Royally Screwed

13

His hands were sweaty. It was the first thing I noticed as our fingers intertwine.  My stomach was dancing as the two of us stepped out of the castle. I had a view of the gardens from my room but it was simply magnificent up close. There was no one walking close to us, no guards, it almost lured me into a false sense of security.

I think the lack of guards was what made me feel at ease as I genuinely admired the lush garden. "It's beautiful isn't it?" Philip broke the silence watching me.

My cheeks turned slightly crimson as I met those blue eyes of his. I smiled, a little sheepishly, "That's one word for it."

A genuine small smile crept up his features but he still stood straight, the grey suit an odd choice for a walk in the garden but a strategic one -

"You should see Gonul Davet Castle's garden," Philip said, "I like it there, it's beautiful."

"That's in Turkey, right?" I asked softly. This was familiar ground, one of the things that drew me to him, how well traveled he was. He'd seen the beauties the world had to offer, it just never occurred to me to what extent it was. 

Philip smiled, "It's a lot bigger, and very beautiful. You know the best part of being there?" There was a genuineness there that was so hard to capture half the time, it sent my heart into a frenzy, his voice was significantly softer as he said, "No one knows who I am."

"You want that." We both stopped, looking at each other, "the normalcy." 

"We all want things we can't have"

His smile was one full of sorrow. Surprising myself and him, I kissed him gently on the corner of his lips, "you can be as normal as you want with me." I told him. 

I wondered if that would be enough. Because I knew I was stealing his chance away at true love. 

And I wondered how many Prince and Princesses have lost that chance of a shot at true love because of their country. 

Philip's eyes softened as he met mine, "thank you," he said pulling his sweaty hand with mine intertwined to his lips. "But I don't think I can, we'll always have this image to maintain and normalcy will get in the way in that."

"In private then," I whispered. 

Half his lips curled, "You're truly something else, Alana."

We continued walking, reaching a fountain. Rainbows catch in the streams of water, the sound soothing and gentle and my heart picked up because somehow Philip's hand has left mine and I know without a doubt, he's behind me, one knee on the beige cobblestones that line our path.

My heart rate picks up and I wonder how long I could stare at the fountain, how long I could hold off the impossible. One minute - two?

"Alana," Philip's voice rumbled behind me, soft and shy.

So I turn around, heart stopping when I see him down on a knee, a velvet black box in hand with a shining ring sitting in the box. I dimly hear the click of a camera as I look at Philip. The tourist whom I thought would leave me, the boy with sand on his skin, the prince in the suit.

"Alana Moses," He began clearly, knowing that somewhere there's a camera taking either a photo or video I wasn't sure but he's being watched. I know this. I know this is all fake but I couldn't stop my heart from rushing, much less the heat that spread across my cheeks to my ear and neck making me look blotchy and red.

"You've been my rock when things go crazy, you're the sea that moves me forward, you are the stars that shine in the sky guiding me home. You're home to me, there's no one I'm more in love with than you and no one that knows me like you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Alana Moses." 

He's a good actor, because I believed him, because there were butterflies in my stomach and I couldn't stop blushing. I hadn't heard his proposal till now, only knowing that today was the day. They wanted my reaction to be genuine as possible, given the circumstances.

"Will you give me the honour of marrying you?"

That's when everything shattered because the look in his eyes gave it all away, the pain that he expertly hid flared for one brief moment as the words left his mouth and the hollow prince appeared.

No, cried my heart, "Yes," said my mouth.