does she think she is trying to tell you how to live your life?" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she snuggled her side into his and smiled lightly.
She looked up at Bae. "You're sweet."
"Thanks, I try to be," he answered with a light chuckle and his response made Emma giggle; he always made her feel better. "However I am sorry your trip was so terrible. You should've been able to enjoy yourself."
Emma snuggled deeper into his side and shrugged. "Eh, whatchya gonna do? I feel better now though after seeing and talking to you again." she looked over at the other side of Baelfire and pulled away to sit up. "What were you drawing?" she asked curiously as she stole a look at the pile of drawing supplies at his side.
"Oh, uh…" he leaned over to pick up his drawing things. "A swan…"
Emma anxiously grabbed the leather-bound sketchbook from his hand. "Aw! Let me see!" she demanded. She looked at the drawing. "Oh wow… this is - why didn't you ever tell me you could draw so well?"
Baelfire blushed slightly at her compliment. The way she was always gushing over his talents made him feel so good. "You uh, you never asked, and… I don't know…"
"Well you're an amazing artist!" she then noticed how many pages he had used. "May I look at the others?" she eagerly asked.
"By all means," he answered. "Go ahead!"
Emma slowly flipped through the pages in his sketchbook, carefully studying and admiring the pictures on the pages; a tree, a lamb nestled in hay, a cottage (probably his), and what looked to be the Charming castle, among other things. Emma smiled at the castle. "You're so good…" she said again; she was genuinely enthralled. "How did you ever learn to draw like this?" she continued to look at and admire his sketches.
Baelfire shrugged. "My mother actually."
Emma broke her eyes away from his sketchbook to look at him. "She taught you?"
"Hardly. I just inherited the gift from her - or so I've been told by Papa anyway. She died when I was three."
"Oh I'm - I'm so sorry," she looked at him sympathetically and Baelfire shrugged casually.
"Don't be. I was really young and I don't even remember her."
Well that's sad, Emma thought to herself. She swallowed before asking. "How um, how did it happen?"
Baelfire thought for a moment. "You know I… I don't really know. Papa never told me and I've never asked. I just know pirates were involved." There was spite in the way he had said the word 'pirates'.
"Of course pirates were involved," she shook her head in disgust. "Murdering scum. Daddy says to never trust or turn your back to one." she looked back down at the drawing before looking back at Baelfire.
"And obviously he's right." he answered.
"You should still ask him sometime though. It's only fair, and, well… if I were you, I'd want to know. Ya know, what really happened and everything. As some sort of closure." she smiled before directing her attention back to the sketchbook.
He smiled lightly as he looked at Emma. "Maybe…" he answered as he watched her as she continued to look through his sketchbook.
"I know I've probably said it too many times already but I can't help it… these are SO good!" She went back to his drawing of the swan and smiled. "This one is my favorite though. You captured the grace and beauty of it so well…" she looked at Bae and smiled.
Baelfire looked down at the drawing and then at Emma. "You know what? Why don't you keep it?"
"What?" she asked, her eyes wide in a form of disbelief.
"The swan!" he clarified. "It's your favorite animal and I want you to have it - maybe it'll make up for your horrible trip." he tore the page from the sketchbook and handed it to Emma.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "But you must've worked so long and hard on it -"
"It's okay!" he interrupted with a smile and an almost-laugh. "I WANT you to have it, Em! Besides, I draw SO many things that I won't even notice this one missing in about five minutes. And you love swans so you're going to appreciate it more than anyone else would."
Emma was so touched. She took the drawing from his hand and then flung her arms around his neck and placed a grateful and affectionate kiss on his cheek. "Thank you SO much, Bae! I LOVE it!" she tightened her grip around his neck. "And I love YOU…"
"I love you too." he replied as he returned her embrace. He then pulled away just enough so that he could kiss her lips; as he did so, he subconsciously let his hands run through Emma's hair which caused her to shudder slightly. She liked it, and found herself wanting to get closer to him but she didn't. Instead she just returned his kiss, probably a little too enthusiastically being that Baelfire quickly and suddenly pulled away, looking a little embarrassed.
