"So you're from Adarlan?" I asked. I haven't gotten to interact much with the entire public since I was little and my parents made the decision to keep me out of the media so the only time I got to interact with our citizens was when I snuck out. Although it was a large kingdom so it made sense I didn't know anyone.
"Ruthenia, actually," Masen gave me a crooked grin that gave my stomach butterflies.
"Oh!"
"I take it you're from Adarlan?" He asked.
"Yeah. My whole life," I giggled at my own joke.
He led me over to an area where a bunch of food booths had been set up.
"Take your pick," He gestured to the wide array of booths.
I looked around and quickly spotted my favorite truck.
"How does pizza sound? It's from Bella Italia and it's like the best Italian place in Adarlan." I didn't tell him that they had named the restaurant after me when I had been born, to honor the royal family.
"Are you sure it's not just because it has your name in it?" He winked.
"That might be a part of it. But it's really good," I assured him.
"Alright, I'm putting my life in your hands," he joked as he paid the cashier.
"So is this your first time in Adarlan?" I asked.
"Yeah, I think it's the first time the kingdoms have done a joint festival so I thought I'd expand my horizons."
"I don't think I've ever been to Ruthenia," I furrowed my brows, thinking. I went to the occasional royal dinner in other kingdoms but for the most part, my parents went and left me alone at home. It was crazy that I was going to be a part of their royal family soon, and yet had never set foot in their kingdom.
"It's quite a lovely place," Masen told me.
"So...Romeo and Juliet. What other books do you fancy?" He asked, taking a bite of his pizza.
"Oh, gosh. How much time do you have? Um...pretty much every Jane Austen novel, except Emma. Wuthering Heights, Shakespeare, obviously, but mostly the comedies. I-" My eyes widened as I realized I was rambling. I turned to look at Masen who was looking at me with a smile and sort of dazed look.
"Sorry," I shot him an apologetic smile.
He shook his head. "No, I like knowing what you're thinking. It's...different."
"Different bad?"
"Quite the contrary. I usually know what people tend to think or what they might say, but with you…" he trailed off.
"You barely know me," I pointed out.
"Which is why I'm interested in learning more."
I look down, embarrassed, feeling my cheeks heat up. "So...what about you? Do you read? You know...for fun," I clarified.
"I've had to read a lot of the classics in my studies, and I will say I have enjoyed many of them. Shakespeare is definitely at the top of my list, specifically Hamlet. Although, I have to say I'm much more into music."
"Really? Do you play any instrument?" I started to get excited. Nobody in my family was particularly musically gifted.
"I dabble a bit in piano. The classics, mostly," he gave me a sheepish smile.
My mind wandered to a piano I had seen earlier when I was searching for a bench. I quickly stood up, grabbed both of our empty plates, throwing them in the trashcan nearby.
Masen looked confused but didn't protest as I grabbed his wrist, dragging him over to the piano that was currently not being used.
"Can you play something?" I asked, tapping the piano.
"I don't know…" Masen's cheeks started to turn a slight pink color.
"Please," I stuck out my bottom lip for dramatic effect.
His uncertain expression softened as he gave in. "Fine."
He took a seat at the piano and started playing. I immediately recognized the song.
His eyes were closed and he seemed to be in a trance as he played, the spell only being broken as he hit the last note.
"Claire De Lune," I smiled.
"You know Debussy?" Masen looked up at me surprised.
"Only my favorites. My mom would play a CD of classics for me when I was little to get me to fall asleep."
Neither of us said anything for a while, sitting there in awkward silence.
"Excuse me, miss?" I felt a tug on my shirt. I looked down to see a little girl, her blonde hair in braids, who looked like she was about to cry.
"Hi, honey, are you okay?" I bent down so I was closer to her height. Masen looked equally as concerned as he bent down next to me.
The girl shook her head. "I'm lost," she told us, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't have been more than four or five.
I looked around to see if there were any frantic looking adults, but I only saw happy citizens enjoying the festival.
"Did you come here with your mom and dad?" Masen asked her. She nodded.
"Here, let's try to take you over to the announcement center. What's your name, sweetie?" I wiped a tear off of her cheek.
"Ally," she sniffled.
"Ally, is it okay for me to pick you up?" I asked her. She put her hands up, and I lifted her up so it would be easier to walk around.
"Here, let me take her," Masen offered. I gladly handed her over. My 5'4 frame could hold her for a little bit but I knew I wasn't going to last very long.
"The announcement box is all the way on the border, isn't it?" I asked, although I phrased it as more of a statement. My parents had taken part in the planning of the festival so I pretty much knew where everything was.
