Tingles and Stomach Flu

Chapter 5

AS she approached the park, she took a moment to investigate the contents in the baskets. Apples, bananas, grapes, cherries... guessing to herself she made out that Jen did not know what fruits the prince would prefer so she put together whatever she could find. Shinja did not know either so she went with whatever Jen had come up with.

The park was what it was, a park. The trees were thrown each from the other organized in horizontal lines. The sound made by the leaves as they slapped against themselves was tantalizing. She stood there for a minute taking it in, breathing in, mesmerized. Thinking about why she had never come to the park before. It was dizzying in its beauty. The red-orange flowers littered the ground of the park.

Blue transparent butterflies were flying everywhere. The scent of the roses hit her nose. A tiny colorless drop hit her nose waking her out of her reverie. Where was the prince? She would drop the fruit basket then get back to the book she had been reading before dozing off while in her room. She had been going over the words she was to say on meeting the prince.

'Your majesty, here is the fruit basket that you sent for.' After that she would turn and leave. Simple, easy, nothing to worry about. However, the prince was nowhere in sight. She searched around in vain, that is when panic started setting in. Maybe he had gotten lost.

Should she call the servants? He could not really be lost, could he? But it was a huge park so it was possible. Thoughts of fear and worry were about to make her brain explode. Her nostrils flared as she panted, running around the park in search of the prince. She was careful not to drop the fruit basket even though that was the least of her worries right now. She cared less if the basket fell. If the prince of the Silver kingdom were to get any harm while in their kingdom, it would severe the relationship between the two kingdoms and maybe lead to a massacre. Her father revealed this to her a few nights back before the banquet. She had not wanted to worry her sisters with this kind of information so she kept it to herself.

She searched for him everywhere all in vain. The prince hid behind the bark of a huge tree. He had laughed quietly at her fruitless search but all that changed in a minute when he watched her give up. She slid down the back of a tree and was weeping into her tiny hands in no time.

Crumbling down to the ground, Shinja thought out loud to herself. "What have I done? I should have come as soon as I was called. Maybe then I would have caught up with him. He would not have gotten lost on my watch."

His intention had not been to make her cry so he called out to her. He was discomfited watching her cry.

"Shinja, princess!" She looked up at him in shock.

He knew why her brown eyes shook with shock at the mention of her name. She was surprised by his use of her name. Quad had taken time to find it out at his request. As if on remote, Shinja got off the ground spilling the contents in the fruit basket while at it. She wiped her tears, gathered her skirts to run but was stopped midway by the prince who grabbed her by the arm.

She looked up at him in shock. How long has he been there? It does not make any sense either that he knows my name. For a while Shinja was stuck in her head, trembling with shock at the prince's actions. Had he been there the whole time, watching her panic?

"I am Silver. My name is Silver."

He did not know why he did that but it had seemed to work. She quit fussing. She ceased in her tracks but did not turn to look at him. Her eyes tracked down the fruits that were rolling on the ground. She did not know what the prince would make of her clumsiness so she bent down to pick up what was left. He stooped down to help her. She turned still astonished by what he was doing. She was doing that a lot; being surprised.

Why was he being nice to her? Wasn't he supposed to admonish her? It was her fault that the fruit basket had dropped after all.

He held her hand in place to halt her movements. She was shivering. He had frightened her. He had to do something about it but what? He dabbed at her cheeks wiping away a tear. How had that gotten there? She thought to herself.

"Shinja, look at me please." He looked at her with pleading eyes.

She lifted her eyes but dropped them fast and whispered, "I am so sorry my lord."

He did not understand why she was apologizing when he remembered the fruits. If she thought that he was angered by them, she was entirely off track about what he had in mind. He watched how her long dark lashes flattered the top of her cheeks. She insisted on not looking at him but he badly wanted her to. What he was about to tell her depended on that. He wanted to see her reaction; it would mean a lot.

"I have something to tell you princess but first you must look into my eyes."

He wanted to see her reaction to what he was about to say to her. It would sound ridiculous but there was no other way to do it. He had no time. Their proximity bothered Shinja but not in the way she thought it would. She was afraid, yes, but there was also something else there mixed with the fear. She was having a fluttery sensation in her tummy.

