My Heart Is Yours

Chapter 66

"Maine, wake up. We're almost there."

Maine slowly opened her eyes to the picturesque sight of Füssen. They were on a tour group to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle and the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. They were on a train ride from Frankfurt to Füssen with Richard just letting her sleep the rest of the way.

Yesterday was pretty much uneventful for the two of them as Richard slept most of the morning 'til early afternoon. Maine stayed with him the whole day, sitting beside him on the bed while she read from her Kindle that she brought with her and just letting him sleep. He kept hold of her hand as he snored softly beside her, an indication of how tired he was from their flight. She only extricated her hand when she left him for a few minutes to buy food at the nearest restaurant from the hotel. She went back to his room to see Richard still sleeping soundly. When Richard finally woke up, they've just decided to stay in the rest of the day, watching whatever movie was available on TV, only leaving to buy take out for their dinner, then coming back to his room to continue their movie marathon. Their day ended when Martin texted Richard that they were back from sight-seeing.

"Sorry," Richard said, pulling her out of her reverie. "This is the only trip I can take you. I'll do better next time."

"Are you kidding?" Maine remarked. "What could be a better trip than seeing the castle that inspired the castle of Disney's Sleeping Beauty? I have always wanted to see it up close. Have you been here before?"

"No," he replied. "I rarely get assigned to Frankfurt. I usually get either Hamburg or Berlin."

"So," she said. "This is your first time too?"

"Yup," he answered. "So, let's both enjoy this tour."

They disembarked the train and got on a bus that would take them to the castle. The tourist guide upfront narrated the history and culture of the place. Maine and Richard listened attentively as they watch the landmarks being pointed out to them. Maine was a bit disappointed that Richard wasn't whispering in her ear. She was used to hearing his own version of trivia about the places they went to. But Richard's hand didn't leave hers the whole time. Hands clasped with their fingers intertwined, he assured her with that gesture that she was safe with him. He pointed to her the places that fascinated him, telling her that they can try to come back in their own time.

When Neuschwanstein Castle was close, Richard heard Maine gasped at the sight. The castle was magnificent. The tourist guide told them about the history and the short biography of its builder, King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Vehicles were not allowed on the castle grounds so the tour group trekked the rest of the way. When they came upon the castle, the structure was magnificent on the outside and when they went inside the castle, they were in awe. They have maintained the castle very well and have made sure it was well kept. They were toured inside the castle and on the castle grounds. The tourist guide provided them with bits of trivia and information concerning the castle and its builder.

The tour group then had lunch at the local restaurant found on the castle grounds. Richard sat beside Maine at a table as they ate, when two French girls who were a part of their tour group, asked if they could sit with them. Richard begrudgingly obliged and felt Maine stiffen beside him. She was eyeing the two women discreetly. They were very beautiful women and they were chatting up Richard, ignoring Maine completely. They were speaking in French, with Richard giving short but polite replies in the language.

As Maine watched the exchange of conversation between Richard and the French, one of the women said something that looked to have startled Richard. He said something in French and the other one nodded. There were more exchanges before Richard closed his eyes and sighed.