"So what's it like being a prince for the Southern Kingdom?" I asked after Blake helped me down the dock.
"Probably just like being a prince for any other kingdom" he said as we continued to walked across the rest of the wooden planks. "I am an apprentice to my father so I go where he goes, and attends a majority of meetings he does."
"Has he told you when he would like to take over?" I inquired softly and Blake raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't that a bit forward?" I felt my face heat up and I rushed to apologize, but he waved it away smiling "It's all right. It's a reasonable question from my future wife."
I felt my face hit up again but for an entirely different reason. Blake was silent for a few moments before admitting "he is healthy and still able to make reasonable decisions for the kingdom, so I guess when the day comes that those things are not the case then I will be crowned monarch."
Startled by his humble town I looked up at the prince to find him avoiding my gaze, "you don't want to monarch?"
Blake sighed shaking his head "It's not that I don't want to be King, but I don't look forward to the day where my father can no longer be strong enough to be monarch."
I knew it wasn't my place, but as he mentioned I was going to be his future wife, and he looked in pain. A pain that was eerily similar to my own. "Have you talked to him about being crowned early?"
"Of course, but since my mother died this gives him purpose and I can't take that away."
Somehow when he said this he looked simultaneously guilty, but also worried, and I found myself reaching out, "maybe when we have children he will find purpose in being a grandfather."
At this statement, it was Blake's turn to turn red, and I almost laughed at the way he cleared his throat, choking on the word "maybe."
"It doesn't have to be soon. Like you said your father is healthy and we still have plenty of time to get to know each other before we have to produce an heir." Somehow at the sentence his face managed to become even redder "you do realize that we will have to produce an heir."
"You do realize this is our first time being together ever." Blake choked out "maybe we can save the heir talk until the second time or third."
I pinched my lips together to prevent the hint of amusement stretched across my face "that's fine with me but you realize we have to talk about it one of these days."
"Of course, I just think we should spend sometime getting to know each other before we start talking about creating little versions of us."
"Little versions of us? You mean children?"
"Oh look we're here" he waved to the place in front of us and I naturally looked, only to be stunned into silence by the beauty before us. The sea was right at our beck and call but so was something lighter in color than dirt. Pulling away from Blake I took a couple of steps forward before crouching down elegantly, touching the "sand." I glanced up at Blake who was smiling down at me "it's sand. A finer grain that surrounds the sea than most lakes."
I run some of the grains between my fingers "it's soft and wet."
"Well that's because of the sea." He held out a hand and I brushed off my fingers before placing my hand in his and letting him lead me towards the sea.
"Now your slippers and hem are going to get a bit damp but the tide is going to come up. That's when we bend down and touch it."
"Thankfully I wore boots because I was traveling but thank you for being concerned about my slippers. Wait we?"
Blake grinned at me "I like touching the sea as well."
Tentatively I smiled back before looking at the sea that was doing exactly as he said. It was coming up, a bit more each time. I resisted the urge to bite my lip, and instead turned back to Blake, "When do we crouch?"
He continued to smile not taking his eyes off the sea "in five, four, three, two, crouch." Blake's hand tightened around mine and he used it to pull me down faster than I could have crouched myself. A moment later the sea water was surrounding us, soaking my hem, and our hands.
"It's warm" I observed then as the tide pulled away, "and strong."
"Yes." Blake stood and I stood with him "it does get a bit colder in the winter but this sea never freezes over. We assume it's because of how strong and warm it is, but we really don't know."
"It might also be due to it's size." I pointed out, "maybe it's impossible for something so big to freeze over."
"Maybe" Blake admitted, before leading me away from the sea "we should return to the palace for dinner."
"Yes that would probably be wise, but" I said tugging his hand to a stop "thank you, for this and talking to me."
He looked back at me and although he had been smiling a majority of the time we had been together, but his smile this time was different, and I couldn't possibly explain how it was different.
Still, it made me forget for a moment that I wasn't just playing a part for the kingdom "anything for my future bride."