_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
-
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Realistic or Modern Marry the Night [Ama & Blossom]
- Thread starter _amaranth_
- Start date
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
Prince Graham rose when the king stood, and he shook the king’s hand, bowing his head respectfully. “Thank you Your Majesty. It was an honor to be invited, and I look forward to seeing the arrangements you and my parents make for the wedding.” He replied politely, putting on his best manners. Graham glanced over to the princess for a moment when she rose and followed after her father, but he didn’t say anything.
Once the king and princess were out of sight, Graham took his seat again to await Danielle’s return. He was a little curious as to what matters were so urgent they needed to be discussed the moment lunch was over, but Graham didn’t have long to dwell. The princess was absent only a few minutes before she returned, so whatever the matter was, must not have been that big of a deal. Oh how wrong Graham was though.
Rising when the princess approached, Graham greeted her with a bow of his head. “Sure, a walk is fine.” He replied, walking over to Payton.“Everything alright?” He inquired, referring to the king needing to talk with her. The princess had her formal smile back on, which Graham was beginning to realize was just a mask she hid behind. Much like the way Graham hid behind his own mask of charm. His hope was to get her to take off the mask though while they were alone so they could drip the charade and see what their life together would really be like.
“After you...” Graham said, gesturing with his arm for Payton to lead the way, since she was familiar with the palace grounds. The truly polite thing to do would have been to offer the princess his arm for her to take while they strolled through the garden, but Graham refrained. The first reason being because he wasn’t entirely certain Princess Danielle would take his arm and he didn’t want to be rejected. The second being that he wanted to be able to observe the princess’s expressions and body language, and that was much easier to do with some space between them.
Graham followed after Payton when she began walking, leaving the watchful eyes attendants and servants behind them. Once out of view, he let out a relieved breath and loosened his tie a little before rolling up his sleeves. The day was warm and the last thing he wanted was to sweat in his shirt.
“So... tell me something about you that I haven’t been able to read about online.” Graham challenged Payton, looking to break the ice.
Once the king and princess were out of sight, Graham took his seat again to await Danielle’s return. He was a little curious as to what matters were so urgent they needed to be discussed the moment lunch was over, but Graham didn’t have long to dwell. The princess was absent only a few minutes before she returned, so whatever the matter was, must not have been that big of a deal. Oh how wrong Graham was though.
Rising when the princess approached, Graham greeted her with a bow of his head. “Sure, a walk is fine.” He replied, walking over to Payton.“Everything alright?” He inquired, referring to the king needing to talk with her. The princess had her formal smile back on, which Graham was beginning to realize was just a mask she hid behind. Much like the way Graham hid behind his own mask of charm. His hope was to get her to take off the mask though while they were alone so they could drip the charade and see what their life together would really be like.
“After you...” Graham said, gesturing with his arm for Payton to lead the way, since she was familiar with the palace grounds. The truly polite thing to do would have been to offer the princess his arm for her to take while they strolled through the garden, but Graham refrained. The first reason being because he wasn’t entirely certain Princess Danielle would take his arm and he didn’t want to be rejected. The second being that he wanted to be able to observe the princess’s expressions and body language, and that was much easier to do with some space between them.
Graham followed after Payton when she began walking, leaving the watchful eyes attendants and servants behind them. Once out of view, he let out a relieved breath and loosened his tie a little before rolling up his sleeves. The day was warm and the last thing he wanted was to sweat in his shirt.
“So... tell me something about you that I haven’t been able to read about online.” Graham challenged Payton, looking to break the ice.
nine lives
Danielle Camden
Leo’s mischievous grin after Danielle mentioned christening the room made her stomach flutter in a good way. “Well, we have a lot of time to make up for...” She replied to his whisper, before he kissed her. Danielle’s eyes shut at the sensation of his lips against hers, and she melted against him in his embrace. She could feel the warmth from his hands through her dress as he rubbed her sides, ignorant to Leo’s own playful intentions. It wasn’t until it was too late and Leo was already tickling her that she realized what he had been up to.
Danielle gasped and squealed, in a very un-lady-like manner, as she tried to escape the tickling. “L-leo-ooo! S-Sto-op!” She tried to say between giggles and small cries of protest. Danielle squirmed in his arms, but it was of little use as she was no match for Leo. Doubling over, Danielle quickly found herself scooped up into Leo’s arms as he spun her around the room.
Thankful that the tickling had ceased, Danielle held onto Leo tightly as he spun them, laughing at the man who usually had been so serious while working. It was a nice change for them both to loosen up. As they fell back onto the bed, Danielle was out of breath from all her squealing and laughing, and she breathed deeply trying to catch it. Her cheeks were happily flushed as she turned her head to look at Leo when he spoke. Danielle grinned a little when he said to let him know when they should christen the room. Even just lying on the bed with Leo was nice in that moment of bliss.
Danielle hadn’t even thought about food, so caught up in her new adventure with Leo, but when he mentioned lunch, her stomach panged with hunger. “Hmm, so many choices!” Danielle laughed, rolling over on her stomach and propping her chin on her hand. “A grilled cheese, please. I don’t think I’ve ever had one before, so I’m interested to try it.” Dani admitted, the cheesy staple not having been on the palace menu.
“I have a whole list of things I want to try now!” Danielle said, lighting up as she imagined all of the firsts she could have now that she was free from restrictions and watchful eyes. “But first, a grilled cheese!” She smiled, leaning over and giving Leo a quick kiss to seal her decision.
Her eyes lingered on the handsome man for a moment when she pulled away, trying to imprint the way he looked in this moment into her memory. The unfiltered light spilled into the room in a way that it never did in the darker palace, and blanketed him in a soft glow. It was odd that such a simple moment could fill her with so much happiness and relief, but Danielle wanted to remember the feeling.
“Let’s go make those sandwiches before I decide to keep you here forever.” Danielle teased, pushing herself up into a sitting position before hopping off the bed. “You’re far too tempting laying there like that.”
Danielle gasped and squealed, in a very un-lady-like manner, as she tried to escape the tickling. “L-leo-ooo! S-Sto-op!” She tried to say between giggles and small cries of protest. Danielle squirmed in his arms, but it was of little use as she was no match for Leo. Doubling over, Danielle quickly found herself scooped up into Leo’s arms as he spun her around the room.
Thankful that the tickling had ceased, Danielle held onto Leo tightly as he spun them, laughing at the man who usually had been so serious while working. It was a nice change for them both to loosen up. As they fell back onto the bed, Danielle was out of breath from all her squealing and laughing, and she breathed deeply trying to catch it. Her cheeks were happily flushed as she turned her head to look at Leo when he spoke. Danielle grinned a little when he said to let him know when they should christen the room. Even just lying on the bed with Leo was nice in that moment of bliss.
Danielle hadn’t even thought about food, so caught up in her new adventure with Leo, but when he mentioned lunch, her stomach panged with hunger. “Hmm, so many choices!” Danielle laughed, rolling over on her stomach and propping her chin on her hand. “A grilled cheese, please. I don’t think I’ve ever had one before, so I’m interested to try it.” Dani admitted, the cheesy staple not having been on the palace menu.
“I have a whole list of things I want to try now!” Danielle said, lighting up as she imagined all of the firsts she could have now that she was free from restrictions and watchful eyes. “But first, a grilled cheese!” She smiled, leaning over and giving Leo a quick kiss to seal her decision.
Her eyes lingered on the handsome man for a moment when she pulled away, trying to imprint the way he looked in this moment into her memory. The unfiltered light spilled into the room in a way that it never did in the darker palace, and blanketed him in a soft glow. It was odd that such a simple moment could fill her with so much happiness and relief, but Danielle wanted to remember the feeling.
“Let’s go make those sandwiches before I decide to keep you here forever.” Danielle teased, pushing herself up into a sitting position before hopping off the bed. “You’re far too tempting laying there like that.”
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
Prince Graham looked around the garden as Payton began leading them through the grounds. The plants and flowers were perfectly manicured, and while Graham would expect no less, he still was impressed. His gaze turned away from the scenery and settled on Payton as she began to answer his question.
The red head was beautiful, Graham could admit that much to himself. Her blue eyes sparkled naturally in the sunlight, and her fair skin glowed. The prince watched her intently as she pondered a response, holding her arms in front of her as they walked. For the briefest of moments, Graham had the urge to lace his own fingers with hers instead of letting her delicate hands grasp themselves, but he didn’t act on it. It wouldn’t be proper and she wouldn’t want him to, he imagined.
Graham chuckled a little when Payton brought up that the media made Princess Danielle out to be a stick in the mud. The princess definitely had the reputation of being prim and proper, but wasn’t that the goal of any royal? Graham did his best to seem as dull as possible in the news and magazines, hoping that a lack of drama would reduce the amount of paparazzi surrounding him on outings.
“I have no reason not to believe you,” Graham replied when Payton said he could believe her or not about living on the active side. “I mean, I imagine you’re the best source of information about yourself, Danielle.” He added, happy to hear she was more than the articles reported.
“Though, I wonder if I should also have to keep you locked in your room once we’re married. A future Queen shouldn’t be jumping out of a plane. Would hardly be proper.” The prince said, half jokingly with a smirk. He didn’t really approve of the idea of his future wife sky diving, but he didn’t have any true intention to lock her in her room. At least not yet.
The dreamy expression on Payton’s face while she thought about her adrenaline inducing activities both drew Graham in and worried him. It was refreshing that the princess had aspirations to try new and potentially dangerous things, and gave more hope that she wouldn’t be a boring wife. But Graham also worried that he would have his hands full with her. Graham hadn’t spent his whole life staying within the lines to become a successful king, only to have a reckless Queen-to-be bring scandal upon them. Luckily Payton came out of her day dream and turned the conversation over to Graham before the Prince could dwell too long.
Graham scowled a little when Payton asked about him pointing out faux pas, contrasting her smirk. She was still hung up on that, huh? The prince’s scowl softened a little though as he thought about his answer and shrugged. “Certainly not an exception, so don’t take it too personally princess.” Graham replied, stopping for a moment to observe the fountain and buy him some time.
“Though, typically my hosts aren’t the ones forgetting their attire etiquette,” He added, shooting her a smirk back now. “Usually it’s guests who are more removed from the rules... So in that case I suppose you are an exception.” It was hard to resist teasing the beautiful young woman. Perhaps because it was easier to throw little jabs at each other than try to connect emotionally and give in to their destined wedding.
“I play Polo and fence to achieve that adrenaline rush you were speaking of.” The prince said, now looking away from Payton as he watched the water flow from the fountain. “But beyond that, I can’t say I’ve ever had the notion to jump out of a plane... Though, if I did, I imagine my parents would also deny me the chance too.” He added, finding some common ground with Payton. After all, they were both the victims of this arrangement and similar upbringings. They could at least relate on some levels.
“What about your siblings? We both have a brother and sister- do you get along? Do they share your adventurous spirit?” Graham asked casually, unaware that he was actually speaking to the sibling of Princess Danielle at this very moment.
The red head was beautiful, Graham could admit that much to himself. Her blue eyes sparkled naturally in the sunlight, and her fair skin glowed. The prince watched her intently as she pondered a response, holding her arms in front of her as they walked. For the briefest of moments, Graham had the urge to lace his own fingers with hers instead of letting her delicate hands grasp themselves, but he didn’t act on it. It wouldn’t be proper and she wouldn’t want him to, he imagined.
Graham chuckled a little when Payton brought up that the media made Princess Danielle out to be a stick in the mud. The princess definitely had the reputation of being prim and proper, but wasn’t that the goal of any royal? Graham did his best to seem as dull as possible in the news and magazines, hoping that a lack of drama would reduce the amount of paparazzi surrounding him on outings.
“I have no reason not to believe you,” Graham replied when Payton said he could believe her or not about living on the active side. “I mean, I imagine you’re the best source of information about yourself, Danielle.” He added, happy to hear she was more than the articles reported.
“Though, I wonder if I should also have to keep you locked in your room once we’re married. A future Queen shouldn’t be jumping out of a plane. Would hardly be proper.” The prince said, half jokingly with a smirk. He didn’t really approve of the idea of his future wife sky diving, but he didn’t have any true intention to lock her in her room. At least not yet.
The dreamy expression on Payton’s face while she thought about her adrenaline inducing activities both drew Graham in and worried him. It was refreshing that the princess had aspirations to try new and potentially dangerous things, and gave more hope that she wouldn’t be a boring wife. But Graham also worried that he would have his hands full with her. Graham hadn’t spent his whole life staying within the lines to become a successful king, only to have a reckless Queen-to-be bring scandal upon them. Luckily Payton came out of her day dream and turned the conversation over to Graham before the Prince could dwell too long.
Graham scowled a little when Payton asked about him pointing out faux pas, contrasting her smirk. She was still hung up on that, huh? The prince’s scowl softened a little though as he thought about his answer and shrugged. “Certainly not an exception, so don’t take it too personally princess.” Graham replied, stopping for a moment to observe the fountain and buy him some time.
“Though, typically my hosts aren’t the ones forgetting their attire etiquette,” He added, shooting her a smirk back now. “Usually it’s guests who are more removed from the rules... So in that case I suppose you are an exception.” It was hard to resist teasing the beautiful young woman. Perhaps because it was easier to throw little jabs at each other than try to connect emotionally and give in to their destined wedding.
“I play Polo and fence to achieve that adrenaline rush you were speaking of.” The prince said, now looking away from Payton as he watched the water flow from the fountain. “But beyond that, I can’t say I’ve ever had the notion to jump out of a plane... Though, if I did, I imagine my parents would also deny me the chance too.” He added, finding some common ground with Payton. After all, they were both the victims of this arrangement and similar upbringings. They could at least relate on some levels.
“What about your siblings? We both have a brother and sister- do you get along? Do they share your adventurous spirit?” Graham asked casually, unaware that he was actually speaking to the sibling of Princess Danielle at this very moment.
nine lives
Danielle Camden
Danielle smiled as Leo offered her his hand, and she happily accepted it, excited to finally taste a grilled cheese. Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly when he whispered about not being against her keeping him in bed forever, and she laughed softly. “Perhaps after lunch that can be arranged...” Danielle replied teasingly as she followed Leo down the stairs, her hand in his.
In that moment, as she allowed Leo to lead her back to the kitchen, Danielle realized that she would follow this man just about anywhere. A day ago, it was Leo who was tasked with following the princess around wherever she went, and now the roles had flipped. Not that Danielle minded really. Instead she was looking forward to being around Leo without him being required to be her shadow. They could now be two individuals who chose to be together, instead of Leo being paid to be with her.
For a split second that last thought made Danielle panic. What if Leo realized that he didn’t really like being with her now that his job and earning a living didn’t require him to? Her thought was less about fearing that Leo only liked her because he was paid, and more about fearing that she herself would lose her appeal once Leo just saw her for her and how unprepared she was for reality.
The princess’s insecurities started to get the best of her for a few moments, but her doubts were subdued when Leo told Danielle that he wanted to make her anything that she desired. A wave of reassurance washed over Danielle and she looked up Leo with a grateful smile.
