Together

So much of Arthur's personality made sense to Maria after he told her about his mother and how lonely his childhood was.

All of his life, he had been tossed to the side, kept away, and belittled by everyone-- family and servants alike. Even with being a prince and next in line for the throne, he was never respected or taken care of in the way that his title would have demanded.

Not only that, but he had lost the one person who truly seemed to have loved him.

It made sense that he took on this persona of an overly-confident, stoic prince with people who did not know him outside of his home; he could not come across as weak, and he did what he could to survive and take back his power as a person worthy of respect.

He hid his emotions behind a blank expression, and he hid his true self from everyone in order to protect himself so that no one would hurt him again.

For the last nearly twenty years, Arthur had to make it on his own because he had no one once his mother was gone.

But not anymore.

"You're never going to be alone again, I promise." Maria had said to him, and she had meant it. She would never leave his side, and she would love him until the day she died.

"Whatever comes your way, I will be right next to you so that we can face it together. I know I haven't done a good job of it so far, but I will be by your side from now on. I don't want you to feel like you have no one in this life, because you will always have me," she added.

Arthur strengthened the grip he had on her back, and he squeezed her even tighter to him.

He did not have to say anything for Maria to know that at least part of him believed her. He may not have fully trusted her yet, but this was a step in that direction.

When he started to pull away from her, she loosened the grip she had around the back of his head, and she dropped her hands so that he could sit up straight.

He, however, never let go of her, and his hands made their way to the base of her neck.

Their eyes met as he sat up, and Maria could see the vulnerability that was still very much holding its place on his face.

Without waiting a second, he leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips against hers as if he was not sure he was allowed to, and was asking her permission.

Maria felt like time stood still, and her lips tingled where he tenderly made contact. A shiver went through her body in anticipation, and she realized she could not wait a second longer to have him.

She closed the small gap between them and kissed him with a primitive need.

A groan escaped the back of Arthur's throat, and he kissed her back with force as he moved his hands to the back of her head and tangled his fingers in her curly hair to get a good grip on her.

When their lips parted, his tongue made its way into her mouth and twirled around her tongue in absolute bliss.

She could not get enough of him, and needing to be even closer to him, she threw her leg around his lap and moved herself to straddle him completely.

His hands moved back down her body to her hips, and he pressed his palms flat against her back to pull her closer.

The front of their bodies were glued together, and Maria brought her hands up to hold his face as they continued to explore each other's mouths.

Realizing that she was starting to get lightheaded, Maria pulled away and gasped for air, but Arthur had not had his fill of her yet.

He kissed along her jawline and then moved to the crook of her neck where he sucked her skin just hard enough to make Maria gasp from a feeling that was dancing on the line of pleasure and pain.

Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and a spark started to ignite just under her stomach. The sensation made her feel a desire like she had never felt before.

She started to trail her hands down his blouse and felt his muscular pecs and abs that could not be hidden by the thin layer of fabric.

When her hands made their way toward the top of his pants, Arthur suddenly jerked Maria off of him and placed her on the seat before he scooted away.

"If we don't stop now, I'm going to ravish you in this carriage," he explained between heavy breaths, his eyes filled with a lust that was new to Maria.

Maria felt the redness inflame her cheeks; whether it was because of his naughty words or because of the fact that she wanted him to, she couldn't decide.

She swallowed hard and nodded, and she laid her head against the back of the carriage as she fought to catch her breath.

When they both had finally calmed their bodies enough, Arthur spoke first. "I didn't realize how much I missed that. How much I missed you."

Maria turned to look at him, and saw the sincerity reflected in his bright green eyes.

"Oh, I did," she said with a small giggle.

A crooked smile pulled at his lips, and he scooted back towards her. He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it before he let their fingers intertwine as their hands dropped to his lap.

"It shouldn't be long now. We're almost there," he said as he looked past her and out the window. "Are you ready?" he asked her as he turned his gaze back to her.

She sighed before she answered. "I honestly don't know."

"I'll be right by your side. We'll do this together," he told her with strength in his voice.

"Together," she mirrored. She gave his hand a squeeze and turned to watch as the streets of Paris came into view.