*Ten Years Later*

A young woman sat in front of a vanity mirror. She waved a hand above her head and muttered a sentence softly. Her hair straightened itself, slowly braiding over her left shoulder. She smiled and tied the ends together with a green ribbon, one that matched her forest green dress. She stared at herself for a moment and admired her hazel eyes, the one thing she truly loved about herself. There was a knock at the door.

"Solara, are you ever going to come downstairs and eat? I can practically hear you wasting away in there." A smile came to her lips. To tell the truth, she ate about as much as the average male, but she ate slowly to hide that fact.

"I am sorry Prince. I will be only a second." Solara stood from her chair and straightened her dress out. She opened her bedroom door to see the young prince with a smile on his face. "You seem happy to see me."

"When am I not?" He offered his arm to her and she took it. Prince Michael was the only person who wasn't afraid to be around her for longer than a few minutes at a time. Sometimes they would spend hours talking to each other whether it be Michael dreaming about his future as king or Solara talking about her past. He would wipe her tears when the memories were too much to bear.

Michael led her into the dining hall. He pulled out her chair and pushed her in as a gentleman would, then took a seat himself. A stack of grits topped off with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and syrup were placed in front of the two. Her favorite breakfast food. She almost immediately started eating.

The meal was quiet as usual. They would always save speaking until after they had eaten. It was a habit they had gotten into. But today the prince broke the silence.

"I will not be able to talk with you much today. I have a meeting to attend with my father." He gave her an apologetic smile, a small gesture she was grateful for.

"That is quite alright. There is always another day. I hope the meeting goes well for you." Solara had already finished her plate, Michael still having half a grit left. "You know where to find me if you need anything." She gave him a warm smile.

"Of course. I will see you when I can." He returned the smile with one of his own. "Do not get too bored while I am away."

"I will try my hardest." Michael stood and left the room. When the door had shut, she let out a sigh. The prince was quite busy as of late. They only spent maybe an hour or two together every day. And she really missed his company... But there was no helping it. As a future king he had duties to attend to.