“Does that only apply to food?” Danielle joked, her insecurities already a distant memory. She took a closer look around the kitchen this time, noting how the sunlight filled the room and made it inviting. Though even as she tried to admire the kitchen, her gaze kept trailing back to Leo. He looked more relaxed now than she had ever seen him. He was still wearing the suit he usually did while guarding her, but he looked like a different man. In a good way.
It occurred to Danielle that she had never seen Leo when he wasn’t on duty, and she wondered if this softened demeanor was how he usually was on his day off. A small smile tugged at her lips when she recalled how Leo had once been the hardened bodyguard who was a bit cocky and often seemed annoyed by her when they first met. In the beginning, Danielle really had only been a job to Leo, and she was just someone he was paid to protect. She probably could have made it a bit easier on him, but she was in her late teens at the time and took pleasure in giving the cute bodyguard a hard time. But as the years went by, they’d started acting differently around each other in private as their relationship became more than a working one and now... now their relationship was entirely free from the binds of a job.
Danielle’s stomach fluttered a little when Leo easily lifted her onto the counter and told her to stay put with a wink. She bit her lip, trying to keep her thoughts on food and not how his innocent action was kind of a turn on.
“I’m excited to try the Davenport special.” Danielle replied, swinging her legs gently as she watched Leo start working on the sandwiches from her perch on the counter. His humming was cute, and Danielle mischievous thoughts were replaced by trying to picture Leo as a boy eating his mom’s grilled cheeses. She felt a pang of guilt, wondering how her running away would affect Leo’s relationship with his parents. She’d never meet them, and now, wondered if she ever would. But, that was another worry for another time as Leo brought over Danielle’s sandwich.
“Looks delicious!” Danielle smiled, picking up one of the warm sandwich halves, and raising it up in a toast. “Cheers to a first!” She said, taking a bite of the grilled cheese. Her eyes widened at the taste of the buttered bread and melted cheese- such a simple combination but absolutely divine. “Oh my god!” Danielle uttered between chews, forgetting her manners for a moment. “This is amazing!” She continued once she had swallowed. “I don’t know why the palace doesn’t serve these, I’ve been missing out!” Danielle gushed, taking another bite. She didn’t mean to be rude by not waiting for Leo to finish his sandwich, but she was under the spell of her newfound favorite food.
“My compliments to the chef!” Danielle mused, grabbing the fabric of Leo’s shirt and using it to pull him close enough to give him a kiss of gratitude. “Thank you!” She smiled. “Don’t forget about your sandwich though.” Danielle added, not wanting to be the reason his ended up burnt. The princess was impressed that Leo could cook, having never thought about the matter before. She’d have to learn from him. Other than simple things that she’d sneak down into the kitchen to make at night with Payton, all of which didn’t require cooking, Danielle’s skills in the kitchen were lacking. But, she’d have plenty of time to take up a new hobby or two now.
In that moment, as she allowed Leo to lead her back to the kitchen, Danielle realized that she would follow this man just about anywhere. A day ago, it was Leo who was tasked with following the princess around wherever she went, and now the roles had flipped. Not that Danielle minded really. Instead she was looking forward to being around Leo without him being required to be her shadow. They could now be two individuals who chose to be together, instead of Leo being paid to be with her.
For a split second that last thought made Danielle panic. What if Leo realized that he didn’t really like being with her now that his job and earning a living didn’t require him to? Her thought was less about fearing that Leo only liked her because he was paid, and more about fearing that she herself would lose her appeal once Leo just saw her for her and how unprepared she was for reality.
The princess’s insecurities started to get the best of her for a few moments, but her doubts were subdued when Leo told Danielle that he wanted to make her anything that she desired. A wave of reassurance washed over Danielle and she looked up Leo with a grateful smile.
“Does that only apply to food?” Danielle joked, her insecurities already a distant memory. She took a closer look around the kitchen this time, noting how the sunlight filled the room and made it inviting. Though even as she tried to admire the kitchen, her gaze kept trailing back to Leo. He looked more relaxed now than she had ever seen him. He was still wearing the suit he usually did while guarding her, but he looked like a different man. In a good way.
It occurred to Danielle that she had never seen Leo when he wasn’t on duty, and she wondered if this softened demeanor was how he usually was on his day off. A small smile tugged at her lips when she recalled how Leo had once been the hardened bodyguard who was a bit cocky and often seemed annoyed by her when they first met. In the beginning, Danielle really had only been a job to Leo, and she was just someone he was paid to protect. She probably could have made it a bit easier on him, but she was in her late teens at the time and took pleasure in giving the cute bodyguard a hard time. But as the years went by, they’d started acting differently around each other in private as their relationship became more than a working one and now... now their relationship was entirely free from the binds of a job.
Danielle’s stomach fluttered a little when Leo easily lifted her onto the counter and told her to stay put with a wink. She bit her lip, trying to keep her thoughts on food and not how his innocent action was kind of a turn on.
“I’m excited to try the Davenport special.” Danielle replied, swinging her legs gently as she watched Leo start working on the sandwiches from her perch on the counter. His humming was cute, and Danielle mischievous thoughts were replaced by trying to picture Leo as a boy eating his mom’s grilled cheeses. She felt a pang of guilt, wondering how her running away would affect Leo’s relationship with his parents. She’d never meet them, and now, wondered if she ever would. But, that was another worry for another time as Leo brought over Danielle’s sandwich.
“Looks delicious!” Danielle smiled, picking up one of the warm sandwich halves, and raising it up in a toast. “Cheers to a first!” She said, taking a bite of the grilled cheese. Her eyes widened at the taste of the buttered bread and melted cheese- such a simple combination but absolutely divine. “Oh my god!” Danielle uttered between chews, forgetting her manners for a moment. “This is amazing!” She continued once she had swallowed. “I don’t know why the palace doesn’t serve these, I’ve been missing out!” Danielle gushed, taking another bite. She didn’t mean to be rude by not waiting for Leo to finish his sandwich, but she was under the spell of her newfound favorite food.
“My compliments to the chef!” Danielle mused, grabbing the fabric of Leo’s shirt and using it to pull him close enough to give him a kiss of gratitude. “Thank you!” She smiled. “Don’t forget about your sandwich though.” Danielle added, not wanting to be the reason his ended up burnt. The princess was impressed that Leo could cook, having never thought about the matter before. She’d have to learn from him. Other than simple things that she’d sneak down into the kitchen to make at night with Payton, all of which didn’t require cooking, Danielle’s skills in the kitchen were lacking. But, she’d have plenty of time to take up a new hobby or two now.
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
The prince was relieved to hear that his future wife was sensible enough to not have any aspirations of skydiving as the queen. He didn't particularly mind if she wasn't the most proper woman behind closed doors, but appearances in the public eye were everything. One wrong move or outfit or remark and the monarchy was sure to make frontpage headlines and be forced to do damage control.
"Well, if riding is your release, then we will have to make sure that your horse, er, Starlight, makes the trip to North Astoria with you. Our stables are full of magnificent horses, but I imagine that we could find room for one more if it would please you." Graham said, trying to offer an olive branch. His research must have been wrong though, as he thought he recalled reading somewhere that Princess Danielle's horse was named Poppy. Of course, the princess could have multiple horses and perhaps Starlight was a secret favorite.
Graham's thoughts were interrupted though by Payton's comment about him being unbearable and her sudden change of direction. He chuckled, trailing after her towards the fountain. She definitely was as fiery as her hair. If it wasn't so amusing to see the princess's moments of annoyance, perhaps Graham would cut her a little slack. But he quite enjoyed cracking her attempts at perfection, and though he'd lost track of the score a while back, imagined he was still in the lead when it came to jabs at one another.
"Another mistake on your part..." Graham joked, referring to her thinking he was bearable. "I'll add it to the growing list." The prince noticed her annoyed expression soften into a smile, and he wondered what Payton was thinking. Though, whatever the happy thought was must have been fleeting, because her smile turned sad at the mention of her sister.
"I see... Will Payton be your maid of honor then?" Graham asked. He imagined her sadness was due to missing her sister once she joined him in his kingdom. "She can also come visit of course, when we don't have any major duties to attend to and South Astoria can spare its Princess..." He added, hoping to ease her worries.
Payton's next question gave Graham pause though, as the conversation took a more serious turn. Their future... What did he imagine their future to be like?
"I suppose I imagine the future to be similar to my life now... just with a legal document saying that you are my wife..." Graham replied, frowning a little in thought as he stared at the fountain. "I mean, we live in a modern world where arranged marriages seem archaic. I don't expect you to force yourself to love me, nor do I plan to force you to be with me when you don't want to." The word "be" carrying more than one meaning here.
"Though, with love absent in our marriage, I hope that we can at least respect one another and not completely seek to destroy the other's happiness." The prince added, finally looking over to Payton. Yes, he enjoyed tormenting and teasing her, but he still didn't want her to hate him completely or feel the need to make his life a living hell. "Afterall, I imagine you don't truly want this marriage, just as I don't. But, it's our duty to protect the well-being and future of our kingdoms. For better or worse."
"Well, if riding is your release, then we will have to make sure that your horse, er, Starlight, makes the trip to North Astoria with you. Our stables are full of magnificent horses, but I imagine that we could find room for one more if it would please you." Graham said, trying to offer an olive branch. His research must have been wrong though, as he thought he recalled reading somewhere that Princess Danielle's horse was named Poppy. Of course, the princess could have multiple horses and perhaps Starlight was a secret favorite.
Graham's thoughts were interrupted though by Payton's comment about him being unbearable and her sudden change of direction. He chuckled, trailing after her towards the fountain. She definitely was as fiery as her hair. If it wasn't so amusing to see the princess's moments of annoyance, perhaps Graham would cut her a little slack. But he quite enjoyed cracking her attempts at perfection, and though he'd lost track of the score a while back, imagined he was still in the lead when it came to jabs at one another.
"Another mistake on your part..." Graham joked, referring to her thinking he was bearable. "I'll add it to the growing list." The prince noticed her annoyed expression soften into a smile, and he wondered what Payton was thinking. Though, whatever the happy thought was must have been fleeting, because her smile turned sad at the mention of her sister.
"I see... Will Payton be your maid of honor then?" Graham asked. He imagined her sadness was due to missing her sister once she joined him in his kingdom. "She can also come visit of course, when we don't have any major duties to attend to and South Astoria can spare its Princess..." He added, hoping to ease her worries.
Payton's next question gave Graham pause though, as the conversation took a more serious turn. Their future... What did he imagine their future to be like?
"I suppose I imagine the future to be similar to my life now... just with a legal document saying that you are my wife..." Graham replied, frowning a little in thought as he stared at the fountain. "I mean, we live in a modern world where arranged marriages seem archaic. I don't expect you to force yourself to love me, nor do I plan to force you to be with me when you don't want to." The word "be" carrying more than one meaning here.
"Though, with love absent in our marriage, I hope that we can at least respect one another and not completely seek to destroy the other's happiness." The prince added, finally looking over to Payton. Yes, he enjoyed tormenting and teasing her, but he still didn't want her to hate him completely or feel the need to make his life a living hell. "Afterall, I imagine you don't truly want this marriage, just as I don't. But, it's our duty to protect the well-being and future of our kingdoms. For better or worse."
nine lives
Danielle Camden
Hazel eyes watched Leo as he returned to the stove, taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. He looked so relaxed in the kitchen, and Danielle was tempted to burn his jacket so he could never put it on again. It was just a reminder of the restrictive life they’d left behind, and Danielle preferred Leo’s more casual look. Though Leo was the most handsome man in the world to Danielle, so really he could wear anything and she’d like it.
“Yes, I love it!” Danielle smiled, taking another bite as Leo walked over with his own sandwich. “And I love this.” She added, referring to them here in the kitchen, together. “Just keep these sandwiches coming and I’ll be yours forever.” She teased, in between bites. As far as Danielle was concerned, the moment Leo agreed to go on the run with her, she was his forever. Or at least as long as he wanted her.
Danielle may have been a princess with a beautiful castle, but from her perch on the counter, this moment with Leo felt like the real fairytale. Her knight in shining armor had just made her the most delicious sandwich she’d ever eaten and there was no one in sight to point out that sitting on the counter wasn’t proper. If this was what their new reality would be like, then she would live happily ever after.
Finishing her last bite of the first sandwich half, Danielle nodded. "That sounds good. Shouldn't take me long to unpack, I didn't have time to throw much into the bag." She replied, lighting up at the idea of grocery shopping. "Can I push the cute little cart around? I've never gotten to."
All of Danielle's previous experiences at grocery stores were typically highly supervised and for the purpose of a photo-op or a staged event of the Royal Family visiting their people. She'd never actually shopped for groceries before though. This would be a ceremonial event of becoming a regular person, and Danielle was oddly excited about it. For most, buying groceries was a chore, but for the princess, it was another "first".
Danielle's heart fluttered everytime Leo referred to the house as "their home", feeling as though she was in a dream and afraid to wake up from it. "You are so sweet Leo, dinner would be lovely." She smiled, starting to eat her second half. It didn't take long though before Danielle found herself with an empty plate and a full stomach. Sighing contently, the princess pushed herself off of the counter and took her plate over to the sink.
"You cooked, so I'll wash the dishes after we get back from the store." She decided, walking back over to Leo to keep him company while he finished his sandwich. She might not be familiar with doing chores, but she was determined not to make Leo wait on her for everything. Danielle wanted to become capable and fit into this new lifestyle so that she and Leo could be equals. "Thanks again. Next time you'll have to teach me how to make them." Danielle added, leaning against the counter and just gazing at Leo for a moment.
It had been hard to keep her feelings for the tall, handsome man in check during their secret fling, but she had become accustomed to not looking at him too long, or laughing to loudly at his jokes while in the palace. That was the only way for them to keep their secret relationship, well, a secret. But now... Now she didn't have to pretend that she wasn't wild for her ex-bodyguard or counting down the hours until she could steal a kiss in a dark corner. So she took this opportunity just to watch him without fear of someone catching her adoring looks at him.
“Yes, I love it!” Danielle smiled, taking another bite as Leo walked over with his own sandwich. “And I love this.” She added, referring to them here in the kitchen, together. “Just keep these sandwiches coming and I’ll be yours forever.” She teased, in between bites. As far as Danielle was concerned, the moment Leo agreed to go on the run with her, she was his forever. Or at least as long as he wanted her.
Danielle may have been a princess with a beautiful castle, but from her perch on the counter, this moment with Leo felt like the real fairytale. Her knight in shining armor had just made her the most delicious sandwich she’d ever eaten and there was no one in sight to point out that sitting on the counter wasn’t proper. If this was what their new reality would be like, then she would live happily ever after.
Finishing her last bite of the first sandwich half, Danielle nodded. "That sounds good. Shouldn't take me long to unpack, I didn't have time to throw much into the bag." She replied, lighting up at the idea of grocery shopping. "Can I push the cute little cart around? I've never gotten to."
All of Danielle's previous experiences at grocery stores were typically highly supervised and for the purpose of a photo-op or a staged event of the Royal Family visiting their people. She'd never actually shopped for groceries before though. This would be a ceremonial event of becoming a regular person, and Danielle was oddly excited about it. For most, buying groceries was a chore, but for the princess, it was another "first".
