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“About the picking my nose and passing gas?”
“Not that! I meant… being in a relationship.”
“If you agree.”
I felt like my beaming was going to split my face in two. “Yes.”
All that jealousy for nothing. He chose me…me! Just a girl with no title over the gorgeous leader of a vast country. I felt like I could fly.
CHAPTER 11
We traveled all the next day. That night, the local inn set out an elaborate feast in honor of Curtis’ birthday. There was roasted pheasant, a rainbow of vegetables and fruits, seared fish, and trays upon trays of cakes, pies, and puddings.
We ate for hours, with Curtis being the center of attention. Village children would press flowers or special rocks into his hand throughout the evening as tokens of their affection for the fun-loving prince. Each time this happened, Curtis would exclaim that this flower had the most radiantly colored petals he had ever seen, or that this rock was the exact shape of the king’s nose, and that he would treasure it forever; at which point the children would giggle and dash away to collect more items to present to him.
The adults from the village came to pose questions to Curtis, with worry lines furrowing their brows. ‘What are all the taxes being used for?’ and ‘My cousin was injured in a skirmish near the border of Avivia. What is going on?’ or ‘My older brother is refusing to split our inheritance. What should I do?’
As he had with each child, Curtis took time to look each person in the eye, shake their hand, ask their name, and answer their question personally, never getting annoyed that he had just answered the same question three minutes before, but patiently explained what he knew.
It was obvious that Curtis was adored by all the townsfolk, and that he truly cared for each of them in return. His plate of food was barely touched because of the number of people clamoring for his attention, first to discuss their struggles and concerns, and then to wish him a happy birthday. Several gifts were produced by members of our traveling party: a gleaming polished lute, a thick riding cloak with a galloping stallion beautifully stitched on, and ruby ring to name a few.
“Which present do you like best?” a small voice chirped after the last parcel had been opened. I looked around and saw a young girl, perhaps four years old, peering up at Curtis earnestly. Curtis studied all of the gifts, some laden with precious gems, others richly embroidered, or finely crafted, and then snapped his fingers.
“That is an easy decision!” he cried, then began looking all around. “But where did it go?”
The girl looked on the floor, lifting the dirty hem of her skirt to check to see if anything had rolled underneath. “There it is!” Curtis pulled from behind the girl’s ear a limp dandelion. “This is the prettiest yellow dandelion I have ever seen, and I love it.”
The girl felt all around her ear, unable to figure out how he had magically made it appear. “Wow!” she said, amazed, and then gasped gleefully, “That is the flower I gave you!” She threw her arms around Curtis’ legs, then dashed off calling, “Mama! Mama! Guess what?”
Curtis watched her run off, then winked at me before turning back to the line of people still waiting to speak to him.
After the last well-wishers had gone to bed, Curtis pulled me by my hand. “C’mon, Truly. Let’s go see Storm before we turn in.” Curtis held the inn’s front door open for me, and we crossed the dark yard, listening to gentle noise of crickets, as we crunched through the crisp leaves that coated the ground. I wished I had brought a shawl; the chill of the evening was setting in. Only a day’s northward travel, and already, the weather was transitioning from tropical and humid to cool.
“I can see why all the villagers love you,” I told Curtis as we walked toward the stables. “I can see it in their eyes. You are a hero to them.”
Curtis shrugged. “Royalty should serve his people, not the other way around.” He took my hand and applied slight pressure to my fingers.
Storm whinnied when she saw us opening the stable door. I got out her brush, stroked her fur, and patted her mane. “Hey, girl,” I told her softly. I replenished her water and straw and returned to stroking her soft black fur.
“You know Truly, you never gave me a birthday present,” Curtis said abruptly from the doorway. Surprised, I turned and saw him watching me groom Storm.
“You said you didn’t want me to,” I told him emphatically. “Remember?”
“I changed my mind.”
“Oh, really?” I asked, somewhat suspicious. “And did you have something particular in mind that you wanted?”
“Actually, yes. I do,” he answered, still looking steadily at me.
I waited for him to go on. When the silence stretched between us, I asked. “And what is that?”
“I want to kiss you.” The statement was so bold that my mouth fell open. I had wondered when he would try again to kiss me, but I had expected something less brash. I had anticipated that he would try to sidle up to me and be sneaky about it.
“Okay,” I agreed, a little scared but also excited, and stepped out of Storm’s stall. I hoped I didn’t smell like horse. Having never kissed anyone before, I wasn’t sure what to do. I then wondered if Curtis knew what to do. Had he kissed anyone before? Where should I put my hands? Where would he put his hands?
He held the small of my back and pulled me in close. “Happy birthday, Curtis,” I said quietly, and tilted my head upward. I felt his other hand hold the back of my head, and our lips touched. A thrill of excitement swept through me, and I suddenly didn’t feel the chill of the night’s air anymore.
Curtis drew a breath. “This is a happy birthday!” He kissed me again. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. It felt like my whole body was flooded with a sudden heat that radiated from my chest to the very tips of my toes. I timidly ran my fingers up through his curly hair, trying to fix this moment in my memory forever.
