Charlotte

I was promised a prince who'd love me for all eternity and a kingdom full of riches, but now the wedding is off and I have to go full of shame back to my little castle. He's turned me down because he wishes to marry a peasant. And his idiotic father lets him.

How could he love such a... girl? Before I leave I must find them, I might get just the thing to change his father's mind.

Matthew

The wind was blowing in my face as my father's words were ringing in my head "If you truly love her, then we can call off this arranged marriage. You shall marry her, for it's not the 15th century anymore. We shall embrace the change!" And so I ride my horse to the forest where I meet Fleur every night so we can stargaze and talk about how we longed for each other, but we must stop ever approaching one another, but I still chased after her forevermore. 

And today, today I ask her for her hand. 

The image of her honey coloured hair flowing in the wind of a starry night, her pale skin making her resemble one of the ancient sculptures scattered all throughout my castle, her lively blue eyes that looked like the faraway sea, making me want to drown myself. Her silhouette was taking contour in my head, she was rather skinny, as all peasants were. No matter how much I offered to help, she'd always refuse. But no more. 

And when we will rule, side by side, the kingdom will enter a new era. An era of prosperity. She will help me. She knows all about the lives of peasants, no matter how sheltered she is. 

Our first encounter is still so peculiar to me. She was sitting in the forest, by the big pine tree where our trysts would be in the near future, reading a love story out loud to her friends - the rabbits and birds. I sat hidden behind some tree, listening to her sweet voice. It was rare to see a peasant read, let alone a girl. But she knew how to read and, oh, how her voice sounded like the sweetest song I'd ever heard. I sat in awe as she enunciated each word of the story and sometimes sigh and tell her friends about how she wishes she'd fall in love, but she never got out of the forest and no one ever came into it. 

After a while, I just couldn't help it. I had to speak with her. And when I approached her, she ran away. I told her that I didn't mean to frighten her, I was just lost and needed direction. 

She came up to me and asked me where I was headed. I was a little shocked she didn't curtsey, but when she finally noticed the royal emblem she asked excitedly if I was a knight. I replied that I was, which wasn't a lie, as a prince I had to be a knight before I became king. She then started to ask me a lot of questions and I patiently answered each and every one of them. I never wanted to leave. I hated the thought of leaving, I always did. 

It was shocking that she didn't know who I was. And then she told me which way to go. And I promised I'd come back. And I came back every night.

I eventually confessed that I was a prince while we were staring at the stars, I mean she was staring at the stars. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She shone brighter than all those stars, her eyes glistened brighter than any of them could ever try. 

She went mad and declared that we shall never meet again for she was not worthy of a prince. But I came back night after night to try and show her that my heart was true, that it longed for her. 

It took many months, but she confessed that she couldn't stop loving me either, and our trysts by the pine tree began again. 

Every day, I was waiting for the sun to go down so I could go talk to my beloved again. 

And now I could almost see the pine tree, of course, I must go to her home for she may have duties to do before she reads, but...

And then I see the tree clearly, she sat down in front of it, crying. Her tears could fill a river. I jump off my horse and kneel by her side. Pull her into a hug and ask her what had happened as she was trying to stop her crying.

"They are making me get married. To some much older man, far away! I... I don't want to do this! I don't want him. I don't want to give my life away. I don't want... to leave you." She says through her sobs and whispers that last sentence.

"And you mustn't leave with that man. Come with me and we shall wed. I spoke with my father, he gave me his blessing." I grab her palm into mine, "We can stop hiding." 

She looks up at me in disbelief, "But you must marry a royal. I'm just a peasant. You have a betrothed."

I break a laugh and kiss her, "Not anymore. You're the only one I want. And if you wish, we shall ran away together."

She looks at me and after a while she says, "We shall. But I wish to take my friends and books with me."

I do as she pleases. I wait for her to gather her belongings when I hear a funny noise.

I turn around and I take my sword out, I approach the tree from where the sound came from and I'm surprised to see...

Fleur

"This is Mister Belemy. He will be your husband." My father introduced me to this old, bald man first thing in the morning.

My life was over, my parents didn't know about my affair with the, whom I've recently find out to be, prince. My father would have probably killed me if he did and it's not like Matt could ever marry me. He's got a betrothed. 

I haven't even the chance to say goodbye to my beloved. 

I storm out of the house and cry underneath my dear pine tree. And it is the last time I can find comfort beneath it.

