In a Heartbeat

Brian’s POV

Another week passed slowly. I did my best to cheer Evangeline up and keep her feeling happy. I think the fact that Prince Matthew was back in his own Kingdom helped a lot. She did not have to worry about his presence and spending time with him, so she could spend all of her free time with me, which I really enjoyed. Even though I spent my whole day cleaning her room and looking after her in other similar ways, as a servant was supposed to do, I wished that we could do other things. I longed to walk with her along the beach, hand in hand, to visit the town’s markets together, to go on a horse ride, eat a meal together… But I could not. That was a huge disadvantage of the secrecy of our relationship.

Throughout the week, Evangeline received a few gifts from Prince Matthew. One of them was some expensive green material that was just beautiful, with a stunning emerald necklace to match, so that day she spent with the royal dress makers, turning the large sheet into a ball gown. It looked so wonderful on her, but I despised the dress simply because it was a gift from the Prince.

Another gift was not directly for her, but was for the Kingdom. The Zilani Kingdom delivered a lot of ore to our town, a supply that was relatively rare in our Kingdom so was regarded very highly. I think the Prince was aware of this, and knew he would be respected more by giving us the contribution. Once he had done so, the town seemed delighted about Prince Matthew. As I walked down the street to visit home, all I could hear was the chatter about how the Prince was such a lovely, kind young man, and that it was the correct choice for Evangeline to marry him. Again, my hatred for Matthew just grew and grew.

I was tidying her bed when she entered her room after having eaten her last meal of the day. She looked gloomy and she went straight to her dressing area, not saying a word to me. I heard her rustling through her clothes, I presumed, and left her bedside to follow her.

“Evangeline, are you alright?” I asked her before walking behind the divider. It was something a slave should never dare to do, but I knew something was wrong, and I was not simply her servant anymore. She had a bag open in front of her, a few garments inside it already. I frowned at the sight. “What are you doing?”

“I am packing. I received word only a few moments ago that tomorrow morning I am to leave for the Zilani Kingdom. I am to stay a night there, hence why I am putting some clothes in this bag,” she explained, her voice heavy with sadness. “Brian, I do not wish to go.”

“I do not wish for that either,” I said softly, but miserably. “It is the King’s orders, correct?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, I have no other choice but to aid you pack,” I told her, walking up to her side. Finally I was able to see her face and noticed that her gorgeous eyes were wetter than normal, her lips curved down and her brow furrowed. “Evangeline, please do not be upset.”

“How can I not be?” she cried out, her voice raised considerably. She grabbed onto a dress and tore it off the hanger before throwing it on the pile. I was surprised it did not rip because she was so forceful.

“Because I will make this better,” I said before I realised what I had said. She paused and met my eyes. “I will meet you later tonight, when everyone is asleep. Do you think you could sneak out?”

“Of course… At what time?”

“Midnight. I will meet you outside. Once you walk out the main doors, I will be there, and I will take you somewhere beautiful where you can relax and forget about tomorrow. Does that sound good to you?” I asked, fabricating the idea as I spoke.

“Yes… Thank you, Brian…” she whispered before pulling me into a warm embrace.

“Do not thank me yet…” I murmured, not certain if the idea was going to be successful or not yet. “I must hurry to finish my chores now, and you must finish your task too.”

“Of course,” she smiled and I walked away from her. I finished my jobs very fast and then left, meeting Zachary in the slaves’ dining room. He thought my plan was ridiculous, considering the consequences if I was to be caught, but I did not care. After receiving his blessing of luck, I went and bathed, wanting to smell my best for Evangeline, put on a clean set of black clothing, then went to the sleeping area. Once most of the slaves were sleeping, I snuck out, knowing that anyone would think I was using the bathroom. I heard the clock tower ring in the distant, telling me I was a quarter of an hour early, and once I had exited the castle I hid behind a large tree near the entrance, knowing my black clothes would help conceal me if a guard were to walk by. None did, and as the clock struck midnight, I stared at the doors. Was she going to come? Then, the doors rumbled open, the light from the fire torches inside glowing brightly so I could not see who it was. The silhouette walked through the door, then shut it behind them. Now, with the help of the full moon, I was able to see that it was indeed Evangeline. She looked around, as if searching for something, her face becoming overcome with worry. Of course! I was hiding! She could not see me!

