We returned to the ship, and I smiled as Dylan broke off a plank of
wood and waved it around through the water like a sword. "Arrrr." he said.
"Be careful with that thing, you might poke your eye out." I said with a grin. He laughed.
"Then I'll be like a real pirate. All I'd need is a wooden leg...or maybe a wooden tail." He turned towards me, swishing the impromptu sword in my face. "Walk the plank, ye wench, or suffer the consequences."
"But captain, the ship has already sunk! I'm already under the water!"
"Aw, you're no fun." he said, grabbing a lock of my deep brown hair and giving it a tug. He was certainly boyish, but amusingly so. I couldn't remember ever having this much fun. I gave him a little push, then rapidly turned tail and swam away from him.
"Bet you can't catch me!" I called over my shoulder with a giggle. He gave chase, and I led him up and down, around stones, caves, and reefs, past fish of every color. Finally he collided with me, causing both of us to somersault together three times before we stilled, with Dylan above me, looking down into my face. He leaned closer, and for a moment I was sure he was going to kiss me. But instead, he stuck his tongue out at me. "You lost your bet." he said.
"So I have. What do I have to do?"
"Hmmm...you have to...tell me about yourself. About why you can't go to the ball and everything." The goofy look on his face disappeared, replaced by an uncharacteristic seriousness.
"I suppose I do owe you that much," I said slowly, "but you have to promise me you won't think any less of me, or anything like that."
"I swear." he said, raising his right hand with a hint of a grin.
And so I told him. I told him about my parents, about my stepmother and stepsister, about the way I was treated. When I was finished, he shook his head sympathetically. "You shouldn't put up with that. Bloodline or no, legally you are a princess. Your father was a king, even if only for a short time period." I looked at him quizzically. I felt as though I were conversing with a different person. I shrugged.
"What can I do? I don't want to wind up like my father. I'll just wait it out until I'm old enough to live on my own, with no support. The queen knows I would never try to make a claim on the throne."
"But it's your right. You're the eldest."
"You don't understand. I don't want to be a princess, I don't want to be a queen, I don't want to make trouble. I just want to live my own life."
"I see." he said. "So you won't come with me to the ball tonight, because you're afraid of making trouble for yourself?"
"Yes." I said.
"That's too bad. It won't be any fun without you." There was a silent pause.
"Well, next time there's a ball here that you are invited to, maybe we could meet before it begins, like today." A wide grin spread across his face at the suggestion.
"That would be great." he replied.
"Well, it's getting late, and the ball will be starting soon. I'll show you to the castle."
I swam reluctantly in the direction of Atalanta, and he followed. When we approached the city, I stopped and pointed north. "The castle is that way, you won't be able to miss it. I...I don't think I should be seen with you. I don't want to get punished for making you late or anything."
"All right. I'll see you next time?"
"See you next time." I agreed, and with that, he swam towards the castle. I watched him leave until I could no longer make him out, then headed home in my own roundabout way.
I lost count of our secret meetings after that. Not that there were that many-quite the opposite; I felt as though there were years between each visit. But the pure, sweet joy of seeing him caused me to lose track of whether it was the third or fourth time I had seen him. When I was with him, I felt like I was a child again, back to a time before the loss of my parents and the burdens of servitude. He was so energetic, playful, and humorous that when I was with him I forgot all about my problems, and once in a while when they did come back to haunt me, his sweetness and sincerity helped me through them.
Was I falling in love with him? It is hard to say. We were still quite young, and of different stations in life. We had only known each other a short time, and only met briefly within that already small time period. Perhaps, in different circumstances, our relationship might have grown and matured into something else, a passionate love or a close friendship. But I will never know, because it was interrupted. Our last meeting, my last memory of him before our special relationship was irrevocably destroyed and tarnished, the day my life as I knew it changed forever, was the night of my sister's thirteenth birthday.
Note: Thank you to all the kind people who have reviewed my work and inspired me to continue. }-----,------,---
"Be careful with that thing, you might poke your eye out." I said with a grin. He laughed.
"Then I'll be like a real pirate. All I'd need is a wooden leg...or maybe a wooden tail." He turned towards me, swishing the impromptu sword in my face. "Walk the plank, ye wench, or suffer the consequences."
"But captain, the ship has already sunk! I'm already under the water!"
"Aw, you're no fun." he said, grabbing a lock of my deep brown hair and giving it a tug. He was certainly boyish, but amusingly so. I couldn't remember ever having this much fun. I gave him a little push, then rapidly turned tail and swam away from him.
"Bet you can't catch me!" I called over my shoulder with a giggle. He gave chase, and I led him up and down, around stones, caves, and reefs, past fish of every color. Finally he collided with me, causing both of us to somersault together three times before we stilled, with Dylan above me, looking down into my face. He leaned closer, and for a moment I was sure he was going to kiss me. But instead, he stuck his tongue out at me. "You lost your bet." he said.
"So I have. What do I have to do?"
"Hmmm...you have to...tell me about yourself. About why you can't go to the ball and everything." The goofy look on his face disappeared, replaced by an uncharacteristic seriousness.
"I suppose I do owe you that much," I said slowly, "but you have to promise me you won't think any less of me, or anything like that."
"I swear." he said, raising his right hand with a hint of a grin.
And so I told him. I told him about my parents, about my stepmother and stepsister, about the way I was treated. When I was finished, he shook his head sympathetically. "You shouldn't put up with that. Bloodline or no, legally you are a princess. Your father was a king, even if only for a short time period." I looked at him quizzically. I felt as though I were conversing with a different person. I shrugged.
"What can I do? I don't want to wind up like my father. I'll just wait it out until I'm old enough to live on my own, with no support. The queen knows I would never try to make a claim on the throne."
"But it's your right. You're the eldest."
"You don't understand. I don't want to be a princess, I don't want to be a queen, I don't want to make trouble. I just want to live my own life."
"I see." he said. "So you won't come with me to the ball tonight, because you're afraid of making trouble for yourself?"
"Yes." I said.
"That's too bad. It won't be any fun without you." There was a silent pause.
"Well, next time there's a ball here that you are invited to, maybe we could meet before it begins, like today." A wide grin spread across his face at the suggestion.
"That would be great." he replied.
"Well, it's getting late, and the ball will be starting soon. I'll show you to the castle."
I swam reluctantly in the direction of Atalanta, and he followed. When we approached the city, I stopped and pointed north. "The castle is that way, you won't be able to miss it. I...I don't think I should be seen with you. I don't want to get punished for making you late or anything."
"All right. I'll see you next time?"
"See you next time." I agreed, and with that, he swam towards the castle. I watched him leave until I could no longer make him out, then headed home in my own roundabout way.
I lost count of our secret meetings after that. Not that there were that many-quite the opposite; I felt as though there were years between each visit. But the pure, sweet joy of seeing him caused me to lose track of whether it was the third or fourth time I had seen him. When I was with him, I felt like I was a child again, back to a time before the loss of my parents and the burdens of servitude. He was so energetic, playful, and humorous that when I was with him I forgot all about my problems, and once in a while when they did come back to haunt me, his sweetness and sincerity helped me through them.
Was I falling in love with him? It is hard to say. We were still quite young, and of different stations in life. We had only known each other a short time, and only met briefly within that already small time period. Perhaps, in different circumstances, our relationship might have grown and matured into something else, a passionate love or a close friendship. But I will never know, because it was interrupted. Our last meeting, my last memory of him before our special relationship was irrevocably destroyed and tarnished, the day my life as I knew it changed forever, was the night of my sister's thirteenth birthday.
Note: Thank you to all the kind people who have reviewed my work and inspired me to continue. }-----,------,---