A Photographer's Dilemma (Traveler and I)

Scott laughed at the story, his eyes relaxed for the first time that afternoon. "It sounds like the king and his daughter are close, and I suppose that if the princes were fun-loving enough to go after her with water guns they can't be so bad. Maybe growing up forces things to change."

He slid his hand into hers as they walked, looking at the forest and enjoying the quiet of their time together. "Did you get to help with the revenge part?" He paused, watching two birds flying from branch to branch as they competed for some juicy grub they kept dropping. Then he turned to her and kept walking. "I didn't think that kings and queens retired. Do you think they're going to turn over the throne soon to their eldest or do you think they're going to wait to see how the fertility treatments pan out? I suppose it would be much too much stress to put Andrew and Olivia through both their quest for a baby and taking over kingdom matters."

The scenery was spectacular on the island. Everywhere they looked it was lovely; bits of history mixed with the modern world was back dropped with the spectacular natural flora and fauna. "Tell me about this church we're visiting. What's it's history?"

"Of course, I did." She chuckled to herself and shook her head. "We got them a lot worst than they got her."

"I believe they will wait until they either have a child or decide they can handle trying for a child and taking over the kingdom. If push comes to shove Olivia will ask someone in the family to act as acting Queen while she undergoes treatment. Acting Queen has all the powers of a queen but must ask the King for permission before doing anything drastic with the country." She shrugged her shoulders.

When he asked about the church her smile grew. "In the mid 1700's there was a priest who worked for the church. Everyone knew him as the most holy, loving man of the church. A woman goes into the church for refuge from her husband and the priest takes her in. Now what the priest didn't know was that this woman he was hiding was the king's pregnant wife. The king searched for her every where and when he found out where she was he had his men camp out side of the church and wait for her to step out so he could take her. They couldn't enter the church because she was being protected by it. Why would a pregnant queen need refuge from the king? Some say it was because the baby was his brother's and not his. Some say it belonged to a knight. But word got out that priest had fallen in love with the queen. They spent, from what we can tell, two months together in the church which is enough time to form a loving bond. Rumor spread some how that the baby was the priests and the King got so angry that he had his men storm the church. The priest and Queen were caught and every one else was free to go. The priest and Queen were taken to the bell tower and hung for their crimes." It was the happiest story but it was the history of the church.

"Now people say it's haunted. Every time some one of royal blood walks into the church the ghosts of the queen and priest come to have their revenge. Are you related to a royal Scott?" She asked and they finally got to the church. 'In the 90's some kids came at night to see if the ghosts were real and they were never found again!" She laughed and shook her head, "Kidding. They were found in the woods shaken up because a cat popped up and scared them silly." She shook her head. "The door has been fixed now and only people with the key can enter. Thankfully I have the key." She said and pulled it out of her bust and winked at Scott.

Scott's expression grew pale the further the story went. "He hung them both? Even the pregnant queen?" When they got to the church he looked up at the tower and shook his head. "That has got to be the worst love story I've ever heard. I mean, if I were superstitious I'd blame every royal miscarriage from then on on the king's actions." He frowned and drew in a breath, letting it out slowly before turning to Rose.

"What do you think, Rose? Do you think that the baby was the king's? Or do you think that the queen betrayed him and then brought down the priest with her?"

He gave her a grin when she asked if he was related to a royal. "I'm adopted, remember? But I've been told in the past that I can be a royal pain in the ass." He laughed. "Come on, no time like the present to make your sacrifice in the church. Besides, I want to walk up to the tower and look out that window. I want to see what the priest saw and try to imagine what his thoughts were." He took some pictures from the outside before following her to the door. A breeze wafted by and brought with it the scent of lavender and roses.

Rose nodded her head to his first question. "It would make sense for that to happen but no. The long lived a happy life and married again. He had multiple children and died in his sleep. But as he aged they say he was going a little mad. He would hear a baby crying or see his and wife and priest standing over him at night."