Emma was confused. "You...okay?" she asked. He didn't usually pull away from her like that. This is weird.
"Yeah," he answered; he looked like he was trying to regain his composure or something, and even though it was dark she could tell that his cheeks were pink. He cleared his throat before continuing. "That was just… that was some kiss…" he smiled nervously and Emma giggled.
"Well, I … I am the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming." she blushed a little as she added, "I did learn from the best and it's... probably in my blood." she grinned and shrugged casually and Bae smiled at her response.
It was near 11:30 when Emma finally decided it was time for her to head back home and as always, Baelfire walked her to where he always did, just outside the forest. This time though, they were a little hesitant to part ways; it was getting harder and harder for them to leave each other. But they did and as per usual he watched to make sure she made it safely through the castle gates. She did and then that was his cue to head home himself. When she made it back to her room she noticed that her waiting lady was still in her room. She sighed as she carefully placed Baelfire's drawing on her desk. "What do you do? Just perch yourself on my bed until I get back?" she asked annoyedly. She noticed Eleanor shooting her an unamused look. "What?" she threw up her arms. "Stop looking at me like that."
Eleanor placed her hands on her hips. "Cutting it rather close, aren't you?" she pointedly asked.
"Ugh! Relax! Its before midnight!" she pointed out in a huff.
"Barely."
Emma rolled her eyes. "It counts. Anyway, look what he gave to me!" she excitedly grabbed her drawing from the desk and held it up in front of Eleanor. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Eleanor studied the drawing. "Wow. That IS good." She had to admit the boy had talent.
Emma smiled excitedly. "Isn't it?! I had no idea he could draw!" she looked down at the swan on the paper. "He let me look through his sketchbook…" she held the drawing to her chest and turned her head to gaze out her window. "I… I really do love him…" she looked back at Eleanor, who was studying her carefully. "I don't think he really wanted me to leave tonight," she uttered a sad-sounding sigh. "I didn't want to leave him either…"
"Emma…?" She looked Emma in the eyes and asked in a tone serious as death. "Are - are you and Baelfire having - well, developing, desires?"
Emma's head shot up. "What? No of… of course not." she answered quickly and feeling a little embarrassed. She was actually lying… something was definitely sparking between the two of them. When he had kissed and hugged her earlier she didn't really want him to stop. In fact, she… she quickly forced the thought from her mind; it was wrong for a young unmarried woman such as herself to even be thinking such thoughts anyway. She looked at Eleanor and hoped she believed her answer. She didn't. Unfortunately she saw right through her cover-up; she was SO annoying in that way.
"Emma! You NEED to tell your parents about the two of you… how you feel and everything before you two do something you regret!"
"I can't tell them!" she exclaimed.
"Oh? And why not?" she placed her hands on her hips.
There was a sudden look of panic in Emma's green eyes. "Because if I do, I'm going to have to explain how we met! I was sneaking out, remember? They're not going to like that! And then what if they get all upset because of who he's related to? What if they say no and say we can't ever see each other again because of it? I love him, Eleanor! And he loves me! We - we understand each other and he's…" she swallowed before going on. "He's the man I want to marry." Saying that out loud sounded weird and surreal but she meant it; she wanted to marry him, spend the rest of her life with him, to have a family with him. She was sure now. She looked at Eleanor again and saw that she was staring at her, her eyes wide. Understandable, Emma thought. She couldn't believe she said all that either.
"Well if you want to marry him then you definitely should tell your parents."
Emma was getting real tired of her nagging. "I'll tell them when I tell them, okay?" she was starting to get really agitated.
"And that will be when?"
Emma let out an exasperated sigh. "Would you just put this topic to sleep please?" She walked over to her desk where she laid her swan drawing down. "Now, instead of bossing me around do you think you could actually do your job and help me out of this dress?"
Eleanor made her way over to Emma and began helping her get into her nightclothes. As she helped her she thought about what Emma had said. She hesitated before she spoke: "About what you said… can- can you really see yourself with him?"
