Those Who Fall

2

Two weeks later after Aaron and I have grown closer, I'm sitting on the floor next to the fireplace reading when he sits down next to me and hands me a mug of hot cocoa.

"Are you alright, Ardie?" Aaron asks.

"I'm fine. You just confuse me, I'm not sure why, but I can't figure you out." I say.

"Well I can't figure you out either, love."

When I'm around him I get this strange feeling of familiarity and a hint of danger along with it. I've been trying to smother the feelings by telling myself it's necessary to marry him so someday my mother can have all the comforts life can offer. So I can have a family that doesn't know poverty. And obviously by marrying a prince there is hardly a risk of poverty. I might as well try to fall for Aaron as it will be necessary for us to be close as I'm meant to produce an heir. It's still hard to imagine me being queen. The fact that I'm marrying a prince whom I was sold to by my father hasn't sunk in yet.

"I found something in the woods and I thought you might like to take a ride to see it." He says as he holds out a hand for me to take. We entwine our fingers and walk to the barn.

We slowly tack up our horses and ride in the direction of Faith Falls. As we approach our destination we dismount and walk the rest of the way.

I can see the stream that feeds Faith Falls and beside the stream is a picnic basket. Aaron spreads the picnic blanket out and produces a lovely array of fruit. Next comes potato salad and the tea sandwiches. Then the iced sun tea and the delicious pastries. I'm just standing there dumbfounded as all this happens. Aaron comes over and practically has to drag me to the blanket.

"All this food won't eat it's self." He says teasingly.

"Thank you it's very kind of you to do this." I say.

"I have to go on a date with my fiancée or the love won't look real and we can't have that." He replies with a small chuckle.

I pick up a turkey salad sandwich and bite into it. "This is delicious. Who made this?" I say with my mouth full.

"The chef that I brought you is talented isn't she." He replied with a small laugh.

"You brought me a chef?" I ask surprised.

"Well of course I did, you must become accustomed to our delicacies." He said giving me that lopsided grin and I question why he doesn't have a girlfriend when he can have any girl he wants by flashing them a smile.

I'm thinking about this when he slides closer to me and then I'm on his lap looking into his emerald green eyes. He's so close I can feel his breath. I move my hands from his chest, where I can feel his heart beating beneath his silk shirt, around his neck and nestle my head on his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him. He smells like horse from the ride here.

He wraps his arms around me and says "I love you and I don't know why."

"Then the feeling is mutual." I whisper against him and he pulls me closer as though there couldn't be any space between us.

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The sun was just about to go down and that was the only reason we released each other from our embrace.

We're walking along the river, side by side, fingers entwined. "You aren't the kind of person who I would expect to have the title 'prince'." I say right before losing my footing and tumbling into the river.

"I don't think many would believe that you will be a queen." He says trying to restrain a laugh and stretches his arm out to pull me from the muddy water.