“Evangeline!” I hissed as I walked forwards, showing myself to her. A smile graced her perfect lips before she hurried over to me.

“Brian! I am so glad to see you!” she whispered. A kiss was placed on my cheek as she took my hand into hers. “Take me away, please…” I obeyed her, heading off at a quick pace. It did not take us very long to reach our destination; James’ garden. Many of his tall plants were in bloom, and it was a beautiful sight under the strong moonlight. I stopped in a clearing, turning to face Evangeline as I took her other hand in mine too. Gazing into her blue orbs, I felt an uncontrollable smile creep on my face, one forming on her lips too. It seemed like the moon was only shining on us, as if we were special…

“You are so beautiful, Evangeline…” I remarked, noting the white dress she was wearing. It was simple, strapless, had lots of ruffles from the hips down, and around her waist was a brown belt, the same colour as her hair, with silver patterns at the front. A white woollen shawl hung over her shoulders, keeping the slight chill off her, and her hair was perfect and wavy, as always.

“Thank you…” she blushed a little. “You are a very handsome man…” It was my turn to redden. No one had ever told me that before… I felt honoured, especially since it was the Princess who was saying it. We both leaned in for a kiss at the same time, which made me even more delighted, and the kiss was so sweet and gentle, loving emotions pouring out of it. Once it was over, we shared a smile before I looked away and checked the ground. I noticed it was clear enough for us to sit down upon. I took off my jacket and placed it on the ground, sitting down and getting comfortable.

“Please, join me. We can talk for a while before you have to leave to get some sleep,” I told Evangeline, and she sat down next to me. A smile never left her face as we talked, finally able to have a more in-depth chat together as no one was around and no one had the chance of walking in on us since they were all sleeping. I shared parts of my past with her, my favourite memories as well as the ones that I was not as fond of, and she did the same too. Naturally, I felt like I really knew her now, and my views on her had not changed. She was still a beautiful person on the inside too, and I would not have it any other way.

“I hate to bring this up right now, but I am going to very quickly and then we are going to dismiss it, alright?” Evangeline said abruptly and I nodded in response. “I adore talking to you, Brian. It is far better than the conversations I have with Matthew.” Oh. She brought him up. My eyes darted to the ground and I exhaled a little, wondering why he was on her mind right now. But perhaps I could turn this around and use it to my advantage? Looking back up at Evangeline, I made a joke about the man we both were not fond of, and she giggled cutely at it, agreeing with the statement. I felt confident, so told another joke and she laughed even louder. Then, Evangeline joined in and maded fun of Matthew too and we could not stop chuckling at the remarks. We were both doubling over with laughter and having fun when we were interrupted.

“Who is there?” a gruff voice shouted from the direction of the castle. Both of us froze, wide-eyed, and looking at the other person. My stomach filled with anxiety as I looked over at the direction of the sound. In a second, my mind suddenly raced, reminding me of the consequences if this person were to catch us; Evangeline would be disgraced and no longer a Princess, and I would be killed. I could not let that happen. I stood up and hauled Evangeline up after me before reaching down and grabbing my coat. Taking her hand in mine, I sprinted away in the opposite direction of the castle and the possible guard, Evangeline surprisingly good at running in her dress. Her other hand was holding up her dress, trying not to get it covered in dirt as we tore through the plants and headed into the forest. Once we were in quite a bit, I stopped and regained some of my breath, watching the garden area for the light. I spotted it and hid Evangeline behind the tree, knowing her white dress would stand out far more than my black clothing, and I watched the flame. It soon started heading back to the castle and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“He is leaving,” I said happily to Evangeline. My heart was racing and she was still breathing quite heavily, but I was content that we had not been caught.

“That was so scary…” she whispered and I hugged her. “I really do not wish for us to be caught…”

“Me neither…” I replied, holding her tight. After a few more minutes of calming down, I took her back to the castle to tuck her into her bed and gave her a kiss goodnight, hoping she would receive enough sleep to not be too tired the next day. Then, I snuck back downstairs to the slaves’ colder sleeping quarters, climbing into bed quietly and not disturbing anyone, not even Zachary, who was a light sleeper. I fell asleep with the biggest grin in the world on my face.