“The Elders of Relkom can’t keep waiting,” the head Elder spoke sternly at the first meeting I had been to in a while. “One more week is all you get. She made a grand appearance at the ball. She need not more time.”

Though I was king and could make the true orders, I knew he was right. She would be well ready, and the other Elders were getting suspicious. 

But was I ready? Was I ready for what was supposed to be planning for our wedding? Was I ready for a friend to be angered at me for letting her believe a lie? Was I ready to know in fact the truth was that she didn’t love me? 

Even if that was true, I still wanted her to know that I wanted to marry her because I loved her, not because we had to. But how could I tell her? 

When I met up with Ellia later, she instantly noticed my discomfort. “Did it not go well?”

“They said you are ready and should meet with your kingdom’s Elders in a week's time.”

“Do you think I’m ready?”

“Yes. I don’t doubt that. You have been working very hard the past few weeks.”

She smiled, making my heart ache only more. “I also prepared all my ideas for solving some of the kingdom's issues.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Her smile instantly became replaced with confusion. “Why not? Won’t the Elders need to know what I’m planning to see if I’m fit?”

“You will be queen because of your bloodline. It has nothing to do with their choosing.”

Now was yet another good time to bring up our marriage. But I first wanted to tell her how I felt. And that needed to be the right time. 

But what would be the right time? 

Maybe during a picnic after a horse ride? I could have the servants set up all the food and surprise her as we rode up to it. It all sounded very romantic. And she loved surprises. 

I had my mind made up. Tomorrow I would tell her that I loved her. 

~*~

“Are you sure everything is alright?” Ellia still continued to be concerned though I always assured her otherwise. 

“Yes, once again, everything is fine. I just have a lot on my mind with all these plans that need to be made.” Plans for tomorrow are what I didn’t say. 

She still didn’t look so convinced. “Let’s go to the lake for a swim. I’m sure you will feel better then.”

“Perhaps I will.”

We had been so busy with her studies, we hadn’t had as much time to simply have fun. So I would try to truly forget everything and enjoy this time with her. 

And that’s exactly what happened. Once we got in the water, it was like I wasn’t king. There was no war. There was no arranged marriage. There was no test she had to pass. It was just her and me being together. 

We started off with some classic splash wars, sending her into her usual fit of giggles. It was enough to take all my worries away. It was also enough to send my heart racing. 

“Let’s play fishy fishy find me!” She exclaimed excitedly. 

“How does that work?”

“You can start as the big fishy so close your eyes. And I’ll be the little fishy and make fish sounds and you have to find me.”

“How do I find you with my eyes closed?”

“Reach out your hands to tag me as you follow the sounds.”

Closing my eyes, I waited for any noise. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Is that really how fish sound? Sounds more like a drowning walrus.”

“Hey, don’t make fun of my fish sounds!”

Pushing my feet off the bottom, I lunged at the sound but wasn’t fast enough. There was a quick swish, a giggle, and then a splash. As I continued towards the noise, I still felt nothing and things grew quiet. Where had she gone? 

“Hey, I don’t hear any more fish sounds. Come on now… You can’t stay silent forever… Okay, I’m sorry I made fun of your fish sounds. I won’t anymore, I promise.” 

There was still no reply. 

I felt something poking my arm. Grabbing it, I opened my eyes to see it was only a stick. And there was no sight of Ellia. 

“Fish attack!” 

I heard her scream from behind me as she jumped on my back. The force and surprise almost knocked me over, but my feet soon found a solid boulder under the water to stand on.   

Taking her legs piggy pack style, I spun us around. So much for stealth. 

As expected, she giggled in delight. “Sea dragon ride! Go!”

My memories suddenly snapped back to when we were children. Did she remember? 

After a long while of trudging through the water with her on my back, she finally got off. Though I didn’t mind her on my back one bit. 

“Look, it’s a rock island. Let’s go!”

I chuckled, not surprised that the fish game didn’t last long and followed her to the next adventure.

Once standing on the rock, there was barely enough room for the two of us. Her hands grabbed my arms in an attempt to push me off. My strength soon proved to be too strong, and she gave up. Soon, our gaze locked into each other’s. 

“When I’m queen…will we still be able to do this?”

No words came to me. How could they when she asked such things? Did I really mean that much to her? She still wanted to swim with me. She still wanted me to read to her. And…my eyes went to where I saw her necklace. She still wore that… 

How could I not conclude that she didn’t have feelings for me? At least some kind. 

Forget about tomorrow. I had to tell her now. 

“Ellia, I have to tell you something.” 

I took a step closer. She took a step back. And soon, I found myself catching her from falling backwards as she almost had when slipping on the rock. 

With one hand on her shoulder and the other around her waist, my heart pounded at how close we were. Her hands also had gripped my clothing to keep from falling. Though her eyes were wide from the alarm, they still fixed into mine. Suddenly, I had no words again, but my feelings were speaking louder. 

In one swift movement, my lips quickly went to hers. For one short moment, everything felt flawless. But the kiss didn’t last long as she let go of me and ended up falling backwards in the water. 

After a big splash, I jumped in to help her. She only slapped my hand away. 

“I don’t need your help,” her annoyed voice snapped at me. 

Next, I simply waited deathly still in the water and watched as the princess swam away from me as fast as she could.