~~~~Ayla~~~~


The sound of horses neighing woke me to day two of my stay in the Albrecht Palace. Donovan never returned last night, so I could only assume his duties and future Queen kept him busy. Of course, it wasn’t my business, since I was only a guest here. I was thankful enough to grant him my life, though, because he saved mine. My movements were limited to the confines of the Palace Medical Room thanks to my memory loss, so I felt a little stuck.


I wanted to see more than just the others in the sick bay, I wanted to see the world outside the nearby window, not just the clouds, treetops, or blue sky. My fingers fiddled with the scratchy sheets of my cot, before I nervously glanced around the area again. Besides me, there were two other patients here to be seen by the Doctor, both of which I could tell were of high class, and the Doctor himself stood mixing herbs at one end of the room.


The door opened, the figure filling the threshold at least six foot two with chestnut brown hair and warm honey-colored eyes. Donovan had a smile that made my stomach tighten before a flood of butterflies filled it to the brim, and as soon as his gaze fell on me, that smile only grew. He took slow, measured footsteps to reach me before he extended his hand as he dropped to one knee, emanating a princely charm which made my heart pound hard in my breast.


“You sway my heart with a single glance, Princess. I hope you’ll accept this brooch as a token of my affection.” He stated, presenting me with a small box of sorts. “It is in the colors of my Royal Bloodline, and would look stunning against your flesh.”


A gift? Was it not common for a man to gift a woman with a brooch to announce his love for her? I didn’t know. It honestly felt like I was missing too much information to accept it, but my body had other ideas, as my hand already took the gift from him. A lump formed in my throat as I opened the box to find a golden colored, rose-shaped brooch with sapphire and white stones inset into it. It was such a simple gift, yet took my breath away.


“Thank you, though I feel terrible for accepting such a thing.” I replied, making his head tilt in confused hurt. “Since I don’t know who I am.”


“I suppose you’re right. Consider it a ‘Welcome to Albrecht’ gift, then.” Donovan nodded his understanding before offering me his hand again. “I apologize for not returning to your side yesterday. My goal was to clear up my tasks so I could spend a few days with you, but it took longer than I expected it to.”


He wanted to spend a few days with me? Why? I took his hand, blushing as the warmth transferred to mine, before standing, and then I noticed him visibly swallow. I was a few inches shorter than him when I rose, but made sure use caution, since I didn’t know the state my body was actually in. It could very easily be that I was weak from my fall, but everything seemed alright. Then I felt it; a hot gaze caressing over my body, leaving me breathless.


My eyes crawled up the white and blue robes of his attire to his face, unable to help myself. From this close, his musk surrounded me, leaving me feeling quite embarrassed, yet unable to tear myself away from him. Why? Every fiber of my being focused on him as he grew closer, his free hand cupping my waist opposite of him. It was as if this were where I belonged from the beginning, a thought that had butterflies taking flight again.


“Your Queen... She will misunderstand, Prince Donovan.” I whispered passed a tight throat, cheeks feeling flush. “I am grateful you saved me, but...”


“If you are grateful, allow me to escort you today. I also must insist once again that you call me Donovan, Princess.” He countered, pulling back to shift my hand into the crook of his elbow. “You are the only Queen I wish to exist around.”


I glanced over my shoulder at the Palace Doctor, who never looked back to check on me, before following the Prince into the Outer Court. All the activity I grew accustomed to hearing halted as everyone’s gaze turned to us, and though I wanted to shrink back and hide in the cot behind me at their stares, he led me through the crowd passed several smaller buildings towards a white walled Palace that rose high above us, at least five floors tall. There was blue tapestry hung here and there, making me feel at peace yet out of place.


A glance down my form told me why. My attire was far different than theirs, a bright red that seemed to wrap around my form like a dress and dangling fabric hung from my shoulders like a scarf. I felt like I looked exotic, especially since my skin was tanner than theirs and none seemed to have the same color hair. As a light breeze lifted the blonde locks of my hair, I could hear the whispers of those around us, making me duck my head a little in embarrassment. Donovan seemed wholly unaffected by their gazes, so I tried my best to ignore it.


“What is that on her back?” I heard someone whisper behind me, but when I turned to look at them they scurried away, leaving me confused. “My mother, father, and brothers are looking forward to the private breakfast we’re to have with them today.” Donovan stated, leading me over the drawbridge and moat towards the large wooden doors to the Palace. “And I am excited to introduce you to the Royal Family of Albrecht.”


I needed to give them my thanks for providing medical care, so this would be the perfect opportunity. My red slippers shuffled over the planks of the drawbridge through the door into a Grand Entrance and I sucked in a breath of awe. The floors were pure white leading up to a double staircase where I could barely see the doors to other rooms on either side of a large stained-glass window of roses. It cast the room in a warm, reddish glow, making my heart feel at ease as he led me through the doors beneath the center of the stairs.


My breath caught on a lump as my eyes were met with an entire garden of different colored roses. We were strolling through a maze of them in the inner courtyard with the sun shining in the sky, and the surrounding scents were relaxing as we passed iron benches, bushes, and vines over beautiful wooden arches. It was a stunning sight, though when I noticed he was staring at me, my gaze fell to the ground beneath my feet.


“My grandfather designed this garden for my grandmother when she first accepted his courtship.” Donovan whispered, his voice fading with the breeze before he shifted ever closer. “It pleases me that you seem to love it so. Look around as much as you like. I will follow your lead.”


“But your family is waiting for us.” I replied, glancing around the large, circular courtyard one last time, knowing I would have to come back later. “It would not be proper to keep them waiting.”


“You should probably prepare yourself, then, Princess Ayla.” He countered with a smirk, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “I have four brothers who are rather rowdy.”


Four brothers? I couldn’t imagine what that must be like. Though the thought made me wonder about my own family. Did I have any siblings? My focus wavered from Donovan to my ever-darkening questioning thoughts, and I clasped my hand in front of my chest. I wanted to trust him, but the truth was, I didn’t know if I could. The only information he gave me was my name, and he treated me quite nicely. It could be that is the personality he has with others.


Who was I? Why was I here? Who was Donovan? How would I act if I were the real me; the person I was before I came here? Part of me wanted to demand the answers, to plead with Donovan that I could handle the truth. Another part was in fear of what I would learn. What if I didn’t like the answers I received? What if he was lying to keep me here when I’m needed elsewhere? He could be an enemy and I would be clueless.


“Is something wrong?”


Maybe I should just ask him. From first impression, he seemed innocent enough, and he didn’t do anything weird besides look at me. He claimed to take a few days off to spend time showing me around, so maybe I could trust him a little. If things were dangerous, I could always try to escape later. Small steps are what’s necessary to trust someone completely, after all. We came to a stop in front of another intricate iron bench, my gaze dropping to the ground as heat filled my cheeks. I hated being caught.


“What else can you tell me about who I am?” I ventured passed the now smaller lump; my heart beating hard against its cage as he led me to sit next to him. “I do not mean to distrust, but surely you understand my position here, Prince Donovan.”


