Prince Baylin had been forced to spend most of his days either in his father's war council or on trips to Rivermouth to disperse the troll problem that continued to grow in the Kingdom. Though he tried to spend what time he could with Luana, and at times seemed to succeed at charming her, he felt she was still resentful of him.
Baylin kept his promise to Luana by sleeping on the cushioned settee by the hearth instead of in the bed with her. It was extremely uncomfortable, but he did not want to be distant and sleep in separate chambers.
One chilly morning Baylin woke to the soft sound of singing. He sat up slowly, stretching to relieve the aches in his tight, knotted muscles. He stood, walking over to the hearth and stirring the sleepy embers. The warm days of summer were passing and cool autumn days and cold nights were upon them. Looking around the room, Baylin could see that Luana was not in her bed. He could still hear the soft sound of a song that was coming from the balcony.
Baylin drew a fur off the settee, pulling it around himself, and made his way out on the balcony.
Luana stood, looking out over the Kingdom in the cool morning air. She wore a thin pale blue sleeping gown that dragged the ground, and her long hair trailed down her back. The sun's warmth had not yet heated the valley, and Baylin could see Luana's warm breath as she sang.
The sound of Luana's soft song brought Baylin to a time long forgotten to him. Back when they were both just children, life was much simpler and their dreams were much bigger. He reflected on the memory.
It was fairly early on that warm summer morning when Baylin set out from the castle. The sun had only just risen, and the birds sang a chorus as he made his way down the dusty road.
When he arrived at the little goat farm, he could see Luana picking flowers on the edge of the forest. She was singing quietly to herself while her little goats played and munched on grass.
Baylin hopped the fence and silently made his way up behind her in an attempt to sneak up on her. As he made his way through the tall grasses of the field, Luana's lovely voice traveled on the wind to him.
When he had almost reached her, his foot caught on a fallen branch that had been hidden by the grass and he fell on his hands, catching himself.
The sound caused Luana to cry out and she turned to see what had caused it. "Oh! Baylin, you scared me."
Baylin laughed at her surprise as he stood himself upright. "Well, you should be paying better attention. What if I had been a troll?"
Luana playfully grimaced at Baylin and picked up a long slender stick, pointing it at him. "Then I would strike him down where he stood."
Baylin laughed as he watched Luana swing her "sword" at him. "Okay, I'm sorry, I yield."
Luana dropped the makeshift sword as Baylin pulled out a small package wrapped in parchment paper. "I brought you something."
"What is it?" Luana asked as she took the gift eagerly in her hands.
She tore the paper to tatters and revealed a small box with two strawberry tarts inside. "These are truly for me?"
Baylin nodded at her with a smile. He liked bringing her things from the castle. He knew that she never received treats like these in the village, and her appreciation for them made him realize how truly fortunate he was. He had never thought it fair that he was allowed to have such nice things while others didn't.
Luana sat down on a bed of rich green clover before taking a bite of the delectable tart. "Mmm. Thank you, Baylin! You must sit and share one with me."
Baylin sat down next to her as she handed him a half a tart. The two talked as they snacked. When they were finished, they lay back on the clover bed and began guessing at the shapes of the clouds as they rolled by.
"That one looks like a castle," Luana said, pointing up into the sky. "Just like your home!"
Baylin pointed at another cloud. "What about that one?"
"That one looks like a Princess's crown," Luana replied.
Baylin smiled to himself. He was so much happier in the field than he ever was in the castle.
"Baylin?" Luana asked, still staring up into the sky.
He turned his gaze from the clouds and looked at her. "Yes?"
"Could I ever be a Princess? You know, like you are a Prince?" she asked with a smile on her face.
The thought made Baylin sad. He turned his eyes back to the sky. "You have to be born a Princess."
The words did not seem to discourage Luana, however. "But Papa says you are to be King someday."
"So?" Baylin retorted.
Luana sat up and looked down at Baylin on the ground. "Well, when a King marries, his wife becomes the Queen. So when we grow up, we can get married. Then I can stay with you in the castle and we could eat tarts all day!"
Baylin sat up, laughing at Luana. "It doesn't work like that."
Luana wrinkled her nose in defiance. "Why not? If you are King, you make the rules. It can work if you want it to."
Baylin smiled. "Well then, my Queen, what if we get tired of eating tarts?"
Luana giggled. "We could go riding, attend feasts and balls. Oh, what fun we would have! And best of all, we would be together in the castle."
Baylin smiled at Luana's cheerful grin. He reached back and picked a delicate white daisy from the tall grass and placed it in her silvery hair just behind her ear. He felt blessed to have such a true friend.
The memory made Baylin's heart swell as he thought of the laughing little girl. Outside of Ferric, Luana had been the only true friend he had ever known. He wished he could have those days back. 'If we had only been allowed to stay friends,' he thought, 'how different out lives might have been.'
Baylin continued to admire Luana as he listened to her sing. Her voice was haunting to him and it pulled at his longing for her. "You sing beautifully."
Luana turned quickly at the sound of his voice. "Your Grace, apologies. I did not mean to wake you."
Baylin walked to Luana and wrapped the fur around her shoulders. "It was a wonderful way to wake."
Luana blushed slightly and looked away. Baylin loved the way her soft pale skin flushed a rose pink when he managed to charm her.
"You must be cold," Luana said, looking at Baylin's bare chest as she hugged the fur around her. "Please, let us go inside."
Luana started for the room but Baylin pulled her closer to him, tilting her chin up with his hand. She looked at him with those fierce emerald green eyes; he wanted to be lost in them. For the first time in weeks she seemed to have let her guard down. She was so striking that his heart hurt.
Baylin leaned in close to Luana's lips, waiting for her to pull away, but she didn't. He could feel her breath against his face and smell her sweet skin. He wanted to savor this moment.
As he leaned in to press his lips to hers, he heard a loud knock on the chamber door. Both Baylin and Luana were startled at the sound, and Luana quickly pulled away.
Baylin sighed in frustration as he made his way into the chamber to the door.
"Prince Baylin, apologies," a guard said with a bow as Baylin opened the door. "His Grace the King has requested your presence at once for war council."
Baylin again sighed, this time in irritation. "Tell him I will be there soon."
Baylin closed the door and turned. Luana was sitting on the settee in front of the hearth with the fur wrapped around her.
He made his way over to her and sat beside her. "I must go."
She stared at the glowing embers in the hearth and nodded slightly.
Baylin could see the moment was gone. She had put up her walls again, and there would be no knocking them down today.
He rose and dressed for council with the King.