Danielle's heart fluttered everytime Leo referred to the house as "their home", feeling as though she was in a dream and afraid to wake up from it. "You are so sweet Leo, dinner would be lovely." She smiled, starting to eat her second half. It didn't take long though before Danielle found herself with an empty plate and a full stomach. Sighing contently, the princess pushed herself off of the counter and took her plate over to the sink.
"You cooked, so I'll wash the dishes after we get back from the store." She decided, walking back over to Leo to keep him company while he finished his sandwich. She might not be familiar with doing chores, but she was determined not to make Leo wait on her for everything. Danielle wanted to become capable and fit into this new lifestyle so that she and Leo could be equals. "Thanks again. Next time you'll have to teach me how to make them." Danielle added, leaning against the counter and just gazing at Leo for a moment.
It had been hard to keep her feelings for the tall, handsome man in check during their secret fling, but she had become accustomed to not looking at him too long, or laughing to loudly at his jokes while in the palace. That was the only way for them to keep their secret relationship, well, a secret. But now... Now she didn't have to pretend that she wasn't wild for her ex-bodyguard or counting down the hours until she could steal a kiss in a dark corner. So she took this opportunity just to watch him without fear of someone catching her adoring looks at him.
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
While Graham had done his homework on Danielle, his research had not extended to the princess's family yet. If it had, perhaps Graham would have noticed the first clue that his bride to be was not who he thought she was after Payton's slip up. Luckily for the younger princess, her secret was safe, for now.
Graham nodded when Payton took him up on the offer to have Starlight join them in North Astoria. Hopefully the horse would keep the future Queen out of other mischief, while earning Graham some brownie points for his thoughtful gesture. Though, any hopes of brownie points were almost entirely forgotten when the word "asshat" escaped Payton's lips.
"Such language hardly suits such a pretty young woman," the Prince replied, his dark eyes narrowing at Payton, taking her comment as an inference that he was an "asshat". "I can only imagine what his majesty would think hearing his daughter say such a thing. Though if you are using the King as an excuse as to why you didn't speak your mind earlier, I'm wondering why you haven't attempted to settle the score now." Graham said, looking around the empty garden and gesturing with his hands. "I don't see your father around anywhere..." He challenged, a little vexed at Payton now.
Prince Graham had to swallow his vexation though to answer Payton's question about the future, which he did to the best of his ability. His gaze remained on Payton as she replied with her own opinion of what their future held. Her request that he lay off a bit was fair, and once they were married Graham would do his best to keep his thoughts on her mistakes to himself. However, any other agreement that Graham may have had about Payton's sentiment that they should be partners, not enemies, was doused, along with the Prince, by the spray from the fountain.
"What the hell?!" Graham cursed as the cold water drenched him, both in surprise and in anger. He jumped away from the fountain, but the damage had already been done and the princess was outright laughing at him. Graham's eyes flashed dangerously as he looked over to Payton, her enjoyment over what happened greatly contrasting his annoyance. The fact that she'd managed not to get a single drop of water on her and was quick to laugh, made Graham suspect that she'd known that he was going to be a victim of the fountain.
"Your words about being partners not enemies seem rather insincere now." Graham uttered through clenched teeth. The prince was doing his best to keep his temper contained, and had anyone else pulled the stunt that Payton just had, he would have torn into them. As it was though, Payton was protected from Graham's wrath by their engagement.
The prince cursed again under his breath as he stood there dripping wet, creating a puddle on the ground beneath him. His perfectly slicked back hair now hung down a little in his eyes, and his outfit was drenched through. There was no way that Graham could be seen in such a state. He would now have to remain hidden somewhere in the garden until his clothes dried, or risk who knows what kind of rumors being spread about by the servants if they were to see him soaking wet. He would be no fool.
"You knew that was going to happen." Graham said icily, glaring at Payton and her laughter. "I wonder how the King would feel to learn of how you've treated your guest and future husband. This hardly is a step in the right direction at strengthening relations between the two countries." He added, a tone of warning in his voice.
Graham nodded when Payton took him up on the offer to have Starlight join them in North Astoria. Hopefully the horse would keep the future Queen out of other mischief, while earning Graham some brownie points for his thoughtful gesture. Though, any hopes of brownie points were almost entirely forgotten when the word "asshat" escaped Payton's lips.
"Such language hardly suits such a pretty young woman," the Prince replied, his dark eyes narrowing at Payton, taking her comment as an inference that he was an "asshat". "I can only imagine what his majesty would think hearing his daughter say such a thing. Though if you are using the King as an excuse as to why you didn't speak your mind earlier, I'm wondering why you haven't attempted to settle the score now." Graham said, looking around the empty garden and gesturing with his hands. "I don't see your father around anywhere..." He challenged, a little vexed at Payton now.
Prince Graham had to swallow his vexation though to answer Payton's question about the future, which he did to the best of his ability. His gaze remained on Payton as she replied with her own opinion of what their future held. Her request that he lay off a bit was fair, and once they were married Graham would do his best to keep his thoughts on her mistakes to himself. However, any other agreement that Graham may have had about Payton's sentiment that they should be partners, not enemies, was doused, along with the Prince, by the spray from the fountain.
"What the hell?!" Graham cursed as the cold water drenched him, both in surprise and in anger. He jumped away from the fountain, but the damage had already been done and the princess was outright laughing at him. Graham's eyes flashed dangerously as he looked over to Payton, her enjoyment over what happened greatly contrasting his annoyance. The fact that she'd managed not to get a single drop of water on her and was quick to laugh, made Graham suspect that she'd known that he was going to be a victim of the fountain.
"Your words about being partners not enemies seem rather insincere now." Graham uttered through clenched teeth. The prince was doing his best to keep his temper contained, and had anyone else pulled the stunt that Payton just had, he would have torn into them. As it was though, Payton was protected from Graham's wrath by their engagement.
The prince cursed again under his breath as he stood there dripping wet, creating a puddle on the ground beneath him. His perfectly slicked back hair now hung down a little in his eyes, and his outfit was drenched through. There was no way that Graham could be seen in such a state. He would now have to remain hidden somewhere in the garden until his clothes dried, or risk who knows what kind of rumors being spread about by the servants if they were to see him soaking wet. He would be no fool.
"You knew that was going to happen." Graham said icily, glaring at Payton and her laughter. "I wonder how the King would feel to learn of how you've treated your guest and future husband. This hardly is a step in the right direction at strengthening relations between the two countries." He added, a tone of warning in his voice.
nine lives
Danielle Camden
Leo's mention of mac & cheese intrigued Danielle, his kiss warmed her and his agreement that she could push the cart excited her. Everything was perfect... until the mention of Dani's hair and the possibility of someone recognizing her. For some reason, being out in the countryside made Danielle forget that she was still one of the most well-known figures in the country. Whether they were 5 miles or 500 miles from the palace, anyone who had a TV or read the paper probably knew who she was. And that was a problem.
"Oh, right," Danielle nodded slowly, self-consciously playing with the ends of her hair for a moment as she thought. This new life with Leo would require many sacrifices, on both their parts, and Danielle's precious locks were just going to have to be another one. "Well, it's just hair I guess..." She sighed, resigned to the idea that she'd have to do something about her signature hair. Their fiery red manes had always been one of the features that made it so hard to tell her and Payton apart, but now... now she'd be giving that up, and feel that much further from her sister. A hat and ponytail would probably work for now, at least until word got out that she was missing, but in the long run, she'd need to come up with a more permanent solution.
Once the dishes were in the sink, Danielle watched as Leo disappeared up the stairs to change. Finding herself alone for the first time today since waking up, Danielle took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The full consequences of her decision had not completely set in yet, and as she was left alone with her thoughts, Danielle did her best to ignore them some more. So far she'd only focussed on the positives of running away with Leo, but eventually some of the negatives would make themselves known. Negatives beyond just having to dye her hair. For now though, she wanted to postpone those thoughts for as long as possible.
Danielle's things were all still in the jeep, so she didn't have a hair tie at the moment, but as she perused the kitchen, peeking into cabinets and sliding drawers open curiously, she came across a few rubber bands in one of the drawers with knicknacks. Pulling her hair back out of her face and up into a ponytail, Danielle used the rubberband to secure her hair in the up-do. She rarely wore her hair in a ponytail, and really only wore it up in other styles for formal occasions. Though the casual hairstyle just might have to become her new go-to.
Leo wasn't gone long, and Danielle smiled when he came back down the stairs, giving him a little once over. "Looking good." She said, taking the hat that he offered and putting it on her head after slipping her hair through the back of the cap. The hat was a little big on her, so she tightened the adjustable part as small as it would go. Satisfied, she turned to Leo and flourished her hands as she gestured to the hat. "What do you think, am I a new person?" She asked teasingly.
Danielle gave Leo's hand a little squeeze back when he laced his fingers with hers after grabbing his keys and wallet. "Yes, I'm excited!" The princess replied, hiding that she was also a little nervous. His comment about the sugar overdose made her laugh though and forget about her worries for now. "Well, I look forward to all the tasty treats. Bring it on!" She replied, following Leo out the door.
When they got to the Jeep, Danielle stood on her tiptoes to give Leo a peck on the cheek real quick, before going to her side of the car. Once the car was unlocked, Danielle hopped in and buckled up. She pulled her sunglasses from her purse and slipped them on her face, completing her disguise to the best of their ability. She looked in the mirror on the back of the sun visor for a moment, examining her reflection, before flipping the visor back up, satisfied. "As long as word hasn't gotten out that I've run away, I think we'll be okay." She said optimistically as Leo climbed into the driver's seat and started the car.
"I grabbed all of my cash that I've saved up over the years..." Danielle mentioned, looking into her purse. "But some of it is in different currencies from my trips abroad, so we'll have to find a place that does exchanges eventually." The princess was occasionally given spending cash when she was going out for public appearances or to mingle with the locals to help relations in other countries. Over the years, Danielle had saved up all that she didn't spend in a wooden jewelry box, liking the false sense of independence having her own money gave her. Everything else was always bought on her father's account, so her petty cash had been her own little secret stash. And now, it was finally going to come in handy.
"Oh, right," Danielle nodded slowly, self-consciously playing with the ends of her hair for a moment as she thought. This new life with Leo would require many sacrifices, on both their parts, and Danielle's precious locks were just going to have to be another one. "Well, it's just hair I guess..." She sighed, resigned to the idea that she'd have to do something about her signature hair. Their fiery red manes had always been one of the features that made it so hard to tell her and Payton apart, but now... now she'd be giving that up, and feel that much further from her sister. A hat and ponytail would probably work for now, at least until word got out that she was missing, but in the long run, she'd need to come up with a more permanent solution.
Once the dishes were in the sink, Danielle watched as Leo disappeared up the stairs to change. Finding herself alone for the first time today since waking up, Danielle took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The full consequences of her decision had not completely set in yet, and as she was left alone with her thoughts, Danielle did her best to ignore them some more. So far she'd only focussed on the positives of running away with Leo, but eventually some of the negatives would make themselves known. Negatives beyond just having to dye her hair. For now though, she wanted to postpone those thoughts for as long as possible.
Danielle's things were all still in the jeep, so she didn't have a hair tie at the moment, but as she perused the kitchen, peeking into cabinets and sliding drawers open curiously, she came across a few rubber bands in one of the drawers with knicknacks. Pulling her hair back out of her face and up into a ponytail, Danielle used the rubberband to secure her hair in the up-do. She rarely wore her hair in a ponytail, and really only wore it up in other styles for formal occasions. Though the casual hairstyle just might have to become her new go-to.
Leo wasn't gone long, and Danielle smiled when he came back down the stairs, giving him a little once over. "Looking good." She said, taking the hat that he offered and putting it on her head after slipping her hair through the back of the cap. The hat was a little big on her, so she tightened the adjustable part as small as it would go. Satisfied, she turned to Leo and flourished her hands as she gestured to the hat. "What do you think, am I a new person?" She asked teasingly.
Danielle gave Leo's hand a little squeeze back when he laced his fingers with hers after grabbing his keys and wallet. "Yes, I'm excited!" The princess replied, hiding that she was also a little nervous. His comment about the sugar overdose made her laugh though and forget about her worries for now. "Well, I look forward to all the tasty treats. Bring it on!" She replied, following Leo out the door.
When they got to the Jeep, Danielle stood on her tiptoes to give Leo a peck on the cheek real quick, before going to her side of the car. Once the car was unlocked, Danielle hopped in and buckled up. She pulled her sunglasses from her purse and slipped them on her face, completing her disguise to the best of their ability. She looked in the mirror on the back of the sun visor for a moment, examining her reflection, before flipping the visor back up, satisfied. "As long as word hasn't gotten out that I've run away, I think we'll be okay." She said optimistically as Leo climbed into the driver's seat and started the car.
"I grabbed all of my cash that I've saved up over the years..." Danielle mentioned, looking into her purse. "But some of it is in different currencies from my trips abroad, so we'll have to find a place that does exchanges eventually." The princess was occasionally given spending cash when she was going out for public appearances or to mingle with the locals to help relations in other countries. Over the years, Danielle had saved up all that she didn't spend in a wooden jewelry box, liking the false sense of independence having her own money gave her. Everything else was always bought on her father's account, so her petty cash had been her own little secret stash. And now, it was finally going to come in handy.
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
The Prince of North Astoria instantly regretted criticizing Payton for her use of "asshat" when she turned his words against him after his cursing. However, right now his regret was the least of his concerns, and he was tempted to let another string of curses escape from his mouth. This situation was truly a nightmare for him. He was already in an arranged marriage, on a visit he'd preferred not to have been on, with a woman who was proving to be a challenging fiance... and now he was soaking wet to top it all off!
Graham took inventory of himself, finding little hope that any part of him remained dry. However, when Payton's laughter fell silent, he looked over at her and soon found himself filled with more regret. Perhaps his reaction to her prank had been a little too harsh. While an honest response, the prince scolded himself for not maintaining more of his composure. He hated the look the Princess now gave him, obviously taken aback by his outburst, her face pale. Before Graham could open his mouth to form an apology though, anger must have replaced her unease, and Payton responded with narrowed eyes and exasperated words.
"If I had any hope that your prank would be enough of an excuse to void the arrangement, then yes. Maybe it would be a threat." Graham responded curtly, doing his best to begin wringing out the water from his garments. "But I don't think sharing your momentary lapse of judgement would do anything but piss off the King."
Graham raised an eyebrow slightly when Payton approached him, unsure of her motives and now suspicious of everything she did. He watched her closely, and tensed a little when she pushed some of his wet hair out his eyes and wiped his face. The princess's hands were warm against his now cool skin, and if he wasn't so annoyed with her, the sensation of her touch would be enjoyable. It was a simple, but intimate gesture on Payton's part, and the Prince wasn't sure how to react. Graham's eyes held Payton's though, and he made no movement to stop her, afraid rebuffing her attempts to help would just offend her more.
When she pulled her hands back down, Payton seemed to offer Graham a solution for him to avoid being seen looking like a drenched rat. The prince was curious as to what she meant, but he had little choice but to trust the Princess who was responsible for his dripping state to begin with. "How generous of you..." Graham replied, doing his best to curb some of his sarcasm. Payton taking his hand in hers was a surprisingly effective way to melt some of Graham's irritation, and he followed after her silently.
