Page 113 of A Kingdom's Heart
He was standing by the same tree near the sea, the one that had become ours. When he saw me running toward him, he straightened and took a few steps forward, surprise flashing in his eyes.
For a moment, everything else disappeared. There was only him.
I ran faster until I was in his arms. He caught me easily, his hands firm around my waist. A soft laugh escaped him as he lifted me from the ground and twirled me once before setting me back down.
“Someone’s excited to be out here,” he said, his voice warm and teasing.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My chest felt too tight, my heart beating too fast. I reached up, touched his face, and kissed him.
It was soft at first, uncertain, but then his hands moved to my back, pulling me closer. The warmth of him spread through me, steady and sure. The scent of salt and sea filled the air, and everything else fell away.
When we finally pulled apart, the world felt still. The waves moved gently against the shore, and the night air was cool against my flushed skin. His hands lingered at my waist, as if he wasn’t ready to let go, and truthfully, neither was I.
I looked up at him, the moonlight catching the quiet smile on his lips. For a moment, nothing else existed. Not the castle, not the wedding, not the crown waiting to bind me to a life I didn’t want. There was only this. Him and me.
I rested my forehead against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my palms. It was calm, sure, and it made me feel safe in a way I hadn’t known I needed.
He said nothing, and neither did I. Words would have only broken what we had in that moment.
When the wind shifted and the sea whispered against the rocks, I felt something ache inside me. I wished time could stop here, beneath the stars, where nothing else mattered.
But it couldn’t.
So I held him tighter, just for a little longer, knowing that when I let go, it would hurt. Knowing that no matter what tomorrow brought, this night would be ours.
WILLIAM
We had been in each other’s embrace for what felt like hours. Maybe longer. Time had stopped meaning anything. All I wanted was for her to stay in my arms forever. I could feel her heartbeat against my chest, soft and steady, matching mine like it belonged there.
Now we sat beneath the same tree we always did. My arms were still wrapped around her waist, and her head rested on my shoulder. Neither of us had spoken. We didn’t need to. The quiet between us was enough.
But then her voice broke through the stillness.
“I’ll be married tomorrow.”
The words sank deep, cutting through the air like a blade. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. For a moment, it felt as though the ground had vanished beneath me. My chest tightened until it hurt to breathe. I wasn’t ready for this. I would never be ready. Nothing could prepare me for losing her.
My grip around her tightened. I could feel her breath catch slightly, but she didn’t move away. I didn’t let her. I couldn’t. The thought of her standing beside another man, wearing his ring, his name, hearing the world call her his, tore something raw inside me.
“God, I can’t,” she said. Her voice trembled, breaking something deep inside me.
I looked down at her. Tears had already filled her eyes, spilling
over and streaking down her cheeks.
“Iris…” I breathed her name, but it was all I could manage.
“I’m forced to marry someone I don’t love,” she said, her voice shaking. “And that means we won’t ever see each other again.”
Before she could fall apart, I pulled her closer into my arms. Her body pressed against mine, soft and trembling. “I’d take it all away from you if I could,” I whispered. And I meant it. But even as the words left my lips, I knew I couldn’t. I couldn’t take away her crown or her title or her duty. I couldn’t give her the life she deserved.
A commoner like me could never stand against a prince or a king. I knew it. She knew it. But knowing didn’t make it hurt any less.
Her tears soaked into my tunic, and my own threatened to fall. I had to stay strong for her, to make her believe that everything would be alright, even when I didn’t believe it myself.
“But I won’t see you again,” she whispered.
I tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet my eyes. “Don’t speak like that,” I said softly. “Of course we will. I’ll write to you, and I’ll visit whenever I can.”
