Secret Gardens and Secret Meetings

Katherine practically held her breath as she quietly snuck about the castle. By the time she had made it outside, she was shocked at how easily she had been able to get away.

She knew that guards were walking around keeping the castle and its inhabitants safe at all hours, so how she managed to not bump into one, she had no idea.

While she made her way across the grass that was damp from the night air, she saw a guard in a crisp, white uniform on patrol across the lengthy field, so she quickly hid behind a rose bush and snuck peaks until she was sure he had continued on somewhere else.

When he was gone, she came out of hiding and tried to best remember how to make it to the secret garden that Charles had taken her to earlier. Since it had been night for some time and she and Jasper had been laying in the dark, her eyes were already adjusted, which made it easier to see where she was going.

She wandered around and just when she thought she had to have gotten lost, she found the hidden wooden door that was covered in vines and leaves.

Her heart filled with excitement and nervousness as she lightly pulled the handle and opened the door to the hidden place.

The first thing she saw was the beautiful hanging twinkle lights that filled the space with a warm, white light. She smiled to herself, happy that she made it back.

"You came." Katherine heard a voice say in clear surprise.

Katherine turned to where the voice came from and saw Charles standing in the back corner of the space. Shock, happiness, and hope seemed to be the emotions that were painted on his face at that moment, and it made Katherine laugh to herself.

"Did I not say that I would come?" she asked, unable to hide her amused smile as she turned and closed the door behind her so that the light that came from in the garden did not give away their hiding spot.

"I thought you might change your mind," he said in an unsure voice, "but I'm glad you didn't."

Katherine did not say anything, but she turned her attention back to Charles and she studied his face as she made her way to the porch swing that was hanging from the large tree.

Once she sat down, she heard Charles from behind her step across the grass to where she was sitting. He moved in front of the swing and sat down beside her.

She was looking ahead, but she could feel his eyes on her, so she looked to her left and met his innocent, chocolate eyes.

"You've had a long day. In all honesty, even though you decided you wanted to come here, I figured you would have fallen asleep, if anything, and missed tonight's little secret meeting," Charles said with a chuckle.

He reminded Katherine of a puppy, and she smiled at him. It was so refreshing to have someone so kind and sweet around. She was used to personalities that were more rough around the edges, like Jasper and Eric.

"Yes, I'm the Queen now," Katherine said, emphasizing the word 'Queen'.

"And what a great Queen you already are."

The admiration he had for her earlier after she gave her speech returned to his eyes, and something about the way he looked at her made Katherine's heart skip.

Suddenly feeling uneasy about how quickly he made her feel comforted, she cleared her throat and reminded him, "No more talk of royal titles. This is our escape, remember?"

"Alright," Charles said with a small laugh. "What would you like to talk about?"

"Hmmm," Katherine thought to herself as she gently moved her legs so that the swing would rock, "Do you have any pets?"

Charles let out a sigh before he responded, "I wish. I always begged my parents to let me get a dog, but they did not want one running around the castle."

At that, Katherine laughed. "My parents always said the same thing! They told me that I was already a wild beast roaming about and that I was all they could handle, which is fair, I guess. I know I was always a rambunctious handful."

"That you were," he said, joining in her laughter. "You always kind of scared me when we were kids. You had such confidence and strength at such a young age. I was just so fascinated by you, and you couldn't be bothered by me, which only made me want to be your friend even more."

He broke their eye contact and looked down at the grass as they gently swung. Charles still had his feet planted firmly on the ground since he was tall, and he used them to keep the momentum of the swing going.

Katherine continued to watch and study Charles. He almost looked nervous now, and it intrigued her. As easy as it was to see the emotions on his face, they did not always make sense to her.

"Well at least we are friends now. Better late than never," she told him.

His lips curved into a small smile, and he looked back at her. "Better late than never," he echoed. "So," he started again, "what did you think of me when we were kids?"

Katherine felt her stomach twist at his question. She had never thought highly of Charles, but since she was trying to be his friend, she did not exactly want to say that. She also did not want to lie to him.

"Ummm," she said as her mind worked to quickly think of something. She looked up at the night sky as she formulated a response. "You always struck me as someone who was sensitive and caring. I don't think you've changed much because I still see you that way."

"That's nice to hear," he said with a smile. Charles was the only man Katherine knew that would take what she said as a compliment.

"We're polar opposites, it seems," she noted.

Charles' brow smushed in confusion and he was quick to shake his head and reply, "Not entirely. Anyone could see how caring you are when you're passionate about something. I can tell you take pride in your tough exterior, but there is nothing wrong with being resilient and also emotional."

"My parents always told me to not cry, or at least not to cry in front of anyone, so I think I struggle with the emotional part that seems to come so easily to you."

Charles seemed to really think about what she said before he responded. "I know as royals that we are taught to not let people see us as anything other than all powerful beings. That showing our true selves can be seen as a weakness; but I tend to think that the most successful rulers lead with both their head and their heart."

Now it was Katherine's turn to look at Charles in confusion. He was so unlike the people she was used to being around. "Well I guess we will see how that plays out when you become King."

"Hey, no royal title talk, remember?" he said with a wink and chuckle.

"Touché," Katherine said with a small laugh.

She broke her gaze away from him and leaned her head back to look back up at the sky. She loved the way the stars danced across the darkness.

They sat in a peaceful silence for a while before Katherine heard Charles yawn next to her. "I don't know how I could possibly be more tired than you after today, but if we stay much longer, I'm going to fall asleep right here."

Katherine turned her head to look at him, and watched as he stretched his arms above his head to wake his body up slightly.

"It is late, so we should probably head back in," she said as she moved to stand.

They both got up and made their way out the door. They made sure to look carefully for guards as they made their way back across the grass to the castle doors. Before they reached them, and after making sure no one else was around, Katherine hesitantly asked Charles, "Do you think you can join us at the meeting tomorrow morning to discuss the rebels and the search for my mom? I think the more help we could get, the better."

"Of course I'll be there," he replied.

Katherine smiled up at him and they both quietly walked through the castle doors. Charles insisted that he walk Katherine to her room, and after they said goodnight to each other, he made his way back down the hall to where he was staying.

She gently opened the door and was relieved when she saw that Jasper was asleep exactly where she had left him. She put her phone back on the dresser and changed into pajamas before carefully climbing into bed.

Jasper stirred slightly and moved to put his arm around her waist. Katherine leaned into him, and it didn't take much time at all for her to find enough comfort to fall into a deep sleep.