Restored (A Caleo Selection)

8 ~ A Talk So Intriguing

"Miss? It's time for you to get up," A soft voice whispered. I sighed and shoved the covers back, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. Kate smiled at me sympathetically.

"What time is it?" I asked, shoving my hair out of my face.

"Seven, my lady," Leah called from across the room.

"No titles before ten, please, I'm too emotionally unstable," I muttered, pulling the covers up neatly over my bed. I hurried into the bathroom and washed my face and hands, yanking my hair out of the way.

When I came out, Madeleine had a casual red day dress ready for me, and I slipped it on, letting her zip the back. Seating me at the vanity, Leah pulled my hair into a ponytail and curled the ends.

"Now, come back as soon as you finish breakfast, so we can get you ready for your date," Kate reminded me as she opened the door. I nodded and smiled at her, then left for breakfast.

I didn't speak to anyone on the way to breakfast, my stomach fluttering with nerves. When I took my place at the dining table, I noticed a conspicuously empty seat nearby. Hazel was gone. I remembered that she'd had a breakfast date with the prince. She must be with him now.

Thalia looked even grouchier today. Shovelling oatmeal into her mouth, she finished her breakfast in ten minutes without saying a word, and then stormed out of the room. I glanced at Reyna and Alice, not saying a word. I noticed Julia still wouldn't look at me, and Alice didn't seem very friendly today either.

Reyna stared after Thalia. "I wonder what's up with her. She's been more and more dispirited lately."

I shrugged, wondering if Thalia felt envious of those of us with dates. But she had seemed all but angry at the prince yesterday, and I doubted she'd wanted a date. Trying to push it out of my mind, I quickly finished my meal and hurried back to my room.

Kate quickly helped me into the dress we'd selected the night before, and Madeleine worked with my hair while Leah brushed my face with makeup. They fussed over hairstyles and ribbons while I waited, twisting my hands in my skirt and staring out the window nervously.

Finally that dreaded knock on my door came. Kate swung it open, and I stood and joined Prince Leo at the door.

We walked in silence for a while, until I asked, "Where are you taking me?"

"Outside. To the far gardens. You seem like an outdoor type of person," Prince Leo responded.

I didn't quite know how to take that comment, so I kept silent and followed him outside. The sun shone down on us like a blessing, and I breathed deeply in the cool, fresh, unscented air.

Prince Leo didn't seem to notice. Then all of a sudden he stopped, gripped my arm tightly, and resumed walking, pulling me along. "What are you doing?" I hissed. Then I noticed the people in black with cameras perched around this part of the garden, snapping pictures. I put on a smile and clenched my teeth until they were behind us.

I yanked my arm from his. "Is this the way it's going to be the whole time? Cameras everywhere?" I snapped.

Prince Leo didn't seem fazed. "Just for a few minutes! They need to get photos for the press."

I folded my arms. "Is that all this is? A date for the press?"

"What, you expect me to be in love with you after one meeting?"

I wheeled and hurried away from him, fed up with his sass. Couldn't he give a serious answer to anything?

I heard him following behind me, and walked faster. Then I stopped and gaped at the new garden I'd just stumbled into.

The garden was beautiful, with a quiet fountain in the center, circled by violets and roses. But the thing that caught my attention most was that only three sides of it were blocked off with tall hedges. The fourth side, directly in front of me, opened into a thick forest.

I spun around. "Can we go into the forest?"

He hesitated. "I barely got to go out into the gardens without guards. I don't think...."

I crossed my arms. "Come on. Haven't you ever come out here to climb trees alone?"

Prince Leo glanced away, and my jaw dropped incredulously. "You've never even climbed a tree?"

"Of course I've climbed a tree!" he said indignantly. "But just...not very often. I don't get many chances."

"Well, I'm giving you the chance. Come on!" I darted into the forest, and was pleased to hear him racing behind me. I ran along the edge of the woods, staying near the garden, until I spotted an old pine that looked decent for climbing. Grasping a low branch, I swung myself up into the tree and scrambled up to the highest stable branch I could reach, about thirty feet up.

Prince Leo hauled himself up after me, panting. "Do you have a lot of trees near your home?" he asked, adjusting himself next to me on the branch.

"Not that many. Ogygia is a peninsula on the west coast of Illéa -- it's more like an island, really -- but where I live, there's a forest nearby, and I go out to garden and gather berries and nuts and things like that." I gazed out over the tall trees, feeling as though if I reached up through the small, weak branches at the very top of the tree, I would touch the blue sky.

"What's it like there?" Prince Leo said quietly.

I glanced over at him with surprise. His face held a look of longing, like he truly yearned to see my home. "It's absolutely beautiful. It's my birthplace and my home. But..." I hesitated. "It became a sort of prison for me."

"How so?"

"Well, even though I was born there, I didn't live there again until I turned eleven. Long story," I added hastily when I saw his curious look. "But....I mean, I was alone. I didn't get to travel anywhere. I mean, I always had enough food, and a safe place to sleep, which is far better than some people, I know. I spent my time weaving and gardening and cooking. But my family is dead or gone, and I had no friends, not even acquaintances, no one there at all."

We stayed like that, sitting in silence for several minutes. Then Leo said, "I'm so sorry."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault. Like I said, some families have it much worse than I. I had everything."

"But to be alone, uncared for, unloved....that's a far worse pain than anything else. Worse than hunger, war, or sickness." He laughed harshly. "Believe me, I know."

"I would think it's very difficult, being a crown prince," I answered thoughtfully. "So much work, and everyone blames you when anything goes wrong. And now you've got dozens of girls falling all over you, but you have to discern who really wants you and who only wants, well, you know."

Leo stared at me. "You seem to know my life better than I know it myself. Would you happen to be a royal in disguise?"

I smiled uneasily. "No royal blood here, but I thank you, Your Highness."

"You had no problem calling me Leo yesterday. What changed?" Leo teased.

"Oh, excuse me. You were acting serious, and your title actually fit for once," I shot back. "But now that you're back to normal, I'll resume it, Leo."

Leo laughed. "That's more like it."

We sat in that tall pine tree, laughing as the sun shone down on us and warmed the forest. And I quickly forgot my vow to ask the prince to let me return home.

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A/N:
I just want some to climb trees with me and discuss how they think the universe works. Is that too much to ask?

Sometimes it's hard to tell where canon ends and my headcanons begin.