The Problematic Prince - Side Story 17 - Bibi and Nana

“The weather’s nice,” Bjorn said in a calm voice.

They had been sat at the same table for quite awhile, simply listening to the music that played above the sounds of laughter and chatter.

“Yes, it is,” Erna replied coldly. She looked up at Bjorn.

“Its great weather to do nothing.”

Bjorn looked at Erna with a smile at the corners of his mouth. Erna disapproved of the way he tried to gloss over it in this way, but she couldn’t easily turn away from his beautiful face.

What a nasty man. She thought to herself.

He looked changed, but felt unchanged and Erna found it difficult to hate him for that, she both liked and disliked how things were going. He was just a fool that didn’t truly deserve what she thought of him.

Feeling guilty for what she thought, Erna looked away or risk Bjorn reading her mind. That was when she noticed Leonid and Rosette standing before them. They were surrounded by the old ladies of the Royal Family, not a single one of them looked approvingly.

Erna couldn’t quite make out what was being said, but she could imagine they were not reassuring words of support and comfort. The two did not waiver, such was the strength of their love. They held each others hand, trusted and relied on each other to get through this predicted hardship.

On the outside, the pair looked quite stiff and proper, but called each other by such lovely, informal names; Rosie and Leo. Leonid looked at his fiancee with warm eyes. Erna’s heart tickled when she saw them looking at each other with such love. Leonid was like a prince from a fairy tale.

He was a prince that would stand by his princess no matter the threat, he would fight a real fire breathing dragon if he had to. When she was the only female student at the collage, when she was struggling with the pressure, it was Leonid who stood by her side and leant her his strength.

As soon as the grey old ladies had their fill of passing judgement on the couple, they moved on to pick on other Grandchildren. They were immediately replaced by other relatives that had been waiting on the wings to get a chance to talk to the pair. Leonid was going to have to protect his fiancee a little longer it would seem. It was lucky that Rosette was a lady not so easily swayed by the comments of the disapproving crowds.

A small sigh passed by Erna as she looked away from the fresh couple and looked up at her husband again. Two years ago today they had met. Erna could remember it all as vividly as if it were just yesterday. The prince who came like a ray of sunshine to rescue her from having to put up with the desperate old men of the marriage market, but he was a prince that was better on paper, than he was in reality.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Erna asked, as she noticed Bjorn was staring at her.

“Because you’re pretty, my wife is pretty, even when she frowns like that.” He smiled. “You’re especially pretty when you’re angry, but the most prettiest when you smile.”

The carefully chosen lamps that hung from the trees lit up his face, casting strange shadows about and exaggerated his sly smirk.

In truth, Erna wanted to reconcile and stop the fighting, but she also didn’t want to let him off so easily. He was the one who compared her to a horse, insulted her, made absurd noises and gave her the cold shoulder.

On the other hand, she knew that she hadn’t been doing very well and she had been quite distracted with organising the festival. It was also hard to deny Bjorn’s point, that she showed a rather over emotional and sensitive reaction.

“Has your anger subsided?” said Bjorn, as if he guessed what she was thinking about.

“No,” she said sharply.

“Then why can’t you take your eyes off me?”

“I…I was thinking.”

“Thinking?”

“Yes, I was thinking why, today, you don’t look as great as expected.”

“What?” Bjorn looked at Erna like she was a child trying to play a prank.

“Its nothing, even you can’t always be so excellent at everything.”

“Ah, really, so what is it that’s making you think less of my attire?”

“That…tie.” Erna said, saying the first thing that came to her mind. “I don’t like the colour, it doesn’t suit you.”

Truth was that the champagne tie suited him perfectly. Though, it could have been any colour and it would have looked perfect on him.

Bjorn looked at Erna and without taking his eyes off her, called over an attendant. He whispered something into the ear of the young girl and when she ran off, returning moments later with Prince Christian.

“What the hell is going on?” Prince Christian demanded.

