Love Stories

Chapter Five

The party passed without incident. Nash met Keldan and they got along very well. Keldan recognized him immediately, but he certainly didn't care. Instead he joined in and told everyone elaborate stories about him. They had to stop him at calling him the prince of Turyn, but otherwise it was well. The summer passed like that, Leah invited Nash to certain non-formal events and Nash took her places sometimes in the city.

                "Goodbye," Leah echoed, turning and walking through the castle gates. A breeze colder than normal swept by her and made her shiver, a reminder that fall had arrived. She sighed and glanced behind her, Nash had already disappeared but she smiled anyway. She enjoyed spending time with him and they'd been spending a lot together recently. He knew that she was bored, so he tried to fill up some of her time when he could.

                The summer had flown by, really. It was easy to lose track of time when you were having fun and she certainly was. Nash seemed to nave a never ending idea of things to do and Leah never got bored of any of it. Leah thought about her last summer and realized her heart had completely healed. It also had the same feeling.

                Leah stopped short and looked over her shoulder. She loved Nash? She smiled as she realized it was true. She loved Nash. She grinned and hurried into the castle.

                The next day he came around and she couldn't stop laughing. If anything he said was slightly funny she would laugh. She wasn't sure why, only that she was happy. She liked being with him. And she liked that she liked it. Nash was glad she was in a good mood. He asked her if she might want to go to his house for lunch, and she said yes. They could have told his mother that she was anyone, princess of Turyn, but Nash decided on the truth.

                She was eventually calmed down enough to function. It helped when Asher came in and acted normally. The more people who thought it wasn't strange the better. Lunch went over perfectly fine and Nash walked her back home again. "That was alright," he laughed.

                Leah laughed with him. "It was more than alright, I like your mother."

                "I think she got used to the idea by now," Nash laughed again.

                "I hope so, it was a little awkward at first," Leah said.

                "Well if you weren't royal and your son brought home a princess what would you think? Ha."

                "That would be strange, indeed." Leah smiled and sighed contentedly.

                "Am I courting you?" It felt like a sudden question. "I mean, is that what you think I'm doing?"

                "I... I don't know. What do you think?"

                "Well what does it feel like?"

                "It kind of feels like you are," Leah said slowly.

                "I kind of feel like I am." Nash couldn't keep a little smile from growing.

                "Good, I want you to."

                "But you're still a princess." He leaned against the wall of the courtyard. He usually only took her to the gate if he wasn't working.

                "What does that have to do with anything?" Leah asked, stopping and facing him.

                "I'm a stable boy. So, I'm secretly courting you."