The princess's hand was so soft and small in his, but she held his firmly as she directed them to what looked to be a playhouse, tucked away in the garden. Graham ducked his head a little as they entered through the doorway that had likely been made for kids, and he glanced around at the interior. It was small, but private. Better than remaining in the garden where they were.
"I appreciate the offer, but I think I will refrain from wearing another future king's clothes." Graham replied, picturing the clothes being for kids based off the location. He slipped his hand away from hers and took a few steps away to peer around at the playhouse. The Prince avoided looking at Payton when she apologized for her actions, feeling ashamed for his response as well and not wanting her to see it.
"If I manage to dry off before anyone notices, then consider yourself forgiven." Graham replied, picking up a book that was sitting on a shelf and glancing it over, before setting it back down. "I don't imagine I'll be going near any other water features with you for a while though." He added, glancing over his shoulder to offer a small grin. His version of an olive branch.
"So, no one will find us here, right?" Graham asked, looking out the window of the small house and looking around for any passers by. Satisfied that they were alone in this section of the garden, Graham began unbuttoning his shirt. Once all of the buttons were freed, the Prince slipped his wet shirt off and hung it off the back of one of the little chairs to hang dry.
Graham took inventory of himself, finding little hope that any part of him remained dry. However, when Payton's laughter fell silent, he looked over at her and soon found himself filled with more regret. Perhaps his reaction to her prank had been a little too harsh. While an honest response, the prince scolded himself for not maintaining more of his composure. He hated the look the Princess now gave him, obviously taken aback by his outburst, her face pale. Before Graham could open his mouth to form an apology though, anger must have replaced her unease, and Payton responded with narrowed eyes and exasperated words.
"If I had any hope that your prank would be enough of an excuse to void the arrangement, then yes. Maybe it would be a threat." Graham responded curtly, doing his best to begin wringing out the water from his garments. "But I don't think sharing your momentary lapse of judgement would do anything but piss off the King."
Graham raised an eyebrow slightly when Payton approached him, unsure of her motives and now suspicious of everything she did. He watched her closely, and tensed a little when she pushed some of his wet hair out his eyes and wiped his face. The princess's hands were warm against his now cool skin, and if he wasn't so annoyed with her, the sensation of her touch would be enjoyable. It was a simple, but intimate gesture on Payton's part, and the Prince wasn't sure how to react. Graham's eyes held Payton's though, and he made no movement to stop her, afraid rebuffing her attempts to help would just offend her more.
When she pulled her hands back down, Payton seemed to offer Graham a solution for him to avoid being seen looking like a drenched rat. The prince was curious as to what she meant, but he had little choice but to trust the Princess who was responsible for his dripping state to begin with. "How generous of you..." Graham replied, doing his best to curb some of his sarcasm. Payton taking his hand in hers was a surprisingly effective way to melt some of Graham's irritation, and he followed after her silently.
The princess's hand was so soft and small in his, but she held his firmly as she directed them to what looked to be a playhouse, tucked away in the garden. Graham ducked his head a little as they entered through the doorway that had likely been made for kids, and he glanced around at the interior. It was small, but private. Better than remaining in the garden where they were.
"I appreciate the offer, but I think I will refrain from wearing another future king's clothes." Graham replied, picturing the clothes being for kids based off the location. He slipped his hand away from hers and took a few steps away to peer around at the playhouse. The Prince avoided looking at Payton when she apologized for her actions, feeling ashamed for his response as well and not wanting her to see it.
"If I manage to dry off before anyone notices, then consider yourself forgiven." Graham replied, picking up a book that was sitting on a shelf and glancing it over, before setting it back down. "I don't imagine I'll be going near any other water features with you for a while though." He added, glancing over his shoulder to offer a small grin. His version of an olive branch.
"So, no one will find us here, right?" Graham asked, looking out the window of the small house and looking around for any passers by. Satisfied that they were alone in this section of the garden, Graham began unbuttoning his shirt. Once all of the buttons were freed, the Prince slipped his wet shirt off and hung it off the back of one of the little chairs to hang dry.
nine lives
Danielle Camden
Danielle had to suppress an amused smile at Leo's frustration with his sputtering car. "It still runs, that's what counts..." She replied, moving her hand to rest at the nape of his neck as he pulled out of the driveway and headed for the grocery store. The princess absentmindedly played with the ends of Leo's short hair, running her fingers through it as she watched the scenery fly by through the window. This was her new neighborhood, and she loved it.
Glancing back towards Leo when he said he would be paying for the groceries, Danielle smiled with a sigh. "You really are too good to me... but I'm not complaining." She said, thankful for his generosity. "But cool, I think I can handle the cart. Can't be that hard." Dani laughed.
When Leo turned the radio on, Danielle hummed along with the tunes, not knowing the words but finding the commercial pop catchy. Usually the princess spent car rides prepping for whatever engagement she was heading to or catching up on sleep after a busy day. She'd never really had time to ask the driver to put music on, so this was another one of those "firsts".
The drive didn't take much time at all and Danielle's eyes lit up when Leo parked in front of the store. It was mid afternoon, so the store luckily wasn't too busy, with most people still at work or in school. As excited as Dani was to experience shopping like a regular person, she was still stepping out of her comfort zone and understandably a little nervous. It was sad that a grocery trip without an entourage of guards had her adrenaline going, but it did.
"Yes, I am." Danielle nodded, determined to be the best cart pusher that ever was. She leaned over and kissed Leo softly, enjoying their last moment of privacy, before hopping out of the Jeep. Looking around, Dani took a deep breath as she located where the carts were kept. For a moment Danielle instinctively waited for Leo to get out and come over to her, before she realized that she was free to move about without needing permission or someone to clear the area. Taking advantage of her new independence, Danielle made her way over to the carts on her own, taking one that was sitting alone outside of the collection.
Giving the cart a test push and pull, Danielle laughed a little, imagining what her father would think if he saw her right now. Caught up with the novelty of the moment, Danielle didn't realize she was completely blocking the other carts until a woman cleared her throat irritatedly. "You mind?" She asked impatiently, hurrying to get a cart the moment that Danielle embarrassedly moved out of the way. "So sorry..." The princess apologized quickly, her face flushing having never been spoken to like that before by a commoner.
Glancing back towards Leo when he said he would be paying for the groceries, Danielle smiled with a sigh. "You really are too good to me... but I'm not complaining." She said, thankful for his generosity. "But cool, I think I can handle the cart. Can't be that hard." Dani laughed.
When Leo turned the radio on, Danielle hummed along with the tunes, not knowing the words but finding the commercial pop catchy. Usually the princess spent car rides prepping for whatever engagement she was heading to or catching up on sleep after a busy day. She'd never really had time to ask the driver to put music on, so this was another one of those "firsts".
The drive didn't take much time at all and Danielle's eyes lit up when Leo parked in front of the store. It was mid afternoon, so the store luckily wasn't too busy, with most people still at work or in school. As excited as Dani was to experience shopping like a regular person, she was still stepping out of her comfort zone and understandably a little nervous. It was sad that a grocery trip without an entourage of guards had her adrenaline going, but it did.
"Yes, I am." Danielle nodded, determined to be the best cart pusher that ever was. She leaned over and kissed Leo softly, enjoying their last moment of privacy, before hopping out of the Jeep. Looking around, Dani took a deep breath as she located where the carts were kept. For a moment Danielle instinctively waited for Leo to get out and come over to her, before she realized that she was free to move about without needing permission or someone to clear the area. Taking advantage of her new independence, Danielle made her way over to the carts on her own, taking one that was sitting alone outside of the collection.
Giving the cart a test push and pull, Danielle laughed a little, imagining what her father would think if he saw her right now. Caught up with the novelty of the moment, Danielle didn't realize she was completely blocking the other carts until a woman cleared her throat irritatedly. "You mind?" She asked impatiently, hurrying to get a cart the moment that Danielle embarrassedly moved out of the way. "So sorry..." The princess apologized quickly, her face flushing having never been spoken to like that before by a commoner.
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
"You're not always like this, huh?" Graham asked. "So how are you usually like? If I wasn't around to provoke you, that is." The prince asked, before striping off his wet shirt. Once he'd hung the garment on the back of the chair, he contemplated taking off his trousers, but Payton's expression stopped him.
To the Prince, being shirtless wasn't a big deal as long as he wasn't in public, so he didn't even think twice about discarding his soaking button up. However, that surprised look on the princess's face, paired with her flushed cheeks, told Graham that perhaps he had misjudged the situation. His intentions weren't to make Danielle uncomfortable, or seem forward. He'd only been hoping to speed up the drying process and stay warmer.
As Payton stumbled over her words, before deciding to go make a fire, Graham couldn't help but grin a little at how flustered she was. Danielle must not have had much experience with guys, though as a princess under close supervision that wasn't terribly surprising. It was amusing though. Graham had accidentally stumbled on a way to make Payton speechless, and he took note.
The prince's grin turned into a chuckle when he noticed her having a bit of trouble lighting the match, and he strode over to the fireplace. "Allow me..." Kneeling down beside Payton, Graham took the matches from her trembling fingers and easily lit a flame, before tossing it onto the wood in the fireplace. "I have every confidence that you would have been able to light the fire, but it is a bit drafty in here so I thought I'd speed up the process." He said, his gaze locking onto Payton's for a moment as they both crouched by the fire, inches away from each other.
The princess was extremely beautiful, and the flush on her cheeks was still present. Graham's thoughts returned to his earlier relief that at least he was attracted to his fiance. And while he wouldn't mind acting on the physical attraction later, now was not the time nor place. With a smirk, Graham broke the intimate moment, handing the box of matches back to Payton with a pat on her hand, and stood back up to his full height.
"Would you prefer I put my shirt back on?" He asked simply. "I don't want you to think I'm untoward." Graham added, watching Payton collect herself for a moment. He walked over to one of the small couches and grabbed a blanket off of it, wrapping it around his shoulders to help cover up some. He looked down at the stitching on the homemade blanket that read "Danielle" and glanced back up at Payton. "You don't mind, do you? If it's an heirloom, I can put it back." He said, starting to take it off just in case.
To the Prince, being shirtless wasn't a big deal as long as he wasn't in public, so he didn't even think twice about discarding his soaking button up. However, that surprised look on the princess's face, paired with her flushed cheeks, told Graham that perhaps he had misjudged the situation. His intentions weren't to make Danielle uncomfortable, or seem forward. He'd only been hoping to speed up the drying process and stay warmer.
As Payton stumbled over her words, before deciding to go make a fire, Graham couldn't help but grin a little at how flustered she was. Danielle must not have had much experience with guys, though as a princess under close supervision that wasn't terribly surprising. It was amusing though. Graham had accidentally stumbled on a way to make Payton speechless, and he took note.
The prince's grin turned into a chuckle when he noticed her having a bit of trouble lighting the match, and he strode over to the fireplace. "Allow me..." Kneeling down beside Payton, Graham took the matches from her trembling fingers and easily lit a flame, before tossing it onto the wood in the fireplace. "I have every confidence that you would have been able to light the fire, but it is a bit drafty in here so I thought I'd speed up the process." He said, his gaze locking onto Payton's for a moment as they both crouched by the fire, inches away from each other.
The princess was extremely beautiful, and the flush on her cheeks was still present. Graham's thoughts returned to his earlier relief that at least he was attracted to his fiance. And while he wouldn't mind acting on the physical attraction later, now was not the time nor place. With a smirk, Graham broke the intimate moment, handing the box of matches back to Payton with a pat on her hand, and stood back up to his full height.
"Would you prefer I put my shirt back on?" He asked simply. "I don't want you to think I'm untoward." Graham added, watching Payton collect herself for a moment. He walked over to one of the small couches and grabbed a blanket off of it, wrapping it around his shoulders to help cover up some. He looked down at the stitching on the homemade blanket that read "Danielle" and glanced back up at Payton. "You don't mind, do you? If it's an heirloom, I can put it back." He said, starting to take it off just in case.
nine lives
Danielle Camden
Danielle was a little flustered after her encounter with the impatient woman, and she was already starting to second guess her decision to push the cart. Apparently more could go wrong than she thought, and she wasn't sure she'd do too well if everyone was as crabby towards her as the woman was. The princess was accustomed to people being exceptionally kind towards her, so this was a foreign feeling, and she didn't like it. Was this how people were in real life when not in the presence of royalty?
Luckily Leo came to her rescue, and she turned to look up at him as his arm wrapped around her shoulder and he steered her inside. Danielle had been so determined to prove she could do things on her own, but that only backfired. Immediately. Maybe it was best to still stick close to Leo until she got her sea legs about her, so to speak. "Okay, I'll keep my eye out for things I need." Dani replied, not even really sure what all could be found in a grocery store. For now, she'd just tag along behind Leo and learn from him how things were supposed to be done.
Leo headed for the produce section, and Danielle followed closely behind him with the cart. It had a bad wheel, which was making it a bit difficult to steer, but she was managing. Well, almost. She did clip the edge of one of the displays, but no harm was done. Danielle glanced around at the fruits and vegetables, curious to see how some of them were packaged and sold. Leo grabbed a container of strawberries after putting some apples in the cart, and Danielle was shocked at how small the package was. In the palace, the kitchen ordered in bulk and whenever she snuck in for a midnight snack, there was always tons of food everywhere. But here at the market... well everything was sold in much smaller quantities.
"That's all you get?" The princess asked, surprised. "That won't last past a few days." She said, before frowning a little at a sudden realization. "Wait, how often do people go shopping? Is this like a weekly thing we have to do now?" Danielle asked, unable to fathom people spending their lives at the grocery store so often. So far she was not as big of a fan of shopping as she had imagined she'd be, mostly due to the unfortunate start, but this was the first thing in her new life that she was perhaps not going to like. On the other hand...
Danielle's eyes lit up when she spotted pineapples, and she pushed the cart over to the stand they were on. "Can we get one of these? Father is allergic to pineapple, so as a rule we never have any in the palace. I've only had some on vacation already cut up, but they just look so cute whole!" She said, picking one up and adding it to their groceries. Maybe the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, as Danielle was reminded of the freedom she now had to pick foods.
"What's your favorite fruit?" Danielle asked, realizing that she didn't really know about Leo's favorite, well, anything really. They'd talked about lots of things over the years, but never about the simple things. Or rather, Leo had never talked about the simple things. Or maybe Danielle had failed to bother asking before. A pang of guilt ran through Dani as it occurred to her that she'd not been as attentive to Leo's likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams as she had been about telling him her own. She'd been a little conceited in the past, but she would do better in the future. It would probably be good to know these kinds of things about the man she was now living with afterall.
"And what's your favorite vegetable? Any that you don't like?" Danielle asked, tempted to dive into 20 questions, but refraining for now. There would be plenty of time later to attack him with a barrage of inquiries. She pushed the cart along behind Leo as he grabbed a few other items from the produce section, dropping them into the cart, before heading to the next section.
