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There were 5 things regarding Kieran White's feelings for the future princess: Curiosity, Awe, Annoyance, Intrigue, and Distaste.
He was 6 then when he had first met her. She was wearing a yellow dress that matched her golden eyes, the same shade as honey. He couldn’t help but remember that exact moment when he first saw her, dancing with her father, laughing and joyous. Maybe that was the moment (though he didn’t know it yet) that he fell.
Or perhaps not. Perhaps it was just curiosity, this person was going to have to be a part of his life forever now. It was only right he be curious.
He could hear the whispers of what they would be, an adorable couple, the future King and Queen,
He honestly couldn’t care less back then. He was a child, bored and tired, with no friends with him to make fun of the noble ladies’ strange dresses. The only other child there was the 4-year-old Lauren Sinclair, as it was their betrothal and first meeting.
Make a good impression Son, his Father, the King had told him, She’ll be your queen one day, His Mother had said, smiling at him softly as she fixed his hair for him and kept it into a neat ponytail. She looked to his Father with a grin and he had left immediately before he had to see anything else.
I’d rather just rule it with Lukas’ Kieran had thought annoyed at the prospect of meeting the person he would rule the country with. He didn’t need her. She was probably a brat anyway.
So, of course, the meeting between the future couple had been absolutely disastrous.
The tiny redhead apparently had been just as skeptical at meeting the Prince as he was. After dancing with Father and Uncle, she was finally introduced to his Royal Highness, Kieran White.
Their first interaction was something that left their ancestors rolling in their graves.
The first few minutes had seemed calm and the people were chattering about how adorable they looked until 5 minutes later, He dumped his apple juice on her and Lauren yelled at him calling him a pompous toad. This later escalated to a yelling match in which both their nannies had to drag them away.
According to Lauren Sinclair, The Stupid Prince was a pompous toad, a spoiled brat, and she wanted nothing to do with him
According to Kieran White, The Great Lady Sinclair was a yellow salamander and her hair was stupid, and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her
Needless to say, everyone was concerned for their country’s future now.
Of course, when they both left the company of each other, they were scolded much thoroughly and had to make a promise to each other not to fight in front of the company.
This led to years of passive-aggressive quips and witty remarks to each other disguised as conversational speaking with no one but their parents to blame.
But after their meeting, while trying to fall asleep, he decided that his favorite color was gold. Not because of her eyes of course. It had nothing to do with her. He just happened to like gold. He just loved Honey. Honey was great, it went wonderfully on toast. That's all, He thought comforting himself. I don't want anything to do with her, Thank goodness I won't even have to see her again!
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There were 4 things regarding Kieran White’s feelings for his new partner in crime: Annoyance, Awe, Curiosity, and Pestering
Of course, he was wrong, and he had to see the Sinclair girl much more than he would have liked. He was 12 now and it was decided they would start to study for their future responsibilities.
She was at the palace with him almost every day, taking the same classes and they were trained together to rule.
He would say he had gotten used to Lauren’s presence at the palace, but that meant actually getting along with her, so he kept to the small quips and teasing. She, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, bantered with him and mercilessly teased him back.
They competed at even the silliest things, who could reach the gardens first, who could find a certain book first, who could finish their homework the fastest, and his personal favorite: who could convince the cook to give them more pastries? The winner almost always was Lauren as she could be polite and sweet to almost anyone but him. However, she always shared whatever she received with him, as long as he was nice and got her something in return, a flower or a drawing.
(Those drawing, He found out years later, the drawings he had made her, had been kept safely in a shoebox in her closet)
So he decided that it wasn’t that bad having her around the palace. At least he would be able to get extra cookies. In fact, he had realized a lot of things while she was there.
It was always easier to get out of learning with a partner in crime-
Together they had scared off almost every tutor they had come across and made an unlikely alliance so they could pass the classes together. (He would admit that it was an effective system back then)
The young William Hawkes and Dylan Rosenthal had also become a normal sight at the palace or at the Sinclair estate. Kieran found out that he enjoyed their company and it was much more fun to prank someone with more people. Specifically Lauren.
