Eight: Prince Declan
994 Words
Eight
Prince Declan
I’d kissed her.
I’d more than kissed her, I’d made out with her in the dining room hall. Now we were being led to the Headmasters office for it. The whole school knew, which meant that soon, because this was a world with internet, the world would know. I led Fiona out of the room and she gripped to me tightly, hiding her face in my back while holding onto my hand.
I liked her clinging to me. I liked that the world knew that she was mine. Even if we were about to get yelled at by the Headmaster. Or that my parents were going to know that I was making out with the nanny’s granddaughter.
In the Headmasters office, Fiona held her head down, unable to meet the Headmasters seething gaze. Meanwhile, I leaned back in my chair, holding her hand and grinning like an i***t. “Wonderful mornin’, isn’t it, Headmaster?” I said.
“No,” he said, “no, because I walked in on two of my students acting like animals. Especially because one of them is the future King of Scotland, who should know better than to be kissing girls in public. Much less a servant girl.”
At those words, Fiona stiffened.
I squeezed her hand tightly. “Excuse me, sir. That’s unnecessary.”
“Whatever you do reflects on this school, your majesty. If you are caught with trash, people will assume that the school is trash.”
“Trash?” this came from Fiona, who was standing up now. “You’ve pulled us in here because you’re upset about my being a servant?”
“Well,” said Headmaster, “I had reservations about acceptin’ the two of you together because of this. There shall be no fraternizin’ between classes on my watch. The House of Alba won’t fall under my watch.”
I stood up with Fiona. “You do not get to determine who I’m with, Headmaster.”
“No,” he said, “but I can expel Miss Fallon out of school because of public indecency.”
“Then, you’ll have to expel me too,” I said.
The Headmaster’s gaze narrowed. “Your highness, you know that I can’t----”
“I do know,” I said, “call my parents if you wish. Let them know what happened. But you won’t do anythin’ about her.”
“This is my school----”
“And I am your future King,” I sneered, “now, if you’ll excuse me, we’re goin’ ta class.”
Gripping Fiona by the hand, I led her out of the headmaster’s office. When we were outside, Fiona said, “Declan.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
I reached out and I stroked her cheek with my hand. “Of course, Fallon. I’m not goin’ ta let ya take the fall for somethin’ that was my fault in the first place. All I wanted ta do was ta make that bastard Evander stop starin’ at ya like ya were on trial.”
“You saw that?” she said.
I nodded. “I see everythin’ when it comes ta ya, Fi. I’ve been watchin ya since ya first moved into the palace.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Well, you’d just lost your parents and you cried a lot. Someone had to make sure that you were okay. I figured since I was the Prince, and you were goin’ ta be my subject, it had to be me. That’s what a King does, right? They take care of people and yer part of that.”
There was a shift then in her gaze. Something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. She stepped forward, and wrapped my arms around my neck, running her fingers through my hair, and she did the last thing I expected her to.
She kissed me. Willingly.
This was a real kiss. Not a show for someone else. She was pressing herself up against my chest, and I had my hand wrapped around her waist. I wanted, desperately, to let them trail over her body. To feel her bare skin against mine. To know how she felt when I was inside her. But I couldn’t do that. Not yet.
But I kissed her, like a rough wind, and when we came up for air her lips were full and swollen. Because of me.
“What was that for?” I asked, unable to hide the awestruck feeling from my voice.
“You care,” she said, “you actually care. I thought…I thought you only wanted me because I was an object to you and you didn’t like the idea of someone else taking me away. But you stood up to the headmaster, and you don’t care that I’m a servant girl and I….”
“I like you, Fiona,” I admitted, “I always have, I always will. You know me as no one else does. When I say that you’re mine I do not mean it in that you are an object I own. I mean you are part of the palace, and therefore part of me. And I take care of what’s mine.”
She was gripping my jacket collar now, breathing heavily.
I wanted to kiss her again, but the door opened, and the Headmaster came out.
When he saw us, he huffed. “Get to bloody fuckin’ class.”
Then, he stormed off.
When he was gone, the two of us burst into laughter. We pressed our foreheads together, and for a moment, everything was perfect. We were young, in love, and the rest of the world was at our feet. I would tell my parents about Fiona, and we could start grooming her to be my Queen. She was everything I wanted. Life was going to be perfect.
Of course, life can’t be perfect. Even for Royals. Because there is one thing a crown does not exempt you from. Death. If I had known what was coming then, I would have ran to the nearest church and married her then and there. But I didn’t know what was coming. No one did. Because death is the one thing in life that is constant, that absolutely cannot be predicted.
- Writer
