Chapter 6: Love at First Sight

Despite only meeting the young stable boy just seconds ago, Lapis felt that she had seen him somewhere before, not in a physical sense, but perhaps, in her dreams.

"Is everything alright, madam?" Jamie asked, who was becoming quite concerned as the young maiden stared at him.

Lapis soon realised what she was doing, and in a state of panic, ran away from Jamie to hide behind the nearest tree that she could find. Jamie, fearing that he had upset the blue girl in some way, went over to the tree to check if she was alright.

"Hey, it's okay," he said in a calming tone. "Did I upset you? If so, I'm dreadfully sorry."

In response, Lapis peaked out from behind the tree, not wanting Jamie to see her in a flustered state.

"I'll leave you alone if that's alright with you," Jamie continued as he began to make his way back to his stationed horse.

"Wait, please don't go!" cried Lapis. "I'm sorry, it's just that I'm usually not supposed to talk to strangers."

Jamie was surprised by the maiden's response, that he turned back around to speak to her. "That's alright," he replied kindly. "Though I can assure you, madam, that I bring you no harm."

To showcase his trust, Jamie reached out his hand to the shy maiden. Lapis was uncertain about this at first, but she could tell from the stable boy's kind words along with his gentle smile, that she had nothing to fear. Feeling relieved she took a deep breath and slowly crept out from behind the tree, walking calmly towards the young man.

Soon, both Lapis and Jamie were meeting eye to eye once more. The stable boy was speechless, for he had never seen a maiden who looked so beautiful yet was also caring at the same time. As for Lapis, she couldn't help but be fascinated by Jamie's kind smile that accompanied his charming and friendly nature, leaving her to wonder if he was a similar person to the one that she had seen in her dream.

"It's funny," the blue girl spoke, breaking the silence. "I've only just met you today, yet somehow I feel as if I've seen you before."

"Oh," replied a puzzled Jamie. "How so?"

Lapis took Jamie back to the tree and told him about her dream, stating that their encounter today was of a similar circumstance. She spoke endlessly of how her true love would dance around for hours on end with her before she would wake up and realise it was only a fantasy.

"That sounds like a fascinating yet sad dream," Jamie said with amazement.

"Indeed," replied Lapis. "But my friend Steven told me, that someday it will possibly come true."

She then looked back to Jamie, who could tell from the maiden's dreamy smile, that she had fallen in love with him, and that he was beginning to feel a similar way towards her. Suddenly, Jamie had an idea, one that would help turn Lapis' dream into a reality.

"Hey," he said to the princess. "I know a perfect place in this forest where you can dance."

Lapis was intrigued and could only react with a simple. "Really? That would be wonderful."

Jamie chuckled in response, admiring the maiden's enthusiasm. "Okay then, I'll show you," he said, making Lapis even more excited, for she had never gone into the further parts of the forest before.

"This is going to be such fun," The blue girl replied. "Though let's not be away for too long, today is also my birthday."

"Then in that case," replied the stable boy. "I'm going to make this a birthday you will never forget!"

So, on that note, the two of them walked off together towards Jamie's ideal spot, with Lapis' new friends following them in succession. Along the way, they stopped to collect Onion, who had been impatiently waiting for Jamie to return, having been tied down for quite a while. Once Jamie untied the horses' ropes, Onion 'thanked' him by whipping his tail in Jamie's face.

This made Lapis chortle. "Looks like someone was tired of waiting," she joked.

Then, she and Jamie were off again, and Lapis kept Onion company by gently stroking his mane. This made the animal happy, and he was won over by the princess' kindness just as much as Jamie. They kept on walking until they reached a part of the forest that Jamie nicknamed, 'the forest's heart'. In the middle of this section, was a great oak tree, which stood proudly amongst the vast array of other trees, even towering over some of them.

"What a beautiful sight," admired Lapis who was infatuated by the tree, all whilst Jamie went to tie Onion down again, much to the horse's dismay.

Jamie then took a quick look around to ensure that nobody besides him and Lapis were present. Luckily, no one else was there. Happy that he and Lapis had this part of the forest to themselves, Jamie went up to the blue girl and gave her his hand once more.

"Now then," he said in a gentleman-like fashion. "Would you care to dance with me, Birthday Girl?"

Lapis became enticed by his words, realising that this was almost becoming an exact rendition of what she had dreamed.

"Gladly," she responded, and without a moment of hesitation, she graciously took Jamie's hand and the two of them began to dance.

They spun and swayed for minutes on end, singing to each other in perfect harmony as they moved. The animals and Onion watched in awe, admiring every single movement that the couple was making, with Lapis' dress, slightly twirling as she moved. The lovestruck princess couldn't help but focus on her partner in such admiration, not being able to take her eyes off him as she danced.

"I can't believe it; my dream has finally come true," she thought. "It feels just like a fairy tale."

Soon their dance finished, as both Lapis and Jamie had almost run out of breath. The former was worried that she would fall to the ground from exhaustion if she danced any longer. Nevertheless, both she and Jamie were quite pleased with their beautiful duet.

"That was amazing!" exclaimed Lapis. "Your dancing was almost perfect."

"Ah, it was nothing really," replied Jamie, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm sure that made for an interesting birthday gift."

Suddenly, before she could reply, Lapis remembered something important. She looked up at the sun and saw that it was much lower than it was when she entered the forest. Her party would likely be held in a few hours.

"Sorry, I've got to get back home," she said to Jamie, as she quickly picked up her basket and began to make her way back to the castle.

As she jogged further away, Jamie called out to her asking, "Will I ever see you again?"

Lapis quickly turned around to give him a sudden response. "Meet me by this oak tree later this evening!" she shouted. "Goodbye!"

On that note, Jamie watched as the beautiful young lady he had fallen in love with, was now out of sight.

"Wow, I've never seen a maiden as lovely as her before," the young stable boy said to himself. "Wouldn't you agree?" he asked Onion, to which the horse neighed in agreement.

Once Jamie had untied the horse from its spot, he made his way back to the stable, thinking about how he had finally met someone who he could call the girl of his dreams. Though little did he know that the very girl he met, was none other than the kingdom's princess. Meanwhile, after hurrying for quite a while, Lapis had finally made her way out of the forest. There she could see her mother's castle up ahead.

"I hope I can get back in time for my party," she said as she stopped to briefly catch her breath.

Once she felt more relaxed, Lapis continued her journey home, feeling quite excited about what her party would entail. As she strolled along, Lapis couldn't help but think of her encounter with the young man, daydreaming about the dance they shared earlier.

"This is becoming the most perfect birthday yet," she said to herself. "Oh, I can't wait to tell Steven about that young man."

With the thoughts of Jamie fluttering around her head, all Lapis could do was smile as she approached nearer and nearer to her home.