Puzzle Pieces

As Maria walked back to her room, she reflected on the fact that although she wasn't entirely happy with her realization that Arthur brought out feelings in her that Rafael didn't, she was relieved by the fact that she at least had some sort of clarity.

She made it back to her room and was relieved to find that Alexandria was not there because she really wanted to be alone at that moment.

Maria could not believe that she had subconsciously walked over to Arthur's room and she could not believe that she had the nerve to tell him to kiss her again.

And, she could not believe that she had kissed him!

'Where on earth did that confidence come from?' she thought to herself.

Her brain really had abandoned her for those couple of minutes, while something else in her body took over.

Stupid magnet feeling.

She had to say though, something about him was different after she had kissed him.

When he took her into that room, he didn't mock her, he didn't make her uncomfortable, and he didn't try to pry any type of explanation for her wild behavior out of her.

He was just there for her and he gave her what she needed in that moment, which was someone to listen as she sorted through her jumbled thoughts and undefined emotions.

As much as she hated to admit it, Maria did not think she could have talked to anyone else about the crisis she was going through, so she was grateful that he was able to just be there for her.

But then again, she had ugly cried in front of him.

"Ugh," Maria groaned as she sat at her vanity and took in her appearance.

Her face was still red and the skin around her eyes was slightly swollen from the crying she had done.

She was embarrassed-- not only with the fact that she had cried in front of him, but with the fact that she had basically admitted to him that he had an effect on her.

She wasn't sure she would be able to face Arthur again.

And after all, maybe that was a good thing because she couldn't imagine being married to a vain man like him; not that it was her choice who she married, but her dad did promise that he wouldn't force someone on her that she didn't like, and she really hoped he would keep that promise.

But then again, she was starting to see that there was so much more to Arthur than she initially thought.

He was vain, but he was also a good listener, and when they were in that room together, he was attentive and concerned about her.

He took care of her in a way that she had not expected from someone like him.

Either way, it did not matter because she had decided that first night that he was not the type of person she wanted to make a connection with, and even though after her date with Henri she had decided that she would be open to the experience of finding love, she still was not sure that Arthur was someone that she wanted to risk feeling that way for.

He was too much of a wild card, and she wanted something more secure because the last thing she wanted to go through was to fall in love with someone who would not love her back.

With that, Maria decided to run herself a bath with lavender sprigs so that she could calm down.

She had had a rough morning, and it wasn't even half way through the day yet.

"At least it probably can't get worse," she thought to herself as she walked down the steps and lowered herself into the warm water.

Maria didn't realize how tired her date with Rafael and the panic attack in front of Arthur had made her, and before she could stop herself, her heavy eyes shut and she fell asleep in the water surrounded by flowers.

She didn't know how long she slept for, but when she opened her eyes she shivered as the water had gotten cold.

She saw Alexandria in her bedchamber laying a fresh dress on her bed.

Alexandria turned when she heard the water rustle to see that Maria was awake, so she made her way over to her with a warm towel.

The maid knew Maria well and it was apparent that the girl was internally suffering, so she helped her out of the tub and wrapped her up in the towel without saying a word.

They got her dressed and she had the princess sit at the vanity while she hummed a lullaby to her and brushed out her hair.

When she was done, she looked at Maria through the mirror and asked, "Can I get you anything my Lady?"

"Actually, yes. I don't think I want to eat dinner with everyone tonight, would you be so kind as to ask the kitchen to deliver my meal to my room please?"

The maid nodded in acceptance and left the chambers to go deliver the news to the kitchen.

Maria realized she hadn't eaten anything since her breakfast with Rafael, and she was famished.

After a few minutes, she got up and made her way to the table right as a knock echoed in the room.

"Come in," she said and looked up to find Jason entering with a dinner cart.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, pushing the cart into the room.

"Sure."

He made his way over and placed a plate of food in front of Maria before he placed one at the other seat and sat down himself.

"Long day, huh?"

"What gave it away? The fact that I didn't come to dinner, or the way my face looks?"

He laughed but didn't answer; he could tell that she didn't want to talk about it, and he knew better than to push.

Even though they ate in silence, Maria was grateful that her brother was with her and she wasn't alone.

"Thank you for coming to eat with me, you didn't have to," she finally said, breaking the silence.

"Well I figured something was up when you didn't come have a drink with me like we agreed, and then I saw Alex in the kitchen and decided it would be best to just join you here. I know you bask in self-pity when you're upset," he finished with a teasing smile.

"Hey! I do not!"

"Sure you don't," he said with a laugh before his smile dropped and he looked at her with a serious face, "But Mar, it's going to be okay. I don't know what happened earlier today, but if Rafael tried something, you better tell me now so I can go beat him myself".

"No, no, it was nothing like that. He was perfectly fine," she rushed to say as she blushed thinking about what her brother was implying, "I just don't think we'd make a good pair is all," she finished with a sad smile.

He looked at her and sincerely said, "You didn't expect every date with every one of those guys would give you lovey-dovey feelings did you?"

With that she looked up at him questioningly as he continued, "You're not going to have a connection with every one of them. You win some, you lose some, and it's no reflection on the kind of person you are. People are like puzzle pieces-- everyone has a unique shape, right? Sometimes you find another puzzle piece that looks like it could fit yours because you have opposite parts, but when you try to connect, it's not a comfortable fit. With others, you have the same parts and know right away that it isn't going to work. In the end, there's really only one other puzzle piece that'll fit yours perfectly. You're on a quest to find your other puzzle piece, and it's just fine if Rafael wasn't that piece".

Maria, surprised with her brother, said, "When did you get so smart?"

He laughed and shook his head before he said, "Hey, you aren't the only one who reads a lot of books. And on top of that I'm the one who travels and has life-experience, remember?"

"Don't remind me," she said as she laughed too.

She felt his mood suddenly shift and looked up at him right as he asked her, "Do you need to get out of your room for a bit?"

"No, brother, I think I'm feeling better now. Thank you for dinner, and for the puzzle pieces too. I never thought I'd see the day when you would be wiser than me," she said with a small laugh.

He smiled at her and leaned forward to give her a caring kiss on her forehead.

He picked up their plates and put them back onto the cart before he started to push it out of the room, "Don't stress about Rafael, I'm sure he will be just fine considering how much of a lady's man he is," Jason said over his shoulder as he left the room.

Maria breathed a sigh of relief, letting go of some of the tension she had been holding from the day, and worked to get herself ready for bed.