A Photographer's Dilemma (Traveler and I)

There was magic in that cavern. Rose made him feel like anything was possible, and he drank in her love like a drowning man taking in sweet, precious air. When they were finally resting on the edge of the pool, sweaty and hot despite the water's temperature, he understood with an ache that he would never feel such completeness again. He drew in a breath and then let it out slowly.

"You'll see me... I..." He drew a hand over his face and then pressed up against her in the pool. "It seems as if I'm going to be taking pictures of you for a long time." Scott smiled, the curve in his lips sad and wistful. "Your mother is extending my appointment through your wedding day, at the minimum, with an opportunity to continue as your family's on-call photographer."

He moved away and then helped her to climb out of the pool. When she began to take pictures of him as he pulled on his clothes he had to laugh at her playfulness. "You're going to get me fired." He took the camera and eyed her, then coached her through a few saucy shots. She was a natural in front of the camera. His heart ached, knowing that they were already moving in different directions.

"You don't have to break my heart," Scott defended. "I understand why you have to do this, and because I love you too, I... I understand. You have a lot of courage, princess. I'm never going to regret the time we had together." He kissed her back. "I love you too, Rose. And I always will - but I want you to try to find happiness in this marriage with Adin." He gazed at her and then drew her into a soft embrace. "Don't give up on happiness just because it's not going the way we hoped it might." He could imagine her holding a baby, of her smiling up at her husband and realizing that she actually loved him. That would be best, wouldn't it? If she could actually love Adin?

"We have to go." He gathered up the rest of his things and helped her find her shoes before they left the cavern. "If I act indifferent towards you never think that I don't care about you, Rose. I care. And I'm never going to do anything to jeopardize your life with the duke."

“My wedding day.” She said sadly. it still had a foreign taste on her tongue. She didn’t want to be married this soon to someone so strict. She sighed and looked into Scott’s eyes. “I guess we will see each other around.” She rubbed the v of his neck and kissed him softly. “I would ever dream of getting you fired.” She promised and kissed his cheek and took a picture while she did so. After he got the naughty pictures she walked to her clothes.

“But I have found my happiness with you. I’m not giving anything up, Scott.” She rubbed his cheek.

She nodded her head to leaving, even though the thought saddened her deeply. She She got dressed and put her shoes back on. She nodded her head to him treating her differently. “I will never love a man as much as I love you.” She took his hand in her and kissed his knuckles. She smiled at him and looked at him in this lighting for the last time before they left.

She walked him up through the cave system to the car. She drove him to the dock and looked at the yacht they were going to board. In gold script the name of the ship was neatly drawn, “Queen’s Rose”. She smiled at Scott and lead him up the pier. Some socialites were already there waiting for the party to get started. Officially they were engaged and the engagement party would be thrown soon but this was a small kicker to tell Rose’s friends. They wouldn’t care though because they were a party crowd. They didn’t want to settle down, they wanted to live it up just a while longer before they had to tie the knot.

The ship was opulent, as was to be expected. Scott switched out the chips in his camera and secreted the one with the pictures of the princess into a Velcro closed pocket. He didn't want to chance accidentally giving those to the wrong person.

The ship's name made him smile. He supposed he should have guessed who Rose really was when he met her, but he knew part of it was that he wanted to believe that there was something... someone, out there for him. He bought into the romance of the native historian falling for the foreign photographer. He loved the idea of being in love, and it was the lovely and mysterious girl from the cabin in the woods that he fell in love with.

The people on the ship were wealthy, lively, and had not a care in the world. Scott found that there were plenty of people and events to take pictures of but he wondered at the propriety of the things he was seeing. Most of it was harmless; people toasting each other and smiling, but some of it was slightly more risque, and in the hopes of not unduly embarrassing anyone he opted not to snap those shots.

A few hours later he found himself leaning on the rail and sipping on a short glass of very old, very smooth rum. The evening had been lovely and the music and drink flowed effortlessly, and Scott wondered where the princess might have gotten to. He had his camera slung over one shoulder and he was content to simply contemplate the way fate had dealt that last hand, rather than to get too wrapped up over might-have-beens.

After climbing aboard he ship, Adela went to change into more yacht appropriate attire. When she came back to the party she was wearing a vibrant bikini top and bottoms with a white scarf around her waist and fashionable sunglasses. She mixed and misled with the guests. This was what she was good at. Meeting people her age and having fun with them. She didn’t ask to be a princess or a role model. She just wanted to live her life tot he fullest and enjoy her time on the earth. While she mixed and mingled she did her best to stay away from her fiance’. She would meet him eventually and she was sure he was sticking out like a sore thumb but she didn’t care. He was probably blowing up her phone but she left it in her purse in her room below the deck.

She got through the first couple hours of the party with out her fiance’. She was starting to wonder if he left. Would he leave her to her own devices in a situation like this? He barely trusted her to wake up in the morning, so she doubted it. She went to the bar and ordered a bottle of water before she went to find him. Water because she couldn’t be photographed with alcohol. This technically was a royal event.

She smiled when she saw Scott and made her way to his side. “How is it going?” She asked over the music. “I want you to have fun. It doesn’t have to be all work, you know.” She teased him. He had been around the ship more than she has, most likely. “Have you seen Adin? I think I should get to him before he has a panic attack. If he hasn’t left that is.” Not that she would mind. She might get a stern talking to the next morning but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.