My Golden Life

Chapter 40

Artie and I continued walking down the path and up along the beachfront. He led me through a covered archway into a wooded area, the coloured leaves made the whole area look so inviting. The wind, although it wasn't that strong, still made me shiver a little bit. Even though I was wearing long sleeves, I was still feeling the chill.

"Do you want my jacket, Katie?" Artie asked.

"No, don't worry, I'm ok," I assured him.

"Honestly, take it," he insisted, removing his jacket. "I don't want you getting a cold."

As much as I persisted, he ended up giving me his jacket anyway, which was pretty sweet of him to do. For a royal, he certainly had good manners and a kind personality. I just wished people gave him that kind of treatment too. We kept on heading further into the woods along the path. Each time I asked Artie where we were heading, he just told me to wait and see, which did keep my mind wondering. We then ended up at the top of a staircase, which winded down the hill to who knows where. What was cool about it was that it was entirely made out of old log pieces, each tied together, and I can undoubtedly say that it looked amazing.

"Woah, who made this?" I asked.

"I don't know," Artie replied. "I'm guessing that it's been here for years, it's fascinating to look at. But it's not what I wanted to show you. It's down there."

He pointed to the bottom of the stairs. I couldn't see anything, so I guessed that I would be able to know once we got down there.

"Don't worry, it's safe to walk on," he said. "I've walked up and down these steps hundreds of times."

It was a long walk down. I have to say, but it did give us time to talk more, and Artie's jokes amused me so much that I had tears in my eyes. Once we reached the bottom, we carried on walking through the trees and bushes until we came to a small clearing, which nearly took my breath away. 

In the middle was a brown marble gazebo which had long flowers dangling over the edge of the roof. The trees nearby still had their green leaves, and little purple bubs grew on every space on the branches. The floor was covered in short luscious green grass, and tiny white flowers poked through the earth, creating this utopian looking scene in front of me. It was all too much to take in. My words became trapped in my throat as I scanned the gorgeous place I was standing in.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

"Like it? I love it! It's something out of a fairy-tale."

"This is my quiet place," he smiled, catching up to me. "You know, to get away from the chaos and annoying dramas of school."

"And no one else knows about this place?"

Artie shook his head. "No, I don't want no one finding out about it. They'll just ruin the place."

"Don't worry, I promise I won't say anything."

We headed into the gazebo, taking a seat on the benches. It felt like an absolute dream. I could hear the trickling sound of a stream nearby, and with the sun peeking through the trees, it made everything look stunning. It was indeed a perfect place to be in, and I honestly didn't want to leave.

"So, what about yourself?" He asked. I turned and looked at him with a confused look on my face.

"What do you mean?"

"I've said a little about myself," he continued. "You haven't yet. I would like to get to know you too."

I could feel my mouth starting to get dry, I had the words in my throat, but I couldn't for the life of me utter them. I mean, what was I meant to say? 

Oh me? Well, I'm from a village in the countryside, I got sent here after my mum died by my horrible dad who hates me with every bone in his body. I'm friends with an ogre, a donkey, a cat, and another ogre who happens to be a princess, and did I forget to mention that I happen to be Goldilocks too? You know, the girl who broke into the three bears house? He wouldn't believe any of that, and even if he did, I doubt he would want to be around me anymore. I didn't think that anyone with a clear sense of mind would even think of being friends with an ex-thief.

"Well," I stuttered. "There isn't much to know, to be honest. My family is... normal. My dad is a..." I paused. I didn't want him to know the absolute truth. To find out about the real me.

"Tradesman," I finally uttered. "My dad's a tradesman. You know, selling things like produce and other stupid stuff. I have a younger brother, he's at a different boarding school. My mum... she's... she's unwell at the moment. You would like her. She's a lovely woman. The most caring and kindest person you would ever meet, filled with so much love and joy." I felt a few tears fall down my cheek, my voice breaking a bit while I spoke.

"Are you ok? What's wrong?" Artie asked, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I didn't upset you, did I?"

"No, I'm fine, honestly," I choked, wiping my eyes. "Just miss my mum and brother, that's all."

"What about your dad?"

"Let's just say we're not close. Our relationship isn't that... great."

"Oh," he nodded. "I see, don't worry. I know how that feels."

We carried on talking and laughing with one another for a few more hours, right until the sun started to go down. There was something about Artie that really stood out to me; his sweet charisma, his great sense of humour... I hadn't met anyone like him before. It was nice to have someone who shared some similar tastes and feelings, who also cared about me. 

Yes, I know I had Lucy, Isabel, and Merida, but it felt different with Artie somehow. We soon headed out of the clearing, back up the stairs and out of the woods. It wasn't long before we arrived back at the archway to my building complex.

"I guess this is my stop then," I said, handing his jacket back to him.

"Guess it is. I had fun hanging out with you today."

I gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Yeah, me too. We should do this again sometime."

"I was about to say the same thing, that would be great."

I gave him a smile, and he did the same. It went pretty awkward for a few moments.

"I'm surprised you even agreed to hang out," He said. "No one usually wants to be around me. Let alone for a whole day."

"They're missing out." I laughed. "It's their loss. Not being able to be your friend is a great privilege."

He lingered for a second, staring at me as if I had two heads. "You want to be my friend?"

"I already am, aren't I?" I asked. "You're officially my first, and maybe only, male friend."

"Wow, I don't know what to say," He stuttered. " You would want to be friends with me? A loser?

"You're not a loser, Arthur Pendragon!" I assured him. "You're a fantastic and great guy. Don't let everyone bring you done. I have your back, remember that."

I stepped closer to him and gave him a massive hug. He was a little stunned at first, but he did hug me back. We then said our goodbyes and headed off our separate ways. Once I got into my room, I sat myself down on the window ledge, gazing at the remarkable view of the ocean. I leaned my head against the side of the window, thinking about the day's events. 

Spending time with Artie was terrific. Amazing even. I couldn't wait to spend more time with him, who knew where it would go. Looking back on it now, I never would have imagined that our growing friendship would soon start to turn into something more.