A soft hand is rubbed against the prince's shoulder. "Are you alright?"
The question was innocent enough. Catarina has known him for so long now, almost fifteen years of a rotten engagement, she can tell when he is the slightest bit not himself, and she knows now, more certainly than ever, that there is something weighting on his mind. It is a talent and a privilege afforded to few.
She turns to him as she asks it, echoes of a smile still fading from her laughter just minutes before. Her eyes meet his, late afternoon sunlight glinting off his pale skin. His face shifts so slightly that it is almost imperceptible, and she knows in an instant what he is about to say.
"Geordo…" She begins, cautioning. Or maybe hesitant, she is not really sure which.
"It is of no use to stall, Catarina." He argues, using the soft and warm baritone that he reserved only to her. "We have got to at some point."
He walks towards his fiancée, desperate for some closeness, some kind of connection as he spills his heart to her once again, probably expecting the same result.
"I have…"
"Geordo." Catarina calls again, more caution in her voice than before.
"I have loved you ever since I have known you, Catarina. I couldn't help it, and…" The blond prince is standing in front of her now, shirt and hair billowing wildly in the breeze. "I… I tried to show you, and you would not let me. I do not know why, why would you ever bury your head in the sand and ignore me, but it is fine, I respect that, and yet…"
"Wait. Stop!" Catarina wails, taking a step back.
Her heart is beating wildly, loud and heavy in her chest. She honestly never expected this to come to a climax this quickly, in fact, she never expected it to develop at all. She did not know his feelings were this strong.
"I must make you hear this and understand me now, and I need to know if you feel the same. Because, Catarina, I cannot go on like this any longer."
"Geordo, don't do this to me." She says, voice shaking.
"You were there for me." He says, closer to her now than he was before. "And, and you cared for me…"
Catarina tries to speak again, but stops herself, feeling her throat tighten up and tears spring to the corners of her eyes. This cannot be happening, not really. She vanquished the doom flags! It is supposed to be smooth sailing to retirement with a cat, now a shadow familiar, in a peaceful countryside cottage.
She looks away, trying to compose herself. Clouds dapple the sky, and the long grass matches the swaying of the fabric of her skirt, hugging her ankles in the breeze. Any other time, she would not be able to look away from such a scene, but not now, as his words have a magnetic grip on her attention, it is as if the bucolic setting melted away in the ether.
"And you loved me." He continues. "You loved me when I needed it the most. I am thankful, but the thing is, Catarina, that I still need it."
She looks back over to him. His eyes are misty, his expression daring, just the smallest bit, to hope.
"I still need it." He repeats it. "I need you, and, I know I am not deserving of you…"
"Yes, you are." She states, with no hesitation.
"I am not some great man, and I have done great atrocities for the position I occupy in society today, but I love you more than anyone could ever love anyone else."
"You are a great man, Geordo." The brunette woman says, smiling softly and placing her hand on his arm. "You are a great man and a great politician, and you are only going to get greater as time goes on. I am so proud of you for how far you have come, and how hard you have worked, and…"
The prince waits, his need to hear what she has to say silent and palpable in the warm summer air. She tries to figure out how to phrase this in a way he will understand, that she can understand herself.
"I… You say you love me now, and I believe you." Catarina argues, choosing her words carefully. "But later when the novelty of my quirks and eccentricities wears off…"
"No."
"When my spontaneity becomes irresponsible and tiresome and a liability, instead of interesting and exciting." She starts to back up. "When you finally realize what my mother has been telling you for fifteen years. When something or someone better turns up from somewhere."
He follows her, hating the growing distance between them. "Catarina…!"
"When you grow tired of me…" She says firmly, both hearts breaking at her harsh words. "Where will that leave us? There is no divorce, Geordo, only death."
His hands rise to her arms, holding her gently. "I could never grow tired of you, Catarina, and I certainly would never murder you for it."
She nods, not looking at him. "Yes, you could, and you will, and then…"
"You are impossible to grow tired of!"
"When the novelty wears off…" Catarina begins to walk away again, hating for him to see her cry. She is trying desperately to see if this will at last get through to him. "And you realize you have to be around me all the time, forever? You are going to hate it, Geordo."
He catches up to her, holding her still by her arms.
"You are going to hate me."
"I could never…"
"And I cannot stand the thought of you hating me!"
"I could never hate you, Catarina!"
She searches his face for some sign that his feelings are shallow, or will burn out quickly. She finds nothing.
"I kick around in my sleep, I snore. And… And I sing, so loudly, all the time. I eat too much, I am always tanned from working in the sun, my clothes are always soiled with mud." She continues, trying to find the most bothersome aspects of herself to highlight.
"What?" He asks, a bewildered smile creeping onto his face.
"And I love going out in the rain, splashing around. I have no decorum, Geordo, I'd ruin your reputation in a minute!"
"My reputation is yours to ruin!" The prince says, once again so close to her. "I did not fall in love with you because of your eccentricities or because you amuse me."
Catarina looks to the side, eyes squeezed shut, as he tries to face her again.
"I love you because you are warm, and kind, and you care more about people than anyone I have ever met!"
Geordo holds her close against himself, her hands gripping onto him for some sort of stability.
"I love you because of how fiercely you fight, and how you treat even a little bug with dignity and respect, and that is never going to change about you, Catarina. You will always be fierce, and kind." He leans in closer, studying her face, so desperate to kiss her. "And I will always love you. I cannot love anyone else but you."
Right then, as he professes these words, Catarina can finally see it, somewhere deep inside of him. A smile cracks on her face, and his eyes spark with hope.
"Geordo…" She says his name again, but this time her tone is different.
He leans in, their lips finally connecting. He kisses her with everything, with all the love and joy and desperation he has got. He is so warm and so soft against her. She melts into his touch, and he continues even more fiercely. It is grounded, euphoric, overwhelming, and she never want it to stop.
The prince holds down his fiancée, gentle and firm. He knows that she is here in his arms, and he does not want that to ever change. He rests his forehead against hers, warm breath fanning over her cheeks.
"I will never…"
"I love you too, Geordo."
"I will never stop loving you."
"So, so much…"
They both laugh, speech still overlapping, even as they proclaim their love for each other.
Later that year, Geordo finally repeats his promise in front of the gods, the church and the kingdom.