UNTIL YOU FALL FOR ME

"Have you seen her yet? the new girl who is always carrying a laptop?" James asked with a soft voice. "Yes, I have seen her sir, she is the court's graphic designer. What about her?" Ben his servant of four years asked. "Well, there is something about her, I don't know what yet but I hope to find out soon," he answered, plucking a grass straw and putting it in his mouth with one hot almost slow-motion move. "Well, from what I hear, she is a hard and self preserved so I hope this thing about her is less chewy and more, well...anyway, I wish you all the best on that "thing" for now, it is almost noon and you have that lunch meeting with your parents and the Saiwan's princess," Ben said at last. He had watched James around Felicia the new girl long enough to know that he had fallen for her. He could just tell him but he knew James all too well and the young prince believed he was never cut out for love or romance. Ben only prayed and hoped that James would learn that he was in love before it was too late as he had overheard an interesting conversation in the meeting hall a few days before. After a few times of being reminded that he needed to be elsewhere, James finally got up from the grass and walked back towards the palace. He knew nothing good would come from the lunch but he also knew it was his duty to be there if need be. He didn't want to be on his father's wrong side twice within the same week. He got into the huge dining room just as the guests were arriving and took his position next to his mother and sister Fiona. Soon everyone was settled and it was time for the king to say a few words before the meals were served for that reason he got up and called for everyone's attention before going ahead with his speech. "Afternoon ladies and gentlemen," he started and at that moment James's attention was lost in his own world. All he could feel was the sweet aroma in the air and he started remembering the first time he saw Felicia. She had arrived two weeks ago amongst other workers to be. She was however the only one who caught his attention. From the way she looked all confused and shy, to the scared look on her face, he thought she needed some help and he walked up to her even though it was never his nature or place. He remembered how he had caught her by surprise. "Hello," he had said and upon looking back she had seen him and tried to bow with respect. She however bent too low and as he was moving closer to help her up, she hit him on the chin with the back of her head. An awkward moment followed with her apologizing endlessly and him assuring her that he was okay and that it was not a big deal. Since then, he had met her a few times, and every time he ended up turning around to watch her go. He felt drawn to her more than he had ever been drawn to anything since his childhood friend Chris. He couldn't put a name to what he was feeling so he just called it a thing. The one thing he couldn't understand, however, was the reason why Felicia was all he could think about, he had never thought of someone so much before and he couldn't understand what was different when it came to her. He meant to ask Ben but he feared what he would say. "...my court and I have sat down and thought it was good if our two kingdoms were to be united with a bond unbreakable, which is why I ask for your daughter's hand on behalf of my son James," that was the statement that brought James from his thoughts." Wait, what?" he asked in a whisper only audible enough for his sister to hear. "Hey, don't you start now, just stay cool and you can take it up with them after lunch," She said with a smile on her face. She loved him so much and she knew he would do something stupid so she had to cool him down a bit. Everyone clapped, glasses clicked to the toast and suddenly everyone was talking in low tones. Lunch was served and they all enjoyed it, everyone except James and Princess Hilda. The two would occasionally exchange the I don't even like you looks every once in a while which were hard to miss. James's father, King Louis the second kept glancing at his son just to make sure he wouldn't burst out into some sort of rebellious talk. James however managed to stay calm throughout the lunch but he never touched his plate. Two hours later, all the guests had left and it was only the family members left. It was time for James to bring forth his grievances as he never feared the family members but he chose to stay quiet. Everyone just stayed there waiting for him to say something but after he said nothing for a really long time, they all left leaving only him, his parents, and his sister. "Father, I know we talked about this but don't you think it would have been wise to tell me before going on ahead and telling king Lufas and his friends?" he finally asked with his usual soft tone. "Son, you made it clear that you didn't want it, but I told you it was never your place to decide whatever you want or don't want. So long as I am king, I do what is good for my kingdom and if that means getting you to marry the princess for peace's sake, then so be it," the king replied. Normally, that was where James would go crazy and lose his soft touch but this time around he never even raised his voice, instead, he just filled his plate, ate in silence, and then left the others still seated around the dining table to their surprise. James went straight to the stables and took his favorite horse Samini on a ride across the fields to his favorite place. Ben just followed on his horse in silence as he could tell the young mister was angry about something and he would burst out any moment. The orchard was about six miles away but it was James's favorite place which meant he never felt the distance nor the somewhat hot sun burning on his skin. Winter would soon hit and it would be much harder to get there so he had planned to visit as much as he could while he still had the time and the freedom. That afternoon as he rode, however, his thoughts were not on the trees or the sun, he was thinking about princess Dephina. He hated that girl ever since he had met her. To him, she was bossy, disrespectful, and full of herself. He still remembered that she was the reason why Chris and her mother were sent away from the palace. Back then, Chris was his only friend but he was not of royal blood, he was the son of James's mother maid servant Bilha. Princess Dephina had accused him of touching her