Takeover

6- Cherries

The House that Built Me

by Miranda Lambert

She walked through the entrance to the small corner market. Once again looking down at the meek amount of money in her palm, she wondered maybe she should have just let Evan give her a little. After all, it was going to him, too. Well, it was too late now. 

A small bag of cherries caught her eye. She knew she couldn't afford them, but she couldn't help but think back to when workers walked around the castle carrying platters of different assortments; her favorite always being the fruit. One of the servants who catered the platters observed her preference for the cherries, especially. One time in the middle of the night, when she was years younger, she couldn't sleep. She decided to sneak down to the kitchen for a snack. As she stood on top of a stack of crates trying to reach the basket of cherries on the top shelf of the fridge, the servant walked in. Instead of scolding her and telling her to go to bed, he chuckled and simply reached over her to retrieve the basket. He placed it on the table and pulled up a chair for the both of them. When he asked what she was doing up so late, she explained she couldn't sleep. So, as they sat in the moonlit kitchen eating from the basket of fresh cherries, he told her a bedtime story. It became somewhat of a routine for her from then on. Whenever she was having trouble sleeping, he would sit with her eating cherries and telling bedtime stories. Sometimes, even on the nights that she fell asleep fine, she would find a small bowl of cherries on her nightstand beside her bed at night. 

She missed that life; no real worries, no work, no trouble finding food... 

Cherries; the thing that used to be handed to her on a silver platter, was now a mere unattainable dream. Even with Evan's money, she knew she couldn't get any. They were a delicacy in these parts and therefor priced as one. 

Walking away from the memories of her past, she grabbed a bag of peppers that she could cook in with the rice to give the bland meal some substance. 

"Move aside," a deep voice boomed through the thin walls of the shop. A man with a rebel soldier's uniform stood up on a crate of almonds, making himself visible to the population of four or five people that stood in the aisles of the market. "Attention! A kingdom wide search has been ordered in leu of a possible sighting of the runaway princess. Everyone will be checked before exiting this shop today. If anyone has any information, they are required by law to give notification now. Dismissed." The robust man concluded, stepping down from the wood box that was close to snapping under his weight. 

Keep calm, she told herself.

One of the soldiers approached her with critical eyes roaming her face. She stiffened as he bent down to get a better look at her. 

"Do I know you from somewhere?" 

Crap. 

"I don't think so. I'm not affiliated with anyone in the military," she said calmly; impressed with her level headed sounding response. 

Straightening up, he took one more glance over her. 

"Okay. You're fine to go. Get the things you came for and leave," he said with his stern-soldier voice replacing the vulnerably quizzical one he had used before. 

"Okay. Thank you." 

With that, she walked to the front, paid for the peppers, and got the hell out of there. 

She hurriedly walked through the streets and reached the bottom of the staircase inside the butcher shop beneath her new 'home' in no time. Finished walking up the narrow stairs, she knocked on the door. Even though she was technically living there for the time being, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable barging in. She heard scuffling behind the door before it was swung open with a shirtless Evan behind it. 

Where was his shirt?, she whined to herself. He was good looking. She couldn't really find it in herself to admit otherwise. 

"Hey. Why'd you knock?" 

"I don't know. I didn't want to barge in on you if you were doing something?" 

He sent her a look that would lead her to believe she should consider if she was questionably insane before stepping aside to let her in. 

"Okay... well for the future you are living here, too. You can just come in." 

"Haha, okay, well you can't blame a girl for merely being cautious," she defended as she put her hands up as if in surrender. 

He chuckled, "Okay. So, what did you get? I'm kind of starting to get hungry." He had a smile like a little boy asking mommy for a cookie across his face that she couldn't not smile back at. 

"I just got some peppers that I can cook in with the rice and beans." 

"Perfect. After we eat would you mind if I left for a bit to do a few of my rounds for the week?" 

"Yeah, sure. I can entertain myself for a couple hours," she joked. 

"Great." 

She nodded and turned to get to work on their meal. 

It wasn't long before the rice had been cooked and peppers stirred in. The beans were almost done boiling on the stove and she was beginning to get impatient with hunger. 

The second everything was finished she scooped everything into two bowls and called Evan over from the old-looking book he was reading on his bed for food. 

They sat on the couch making small talk as they inhaled their food. Soon, both bowls were scraped clean and in the sink. 

"Okay, well I'm gonna head out. I'll be back late so don't wait up," he winked at her. 

She rolled her eyes before responding, "I'll be sure to not stay up in wait for you." 

Chuckling as he turned back towards the door, he called, "See ya!" 

Collapsing on the couch, she smiled as she picked up the book he had been reading left on the table. 

Romeo and Juliet

Deciding, since she had never actually read it before, to give it a try. 

Two households, both alike in dignity...