(Would you be up for a time skip to their lunch date soon?)
He was silent for a moment, thinking with a soft and genuine smile this time, "I really like falcons, but dolphins fall as a close second. I've seen leopards when I was on a business meeting across the sea. They're gorgeous creatures, and absolutely terrifying when you hear them as you walk through the jungle." Sam thought back to the trip he had seen them, a smile on his face as he remembered the cat-like creature.
"All of those sound like fun, we could replace the portraits in the throne room with other pictures too," Alex agreed, the grin never leaving his face for a second, "And we could switch around where all of the books are in the library, maybe jump around on top of the bookshelves while we 'decorate' them with toilet paper. There are millions of things we can do."
(Yeah. This was kinda dragging on a bit XD)
"You've been to the jungle?" Holly asked, her eyes widening, looking impressed. "And seen them?" She shook her head. "Lucky." She smiled slightly. "Dolphins are so fun. They're so playful, too, it's really fun to watch them." She smoothed her dress.
"We can't let Holly know what we do to the library, though," Lacey said, in all seriousness. "She might kill us." She snickered. "THe portrait idea sounds amazing! Where would we get the other pictures, though?"
(Sounds good and yeah, it was, I'll have some excuse for the conversation to end in my next response if you want, and we can time-skip then :D)
"Yes, I have," He replied with a soft laugh at her curiosity, "One of our allies across the sea invited me and my father over to discuss something, and we went with their eldest sons into the forest one day where we got a full tour of most of the animals that lived there." Sam smiled at her, nodding in agreement, "They're smart creatures, and really playful."
Alex shook his head and grinned, "She'll never know it was us, and if she finds out and attempts to kill us, I'll make sure she leaves you out of it. Don't worry about the pictures either, there are some good ones that I've held onto for this exact reason. Mostly of Sammy boy too."
(Okee!)
"I can imagine." Holly picked a leaf from her skirts and looked over at Sam. "What breed of dolphin were they?" She asked, smiling back at him.
"You're such a gentleman," Lacey laughed. "Okay, then. What types of pictures are they? And would it greatly embarrass him in front of the other girls? Because those are the best kinds."
Sam thought but shook his head, "I'm not sure, they didn't tell us what breed they were. They were extremely gorgeous though." He smiled over at her, oblivious to the two guards approaching the four of them from the palace until they were right in front of the group.
"I'm very gentlemanly, and yes they're pictures that will surely embarrass him. Mostly ones from when he was a kid, doing very embarrassing things," Alex said with a quick grin before looking up at the two guards in front of them.
"Prince Sammuel, your father is requesting your presence, there's a meeting going on in about ten minutes," One of the guards said, seeming nervous to be interrupting him while he was talking to one of the ladies.
Sam nodded slowly, "Tell him I'll be there soon." He turned back to Holly as the guards nodded and left a soft smile on his face, "Sorry for having to leave so suddenly, I didn't even know about this meeting. It was fun talking to you, I'll be sure to see you around, and get things ready for our lunch this week."
"It's fine," Holly said, chuckling. "I shouldn't keep you." She smiled lightly. "It was nice talking to you, Prince," she said.
"Good," Lacey said decisively. "We should start wreaking havoc soon." She grinned, then smiled at Holly. "We should leave the gentlemen alone. Come on, Holls, we have stuff to do."
Holly waved, and the two left.
(Shall I do the timeskip? Or would you like the honors?)
Both Alex and Sam waved to the girls as they walked off, then followed the guard back into the palace. Sam seemed happy, a small bounce in his step that even Alex could see. "So, are you going to even talk to the other girls here? Or did Holly already sweep you away?" He asked, grinning as they headed towards the meeting room that already sounded like pure chaos inside.
"I'm going to talk to them and they'll all have a fair chance, but Holly…she's nice and really pretty, and we share a lot in common," Sam replied, feeling his cheeks heat up as he glanced at Alex, stopping just before the doors to the meeting room, "Don't bother waiting around for me, I have a feeling I'm going to be here a while." Alex nodded in return, holding in any comments he wanted to make as the prince turned and went inside.
Like he had guessed, it was chaos, with different advisors fighting and arguing with each other, while the king tried his best to keep them in line. This was going to be a long meeting…
(I can!)
A few days later…
Holly smoothed her hands over her dress for the umpteenth time and took a deep breath. This was just a date. It wasn't like it would determine her future… although it might. It was the day of her date with the Prince, and it was happening soon. Like, very soon. She was nervous and very excited, although she tried not to show it.
Lacey was the only one who knew about the lunch, which she was glad about. If word had gotten out, she would have been glared at, and heaven knows she was already nervous enough as it was. But she was glad that he had chosen her to do the date. Sam was handsome and funny and kind, and she liked him already.