Rose thought about it and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I find it hard to believe he would hang her if he believed it was his child. She was young he was and older male. Who knows, maybe she got curious and decided to test the waters with some one her age."

She smiled and nodded, "So you are Royal." She smirked and watched him take his pictures. When he finished with the outside she opened the door and let him enter first. She looked around and entered after him closing the door behind her. The wooden chairs all still lined up neatly. There weeds and vines growing on the walls but with a little TLC it could be made into a functioning church again.

When he was finished taking pictures of the main service area she took his hand and walked him to where the queen stayed while she lived in the church. The room was bare since it was made for closet space. A small cot was on the floor but nothing else. "When the queen was here they gave her what they could but luxuries weren't a common item for members of the church." She explained and walked to the stairs that led to the bell tower. "Do you want to see it?" She asked pointing up the stairs.

He had to chuckle at her assessment that he was a royal since he was adopted. "No, not quite. I'm not supposed to be alive." He fiddled with his camera and adjusted the exposure. "When I was 18 I wanted to find my birth parents. I got them to open the file and once I read it I didn't need to find them any more." He looked at her for a long time. "He was married. She tried to abort me in the seventh month. I survived and that's when I was signed over to the foster care system." He shrugged. "Nothing very noble about my conception or birth."

Scott walked into the church without hesitation, touching the vines on the walls lightly and taking in the feel of the space. It was musty and smelled of memories and regret. Or maybe that was his artistic side coming out. In the queen's room he put his hand on her cot and knelt by her bed as if listening for something. "At least she found love before she died," he said quietly. He looked at Rose. "Some people live forever and never know what it is to have love reciprocated."

Then she led him to the bell tower. "Do you want to see it?" She asked pointing up the stairs.

"Yes. Of course." He glanced up the stairs. "Are there bats?" One by one he took the stairs, imagining what it might have been like to walk up those same steps knowing that you would never walk down. The romance and the tragedy of the couple spoke to a quiet place in his soul. If he could travel back in time to talk to the couple would he? Would it have changed anything?

Rose frowned at the story of his birth and his life as a child. It wasn't a life a person like him deserved. In her eyes no one deserved to grow up like that. "At least you are here now. With me." She smiled at him and rubbed his cheek.

She lead him through the church and then up to the bell tower. "The bells still work but they are no longer on a timer. They ring when it's either really windy or for special occasions." She opened the door to the bells and let him out first. She heard something move around downstairs and she looked down at the first floor she shook her head telling herself it was just the wind.

"No bats. They used to take shelter but the place had been bat proofed and small animal proofed. Don't want things to burrow and ruin the church." It wasn't much to show him just another piece of island history.

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Good. I have this irrational dislike of bats. I wouldn't say 'fear', per se, but I don't like to be around them if at all possible."

He followed her up the spiral staircase and peeked out the window as they went higher and higher, the view changing with every step. "Is this church one of your restorative projects?" His fingertips caressed scratches on the wall, ones that led upwards and were faint as if from one who had lost all hope.

"When was the last time these bells rung?" He stood with her and looked at the ornate designs on the ancient instrument. He longed to hear them, and for a moment he wondered if he might have heard them ring in the middle of the night and misremembered it. Or perhaps he only dreamed it.

"They are wrung every Last Light of the year. Last Light being the last full moon of the year. It's similar to your Christmas and New Year. We exchange gifts and hope that the next light brings a great year." She smiled at Scott and looked out at what she could see of the city.

"And yes. I am hoping that this will be restored soon. The paintings on the ceiling are some of the best work of Ancrit Archmind. He was a beautiful painter. He believed a piece of his soul left with every painting he made. There are multiple paintings in the palace. I will have to show you some time. But every painting he put his heart into. He never scraped anything. So you can see where he made mistakes and tried to cover them. They are truly masterpieces."

She looked at Scott and touched the bell. "I would offer to ring them but the police would come and probably arrest us. That's the last thing we need." She reached out and held his hand. "I can't wait to show you around the palace. There is so much for you to see."

