His boots echoed on the stone path, an interruption to the otherwise quiet night. The midnight air was crisp after the heat of the day yet his palms were clammy. Everything was not alright. He didn't know what was wrong but the tone of Stella's voice was different when she called him an hour before begging him to come over. She said there was a problem. There was no hint of her normal vibrance.
As from the shadows, a figure appeared across the courtyard, "you came." It wasn't a question necessarily, more of a statement. There was no good way to answer it. Her face was splotchy showing evidence of the tears that had been coming for hours now. Eyes red, she grimaced as if she didn't want to see Brandon even though she was the one to invite him. Then it hit him, he was the problem Stella had called him about. He knew what was to come, he just didn't want to admit it, not even to himself. Neither of them wanted this.
She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes, not at this moment. They had always walked a fragile line. The princess and the squire. It wasn't necessarily what the people wanted but she hadn't cared. She loved him and that was enough, or it used to be enough. As the years passed, love alone doesn't seem to be enough anymore. Staring at a freshly pruned rose bush she started, "Brandon, I love you, but." More tears were starting to come, forcing her to have to refind her composure. "I think we both know that our relationship isn't going to last. Loving you isn't enough. I thought it was. I wish it was, but I know it's not. I can't give you what you want. I can't marry you. I can't give you a future. We both know that." Her breath hitched. Even though it was her idea, it hurt all the same. They weren't going to get a secret royalty moment to save their relationship. Brandon wasn't a lost prince of a dying dynasty.
He searched for her eyes, wanting to make some connection. Wanting to see if she felt the same way. He couldn't be the only one whose heart was breaking. "Why now? Why can't we be together for now? I may not be able to marry you but I can love you. I'm not asking you to marry me. So how is ending it today any different than tomorrow or a year from now?" Deep down Brandon always knew this day was coming, he just never expected it to happen so soon. They hadn't had near enough time yet. Their friends were just starting their lives together and yet they were trying to put an end to theirs. It felt so premature. They felt robbed of the time they should have had under any other circumstances. They didn't want to end their relationship because they didn't love each other. It was quite the opposite. They wanted to break up because they loved each other and couldn't think of any other way to minimize the pain.
Stella wanted to reach out and comfort him. He looked as if she slapped him in the face. She's almost sure that a slap in the face would have been kinder. Her eyes traveled up, finally meeting his. "It's not fair. It's not fair to ask you to waste your best years with me when I know I can't give you forever." He looked as if he wanted to say something but Stella continued. "I don't want to waste any more of your time. Our best friends are engaged and it kills me that we can't be anything more than star-crossed lovers. But I can't change that. You should be allowed to find someone who can spend their entirety with you. You shouldn't be wasting your time with me and holding your breath for the day that I can no longer be with you. It's not fair. You deserve so much more than I can ever offer you." It was hard to tell who she was trying to convince. Brandon or herself.
Brandon takes a slight step forward and against her better judgment, Stella stays in place allowing for the distance between them to shrink. It made her long for them to be in each other's arms even more than normal. Though there would be no kindness in that action. The kindest thing, even if the most painful, would be to let him go. That was what she was trying to do. She just didn't think it would be so hard. This was the real reason she had went after him when she thought he was Prince Sky. She would have been able to keep him when she fell in love with him. Sometimes late at night, she questions if she should have ended things then, it would have been so much easier before they were wishing for a life they could never have. She always knew that it would be hard to end things with Brandon, but with every day it got harder. Especially as she was ending it because things between them were going too well and that they were happy.
He continued closing the distance between them, taking Stella's left hand in his, her eyes following her hand up. Normally his touch would have been comforting but tonight it just reminded her of all that she was losing. "I'm not stupid, Stella. I've known that we likely had no real future together since the day I met you. I grew up in Sky's shadow and for some time as a fake Sky. I know that classes don't mix. Not to these extremes. I never expected to be the man you married. I wish I was going to be. I forever envy the man lucky enough. But I don't want to think about those things until I have to. I don't see why we need to torture ourselves any more than we already will." Grabbing her other hand, his eyes plead his case. He knew Stella was only making this decision as she believed it to be the right thing to do. "I love you Stella, so maybe it's rash but I'm fine living my life one day at a time if it means I can spend another day with you. So paint me a fool but don't end this before you have to. Give me as many memories as we can make." Perhaps he was a fool, but he didn't see any reason to throw away what they had together any earlier than they had to.
In the coming hour, she'd give in. Put this conversation off for another time. One closer to the day she takes the throne. Choose to stay together a little longer. It wasn't ending today, but they both knew that this would never last. Their love no matter how strong wasn't enough to last forever. It would always be second to Stella's obligation. As the crown princess of Solaria, she was to marry a man Solaria found fit. A man that was worthy of producing the next heir to the throne. The next generation. A man that she knew her kingdom would never see in Brandon. No matter how much she hoped she'd never get her fairytale ending. She'd keep taking 'five more minutes' with the person she loved until she had to face reality. Call it selfish but she was willing to take any moment they could get.