A Boy and his Princess
The loud boom of the cannon reverberated in the garden, stopping the boy in his tracks. Frightened by the sound of thunder on this blue-skied day, birds flew out of trees, their hasty flight loosening leaves; they fluttered to the ground. But while the birds possessed no insight as to the reason why violence had disturbed their morning, the boy knew what it meant. He had walked quickly in search of his princess, now the fading echo of the cannon blast moved him out from stillness into a fast run.
Breathless, he burst into his princess's hiding place to discover her, body twisted on the leaf littered ground, sobbing as if her heart broke.
He squatted near her, wondering what to do, listening to the sounds of her weeping - a seemingly unending flood. As tears of sympathy came to his own eyes, the boy reached out to touch her shoulder. "Princess-" he said.
He heard her gulp down a deep breath, watching her head turn towards him.
"Robin," she sat up, quickly wiping her face. "I didn't know you were here."
"How could I not be here when I knew you'd need me?"
She bent her head, twisting a handkerchief in her lap. Songs of birds, above their heads, told him they had recovered from their fright, now feeling safe enough to return to trees. Somewhere close, a single bee buzzed out its search for pollen. He watched Elizabeth as she spread out on her lap the cambric handkerchief, seeing embroidered upon it an elaborate K alongside an equally elaborate E.
"She made this for me, Robin. She said we must always remember we are cousins - and always be there to help one another. But when she needed me- what could I do? Nothing. I could do nothing. "
"Bess - my father said it was her own fault."
The girl's head snapped up.
"She was kind to me, Robin. She was kind to my father. He called her his Rose with no thorn, yet he killed her..." Her eyes shone with unshed tears. "He killed her just as he did my...," she lowered her gaze from his, and two tears trailed down her cheeks. When she spoke again the words were barely above a whisper, "...as he did my mother." Elizabeth's gaze rested on him again. "Robin, I swear to you, I shall never marry." To this he had no ready answer, only reaching out to rest his hand on hers.
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