He chuckled when she said that the police would come and arrest them if the bell was rung. "I thought that you had friends in high places?" He put his hand out to hake hers and to step closer. "I want to see everything that moves you."

Scott's hand moved along her arm as he looked at her, the desire in his eyes intense.

"There are some people who it's worth it to go to jail for." He smiled. "Or, I suppose, be hanged. But I might have taken her and run if I had been that priest. Maybe we would have become pirates." His smile widened into a grin.

He gave her a sideways hug as he looked out the windows to the island below. "Everything about this place is beautiful. I especially appreciate the history, Rose. You've made it come alive for me. When you come to New York I can show you a lot of things and a lot of history, but it won't be the same. This is your history, your ancestors are here." His eyes moved slowly across the landscape. "What must it be like to walk streets that your grandmother and her grandmother once walked? Do you know how many generations of your family have been here?"

"I can't wait to see New York from your point of view." She smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"If someone wanted to ring the bells they would just have to flip a switch downstairs. They could probably get away with watching them swing a couple times before having to run to a cabin near by." She suggested. If he wanted to do it then she wasn't going to stop him. She did have friends inching places, well technically she was the high place but he didn't need to know that.

"It's up to you. If you want me to flip the switch I will do it. The police will come and they will think some crazy teens did it for a prank and then they will go back to their precinct. The bells are in perfect condition so we might as well give them a small test. Right?" She smiled and kissed his cheek again. "It's up to you."

"A good chunk of them. I can go to the library at the palace and find out how many exactly but most of my family has lived here." She rubbed his back and looked out at the island.

"So what do you say? Want to give the bells a ring?"

"Oh! No, no." Scott shook his head and smiled. "I don't want to call the police away from their work. Besides, I'm hoping that I get to be here to hear the bell when it's rung for a legitimate reason." He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her fingers. "New Year's, right? Maybe I can be back for that."

He gave the bell and the view one last look, realizing that he might have never seen the sight if it wasn't for her. He had taken many pictures of the area, including one haunting one that caught both their shadows against the bell and window frame. It almost looked like the ghosts of the priest and the queen were lingering in the bell tower.

"Are they buried near here? The priest and the queen, I mean." He lingered at the doorway and then went down the stairs with her. "What do you think about taking a lunch hike? Do you have time today for that?"

"Such a good guy." She rubbed his cheek. "I don't know though." She sighed and shook her head making him think the worst, "I kind of want to see New York during New Year's." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "But with the time change we can definitely see both." She rubbed his cheek again and kissed his lips.

While he looked at the bell she looked at him. She was falling in love. She was playing a dangerous game for the both of them. She put her smile back on when he turned around.

She nodded her head to his question and walked him downstairs. "They were given unmarked graves first. Lost to history for a while. Then when they were found, people started digging and looking for who the couple were. The story about the queen and the priest was found and things started to add up." She walked to the back of the church and there was a small plaque that said, 'Once the final resting place of Queen Adelina and Priest Grogory.'

"They were moved to where all the Queens are buried and the priest was taken to buried with other priests." She looked at Scott and rubbed the plaque.

"I will always have time for you." She smiled and gave him a hug.

Had she hoped that he would tell her to flip the switch? He misunderstood her reaction and thought that he had let her down. But... he really couldn't pull the police from their jobs. "We could see both, but sometimes it's nice to just enjoy the moment. Maybe this year we see New York for New Year's and the next we come here to enjoy the turn of the year. I don't want to rush with you." He drew in a breath and let it out, satisfied at the way the day was turning out.

He stopped at the marker and paid his respects. "It's sad, in a way, that they're separated now. I wonder if they would have preferred to be undiscovered and to stay together forever." His hand touched the stone and traced their names. Adelina and Grogory. "Is the king named after the priest?" He looked at Rose.

Scott hugged her back as they gave the marker stone a final farewell glance. "That's the kind of promise I might bet our future on," he answered her, hoping that it wasn't just a nice thing she said but something that she truly meant. Maybe the whole reason he got this assignment was so that he could meet this wonderful historian who lived in a little cottage. How else might they have ever met each other?

