Stuck in a Fantasy

Chapter 20

"Oh, you know! The usual. Meetings, sparring, and fine food," Cato replied. Jonah's dark eyes widened at the prince's words, and I could tell Taylor's comments were running through his mind. That couldn't have been better had I planned it out.

Taylor swallowed some water then said, "How wonderful."

"More like boring! I swear we do the same things every single day. Trust me, my friend, you haven't missed a thing," Cato told Jonah.

Jonah gave us a strained smile and Taylor whispered something in his ear that made him nod. We all went back to eating. As soon as everyone finished their small salad, the staff took away the empty plates. "So... what are we to have for the main course?" Taylor asked with a large smile.

"Roasted duck," the king grumbled. He then picked up his glass and drank from it. The couple looked at the king, waiting for him to say more. He didn't. Unless it's just the two of us, he never did speak past that point.

The two realized that it was the end of the conversation, so Jonah spoke up, "The food here is exquisite. I missed it a lot while I was among the humans."

"Human food is the same as ours. You were just at the wrong places," I told him. I then followed the example of the king and took a drink from my cup.

The couple seemed a bit taken aback at my words. Jonah looked at Taylor but the beauty just shrugged and gave him a reassuring smile. Jonah faced the rest of us again and said, "I guess you're not wrong there."

We then went back to eating. The meal went by quickly and soon the staff was taking away the discarded plates. They brought us all plates with three pastries on them. One a type of red berry, a second one was a custard creme, and another was chocolate. "These look marvelous," Taylor praised.

"They do," Cato agreed with his mouth filled with chocolate. His brown-coated tongue and teeth were on full display for far too long.

There was no talking after that. We all silently finished off whatever our stomachs could hold, then Taylor and Jonah excused themselves. The king and I quickly followed. We walked back to my room, arm in arm, with content. "Well... I may not be as knowledgeable as you when it comes to social clues, but I'm pretty sure that was awful," The king proclaimed.

I smiled and replied, "You're right. It was awful. So it was also perfect."

He chuckled and asked, "Tell me honestly, did you tell Cato to be that unpleasant?"

"I'm afraid not," I responded, "He's just naturally that unpleasant."

He sighed and admitted, "If everyone didn't already know that we were brothers already, I would deny ever knowing him."

"I'm sure if I had siblings I would feel the same way," I agreed.

"Ah! Another piece of the puzzle! You are an only child," he remarked.

"I'm afraid so," I confirmed. We got to my door and he opened it for me. We both stepped into the room and I turned on the lights. I began to take off my shoes and the king closed the door behind us.

He messed with his tie and exclaimed, "Finally, we're alone. That dinner was insufferable!"

I chuckled and replied, "It was meant to be."

"What's sad, is that it didn't take much," he commented.

I got my shoes off and walked towards my closet. I moved my hair to the side and asked, "Can you unzip me?"

"Yeah," he replied then unzipped my dress. I thanked him then went into the closet.

As I changed I called out, "At least we helped them."

"Of course! I'm sure Taylor will be able to persuade her beloved rather easily now," the king responded.

I finished changing into my nightdress and walked out. I went to my vanity and sat down in the chair. I ran the brush through my long red locks and, like usual, the king stood behind me. I stared at his reflection and I couldn't help but wonder. Wonder if he wanted to leave this all behind like Taylor did? Was he lonely as a child, or did he have a fulfilling childhood? "What about you?" I asked unable to contain my curiosity any longer.

He raised his eyebrow and inquired, "What about me?"

"Have you ever wanted to leave the castle?" I responded.

I stopped brushing my hair and I faced him. "I have. Especially when I was young. When I was a boy I would run away from my guards and pretend I was a normal person. It never lasted, someone from the town would recognize me, but it was enough to fuel the fantasies," he confessed.

I leaned forward and inquired, "What kind of fantasies?"

"The kind I wanted to get stuck in. Ones where I had no responsibilities. I could just do what I want... when I want. That I could have a family and they wouldn't be in the public's eye at all times. I wished for the freedom," he told me.

"Why didn't you leave then? Yes, you were in line to be king but you have a brother you could've passed the crown onto," I questioned.

"The people," he answered, "On those trips, I fell in love with my people. They deserved a leader who genuinely cared about them. Cato is strong enough to rule but he's never left the castle. He can't care about them like I can."

"Your people are lucky to have you," I said.

He smiled at me and explained, "They're lucky because they have you too. You're smarter than me. Braver than me too."

"That's very sweet," I replied. We looked at each other and I heard that nagging voice in the back of my mind. I'm not brave. I haven't even told him. I can't tell him. He'll hate me. So instead of continuing all of this, I looked away and mumbled, "Goodnight your majesty."