She smoothed her dress again. A pale seafoam green with lace weavings and designs on it, the dress brought out the green in her eyes, making it stand out. Her hair had been twisted in an intricate braid, with a few strands of her curly golden hair hanging by her face. She wore little makeup. When she had looked at herself in the mirrio, she had gasped. Holly had barely recognized herself - in a good way. She looked stunning… not that she'd ever admit it.
Sam was more than excited as he waited at the palace entrance for Holly. Lunch with her was a secret to everyone but his parents and Alex; who had teased him relentlessly even though it was clear his friend was happy for him. He had even helped pick out his outfit, a white dress shirt paired with light gray pants and a matching jacket in case it was cold. Paired with nicely combed hair, he looked quite nice and put together.
Even with how excited he was, the Prince was also nervous. He knew Holly was going to look amazing no matter what she was dressed in, but he was quietly hoping that they matched in some way. Even if it was just the two of them and a guard just for formalities, matching with her seemed much more formal. He didn't voice any of his opinions or thoughts though, just shifted on his feet in the entrance, waiting with a soft but charming smile for her.
Holly walked down the hall, to where she had been told the Prince was waiting. She was nervous, very much so, and her heart seemed to be in her throat. She had butterflies - no, birds - flapping around in her stomach. She stopped for a moment and stood in the hall, taking slow, calming breaths. Deep breath, Holly, she told herself. It's a date, not a wedding. She smiled slightly at the thought, and then continued on.
She spotted him, then, and her smile grew bigger, although a bit shy. She waved at him, although that probably wasn't very lady-like. Just seeing Sam made her feel less nervous. She had been building up suspense all along, for no reason! Not that she didn't do it often.
Sam rocked on his feet nervously as he waited, spotting her the moment she appeared in his vision. Instantly his smile brightened and he returned her wave, taking the liberty to meet her halfway through the palace entrance and holding out the small bouquet of flowers he had gotten for her. "Hi again, Miss Holly," He started, looking over her dress and feeling his cheeks heat slightly as he continued, "You look absolutely gorgeous." Saying she was gorgeous was very true, but it didn't make him any less nervous to say it.
"Thank you," Holly said, ducking her head to hide the blush that stained her pale cheeks. A wave of pleasure at the compliment rolled through her. She accepted the flowers and buried her nose into the blossoms, partly to breathe in the beautiful scent, and partly to let her face cool.
When she had gathered herself up, she smiled shyly at him. "You look very handsome. Thank you for the flowers, they're wonderful." It was true that he looked handsome. He looked put together and regal, like a prince should look. Just saying those words, though, made her blush again.
Why was she acting like a shy little girl? It was just a date! With the prince. Who might be her future husband.
"Thank you, and it's really nothing," He replied, unable to hide his own flushed cheeks as he smiled back and opened one of the main doors to the palace. "I suppose we should get going, shouldn't we?" Sam asked, holding the door open for her. Outside was a sleek black car, and even though it wasn't fancy, it would blend in. "I wasn't sure how fancy you wanted me to get, but I know you said you didn't like paparazzi, so I figured simple was better. That way lunch would just be me and you and a guard." He smiled gently, hoping internally that he had remembered correctly what she liked.
“Oh!” Holly gasped at the sight of the car. “I’ve never been in one of these before.” She gave a delighted smile. Even though it wasn’t a car that would stand out too much, it was till fancier than anything she’d ridden in before. “And that sounds wonderful. Thank you.”
She felt oddly touched that he had remembered her hatred of the press, and she smiled warmly at him.
Sam's smile grew and he nodded, leading the way to the car as well as watching to make sure Holly wouldn't trip on any of the steps. As soon as they got there too, he opened the door to the car for her, acting like ever the gentleman even when it was just the two of them alone. "The drive to where were going isn't terribly long, but I think you'll like it." It had taken Sam a few days to plan out where to bring Holly, as well as what to bring to eat, and so he was thoroughly nervous, as well as hopeful that she would like it.
“Alright. That sounds wonderful.” Holly smiled warmly and a little shyly at him. “Thank you.” She carefully sat down and arranged her skirts around her, not only to keep herself looking modest, but to also keep her hands from fidgeting with her hair, which her maids had worked so hard to do. “I’m really excited,” She said softly.
He closed the door behind her and slipped into the car from the other side door, smiling at her as the car started on it's way. "I hope this date will help me learn more about this personality you were talking about before." Sam hoped more than anything that she at least had fun during this, even if he didn't learn anything more about her or if they found out that they didn't get along as well as he hoped they would. Holly was a gorgeous girl, and from the little time he had spent with her, she seemed like a bright and wonderful person in general, the type of person that he wouldn't mind running a kingdom with.
