ROYAL SECRETS

Dimitri hadn't been to Central Park in almost five years.The last time he was here was when he met a woman by chance that made him question everything. Thing is Dimitri was the prince of Russia, well not all of Russia a province called Biai. He had been in the states so he could go to college and be a normal teen before he had to become king.

So much had changed since the last time he was here. He was married now with a baby on the way. Truth be told he didn't love his wife and the baby she was carrying wasn't his. They were wed for political reasons and she had never been faithful to him. He remained faithful to her because that's the kind of man he was raised to be. He was back in New York City to be honored at a banquet at NYU, his alma mater. He had come with his right hand man and best friend Ivan. His wife Tasha was at home because she was too far into her pregnancy to fly.

It was crazy, he was even crazier for coming back to Central Park to see if he could find the girl that stole his heart all those years ago. He was dressed in jeans and a hoodie and sunglasses so he could be unrecognizable. He was sitting on a park bench eating a slice of New York pizza, something he couldn't get back in Russia.

"You know how unlikely it is that you are going to see her right?" Ivan said as he sat down next to him.

"I know, but I had to come back at least once to try before the baby gets here and I'm completely tied down to Tasha."

"You know all you have to do is get a paternity test and your marriage is over?"

"You know I can't and won't do that Ivan."

"You're hopeless my friend, totally hopeless."

The two had been sitting there awhile just watching people enjoy their day at the park. There was a playground and merry go round not too far from where they were sitting. Dimitri was watching as the children played imagining what it would be like when his son was born. Would he be able to bond with him knowing he wasn't the father? Would they do the typical things that father and sons do, like play catch? He didn't have the best of a role model in his own father to know how to raise a son. He was worried he would be like his father, cold and heartless.

He was deep in thought when a little girl caught his eye. She had long curly brown hair and a slight tan. She had beautiful brown eyes that he couldn't quite place where he had seen them before. He couldn't stop watching her and thinking something about her felt so familiar.

"Dude seriously you can't stare at children like that. Someone might think you're up to no good."

"I can't help it. I feel like I've seen her before, there's just something so familiar about her."

He watched the little girl a bit longer. She looked to be around four and no older than five years old. She ran around the playground having the time of her life. He noticed a couple times a man calling her by a name he couldn't quite hear. The man had to have been an uncle or something because he bore no resemblance to her. She had brown eyes and hair and a slight tan complexion. While he had dirty blonde hair and piercing emerald eyes and was somewhat pale.

She was very comfortable with him so Dimitri wasn't worried he was there to hurt her. He felt a twinge of sadness while watching her play.

"Why do you look so sad?" He was so far gone in his thoughts that he didn't even notice till the little girl was right in front of him.

"Huh?"

"You look sad. Are you sad? My mom says it's ok to be sad sometimes, but not all the time. If you're sad all the time you miss out on the good stuff."

"Your mom is very smart." Ivan chimed in.

"And very pretty." She said with a cheeky smile.

"Demi, leave these poor guys alone." The blonde came up and gently touched her arm.

"He looked sad and I was seeing if he needed a friend."

"Sweetheart, he has a friend sitting next to him." The man said checking out Ivan.

"Well he's doing a bad job at it, because he looks sad." That made Dimitri chuckle.

"Sorry she just started preschool and is learning about how to be a friend."

"It's ok I have a niece about her age."

"Tell them bye Demi, We gotta get going so we're not late to meet mommy." The man said while bending down to her level. The little girl's face lit up at the thought of her mom.

"Bye, don't be sad anymore. And you, if he's your friend you need to make sure he's happy."

"I promise I will." Ivan said while crossing his heart.

"Good." The little girl said as she turned around and grabbed the man's hand. They walked off together hand in hand and Dimitri felt a huge sense of loss. What was it about this little girl that had him so enamored?

"Isn't she a little spitfire?" Ivan questioned him and the pair walked away. All Dimitri could do was shake his head. He watched the two walk over near the merry go round where they stopped. The man picked her up and swung her around as she giggled. He put her down and then someone came up behind her and covered up her eyes. He could tell this had to be her mother because they had the same brown hair. Dimitri heard her squeal with joy as she turned around and was swept up into her mothers arms.

Dimitri didn't get a good look at her until she put the little girl down. When she did and looked up in his direction he noticed those brown eyes that haunted him for years. Right there in Central Park was the woman who stole his heart Rose.

"Is that who I think it is?" Ivan asked while nudging Dimitri.

Dimitri couldn't answer, he was at a loss for words. She seemed to be staring back at him like she knew who he was. This had to be her, his Roza, the one that got away. They had only spent one night together, but it was enough for him to fall in love.

Ivan was beside him staring at the little girl then to Dimitri then back to the little girl.

"Uh D. Do you think?" Ivan couldn't finish his sentence before Dimitri stood up. Now he knew where he recognized her eyes from, they were his own.