Luckily Leo came to her rescue, and she turned to look up at him as his arm wrapped around her shoulder and he steered her inside. Danielle had been so determined to prove she could do things on her own, but that only backfired. Immediately. Maybe it was best to still stick close to Leo until she got her sea legs about her, so to speak. "Okay, I'll keep my eye out for things I need." Dani replied, not even really sure what all could be found in a grocery store. For now, she'd just tag along behind Leo and learn from him how things were supposed to be done.
Leo headed for the produce section, and Danielle followed closely behind him with the cart. It had a bad wheel, which was making it a bit difficult to steer, but she was managing. Well, almost. She did clip the edge of one of the displays, but no harm was done. Danielle glanced around at the fruits and vegetables, curious to see how some of them were packaged and sold. Leo grabbed a container of strawberries after putting some apples in the cart, and Danielle was shocked at how small the package was. In the palace, the kitchen ordered in bulk and whenever she snuck in for a midnight snack, there was always tons of food everywhere. But here at the market... well everything was sold in much smaller quantities.
"That's all you get?" The princess asked, surprised. "That won't last past a few days." She said, before frowning a little at a sudden realization. "Wait, how often do people go shopping? Is this like a weekly thing we have to do now?" Danielle asked, unable to fathom people spending their lives at the grocery store so often. So far she was not as big of a fan of shopping as she had imagined she'd be, mostly due to the unfortunate start, but this was the first thing in her new life that she was perhaps not going to like. On the other hand...
Danielle's eyes lit up when she spotted pineapples, and she pushed the cart over to the stand they were on. "Can we get one of these? Father is allergic to pineapple, so as a rule we never have any in the palace. I've only had some on vacation already cut up, but they just look so cute whole!" She said, picking one up and adding it to their groceries. Maybe the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, as Danielle was reminded of the freedom she now had to pick foods.
"What's your favorite fruit?" Danielle asked, realizing that she didn't really know about Leo's favorite, well, anything really. They'd talked about lots of things over the years, but never about the simple things. Or rather, Leo had never talked about the simple things. Or maybe Danielle had failed to bother asking before. A pang of guilt ran through Dani as it occurred to her that she'd not been as attentive to Leo's likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams as she had been about telling him her own. She'd been a little conceited in the past, but she would do better in the future. It would probably be good to know these kinds of things about the man she was now living with afterall.
"And what's your favorite vegetable? Any that you don't like?" Danielle asked, tempted to dive into 20 questions, but refraining for now. There would be plenty of time later to attack him with a barrage of inquiries. She pushed the cart along behind Leo as he grabbed a few other items from the produce section, dropping them into the cart, before heading to the next section.
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
Prince Graham could feel Payton's eyes slide over his body, and he resisted the urge to flex a little to see what kind of reaction he could get out of her if she knew she'd been caught ogling him. Not that Payton's curious gaze could quite be considered ogling, and not that Graham minded it. Kneeling beside the flushed princess was quite enough to fluster her, and Graham didn't want to be cruel now that he'd discovered how innocent she was in certain matters.
"My pleasure..." Graham replied simply, his smirk was playful rather than mean as he stood back up. Giving Payton some space to recover, Graham pulled the blanket around him to help make the Princess he believed to be Danielle, more comfortable. She stuttered for a moment when he asked if it was okay to use her blanket, and for a moment it sounded like Danielle was about to say "she" instead of "I". Thinking that perhaps he had misread the name sewn onto the blanket, Graham checked again, but it definitely read "Danielle". Chalking the slip of the tongue up to Payton being tongue tied by his half-naked state, Graham didn't dwell on it.
When Payton offered Graham her brother's clothes again, he glanced down at his wet pants, contemplating taking her up on the offer. It was a kind gesture, but Graham couldn't help but want to see if he could make his fiance blush again. "You seem to be really keen on getting me out of my pants... But I promised your father I wouldn't do anything untoward while alone with you." He replied, shooting her a teasing grin. "If you really do desire me to change, then I will comply."
Graham watched Payton as she took a seat on the couch, her hair now free of the tea hat she'd been wearing earlier. The prince much preferred her without the ridiculous ornament that women seemed to find so fashionable. Whoever had deemed wearing such silly hats to be "proper" must have had it out for women and sought to make them look like birds.
Graham laughed a little at Payton's assertion that she had allowed him to be soaked by the fountain for fun. "Good fun, you say? So it wasn't in an attempt to even the score?" He mused, raising an eyebrow. "I imagine you wouldn't have been very happy either had the tables been turned." Graham pointed out with a shrug. "It's not like I never joke around... There just isn't much time for it when you're expected to rule a country as King."
Graham strode back over to the fire, standing near the flames in an attempt to speed up the drying of his pants. "Besides, I've never seen "able to take a joke" as one of the listed qualities of a good king. I'm expected to be serious, and intelligent, and steadfast... not funny, or a jokester." He continued, his gaze set on the fire as he spoke. "Your father filters the adrenaline rushes out of your life... just as my position as future king has filtered out certain aspects of mine... I suppose that is why Kings used to hire court jesters back in the day. To make up for the lack of humor in their own lives." He said, frowning a little as he thought about what his future held.
Graham hadn't meant for the conversation to nose dive into such serious territory, but he was being honest with his future bride. If she wanted someone who was a goofball, he surely wasn't it, nor did he want to give her false hope that she could find it in him. Glancing back over at Payton, Graham gave another shrug and offered a small smile. "Or maybe I was just born without a funny bone..." He joked poorly.
"My pleasure..." Graham replied simply, his smirk was playful rather than mean as he stood back up. Giving Payton some space to recover, Graham pulled the blanket around him to help make the Princess he believed to be Danielle, more comfortable. She stuttered for a moment when he asked if it was okay to use her blanket, and for a moment it sounded like Danielle was about to say "she" instead of "I". Thinking that perhaps he had misread the name sewn onto the blanket, Graham checked again, but it definitely read "Danielle". Chalking the slip of the tongue up to Payton being tongue tied by his half-naked state, Graham didn't dwell on it.
When Payton offered Graham her brother's clothes again, he glanced down at his wet pants, contemplating taking her up on the offer. It was a kind gesture, but Graham couldn't help but want to see if he could make his fiance blush again. "You seem to be really keen on getting me out of my pants... But I promised your father I wouldn't do anything untoward while alone with you." He replied, shooting her a teasing grin. "If you really do desire me to change, then I will comply."
Graham watched Payton as she took a seat on the couch, her hair now free of the tea hat she'd been wearing earlier. The prince much preferred her without the ridiculous ornament that women seemed to find so fashionable. Whoever had deemed wearing such silly hats to be "proper" must have had it out for women and sought to make them look like birds.
Graham laughed a little at Payton's assertion that she had allowed him to be soaked by the fountain for fun. "Good fun, you say? So it wasn't in an attempt to even the score?" He mused, raising an eyebrow. "I imagine you wouldn't have been very happy either had the tables been turned." Graham pointed out with a shrug. "It's not like I never joke around... There just isn't much time for it when you're expected to rule a country as King."
Graham strode back over to the fire, standing near the flames in an attempt to speed up the drying of his pants. "Besides, I've never seen "able to take a joke" as one of the listed qualities of a good king. I'm expected to be serious, and intelligent, and steadfast... not funny, or a jokester." He continued, his gaze set on the fire as he spoke. "Your father filters the adrenaline rushes out of your life... just as my position as future king has filtered out certain aspects of mine... I suppose that is why Kings used to hire court jesters back in the day. To make up for the lack of humor in their own lives." He said, frowning a little as he thought about what his future held.
Graham hadn't meant for the conversation to nose dive into such serious territory, but he was being honest with his future bride. If she wanted someone who was a goofball, he surely wasn't it, nor did he want to give her false hope that she could find it in him. Glancing back over at Payton, Graham gave another shrug and offered a small smile. "Or maybe I was just born without a funny bone..." He joked poorly.
nine lives
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Danielle Camden
Leo's laughter when Danielle asked how often people went shopping made the princess pout a little, feeling like she must have asked a stupid question. But her pout quickly disappeared when he walked over and kissed her in the middle of the produce section. In public, where anyone could see them! This was a foreign experience for Danielle, though it was actually quite thrilling.
Before, the princess had hardly trusted herself to look at Leo or talk to him when they were in public, fearing that her longing glances or playful banter would give their secret relationship away. All of their stolen kisses had to be private, away from prying eyes. Only Payton had ever accidentally seen them kiss. And now... Now as Danielle leaned into Leo's kiss, returning it just as deeply, they were out in the open for all the old ladies and housewives who passed by to see. Public displays of affection had never been an option for Danielle and Leo before, but now that they were free of the constraints, PDA was actually a bit of an adrenaline rush for the princess.
Blushing when Leo broke the kiss to speak, she laughed a little bit, feeling like a rebel. Nodding, she accepted that shopping would become a common occurrence in their lives. Her eyes widened a little when Leo brought the strawberry up to her lips, a mirthful expression playing on her features as she took a bite. She still wasn't accustomed to how shopping worked, but even if Leo said there were no rules, she still felt like this was breaking them a bit. She quickly finished the strawberry and glanced around to make sure no one saw her.
"Quite a troublemaker, huh?" Danielle mused, glancing up at Leo. Other than the rule breaking that he and Danielle did together, she'd really only seen the straight-laced Leo. It was nice seeing him relaxed and playful now though. Maybe shopping wasn't so bad afterall.
Danielle took careful mental note when Leo said that berries were his favorite, and that he didn't particularly like veggies. And definitely no broccoli or spinach. Danielle laughed lightly as she pushed the cart along behind Leo. "So when it comes to vegetables, I should just assume that if a child wouldn't eat it, you won't either?" Dani teased gently as she followed Leo into the pastry section. Not that she had much knowledge of what children ate to begin with.
The baked goods smelled wonderful, and it was hard for Danielle not to just add one of everything in the cart to try it. She watched as Leo beelined towards the scones with a content smile, pinching herself to make sure that this hadn't been one long dream. Nope, it was real. As hard as it was to believe, Dani had finally made a decision for herself and put her happiness above the needs of the kingdom. The guilt was sure to follow at a later time, especially when Danielle would eventually learn of her sister's sacrifice, but for now she was just enjoying the bliss and simplicity of things.
Picking out some croissants and a container of assorted cookies, Danielle added them to the cart before pushing it over to join Leo. "I wouldn't have pegged you for having a sweet tooth." She mused thoughtfully, gazing up at the man she'd left her world behind for. She made another mental note that if she ever wanted to dote on Leo, scones were an option. "Did your parents spoil you as a kid with tasty treats?" Danielle asked, curious about Leo as a child since she compared him to one a few moments earlier. "Or were you the type to fall asleep at the table rather than finish the food off your plate?"
Before, the princess had hardly trusted herself to look at Leo or talk to him when they were in public, fearing that her longing glances or playful banter would give their secret relationship away. All of their stolen kisses had to be private, away from prying eyes. Only Payton had ever accidentally seen them kiss. And now... Now as Danielle leaned into Leo's kiss, returning it just as deeply, they were out in the open for all the old ladies and housewives who passed by to see. Public displays of affection had never been an option for Danielle and Leo before, but now that they were free of the constraints, PDA was actually a bit of an adrenaline rush for the princess.
Blushing when Leo broke the kiss to speak, she laughed a little bit, feeling like a rebel. Nodding, she accepted that shopping would become a common occurrence in their lives. Her eyes widened a little when Leo brought the strawberry up to her lips, a mirthful expression playing on her features as she took a bite. She still wasn't accustomed to how shopping worked, but even if Leo said there were no rules, she still felt like this was breaking them a bit. She quickly finished the strawberry and glanced around to make sure no one saw her.
"Quite a troublemaker, huh?" Danielle mused, glancing up at Leo. Other than the rule breaking that he and Danielle did together, she'd really only seen the straight-laced Leo. It was nice seeing him relaxed and playful now though. Maybe shopping wasn't so bad afterall.
Danielle took careful mental note when Leo said that berries were his favorite, and that he didn't particularly like veggies. And definitely no broccoli or spinach. Danielle laughed lightly as she pushed the cart along behind Leo. "So when it comes to vegetables, I should just assume that if a child wouldn't eat it, you won't either?" Dani teased gently as she followed Leo into the pastry section. Not that she had much knowledge of what children ate to begin with.
The baked goods smelled wonderful, and it was hard for Danielle not to just add one of everything in the cart to try it. She watched as Leo beelined towards the scones with a content smile, pinching herself to make sure that this hadn't been one long dream. Nope, it was real. As hard as it was to believe, Dani had finally made a decision for herself and put her happiness above the needs of the kingdom. The guilt was sure to follow at a later time, especially when Danielle would eventually learn of her sister's sacrifice, but for now she was just enjoying the bliss and simplicity of things.
Picking out some croissants and a container of assorted cookies, Danielle added them to the cart before pushing it over to join Leo. "I wouldn't have pegged you for having a sweet tooth." She mused thoughtfully, gazing up at the man she'd left her world behind for. She made another mental note that if she ever wanted to dote on Leo, scones were an option. "Did your parents spoil you as a kid with tasty treats?" Danielle asked, curious about Leo as a child since she compared him to one a few moments earlier. "Or were you the type to fall asleep at the table rather than finish the food off your plate?"
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Last edited:
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
Graham listened to Payton as she stood beside him by the fire, speaking about her belief of what a king should be. Her ideals were charming, but not necessarily realistic. Not in Graham's world and upbringing at least. Sure, in times of peace perhaps a King could loosen up a little bit, but if he was one with the people, then it was a slippery slope before they soon saw him more as a friend of the people and less as a leader. Even if he wanted to immerse himself in the daily lives of his subjects, Graham couldn't. He needed to maintain his authority. Payton's view was sweet and naive and something out of a storybook, but this was reality. God forbid if they went to war, the King needed to be a strong, firm leader who the people trusted to protect the country and soldiers. A jokester for a king was hardly who they would want to see lead North Astoria's forces.
Rather than argue with Payton and delve deeper into what was expected of him, Graham decided it was better for whatever progress they were making towards not disliking each other if he allowed the subject to change without his commentary. Princess Danielle would learn soon enough the new responsibilities and expectations that came with being in line to be a ruler. She may have lived a controlled life so far, but that was before she was arranged to become queen. Life was only going to become even more micromanaged after they were married. If the princess hadn't been told by her father or even brother what lay before her, Graham certainly didn't want to be the one to.
"I think you will have a lot to learn once we are married Danielle..." The prince replied simply. He may have gotten some pleasure pointing out his fiance's mistakes earlier, but he would get no pleasure out of telling her he thought she was wrong now.
Graham watched her move over to a cupboard and pull out some snacks. He raised his eyebrow when she winked mentioning she had graham crackers, slightly amused at the name of her snack of choice. Fitting. Complying when Payton asked him not to loom over her, he knelt down beside her. His brows furrowed for a moment when she mentioned Payton. The way she said it made it sound like she was referring to herself, but the princess was quick to clarify what she meant.
