The Cupid Tree

May 15th, 1801 London, England

"Philip," she whispers, careful not to be heard.

No response.

"Philip," she whispers louder.

"I'm here, Amelia," he whispers back.

Amelia sighed in relief and walked to where she heard her lover's voice. In the darkness of the stable, she found him hiding behind a barrel.

"We can't keep hiding all the time, come on!" she said, grabbing his hand and racing out the back door of the stable.

"Amelia! What are you doing? You're going to get us killed!" Philip whispered urgently.

"Relax, everyone is in the market today. The woods are a perfect spot for us, let's go!" Amelia giggled excitedly. The wind picked up slightly, blowing her long, red hair into her face.

The two made their way through the trees and farther and farther into the woods. Amelia stopped for a moment and turned to Philip.

"Why are we doing this?" she asked him.

"Doing what?"

"Fancying the idea that we could actually be together," Amelia said dejectedly.

"Because we can be together, Amelia," Philip said, taking her hand in his, "I know we come from different backgrounds; you're a princess and I'm just a peasant, but love always wins. Maybe times are like this now, but who knows what could happen in the future."

Amelia smiled and kept walking through the trees. A few minutes passed in silence, until Amelia stumbled and fell.

"Good heavens, are you okay?" Philip asked, reaching his hand out and helping her up.

"Yes, I'm alright," she responded, her eyes fixing on something nearby.

"What is it?" Asked Philip, trying to see where her gaze had landed.

"Look at this tree, it's beautiful," she said. Amelia walked over and placed her hand on the trunk, her delicate fingers grazing the rough bark.

"Give me your knife," she said to Philip.

"Why do you need my knife?" he asked quizzically, grabbing his knife hesitantly.

"I've been holding the secret of our courtship to myself for so long. We can't tell anyone in the town, but maybe this tree can keep our secret."

Amelia took the knife from Philip's hands and stared at the tree for a moment. She lined the knife up with a section of the trunk and began to carve. After a couple minutes, the letters "P+A" were engraved into the bark.

And with that, Amelia took Philip's hand, and the two started to walk back to their village.