Tragically Beautiful

Lillianna was directed through the many tall hedges that surrounded and inhabited the garden. The wind that blew through Lillianna’s window earlier was slightly stronger outside. She loved spring; it was her favorite season of all. And not just because she was allowed to wear shorter, less classy dresses, but the weather was nice, too. Nick’s fingers were loosely wrapped around hers as he ducked and dodged behind short bushes to avoid some of the workers who would spread the news about the two being together. Nick understood perfectly why they cannot be seen together, but Lillianna hadn’t a clue as to why Nick was hiding from just about everyone he saw. At last, Nick found the bench he was looking for and sat down while motioning for Lillianna to sit with him. It was just outside of the garden and away from any of the workers line of vision. They sat in a comfortable silence, taking in every detail of each other carefully. Lillianna finally realized the silence may have seemed rude. “Why is it you didn’t want anyone to see us come here?”

He looked down with no emotion on his features and responded quietly, “Didn’t want anyone to bother us is all.”

He smiled half heartedly at her. She readjusted her hands that were on her lap. Her left hand was cold and almost uncomfortable since Nicholas had let go of it when he sat down. “Oh,” she said almost allowed herself to believe him. “So, why haven’t I seen you around here before?”

He bit his lip, wishing she would have just overlooked that oneminor major detail. It wasn’t his fault she asked him the forbidden question everyone was sworn to keep from her. He wanted to tell her, but he wasn’t about to inform her of the truth… yet. “Um, well, it’s really your mother and father’s job to tell you, since they are the ones making sure you don’t know about any of the children here.”

“Wait-what?” She didn’t mean to be so blunt and rude sounding, but she had no clue to what this boy was trying to explain to her. There weren’t other children living here…right? “I guess they mean well, but honestly I wouldn’t do that to a kid your age, not that I’m much older than you though,” he tried to explain in a way that would satisfy her. But he knew that the little fact he fed her wouldn’t help. He shrugged nonchalantly and looked up at a butterfly that had landed on a bush slightly behind Lillianna.

“Oh. That is nice and all, but I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about,” she stated with her typical straight-forwardness. She was looking at him with a mystified expression plastered on her face.

He sighed without much force and turned to her, looking like he was nervous and struggling with himself. She reached out and held on to his hands to encourage him to tell her anything. The feeling that she was giving him was hardly ignored. He knew this couldn’t lead to any good, so he used the only weapon he had left: the truth. Pulling his hands out of her grip he looked her straight in the eye and spat out what he could, “Lillianna, you cannot tell a soul we’re together. Not until I turn 18, that is. But even then – never mind. It’s just against the rules for you to be around children right now, especially me.”

“But why? Nick I don’t want to go back to being around adults all the time. It is terribly boring and quiet all the time. How old are you Nicholas? I don’t think I can wait too much longer to be around someone relevantly close to my age. ” She looked as though she was going to cry. That was the last thing he wanted. He scrunched his eyebrows together and had a strange urge to hold her, comfort her, anything to keep her from crying. But he knew he could not, should not. “I just turned 17. I am sorry Lillianna, but I cannot tell you why you need to be kept away from the other children and me. It is really not in my place to tell.”

A tear slipped down her face, but she quickly wiped it away. It was the last thing she wanted to do; cry in front of some boy she had not met but half an hour ago. But she had good reason too. Apparently he did not want to see her cry either, for not long after the tear fell she was pulled into a warm embrace. “I am sorry Lillianna. I did not mean to upset you, honest. But we have to keep quiet about this; if not, I could get into huge trouble with the King and Queen.”

She clung to the back of his shirt and kept her head hidden in his shoulder to prevent any other tears from appearing. “I honestly do not know what to tell you, Lillianna. I wish I could tell you everything, but I simply can’t.”

She slightly pulled back to look up at his face. “Nicholas?”

“What, Princess?”

“Please, don’t leave me. Promise me I will see you again after this.”

He held her tighter than before and rested his chin on her head. “I can promise you that much.”

…………..

“You know, since we are not doing anything today, I was thinking we could go for a drive down to the ocean for a bit.” Ryanne straightened out her blue suit skirt while checking her appearance in the full length mirror.

“Well, sure. I’ll go get Lillianna, then.” Alexander stood from his seat by the window.
Ryanne smiled and turned to him, “If she is with Denise, let her stay. She seems truly fond of her as of late.” She sighed and looked down, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders. That was one of the many features Lillianna had inherited from her mother. But it was her eyes that she inherited from her father; the legendary eyes that almost everyone on her father’s side had. “You know, I think what we should at least allow one girl, one we approve I mean, to befriend Lillianna. She has been very … well, depressed lately. I think it’s because-”

He turned around quick and exclaimed, “Stop. I will not stand to hear this. We can’t have her around other children and you know that. If I ever catch her with a boy or even a girl her age, so help me...”

“Well, I’m sorry I brought it up. It just seems to me that once in her childhood she should be able to play with someone her own age. Alex, please, hear me out. I don’t want to see her moping about for her final teenage years. I want her happy and with a boy she actually likes.”

He scrunched his eyes shut while his lips drew a straight line. “I will not allow her to date anyone but her fiancé. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t know about him or not. I cannot and will not discuss this matter any further with you Ry. I am sorry, but my mind is set,” he paused for a second and glanced toward the door briefly before making eye contact with his long-faced wife. “I’m going to get Lillianna now. I’ll meet you by the gates in 10 minutes.”

“Yes, you’re Majesty,” the words quietly slipped from her lips. She only used that on him when something he did made it seem like it was all about him. Most of the time it worked, but this time, he just left the room without another word.