"Sounds like your sister got the better end of the deal if she has the luxury of enjoying childish snacks." Graham mused, watching the young woman he believed to be Danielle cook the marshmallow. The prince had only had the tasty treat once before, when his uncle took him along on a camping trip to teach Graham survival in the woods in case the future king ever found himself in a bind. That trip had been one of the most gruelling experiences the then thirteen year old had experienced so far in life, but on the last night his uncle surprised him with a reward. Graham ended up eating so many s'mores that night he almost made himself sick, but it was a fond memory with his uncle. And now, perhaps, it would be one of his first fond memories with his fiance.
Graham reached over and accepted the s'more that Payton had prepared for him. "Thank you..." He replied, a small smile on his face. The conversation had taken a serious turn earlier, but the prince was beginning to allow himself to relax again slowly. He laughed a little when the princess said the secret that he'd had fun was safe with her. "Fun, eh? Is that what you'd say we are having right now?" Graham asked with a slight grin. "The way you make me sound, I would think it entirely impossible for me to be associated with any such thing."
The polite thing to do would of course have been to wait for the princess to finish making her own s'more before eating his, and had they been eating something else, Graham would have waited. But, a smore was at its best while still warm, so the prince indulged himself with a bite of the treat. Rather instantly he was reminded of how messy the marshmallow snack was and found himself with sticky fingers but no napkin. Oh well, when in Rome...
As Payton began roasting a second marshmallow, Graham picked up another skewer and stuck a marshmallow on the end of it. He appreciated Payton making his first one, but there was no way he was going to make her cook all of them by herself. He may have been a bit rusty, but making s'mores thankfully wasn't all that complicated.
"So, if you're going to be keeping a secret for me that I had fun here... I suppose it's only fair for you to entrust me with a secret..." Graham proposed, holding his skewer over the fire. "What is it that people say? There are no secrets between married couples..."
Rather than argue with Payton and delve deeper into what was expected of him, Graham decided it was better for whatever progress they were making towards not disliking each other if he allowed the subject to change without his commentary. Princess Danielle would learn soon enough the new responsibilities and expectations that came with being in line to be a ruler. She may have lived a controlled life so far, but that was before she was arranged to become queen. Life was only going to become even more micromanaged after they were married. If the princess hadn't been told by her father or even brother what lay before her, Graham certainly didn't want to be the one to.
"I think you will have a lot to learn once we are married Danielle..." The prince replied simply. He may have gotten some pleasure pointing out his fiance's mistakes earlier, but he would get no pleasure out of telling her he thought she was wrong now.
Graham watched her move over to a cupboard and pull out some snacks. He raised his eyebrow when she winked mentioning she had graham crackers, slightly amused at the name of her snack of choice. Fitting. Complying when Payton asked him not to loom over her, he knelt down beside her. His brows furrowed for a moment when she mentioned Payton. The way she said it made it sound like she was referring to herself, but the princess was quick to clarify what she meant.
"Sounds like your sister got the better end of the deal if she has the luxury of enjoying childish snacks." Graham mused, watching the young woman he believed to be Danielle cook the marshmallow. The prince had only had the tasty treat once before, when his uncle took him along on a camping trip to teach Graham survival in the woods in case the future king ever found himself in a bind. That trip had been one of the most gruelling experiences the then thirteen year old had experienced so far in life, but on the last night his uncle surprised him with a reward. Graham ended up eating so many s'mores that night he almost made himself sick, but it was a fond memory with his uncle. And now, perhaps, it would be one of his first fond memories with his fiance.
Graham reached over and accepted the s'more that Payton had prepared for him. "Thank you..." He replied, a small smile on his face. The conversation had taken a serious turn earlier, but the prince was beginning to allow himself to relax again slowly. He laughed a little when the princess said the secret that he'd had fun was safe with her. "Fun, eh? Is that what you'd say we are having right now?" Graham asked with a slight grin. "The way you make me sound, I would think it entirely impossible for me to be associated with any such thing."
The polite thing to do would of course have been to wait for the princess to finish making her own s'more before eating his, and had they been eating something else, Graham would have waited. But, a smore was at its best while still warm, so the prince indulged himself with a bite of the treat. Rather instantly he was reminded of how messy the marshmallow snack was and found himself with sticky fingers but no napkin. Oh well, when in Rome...
As Payton began roasting a second marshmallow, Graham picked up another skewer and stuck a marshmallow on the end of it. He appreciated Payton making his first one, but there was no way he was going to make her cook all of them by herself. He may have been a bit rusty, but making s'mores thankfully wasn't all that complicated.
"So, if you're going to be keeping a secret for me that I had fun here... I suppose it's only fair for you to entrust me with a secret..." Graham proposed, holding his skewer over the fire. "What is it that people say? There are no secrets between married couples..."
nine lives
Danielle Camden
Dani's hazel eyes widened a little as Leo proved his point that there were no rules by eating another strawberry, and she laughed lightly when he declared he'd always be a troublemaker. She quite liked the sound of that. "Who knew the grocery store would bring this side out of you..." She mused, blushing slightly when he pulled her closer to him again. She quite liked the feeling of that, too.
"Well, going off your appearance at least, Leo, I'd say you were far from a child..." Danielle pointed out when he asked what made her think he wasn't a child. "And the fact that you are typically on alert, ready to take out any threats seems rather more manly than childish..." She teased, leaning into him a little. "But, I don't mind getting to know your more silly side." The princess added as they moved onto the baked goods section.
Danielle was let loose to grab whatever she wanted, and she laughed when she put her cookies into the cart and Leo used her comment against her. "Okay, you've caught me, cookies are my weakness." She admitted, smiling guiltily. Dani bit her lip, considering Leo's question about what her favorite food in the world was. "Well, excluding grilled cheeses which have worked their way high up on the list today..." She began with a smile, "I'd have to say... those ice cream sandwiches that have ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies." Danielle finally decided. "Or strawberry shortcake! Or pizza! Though admittedly, I've only had all of these a few times, so I don't know if I could eat them over and over again... yet." The princess admitted with a light laugh, taking her spot back behind the cart and pushing it towards the next area.
"What about you? Strawberries, or any berry, are your favorite fruit... but what about food? If you wanted me to learn to cook one thing really well, what would it be?" Danielle asked, glancing up at the man who she'd really attempt to cook anything for. It might not come out well... but she'd sure as hell try for him.
The pair moved up and down a few aisles, with Leo adding most of the grocery items to the cart and Dani grabbing something every now and then. In one of the aisles a little girl kept staring at Danielle, and she was terrified that her identity was about to be revealed.
"Pwincess!" The little girl giggled, trying to get her mother's attention as she pointed at Danielle. The redhead's heart nearly stopped when she heard the word come out of the child's mouth, and she quickly turned away, using Leo as a shield. Only hours into her new life and Danielle could already see her happiness being taken away in the blink of an eye. A wave of nausea passed over her as she waited to see if her dreams were about to be crushed.
Luckily, the mother was busy trying to get things on her grocery list and likely used to her daughter babbling on about silly things. "Mmhmm honey, I'm sure she is pretty like a princess..." The mother simply said without even a glance at Dani, appeasing her child before moving to another aisle.
Danielle let out a breath of relief when the woman and observant child took their leave, slumping against Leo a little. That was too close. "Does this store sell hair dye?" She asked, a little crestfallen at the thought, but now convinced that it was necessary. She would do whatever was necessary to keep her new life with Leo.
"Well, going off your appearance at least, Leo, I'd say you were far from a child..." Danielle pointed out when he asked what made her think he wasn't a child. "And the fact that you are typically on alert, ready to take out any threats seems rather more manly than childish..." She teased, leaning into him a little. "But, I don't mind getting to know your more silly side." The princess added as they moved onto the baked goods section.
Danielle was let loose to grab whatever she wanted, and she laughed when she put her cookies into the cart and Leo used her comment against her. "Okay, you've caught me, cookies are my weakness." She admitted, smiling guiltily. Dani bit her lip, considering Leo's question about what her favorite food in the world was. "Well, excluding grilled cheeses which have worked their way high up on the list today..." She began with a smile, "I'd have to say... those ice cream sandwiches that have ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies." Danielle finally decided. "Or strawberry shortcake! Or pizza! Though admittedly, I've only had all of these a few times, so I don't know if I could eat them over and over again... yet." The princess admitted with a light laugh, taking her spot back behind the cart and pushing it towards the next area.
"What about you? Strawberries, or any berry, are your favorite fruit... but what about food? If you wanted me to learn to cook one thing really well, what would it be?" Danielle asked, glancing up at the man who she'd really attempt to cook anything for. It might not come out well... but she'd sure as hell try for him.
The pair moved up and down a few aisles, with Leo adding most of the grocery items to the cart and Dani grabbing something every now and then. In one of the aisles a little girl kept staring at Danielle, and she was terrified that her identity was about to be revealed.
"Pwincess!" The little girl giggled, trying to get her mother's attention as she pointed at Danielle. The redhead's heart nearly stopped when she heard the word come out of the child's mouth, and she quickly turned away, using Leo as a shield. Only hours into her new life and Danielle could already see her happiness being taken away in the blink of an eye. A wave of nausea passed over her as she waited to see if her dreams were about to be crushed.
Luckily, the mother was busy trying to get things on her grocery list and likely used to her daughter babbling on about silly things. "Mmhmm honey, I'm sure she is pretty like a princess..." The mother simply said without even a glance at Dani, appeasing her child before moving to another aisle.
Danielle let out a breath of relief when the woman and observant child took their leave, slumping against Leo a little. That was too close. "Does this store sell hair dye?" She asked, a little crestfallen at the thought, but now convinced that it was necessary. She would do whatever was necessary to keep her new life with Leo.
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
Graham studied the princess for a moment as she spoke about her younger sister having things a bit easier in life. He hadn't known the fiery redhead very long, but although she smiled, her voice didn't sound quite as happy. The prince interpreted this as perhaps a bit of envy that the youngest princess of South Astoria did not have the pressure of an arranged marriage. "No offense taken..." Graham assured her, knowing very well that their situation wasn't ideal, for either of them.
Graham didn't have much time for courting young women, but he had managed to squeeze in the occasional fling here and there with a lady of high birth. The plan hadn't always been for him to marry the Princess of North Astoria's sister country, and he had once entertained the notion of marrying for love. Eventually. Had the arrangement for the impending nuptials not been made, it likely would have been at least a handful of years before Graham truly considered settling down with someone. But now... his days of being single were numbered. If Princess Danielle envied her sister, Graham did not fault her. For he too envied his younger siblings.
Graham turned his attention to eating the s'more, and despite their forced relationship, the moment felt almost natural. A small smile tugged on Graham's mouth when Payton admitted that this was pleasant, unable to disagree at the moment. The smile quickly turned into a bit of a scowl though when the princess indirectly called the future king a stuck up royal brat, but he understood that she was just trying to provoke him. "And you might not be as... troublesome as I thought you were." Graham countered, smirking.
Initially, based on his research, Graham had actually thought that Princess Danielle might be too prim and proper, but only a few minutes into the luncheon he'd come to the conclusion that Danielle must have just done a good job keeping her image clean in the public eye. For in private, there had been little prim and proper about their meeting so far. In truth, very little of his research seemed to be panning out, Graham thought as he watched the princess beside him kick off her heels. His eyes rose to watch her eyes as they seemed far away while she considered a response to his request for her to share a secret. All the pictures of the princess had made her eyes appear darker, more hazel... But here, even in the dimmer light of the playhouse, the princess's eyes were still very much blue. As blue as the sky outside.
Finally, her eyes met Graham's gaze again as she settled on something suitable to share with the prince, and Graham pulled out his marshmallow so he didn't burn it while listening. Upon hearing that Danielle was already married, Graham cocked a confused eyebrow. The princess continued explaining the context of her current marriage, and as Graham began to realize she was joking, his raised brow lowered and he bit into his marshmallow with an amused expression. The redhead's commitment to keeping a serious face was commendable, but didn't last long.
The princess's laughter danced around the small playhouse, and Graham offered a small chuckle. "Well... While it is hard to compete with such a man as Fred... I'm not sure your marriage holds up in the court of law. I believe there's something about your witnesses and officiant not being allowed to be stuffed..." He teased after swallowing his treat. "So are you still such an avid Scooby Doo fan? Or has the phase passed?" He asked, licking a bit of marshmallow from his thumb before wiping his hands on his pants.
The slacks were beginning to dry in some places now, aided by the heat of the fire, and Graham rotated a little where he knelt to start drying the other side. While he was actually enjoying himself more than he believed possible, it would only be a matter of time before someone came looking for him or the princess. By that time, Graham hoped he'd be dressed once again to prevent any rumors from needlessly spreading.
"Admittedly, I was never much of a TV person. I preferred to read. Was something I could do anywhere, and easier to hide while doing. The nannies always knew where to find my brother since he was always glued to the television when he wasn't in school." Graham said, looking around the playroom for a moment, before back to Payton. "We were not lucky enough to have anything like this built for us to escape too. My sister would have loved this when she was little though."
Graham didn't have much time for courting young women, but he had managed to squeeze in the occasional fling here and there with a lady of high birth. The plan hadn't always been for him to marry the Princess of North Astoria's sister country, and he had once entertained the notion of marrying for love. Eventually. Had the arrangement for the impending nuptials not been made, it likely would have been at least a handful of years before Graham truly considered settling down with someone. But now... his days of being single were numbered. If Princess Danielle envied her sister, Graham did not fault her. For he too envied his younger siblings.
Graham turned his attention to eating the s'more, and despite their forced relationship, the moment felt almost natural. A small smile tugged on Graham's mouth when Payton admitted that this was pleasant, unable to disagree at the moment. The smile quickly turned into a bit of a scowl though when the princess indirectly called the future king a stuck up royal brat, but he understood that she was just trying to provoke him. "And you might not be as... troublesome as I thought you were." Graham countered, smirking.
Initially, based on his research, Graham had actually thought that Princess Danielle might be too prim and proper, but only a few minutes into the luncheon he'd come to the conclusion that Danielle must have just done a good job keeping her image clean in the public eye. For in private, there had been little prim and proper about their meeting so far. In truth, very little of his research seemed to be panning out, Graham thought as he watched the princess beside him kick off her heels. His eyes rose to watch her eyes as they seemed far away while she considered a response to his request for her to share a secret. All the pictures of the princess had made her eyes appear darker, more hazel... But here, even in the dimmer light of the playhouse, the princess's eyes were still very much blue. As blue as the sky outside.
Finally, her eyes met Graham's gaze again as she settled on something suitable to share with the prince, and Graham pulled out his marshmallow so he didn't burn it while listening. Upon hearing that Danielle was already married, Graham cocked a confused eyebrow. The princess continued explaining the context of her current marriage, and as Graham began to realize she was joking, his raised brow lowered and he bit into his marshmallow with an amused expression. The redhead's commitment to keeping a serious face was commendable, but didn't last long.
The princess's laughter danced around the small playhouse, and Graham offered a small chuckle. "Well... While it is hard to compete with such a man as Fred... I'm not sure your marriage holds up in the court of law. I believe there's something about your witnesses and officiant not being allowed to be stuffed..." He teased after swallowing his treat. "So are you still such an avid Scooby Doo fan? Or has the phase passed?" He asked, licking a bit of marshmallow from his thumb before wiping his hands on his pants.
