Chapter 2

I gasped, shocked by his action, and froze in place for a minute as I processed the feeling of his kiss. The touch of his lips, his soft hair, his scent. He broke off the kiss and moved away from me and sat on the ground, crossing his legs beneath him. He patted the space next to him invitingly. Hesitantly, I went to sit beside him. My fingers traced over my lips as I stared up at him.

I was still in shock. This was the only person who ever loved me. Who cared for me. For more than half a year. I looked at the crown sitting on his head and frowned slightly. A crown made for a king. Not a peasant's child. I felt my eyes start to sting. He reached out and laid his hand on my arm. "Don't cry. Don't cry. Everything will be okay. You'll see." He said softly.

I nodded slightly and wiped the tears from my eyes.

After a minute or two passed, he cleared his throat. "What's your name, sweetheart?" he asked me.

I looked at him surprised and blinked. He smiled softly at me, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand comfortingly. "Tell me your name."

"Um..." I looked down at our joined hands and swallowed. "Yuriko..."

"That is a beautiful name." He told me. He tilted his head slightly, looking into my eyes. “How old are you Yuriko?” he asked.

“Nineteen.” I replied.

"Good.” He nodded to himself, then looked at me again. “Are you hungry?”

I looked at him in surprise. “No...”

He grinned slightly. “Then come here. Let's go find something to eat.” He said as he moved his hand from my arm to my hand, lacing our fingers together.

I followed obediently as he dragged me through the streets of Solinia. People looked at us curiously but did nothing except give us a curious glance. Once we arrived at the food stall, the shop keeper greeted him warmly and ushered him away without any hesitation. I was glad he didn't make any attempt to leave me behind.

We ordered our foods and sat down at a small bench under a large tree. We ate in silence, enjoying each other’s company.

After eating we wandered through the market district aimlessly. I didn't recognize any of the shops. The town wasn’t large and they weren’t expensive, so I was sure that we must be near the castle or somewhere along the road to the castle. There were many people in the marketplace. Many were wearing different colored clothes and different hairstyles. Some wore hats with bells attached to the ends. They were very common, but I couldn’t help but stare a bit. I thought about what the villagers said to me. About how pretty I was. I blushed slightly and looked away.

“Do you want to try something new?” He asked me quietly. He offered his hand to me and I hesitantly placed mine in his. I felt my stomach twist painfully as he led me through the market. We entered a clothing store and immediately headed for the dresses.

I picked out a pink dress with white polka dots, a black cardigan and black pants. He selected a black shirt and black pants, and we left the store. We started walking slowly through the marketplace.

The sun had already begun setting as we continued to stroll through the market. He stopped at a clothing stall and bought me some clothes and shoes. "Would you like to stay at the castle tonight?" The king asked me as we stood next to his horse.

I nodded. “Yeah, if it isn’t too much trouble.” I told him.

He chuckled softly and smiled at me, his eyes lighting up as he did. “It’s no trouble at all.” He assured me. He mounted his horse and held out his hand to me. I grasped his hand and climbed onto his horse, wrapping my arms around his waist tightly. He grabbed a hold of my hand and swung a leg over the saddle. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist while he grabbed hold of the reins. We galloped off, through the market, heading towards the castle.

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