This time the prince rod early to her cottage, arriving just before midday. He found her in her garden picking pink flowers he had never seen before. She was crouched down, basket in hand. Today she had on a long peach sleeveless dress, her hair consisted of four large cornrows with pink beads at the end. She wore matching rose gold hops and rings, with a simple beige sandals.

The prince walked into the garden coming up behind her. He put a hand on her shoulder. She tensed beneath his touched, swiftly she turned around. His hand falling off from the movement. She got up with a disinterested look etched on her face. The prince started to second guess himself but was determined to make her his.

"Good morning my love" the prince said taken in her appearance. From the front he could see that the dress had a sweat heart neckline and that parts of her hair swooped across her forehead. He had never seen a style like this. His hand reach towards one of the braids, in awe. He brought the braid towards him, counting the many beads and realizing how soft her hair was. He had thought her hair was cloud like but now he was convinced.

"You look.... You look wonderful" the prince said, his eyes connecting to her own.

Like yesterday the girl gently removed the prince's hand from her and took a step back. "I'm sure whatever you have to say can be said without your hands on me." The prince barely registered her words as he was busy trying to commit this moment to memory.

The girl made her way to a table on the side of her cottage. On it she had a pot of warm water, a wooden spoon, some bowls, jars filled with jellies and dried flowers. She placed the basket down just as the prince made his way over. He took in the table confused by what she was doing.

"Would you like some?" she looked at the prince earnestly. The prince was unsure of what she was making but nodded his head. If anything, he would give it to his servant to try. The girl put the flowers she picked into the pot and grabbed two bowls. The prince assumed it was for the two of them.

"Why are you here, I have already said no."

Clearing his throat, the prince said "Yes I know but I came to apologized" the girl paused briefly but continued on cooking. "It was inappropriate of me to come here with no gifts." This time she turned to the prince, an unreadable expression on her face. "You are still a lady and a lady most be courted and shown affection." The girl sighed "indeed a lady should be." The prince took her words to mean there was still hope. "That is why-" the girl held out her hand stopping him "I am not in need of any gifts."

The prince's face contorted into both anger and confusion "Just take a look at what I brought you!" he hurried over to the horse. The girl followed hoping to stop him.

"My prince I am not in need of anything!"

The prince did not listen and had pulled out the beautiful baby pink silk dress. The girl's eyes widen at the site. "It is beautiful!" she exclaimed running her hands down the soft dress. The prince pulled out a second dress made of organza with pale blue glitters. Both dresses were made in a similar style. Large puff sleeves that hung off the shoulders. A straight neckline with a bodice that stopped below the breast. The skirts of dresses flared out and seemed long enough to have dragged on the ground. She took the second in her hand and placed it against herself, imaging how she would look in it. The prince was satisfied with her expression.

"If you think these are beautiful wait till you see the dresses you will wear as my queen."

At once the girl handed back the dresses "I have no interest in being your queen. You may take them back." The prince was taken a back but thought she was playing hard to get. She had started walking back to her table, but the prince grabbed her arm. "I have more gifts." When her eyes meet his again, he pulled out a jewelry box. He opened it and inside was two large heart shaped pink diamond earrings. As hard as she tried to control her face, the prince could see she had lit up looking at them. He was sure he had her this time. However just as quickly she shook her head "I cannot accept these." The prince pulled out the red roses he brought hopping to sweeten the deal.

The girl took the roses and smelled them; they were fresh. "I will take these however." She spun on here heel, roses in hand. Dumbly the prince followed her, with all the other gifts in hand.

"THE ROSES! ROSES ARE THE ONLY GIFT YOU'LL ACCEPT?" the prince yelled in anger. The girl frighted by his outburst, quickly ran to her door, and locked it. The prince banged on the door loudly and aggressively.

"COME OUT" "NOW WE'RE NOT DONE HERE"

"YOU WOULD STAY IN THIS SHABBY COTTAGE THAN BE MY QUEEN?" "DON'T INSULT ME, TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT AND I'LL GET IT FOR YOU"

He banged on the door over and over, finally the girl opened the side of the window, stuck her head out and said, "is this how you court a women?" The prince stomped over to the window. She quickly pulled down the window and locked it. "Come out." She shook her head. "I will not talk to you through a window." "you will if you want me to hear you out." The prince ran a finger through his hair undoing the bun. His hair fell into his face, he pushed in back.

