The Diary Of A Princess

Chapter 8

Lillian wiped the sleep from her eyes. It had been a week since the ball, and she had been settling into royal life.
There was a knock at the door before her mother poked her head around the door.
"Time to get up, you have a picnic today with Alice" Charlotte reminded her.
"I'm coming" she smiled, throwing back the covers.

Lillian crossed the field seeing that the girls were already there, waiting for her.
"Gracie!" Alice called out, she ran across the field and jumped into her friends arms.
"Hey Alice" she smiled, hugging her back.
"We all managed to be here on time and you only live across the field, what took you so long?" Olivia joked, hugging her.
"Maybe it was the library boy" Anastasia suggested with an eyebrow wiggle.
"Maybe she was plotting an escape from royal life and it's expectations" Violet suggested.
"You're all so devious. I was sleeping" she laughed at her friends.
"A modern sleeping beauty" Alice joked.
"So where's my prince?" Lillian asked playing along.
"I'll be your prince and whisk you away from this life" Violet joined in.
"Not all of us want to leave this life Vi" Olivia cut in as they sat down on the picnic blanket.
"You were made for this life Livie, not all of us were" Violet sighed as she fell onto her back.
"You only want to leave because you want a normal life, and Alice only wants to leave because her father is trying to marry her off to someone rich and we all know how Anna is with men"
"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" Anna said folding her arms over her chest.
"That you prefer a special kind of relationship with men" Olivia joked, making a rude gesture with her hands.
"What about me then? Analyse me Livvie" Lillian smiled.
"You are a princess made to be a Queen- The Queen. Yet you weren't born for this life. And you seem to be falling for a certain library boy" she smiled brightly. Lillian threw a piece of her sandwich at her.
"Forget I asked" she laughed.
"No, seriously. You were raised normal, so why can't you love someone normal" Alice sighed deeply.
"Because I'm going to be Queen. Heavy is the head that wears the crown and the weight of a country as well as 54 other countries" Lillian sighed deeply.
"Look who's turned all foreboading now" Olivia joked, throwing a piece of bread at her.
"I was born to be a princess and a queen but, I wasn't made for it. I'm used to being the girl who's different that would rather hide away in the background rather than stand out and now I have to be the total opposite" she sighed deeply, falling onto her back.
"Well just look at it this way, when your queen you can sleep with whoever you want" Anastasia smirked.
"Anna!" The other girls laughed and jumped on her, sending all five girls to the floor in a pile.
"Maybe just be yourself" Violet suggested as the laughter had died down and they all lay on the blanket next to each other "Show the world that we're no different to them so that one day we can choose who we want to be, rather than who the people want to see" She suggested.
"I like that idea" Lillian smiled, taking her friends hand, squeezing it lightly. They all hugged each other, the weight of society's expectations shrinking within their friendship.

Lillian lay in the grass alone after her friends had left.
"Hello my princess" Came Theodore's voice from behind her.
"Hello Theo" she smiled, sitting up as he sat down.
"What is a beautiful girl like you doing out here all alone?" He grinned.
"I thought flirting with a princess was basically illegal" she grinned.
"It is. If I was flirting with you, which I'm not"
"Of course not" she smiled.
"But if I was, it's only illegal if I get caught" he smirked.
"The girls have just left and I decided to stay out here until I have to get ready for the benefit gala later" she told him.
"Which book did you bring?" He asked.
"I forgot to bring one but I'm still enjoying the weather"
"Well, I brought Romeo and Juliet" he showed her "Why don't you read it to us?" He suggested.
"Why don't you read it to us?"
"Because I'm a commoner, I don't know how to read" he joked making her smile. Lillian read the book as she lay on her back and Theo played with the grass and the daisies growing next to them.
"Thus with a kiss I die" Lillian read out before closing the book.
"It's not finished"
"I know but I prefer to end it there. Two lovers dying together because they cannot be together in life. It's better than when Juliet wakes up and realizes that she killed the man she loved unintentionally" Lillian sighed sitting up, she looked at the collection of flowers he had "What's that?"
"I made you a flower crown" he smiled "It's made from asters. They symbolize patience and a love of variety" he smiled moving closer to her. He placed the crown on her head, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Their eyes met. In that moment it felt like they were the only two people in the world. As if nothing else mattered or nothing needed to be said. It was just them. Pure and imperfect them.
Lillian felt Theo's hand move more into her hair, stopping at the back of her head. She licked her lips, and her eyes went to his before meeting his eyes again. She watched as he did the same. Both afraid to end the moment or make the wrong move. Lillian leant forward towards him, pausing, biting her lip, she waited for Theo to decide if he wanted this too. His thumb grazed her lip, making her drop it from between her teeth. He leant in slowly, allowing her more time if she wanted to change her mind, but she didn't. They both wanted this. Wanted each other. Finally their lips met. Slowly. Fearful of ending their moment together. Lillian's hand went to his head pulling him closer, kissing him harder. She grabbed a fist full of his white shirt, holding him to her, not wanting it to end. Not wanting him to disappear from her grasp.
Lillian's phone broke through the silence, startling the pair, they pulled apart quickly. Lillian touched her lips as she picked up her phone and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Lillian it's time for you to get back, if we want to be there on time" her mother's cheery voice brought the pair into the reality of what they just did.
"Of course. I'll be there soon" she told her before hanging up the phone quickly. Theo and Lillian sat there in silence, Theo avoiding her gaze, her trying to find his.
"You should go" he told her.
"Theo-"
"I'm sorry your highness, I took liberties I shouldn't have" he said avoiding her gaze.
"I'm no more a princess than you are a prince. I may be queen on day but I grew up normal. When your ready I'll be waiting, because I want this, Theo. I want you" she told him before she got up and left him sitting on the picnic blanket.

Lillian entered through the back door of the palace, closing it behind her.
"That's a nice crown" Arthur smiled.
"You scared me. I didn't see you there" she smiled, hugging him.
"You should probably get ready for the gala, your mother is running around like a headless chicken, and she'll probably continue until your dressed and ready to go" he smiled kindly.
"Thank you" she smiled, heading off quickly. She managed to hide the flower crown away in a drawer, shutting it just as her mother entered her room.
"We need to get you dressed" her mother rushed into the room quickly, not giving her a chance to think over what had just happened between her and Theo, or what she had said to him afterwards.