The Shadowman and his Queen

...What a Girl Needs pt. 1

Shadow Queen Ch. 13: ...What a Girl Needs pt. 1

ENCHANTED FOREST

Quinquennial Beginning of Week Three

The two young lovers stow away in the West library as they shirk their royal responsibilities, stealing any time possible to be with one another. They are enjoying each other's presence as they share their dreams, hopes and desires, getting to know the other to the core. Regina is smitten with her new love, he is the kindest, most caring, most loving person she's known outside of her father and Daniel. Although forbidden, she risks consequence and even life to bask in the rays of the warmth his love for her provides, a warmth of love that she hasn't felt in years. As she shares her hopes and dreams with him, her every fiber yearns for them to someday, somehow come to be. She wants more than anything to share a life with this man and she can tell that he wants the same.

Baron holds his lover close as they sit comfortably on the love seat in the library, he's heard her wants and wishes and wants more than anything to someday be able to make them happen for her. He now has a new goal in life: make his Regina smile. "I've told you what I want", Regina says breaking their romantic silence, "what is it that you want?", she asks now with her head laying on his shoulder, sitting on his lap, cradled in his arms. The answer is simple for him, "to make you happy". "Ok, I know that, you know what I'm asking... Baron, what do you want? I want to hear your hopes and dreams as well" she asks again toying with the embellishments on his coat.

He does know what she is asking and opens to tell her, "I want to see you smile... I want to see you free of the weighted burden of the sadness being in this place brings you. I want... I want to turn back the hands of time so that I can meet you before Leopold even before your dear Daniel, rest his soul. That way I could have you as my own, with nothing or no one to hold me back from loving you. I could court you, sweep you off your feet and love you without consequence. I could take you to my kingdom and make you my princess to someday be queen, both appeasing your mother's thirst for power and giving you the love and life you desire. We could make love whenever we'd choose to, wherever we'd choose to with no one to tell us otherwise. We'd have children, as many as we'd want, and live our happily ever after... I want... I want you, my love. Being a prince, many times it's said that I can have any woman I want, but that's the furthest from the truth. The woman I want is you but, as we both know, I can't have you... at least not right now. And trust me my love, to have you, I will wait as long as I have to... I am a very patient man".

She doesn't know why, but his '...at least not right now' and vow of patience gives her a glimmer of hope that life will someday allow their love to freely thrive, the thought makes her smile. She sits up, holds his face in her hands to bring him in for a kiss and says, "I love you so much Prince Baron Fusilier", she smiles and adds humorously, "'I would add your middle name... but I don't know it". She is so adorable and he loves her for it, "believe it or not, it's Reginald", he confesses and Regina is all but floored, "stop your tales!", she exclaims in disbelief. "It's true, I swear. My siblings and I each have a first name beginning in 'b' which was a coincidence for Benjamin and I, as we are step-brothers. But it's said that the 'b' is in homage to our father's father of whom Benjamin is named after. My mother, sister and I each have middle names that begin with 'r' after my grandmother Regine. My mother's middle name is Regina, no lie you can ask her" he says hands up in surrender when she looks at him in disbelief, "mine is Reginald and Brigitte's Reigna. Like I said, if you don't believe me ask my mother and she'll tell you the same thing. In fact, I'll have Brigitte and I to do something to piss her off and she'll call us by our full names to scold us".

Regina laughs as his plot of proof and says "No, don't do that, that's not necessary I believe you. It's just... wow, talk about fate, what are the chances that of all people the man I fall in love with has a male version of my name as his middle name" she rationalizes. "I don't know, but that's what's happened. What's yours?", he asks "don't have one" she says sadly. "No, need for one, my love, Regina suits you just fine, Queen" he encourages. Baron then asks, "with that said... what would we name these four children of ours? Would we stick with the 'b' 'r' thing or be original?" he asks. "Well, being that those initials are ours, it would only be befitting that our children would have them as well. I think families with matching initials or similar names are cute... I want that for my own family, it'd be nice" she replies dreamily. "Then matching initials and similar names it shall be, my love", he concedes lost in the joy displayed on her face, "so any thoughts of names?" he asks again.