The Next Selection: Ladies of Illéa

Chapter 13

The tin was metal, and it was cold to the touch. It had a gold and silver crane taking flight across the lid, but it was what was inside that really amazed me. It was a gift from the Chief of Twabria, a small, but fierce, tribe with some of the best Healers around. After I visited and helped garner awareness for their tribe, they gifted me with a sort of medicinal rub. It was clear and waxy, made from their native plants. Walking over to Prince Milo, I grabbed his hand and looked over the cut, a long and thin red line, which stood out against his light honey skin. Dabbing my finger into the medicine, I gently covered the Prince's cut, totally ignoring how soft his skin was and how we were so close that his warm breath tickled my skin and moved my bangs. Totally ignoring.

Stepping back quickly, I kept my head slightly lowered, knowing my cheeks would be pink. I took the small bandage I had also grabbed from my bag and covered his cut. Dropping his hand completely, I stood back up straight and placed a defiant hand to my hip.

"Care to tell me why you have graced me with your presence this evening, Your Highness?" 

He grinned, lopsided. "It's just Milo. And that really is an interesting story..." He trailed off, inclining his head slightly towards the set of chairs. Once we were seated, I looked at him poitedly.

"Well, 'just Milo'? Let's hear it."

He chuckled and began, "So, surely you have noticed how large of a royal crowd we have? And you remember how I told you of how I can never pass up a dare? Well, one of my cousins, the lovely french lass who dressed as a guard to breakfast this morning, well she challenged me, dared really, that I could not escape one of our unnecessary meeting this evening. Of course I said I could, and so I did. Did you know that your balcony is simply one below to the left of the meeting room. Simply remarkable." 

I stared at him. And stared. And stared. It was probably getting uncomfortable, as you could tell by Milo's slightly heated face, when I asked, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Because that's what it looks like, you going off, doing stupid stuff, like crawling palace walls over a dare," at that I stopped, breathing hard, trying to keep my cool. And Milo laughed. It was a short, abrupt sound, and came out before he could stop it. Then he was overflowing with laughter, clutching his stomach. I looked at him, a little perturbed. When he saw my face, he calmed down, just a little.

"No one- has- ever yelled at me like that- before," he wheezed out, before laughing again. I started to giggle. I guess it was funny. A little. Finally, he looked at me. And gave me a heart warming smile. I ignored how my heart beat a little frantically as he grabbed my hand. 

"My sweet Diana, I've never have met someone quite like you before."

A little off guard, I offered, "It's not really like you were given many chances to, you know, meet someone like me." His smile brightened even more.

"Would you do me the honor of accompanying me on a date later this evening, Diana?"