"Yes,"
"For the rest of your life…?"
"Yes. We both really understand each other and I can be myself around him. I'm not 'Princess Emma' around him; he sees me for who I am, just Emma… a normal girl. And he makes me smile and laugh, and feel kinda… kinda confident," she straightened her posture. "I just, I don't know… he makes me feel so happy. We have a very special connection."
Eleanor was silent as she pondered what Emma had just told her. He did seem to make her happy. She just wished that Emma saw the importance of telling her parents and the inevitable danger of not telling them. She shook her head and inhaled silently as she tied the ties at the back of Emma's nightgown. "That was really nice of him to give you that drawing." she said as she quickly patted her on her shoulder, signaling to Emma that she was done and free to go.
Emma turned to head to her bed. "Yeah it was," she yawned as she crawled into bed and under her covers. "He's just so sweet. I know it wasn't really a big deal but it was to me…"
"No you're right, it was really sweet of him to do that. And it is really, really good. He seems like a really sweet boy." she started to make her way out of Emma's room. "Just… if you're not going to tell your parents just please be careful, okay?"
Emma rolled her eyes; there she went again, being her usual bossy overprotective self and going all mother-hen on her - so annoying. "I will, don't worry." she silently sighed in annoyance before she blew out her lantern.
"You need anything before I leave?"
"Um, nope. I'm good," she yawned again as she snuggled into her pillow and pulled her blankets up to her chin. "Goodnight, Eleanor."
"Goodnight." She replied as she went out of her room and shut her door.
After her waiting lady left her room she looked out in the direction of her window and thought of Baelfire and what had been going through her mind while she was with him. Her thoughts and feelings left her feeling both excited and scared; excited that she was now in
love with a special young man but scared because she knew she would have to tell her parents about him. But they're just going to get upset and tell us that we can't see each other anymore… As she lay there trying to fall asleep she thought about all the potential disasters that could happen if she told her parents, moreso her father, about them.
It had been a little over a week before Emma and Baelfire were able to see each other again; those darn royal duties didn't leave her much freetime, much to her annoyance and frustration. After how the last few days had gone, she was glad to finally be able to sneak out and forget who she was for a bit. As glad as she was to get out though, what she was really most excited about was seeing Baelfire again. It had felt like so much longer than only a week.
She found him where she usually did, sitting on a fallen log near the pond, leaning over what was more than likely his sketchbook, working on another drawing. She then made a sound and his head popped up and when he saw that it was Emma, he quickly stood up to greet her.
She ran up to wrap her arms around his neck. "I missed you!" she said before leaving a kiss on his lips.
He returned her kiss. "I've missed you too but why don't you ever send word that you're coming?" he gently brushed a strand of her hair away from her face.
"Why should I?" she backed away to place her hands on her hips.
"Why? Because I don't like you walking out here by yourself at night." It was true; he'd feel incredibly terrible and greatly responsible if something were ever to happen to the princess while on her way to see him.
A fierce gleam suddenly appeared in her eye as she stared at Bae. "Baelfire…" she started cooly. "I appreciate your chivalry, I really do. In fact, I admire that in a man but…" she straightened her posture before continuing. "I was trained in both the sword and in defense strategies by the finest in the realm, my father, or the king, as you know him." she proudly cocked her head. "So, please, for the one-hundredth time, believe you me when I say that I KNOW how to handle myself."
"Right," he answered as he leaned in to kiss her again.
She shoved him away, "And another thing," she placed her fists on her hips. "I can't send you any word, not after that stink you put up about me offering to write to you while I was away."
"I wouldn't say I 'put up a stink'..." he reached for Emma's wrists, gently pulled them away from her hips, then held them for a moment.
"Oh?" She allowed him to hold onto her wrists; truth be told, she was rather enjoying the sensation of his large work-worn hands gently gripping her soft and dainty wrists. "Then what would you have called it then?"