The palace staff, however, he found out weren’t much help and found it absolutely endearing, when he ran for his life after he and Lukas had placed a frog at her desk, while she chased him yelling, with Will at her heels, yelling while out of breath that murder was illegal. Dylan had just watched the scene laughing as he brought the frog back to the lake.
If they weren’t always at each other throats and exchanging petty insults, one could say that they were friends. And when Lauren wasn’t at the palace, it could be noted that the little prince seemed to have missed the presence of the red-headed hurricane. (Not that he would ever admit it to her needless to say. Or anyone for that matter)
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There are 3 things regarding Kieran White’s feelings for a certain Lauren Sinclair-Awe, Comfort, and Support
He’s 18 now, at his mother’s grave as the rain washes over him. The queen’s death was unexpected and had put the whole kingdom in shock. She was an excellent queen, caring for her people deeply, and doing as much as she could for her country.
Lauren’s there with him, her quiet sobs and tears not going unnoticed. The queen had been like a second mother for her and he knew they were close. Still, she stays with him in silence, holding the umbrella for him. His friends, new and old are all there as he kneels, placing the flower bouquet Dylan had made for her.
After the funeral, and everyone leaves, she stays with him for almost a whole month, calling for tea (even though he knows she hates it), making sure he ate and was taken care of properly. She stayed when he was ready, talked about the late queen, and bringing a smile on his face when she brought up the memory of when they both decided to dress up in her fancy dresses.
When the queen had found her son and Lauren trying on her dresses, she had joined in, helping them pick their outfits and shoes and arranging a private fashion show with the three of them as the stars and taking pictures.
Soon all his friends had arrived at the sitting room, talking of fond memories, Kym sheepishly remembering the time she tracked mud into the classroom and accidentally ruined her dress. They all cry-laughed at that, all of the others bringing happy memories to bring a smile to his face
After everyone had left, she still stayed, holding him as he cried into her shoulder and eventually fell asleep on the couch in her arms.
When the morning came, he woke up to Lauren holding him still, breathing softly, tightly, almost as if she was afraid of letting go.
He knew then, that she wouldn’t let him go. Wouldn’t let him fall no matter what.
He wouldn’t let her fall either. He would make sure of that.
He smiles then, knowing that he would be okay, that his mother didn’t have to worry about him. He would find a way to smile. To find happiness again.
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There are 2 things regarding Kieran White’s feelings for his fiancee: Realization and Stupidity
Maybe he was always an idiot. Or maybe he was just blind all this time. Or perhaps he was coming down with an illness. There truly could be no other explanation really. For what other reason could there be that his heart raced every time Lauren Sinclair smiled at him.
He’s 21 now and for some reason whenever she was around, whether doing work, studying, or just with him to talk, his heartbeat went faster and he kept making sure his hair wasn’t a mess and fixing his appearance.
He had always known she was pretty, getting stares from me and women alike whenever she was out, but for some reason now, whenever the light got caught in her eyes, making them somehow even more vibrant, and her hair illuminated by the afternoon sun, he couldn’t possibly imagine someone being this beautiful and he desperately wanted to capture the movement in charcoal and paper.
He really must be catching something.
Lukas and Will were of no help at all as Lukas had been infatuated with a certain duchess for the past 2 years and Will was still in denial of his feelings for Kym, the newly appointed captain of Guard. He had laughed at their predicaments before and now? Karma was truly is a b*tch
When he spoke to Dylan however and informed him of his crisis, the silver-haired doctor just sighed and prescribed that he go take some Stop-being-in-Denial pills, and when Kieran asked where he could get those, he was promptly kicked out of the medical ward.
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It was at the Palace’s annual spring ball however when he realized how far he had fallen for her.
He had been waiting at the staircase, speaking with Kym and some officials about security when she had arrived and he could hardly remember to breathe.
It was as if the Sun itself had arrived gracing everyone with her presence. The layers of golden chiffon shifted, almost glowing in the warm light with glittering stars adorning her as a goddess had blessed him with her presence. Her eyes looked like molten pools of gold and as scarlet streaks fell at her cheeks, and at that moment he couldn’t help thinking she looked absolutely ethereal.
