The 'Princess' (Grumbo)

Chapter 3; Anxious Adventures

          

Griana knew she was anxious and knew it probably shone right through her mask of politeness, but she wasn't quite sure what to do. The whole time she was eating her stomach churned softly due to her nervousness and she could barely eat half of her already small pre-made plate. She gently tossed in her bed at the thought of what could happen when the prince found out about her.

Would he hate her and declare war? Would he call everything off? Or would he not care... She closed her eyes desperately trying to sleep only for more thoughts to invade her mind. She moaned softly in defeat, staring at the ceiling as her bright green eyes scanned for anything to get her mind off the prince, but to no avail.

She knew as soon as she saw the Prince that she was in love. She could see his soft and caring eyes, his voice steady but warm, his dark red eyes that shone as he looked around, his strong arms as he hugged her and the flare that she felt in her chest made it so she could not deny her feelings. She sighed as she hugged herself.

She would have to tell Mumbo about this, but the images of Mumbo looking at her in disgust that her mind helpfully supplied her made her more and more nervous. She promised herself that she would tell Mumbo tomorrow, before things got too far and she couldn't take things back, and with that decided she finally fell asleep.

Griana awoke with a gasp, her hand coming to rest on her chest and she slowly calmed down. Her fear had always been rejection and it definitely showed in her nightmares. She shook off the dream before standing up and out of her bed, slightly shaky hands opening her closet as she looked for an appropriate evening dress. Her hands brushed across all the gorgeous dresses, some more extravagant than others but none were simple.

Her hand slid across the slick fabric before she paused at one. Her eyes followed it down. It was one of the most plain dresses she had but she loved it dearly. The soft fabric let her breath unlike most of her wardrobe and there was no jewels on it that she would have to worry about losing. It was a mostly white dress, what seemed like green petals or leaves settled at the bottom of the dress while more seemed to be floating down to meet them. The dress flowed down her body until it reached her ankles and the ribbon tied around her waist accentuated her curves in a way that was definitely meant to draw attention.

She quickly put the dress on, adding some cream colored heels and a simple but elegant looking choker along with some earrings. The dress had been designed to bring out her eyes, the green just a tad bit darker than her eyes in order to make them seem to glow. She looked in the mirror, satisfied with her outfit for the day.

A knock at her door interrupted her as she had just put the final touches on her make-up and she walked to her door only to see the prince in front of her. She spotted the roses in his hands and blushed profusely as they were gently put into hers, the red of the petals contrasting brightly against her dress as she held them close to her chest.

"Good morning Princess Griana," She saw how he nervously wrung his hands behind his back and couldn't help but smile.

"You look gorgeous today, would you mind if I took you on a walk around the kingdom after breakfast?" He let out a nervous smile, almost seeming to try and gather the right words to say.

"I-I would love to see everything with you beside me."

Griana felt her words get stuck in her throat for a moment before she swallowed her nervousness and smiled softly, gently reaching out to take Mumbo's hand into her own.

"I would love to Prince Mumbo."

She watched as Mumbo's face lit up as he lifted her hand to press a soft kiss on her knuckles and proceeded to hold her hand all through the walk to the dining room. She spotted her main knights, the ones that took her places and protected her throughout the day standing in the hall, obviously waiting for her. She had created a strong bond with them, they were almost like her brothers.

Doc was the more serious one, never really cracking a smile while on duty, his human eye cold and calculating while his robotic one always a bright red as he gathered information. She knew behind closed doors he became a big teddy bear, always wanting hugs, smiling, making jokes, and even pouting and blushing as she bugged him about his crush.

Her other knight Iskall, was completely different while on duty, the only thing that was the same between them was the robotic eye. Iskall couldn't seem to stay serious around her, always making faces while the other royals weren't looking, trying to get her to laugh. Often times it was Doc that made her lose her composure though, smacking his counterpart in the back of his head with a completely blank expression if he spotted Iskall doing it.

As they passed Doc gave her a small, but reassuring smile while Iskall fake puked, being careful to not make any noise as to make the Prince turn around. She shook her head, but her smile only seemed to grow as they passed by them. She couldn't keep her giggles in though as she heard a hand meet the back of Iskall's head and the soft whine of betrayal he let out.

Mumbo looked back at her with a curious expression but she simply shook her head and smiled and that seemed to reassure him enough, simply letting it go with a smile of his own.

Soon enough they were in the Dining room, Breakfast already laid out before them. Griana saw her mom give her a disappointed look in her dress of choice, obviously she had wanted Griana to wear something more suitable of a Princess. Griana was seated next to Mumbo this time, the Head Royals seated at the ends of the table. She ate her plate pretty quickly, trying not to make a fool of herself as her excitement got the best of her.

It wasn't often that she was allowed outside the castle and this just gave her more opportunity to speak to Prince Mumbo without constant barriers between them from the royals watching her every move. Soon enough breakfast was finished and she was leading Mumbo out of the castle and into the town. Any time she was let out of the castle she would always befriend the town members so it wasn't a surprise when they said hello to her as she and Prince Mumbo walked down the stony pathways.

She showed everything she could to Mumbo, the playground she had begged to get built for the children, she shops where town members and traveling merchants alike go to sell their food or wares, the housing district, where everyone lived, and now she was leading him to the royal garden. This was the one place she loved the most, it was the only place where she could get on her hands and knees and actually work for something, getting her hands dirty but creating something beautiful.

Griana had talked a lot today, she and the prince talked on about many topics, ranging from likes to family members and even pets they've had or wanted. Mumbo did look a little surprised when she finally admitted she had wanted a leopard of some sort since she was 6. They had finally reached the garden and sat down on a small bench placed in the middle of the garden. She took a deep breath, she knew it was time. She messed with the fabric of her dress nervously, she was scared of what could happen when she said this. In her peripherals she saw Mumbo give her a confused and worried look and she noticed she had been holding her breath so long that her chest had started to ache. She let it all out in a shaky sigh before sucking it back in to say what she had to.

"M-Mumbo," She cursed herself for stuttering but continued on as her hands shook "I don't know how to put this lightly...." she looked up into his eyes, trying to see what he was thinking as if she could read his mind.

"..... I-I'm a male..."