The slacks were beginning to dry in some places now, aided by the heat of the fire, and Graham rotated a little where he knelt to start drying the other side. While he was actually enjoying himself more than he believed possible, it would only be a matter of time before someone came looking for him or the princess. By that time, Graham hoped he'd be dressed once again to prevent any rumors from needlessly spreading.
"Admittedly, I was never much of a TV person. I preferred to read. Was something I could do anywhere, and easier to hide while doing. The nannies always knew where to find my brother since he was always glued to the television when he wasn't in school." Graham said, looking around the playroom for a moment, before back to Payton. "We were not lucky enough to have anything like this built for us to escape too. My sister would have loved this when she was little though."
nine lives
Danielle Camden
Danielle smiled brightly as Leo spoke about no longer having to obey and rules or tiptoe around how they felt about each other. The princess let out a surprised squeal of laughter when Leo tickled her for a moment, squirming a bit til he ceased. "I don't think you were ever boring Leo..." Danielle replied sincerely, glancing up at him as they walked. "Serious at times, yes, but not boring. And I don't think I'd ever beg you to be any different than you want to be." She added, looking back ahead just in time to avoid pushing the cart into a display.
Being in charge of the cart wasn't difficult... except when in the presence of an attractive man that Danielle was finally able to admire openly. The princess made a mental note to pay more attention to where she was going, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to the two of them by causing a scene or a mess with the cart.
Leo's offer to make her a grilled cheese whenever she wanted brought a smile to Danielle's face as she recalled the warm, deliciously cheesy delite. But Leo's comment about her making them for him and serving them in bed made her quirk and eyebrow a little. "Oh, bedside service, huh?" She asked with a smirk. "You planning to sleep in then? Or do you eat grilled cheeses for breakfast?" Danielle inquired, teasingly.
When Leo shared that his favorite food was chicken and waffles, at first Danielle thought he was joking. "Chicken and waffles? Okay, I might not know that much about comfort foods, but that cannot be a real dish..." She replied, not wanting Leo to think he could pull one over on her. But when she looked up at him, his expression was serious and he continued talking about how his mother made it. The dreamy tone of Leo's voice was enough to convince Danielle that this dish actually did exist, and that learning it would be critical. Especially since Leo said it made him feel better when he was sad.
Danielle smiled softly when Leo kissed her forehead, but inside her heart broke a little bit as she was reminded of another side effect of running away. It would likely be a long time before Leo would get to see his parents again or eat his mother's chicken and waffles that he loved so much. The princess would do her very best to learn the same recipe, but she imagined that she had some big shoes to fill when it came to Leo's mother's cooking. If Leo was sad now, the best he would get would be Danielle's novice attempt at cooking. What if her chicken and waffles were so bad it only made Leo sadder?
The princess shook the thought away, not wanting to start regretting her decision so soon, in the middle of the grocery store. Though it wasn't so much that she regretted the decision, but rather felt guilty for the sacrifices it would require from Leo. As they shopped, the encounter with the little girl chased away all thoughts about Leo's parents and sacrifices that he'd have to make, as she was faced with the realization of her own required sacrifice - her hair.
Leo brought her to the aisle with hair dye, and she sadly gazed upon the options. Dani subconsciously squeezed Leo's hand tightly, as if trying to hand onto her ruby locks. It would be too difficult to lighten her hair to blonde without professional help, so that meant Danielle would have to go darker. Black hair would be a bit too extreme, the princess believed, and she instead settled on a dark brunette hair color. Grabbing the box of dye off the shelf and reluctantly putting it in the cart, Danielle sighed. "I hope so..." She replied, leaning into Leo as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. Danielle could have stayed like that forever, comforted in Leo's arms, but they had one more thing to attend to - checking out.
As the pair headed to the check out, Danielle tossed shampoo and conditioner meant for dyed hair into the cart, completing the list of things she needed. "Yeah, I think I got everything..." Danielle nodded, moving down to start bagging their groceries as Leo gestured to do. After putting a few items into a bag, Danielle quickly discovered that there was an art to bagging groceries so as not to ruin any of the food. Learning from her mistakes with the first bag, Danielle did better with the bags that followed, and soon all of the groceries had their new homes in bags and Leo finished paying.
"Well... First official grocery shopping- check!" Danielle chirped, trying to shake off the gloom from picking out hair dye and looking on the bright side. "And we made it out unscathed." She smiled, pushing the cart to the jeep and stopping by the trunk door. When Leo unlocked the jeep, Danielle helped to load the groceries in, and then pushed the cart back to where the others were kept when they were finished.
As she climbed up into the jeep, Danielle let out a long breath, leaning back into the seat. The shopping trip had been fun, for the most part, but the new experience was a little draining too. Danielle still couldn't fathom that people did this multiple times a week, and sometimes alone, and sometimes with a bunch of kids in tow. How in the world did people manage?!
"Thank you for buying the groceries," Danielle said, looking to Leo when he got into the driver's seat. She leaned over, placing a hand on his cheek as she brought her lips to his, giving him a sweet kiss. The princess was truly so grateful for Leo, not just for paying for their food, or showing her how to shop for groceries, but for not even batting an eye when she asked him to leave everything behind with her. As her bodyguard, Danielle knew that Leo would give his life to protect her if needed, but she'd never imagined he'd have to give up his life in this way to protect her happiness.
Being in charge of the cart wasn't difficult... except when in the presence of an attractive man that Danielle was finally able to admire openly. The princess made a mental note to pay more attention to where she was going, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to the two of them by causing a scene or a mess with the cart.
Leo's offer to make her a grilled cheese whenever she wanted brought a smile to Danielle's face as she recalled the warm, deliciously cheesy delite. But Leo's comment about her making them for him and serving them in bed made her quirk and eyebrow a little. "Oh, bedside service, huh?" She asked with a smirk. "You planning to sleep in then? Or do you eat grilled cheeses for breakfast?" Danielle inquired, teasingly.
When Leo shared that his favorite food was chicken and waffles, at first Danielle thought he was joking. "Chicken and waffles? Okay, I might not know that much about comfort foods, but that cannot be a real dish..." She replied, not wanting Leo to think he could pull one over on her. But when she looked up at him, his expression was serious and he continued talking about how his mother made it. The dreamy tone of Leo's voice was enough to convince Danielle that this dish actually did exist, and that learning it would be critical. Especially since Leo said it made him feel better when he was sad.
Danielle smiled softly when Leo kissed her forehead, but inside her heart broke a little bit as she was reminded of another side effect of running away. It would likely be a long time before Leo would get to see his parents again or eat his mother's chicken and waffles that he loved so much. The princess would do her very best to learn the same recipe, but she imagined that she had some big shoes to fill when it came to Leo's mother's cooking. If Leo was sad now, the best he would get would be Danielle's novice attempt at cooking. What if her chicken and waffles were so bad it only made Leo sadder?
The princess shook the thought away, not wanting to start regretting her decision so soon, in the middle of the grocery store. Though it wasn't so much that she regretted the decision, but rather felt guilty for the sacrifices it would require from Leo. As they shopped, the encounter with the little girl chased away all thoughts about Leo's parents and sacrifices that he'd have to make, as she was faced with the realization of her own required sacrifice - her hair.
Leo brought her to the aisle with hair dye, and she sadly gazed upon the options. Dani subconsciously squeezed Leo's hand tightly, as if trying to hand onto her ruby locks. It would be too difficult to lighten her hair to blonde without professional help, so that meant Danielle would have to go darker. Black hair would be a bit too extreme, the princess believed, and she instead settled on a dark brunette hair color. Grabbing the box of dye off the shelf and reluctantly putting it in the cart, Danielle sighed. "I hope so..." She replied, leaning into Leo as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. Danielle could have stayed like that forever, comforted in Leo's arms, but they had one more thing to attend to - checking out.
As the pair headed to the check out, Danielle tossed shampoo and conditioner meant for dyed hair into the cart, completing the list of things she needed. "Yeah, I think I got everything..." Danielle nodded, moving down to start bagging their groceries as Leo gestured to do. After putting a few items into a bag, Danielle quickly discovered that there was an art to bagging groceries so as not to ruin any of the food. Learning from her mistakes with the first bag, Danielle did better with the bags that followed, and soon all of the groceries had their new homes in bags and Leo finished paying.
"Well... First official grocery shopping- check!" Danielle chirped, trying to shake off the gloom from picking out hair dye and looking on the bright side. "And we made it out unscathed." She smiled, pushing the cart to the jeep and stopping by the trunk door. When Leo unlocked the jeep, Danielle helped to load the groceries in, and then pushed the cart back to where the others were kept when they were finished.
As she climbed up into the jeep, Danielle let out a long breath, leaning back into the seat. The shopping trip had been fun, for the most part, but the new experience was a little draining too. Danielle still couldn't fathom that people did this multiple times a week, and sometimes alone, and sometimes with a bunch of kids in tow. How in the world did people manage?!
"Thank you for buying the groceries," Danielle said, looking to Leo when he got into the driver's seat. She leaned over, placing a hand on his cheek as she brought her lips to his, giving him a sweet kiss. The princess was truly so grateful for Leo, not just for paying for their food, or showing her how to shop for groceries, but for not even batting an eye when she asked him to leave everything behind with her. As her bodyguard, Danielle knew that Leo would give his life to protect her if needed, but she'd never imagined he'd have to give up his life in this way to protect her happiness.
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
Graham rolled his eyes a little in jest when Payton told him he could laugh more. "Oh, well now that I have your permission, I'll be sure to laugh freely..." He said sarcastically, his nose scrunching just a bit when the princess used the phrase "royal ass". The only time that kind of language was used around Graham was when he was participating in sports or athletic activities with his mates. Those were probably the times that he was most relaxed and unconcerned with proper etiquette. Even his younger siblings rarely used such language around him, at least when in the presence of anyone else. Now, though, he would have to add Danielle to the list of those permitted to take such verbal liberties, he supposed.
Graham raised a hand to block the marshmallow projectiles thrown at him by the princess. "Well, one of us needs to be..." He retorted, raising an eyebrow and glancing at the marshmallows that now lay on the ground from Payton's childish antics. "And the less serious you are, the more I have to make up for it... to balance things." He added, with a slight grin.
The prince listened to the princess as she talked about her fondness for cartoons and animated movies. Another new fact about his bride-to-be. His research was not turning out to be very helpful at all. Though, this wasn't a complete surprise, since he'd grown up being told to never trust the tabloids or pay them much mind. The princess's comment about being too restless to read for very long though caught his attention and he frowned.
"When we spoke on the phone previously, you mentioned you'd spent the day reading Chauvelier's latest book..." Graham said, a little confused by the conflicting information. Perhaps Princess Danielle had been up to other things that day that she did not want to share and just used reading as an alibi... But that didn't make much since either. The book in question had just come out the day before, and the two had discussed the plot. It had been one of the few conversations the two didn't have to force.
Graham wasn't able to contemplate the truth for very long though, as Payton noticed remnants of s'mores on Graham's lip. His attention was diverted away from the princess's hobby as she leaned in towards him. Her hand on his shoulder was soft, and a little cool to the touch, which was rather refreshing since his shoulder had been burning a little from being close to the fire. His eyes glanced at her hand in question, before returning to Payton as she wiped the chocolate away.
Typically, the prince would have been insulted by such a forward gesture, and had they been in public, he might have rebuffed the princess's hand before it reached his lip. It would never do for him to be seen having his mouth wiped by someone else like a toddler... However, in the privacy of the play house, away from any intruding gazes or judgements... the gesture was almost intimate.
His thoughts about the inconsistencies with her reading were quickly forgotten. In fact, the prince's brain was unoccupied by any thoughts other than of how delicate the princess's features were as she paused just before him. Graham saw her mouth move as she uttered some kind of apology about being forward, but even as the words left her lips, she didn't pull away. It was then that Graham realized his gaze had been focussed on them, and he raised his gaze to meet Payton's.
His hand had reached up to close around hers that held the napkin before Graham realized he had even had the impulse to do so. Her hand was small within his, and he held it tenderly, as if afraid to commit to gripping her hand. In this moment, the temptation to close the gap between him and his beautiful fiance was pulling at him. Had they not been forcibly betrothed to one another, the prince probably would have given in too and kissed the princess...
However, it was because of their forced relationship that he did not. Neither had given their consent to be married, which left the awkward question of consent now when he wanted to kiss Danielle. There seemed to be something between them, but he didn't want to assume anything. It would be unforgivable if he misread her actions or expression and forced a kiss upon her. No. Graham would show restraint and be a gentleman. Avoid the possibility of ruining what repoire he and Danielle had managed to build within the small playhouse. Even if he desired otherwise.
Giving the princess's hand a soft squeeze, Graham thanked Payton for her observant eye before releasing her hand. Clearing his throat a little, Graham looked away from her, reaching down to gather the runaway marshmallows from earlier. His heart thumped a little quicker in his chest though, and he had to be satisfied with only imagining what it would have been like to kiss his princess.
Graham raised a hand to block the marshmallow projectiles thrown at him by the princess. "Well, one of us needs to be..." He retorted, raising an eyebrow and glancing at the marshmallows that now lay on the ground from Payton's childish antics. "And the less serious you are, the more I have to make up for it... to balance things." He added, with a slight grin.
The prince listened to the princess as she talked about her fondness for cartoons and animated movies. Another new fact about his bride-to-be. His research was not turning out to be very helpful at all. Though, this wasn't a complete surprise, since he'd grown up being told to never trust the tabloids or pay them much mind. The princess's comment about being too restless to read for very long though caught his attention and he frowned.
"When we spoke on the phone previously, you mentioned you'd spent the day reading Chauvelier's latest book..." Graham said, a little confused by the conflicting information. Perhaps Princess Danielle had been up to other things that day that she did not want to share and just used reading as an alibi... But that didn't make much since either. The book in question had just come out the day before, and the two had discussed the plot. It had been one of the few conversations the two didn't have to force.
Graham wasn't able to contemplate the truth for very long though, as Payton noticed remnants of s'mores on Graham's lip. His attention was diverted away from the princess's hobby as she leaned in towards him. Her hand on his shoulder was soft, and a little cool to the touch, which was rather refreshing since his shoulder had been burning a little from being close to the fire. His eyes glanced at her hand in question, before returning to Payton as she wiped the chocolate away.
Typically, the prince would have been insulted by such a forward gesture, and had they been in public, he might have rebuffed the princess's hand before it reached his lip. It would never do for him to be seen having his mouth wiped by someone else like a toddler... However, in the privacy of the play house, away from any intruding gazes or judgements... the gesture was almost intimate.
His thoughts about the inconsistencies with her reading were quickly forgotten. In fact, the prince's brain was unoccupied by any thoughts other than of how delicate the princess's features were as she paused just before him. Graham saw her mouth move as she uttered some kind of apology about being forward, but even as the words left her lips, she didn't pull away. It was then that Graham realized his gaze had been focussed on them, and he raised his gaze to meet Payton's.
His hand had reached up to close around hers that held the napkin before Graham realized he had even had the impulse to do so. Her hand was small within his, and he held it tenderly, as if afraid to commit to gripping her hand. In this moment, the temptation to close the gap between him and his beautiful fiance was pulling at him. Had they not been forcibly betrothed to one another, the prince probably would have given in too and kissed the princess...
