Meet Me Under The Stars

Chapter One: A Chanced Encounter

The cherry blossoms of spring slowly fell upon his feet, a soft sigh leaving his lips as the cool breeze swept past his hair. The mere thought of marrying the noblewoman his parents had chosen for him, had his heart crumbling in his chest. Looking out into the courtyard from the gazebo where the koi ponds bordered the cemented floor, he could only imagine how his life would take a turn in a month's time. The sunset illuminating the gardens below with each step he took, mind lost in the clouds as his sharp eyes had a thoughtful gaze. The black linen robes of his kimono swaying against the soft wind.

Prince Riki was well known throughout the kingdom for his kind heart and gentle nature. The people of the East held him to high regard as their crown prince and future ruler. All the women in the land from the peasantry to the noble dreaming of being his wife, his forever. Imagining the fantasy of being wedded to such a careful and benign man, to live in luxury with him and bear him heirs that were to continue the Nishimura lineage.

The people were sure that their future king would be a wonderful and just leader with a mind as sharp as a freshly honed blade and heart as soft as the purest of cotton. With these expectations, the prince was under an insurmountable amount of pressure, his innate sense of responsibility making him bend to every will of his parents to please his people, to the point of letting them choose his future bride. His heart aching at the mere thought of being stuck in a loveless marriage that was a mere transaction.

Lost in thought he placed one step in front of the other, thinking into his undeniable future. Only to have surprise striking him as he accidentally bumped into one of the servant girls, letting out a soft oomph at the collision between her small frame and his much taller broader one. Dressed in her brown and white robes, a vast difference from the luxurious soft linens of his own, he couldn't make out her facial features, not with the way she was looking down at the ground in reverence muttering out countless apologies. "I.. I'm sorry my lord!, I truly am!" she called out, too intimidated to even meet his eyes. As it was taught to her that the maids were not to make eye contact with the royalty.

"No, No, please refrain from apologising, I'm the one at fault here-", he says, his voice gentle and soft. "And please refrain from looking down, talk to me as if I was a friend", he chuckles in a subdued tone. He places a light hand on her head, tenderly patting it, "Look up at me little one", his deep voice lulls out.

"I.. I am not worthy my lord"

"No, please look at me, you are making me feel as if I was some hideous monster", the prince laughs jokingly. "I assure you, that I am handsome, and to add I will not gouge your eyes out simply for looking at a royal", he reassures, a faint hint of a smirk evident in his voice.

"f.. fine, but please, I beg of you to not tell the senior matron! She will have my head!", she pleads quietly slowly looking up at the prince, staring up at him her big brown eyes framed by thick long lashes.

His voice breaks into a quiet gasp as he looks down at the servant girl that was looking up at him while she fixed her clothes. She was.. beautiful. As if she was drawn from the finest hands in the land and painted with the most delicate shades of on earth, she was absolutely breathtaking. His breath caught in his throat he could only admire her, dark long hair that cascaded down to her hips neatly tied in to a braid, tanned skin that glowed like the sunrise in an autumn's morning and lips that were a perfect shade of pink with a soft hue of red, and to make her even more intoxicating a mellow scent of sweet almonds and warm vanilla emitting from her skin. And her eyes, my god her eyes, those brown pools of honey that resembled those of a baby deer, an innocent doe.

"Oh my word..", he could barely get his words out.

She was the same, enamoured by the prince's appearance, monolid dark brown eyes that resembled the eyes of a mountain lion yet they held such kindness in them, with a perfectly sharp nose and jet black hair that framed his face. The harshness of his face was contrasted with his soft pink lips that pouted out faintly, almost imitating an adorable young duckling. With several moles littering his face reminiscent of the stars in the heavens above. She had heard stories of how handsome the prince was, how he was able to make any girl swoon at his feet with a simple gaze, but she could have never imagined that she would ever be one of them. Her eyes widened, he was a tall man, much taller than the average men of the east, with his shoulders broad and defined. Prince Riki was the peak of masculinity and that was undeniable.