The Journey

Arthur was sitting in the carriage across from Maria, and though her eyes were focused on the passing trees outside and the bright blue sky, she could feel his gaze on her.

She did her best to ignore him, but the butterflies in her stomach would not let her forget that he was there, just out of arm's reach.

It truly was strange how just about a week ago, the thought of being alone with him made her nervous, but now she missed him when he was not around.

Maybe it was because she had gotten used to him, or maybe it was because he was a constant comforting presence during times when she felt shaky and lost.

Either way, it seemed like every day she found something new to appreciate about the man that was chosen for her to marry.

"So how long do I have to wait before you explain your stint as a grand storyteller this morning at breakfast?" Arthur finally asked, breaking the silence.

Maria turned to look at him and saw his playful smirk which made her smile in return. "You're one to talk, mister wedding planner."

"Touché," he said with a laugh before he continued, "But you started it".

"I didn't want Cassie and Steven to find out that we were royalty," she said, completely serious.

"And?"

"And what? That was the only reason. If I had said that we had an arranged marriage, they probably would have figured out who we were," she responded with mock confidence.

"Plenty of people have arranged marriages, so what was the real reason? Remember we promised to be honest with each other just yesterday. Don't tell me that you're already going against your word," he teased.

"I'm not!" she quickly shouted in defense as she sat up straighter.

Her nervousness made Arthur's head quirk to the side, now appearing even more curious about her fable. "So tell me then," he said intently.

"I just…" she trailed off as she pulled her eyes away from his overwhelming stare. She sighed and looked down at her hands that were intertwined in her lap as she tried to calm her racing heart that was afraid to tell him the truth.

She built up the courage and continued, "In the books I read, they always have these grand declarations of love that are so romantic, and so I always imagined that if I wasn't me, and if I wasn't a princess who would be forced to marry a stranger, that I could experience something like that too. That story I told is how I would have hoped to be proposed to by a man that loved me. I know how silly and childish it sounds, but it felt nice to get to pretend that I could actually have that. Even if it was just for a moment."

Maria felt incredibly vulnerable after her word vomit, so she kept her head down and focused on each of her fingers so that she wouldn't have to look at Arthur.

"Well now I'm offended. I personally thought our engagement was incredibly romantic," he said with mock surprise laced in his voice.

Glad for the relief the joke brought, Maria giggled and looked back up at him, feeling secure again.

"What about you? Where did the outdoor wedding idea come from?" she asked him to avert the attention off of her.

Arthur's smile fell and he sucked in a breath, but he didn't take his eyes off of Maria.

"When I was little, my mother used to take me out back to the gardens so that we could escape the confines of the castle and all of the people milling about inside. She would lay down a blanket for us to sit on and she would read me a fairytale story or sing me a song. We'd stay out there for hours, just us two, and she would hold me…" he trailed off and looked away as if trying to compose himself.

He cleared his throat and did his best to continue, "She wasn't the type of mom to leave her child with a governess or the servants, which apparently was improper, so the gardens became our little secret place to escape so no one would find us. She always told me that one day I would grow up and it would be a place I would be able to share with my own children. So the gardens at the castle have always held a special place in my heart. They're a place for beautiful memories."

He let out a breath and finally looked back at Maria; she could see sadness in his eyes, so she leaned forward and grabbed his hands with hers so that she could comfort him as he had done so many times for her.

"Your mother sounds amazing; I can't wait to meet her," Maria said in a tender voice.

"She was. She died when I was nine," he said as he looked down at their hands.

Maria's breath caught in her throat and she felt a lump form in her chest. "I'm so sorry, Arthur."

He nodded his head, but did not say anything or even look up. Maria could see that his breathing had become uneven, so she brought both of his hands up to her face so that she could kiss the back of each one.

That small but soothing action got Arthur to look up at her, and she could see that he was fighting tears.

He gently tugged his hands from hers so that he could place his hands on either side of her face. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes and sighed.

Maria leaned into him and closed her eyes too as she placed her hands over his that were holding her cheeks, and they stayed there like that with their foreheads together until the carriage rolled over a rock that caused them to yank apart to balance themselves as the carriage bounced.

Arthur cleared his throat and sat back so he could rest his head against the back of the carriage.

"Thank you for telling me about her," Maria said to fill the silence and let him know how much she appreciated his vulnerability.

"I've never talked about her with anyone before," he said in a flat voice. The tears were no longer threatening to spill from his eyes, but Maria could tell that he was still fighting against his sadness.

"If you ever want to talk about her, I'd love to hear more. It's good to remember the people that are no longer here with us so that we can honor their memory and the love we shared with them," she said softly.

"There is plenty I can brag about when it comes to her. She was the best mom," he said with a distant smile. "Thank you for listening," he added as his gaze met hers.

Maria gave him a reassuring smile before they both looked away from each other. She looked out the window and watched as two birds in the distance elegantly danced around each other in the sky.