"Maybe Mrs. Beryl will let me raid the pantry and make us a quick lunch? I don't have to be anywhere until tomorrow. The king and queen post-poned their shoot until then, and my ideas to shoot informal couple portraits today got shot down by the prince charmings, so I've got the rest of the day free."

She shook her head, "It's a common name." She said softly and looked at the plaque. She wondered if he was right about them wanting to be together forever. She liked to think they were together; at least their souls were. She sighed and looked at Scott. She rubbed his cheek and kissed him softly.

"Why would the King and Queen postpone their shoot?" She asked him and frowned at the news. She shook her head knowing she would find out soon enough. "The Princess would do an informal shoot in a heart beat. I am telling you that." She kissed his cheek again and walked him toward the cottage.

"I'll walk you to the palace. I'm in the mood to see Mrs Beryl." She rubbed his back and walked with him to the palace. She let him walk ahead of her and she followed behind. She lead him through the staff ways so they were less inclined to run into royalty and hopefully Tobin. She got them to the kitchen with out a problem.

Mrs Beryl turned when she heard someone enter the kitchen. It was staff lunch so it was only her in the kitchen making a list of what needed to be ordered and what she wanted to make the next week. Her eyes landed on Rose with surprise. They went to Scott and back to Rose. Rose shook her head a little so she could see it and so Scott wouldn't.

"Go ahead and get what you want Scott." She gestured Rose to step closer and she did. They spoke quietly so Scott wouldn't hear, "Your parent think you are in the states. You should be in the states. What are you doing here and with him no less. You will get him in trouble. You're going to get yourself in trouble...again!"

"I couldn't help it. I saw him and it was supposed to be a simple chat and then we got to know each other and...I will tell him I just don't know how. I think I'm falling in love with him." She looked back at Scott and smiled at him.

"We both know you can't do that. You're engaged Adela. How do you think Scott is going to feel when he finds out about that?"

She shook her head and shrugged her shoulder, "the same way I will. Heart broken."

She walked to Scott and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you at the cottage, I forgot I have to do something." She explained and left the kitchen.

Mrs Beryl looked at Scott, "Have a nice lunch Scott." She said softly and whet back to work. It wasn't her place to say anything. It was Adela's.

"It's possible that they got wind of my faux pas with Prince Andrew this morning. They might have been giving me a change to come to my senses," he teased himself, smiling. The walk to the palace was nice, especially since he had no clue that she as trying to hide. To him it was just a stroll with his girlfriend to the kitchens. Had he known that he was supposed to be stealthy he might have stressed over it.

At the kitchens he greeted Mrs. Beryl and when she gave him permission he went about putting together a couple of sandwiches and fruit for the two of them. He was wrapped up in his plans for the 'perfect' sandwich and didn't hear the two women speaking. He glanced up at the two and smiled at Rose, then disappeared into the fridge again to look for tomatoes. There couldn't be a perfect sandwich without tomatoes! When Rose came by and kissed his cheek he put an arm around her waist to pull her close.

"Sure, I'll be there soon." He smiled at her and nuzzled her neck before letting her go, then watched her as she left the kitchen. He was completely smitten with her, there was no doubt.

When Mrs. Beryl told him to have a nice lunch he thanked her. "Thank you! I'll make sure to clean up what I've done here," he said. He wrapped up the sandwiches and put them with the fruit and the bottles of water. "I appreciate this; Rose has been great about showing me the island and teaching me the history. I really..." His eyes drifted for a moment. "I really love it here." He smiled at the cook and then gathered up his things to go find his lunch date.

Mrs Beryl gave Scott a tight smile and grabbed his arm before he left. She wanted to tell him but she knew she couldn't. "I'm happy you like it here. And I'm sure she's a great teacher of our history. Just...just be safe Scott. You're a good young man with a bright future." She rubbed his cheek and let him go.

