"Ah, a prince lying next to me on a sandy shore... this could put those silly fairytales to shame, your highness."

          The lad had to laugh. He often forgets how real she was. How unrefined and unsophisticated like those princesses his father presented to him. The young lady beside him could be rude, vulgar and rough but above all, she was honest. She shows things a proper princess would never show to her groom-to-be.

          The wind blew and the crowned prince found himself staring at the girl beside him. She looked so soft lying there with her eyes shut and her lips slightly parted. Her tanned skin glowing against the bright sun, and her hair... the prince loved her hair so much. Her dark brown locks were tangled, wet and matted with white sand. If his people could see her now, they would agree that she was perfect for him.

          "Let's stay like this forever," he blurted out while brushing away the strayed hair from her face.

          It was her turn to laugh. Her lips curved into a smile and cackled. Her shoulders involuntarily shook as she took her time to chuckle. The prince was in love with the sound of her laughter but he can't make his curiosity go away. So he asked her what she deemed funny about what he said.

          "There is no forever, my prince," she answered. She giggled, her eyes still closed. "Poets made us believe there could be infinity when you are in love but they are crazy and we are not so we should know better."

          The soon to be king remembered the first day he met her. She was caught making funny faces when the king was conducting his speech. Others found it offensive but he was the first one to laugh. The prince asked the knights to present her to him for he wanted to know more about her. She stood in front of him, any hint of repentance was never observed on her face. She was proud regardless of the cinders on her cheeks. The holes on her dress were patched carelessly and it was hard to know whether it was naturally gray or the dirt made it that way.

          He recalled the way she smelled. She smelled like freshly made bread. Her hands were white because of flour and every time she tucks her hair behind her ear, the residue of the flour gets on her brunette locks. The prince laughed because of the sight, she made a face but later on joined the glee. The prince thought time stopped, he was a standing stone in front of her adoring her crooked teeth when she laughs and the way the corners of her eyes wrinkle when she closes them to feel the moment. She wasn't perfect, she wasn't a princess or even a proper lady but she was lovely. And from that moment on, the successor of the crown knew who he wanted to sit beside his throne as he rules the kingdom.

          "They are not crazy, they are in love," he protested.

          She crinkled her nose while pondering over the notion.

          "Different forms, same creature."

          It was one of her amusing characteristics. She always has a way to prove someone wrong. Sometimes, the prince concludes that his love thinks too much. Princesses would no doubt agree about anything the prince would say but not her, never her. She has different views on things and he loved to hear them all from her. She was witty and opinionated. She could be king if only she was born a man but that doesn't really matter. She once told him gender should not be the basis for choosing who would rule. Not even one's right of birth. The ruler should be someone who has the ability, courage, and knowledge to lead.

          She should be the queen. The young prince thought. He decided that when he becomes king together with her as his queen, he would govern it with her. He would hear anything she would say about things that matter.

          "I will let the whole kingdom know about us, love," he said. He was watching her closely, waiting for her reaction.

          "And I will announce that I'm conceiving the next demon lord. Sure my prince, do that," Sarcasm was her best defense aside from her wit.

          He chuckled with her smart remarks. He sat up and realized he needed to sound more serious if he really wants her to pay attention to him.

          "I'm serious. I love you and I want to let them all know."

          She opened her eyes to meet his. She used her forearms to support her body to be able to sit. She scrutinized him to see if he was bluffing or not. Disappointment was painted on her face when she realized the prince was not joking. She tilted her head to face the sea. She watched the waves danced like drunkards crashing with each other. The waves, the wind, and the birds pushed away the silence but not a single word was uttered to barricade the quietness.

          The prince felt like he was stabbed. He thought the news would make her happy but his dream turned to dust. He looked at her as he tried to form words to say to her. He loved her, true, but he was not sure of her feelings for him. They kissed and hugged like lovers. Every moment for him was worthy of all the gold and diamonds in their palace but he was not sure what she would give to experience all of those things once again.

          "I'm not a princess. I'm just a baker's daughter. I am not fit to rule with you."

          He wished she was talking to the water or to the sand. He was giving all of him to her but she was pushing it away like a toddler refusing to eat her breakfast. He was a prince and rejection was rarely served to him and so when he tasted it, it tasted foreign and bitter.

          "It doesn't matter. You said it yourself—"

          "Oh, it was an honor for me to be loved by you, truly, but I'm not the one for you. I would never bow down, wear fancy gowns or dresses, and I would never be a slave for a crown," she proclaimed. She was no longer confused. She found herself so quickly.

          "I would set aside everything for you, you know that. If you want to remain a peasant, I would gladly be a peasant with you."

          The prince was determined. It was her or nothing at all. He never expected her to refuse. He thought she always wanted to be a ruler but all of his great expectations were denied. He can't also just back out. He wanted to show her he's worthy of her. He wanted her to see that he will do anything to win her lover even if that costs him the whole kingdom, his birth right.

          All his plans turned into ashes in his mouth when she mocked her with a laugh. She laughed at him like he was the most pathetic person she had ever encountered. This was the girl he fell in love with, smart but wicked.

          "You're crazy. You would cast everything aside for me?" She laughed once again. He slowly felt anger eating away the best of him.

          She laughed, and laughed, and laughed. He let her. He let her taste his foolishness on her lips. After all, it was all for love, all for her. Suddenly, her laughter turned into tears. Her eyes transformed into orbs of misery and fear.

          "How could you choose someone like me?" She asked him. Her tears were shamelessly escaping and sliding on her cheeks.

          It was the first time he saw her cry. She has always been strong and seeing her like this made his heart burn. One moment she was laughing at him but that moment seemed like a thousand years ago. She was clinging to him like a newborn babe. She was gasping for air, her shoulders trembling because she can't stop crying.

         "I love you just the same but, but we're different. We're worlds apart. You deserve a princess, a proper lady who will hold your heart carefully as if it was made of glass. I can't do that, my lord."

          The prince embraced her. His heart was beating so fast he was so worried it would explode. She loves him as much as he loves her and that was enough for all of his uneasiness to go away but it was different for her. Truly, she thinks too much and this was what was gnawing her heart away.

          He wanted to kill all the demons inside of her head; the demons who were trying to make her see and prioritize her flaws; the demons who were making her think she did not deserve to be loved by a prince. It would be easy that way, but no, the gods fashioned the world to be a complicated labyrinth. The world is an endless maze and the people inhabiting it are puzzles.

          He whispered all the good things to her. He whispered he loves her a thousand times but the effects he desired were not achieved.

          "I am fire. I destroy everything I love. I will engulf your heart and laugh at the ashes of it. I am not the one you want," she insisted.

          She told him about her past. She told him about her mother who died of birthing her. Her father hated her for losing his wife. She was called selfish more than she was called by her own name. All her life she was taught that she didn't deserve to be loved. And so she restrained herself from doing so. But the prince would never be discouraged. This was the girl he fell in love with. He fell for her charms and for her flaws and there could be no imperfection that would sway him from loving her even more.

          He was the crown prince and now, he will crown her the love of his life.

          "Oh, it would be an honor to be burned by you, surely."

          fin.