"I reckon so. It's only about a 15 minute walk," Masen assured me.
"Gosh, her parents must be worried right now," I looked over at Ally who looked like she was about to fall asleep.
"Yeah, if I lost my kid in a place this crowded I'd freak. It's a good thing we found her and not some weirdos."
"I've only known you for like two hours, how do I know you're not some weirdo?" I raised a brow.
"Trust me, I'm fairly normal," Masen shot me a smile.
"That's exactly what a weirdo would say," I pointed out, causing Masen to burst out laughing before quickly shutting his mouth to not disturb the now sleeping girl in his arms.
"What?" I asked. I didn't think what I said was that funny.
"I just...never expect you to say the things you say."
"Um...okay. So, tell me more about you. I know you're from Ruthenia, but have you been there your whole life? Any brothers and sisters?"
"Uh, I've lived in Ruthenia my entire life, although sometimes I get to travel with my father on his business trips. Um...I have two sisters, actually, one older and one younger. One's married, the other is engaged. You?"
"Only child," I shrugged. "That's probably why I spent so much time reading. I was alone a lot."
"What about your friends at school?"
"Homeschooled."
"Same. What are the odds?" He gave me a crooked grin that was slowly becoming one of my favorite things.
"Oh, look! The announcement box!" I went ahead of Masen to find an attendant.
"Excuse me?" I approached the man sitting behind the desk.
"How can I help you, miss?" The man looked eager to help, giving me a warm smile. Masen came up behind me with Ally.
"Oh, what an adorable child! You all are such a cute family," he complimented.
I could feel myself blush as I looked over at Masen who looked just as embarrassed.
"Uh-We...We're not...Actually we, um, found this child? She said she was lost," I stuttered.
"Oh, I am so sorry. How embarrassing," he apologized. "Uh, what's her name?"
"Ally," Masen told him.
The man nodded before turning to the mic next to him.
"Attention attendees. We have a lost child, about 4, female, wearing a pink dress, white shoes, pigtails, blonde hair. If you are her parent or guardian, please make your way at the attendant booth on the border of Ruthenia and Adarlan," he announced. I could hear the announcement echoing through the festival.
"Now what?" I looked around.
"Now we wait," he told us. "You can leave her here if you'd like, but you're more than welcome to stay."
"I'll stay," I offered, looking over at Masen to let him know he could leave if he wanted to.
"We'll stay," he corrected.
"Ally? Ally?" I whipped my head towards the voices to see two panicked looking people running over. As soon as they laid eyes on the girl in Masen's arms, they looked instantly relieved.
"Oh, thank goodness," A woman who looked exactly like Ally, only older, rushed to take her from Masen.
"We only took our eyes off of her for one second and she was gone."
"Thank you both for making sure she was safe," the man next to her told us.
"It was really no problem at all," I assured them.
"You look familiar...have we met before?" The woman looked at Masen with a concentrated look on her face.
"Uh, no. I don't believe we have," Masen quickly told her, glancing at me.
"There must be some way we can make it up to you," the man asked, Ally now asleep again in his arms.
"It really was no trouble. We're just glad you found her," Masen said.
"Well, thank you again," they both told us, before happily leaving with Ally.
"We are so grateful to have people like you in our kingdoms," the man turned back to us. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your date!"
"Oh, we're not-" I started to correct him.
"Thank you," Masen told him, gently pulling me away and out of the attendant booth.
"Why did you-?"
"He was already embarrassed enough when he assumed we were a family. Let's maybe not cause him any more embarrassment?" Masen explained.
"But it's a lie."
"Sometimes lies are for the best. It prevents people from getting hurt," Masen suddenly had a dark look, as if he was hiding something."
I was about to respond to him, but was interrupted by the loud chiming sound, indicating that the festival would be ending for the day.
"Oh, gosh, I didn't realize it was this late. I need to get home," I told Masen, getting ready to head the other direction.
"Wait!" Masen grabbed my hand to keep me from leaving. I looked down at our joint hand, and I felt those weird butterflies in my stomach again.
"Are you going to be here tomorrow?" He asked, neither of us letting go.
"Yeah, we should, uh, hang out again...as friends. If you're free?" I suggested. Everything in my logical brain was telling me this was a bad idea but I couldn't stop myself.
"I'd like that. Maybe we could venture to the Ruthenia side, since you've never been. I can meet you at the border, say, around 10?"
I nodded.
"Great. I'll see you then?" He shot me another smile.
"Yeah," I gave him a small wave as I made my way back home.