He had quickly excused himself after Kym elbowed him smirking and walked up to her, grinning and offering his hand.
She had gladly taken it and he couldn’t stop his heart from skipping a beat again when she smiled at him.
Whispers started up again, just like when they were younger, about what they were and who they would be, but this time, He found himself not minding as much as they danced to the music, proclaiming the evening as officially beginning.
That night had been their debut. The first time they were shown as a couple since they were children.
This time, however, nobody was worried for their future. As the prince danced with his fiancee, spoke with almost every official, and listened to every concern. They knew their kingdom would be in good hands.
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Kieran, however, had realized exactly how stupid and in denial he had been.
Lukas of course when Kieran had ranted to him, told him as such. So did Will. And Dylan. And Kym and Lila all who had somehow found their way into his office and into the conversation.
From there onward, Kieran decided 2 things. One, to always lock his office doors, and two, tell Lauren how he felt. Which was much easier said than done.
So instead of actually talking to her, he had done the smaller things. Placing daisies in places where she found them, sending her favorite coffee when he realized she had pulled an all-nighter again while doing paperwork, also making sure she actually went to sleep after.
He sent her favorite blueberry scones, ignoring the cook’s little smile as he asked for them to be sent to her room.
He sent her books with little notes in them giving his commentary, and a flower whenever he saw her, smiling and his heart skipping a beat as her eyes lit up as she took it.
Some of his favorite parts of the day were when they walked in the gardens, talking about almost anything and everything.
This day, however, would be sealed in his memory forever.
It was a beautiful day. Lovely weather and the gardens had never been more exquisite. The coronation and wedding were in 6 months. In all their preparations, their walks had become routine, a way for both of them to clear their head every day. She had become so ingrained in his life that he wasn’t sure what he would do without her.
They had reached the cherry blossom trees then, and Lauren Sinclair almost looked annoyed at him. Her whole demeanor actually had been muted almost, and she had been trying to say something for the past few days and changing her mind every time.
“Stop looking at me like that”
“Are you alright? You’ve been looking down all week” He asked, concerned
“Absolutely perfect” She had responded giving him a sarcastic smile
"What happened?”
“Nothing”
“Then why do you keep looking at me like that? Is this about the flowers, we can change them if-” He was promptly cut off by her,
“No! The flowers are perfect, everything is perfect Kieran, it’s-” She looked at him then with frustration and concern in her eyes, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what he did wrong.
She let a groan of frustration and promptly took his shoulders went on her toes to place his lips on his. It was a quick kiss, he almost didn’t register it. Almost.
“That’s why you toad,” she said breaking apart from him, she looked at him worry in her golden eyes, as if she believed even for a second he didn’t feel the same way.
As soon as the shock wore off, He gave out a short laugh smiling wider than he ever had, She had wanted to kiss him. They had just kissed. He looked at the redhead who was waiting for whatever answer he had for her.
Smiling, he cupped her face in his hands could feel fireworks bursting as he leaned forward to kiss her again. And again. And again. She kissed him back, again and again, as if it were the most natural thing to have his lips on hers.
She tasted like blueberries and coffee and if he could, he would have stayed in this moment forever. Just them under the trees as the blossoms fell.
She gave him a wicked grin then, running through the trees with him at her heels, just like when they were younger, laughing with pure joy in their hearts.
He caught up to her soon enough, grabbing her waist and lifting her in the air, twirling her when he did. She kissed him again, and again and laughed as he nearly fell from the dizziness. He wasn’t sure if there was a more beautiful sound.
Kieran White was most definitely, and completely in love with Lauren Sinclair. From the time she dared him to climb a tree and taking care of him while crying after he fell, (He may have fallen on purpose to make her feel bad and then actually felt bad when he saw her reaction) to every time she responded to his teasing remarks with the same amount of playfulness.
He knew he would never get enough of her. Of the taste of blueberries and coffee, of her teasing and laugh, he would never get enough of her smiles. For forever would be much too short with Lauren Sinclair,
His Friend
His Partner in Crime
His Queen
For there was one thing regarding Kieran White’s feelings for Lauren Sinclair: Love
Fin