The king and queen had set out many ground rules for the meeting with the group of demonstrators, and Alejandro and Alicia had been careful to follow them all. No point getting in trouble for something as simple as not letting a guard stand inside the door.

After several hours of discussing everything they could think of regarding orphanages and child welfare, everyone agreed the meeting should conclude for the day. 

When the meeting was over, Alejandro and Alicia stood in the entrance and held hands until the last of the participants, a man named Johannes, walked out into the courtyard. When the doors finally closed behind him, the whole palace breathed a sigh of relief.

Alicia rested her head on Alejandro's shoulder, and he let go of her hand so he could pull her into a hug. "We did it," he said, kissing the top of her head. "We actually got somewhere and no one even had to yell."

"Well, I wouldn't say 'we did it' just yet," Alicia laughed. "But I think it was a really good start. They seemed to feel like we were listening to them. I mean, I know we were listening to them, but sometimes people can't see that so I'm just glad. I'm glad that it seems we all found some common ground we can work from."

"Who doesn't want to make life better for orphaned children?"

"I don't know. Maybe awful people?"

"Which we are not, so there was nothing to fear."

Alicia laughed. "Very low bar, Alejandro."

"Maybe so, but it's also true. I know you're dying to go work on this project and have something ready to go by tonight even though we don't meet again for a week, but could we pause for some lunch?"

Alicia nodded. "Yes, please. Let's celebrate my first day as a free woman with no more concussion checks."

"I am grateful for that every day. I was thinking your favourite little courtyard might be nice."

"It would be, but remember your parents gave us the stern look about appearances in public to mend the situation with my... what did they call it?"

"I believe my mother enjoys the term 'little stunt' to describe these types of situations. I don't even know what that means, but I do know it means I end up with homework for the sake of the country or something."

"Maybe we can do lunch in town. Ailine has a little coffee shop she likes. I can ask her."

"I'll get the car brought around and go put on less formal clothes, then. Meet you back here in fifteen."

Alejandro had to admit the idea of being apart from her grew less appealing each day he spent with her. People kept warning him this feeling would wear off, and he was sure they were right, but for that moment, he was finally ready to just feel what he felt.

That is called trust, his grandmother would have said if she were still alive. The part of life where we find someone we know will protect us so wholly we no longer feel the need to protect ourselves.

And she was. Alicia was someone he could trust. She was also so much more.

* * *

The whole day in town was far less eventful than Alejandro was expecting. His parents had made it seem like their being out in public would massively help the 'problems' that were facing the monarchy. But he and Alicia had eaten sandwiches at Ailine's favourite coffee shop and held hands as they circled the pond in the botanical gardens and nothing had really happened.

At the end of the day, just as the shops were about to close, Alicia had begged him to go into the jewellery shop nearby. He was powerless to resist the eager smile on her face as she pulled him toward the shop and pointed to a small leaf necklace in the display case.

"It has an inscription! It really goes with my bracelet," Alicia said, holding up her right wrist, where the bracelet always sat .

"It does." Alejandro had to admit he usually had no idea what matched with what when it came to jewellery. With many struggles and a lot of help, he had managed to find Alicia the two pieces he had given her. But if he was honest, jewellery was not his strength.

Alicia laughed, probably seeing the confusion written all over his face.

She asked the shop keeper for the piece and paid for it before grabbing Alejandro by the hand and pulling him out the door.

"Thank you!" Alejandro called before she pulled him out of the door.

"Come on," she said, pulling him toward a nearby ice cream stand and ordering two vanilla cones.

Once the two cones were in her hand, she handed one to Alejandro and said, "Let's go home."

"Home," he said. "It is home now, isn't it?"

He hadn't meant to say any of it out loud, but once the words are spoken, you can't take them back. And it was the truth. Perhaps Alicia deserved that.

"It has been home for some time, Alejandro. You know that."

"Yes, but..." he knew the blush must be creeping onto his face as his ears grew hot and he felt the urge to brush the palms of his hands on his dark wash jeans. Fortunately, he had an ice cream he could pretend to eat in order to hide some of the embarrassment.

"But?" Alicia asked, turning to face him with that stoic look on her face that nearly always meant she thought he was going to break bad news.

Just tell her, Alejandro. What's the worst that can happen?

"I might have been making some changes to my—well, soon to be our—room. But I'm so scared you're going to hate them all that I don't really want to wait for the wedding to show them to you just in case you want to change everything. Because I really want you to feel at home."

And then it was Alicia's turn to blush. The little smile that flashed across her face before she turned her head away to look toward the setting sun was more than enough for Alejandro to know she felt something similar to what he did.

"It's all coming very quickly, I know. And there's a lot going on in the world of a princess. If you want to postpone a little until things are more settled, that is allowed." Please don't say yes. I want to marry you so desperately it hurts. Alejandro tried to keep a neutral expression on his face as he finished the ice cream he was holding and led her to a nearby bench, draping his arm around her back as they sat down.

"Is that what you want?" she finally asked. "To wait until things are more settled?"

A year ago, he would have lied and given her the diplomatic answer. But something about Alicia made him brave every time. "No. That is definitely not what I want."

Alicia smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "Good, because it is definitely not what I want either."

They stared out at the setting sun over the calm ocean as the chirps of birds mixed with the squeals of the neighbourhood children playing with a frisbee.

"We're going to get married for real," Alejandro said finally. "And for the first time in months I feel like we might be able to figure out the solution to all this unrest that kept bubbling back up." He allowed the pleasant silence to pass between them as the waves crashed against the nearby rocks. "And I really can't wait to marry you."

"I can't wait to marry you either," she said before placing a kiss on his cheek. Nuzzling her head into his chest and wrapping her arms around his torso, she pulled her feet up onto the bench and gazed out over the ocean again.

"Sometimes it all feels so unreal when I think about it. But then I wake up the next morning still in a palace and still engaged. The only downside is I had to do something my mother liked in order to accomplish it."

"What? Your mother wanted you to marry a prince?"

"No. Well, yes, actually." She chuckled. "But no, my mother wanted me to get into politics."

"Can't get much more involved with politics than becoming a princess, can you?"

Alicia shook her head. "But I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't have a lot of it figured out, but I know we can do it. Together."

Alejandro pulled Alicia's chin up to him and placed a delicate kiss on her lips, allowing his hand to wander across her face until it rested on her ear. When the two finally broke the kiss, he pressed his lips into her forehead and whispered, "I never thought I'd find you."

"But you have," she answered simply. "And now all that's left to do is figure out the rest of what life throws at us."

"Doesn't seem that hard anymore, does it?" Alejandro's question took even himself by surprise.

"No," Alicia admitted as the breeze picked up a piece of hair and blew it into Alejandro's face. "As long as you stop me from tripping down any staircases."

"It's a deal," he said, wrapping his arms more tightly around her and resting his chin on her head.

The sun poked down over the edge of the horizon as Alicia and Alejandro sat there, wrapped in each other's arms. Neither of them moved as the air cooled and the breeze picked up off the ocean.

It was time to go home.