“Swap ties with me, Chris.”

“What? My tie?” Prince Christian said, taken aback.

Bjorn did not give any explanation, he simply took off his tie and held it out to his younger brother and waited for him to do the same. Prince Christian gave in to his brothers demands and handed over his turquoise tie, which Bjorn put on casually.

Prince Christian felt like he had just met a madman, but simply shook his head and walked away without saying goodbye. Erna finally let out a laugh she couldn’t contain any longer.

The Prince was nasty, but nice and she was enjoying the fairy tale they were making together. Although it wasn’t a standard fairy tale, it was as fascinating as it was unconventional and that was that.

“So, do you like my tie now?”

“Much better,” said Erna, pretending she had not won and accepted his hand in reconciliation.

Just in time, the atmosphere in the garden began to stir. A midsummer night. It was time for the flowers of the festival to bloom.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

As the boating began, a myriad of couples rowing out across the river, inbetween the floating flowers, all attention returned to the Crown Prince and his fiancee. With the world distracted, the Grand Duke and his wife were able to enjoy some discretion. Their boat left the dock and gently drifted along the Abit River.

Bjorn casually rowed the boat to a spot where the lights looked the most beautiful and Erna finally told all the stories she had been wanting to say for so long. Bjorn listened intently, as he looked out to where he could see the Grand Duke’s bridge and the palace at the same time.

“Miss Preve seems like a nice enough person,” said Erna with a bright smile. “I like her because she somehow reminds me of you.”

Bjorn frowned at his wife’s words, spoken with excitement. He wondered if Rosette had the same impression, though they had not spent much time together, not even when they went to collage together. He decided not to share the anecdote, telling Erna of the Crazed Swan Queen, that would draw even more likeness.

“It’s good that the two of you are getting along.”

“Yes, but I am still the only one with dark hair, and I am still the smallest,” Erna muttered sullenly.

“What about Greta?”

“She’s a finger taller than me, I checked and what’s worse, she’s only thirteen.” Erna felt herself sinking further into sadness.

“Well…” Bjorn laughed, “that just makes you even more special.” Bjorn reached out and stroked the cheek of his little, brown haired Grand Duchess. She did her best to try and avoid his gaze. There was a moments silence. “If you don’t want to learn to ride a horse, I will not force you.”

“You don’t want to teach me any more?”

“I didn’t say that, but if you are having a hard time with it, you don’t have to endure it.”

“No, I want to learn, I want to.” Erna shook her head.

Even during her war with the master trickster, Erna had gone to the stables every day to greet her horse. She stroked its mane fed it beets and told it stories. Erna realised that she was no longer afraid of the horse. Just like Bjorn had said, Dorothea was the perfect horse.

“Please keep teaching me, I will study hard.”

“Are you planning on fighting with me again?”

“Maybe, but it will be okay. We will be able to fight smarter next time.” Erna looked at Bjorn and he seemed to understand, he smiled at least. “Bjorn, I think we should have pet names for each other too.”

Encouraged by the generosity in her eyes, Bjorn found he could barely refuse such an innocent request.

“You can just call me by my name, what’s wrong with that?”

“I think it would be romantic, if we had names for each other that no one else is allowed to use, its what couple do. Just think about it, I could be Ena, or nana” Bjorn snorted. “You…erm…Bibi.”

Erna did not care for Bjorn’s opinion, she was steadfast and carried on regardless. She knew the names did not fit at all, but she was having a hard time coming up with any other name.

Bibi and Nana.

When she rolled the names around a little, they didn’t feel so bad, but Bjorn frowned each time Erna spoke them out loud.

“I’d rather you call me ‘bastard’.”  Bjorn said with a disgusted expression on his face.

Erna made up her mind, from now on, when ever she got angry with Bjorn and he teased her, she would call him Bibi.

Under the feast of the colorful lights, Nana kissed Bibi.

A Midsummer Night has  become a little more beautiful.