I could tell she was a little uncomfortable in my house and I couldnâ€™t blame here even I was a bit uncomfortable in my house. It was really my grandmotherâ€™s house, or it had been up until four years ago. Had it really only been that long? I was twenty-three and she had died when I was nineteen so yes that would be about four years. It felt like longer. I had been supporting her for at least two or three years before she died though so that probably contributed to the feeling. This would always be her house though. I would have wanted to live in my parentâ€™s old house, but there wasnâ€™t much left and this place was plenty big enough for how little time I spent here. There was another family in the house I shared with my parents a young couple and their two children. I tried not to play favorites among the people I helped, but I did do a bit extra for them. They had asked why once. They had offered me the house, but it really was too big for just me to live in. It brought back mixed feeling as well. Iâ€™m not sure I could bear staying there. I think I would see it the way it was that day when they were taken every time I closed my eyes. It would be hard to sleep there. I was glad I had somewhere else I could go.<br/><br/>I watched Katherineâ€™s face as I touched my finger to the lantern. I loved watching her reaction to even small magic. I had lived with it so long it no longer seemed extraordinary to me, but it was still new and miraculous to her. I loved the way her face lit up at even the idea of seeing magic. She was always so eager. Maybe I would teach her a few basic mixtures next time we had a full day together. After all natural magical ability wasnâ€™t required to brew a potion just precision and the proper ingredients. She would like that. I thought she would at least.<br/><br/>â€œYouâ€™re welcome,â€ I murmured as we left the path for the cover of the trees. I always felt better surrounded by nature. The pond, the trees, the forest, these were my retreats where I could think and be whatever and whoever I wanted to be. I could tell that it was a completely different experience for most people though. I had grown up sneaking into the woods though. I would climb the trees and sleep in some of the larger crooks when I was little. I had found it easier to relax in the forest even when I was little. My parents and grandmother never panicked it I wasnâ€™t in bed until they had checked the trees at the edge of the forest. We walked a little way in silence before I spoke. â€œI really should be the one thanking you. Without your help I couldnâ€™t have gotten everything done for tonight. It meant a lot to everyone. You mean a lot to . . . everyone.â€ I was going to say me, but that was a little personal and forward. I wasnâ€™t going to explain that she meant a lot to everyone because of the effect she had on me. She didnâ€™t know these people well but they had been telling me to find a nice girl and settle down for years. I had been getting furtive winks and signs of encouragement ever since we arrived. They didnâ€™t know she was the princess of course. They would have known there was no future with the princess. To them she was just well off and it wasnâ€™t unheard of to marry a little higher or lower than your own social class. She was very far out of my league though.<br/><br/>We continued to walk in silence. I could tell she was nervous. She had been in the woods before at night, but it wasnâ€™t this dark or this late and she had probably been kind of shell shocked at the time. I heard a slight scream from Katherine behind me. I turned ready to shoot at anything threatening Katherine. I let my bow relax when I noticed it was just a branch grabbing at her skirts. I shrugged at her apology. I was a bit worried, but there was nothing to be sorry about. â€œItâ€™s fine. Donâ€™t be so jumpy though girly I wonâ€™t let anything bad happen to you. You trust me to keep you safe donâ€™t you?â€ I didnâ€™t need a reply or expect one. I knew she trusted me. She trusted me more than she should probably. I felt my heart swell at the knowledge though. I deceived people and shouldnâ€™t be trusted she knew this but she trusted me in spite of it. I let that thoughts carry me through the rest of the trek to the castle wall.<br/><br/>I laughed a little at her thanks for walking her to the wall. â€œAfter what happened last time you tried to get home on your own do you really think I was going to let you try that again?â€ I shook my head a bit. â€œTrust me girly I enjoyed today at least as much as you and probably more because of what we did for all those people. They are the only things I have cared about for a long time. To take care of them with you I donâ€™t think I could ask for more.â€ I felt tears of gratitude prickling at the corners of my eyes. I blinked a few times to keep them in place. The irritation from them left soon and I was glad I didnâ€™t like anyone to see me cry and probably hadnâ€™t for years. I donâ€™t think I have really cried in front of anyone since my parents disappeared and even then it was just my grandmother.<br/><br/>I melted into her hug as I had started to do whenever we hugged. I felt safe in her hugs. I donâ€™t know what it was about the way she hugged me but it made me feel like a kid again and as if nothing bad could happen as long as her arms were around me. I wouldnâ€™t tell her this. I would tell anything how vulnerable yet protected I felt in her arms. It was something better kept to myself. I didnâ€™t even completely understand it I just knew that I felt at home when we were hugging each other. Was that they way my parents felt when they were together? I had always wondered how they could be so happy with so little. Maybe this was the answer if you had someone who made you happy no matter what you could never be disappointed in what else you might have or not have.<br/><br/>I always felt a little nervous when she stared into my eyes like that. It was as if she could see through me like everything bad I had ever done or everything I thought was on display. I didnâ€™t mind her knowing that kind of information, but I wanted to tell her instead of her just knowing. I felt a jolt run up my spine as she touched my hands. I was disappointed when her hand disappeared from my own, but it was time to say goodbye we both knew that. She was backing away I had to do something. â€œUm yes of course Iâ€™ll see you soon you know me Iâ€™m always near by.â€ She was moving towards the castle. She was moving away from me and back to her life as Princess Katherine Woodville instead of my Katherine Woods. â€œKatherine!â€ I grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards me. I kissed her my lips warm and firm on hers.<br/><br/>I bolted. I had just kissed the princess. I had just gotten her back and now I had probably ruined our friendship forever. I was always doing stupid things when it came to her. I had always thought that I was rather clever but apparently I was wrong. I am an idiot. How could I have done that? I have never kissed a girl. It was magical and wonderful and . . . wrong; it was so wrong. I wasnâ€™t supposed to go around kissing people and especially not princesses. I was a thief I was supposed to stay away from royalty not kiss them. She had looked so lovely though. The moonlight catching her hair and making her grey eyes gleam as if they were made of moonlight, her skin was radiant and . . . I donâ€™t know what happened. It had seemed like such a good idea before I did it.<br/><br/>I started running through the tree. I needed to think. I couldnâ€™t think in here there was too much I felt choked. I found the tallest tree and started to climb. I reached the top and broke free of the thick branches into the open sky above. I took several deep breaths. I reached back under my shirt and stroked the smooth metal of my motherâ€™s locket. I sat down among the upper branches. I would stay here tonight. It wasnâ€™t likely to rain and I needed to think about what had happened. In retrospect I wish I had stayed to see her reaction. I canâ€™t imagine she is pleased with me, but there is the possibility she isnâ€™t too angry . . . right? Who am I kidding this was a disaster.