Blue Moons and Lost Princesses

Chapter 2

Celeste gaped as she saw the face of the person whose arms she’d accidentally fallen into. Golden blonde hair with hints of bronze in it, kind emerald green eyes and a charming smile that set off his pearly white teeth, this face could only belong to one person: Prince Cameron.

Oh good God. She thought as she stayed there for awhile, seemingly unable to move. When she did, however, Meredith’s voice was in her mind, and she was the one telling Celeste what to do.

A good lady in waiting should always bow or curtsy to anybody of higher ranking, Old Meredith had told her since young, especially to the royal family.

And that was why, despite the fact that she hated curtsying and being a lady, she curtsied, going as low as she could to hide the look of shock, horror and surprise she was sure was printed on her face.

“I’m so terribly sorry for my clumsiness, your Highness.” She said, her voice shaking, as she wobbled, not being able to balance well on just one leg.

“It’s perfectly fine.” He replied, and she swore she heard a hint of annoyance in his reply. “Now, please rise.”

“Thank you, your Highness.” She said, before rising. She hated being this polite, and she never really understood why Meredith had always insisted on teaching her all this. “Now, if you please, your Highness, I’m afraid I must take my leave.”

“Cameron.” He stated, grabbing her arm as she turned to leave. Celeste was momentarily stunned like how she had been just five minutes before. “I-I’m sorry, your Highness, but I didn’t understand what you meant.”

“Just, just call me Cameron. Not your Highness, or Prince.” He stated, smiling winsomely at Celeste. “Just Cameron.”

“If it pleases you, your H—” Celeste began before catching the look on Cameron’s face. Her face broke out into a smile as she corrected herself. “I mean, Cameron.”

“Stay, won’t you?” Cameron continued as he walked over to the swing, and sat where Celeste had just sat, mere minutes before their eventful meeting. Celeste thought over this for awhile, and Cameron, seeing her face, shrugged. “There’s enough space for two. Come, sit.”

Celeste grinned before complying with Cameron’s request. “If it should please you, Cameron, I shall.”

Meredith had always told them, the servant girls under her care that misbehaving and not abiding by the rules was a horrible thing to do, that guilt was a terrible feeling to behold. Well, Celeste reasoned, she wouldn’t be able to discern if Old Meredith was right, could she? Not when she wasn’t feeling at all guilty.

Or maybe, she realised, it was because it was actually part of the Prince’s request. She smiled. Either way, she felt a sense of achievement.

Her glee was disrupted by a polite question by Prince Cameron, who was looking at her in slight bewilderment and amusement. “If I may ask for your name?”

“If it should please you, Cameron,” She replied cheekily, a small smile on her lips. “My name is Celeste.”

“Celeste.” Cameron repeated the word, as if to feel the sound it made. “Celeste.”

“I know my name.” She retorted, grinning. Then, at the faint image of a furious Meredith forming in her mind, she added, “I’m sorry; you might have to pardon my rudeness.”

“Apology accepted.” Cameron grinned. “Celeste. A beautiful name for a beautiful lady.”

Celeste felt her cheeks warm up, and she ducked her head down. The prince just complimented her. She felt giddy with happiness, what on earth was going on? When she had decided to go into the gardens before, she had never expected the prince to come by.

Never in her life had the idea of making acquaintances with the prince ever crossed her mind. But now it was becoming reality, and to be honest, though she felt elated that the prince would even acknowledge her presence, it scared her too.

“Why, thank you, y-Cameron.” She replied, shyly, ducking her head, hoping that the prince wouldn’t notice her flaming cheeks. She still found it difficult not to greet Cameron by his name and not his status, and she found herself feeling slightly awkward.

“You must be wondering why I’m acting this way, aren’t you.” Cameron laughed. “Well, I needed someone to talk to. You can always stop me if you’re bored.”

Without waiting for her to reply, he continued with his story. This was probably a good thing, because Celeste wasn’t going to reply anyway. How could she, when she didn’t know how to without offending him? “My sister and I used to love swinging on a swing at Castalia, apparently. We’d throw tantrums when it was time to leave, and so my parents had this swing built here for us.”

He paused for awhile, before continuing. “Queen Emmaline was a good friend of my mother’s. She especially loved me and my sister, at least, from what I’ve heard about her from Alyssa. She’d spoil us silly with gifts and presents. King Rupert was fond of us as well. There’s a portrait of me as a baby wearing his crown and sitting on his lap.”

He stared into space as he contemplated on what he had just said, as if he was trying his best to think up of a decent memory he could share with her, just to affirm his belief. “Then the war occurred, right after my first birthday, right after the Lost Princess was born.”

“The one you’re engaged to, sir?” Celeste asked softly, her blue eyes curious and innocently sympathetic.

“Yes, the one I’m engaged to.” Cameron stated, his lips curving into a soft smile.

“If I may be so daring as to ask, what was her name?” Celeste probed, not unkindly, as she looked at Cameron’s face, his gaze so intensely etched onto a birch tree nearby.

“We never knew.” Cameron shrugged, a frown on his face. “The attacks happened so quickly that we had just barely received news that the Princess had been delivered soundly when we received news that King Rupert and Queen Emmaline had been assassinated.”

“But if—” Celeste asked after a minute of silence, only to be interrupted by Cameron yet again.

“But if she had only just been born, how would I have been engaged to her?” Cameron asked, only now turning to look at Celeste, his green eyes looking at Celeste’s blue ones. “My mother and Queen Emmaline promised each other that if the baby was a girl, she’d be betrothed to me.”

“I see.” Celeste said, gently, a small smile on her face.

“What about you?” Cameron asked, turning to look at Celeste, a grin on his face.

“M-me?” Celeste asked, a bit shocked at his request. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Your story, of course.” Cameron asked, the grin now wider than ever. “Your family, friends, and whatnot.”

“Well, firstly, I’ve grown up in the castle all my life.” Celeste stated as they rocked on the swing a little. “Next, I’m orphaned.”

“Oh. I’m terribly sorry.” Cameron replied, his grin now faded and turned into a look of shock. He berated himself for not thinking of that earlier and hurting her feelings.

“Oh, it’s okay. I wasn’t old enough to remember my parents, anyway.” Celeste smiled, but Cameron couldn’t help but notice it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I have a few friends, but most of them have gotten married and have moved out of the castle, and I haven’t really seen them since.”

“Well, Celeste, if you wouldn’t mind, I could be your friend.” Cameron laughed, his green eyes sparkling, and Celeste couldn’t help but compare them to jewels… Emeralds, Celeste recalled.

“I’d love to, Your Highness.” Celeste teased playfully, chuckling as Cameron pretending to glower at her. “But I think I may have to take my leave, before someone comes looking for me.”

Celeste stood up to go, but before she reached the entrance, she heard Cameron’s voice calling her name. Turning around, she saw him standing in front of the swing, a smile on his face.

“Will I see you here again soon?”

“Maybe.” She said, before walking off, leaving him with a grin on his face that matched hers.