The Royal Physician

Two days later, in the afternoon, as Katie read a book in the palace greenhouse; she heard a gentle knock from the door. She glanced up from her book and was greeted by Arden’s warm smile.

“Hey!” he greeted cheerfully, holding up a coffee cup with the word 'Princess' written on it. “Were you bored?”

Katie exhaled, a tired smile on her face. “Exhausted. I just finished my lessons. Dancing was fun but tiring so I am kicking my feet up,” she stared at the coffee cup in his hands. “I thought you would bring me coffee two days ago… seems a little late, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t indicate a specific time,” Arden grinned, handing one of the cups to Katie, taking notice of how red the soles of her feet were. “So how is your fiancé? You’re right here so I assume he’s boring?”

Katie accepted the cup and took a long sip. "He was... condescending. Just a little bit."

Arden inhaled sharply, making a show of being surprised. "Did I hear that right?!" Arden beamed as if he had a newfound pride for Katie. "Is the Princess Katie speaking ill of someone? I think I'm starting to see you in a different light!"

Katie laughed, raising her hands in surrender. "I'm sorry but he just acted like he had me figured out already!"

"Careful or he might hear you," Arden looked around. "Where is he, anyway?"

“He’s doing something at the library. I’ve been told he’s been in there for the last couple days.”

“Sounds to me like there are already marital issues,” Arden teased. “You do know you can tell your aunt you don’t want to marry him, right?”

Katie tightened her grip on the paper cup, wrinkling it a little. “Actually, objectively, I don’t think he’s a bad match for me at all. I do find his academic side a plus, he’s not entertaining anyone else at all,” she shrugged. “And he’s… well, cute.”

The smile on Arden’s face faded and he took a sip so his companion would not notice. He cleared his throat before replying. “Don’t you think you should take your feelings into consideration? You did say he's quite the proud person. You hate people like that.”

Katie nodded, understanding Arden's point. "There's just something about him," Katie took another sip of her coffee. "I think he just developed that personality to stay guarded."

"Or, hear me out, you secretly have a bad-boy complex!"

Katie stared at him in silence then burst out laughing. When she stopped, she smiled at Arden and managed a faint chuckle before speaking again. “Alright, enough about that," she glanced at the large marble fountain at the center of the greenhouse. "You know the real reason why. It’s not like I can just say no. You already know my reputation in this palace. If I refuse the engagement, they’ll probably think I’m full of myself regardless of what I think. It’s not only for compatibility… I know it’s also for the good of both our kingdoms."

Arden pursed his lips. She was right, of course, and he knew she would do whatever was given to her without complaint. It was evident she gave up any sense of control in her personal life ever since she entered the palace. Still, it irked him at how docile she was. What kind of life was she leading before she got to the palace? “Why are you doing that?”

Katie stared blankly at him, unblinking. “I’m not doing anything.”

“I mean that!” he gestured at her stoic face. “You’re being too…” he wrinkled his nose in disapproval, “…nice.”

A look of disbelief flitted across the princess’ features. “What’s so bad about that?”

“Everything!” he threw his hands up, “If you wanted to end the engagement, just say so. You don't have to throw away everything just so you can impress everyone!”

Katie tilted her head, expressing her confusion. “I know you're just concerned for me, but why are you so fixated on my engagement? I’m not opposed to it or anything.”

“But the romantic feelings-”

“Arden, I don’t think that has a role to play in my life anymore. I’m just lucky that the guy I got engaged to happens to be a catch,” Katie raised her cup to the doctor. “You can have my romantic feelings. That way you can love someone even more!”

“At this point, I don’t think it’s of any use anymore,” Arden grumbled, his teeth biting on the rim of the cup.

Katie laughed. “Of course it is! I saw the lady you were eyeing the other day,” she smiled and gave the doctor a thumbs-up. “I heard she’s a model. Honestly, I am not surprised that she’s your type.”

“I have a type?”

Katie nodded. "Dark haired women with an air of mystery around them," she waggled her eyebrows with a grin on her face. "But I could be wrong. Some of the ladies you've been with have light colored hair."

“That sounds-” Arden paused when he realized that Katie's smile today seemed off. No matter how brightly she tried to smile, it never quite reached her eyes. She was hiding something. "Alright, Katie. Out with it."

The surprise in her face made Arden feel more confident in his assumption. "What are you talking about?"

"Katie..." Arden slid closer to her. "You know I always know how you're feeling."

Katie sighed and looked down at her cup. Her hands were trembling, but Arden chose not to do anything. "King Alaster thinks I'm unfit to rule Aelysia."

There it is, Arden thought to himself. Everyone thought the same way and their opinions never changed no matter how evident it was that Katie was learning at a fast pace. "I'm sorry everyone still thinks that way."

Katie shook her head, wiping a tear at the corner of her eye. "I'm used to that. To be fair, he did give me a chance to change his opinion of me during the engagement festivities, starting tomorrow. I just don't know where to start."

Arden smiled, seeing the opportunity to help. "I have a few ideas. Come with me." He grabbed Katie's free hand and pulled her to her feet. "If your feet are a little sore, you can wear sneakers. I won't tell anyone."

"It's fine," Katie said, grunting as she reached down to fix her high-heels. "Palace protocol. I try to stick to it as much as I can."

"Is there any way I can change your mind?"

"No."

Arden chuckled and laughed, knowing he will not be able to change Katie's mind once she had decided on something. They walked into the palace and Arden led her past so many hallways and turns that Katie failed to follow their path with her mind. 

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, an uneasy feeling starting to rise in her gut. "You seem to know the palace quite well."

"The late Queen's closet," Arden answered. "Well, actually, it's something she prepared for you. I never knew why she would prepare 20 years ahead but it made sense now."

"My mother? You knew about this... how?"

"My father was the previous royal doctor. He was the one who treated Queen Isabella when she was having trouble with her pregnancy."

"Oh," there was a hint of sadness in Katie's voice. "Did I give her a hard time?"

"As far as I know, she had a problem that seemed to have baffled every physician in the kingdom... that is, until my father showed up."

"Must have been hard succeeding him after that," Katie paused. "Sorry about that."

Arden couldn't fight back a smile as he tugged at a wall lamp with a midnight blue ribbon tied to its base. He always felt understood by Katie no matter how vastly different their circumstances were growing up. His colleagues always envied him for getting such a prestigious position but they never did consider his talent. Not that he ever cared. So long as he could help Katie now, he didn't care if everyone hated him for being friends with her. 

He heard a faint mechanical click and the wall panel slid aside, revealing a narrow hallway leading to a large room filled with clothes perfect for courtly occasions. Katie entered the room, her mouth agape. The time to admire the room before her was cut short as her phone vibrated in her pocket. She stepped out into the hallway and muttered a greeting. Arden watched as her body language quickly shifted from calm to panic. When Katie hung up the call, she faced him, a look of terror on her face. 

"Who was it?"

"One of the staff called me. I was supposed to make arrangements for everything!"