It was dumb to say Rose forgot about the engagement but she did. When she was with Scott she didn't think of anything but him. She didn't want to think of anything but him. She would have to tell him soon. She knew that but she didn't want too. She loved Scott. It was true. She loved Scott and she wasn't going to be with some one she didn't love.

She heard him coming and she opened the door for him. She bit her bottom lip. She had to tell him or she wouldn't tell him at all. If she didn't tell him then he would find out during her parents anniversary party and that wouldn't be ideal either. This was her fault and she deserved whatever anger Scott lashed out at.

She went upstairs and grabbed a picture of Adela and looked at herself all done up like the princess she was. She went downstairs with the picture in hand and put it face down on the counter. She looked at Scott when he walked through the door. "I have to tell you something." She said softly.

She passed the picture to him, "Before you look at it I have to tell you something. I love you. I do, I thought about it and when I did I realized I don't want to live with out you. You think I should you my world but you showed me a whole new life that I never would have known. And I thank you for that. I will understand if you need time or never want to see me again." She kissed him like she would never see him again and she gave him a hug. She took a deep breath and let him go.

"That's a picture of me. Princess Adela Rose Carington of Sevania. I live at the palace but I did something and I was sent away. I am a history major. My job is to preserve the history of my family. I did tell you the truth just not the complete truth. I never lied to you. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't mean to fall in love but you showed me a whole new world and I slowly did and I know it's insane to say after two or three weeks that I fell in love but I did." She bit her bottom lip.

She knew she had to tell him the most heart breaking part but she would wait until he digested that.

Scott wasn't sure what to say to Mrs. Beryl's strange statement. "Uhm... thank you? I'll try to be safe." He tilted his head, wondering if there was some horrible secret about Rose that he didn't know. Was she eccentric? Did her boyfriends wind up at the bottom of cliffs once she got bored of them? The thought brought a crooked smile to his face, as if imagining Rose as some psycho boyfriend-killer was completely unbelievable. "I'll try not to do anything foolish. I promise." He folded the top of the lunch bag and smiled at the kindly cook before leaving.

As he walked to Rose's cabin he began to feel more light hearted. He walked through the open door, resisting the urge to imitate Desi Arnez and call out 'Luci, I'm home!'. Instead he set their picnic on the table and smiled at Rose. Her expression and her soft "I have to tell you something," so soon after Mrs. Beryl's statement made him pause.

He accepted the upside-down picture and then heard what Rose said.

"Before you look at it I have to tell you something. I love you. I do, I thought about it and when I did I realized I don't want to live with out you. You think I should you my world but you showed me a whole new life that I never would have known. And I thank you for that. I will understand if you need time or never want to see me again."

The words and the impassioned kiss made him worry that she was going to say one of two things:

1. I'm really a transsexual and that's why we haven't had sex, or
2. I'm dying and I only have two months to live.

Scott swallowed. He felt like he did when he found out that he was adopted, and then later when he found out the situation surrounding his birth and surrender to the foster system.

"That's a picture of me. Princess Adela Rose Carington of Sevania. I live at the palace but I did something and I was sent away. I am a history major. My job is to preserve the history of my family. I did tell you the truth just not the complete truth. I never lied to you. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't mean to fall in love but you showed me a whole new world and I slowly did and I know it's insane to say after two or three weeks that I fell in love but I did." She bit her bottom lip.

He stared at her for a moment. Then he laughed. "Yeah, okay... you almost had me there. I thought that you were going to tell me something horrible, like you were dying or something, but this is good. What is this, some version of April Fools' Day?"

He looked at the picture in his hands and his expression went from jovial and light to shocked. "Oh shit!" He looked at the picture, his mouth agape, then at Rose. Then back at the picture. Then back at Rose. "This is you!" He blinked a few times as he digested what she was telling him. "You're really..." He set the picture down and put a hand to his mouth, turning away for a moment as he tried to wrap his head around who she was.

Wait - she said that she loved him? Didn't she just say that she loved him?

