The Royal Contract

She could not help but smile at their situation. She could hardly remember when was the last time that she had a piggyback ride. Maybe when she was little, when her father could still carry her on his back.

"We are almost there." He announced. "Are you enjoying the view?" He teased her, fully aware that she was not watching where they were going, but she had her eyes closed as he carried her to their destination.

He wondered what was going through her mind as she laid her head on his shoulders, leaning her body on his back, with her arms mildly wrapped around his neck and shoulders.

"Well, my mind is running quite an imagination, if that counts." She confessed to him, smiling as she continued to close her eyes. 

He did say he wanted to surprise her, so she would wait until they were at the spot before opening her eyes. She would enjoy the images that popped up in her mind in the meantime.

She admitted a slight discomfort, but the feeling of his body and hers molded into one was all worth it. All she could focus on was the steady rhythm of his beating heart together with the calming up and down motion of his back as he breathed. 

Besides, he did not seem to mind her weight as he carried her effortlessly on his back. But she did feel his muscles contracted in every movement that he made. It did feel great underneath her touch.

"Oh, I can't wait to hear what you are thinking." He made a few more steps until he reached a large clearing, unobstructed by the trees behind him.

He had been thinking about this place when he saw her open up her eyes this morning. But he could not shake off Antonette from their backs as she started barking orders as early as dawn.

Then, there was the late breakfast with their parents and the guests for a bit of early get-together welcome party. He would have liked to bring Dani here at sunrise, but he had to settle for now.

"No, you can not." She replied, sensing that he finally stopped. "Are we here?" She could not contain the excitement from showing in her voice as he slowly set her feet down on the ground.

She strained her ears to filter the different sounds in the air. She felt the slight breeze softly that grazed her skin, tickling her in the process. 

It was as if she was young again, and she was playing a guessing game. She loved every minute of it, letting the warmth of the sunbathe her entire body. 

She would choose this over the weather that they left behind. In addition, she appreciated the lack of pollution in the air and missing nonstop honking of horns.

"Yep, you know you can open your eyes now." He recommended, wanting to see her reaction upon seeing this place.

He never claimed that he hated the place where he had grown up. On the other hand, this was his home and would always have a special place in his heart.

But he also had grown to love what he had built for himself. A life that did not tie him to the kingdom, the tradition, and the responsibility of a throne.

But still, he would like to share everything about his past with his future wife. Then, he would live with her through the present and plan the future with only her on his mind.

"Oh! What is this place?" It was an anti-climatic response to his surprise as she expressed a bit of disappointment in her voice when she finally opened her eyes. 

She stood in front of him, scanning the place and continuing to look like she could not see sense why he would bring her to a place like this. All trace of her excitement in her face was gone.

"I'm sorry. You did not like it." He was surprised, more or less stunned by her reaction. It was not what he was expecting from her.

After all the things he had shared with her before, this would be the first time that she appeared to dislike what he liked. He always assumed that they would have a similar taste in everything.

Eventually, he understood her. He was not dismayed about her reaction. He was bound to discover that they might have several differences, which was healthy for their relationship.

"What is there to like?" She said, finally turning around and looking at him. She turned her serious face into a frown before wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her eye level.

She dared him to answer her question, wanting to know what he had in mind. She was intrigued to know how he would salvage their situation and not ruin the remaining of the day.

"I guess there is only me." He answered back, locking his eyes with her. If he could not entice her with the view, and then she would have to settle with him.

He was confident that he would always be enough for her, just like she would always complete him. He would not need anything else except her in his life.

Her lips finally turned upright, forming a sweet smile upon hearing his response. "You certainly know how to make a woman swoon. You always say the right words." 

She held tight on his neck as she pulled him even closer to her lips. Just enough to feel his breathe but still plenty of space between their lips. 

"You are the one putting those words into my mouth." He confided in her. He was never a poetic person, not much of a romantic either. But when it came to her, he always came up with the perfect act.

"But, I have a confession." She uttered in a tiny voice as if she was guilty of doing something terrible.

She smiled a bit at him, but only enough to express how much she was sorry. But also to tell him that she was ashamed of her current behavior.

"What is it?" He asked, suddenly on alert again. 

He was not used to her confessing because she hardly did anything he did not like. But he was open to whatever she was about to say. He would always prefer to have open communication with her throughout their marriage.

"I am sorry I did not like your surprise." She was saying when he interrupted her.

"No, you don't have to apologize or explain yourself. I..." But she shut him down with her finger, muting his lips to silence.

"Let me finish. When I asked what was there to like about this place, I wanted to hear your opinion. But you took it the wrong way. And I jumped into the chance to see your reaction instead of correcting you." She continued clarifying her side. 

"I am sorry. But I am completely in love with this place." She added when he maintained his tight lip, just looking at her. She forced a smile on her lips, trying to look adorable, hoping that it would work on him. 

"As always, you never failed to make our relationship unpredictable. You always keep me on my toes with your innocent stunts." Instead of getting mad at her, he laughed, glad that she also loved what he loved. That was what mattered to him.

He finished what she started, covering the remaining space between them. He pulled her even closer than possible, almost crushing her body against his.

His lips sought hers, like a thirsty man needing refreshing water. He would ravage her, here and now, if it had not been a public place.. He had no doubt that would hit the tabloids.