Keditha's Beloved

Chapter Six

"I don't know, I think he's growing on me." I say, half in a daze. I was in my room with Emilie, busy working on literature problems Mr. Fenway gave me. I hated literature almost as much as I hated poetry.

Emilie smiles. "He is very easy on the eyes." She says in a dreamy voice. She spins with one of my dresses before she puts it away.

I smile, maybe she should marry him then. "That's not what I'm talking about. We have a lot more in common than I realized." Philip has been here for a couple days already and I found myself spending more and more time with him. "He isn't as bad as I thought he would be."

"Does that mean you don't mind marrying him?" Emilie asks, sitting next to me.

"That's not what I meant. I just meant... I don't know, I enjoy his company." I shrug.

Emilie smiles as if she could see right through me. "Athena, I think you might actually like him."

I give her a annoyed look. "I think you just want me to find a man."

"I can't help it Athena, you're amazing and beautiful. You deserve a man who will treat you good and make you happy."

My annoyed look turns into a smile. "I could only wish the same for you Emilie." I've known for Emilie all my life, she truly deserved someone special.

The door opens and Philip enters the room. " Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to know if Athena wanted to go for a walk."

"I'd love too." I reply, standing up. I glance at Emilie who was looking at me expectantly. "Oh! And this is Emilie, she's a good friend of mine." I tell him.

Emilie stands, curtsying. "It's lovely to meet you Your Highness."

He nods, smiling slightly at her. He glances back at me. "Shall we go?" He asks, offering his arm.

"Of course." I take his arm, waving goodbye to Emilie. She was beaming with pride.

Philip takes me out to the garden, just like the day we first met. The sun was setting and there was a cool breeze, making it the perfect time to walk.

"There's a reason I asked you out here Athena." Philip says. "Am I wrong... Thinking that there's something between us?" He asks.

"What do you mean?" My brow furrows in confusion. "You mean something over than air?"

Philip chuckles. "Yes Athena, obviously." He inhales deeply, grabbing my hands. "I know all this was arranged and against our consent but... Something about this feels right"

"Philip, I don't know..."

"Come on Athena, maybe this is where we're supposed to be. You have to admit you were totally against this at first." He bounces on his feet, glancing away nervously.

I step back. I'm pretty sure I know where this was going, I'm just not sure what to think. Sure, Philip has grown on me, but does that mean I like him? It definitely made the fact that I had to marry him easier but I don't know. "I was, but... Philip I don't know."

"Give me a chance Athena." Philip says. He reaches out, grabbing my hands again. "I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"Philip I-"

Philip leans down and kisses me, pulling me close to him.

My lips twitched upward as his lips pressed against mine. A knot in my stomach formed and I didn't know whether I wanted to pull away or not.

Philip pulls back, still a few inches away from my face. "See that wasn't so bad." He mutters.

"I have to go." I say quietly, stepping back.

Philip grabs my arm. "Wait, you're just going to leave? After what happened?" He asks. His eyes narrowing.

"I just need to process things, please let me go." I say, not bothering to look him in the eyes.

"That's not fair Athena." He tightens his grip.

I finally make eye contact, glaring at him. "I don't care what's fair or not, now let me go or I will call the guards."

Philip finally releases me, seeming very dejected. "I'm sorry Athena."

I study him for a couple seconds before turning and leaving him alone in the garden.

I enter my room, slamming the door behind me. "Athena! How was it?" Emilie asks very cheerfully. It was almost sickening.

"I-I'm not sure." I moved over to my bed, taking a seat. It was alot to process. Philip is falling for me and he kissed me, I might have accepted his feelings but after how he reacted when I tried to leave. It was unnerving.

Emilie sits next to me. "Is everything alright?" She questions. She studied me carefully, her eyes filled with concern.

"We kissed."

Emilie's eyes widen. "You kissed? You mean your first ever kiss was with dreamy prince Philip!?" She practically screams.

"Yes, it was...nice. But I was confused by it and... Well I tried to leave and he flipped." I sigh deeply.

"What did he do?" Emilie places a arm around my shoulders.

"Nothing much, he just grabbed my arm and yelled at me." I mutter. I didn't know how Emilie would react to that.

"He grabbed and yelled at my princess?" She asks, her voice raising. "That man better bloody count his days." Emilie jumps to her feet. I hope she wasn't planning on doing anything.

"Emilie please sit back down." I tell her. I smile, shaking my head at her.

"No, I'm going to give that man a piece of my mind." She crosses her arms and taps her foot aggressively. Almost like a rabbit.

"You can't do anything, he's a prince and you're only my handmaiden. Though I don't see any difference, King Nicholas and my father might not appreciate it." I say.

"I'm sure you're father would appreciate it once he knows what Philip did. Should we go tell him?" Emilie asks.

"Emilie no! Stop making this a bigger deal than it is." I move back to my feet to meet her eye to eye. "Can't we just enjoy each others company right now. Remember when we were little and pretended to be queens of different countries?"

"Of course I remember! I loved nothing better than pretending to be important." Emilie bounces on her feet excitedly.

"You've always been important to me Emilie." I give her a hug. "Do you want to have dinner together Queen Emilie?" I ask her.

Emilie giggles, pulling out her best curtsy. "I would love to Queen Athena."