Holly giggled. Her smile widened, and she tried to hide it behind a raised hand. He had such a smooth tongue… he reminded her a little bit of her older brother, who was even now at fighting for the country. She wondered if he had received the news that she was now part of the Selection.
"Maybe it will," she responded, smiling slightly, part nerves, part shyness, and part joy. I guess we'll have to see."
"That we will," He replied, leaning back on the seat in the car and letting his smile grow, "Well, miss Holly, do you have any questions about me that you want to ask? To make the car ride pass quicker?" Sam barely glanced out the windows as the car drove on, though he did take a small look at the city as they passed through it. The view was going to get much more gorgeous the further into the drive that they got.
"Hm… let me just get my list out for you," she joked. "Um…" she thought for a moment. What did she want to know about him? Nerves choked her, so that it made it hard for her to come up with a question, but somehow, she managed. "Would you want to have siblings, if you could?"
Sam laughed lightly, listening to her question and answering only moments later, “I’m not sure…I think they would be fun, but Alex is already like a brother to me. I’m not sure.” He shrugged, his answer truthful. “What about you? Miss Holly, what do you think of having siblings? You do have a brother if I remember correctly right?”
"Yeah. An older brother." For a moment, her brother's face flashed before her eyes, and she felt a prickle of tears, before she forced them back. He was fine. This was going to be a happy day. "It can be… interesting. They don't spare anything to get you in trouble, and they will do all they possibly can to annoy you, including hurting their own body. But… well, my brother is my brother, and I love him," she said with a small smile. "He can be such a jerk, but I love him."
"What's his name? Will I get to meet him at all during the time you girls are here?" He asked politely, a curious and almost excited smile on his face, "He sounds like an amazing older brother." Sam saw the hint of emotion in Holly's eyes as she first talked about her brother, but he didn't bring it up. She already probably missed her brother, even in the short stay at the palace, and so missing him would be a normal emotion.
"His name is Varin. He's seven years older than me." Holly shrugged. "I'm not sure if you'll be able to see him, though. He's at the border, fighting. I think he got promoted to lieutenant recently, actually." She smiled. "He is. When he actually talks to me. Because you know that talking to little siblings is a shame worthy of death."
Sam nodded, already instantly trying to remember if he had met with any soldiers of that name. "If I make any trips up to the border, I'll make sure to meet him," He said gently, his mind hard at work with the idea of potentially finding a way for her brother to be pulled from the front lines. Maybe it would work out to be a gift, but even if he didn't, he wanted to see the excitement on Holly's face when she saw her brother again. "Is talking to younger siblings that frowned upon?" He asked, a curious smile on his face, "I didn't know that."
"It is, actually. Apparently we're shameful menaces that could embarrass older siblings to the point of death." Holly laughed softly. "That's the impression I got from him, at least." She tilted her head, watching him with bright eyes. "How long have you known Alex? It seems like you guys are really close. And you called him your brother, so…"
"Ah, shameful menaces." He laughed gently at that idea, shaking his head, "You're far from one of those, I don't know what was going through your brother's mind." Sam shifted in his seat, though listened carefully to Holly's next question, a smile settled carefully on his face, "I've known Alex since I could talk. My parents knew of a general whose wife had just had a child only a year before me, and so they suggested that the child and mother come live at the palace while the general was working. We grew up together because of that, and it was arranged that Alex would become my personal guard when we were old enough. We're not biologically related, but he's my brother anyway, through friendship at least..and looks."
Holly laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "You two do look very similar. When I first saw him, I was pretty surprised. I wasn't sure if there had been a hidden prince or what." She smirked slightly. "Imagining Alex having to do the Selection seems horrifying. He would have no idea what he was doing."
Sam grinned, not hiding an amused laugh at the image of Alex running the selection. "That would be absolute chaos. He would run half of the girls out in a week, and only the ones that are strong enough to defy his annoyingness would be left." He shook his head, "He would have a blast though." The prince glanced out of the window of the car, then glanced back at Holly with a sparkle in his eye, "Don't tell him you thought he was a prince, I'll never hear the end of it. He'll take my place without question."
Holly giggled. "I won't, don't worry." She grinned. "Wouldn't that be mutiny, though?" She asked, smirking a little bit at the thought. She was pretty sure the prince was joking. After all, taking the place of the prince was treason… but she knew he didn't really mean it. She was just being weird.
She sighed. Why couldn't she be a better conversationalist, and more interesting? He was probably wishing that he hadn't asked her to do this.
