ARABELLA
Chapter Seven: The Confrontation
Prince Philip rode through the countryside of his father's kingdom. It had been nearly two months since he had dared to go back to King Stefan's realm, even the forests. That day when the young maiden had discovered him at the wall was doubly embarrassing.
There was the obvious feeling of guilt at being discovered, yes.
But Philip had managed to notice that the child he had first laid eyes upon was a child no longer. She had matured quite a bit in the three years since he'd dared to look over the wall at her. She was now a beautiful maiden.
Now Philip found himself haunted by her daily. Her lovely chestnut curls, her beautiful emerald eyes, the soft whiteness of her skin. All these things wreaked havoc on the Prince's mind, and he was again unable to concentrate on what he was doing.
Samson, his faithful horse, as always, knew that something was amiss. Once again, his master forgot to give him his carrot as they ended their ride and returned to the stables. Samson had learned to settle for the sugar cubes brought to him by the stable boys.
Now King Hubert had been letting Philip do as he pleased for years. He had not insisted that the Prince attend the feasts and coronations befitting of the presence of the royal family. But Hubert decided that, at 21, Philip needed to turn his attention to the matters of the castle, and start acting like a Prince.
When Philip came indoors that evening, King Hubert pounced on him. "Son, I'd like to talk to you."
Philip looked surprised. "Yes, Father?"
Hubert cleared his throat authoritatively. "Philip, it's time you started attending some of the royal events."
The Prince looked at his feet, suddenly uneasy. "It…is?"
"Yes." King Hubert's tone was stern. "And you can start by attending the Midsummer Feast at King Stefan's castle next week."
Philip looked up, startled. "King Stefan?"
Hubert looked at him keenly. "Yes, m'boy. What's the matter?"
"Nothing, Father," Philip replied, almost cheerfully. "I will attend the Feast. Good night, Father." He turned on his heel and strode out, whistling merrily.
King Hubert looked after him, puzzled. Then he sighed with relief. "That was almost too easy. I suppose we can talk about his being betrothed to Princess Aurora at another time."