inappropriately while they were playing and when the mother went out to defend her son, she found herself fired and Chris had to leave. James never forgave Dephina for that and the other little annoying things she did over time. Marrying her was the one thing he knew for sure he would never do but he also knew he had to be wise about it. He needed time to think about it long and hard before going back to his father so for the moment, he chose to stay quiet and wait. The one thing he was sure of, was the fact that his father would never let him marry while still, twenty-four and that meant he had two years to come up with the perfect plan. He was so absorbed in his thoughts to a point he didn't even notice that he was already less than half a mile from the orchard and he probably wouldn't have noticed were it not for the interruption from the lone walking girl ahead. One look at her and he knew who she was. He stopped the horse and climbed down to talk to her. "Hey, why are you out here all by yourself? are you lost or something?" he asked. Felicia just looked at him and smiled. "No, I am not lost. I am just walking to the orchard it is healthy and I think you should try it sometime," she said. James's face lit up like the Christmas tree at night. Ben was still up on his horse pretending not to hear anything even though he was all ears. "Do you mind us joining you?" James asked after realizing he had absolutely nothing else to say. "No, I don't," she answered. "Ben, get down," he called. Ben couldn't understand why he was being forced to walk with them but he did it for the sake of his boss and friend. The little distance to the Orchard was James's brightest moment and Ben prayed all that while that James would put a name to his feelings. There were no restrictions to picking fruits, no servant ever missed walking all the way there anyway and that meant Felicia would stuff her basket full of her favorite red apples without fear. The three ate what they could and carried the rest back to the palace where James found his father waiting for him. As expected, he had to go to his old man's chambers all alone and that scared him a little. He liked to have Ben close by. "Son, I noticed earlier that you were not happy with my doings and I feel like we should talk about it some more. I know I don't always do right by you, but I need you to understand that as a leader, it is never about what is right for my family, it is about what is right for the people. One day you will be king and I need to know that you will be equipped to do the same...," he went on for a while but James was only half listening. The only thing in his mind was how not to spoil the perfect mood he had after his trip to the orchard that afternoon but his father didn't know that. "Father, I understand and I am okay with everything, however, I want to ask you for a favor," he said hoping his father would bend to his will. "What is it you ask of me son?" he asked reaching for his glass and pouring whisky in it. "Remember when you told me that twenty-six was the best age to marry? I am only twenty-four and I am still working through my residency at the hospital, all I ask is for you to ask the king of Saiwan to give me those two years and I will do as you desire," he smiled a little to lighten his father's next thought even though he knew there was no chance it would change a thing. "Well, if that is what you want, then I promise to do everything to make sure you will have it," the king said with a look of satisfaction on his face. He was moved by how much his son had grown and he was almost sure that the kingdom would be in safe hands with James. James left feeling a little bit at ease but he knew he was not yet done. He still had to come up with a plan to avoid marriage from happening but he had no idea where to even begin but for the moment, he had one final test to think about. The test would determine whether he was fit to be a surgeon or whether he had wasted seven years of his life on a career that was never meant for him as everyone in his family thought. Being a prince and a doctor was unheard of and everyone thought it was both a waste of time and talent for the young prince. His father had thought that James would be interested more in taking over the kingdom but he was wrong. All James ever wanted was to do something that mattered, something he had to work for, and something he would have earned, unlike the kingdom that was to be handed down to him. He wanted to help the people and what better way would he have done that. His sister was the only one who thought what he was doing was noble and she kept encouraging him to go all the way. The test was in a week and at the moment that was the only thing he was supposed to be thinking about. However, Felicia's smile was all he could think about. Back at his chambers, he lay back on his bed staring at the ceiling blankly. Ben noticed and came closer as he knew James had something on his mind. "What is bothering you?" he asked. "Well, where do I even start. I have a test on Friday that will determine my future and account for the last seven years of my life, I have to start on a courtship with a girl I don't and will probably never love, and lastly, I think my heart has some sort of a problem," he said seating up on his bed and looking at Ben with a sad face. "What is wrong with your chest, are you in pain?" Ben asked getting closer to James and picking up his hand. He put his finger over the base of his palm and concentrated for a moment. "It beats just fine to me," he finally said. "Yes at the moment, but throughout today especially while we were by the orchard, I had this rush and for a moment it felt like my heart was pounding off rhythm for a moment," he said with a serious tone. "Exactly when did you feel that and what were you doing then?" Ben asked. "I was reaching for an apple that Felicia had been trying to reach for a while and the feeling hit me while I had my hand up," at that point, Ben knew that course of the rush, and he could tell it wasn't in any way medical. Poor guy was having a love rush and he didn't even know it. "Well, I doubt it was medical, however, if you keep feeling it, you should probably get checked," he said with a smile. Ben was a trained nurse and he was probably supposed to be somewhere out there in a hospital being one but the job as James's helper paid better and he could feed, clothe and school his three siblings.