However, it was because of their forced relationship that he did not. Neither had given their consent to be married, which left the awkward question of consent now when he wanted to kiss Danielle. There seemed to be something between them, but he didn't want to assume anything. It would be unforgivable if he misread her actions or expression and forced a kiss upon her. No. Graham would show restraint and be a gentleman. Avoid the possibility of ruining what repoire he and Danielle had managed to build within the small playhouse. Even if he desired otherwise.
Giving the princess's hand a soft squeeze, Graham thanked Payton for her observant eye before releasing her hand. Clearing his throat a little, Graham looked away from her, reaching down to gather the runaway marshmallows from earlier. His heart thumped a little quicker in his chest though, and he had to be satisfied with only imagining what it would have been like to kiss his princess.
nine lives
Danielle Camden
Danielle bit her lip to hide her impish smile when Leo leaned close to inform her that grilled cheese tasted exceptional in bed, and she mentally took note. Her mind trailing to other things that were probably exceptional in bed that she couldt try before her newfound freedom...
The discussion turned to Leo's favorite foods and his mother, which put a quick end to Dani's current train of thought. She smiled at the idea of starting a new tradition of cooking with Leo. Though, she wondered if Leo's mother would be terribly keen on sharing her secret recipe with the woman who was responsible for turning her son's life upside down. Dani's worries about Leo's parents hating her could wait though. Everything that took away from how happy she was right now could wait.
Leo, her once serious bodyguard, was becoming so sweet right before her very eyes, in ways she'd never expected. Yes, he'd been sweet to her while they were hiding their relationship, but it was in different ways. He'd never before talked about having traditions together. Really, they'd never talked about having anything together aside from their secret.
The future had always been a topic they avoided like the plague, and for good reason. Up until this morning, they had no future together, even before Danielle was engaged. It was impossible to entertain the idea of becoming anything more than secret lovers. And when the news came that Danielle would marry Graham, even their secret affair would have to come to an end and they wouldn't even have the present. It was only then, when the impossibility of being with Leo was set in stone, did Danielle think about the future she could have had with him. The one that Graham would prevent her from having. The one that she wanted.
Danielle hadn't been distraught over having an arranged marriage. She'd been distraught over losing Leo. Had she never met Leo, she would have held her tongue and obediently done her duty. Yes, she was mad at her father for forcing her to marry someone else... because that someone wasn't Leo. Deciding to run away was the first impulsive thing Danielle had done in her life. Well, that was a lie. Starting a secret romance was the first impulsive thing, which then led to her second impulsive thing.
Neither of which Dani regretted as the groceries were purchased, the jeep loaded, and their trip back to Leo's house underway. Leo offered a sheepish smile when she thanked him. "I never doubted you..." Danielle replied, choosing a radio station for them to listen to. She leaned into his arm when he snaked it around her shoulders, pondering his question about what she wanted to do next and her bucket list.
"Well... my bucket list is a little long. I've had twenty some years to add to it." Danielle admitted. This time it was her turn to smile sheepishly. "So we can knock things off that little by little. Some things are trickier to do than others." She added, trying to think of things that they could actually do now though. She yawned a little, the rythmic noise that the jeep's old engine made serving as a mechanical lullaby. Shopping was much more exhausting that Dani thought, or maybe it was just because everything was so new.
"Is it lame that I just want to be lazy with you next?" Danielle asked simply. It wasn't very often that the princess could spend time doing nothing. Not that being lazy with Leo was nothing, but it was something that didn't have any pressure attached to it. There was nowhere she had to be, or do, or was avoiding... She could just be content. Purely, and blissfully content. Ideally held in the arms of the man who'd stolen her heart.
The discussion turned to Leo's favorite foods and his mother, which put a quick end to Dani's current train of thought. She smiled at the idea of starting a new tradition of cooking with Leo. Though, she wondered if Leo's mother would be terribly keen on sharing her secret recipe with the woman who was responsible for turning her son's life upside down. Dani's worries about Leo's parents hating her could wait though. Everything that took away from how happy she was right now could wait.
Leo, her once serious bodyguard, was becoming so sweet right before her very eyes, in ways she'd never expected. Yes, he'd been sweet to her while they were hiding their relationship, but it was in different ways. He'd never before talked about having traditions together. Really, they'd never talked about having anything together aside from their secret.
The future had always been a topic they avoided like the plague, and for good reason. Up until this morning, they had no future together, even before Danielle was engaged. It was impossible to entertain the idea of becoming anything more than secret lovers. And when the news came that Danielle would marry Graham, even their secret affair would have to come to an end and they wouldn't even have the present. It was only then, when the impossibility of being with Leo was set in stone, did Danielle think about the future she could have had with him. The one that Graham would prevent her from having. The one that she wanted.
Danielle hadn't been distraught over having an arranged marriage. She'd been distraught over losing Leo. Had she never met Leo, she would have held her tongue and obediently done her duty. Yes, she was mad at her father for forcing her to marry someone else... because that someone wasn't Leo. Deciding to run away was the first impulsive thing Danielle had done in her life. Well, that was a lie. Starting a secret romance was the first impulsive thing, which then led to her second impulsive thing.
Neither of which Dani regretted as the groceries were purchased, the jeep loaded, and their trip back to Leo's house underway. Leo offered a sheepish smile when she thanked him. "I never doubted you..." Danielle replied, choosing a radio station for them to listen to. She leaned into his arm when he snaked it around her shoulders, pondering his question about what she wanted to do next and her bucket list.
"Well... my bucket list is a little long. I've had twenty some years to add to it." Danielle admitted. This time it was her turn to smile sheepishly. "So we can knock things off that little by little. Some things are trickier to do than others." She added, trying to think of things that they could actually do now though. She yawned a little, the rythmic noise that the jeep's old engine made serving as a mechanical lullaby. Shopping was much more exhausting that Dani thought, or maybe it was just because everything was so new.
"Is it lame that I just want to be lazy with you next?" Danielle asked simply. It wasn't very often that the princess could spend time doing nothing. Not that being lazy with Leo was nothing, but it was something that didn't have any pressure attached to it. There was nowhere she had to be, or do, or was avoiding... She could just be content. Purely, and blissfully content. Ideally held in the arms of the man who'd stolen her heart.
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Desert_Blossom
Nobody's Perfect...
Graham Alton
One moment Graham was inches away from kissing the sweet lips of his future bride... Both drawn together by an invisible tether. Or, at least he had thought they both felt it... And then the next moment they'd broken the spell and the princess was already standing and commenting that they should return to the palace.
Graham's brow furrowed for a moment in... what was it he was feeling? Disappointment? Regret? Confusion? He knew Danielle was probably right, they ought to be returning from their "walk in the garden", but now he was concerned that he had perhaps done something wrong. Had he offended his fiance? Either by almost kissing her... or by not kissing her? Or was she appalled by the near intimacy and now trying to flee without being rude? A hundred questions buzzed through Graham's usually collected mind, but he did his best to not show it.
As Payton busied herself putting her shoes and hat back on, Graham rose from his seat by the fire and pulled his shirt from the chair. With each button that he fastened, he tried to reassure himself that he was just over thinking things. Maybe the princess deciding that they should head back was just coincidental timing? Though the suddenly official tone of Danielle's voice told Graham that he wasn't over thinking things. The walls that they'd both managed to bring down for a while were back up.
"Danielle, I..." Graham began, not really sure if he was trying to apologize, or clear the air. Either way, he changed his mind. "Thank you for the smores, and for somewhere to dry off." He said, resuming his more formal tone as well to match the princess's.
Yes, the feeling that he was trying to name earlier was disappointment after all. He immediately disliked their formality, wishing they could go back to being semi-friendly to each other. Was this how their relationship was going to be? Ebbs and flows between friends and foes?
Finished redressing, Graham gave one last glance around the playhouse, before returning the blanket he'd borrowed to the couch, neatly folded. He doubted he'd ever be back in Danielle's childhood play area, but it had served its purpose well. Walking to the door, he held it open for the princess, gesturing for her to exit first.
As she passed him though, Graham had to clench his fist at his side to keep from reaching out to her to stop her. It would have been so easy to wrap his arm around her tiny waist, pull her closer and capture her lips in a kiss. Graham surprised himself a little by having such thoughts, especially when he had started the day almost determined to not like Princess Danielle, but now...
The prince's hand relaxed again once Payton was safely outside and out of his reach. The wave of disappointment washed over him again. They of course, would be expected to kiss at the altar, so it wasn't like it would be much longer until the mystery of their chemistry was answered. But it would have been nice to have maybe had one natural moment between them.
"I don't hear any sirens wailing or guards yelling out, so they must not have sent a search party yet..." Graham said, attempting a joke to lighten the mood.
Graham's brow furrowed for a moment in... what was it he was feeling? Disappointment? Regret? Confusion? He knew Danielle was probably right, they ought to be returning from their "walk in the garden", but now he was concerned that he had perhaps done something wrong. Had he offended his fiance? Either by almost kissing her... or by not kissing her? Or was she appalled by the near intimacy and now trying to flee without being rude? A hundred questions buzzed through Graham's usually collected mind, but he did his best to not show it.
As Payton busied herself putting her shoes and hat back on, Graham rose from his seat by the fire and pulled his shirt from the chair. With each button that he fastened, he tried to reassure himself that he was just over thinking things. Maybe the princess deciding that they should head back was just coincidental timing? Though the suddenly official tone of Danielle's voice told Graham that he wasn't over thinking things. The walls that they'd both managed to bring down for a while were back up.
"Danielle, I..." Graham began, not really sure if he was trying to apologize, or clear the air. Either way, he changed his mind. "Thank you for the smores, and for somewhere to dry off." He said, resuming his more formal tone as well to match the princess's.
Yes, the feeling that he was trying to name earlier was disappointment after all. He immediately disliked their formality, wishing they could go back to being semi-friendly to each other. Was this how their relationship was going to be? Ebbs and flows between friends and foes?
Finished redressing, Graham gave one last glance around the playhouse, before returning the blanket he'd borrowed to the couch, neatly folded. He doubted he'd ever be back in Danielle's childhood play area, but it had served its purpose well. Walking to the door, he held it open for the princess, gesturing for her to exit first.
As she passed him though, Graham had to clench his fist at his side to keep from reaching out to her to stop her. It would have been so easy to wrap his arm around her tiny waist, pull her closer and capture her lips in a kiss. Graham surprised himself a little by having such thoughts, especially when he had started the day almost determined to not like Princess Danielle, but now...
The prince's hand relaxed again once Payton was safely outside and out of his reach. The wave of disappointment washed over him again. They of course, would be expected to kiss at the altar, so it wasn't like it would be much longer until the mystery of their chemistry was answered. But it would have been nice to have maybe had one natural moment between them.
"I don't hear any sirens wailing or guards yelling out, so they must not have sent a search party yet..." Graham said, attempting a joke to lighten the mood.
nine lives
Danielle Camden
"We may need a bigger fridge then..." Danielle smirked teasingly, "My list is going to take up the whole thing." She said, trying to even come to an estimate of how many different things she wanted to try. "But I'll write it out tomorrow." The princess added, touched by how eager Leo seemed to be to learn of the things she wanted to do in life now that she was free. Though, honestly, now that she had Leo, the things she'd thought were important before were becoming secondary.
Danielle smiled brightly when Leo said her idea to be lazy was perfect, and her cheeks flushed at his playful grin when he said they could waste the afternoon in bed. Even if they didn't actually do anything, the idea of getting to lie with Leo in a bed was still more intimate in a way than any of their makeout sessions had been. It was a different kind of intimacy that they'd not yet been able to share. Was Leo even a cuddler? Was she a cuddler?
"Sounds like a plan!" Danielle nodded as they pulled into the driveway. She took the bag and keys from Leo, laughing a little at his comparatively heavy load of groceries. Once she'd unlocked the door, she held it open for Leo to let him go in first so he could set the bags down as quickly as possible.
Another spell of laughter escaped from Danielle when Leo told her she could pick out some snacks for them to munch on. "Oh, right! Because everything tastes better in bed." She replied, recalling their earlier conversation about grilled cheeses in bed.
As she helped unload the bags, for Leo to then put away, she set aside a few things for them to snack on. A couple scones, a couple cookies, and a container of raspberries were selected for their munching pleasure, and Danielle looked through the cupboards until she found a large plate to put them all on. It was no silver platter expertly arranged by a culinary chef, but Danielle was just as pleased with her humble plate of goodies.
With her task complete, she leaned against the counter a little as she watched Leo finish putting away the rest of the groceries. She could feel the butterflies starting to flutter in her stomach already in anticipation for getting some relaxation time with the man she'd runaway with. At this moment in time, her bucket list be damned. All she wanted was to be with Leo.
Once the fridge door was closed and the bags dealt with, Danielle pushed herself off of the counter and closed the space between her and Leo. Wrapping her arms around his waist, Danielle hugged him as she tilted her head back to look up at him. "I think we've been responsible citizens enough for one day, huh?" She smiled softly, enjoying the warmth of his body as she held him. "The scones and the bed are calling your name." She added, with a coy smile.
Danielle smiled brightly when Leo said her idea to be lazy was perfect, and her cheeks flushed at his playful grin when he said they could waste the afternoon in bed. Even if they didn't actually do anything, the idea of getting to lie with Leo in a bed was still more intimate in a way than any of their makeout sessions had been. It was a different kind of intimacy that they'd not yet been able to share. Was Leo even a cuddler? Was she a cuddler?
"Sounds like a plan!" Danielle nodded as they pulled into the driveway. She took the bag and keys from Leo, laughing a little at his comparatively heavy load of groceries. Once she'd unlocked the door, she held it open for Leo to let him go in first so he could set the bags down as quickly as possible.
Another spell of laughter escaped from Danielle when Leo told her she could pick out some snacks for them to munch on. "Oh, right! Because everything tastes better in bed." She replied, recalling their earlier conversation about grilled cheeses in bed.
As she helped unload the bags, for Leo to then put away, she set aside a few things for them to snack on. A couple scones, a couple cookies, and a container of raspberries were selected for their munching pleasure, and Danielle looked through the cupboards until she found a large plate to put them all on. It was no silver platter expertly arranged by a culinary chef, but Danielle was just as pleased with her humble plate of goodies.
With her task complete, she leaned against the counter a little as she watched Leo finish putting away the rest of the groceries. She could feel the butterflies starting to flutter in her stomach already in anticipation for getting some relaxation time with the man she'd runaway with. At this moment in time, her bucket list be damned. All she wanted was to be with Leo.
Once the fridge door was closed and the bags dealt with, Danielle pushed herself off of the counter and closed the space between her and Leo. Wrapping her arms around his waist, Danielle hugged him as she tilted her head back to look up at him. "I think we've been responsible citizens enough for one day, huh?" She smiled softly, enjoying the warmth of his body as she held him. "The scones and the bed are calling your name." She added, with a coy smile.
nine lives
_amaranth_
...coffee_addict...
Payton Camden
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
Leo Davenport
♡design by urzula, coded by uxie♡