Scott turned back and looked at Rose. He dropped his hand from his face and drew in a breath. "What does this mean... for us? 'Cause you said that you feel in love with me and that's not insane. I love you too. I... I fell in love with a historian girl who lives in a funky little cabin in the woods. Not, not a princess. There's no way your family will let us - I'm never going to see you again once this assignment is over, will I? Your family will never let us see each other. Andrew already hates me."

He rolled his bottom lip in his teeth and tried not to let his emotions get the better of him. It was hard to keep the disappointment of what this meant to 'them' out of his eyes. Scott swallowed down his pride and the pain that he felt, and confessed his greatest fear to her. "Rose... I don't want to lose you. What could I possibly do to convince your parents to let me continue to see you?"

She watched Scott go through the realization of what she was saying. She wished she could take it back and claim it was all a joke, or April Fool's day as Scott called. She nodded her head to his statement of the picture being her. He turned away from her and her heart pounded. This was it. This was the moment he walked away and she never saw him again.

He faced her again and asked about their relationship. That didn't matter though. What did matter was the fact that he loved her back. He said back. "I am the same historian girl. I just live in a palace." She told him and then he started connecting the dots about her family. "I would like to say it doesnt matter what they think but if never get away with that. You'd probably be sent away and never see me again." She said honestly.

She walked over to him and rubbed his cheek. "I don't want to lose this either. You don't judge. You don't expect anything from me. You accept me as I am and you don't try to change anything. I over that about you. And I don't want to lose that either but my parents, my mother especially would never agree to me seeing you." There was one way that they could be together but she wasn't sure if they were ready for that.

He seemed to handle this information fairly well so she decided to ease into the next topic. "There's one more thing. In our culture it's customary for the parents to arrange marriages for their daughters. They find families that will love, cherish and respect her and then allow them to be married." She took a deep breath, "For me the arrangement was set on my 21st birthday. I'm not married by any means but I am betrothed or engaged as you would call it. I have been for a month or two but after the scandal I had to get away for a while. I to,d my family I went to the states so they would leave me alone while I came out here. I didn't want to go with my intended either so telling him I was going on a road trip kept him away from ruining my fun."

"Wait." Scott held up a hand at this new revelation and took a step back. "Wait a minute. Okay... I need to understand something." He tilted his head to the side slightly, as if he was listening to something far away. "You're engaged? You... you're supposed to marry someone? You agreed to this?"

"And..." now his hand switched to a pointing finger, as if he could hold her back with a gesture. He paused and ran the hand through his hair as his legs hit the edge of a chair. He sat down, his expression confused. "You keep mentioning a scandal. You did something and you were sent away, but also you said that you had to get away and you didn't want 'him' to ruin your fun."

Now he was beginning to get upset. The initial shock was wearing off and all he had left were questions. "What kind of scandal are we talking about? And, and... who are you engaged to? I mean... if you agreed to be engaged, then that means that you made a promise to this guy. You made a promise and then you let me into your world? Into your bed? What - what's going on with you? How can you agree to marry someone and then turn around and start up a relationship with me? Who, exactly, have I been helping you cheat on?"

She took a deep breath as he as bored everything. She figured the moment where he told her he never wanted to see her was coming. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach. She wished she hadn't told him. They could have runaway to New York and never come back. He would have never found out and they would live a perfect happy life together.

She sat across from him at the table and bit her bottom lip. He wanted answers and she would give them. "I was in Vegas with friends celebrating one of their birthdays. We were having fun and not worrying about anything. We had a private pool so we decided to do a little skinny dipping. We were having a good time until one of the girls took pictures and posted them on a social media site. They spread like wild fire. It wasn't long before I got the call that the private plane was taking us home. When I got here his family was here and my family was there. They talked about whether or not the arrangement still held or not. To make it stick I had to go under the radar. No parties, no friends, no anything. I did go to the states for a little while but I came back. No one knows that though. That's why I am here hidden away in the cottage in the middle of the woods."

