Edward

Fourteen years ago *

• My mother went to the fair to sell the medicine she had made. She was a healer, and I was also supposed to become an herbalist in the future. I was sitting at home alone and playing with my homemade dolls, when a boy of about nine years old with tousled brown hair ran up to me. *

—Please, help me! — he said pitifully.

—Who are you? What can I help you with?

• He asked to stay with me. I was little and was only glad to have the cheerful boy's company. We got acquainted with him. His name was Edward. He came to me more than once to play. For some reason, my mother was always not home when he came, and I could not introduce her to my new friend, and then he simply disappeared and I never saw him again. *

• Present Tense *

• I was standing in the back of the counter with various medicines when someone called out to me. *

—What do you have in that bottle?

—There's chamomile infusion for headaches—* I turned around quickly, handing the bottle he was pointing to to a young man in inexpensive but neat clothes *. —You seem familiar to me...

—You seem familiar to me too...—* He smiled slightly and offered me his hand to shake *. —I'm Edward.

• For a second I was stunned *. —What? The same one from childhood? Now that's someone I didn't expect to see!

• Edward invited me to take a walk, and after closing the shop we walked along the aisles with goods, talking. I mostly spoke, telling stories about my life, when suddenly I noticed a guard running towards us *

—Your Highness! Your Highness! Wait! They are looking for you!

• Seeing the guard, Edward grabbed my elbow and pulled me along. *

• After about ten minutes of running, we stopped at the edge of the forest *

• Trying to catch my breath, I quickly inhaled and exhaled *

—Y-Your Majesty?—* I fell to one knee, bowing my head *. —F-forgive me for my inappropriate behavior. I am very sorry. I didn’t know...

—Stand up.—* the prince’s face expressed regret. He leaned down to be on the same level with me. —You don’t have to kneel.