Love Stories

Monarch

"You alright there?" Asked a Scottish accent and Regulus caught his breath quickly where he stood rather uncomposed behind one of the potted trees in the courtyard of the palace,

"I'm fine," he said, though there was a tremor, and he heard whatever the girl was holding be set down on the ground,

"Right." She said, "You know I cry four maybe five times a day round here, how else do you suppose I keep all these fucking plants watered,"

Amusement bubbled within Regulus he almost smiled, he did smile, and laugh in fact when she added in a tone so humorous he forgot he was troubled,

"With my deep well of utterly inconsolable tears," she said, she heard him laugh, "I'm sure you're doing great, at life in general, I mean I know you aren't stupid because if you were you would have chosen to hide behind a different bush,"

Regulus chuckled, glancing at her from behind the plant, she was wearing a servants dress, hair braided in vain behind her head as curls sprung free to frame her face, she had been carrying gardening supplies,

He found her rather pretty,

He found her accent charming,

And he found her presence lovely.

"You flatter me, Miss." he said, smiling at the ground,

"Right then, I should probably go-" she froze when she saw him, not having been aware she had been speaking with the prince, "I- holy fucking shit- I mean your majesty? Highness? I know it's not grace, am I meant to curtsy?"

"You didn't know it was me?" He asked, genuinely perplexed, furrowing his eyebrows, why would she have stopped if she hadn't known?

"Clearly not," she said, a blush rising to her cheeks, "I only know you from portraits, that do not do you justice just by the way, and all I saw were royal robes I thought maybe lord, maybe random court jester who stole something, or maybe a particularly stylish Baron,"

"You're in the royal garden," he said, amusement bubbling inside him again,

"A prince hasn't shown his face out here since that prat stole my cat," she said, scowling and looking to the side before covering her mouth, realizing she probably should not have called the crown prince a prat,

"You've met my brother?" Asked Regulus, of course his brother had to have met the pretty Gardener first, sure she had called him a prat but the Princess of Monaco had done the same thing and had still... done something with him that had lead to her being sent away to a convent,

"I didn't mean to call him a prat or anything, it's just he's got a very, um, prat like nature about him," her blush was rather vibrant, "You, you don't share that, I hope not. You don't seem like the type that would steal my cat,"

Regulus blinked, she didn't like his brother much at all,

"Can I restart?" She asked, a little sheepishly, and he nodded,

"By all means," said Regulus, hoping to get her name,

"I'm Annabelle, I'm new, work in the garden," said Annabelle, extending a hand to shake, Regulus didn't think once about etiquette and took it,

"I am Regulus," he said,

He liked the way her hand felt in his.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, releasing his hand, "Can I interest you in a half dead flower, your majesty?" She said, lifting the basket of wilted flowers she'd likely been told to remove from the flower boxes,

"Half dead is halfway alive isn't it?" He asked, picking his favourite one from the bouquet, he glanced at her face faded embarrassed red was replaced with a pretty pink flush,