"We aren't engaged yet technically. We're going through the process but he hasn't asked the question. Right now we are in phase one, which would be family meeting and dating. Phase two would be getting engaged and doing things together publicly. Showing the people that we are together. And then if no one has objections we get married."

She rubbed her lips together and shook her head, "I don't know. You weren't supposed to be the handsome and charming guy I got to know. I couldn't stop seeing you. Things spiraled out of control and then I fell in love. I don't want a marriage like my brother's. They hate each other. I want to marry for the right reasons to the right guy."

The scandal wasn't as bad as he had feared. Pictures in Vegas? That was a Prince Harry move - something that a lot of young royals had done in their younger, more carefree days. Most 'normal' young adults too. She hadn't done anything illegal or immoral, and he knew from experience that she didn't technically sleep around. She knew her way around a man's body, she'd already demonstrated it the previous night, but she wasn't giving herself to every guy she came across.

Scott still felt like scum. Unknowing scum... but nonetheless, she was engaged, just not technically.

All these technicalities were driving him nuts.

He looked at her and his heart ached. He loved her. He loved her... and she loved him. But there was still this unofficial and yet official engagement to deal with. "Rose, you should be getting to know the guy you're supposed to marry. He's the guy who should have been exploring the island with you and figuring out what a wonderful woman you are." He wet his lips and looked away for a moment.

When he returned his gaze to hers he knew what the right thing to do was. "You have to give him a chance. I'll wait. I won't stop loving you, I couldn't if I tried, but as long as you're supposed to be dating him, I can't be here. It's not right. If things don't work out between you and there's no chance that you might love him, you know where to find me." He wiped at the edge of his eye with the palm of his hand quickly, surprised that his emotions leaked out so freely.

Scott cleared his throat. "Your family needs for you to have a good marriage, one that might produce an heir, and you can't do that with me. They need someone with credentials and nobility." This was getting harder than he imagined anything would ever be.

He stood up and went over to her, impulsively pulling her into a hug. His hand wove into her hair and he tried not to break down, but his heart was crushed. "I'm so sorry. I just... I love you too much to let you do something that might divide your family further. You might actually fall in love with this guy - he might be the perfect one for you. I can't stand in the way of the chance you have for your happily ever after."

Why did he suddenly feel like he was Shrek and she was Fiona? When you were dealing with nobility and heirs to a kingdom there were so many things aside from love to consider. He wished she had been 'just' a historian. She might not have been ready to settle down and do what was right for her station in life, but Scott knew that he had to encourage her to do it. "Please Rose, give the guy you're engaged to a fighting chance. You might look back on this twenty years from now and realize that he was the love of your life, and be so thankful that you did."

She shook her head and felt her bottom lip starting to shake. "You're the guy I want spend the rest of my life with. Please don't say it." She begged softly. The knot in her stomach got bigger the kore he spoke. The more her worst fears were becoming a reality. She wanted to wipe his tears away but she didn't want to be pushed away by him even more.

When he hugged her she wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly. "Please don't go." She begged again and cried on his chest. She didn't want to fall in love with any one else. She didn't care about station or nobility or anything else. She cared about Scott and he was tearing her heart out.

She knew she had to let him go. He didn't want to be here and she couldn't tie him up and make him stay. Tears flowed down her cheeks freely as he walked away. "Scott," she yelled to him and ran over to where he was. She kissed him because it could be the last time she would kiss him, "I love you." Watching him walk away for real the next time was devastating. She walked into her cabin and sat on the couch. She hugged a pillow and cried into it. It wasn't fair. She didn't ask for any of this. She found a guy that she actually wanted to be with and her family was ending it by just existing.

She stared at the wall and looked up to the picture Scott gave to her. Seen laid across the couch and cried into the pillow some more.

At the palace there was great fanfare over something. The maids were whispering and giggling to each other. They were all walking quickly trying to the front of the palace. Tobin found Scott and pulled him to the front, "Pictures, quickly. Pictures." He told Scott pushing him through the maids and out to the front stairs.

