Princess Charming

Chapter 14: Charmaine

Elliot sighed. "I wish it was that simple."

"It could be. If you trust me. If you... care for me in the way that I have come to care for you." She looked out across the garden as she spoke, unable to meet his eyes. Moonlight sparkled across the pond like fairy dust. The air was heavy with the scent of fuchsias.

"Charmaine, it's because I care for you that I can't explain." His words brought her eyes back to his. "That's the reason I can't stay. I don't want you to get hurt. I care too much."

"I can look after myself!" Charmaine took a step back, her eyes blazing. "I don't need anyone to decide what needs to be done to keep me safe. No one makes decisions over what I can and can't do but me. So don't think for a second that's going to wash as an excuse." Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing heavy. So much for keeping her cool.

"Princess, I'm sorry. That's was... imprudent of me." He was distancing himself. Back to being the polite courtier. She needed to keep a lid on her temper long enough to break through his defences. She needed him to forget where they were, what was going on, if she was going to shatter this ridiculous disguise.

"I'm sorry," she said, taking a step back towards him. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's no wonder you're so desperate to leave. I'm impossible."

He smiled. "You're right to be so defensive about your independence. You're going to be Queen, one day."

"Apparently I need someone to rule beside me if I'm going to do a good job. Someone who can balance me out. Help me to control my temper." She was complaining to herself as much as to him, still angry about the argument she'd had with her father that had led to these silly balls in the first place. 

Elliot smiled. "I doubt there is anyone on this planet who could do that."

"I knew someone once who was very good at it." She let her voice soften and reached for his hand as she spoke, her fingers brushing against his.

They were close now. So close that she could feel the heat of his breath on her skin. So close that she could see the way his throat bobbed when he swallowed, his eyes on her lips.

"Do you miss him?" Elliot asked, his voice catching.

"Every day," she replied, trailing her fingers up his arms, stepping in even closer, so that she could rest her head against his chest.

He stiffened, his heart thudding heavily against her ear. Charmaine thought for a horrible moment that he was about to push her away. Then his stance relaxed and he brought his arms up around her, holding her against him. They stayed like that for a moment, Elliot gently stroking Charmaine's hair.

She smiled. "Elliot," she whispered softly.

"Charmaine," he replied, his voice a low murmur into her hair. She stepped back suddenly, her eyes alight with triumph.

"Elliot," she repeated again. "So it is you." Realising his mistake, Elliot stumbled backwards.

"What? No... I... I need to leave." Before she could say anything else, he turned and started back towards the ballroom, only to find two guards blocking his way back in.

"Elliot, wait! I don't understand. What's going on?" Charmaine called out from the veranda. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. He was supposed to confess. To explain. Not run away.

Ignoring Charmaine, Elliot veered right, heading further into the garden in the direction of the palace walls.

"Elliot, please!" She was right behind him, but Elliot could still remember the garden well enough to travel at speed. His ridiculous shoes, he was pleased to notice, had much better grip than he would have expected. He reached the wall with Charmaine still chasing behind him and grabbed hold of a handful of ivy, using it to hoist himself up the wall.

He was halfway up before Charmaine reached the bottom.

"Please, Elliot. What are you running away from?"

Her words set a jolt through him and he lost his footing. One of the glass shoes his fairy godfather had gifted him dropped to the floor below. There was no question of going back for it, so he continued to the top of the wall, pausing with one leg over the other side to pull off his other shoe before scaling the other side.

He started running as soon as his socks touched the soft earth beneath him. There was no point returning for the coach; it would vanish at midnight anyway; he just had to hope that the creatures either found their way back home, or settled into the palace garden. The mice would probably think they'd landed in paradise. The frog possibly wouldn't even notice the change in location.

Clutching his remaining shoe in his hands, Elliot ran blindly through the night, the tears that were now brimming in his eyes blurring his vision.

He was so distracted that he didn't see the waiting coach until it was too late. 

{Thank you so much for waiting so patiently for this chapter! Chapter 15 is written and just needs proof-reading, so I'm hoping to post it over the next few days. Let me know in the comments what you think is going to happen next and please don't forget to vote if you've enjoyed this chapter.}