Her Runaway Prince

“The weather is fair throughout the year.” And the distance in his voice wasn’t lost upon her keen ears either. “We’re quite small, and our architecture is very classic. Most of our streets are still cobblestone, and our houses are fitted very close together.”

“That’s how I imagine most European countries,” she noted, resting her chin in her palm and her elbow on her thigh.

“Most of Europe does look like that, Amanda. We even have a few castles scattered around. And a… a royal family.” He spat the two words out like they were toxic. Amanda sat up straight, immediately noting his sudden change in demeanour.

The normal teasing in his voice was gone, and instead she was left with a cold and emotionless tone. The silky soft purr he would say her name with had changed into a tone she wasn’t familiar with. It was like his voice was a gale of icy wind, bringing with it the cold snow that would ruin the crops and cause many cold nights for the inhabitants of the town. His voice was that cold wind that would turn the air around them to crystals.

The hearth that usually burned steadily in his eyes was gone, and instead there was the flickering of burned and charred firewood dying out. He stopped his movements completely and sat back with a huff, bringing his legs to his chest and resting his arms on his knees. She saw the hopelessness in his demeanour, and immediately she was reminded of the wayward children she would bring back to the cottage as a child in order to care for them. She was a soft person, a humanitarian at heart. She loved helping people, and she couldn’t bare to see the cold in Peter’s eyes.

Her world suddenly shrunk to the size of the garden they were in, with the small apple trees and the forest at the edge of the garden with its large pines and oaks. She took Peter’s hand from his lap and held it between her two smaller hands, admiring the way her chocolate skin looked alongside his pale milky skin.

“Y-you know, I never knew there were any other countries that still had royal families.” She wondered what he had against the royal family. Maybe he’d a run-in with one of the family members? Is that why he was on the run? Was he truly on the run from the law?

Maybe he’d fallen in love with some princess and he was running away from his heartache? Or an over-protective father? What if they’d agreed to run off together to get married in the States, and instead she’d gotten cold feet and left him alone and lost in a strange land? Suddenly, the thought of another woman falling asleep in Peter’s arms caused her to bite her lip and clench her fists.

“Yeah.” Was simply his response, but she had at least elicited a response from him. She played with his fingers absent-mindedly.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I know of the royal family in England, but that’s all. I know there’s more, but I’m not actively aware of the names of those countries. Do you think the Queen of England actually rules like the president? No, wait, she has a prime minister to do that. The royal family there is more like celebrities, more an empty title than an actual job. They’re still super rich, though. At least they do humanitarian work!” she babbled, her mouth running away from her as a certain part of her was too busy focusing on making sure that she cheered Peter up.

And it worked.

He looked at her with his eyebrows cocked up and he sighed heavily. He held her hand up and caught it with his, intertwining their fingers and bringing her hand to his face. He placed his lips on her knuckles, and that efficiently shut her up. She watched the hearth in his eyes ignite again, and she saw his cocky smile reappear. Her heart warmed at the sight.

“Amanda?” he purred, holding her cold hand against his warm cheek. She liked the way his slightly bearded cheek felt against her hand.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”