After a few moments he said, "how could you be so cruel?" "How could you reject me, so boldly, twice?" the girl looked at the prince hesitantly. A part of her wanted to comfort him but she knew it would be unwise to do so. "How could you choose this small cottage in this small town and this small life over me and everything I could give you?" the prince said this more to himself but all the same the girl answered.

"It is the life I have chosen for myself." He looked at her through the window. "You are not the first man or even the first prince to come here. In fact, a king once asked me to be his second wife." Her words stung him, and he could feel his anger rising again. "I am not in need of a man or his gifts, so please just leave."

The prince's brows knitted together in anger. He touched the glass as if tracing her features. "You are cruel women with a heart as black as your skin" with that he left the cottage and took off. Making plans to lash his servant for ever mentioning her. 

---

Back at the inn the prince still in a foul mood walked up the steps, switch in hand. He thought about how many lashes he would give the servant. As he made it to the last step, he saw a bowl with a note. It was one of the bowls from the girl's cottage. He took the note and read it.

Dear prince of Akara,

I hope you will still eat the dish I prepared for you. I cannot accept your feelings but wish to still be on good terms.

From, the sun.

The prince chuckled at the ridiculous letter and even more for signing off as the sun. As if a girl so black could ever be the sun. He entered the inn. The servant and the women were siting at the bay window, teacups in hand. The servant got up at once when he saw the prince. Expectantly the servant smiled, sure it was good news. At last, the servant saw the prince's face and the long thin stick in his hand. He knew at once what type of mood the prince was in. the servant turned to the old lady "I most go now" he said barely above a whisper.

The servant walked in the direction of his room with the prince following behind him. The servant pulled down his pants and bent over the bed, waiting for the laches. The prince sat on the only chair in the room. He put his hand on the servant's waist. Glazing over scars from his past laches. The princes hand traveled downward to the servant's cheeks; he pinched the one. Then pulled his hand away.

The servant was unsure of what the prince was doing or thinking. He wounder if the prince was purposely making him feel anxious for when he would finally be hit. Or maybe the prince would just stare and touch him like he had done that one time. Several minutes had past and the prince did neither. After a few more minutes the servant turned to the prince.

The prince was leaning back in the chair, his armed crossed over, his eyes focused on the servant butt not quite looking at him. The servant was unsure what to do. If he spoke the prince maybe reminded of why he was there and hit him, but he couldn't get up either without the prince's permission. He sat there looking at the prince.

"But why would she sign as the sun?" the prince finally said. Confused by his outburst the servant said, "what do you mean my prince." The prince gave the servant her note. The servant read it and then looked to the prince. Neither had an answer, it made no sense to them. Finally, the prince opened the bowl and gave it to his servant.

"Eat it" the servant took the bowl and sniffed it. "what is this?" "I have no idea; she was making something when I went to see her." "doesn't look like something you eat." "That's why I'm making you eat it. You are the reason I meet that strange girl and was humiliated by her" the prince said with venom. The servant decided that eating whatever this was would be better than being hit. He took a spoon that lay on the bed side table and took a bite. The servant was meet with a cool sweetness. This was the tastiest thing he had ever tried. He took another bite and another. He was about the take a fourth when the prince took it out of his hand spilling some. The prince took the spoon from the servant. He took a bite and was mad all over again. This should have been a punishment but instead he had fed him.

Angerly the prince put the dish on the bed side table and gestured for the servant to return to his position. The prince's hand once again found the servant's butt. He crested it mapping where he would hit. He took the switch in one hand and place other just slightly beside the targeted area. The servant held is breath in anticipation. When the switch finally made contact, it did not hurt. The servant moaned a breath of relief. The switch made contact again but again it did not hurt. After a few more the prince realized the servant was not hurt at all.

He turned the servant over, so he was facing him. He looked at the servant face, there was no tears or pain across his face. Angerly the prince stared at the servant trying to put two and two together. He thought back to how the old women treated him on the first day, the girl's garden, he looked at the bowl on the table and then finally the cup of tea he had seen the servant drinking earlier. He marched out of the room and down the hall to the old women.

"Who gave you this tea?" the old women still at bay window, reading now. She looked up at the prince and said, "the girl you went to see." "What does that tea do?" the old women chuckled "nothing at all it just sooths the soul." She shrugged and looked at the servant who had joined them "well it does help with pain relief" she winked at the servant. The prince nodded his head with each passing moment he realized how strange the girl he almost invited into his bed was.