~~~~Donovan~~~~


“I must insist again, Princess, that you call me Donovan.” Donovan replied in the kindest voice, leaning closer to almost whisper something to her. “And I will of course explain what I know. You fell from the Heavens, I caught you, you had a note in your pocket begging I tell you your name when you woke, and nothing more. Then it said to burn it, so I did.” He continued, not stopping her when her hand slipped from his arm, her shock palpable. “You seemed to trust yourself to decide to listen or not, as much sense as that can make.”


The only detail he kept from her was her title and that was upon her own request. If she was serious enough about it, he would tell her the truth, but he could see her hesitation in the way she closed her eyes. It was as though she had to mentally prepare herself to handle whatever Donovan told her; something like that could put too much stress on her. He didn’t want to cause her trouble, not when she was still getting her bearings. She cupped her elbow as she continued to wait before one baby blue orb opened to look at him with apprehension.


“You must be so confused and lost. I wanted to tell you sooner, but the Palace Doctor insisted excess strain could be terrible for your recovery.” He sighed, before forcing an uncomfortable smile. “We don’t know anything except your father will come for you. Not even what caused your memory loss.” Donovan smiled weakly, expression a little hopeless as he leaned away. “I know I’m asking a lot of you to trust me so soon, but I hope you’ll really consider it. The doors are not barred to you either. Should you wish to travel, I will provide you the means to do so without fuss. I only wanted to keep hidden what your note read for your safety, since I feel entrusted with it.”


He was aware he could lie about everything and take advantage of her memory loss, but Donovan wanted to earn her love the right way, too. There was a fine line between stressing her too much and being as honest as possible. He could see how conflicted she was about trusting him, though, so he didn’t want to make things worse by hiding everything the note said. Once he realized he was still begging for her trust, he hesitated for a moment before standing again.


“If nothing else, you don’t have to worry about being alone because we are never truly alone unless we’re in our separate Quarters.” The statement made her pretty head lean a little in confusion before he offered his hand again. “The Shroud are everywhere here and have been ordered to protect you by the King; even from me.”


“The Shroud?”


“It’s a code in the family you will learn soon, I promise.” Donovan smiled gently as she took his arm and they continued their walk towards the Private Dining Chamber where his family waited. “But father has ordered your protection from everyone in Albrecht.”