You're a prince and I'm a nobody

An hour later, they were done with dinner and the sisters were in their room sitting on their beds. They were changed into their night dresses and could bring themselves to stop talking about the news the queen just brought. Loque Bella was marrying Prince Callum.

“Goodness gracious I can’t believe I’m going to be a princess,” Loque Bella said.

“Princess darling you’re going to be a queen, queen of Hampshen,” Miro said.

“Queen Loque Bella,” Kima said and they chuckled.

“Oh gosh I am so nervous, I can’t believe I’m actually going to marry the prince. Me, oh dear, what if I muck it up?” Loque Bella asked.

“You are not going to muck it up,” Ida said.

“I know nothing about being queen. I can't even handle you lot what more an entire kingdom of all sorts of people.”

“You’re going to learn,” Miro said.

“What if I make so many mistakes?”

“It’s fine, making mistakes is part of growing up and of learning. So long as you learn from the mistakes you make then you’re going to be just fine,” Ida said.

“That’s right, just stay true to the sweet, kind soul you are and you are going to be just fine,” Kima said.

“Gosh I am not worthy of being with a prince, how did such a thing ever come to happen to me,” Loque Bella said.

“It’s destiny,” Miro said.

“Right, the prince is obviously your meant to be,” Kima said. “Your lives are so different and in many different lives your paths would never cross but they have because the two of you are meant to be together.”

“Oh there’s no two ways about it. Princes never marry girls like that, we can’t even afford to dream dreams like that but here you are set to marry wealthy and super handsome Prince Callum, if this is not destiny at work here then destiny does not exist,” Ida said.

“Absolutely,” Miro agreed. “And with you being madly in love with him, oh gosh this is like the dreamiest of dreams coming true,” she then said and they chuckled.

"Oh come on I wasn't the only one madly in love with him, you lot were too."

"No we weren't, we liked him but you, you were on a whole other level," Miro said.

"By yourself," Kima agreed. "I don't think there's any other girl in this kingdom who loves the prince the way you do."

"Oh hush down, you make it seem like I'm obsessed with him."

"Yes you are," Ida, Kima and Miro said and they laughed.

"Especially after that little encounter you had with him in the forest," Ida said.

"Oh goodness, you mean the perfect way we first met," Loque Bella said and gave out a hearty sigh. "I have gone back to that day every day since the day it happened. I always go down to the stream to watch the water and I'm always by myself there but that day it was different. He showed up and in an instant my entire world lit up," Loque Bella said and went back to the very day.

Loque Bella was sitting by the banks of the stream watching the water just like she did whenever she was done with her chores and smiled at how beautifully the sun reflected on the water and made it sparkle.

Just then someone walked out of the trees and she looked at him; it was Prince Callum and he walked up to the water and threw his head forward giving a heavy sigh; rubbing his eyes a little even. Loque Bella stood up and turned to him; knowing she should say something but not sure what. She froze staring at him as inside her heart was carried away like dandelions in the wind. She had always fancied him but she had never before met him and now he was standing no more than three meters away from her, Loque Bella's breath was taken away.

Lifting his head up and seeing something at the corner of his eyes Prince Callum then turned to his to the side and saw her standing there.

"Oh dear I am so sorry, I had no idea anyone was out here," Prince Callum said and she bowed to him.

"It's alright, I'll just go and leave you be," she said and began walking away.

"No no please." She stopped and turned to him. "There's no need for you to do that. There's plenty of room out here for the both of us."

"It's alright your highness I can leave."

"Please don't go. I found you here if anyone should go it is me."

"Oh absolutely not, you're the prince, you have more right to be here a lot more than I do," she said.

"And you are a part of this kingdom's people, you have that right too."

"Yes but . . ."

"Please stay, I'd feel terrible if you left," he said.

"I wouldn't want to disturb you."

"You wouldn't be. I mean I did come here for the quiet but the company would be nice. That's if you don't mind sitting with me?"

"I . . . I should go," Loque Bella said.

"You need not be frightened by me. I am but a person just like you."

"No you're not. You're a prince and I'm a nobody."

"Nobody, that's a strong word," he said.

"It means . . ."

"I know what it means. I just don't think it's kind for you to refer to yourself as that. Just because you don't have what other people have doesn't mean you're a nobody. No one's a nobody." She looked down and he took it as an opportunity to really look at her; her black as night hair curling down her shoulders and back and her soft skin looking like it glowed under the sunlight. "What is your name?"

"My name is Loque Bella," she lifted her head and answered; her brown eyes piercing his heart like the sun through dawn.

"Loque Bella, that is a beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"And I am Prince Callum, pleasure to meet you," he said.

"The pleasure is all mine," she said and they shared a warm smile; as she got even more lost in his face that was simply glorious. His ocean blue eyes sparkling like diamonds in the sky and his wide smile warming her up inside like a warm fire on a cold night.

A moment later, they were sitting by the large rocks by the stream talking; so comfortable with each other they were sitting quite close and were even laughing.

"What did you do then?" Loque Bella asked.

"Nothing, I just walked away and we never spoke about it ever again," Prince Callum responded and they laughed on. "Very interesting the things that happen in the palace."

"Oh I bet."

"What about you, what's the strangest thing about you?" he asked.

"Oh wow um . . . The night."

"What about the night?"

"I don't go out at night," she said.

"Sometimes or ever?"

"Ever."

"Why not?" Prince Callum asked.

"When I was younger I snuck out of the house at night and I got lost. They didn't find me for only fifteen minutes but they were longest and scariest fifteen minutes of my life. It was so dark, pitch black, I couldn't see anything. I thought I was moving closer to the house but I was moving further from it. I wanted to scream but my voice couldn't come out; I was scared to make a sound because I felt like there was something out there with me, watching me, and that if I screamed then it would know where I was and come and get me. I heard it growl and I remember I got so scared I froze. I wanted to run but I couldn't. I was so scared all I did was just stand there. And then it attacked me and I screamed. It bit into my arm and started to drag me away but father came to my rescue. He chased it away, picked me up in his arms and took me home. And just like that I hated the night. The scars and memories of that night haunted me like a nightmare that wouldn't go away and I never went out at night ever again."

"Goodness Loque Bella, I am so sorry."

"It's alright, we all have our issues," she said.

"What was it?"

"I don't know. That's what makes the nightmares so terrfying, is that something attacked me out there . . . And I have no idea what it was."