"I don't know but definitely not that…" still holding her wrists, he lifted them and held her arms out to the side, then he let them go and placed his hands gently on her hips and attempted to pull her back in to him. Emma shook her head in mock annoyance, smiled, and allowed him to pull her in close. She raised her arms and rested them on his shoulder, crossing her wrists behind his head; she then sweetly kissed him and suddenly noticed that both their fronts were touching. She liked how it felt. It felt… well, she didn't really know how to explain how this felt but what she did know that it was definitely a GOOD feeling; being this close to him made her feel warm, whole, made her feel safe, and like she could take on the entire world if she had to; it also made her feel, well… something else… something she wasn't very familiar with. She didn't really know how to explain that either other than, she wanted to get closer. Alot closer, and that thought slightly scared her. She wondered if Bae was feeling the same thing… she quickly pushed the improper thoughts out of her mind and pulled away from Baelfire's embrace, faintly blushing as she did so.
"Anyway…" she began as she cleared her throat and sat down. "How was your week?"
Baelfire rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Same old same old," he looked down at his boots then back up at Emma. "Sheep duties, roof-thatching, making supper every other night…" he paused a moment before continuing. "Arguments with Papa. you know, all that good stuff." He forced a smile and Emma couldn't help but giggle. Bae shook his head and lightly laughed too; there was something about her laugh/giggle that made him want to laugh; it was absolutely adorable and totally contagious; he shrugged with a smile before adding, "A day in the life of a peasant boy."
Emma's giggles erupted into full-fledged laughter. He didn't know why she had found his answer and remarks so humorous but for some reason she did and that was okay; it made her happy and seeing Emma happy made him happy. However, he still wasn't understanding how she found it THAT funny. "Did I, uh… miss something?" there was confusion on his face and Emma continued to laugh.
Emma shook her head in response as she tried to regain herself. "No," she tried to catch her breath. "You just… you make me happy…" she finally stopped laughing and was now looking at him with a smile on her face, an amorous sparkle lighting up her what he thought to be perfectly spaced green eyes. Goodness how stunning she is, he thought to himself. He cleared his throat before beginning: "Can I… ask you a question?" he asked nervously.
At his question Emma's expression became serious. "Yeah…" she answered. "What is it?" she noticed that he was suddenly acting a bit nervous. What could he be wanting to ask? She wondered.
He lowered his head and swallowed nervously before he continued: "Have you - have you ever thought about…" he trailed off again and Emma could see that the poor boy was nervous.
"Thought about what?" she asked as she gently placed her hand on top of his as a gesture of encouragement.
Her gesture seemed to give him the confidence he needed to go on; he sighed as he attempted to muster up his courage. "Well," he paused again and Emma didn't know how much more suspense she could take. JUST COME OUT WITH ALREADY, BAE! She anxiously thought to herself; she was beginning to wonder if he was going to spill something she didn't want to hear… and it was seriously scaring her. She squeezed his hand and begged with her eyes for him to go on. "Well?" She vocally urged him to go on this time.
He decided to just say it and hope for the best. "M-marriage," he stammered. "Have you ever thought about marriage?" he was relieved he finally asked but as he studied Emma's expression his feeling of relief quickly turned to anxiety; he desperately hoped he didn't just ruin what they had. He looked down at his lap and then cast Emma a nervous sideways glance.
Emma was taken aback. Did he, in his own shy little way, just propose to her? Truth was, she kinda wished he did… she had been thinking of marriage rather often as of late - more specifically, a marriage with him. But it also scared her; marriage is a lifelong commitment - but she did love him- more than anything - and she could genuinely see herself with him for the rest of her life, she was positive now, but if they were extremely serious now she'd have to tell her parents… and that is what scared her the most. She inhaled slowly: "Marriage?" she repeated. 'As in… you and me?" she gestured to him and herself with her finger.
Baelfire's throat went dry and he silently cursed himself. So she doesn't feel the same way I do, he sadly thought to himself; what did he expect anyway? She was a princess for goodness' sake, the heir to the throne nonetheless, and he was nothing but a lowly peasant boy with absolutely nothing to offer her, of course she didn't want to pursue marriage. He sighed before finally answering, "Well… yeah…" he tried to hide the sadness and disappointment in his voice as he answered Emma.
