Chapter Two
1038 Words
Marcus and Amber link arms. They walk towards the castle garden. The garden is filled with large amounts of white roses, scattered into a few different patches.
"Princess," Marcus tried getting Amber's distracted attention.
"Prince Marcus," She responded, sitting on the bench at the end of the path they had just walked down.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that I have to marry my enemy," He says at last after his brief pause.
"Great so we agree on one thing. I definitely would rather marry a troll over you!" Amber said in spite.
"So I take it you're still mad at me?" Marcus asked.
"So I take it you're still mad at me?" Amber mocked.
"Look I'm sorry! It happened 4 years ago! Can you just let this go?" Marcus said, agitated.
"No! I can't! Do you know how many times I cried after finding out you had gone and told my kingdom I wasn't an actual heir to the throne?! People tried taking me away from them and guards wouldn't listen to me! It caused me to be attacked several times and I had to explain to my mother what had happened! I wasn't allowed to leave the castle for a year!" Amber spoke angrily and with hostility in her voice.
"That wasn't supposed to happen! It was a joke!" Marcus tried reasoning with her.
Amber stood and walked over to a batch of roses. She picked one and walked back over to Marcus.
"You see this rose?" Amber asked.
Marcus only nodded as a response.
"This rose, if crushed, cannot be put back to the way it was. No matter how hard you try to fix it," Amber crushed the rose in her hand then opened her hand to reveal the damaged flower.
Amber handed the crushed flower to Marcus who just stared at it for a moment deciding what his next words were gonna be.
"How much did I hurt you?" Marcus asked, looking up to meet Amber's face.
"A lot," Amber responded.
Marcus looked back at the flower then back at Amber. Placing the broken flower on the bench, he stood and pulled Amber into a warm, delicate hug.
"I'm sorry," Marcus whispered apologetically.
Amber hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder as a few tears fell down her cheek. They both stood in the hug for another 5 minutes before letting one another go. Amber wiped her face and started giggling when she saw she left tear stains on Marcus' clothing.
"What?" He asked trying not to laugh with her.
"Y-you're shirt! I'm sorry!" She continued laughing.
Marcus looked where Amber had been crying on him and joined in the laughing.
"It's ok," He said as he tried to calm down.
They stood in silence once the laughing was over. Small footsteps are heard from behind Amber. Amber turns quickly to see her sister running towards the two of them.
"You lied this morning! There were no cinnamon buns!" Melissa said pouting with her arms crossed across her chest.
When Melissa saw Marcus she got shy and hit behind Amber's dress, peeking out to look at him.
"Hi!" Marcus said, kneeling to be about Melissa's height.
Melissa only shied away from Marcus more. She tugged on Amber's dress signaling her to come down. Amber knelt next to her sister.
"What is it? Why are you shy? You know Marcus," Amber said in hushed tones.
"I didn't know he was the one you had to marry," She said with a frown, just loud enough so only Amber could hear her.
"You knew I was going to marry someone I don't want to. It doesn't matter who it is, the point is I don't want to. Now be polite and greet Marcus," Amber commanded Melissa.
Melissa walked over to where Marcus knelt, still with his smile on his face. Amber stood and brushed the dust off her dress.
"Hello Marcus," Melissa said through gritted teeth. "She's mine! Only mine! You can't take her!!"
Melissa kicked Marcus's knee and bolted back towards the castle, crying.
Marcus held his knee for a minute, then stood. Amber was laughing uncontrollably.
"She has a mean kick for a..." He paused to let Amber answer.
"5 year old," Amber said.
Marcus's face showed shock.
"5?! How does she kick like that?! I'm gonna have to take lessons from her," Marcus teased.
Amber laughed at his comment then went quiet. She fiddled with her hands before hearing her mother call to her.
"AMBER!" Her mother yelled across the garden.
"Coming mother!" Amber replied loudly.
Amber took Marcus's hand and led him across the garden to where the Queen stand.
"Yes mother?" Amber said once they reached the Queen.
"Why was your sister crying?" The queen asked, Melissa stood behind her.
Amber frowned, then smiled.
"She said I was only her's and I guess she really doesn't want me to marry mom. Then she kicked Marcus and left." Amber shrugged.
The Queen looked at Melissa with a raised eyebrow.
"You kicked Prince Marcus?"
Melissa froze.
"Yes mummy. It's only because he's stealing Amber from me!" Melissa tried to reason.
The queen grabbed Melissa's hand and led her away after saying, "My apologies. You to get back to enjoying yourself."
Marcus looked at Amber.
"You have a tough family," He said after a minute.
"You didn't get that after I had been locked away from the world like Rapunzel? God Marcus!" She said, clearly irritated.
He scratched the back of his head in a sheepish way. Amber glared at him.
"How many times do I have to apologize! You already forgave me!" He pleaded.
She shrugged.
"I guess my heart wants what it wants," she smirked.
He pulled her closer.
"And what does Princess Amber's heart want?"
Amber face turned red and she pushed Marcus away.
"Princess Amber's heart doesn't want that!" She said covering her face and taking deep breaths as if she had just run a race.
Marcus chuckled and looked at Amber with love dangling in his eyes.
'No! I can't like him!! This is outrageous!' Amber thought to herself.
'I wish I could stay with you forever. There's nobody I'd rather marry.' Marcus thought.
- Writer