A limo pulled up and the driver got out. He opened the back door and a male stepped out. He was young and well built. He smiled at the maids that stood in the woods and took his hat off. He seemed cocky. He fixed his uniform and walked up the stairs. He queen and king walked out and he walked right to them. He gave the queen a kiss on the cheek and shook the king's hand.

"Beryl is making your favorite. She's rushing to get it all together. We are so glad you could make it back on time." The Queen said rubbing his cheeks.

"It feels good to be home, Mom." He gave her handsome smile and looked around. He saw his brother and their wives standing behind their parents. "Adela?"

The queen stiffened and sighed, "Not back yet. If she comes back at all. Now come and tell me all about your life."

He could feel his heart nearly stop. "I have to go, because I love you. I want the best for you, even if it's not me." He kissed her tenderly, savoring the feeling of her in his arms, and then he turned to leave. Walking out of her cabin, not knowing if he'd ever return... it felt like death.

All Scott wanted to do was to go into his room and escape life. He needed to sit in the darkness and let his emotions run their course before he saw anyone or interacted with the world, but Fate had other plans. The palace was swarming with people. The servants were all abuzz, and when Tobin saw him and pulled him aside, the photographer had to comply. He went to the front and readied himself, checking that his camera was ready to be used.

He took pictures of the limo and the crowd, capturing the family's excitement over their new arrival. When the young man stepped out of the limo Scott was taken aback by how similar he looked to Rose. No... Adela! The young man looked so much like Adela that it brought to the surface all the pain Scott felt. He wiped his eyes momentarily and then took more pictures.

The words he heard about Rose only pained him more. This family... he just wanted to finish his job and be done. It would be difficult to work around Rose when, or if, she returned, but he would keep her secret. He loved her too much to let her get in trouble for staying hidden.

Michael nodded and walked with his mother and father. His appearance would explain why Scott didn't take the photos of the King and Queen earlier. He spent some time with his parents and caught up with his brothers. Afterwards he spoke to Tobin and they talked about when he would take his photos for his mother.

When he felt everything was settled in the palace he told everyone he was going to take a nap to adjust to the time change. He made the walk to his room. He changed into something more comfortable. Then he took the trail to the cabin in the woods and wasn't surprised when he saw his sister. He was surprised to see her red faced and crying into a pillow.

"What happened?" He asked and sat on the couch next to her. He pulled her over to him like a big brother would and rubbed her hair. She told him the story of Scott because she knew she could trust him. He trusted her when he came out and wear since then they were two peas in a pod.

"You know what will make you happy?" He asked.

"Scott?" She sniffled.

He laughed and nodded his head, "That's one thing but I was thinking yoga and froyo." He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. "Now go get changed."

She did as he said because the fresh air would do her some good and she did want ice cream or a healthier version of it. She came back down and they relaxed them selves and then went out to get froyo. Michael had to get back to the palace for dinner so he left her there with the promise of come back with food for her. She agreed and he walked back to the palace.

He spent several hours pouring through the photos he had taken, purging the ones of Rose to a private thumb drive to erase all signs of her deceit from anything her parents might see. Once he was done he changed his clothes and went for a run. He was scheduled to be at the first dinner with young Michael back, but for now he had a few hours to himself.

The island, as usual, was beautiful. Scott saw it with new eyes; with eyes that knew that he might never see it again. He greeted a few of the villagers he had come to know and stopped to get a drink at a small cafe before heading back up to the palace. The run helped him to clear his head. Looking back on the pictures of Rose helped too, and he was grateful that he didn't have any of the two of them together that he'd have to erase. It was hard enough to know that he might never be able to acknowledge the Rose he knew if he wanted to protect her.

As he ran across the lawn along the edge of the forest he saw a man coming from Rose's path, then he realized it was the youngest prince. Damn it, did he know now too? Scott had no idea what the relationship between the youngest two royals was, but he didn't trust anyone with their secret right now.