Kiss me

Four

Dear diary,
I dreamt of Billie last night.
It was the most wonderful dream.
We were by my koi pond, basking in the sunlight with the tall lavender plants and talking about nothing but nonsense.
Billie has her head rested upon my lap while I played with her hair, the most unfamiliar sensation growing in my stomach.
It felt amazing.
She was so beautiful and her eyes sparkled like gems under delicate light.
When I woke up, it came to my attention that I had slept with her jacket still on me, the soft velvet rubbing against my skin as I sat up.
"JEN!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, getting out of bed quickly as I heard her heels make their way to my doors.
"Is everything alright Princess?" She questioned, a worried look on her face.
"I need the name of that artist that painted my mother, do you remember their name?" I questioned while making my way over to my wardrobe and picking out a dress to venture the village in.
"He passed away sadly two years ago. However he does have a daughter who does commissions just like he did. However, I am not sure whether she's as good as him." She replied.
"You're never this happy to be up so early, what changed?" She added on.
"Nothing, change is good is it not?" I smiled while reimagining the dream.
"Why do you need an artist at the moment?" She began to bombard me with questions.
"I just want a painting for myself that's all. Write down where she is located and I will go find her." I ordered while rushing to get my dress on.
Per usual, I struggled but Jen came to my aid.
"I'll have it ready with your breakfast." She curtseyed before heading back down.
The dream inspired me to own a piece of art that resembled Billie, so I can look at it every night before bed once she's gone.
Flawless, glowing, ethereal.
If thinking of the dream made me feel happiness, I could only imagine what a painting of her would do to me. I could tell getting married off to Finneas was going to make me miserable, so might as well have something to keep me sane.
By the time I reached the bottom of the steps, Finneas was already there, eating breakfast alone.
"Good morning." I smiled while making my way over to my seat.
"Morning." He replied, a dead tone in his voice.
I sat down and began to eat, wasting no time at all.
I attacked my eggs before stuffing my face with bread then swallowing it all down with some wine.
Finneas stared at me, chuckling as he watched me desperately eat in a hurry.
"Where are you off to?" He spoke in between giggles.
"The village." I mumbled while shoving the last bits of food into my mouth.
"Would you like for me to keep you company?" He questioned.
I shook my head before Jen came from beside me, handing a small piece of paper to Finneas.
"Yes." She answered for me.
"It can be very dangerous out there for a princess to go alone, he can protect you and make sure you get where you need to be safely." She smiled while handing me my cashmere poncho.
I rolled my eyes annoyed and made my way to the exit of the castle, slightly embarrassed that I could never travel alone.
"Ready Princess?" Finneas offered his hand while the doors opened in front of us, the sun shining brightly in the sky.
I nodded and took his hand, my face twisting into a bitter look.
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The village was crowded today.
There were markets filled with bodies, pushing and shoving each other to get the highest quality items the markets had to offer.
I finally had a reason to let go of Finneas' hand as I pointed to different markets and informed him on what they sell.
I didn't hate him or had an ill feeling towards him, but I disdained the idea of holding his hand, I didn't want to touch him, it didn't feel right.
We walked and talked briefly about marriage, changing the subject immediately once we felt how uncomfortable we were mentioning the topic. Instead we talked about each other's kingdoms and how our marriage would be a mutual benefit to the two.
I found myself asking for more information about Billie but he stopped talking once a small flower shop came into view.
It was a pale yellow color and had pots of plants out at the front, varying in color and sizes.
A woman leaned against the entrance of the flower shop, a bored facial expression plastered on her face until Finneas approached the shop.
She wiped some dirt off her apron and walked over to him, a bright smile replacing the bored look.
She was beautiful with dark brown hair and light blue eyes that were slightly covered by her bangs.
"Good morning, what are you looking for?" She greeted us, the sweet smile never leaving her face.
Finneas stared at her, a look of awe in his eyes before finally speaking to her.
"Oh, I just saw the prettiest flower and had to stop by to get a closer look."
"And which flower would that be?" She questioned, looking at the small variety of plants on display.
None of them were too appealing.
Most were already dried out and limped on their sides.
A fool would know not to buy flowers like that even if the seller was a beautiful young woman.
"The one standing in front of me." He replied, a cheeky grin growing on his face.
She stared at him, completely baffled and taken aback by his foward remark.
"Do you mind if I ask you what your name may be?" Finneas continued, disregarding the confused look on her face.
"It's Claudia." She replied simply.
"Claudia." He repeated after her, the cheeky grin turning into a bright smile.
Finneas turned back to me before handing over a small piece of paper with the addresses to where we were headed on it.
"I'm sure you can take yourself where you need to be. Right Princess?" He winked before turning back to Claudia.
Sure can.