The more reason to run away from him, you do not know how to act around him.

Her mind was right. There had not been many encounters between the two of them so these weird feelings she was having in her stomach were uncalled for.

I could be coming up with stomach flu. Yes, that must be it. I should leave this place before I make a fool of myself.

"Please look into my eyes' he pleaded, "Hey listen, I do not care about the fruits."

"You do not?" as if startled that she had said that, Shinja grabbed her mouth with her hands shaking both of them. She had forgotten the position in which they were. The prince had her hands in his so when she pulled out her hand to hold it over her mouth, the action nearly toppled them over onto the floor.

Careful girl, you are going to leave this place with a concussion. Heavens! What was happening to her?

"Yes Shinja, I do not care about the fruits. Actually, between both of us, I used that as an excuse to have you here with me."

"You what?" Her mind was working a mile per minute, she did not know whether to be flattered or angry by his cunningness so she maintained a blank expression on her face.

"What I am about to tell you may seem a little bit crazy," he picked her up and they both stood facing each other. "You have to promise me that you will not be afraid. Do you promise to stay firm as I say what I have to say next?"

She watched him as though he had lost his mind. She was not going to let him off easy for hiding and making her worry.

Whatever he has to say, he can say it to himself. I have to find a way out of here. How are you planning on doing that? He has your hands in his.

She was thinking about another attempt to run away but his grip on her hand seemingly light was firm. She would not escape even if she tried so hard. She was stuck here so she could as well listen to what he had to say. She had no idea what it was.

"Do tell me your majesty what it is that you want to say. I shall not run away as you already have my hand in yours." She looked down at their hands entwined together.

"Oh, sorry about that." He made an effort to let her go but he was not assured of her staying after what he was about to tell her. "I would let your hand go but why take chances?" he winked at her.

He caught her off-guard so she smiled. It was a small beautiful split of her lips but it gave him hope. He loved it. "I want you to know that I love you, Shinja."

"What?" she cried.

"Yes, I love you so much from the moment that I laid my eyes on you. That moment your eyes strayed and you looked at me while you danced with your sisters. I have never seen such beauty," his eyes toured her face with wonder.

"You are outstanding. My heart has beat for you from the day that I saw you."

To say that she was shocked was an understatement, she was going to die from lack of breath. Her corset was getting tighter by the minute.

Breath Shinja, breath, do not beat yourself up. The prince is not well may be. Yeah keep telling yourself that, you sound so reasonable to yourself, don't you think? This was no time to be sarcastic, she knew it but her mind had a mind of its own.

Such tender words said to her with so much passion and intent caught her off guard. They shook her to her core. She twisted her hand out of his hold. Then ran away from him back to the castle making no stops until she got into her room.

Once inside her room she fell on her bed, the book forgotten, she covered her head with the blanket and she cried. How it had come to this, she did not know! Torrents and torrents of tears, flowed out of her eyes. Why are you weeping? You should be happy, he loves you, isn't that what you wanted? Maybe it was what she had wanted, at this point she was not sure about anything, even her mind was working of its own accord. She could not trust her feelings or anyone for that matter.

Back in the park, the prince's heart tore into a million pieces when she ran without glancing back. It had taken a lot of courage for him to pour out his heart to her. She had been avoiding him for days on end and now that he had finally caught her in his hold, she reacted like this? A forlorn tear ran down his left cheek. He poured his heart out to her and she had said nothing back, only trampled upon it with each footfall as she ran out of the park into wherever God knows where.

No hope, no consolation! Just tears and footfalls as she stomped back to the castle. It took him a mighty amount of time to gather the bruised broken pieces of his heart eventually managing to trudge back to the castle.

He could not fathom how well he was going to wash off the pain he felt. No amount of talk, food, money or action could console him. He would sleep with a heavy heart tonight.

Maybe if I had been a little more patient? Oh, come on! Do not beat yourself up. Go sleep over it.

He doubted if sleep would come to him later in the night. With all the emotions boiling inside of him, he was sure sleep would evade him and only a brown-eyed princess was to blame for his predicament.

You're overthinking again! Get a hold of yourself. Sincerely, he was being pathetic. He would try again, hopefully this time with better thought and preparation.