Emma noticed the look of sadness in his eyes and immediately felt terrible for letting him think she thought marriage was a bad idea. "Yes!" She quickly blurted out. "In fact, I have been thinking about marriage - alot, actually," she paused for a moment and Baelfire's expression changed to a mixture of hope, relief, and excitement. She continued: "At night before I fall asleep, I imagine what our lives would be like together…" she trailed off and scooched closer so that her side was snuggled into his. "I take it you have too then?"
"Yes. I love you, Em," he answered as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "Alot and I do want to spend the rest of my life with you; you make me feel something that I've never felt about anyone else before. You… you make me feel, whole. Like I have an actual purpose…" he awkwardly looked down at his lap again and trailed off. Emma was greatly touched by his words. She leaned a little forward and placed her hand on his cheek, caressing his face, she lightly kissed his lips, their lips clinging to one another's for a moment before they broke away. She smiled and snuggled into him again, "And you make me feel the same way," she added. "With you I can be myself and… and you make me feel so… confident. Like I could…" she paused and giggled softly before continuing. "Don't laugh but being around - being with you, makes me feel like I can take on… the world or something." Emma could feel Baelfire smiling at what she had just said and she shook her
head as she then felt him plant another kiss on her temple, causing her to utter a blissful sigh. She snuggled deeper into his side and rested her cheek against his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of being close to him. She then started to wonder… No! She quickly forced away the improper thought and sat up so that she wasn't resting against him anymore. Another thought suddenly struck her. "Since we're talking about and seriously considering marriage now," she started. "And because I'm curious…" she blushed a little before she continued. "How many children do you, you know… imagine us having?"
Baelfire stared at her for a moment; he had never really thought about that before. He shrugged, "I - I really don't know...I guess however many you want to have," he answered with a shy smile. "So… how many do you plan on having?"
Emma thought for a moment. "Hmm…" she brought her finger to her lip as she thought. "I guess no less than three and no more than four… does that sound like a reasonable number to you?" she asked with a hopeful and curious smile but then switched to a serious expression. "But how will this work?"
Baelfire thought for a moment; she had a point… if she had been just a regular girl he would just offer up the possibility of elopement. But alas, Emma was not a regular girl; she was a princess, the heir to the throne nonetheless. There were countless reasons as to why he couldn't just suggest that; the number one reason being that, in order to run off and get married, she'd have to leave her family and he didn't want that for her. But the thought was incredibly tempting… He was silent as he thought before Emma broke the silence:
"We could run off!" she blurted out excitedly as she placed her hand on his arm. "To another kingdom where we won't be recognized; we can live in a cottage in the countryside and raise our children there! No crowns, no high expectations, no familial reputations. Just you and me…" she leaned closer toward him and looked in his eyes. "We can start whole new lives…."
The whole idea sounded incredible and exciting… but then reality sunk in. "I wish we could," he responded. "But what about your parents and your siblings?"
Emma shrugged. "I mean, they'd miss me at first but they'd get over it. And Ava would be happy because then she'd be the new heir. Although…" she trailed off for a moment and sighed as she looked back down at her lap. "I'd miss exercising my sword skills with Daddy…" she also thought about the children factor; someday she and Baelfire would have babies together and it would break her mother's heart if she wasn't ever able to meet her own grandchildren or be in their lives. Suddenly, the idea that excited Emma just moments ago was now beginning to break her heart. She couldn't just run off; if she did her parents would be utterly crushed. She sighed and looked back up at Baelfire. "They'd be heartbroken…" she slowly admitted before she lowered her head and rested her temple on his shoulder. "I guess we can't run off then, can we?"
"I really wish we could though…" he answered.
"I know. We would never have to sneak out to see each other and be afraid of our parents finding out or what they'd say. But I guess for now we'll just continue to do what we're doing." she sighed and thought to herself: If only I weren't a princess.