My memories of my time with Matt flood my brain and tears stream quicker down my face. I wish I could say goodbye, but maybe it's better this way. He won't suffer that our affair's ended, besides... his betrothed should come into the kingdom anytime now. They shall be wed once he turn 17. And that is in a week's time. It was time to bid adieu, anyway. But I hoped that I would not have to step into womanhood. I hoped they would let me be a child until I turned 16.

Obviously, that didn't happen. Just as my misery was at it's peak, I feel two familiar arms pulling me into a hug, urging me to speak. I couldn't hold it in anymore, so I spilled it out while trying to stop myself from crying.

"They are making me get married. To some much older man, far away! I... I don't want to do this! I don't want him. I don't want to give my life away." And then I whisper what I couldn't keep in, no matter how much I hated myself for burdening him with it, "I don't want... to leave you." 

It felt like a boulder had been taken off my shoulder by confessing this. I couldn't not love him. I couldn't not let him know this. 

I feel the hug he has me in tightening, as if he wants to keep me in his arms forever. And then I hear his kind voice saying "And you mustn't leave with that man. Come with me and we shall wed. I spoke with my father, he gave me his blessing." He grabs my hand and looks me in the eyes, "We can stop hiding."

I look at him as if the world had stopped spinning. And it may have. At least just for me. He was going to save me. We were going to be together, forevermore. But then reality started sinking in: "But you must marry a royal. I'm just a peasant. You have a betrothed."

He then makes me want to sink into the depths of the earth by starting laughing as if I'd told him the funniest joke. He breaks that laugh by pulling me even closer than we were and touching my lips with his own. With our lips still touching he uttered, "Not anymore. You're the only one I want. And if you wish, we shall ran away together."

If I wished. He was giving me a choice. Unlike my father and that other man. He let me choose. Like I was his equal. Whenever I read books about women making their own destiny and choices I dreamt about doing so, too. And now I had the chance. He didn't force me to marry him, he asked me. He truly loved me and he cared about what I thought.

 "We shall. But I wish to take my friends and books with me." I said as I decided that if I had the right to choose, I had the right to make my own terms. If he saw me as his equal, then I shall have my own desires.

He smiles warmly at me and urges me to be fast and not let them see me. He also mumbles something about a surprise he has for me back at his castle. But I'm long gone by then, trying to make as little sound as I could. I didn't want to leave my parents without telling them first, but I wasn't told that I would be sold off either, so I guess we are even. 

I sneak through my small window and grab all my books - they are not a lot, just 4 that I've reread thousands of times, but they mean the world to me. I recall the day my father first taught me how to read, he believed that I was meant for a life of riches so I must know how to read. Even though we are poor, he still bought me these 4 amazing books and I'm so thankful to him.

The more I stared at the books, the more I knew I needed to say goodbye. So I run with my books back to the tree where my beloved is gathering my friends, but when I look back I can see him running with his sword out. So I grab the knife on the table and run after him. 

Even if I've never hurt anyone.

Charlotte

I take another horse from the stables and follow him cautiously. 

I make no sound, but he seems so heaven struck a fanfare could play behind him and he wouldn't notice. 

I finally stop when he jumps off his horse and pulls her in. She is crying. Oh, how dramatic! Poor thing, she has to get marry to a man she doesn't even know and is much older than her! Welcome to life, little peasant! We all have to get married to men we don't know and who are older than us. Sure, I was lucky that my betrothed was just 2 years older, but now that he refused to go through with the arrangement... I'll have to marry a much older man, too.

That's just the way things go.

Oh, poor thing! Blinded by love. As if it wasn't her plan all along! To marry a prince...

I truly wonder what a peasant could pack up for a big move at the palace. It's not as if he'll spoil her rotten. Ugh. Such a little pretender. And he's falling for her acts. I move closer as she leaves. But I did the fatal mistake of stepping an a fallen branch. And he's heard me. He took out his sword and started approaching me. I had nowhere to hide.

So I step forward and surprise flickers on his face.

"Charlotte."

"So this is the peasant who's stealing my kingdom."

"It's not your kingdom, it's mine."

"It was going to become my kingdom before that girl stole everything that was supposed to be mine."

"Shouldn't you have already left?"

"Oh, don't you dare act as if the wedding is off! Just you wait, Matthew, for my daddy to come here! And let me-"

"Is everything all right?" that girl walks in and asks.

Matthew

Well, that is fantastic. She just had to follow me! I do not fear her father, he's an old troll, but my father does fear him which is why I wanted to make this wedding happen before Charlotte ever arrived back in her horrendous kingdom.