[Author's note]

Just wanted to take the moment to thank you, both for your interest in my story and for supporting 🌺

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"You know that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you start to fall in love. That's just common sense leaving your body"

-Unknown
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3rd person POV

A dark haired maiden followed a man of mysterious demeanor throughout the corridors to a specific location of the east wing library.

Each step treaded carefully in sure not to alert any nearby guards on night watch.

Once the two entered the library the young man's eyes lit like fire.

He became at awe with what scene the library had displayed in front of him.

It reminded him so much of home. The home in which he used to live with his parents. The home before the place he had to be forced in by the king.

Stone floor covered every bit of the room. Water fountains scattered throughout.

Vines wrapped around almost every wooden built book case.

It reminded the man of his home, in the forest when winter weather had melted away. That was before his family was killed and he was dragged to a winter wasteland.

"This place...it reminds me so much of my old home. Well, before I lived in the kingdom where it snowed all the time. My old home with my parents looked so much like this."

"A library? You're sure?" There was tease in the maiden's voice as she glanced at him playfully.

Her eyes glimmered at him with a sweet smile on her face.

He chuckled a bit embarrassed.

The young man was not flustered from her tease but from how beautiful she appeared in that very moment.

Just when he was about to tell her how beautiful she was he decided to kept that particular thought to himself.

Instead he smiled.

"Of course not. My home ran thick with vines like the ones here. There even used to be a small waterfall near our cottage when I was just a child. My family and I lived right on the outskirts of town, and still payed the King's taxes of course."

"I've heard King's taxes can be brutal over where you live. It must've been harsh."

"It was better than living under the king's hand, not having to pay taxes. But luckily I'm here now. I've also realized that it is much better to have love where there is no money than to be rich and have no one to love."

The dark haired man was close to opening up how his parents died at the king's hand but payed it no mind to share. It was too painful for him.

Even now. Being in a place that reminds him of his true family as well as being beside a maiden who reminded him so much of his mother at mere moments.

But he knew that such moments as these were ones that wouldn't last forever. He felt at any moment all of this would be gone.

Ripped from him even.

So he kept to the opportunity to hold the fair lady's hand.

He might have been counted 'rich' now but he would give it all up in a heartbeat if it meant spending the rest of his life with the women in front of him.

"Your hands are cold." Was all the man spoke wishing to say more but feared this moment would end shorter than he would have wanted.

"They are." Her face was still rosy from the autumn air. It had looked as if someone had just pinched her cheeks.

The man took his hand to the maiden's face.

She was quite shocked but stayed still like a doe, waiting for his next move.

His face came so dearly close to her that she could smell the fragrance he wore.

Her heart took leaps as her ears turned hot.

Just when she thought they would kiss the door to the library opened.

Ben's POV

I felt so nervous to kiss her. I didn't want to step over the line she drew but she seemed to have no hesitation.

But I wanted to make sure she was alright with it.

I wanted to know if she was ready for such a step. If not I would wait...as long as it needed...I would wait until she was ready.

Just when our noses were touching, our lips a moment away, the door sprang open.

I quickly took ahold of Rey by her waist and pulled her into one of the dark aisles with me.

I glanced over to see a guard looking around.

"Did you hear something Ethan? Paranoid are we?" Another guard came into view patting the alerted guard (who had barged in) on the shoulder.

"I swore I heard talking in here." The first guard spoke in serious manner as the other rolled his eyes.

"Come on Ethan we really don't have all night to look in this gigantic library for the 'talking' you thought you heard. If the Captain finds out we're slaking, it's off with our heads. Now come on." The guard left after speaking as the one named Ethan exited the library moments after, giving a quick scan over the room.

I heard a relieved breath beside me.

"That was terrifyingly close." She spoke toward me.

"It was." I replied in a short breath.

While I still held her in my arms she did not resist.

Her head tilted up at me, looking into my eyes.

I looked to see her eyes sparkle.

Her lips curved into a smile as her eyes looked above me.

As she reached for something that appeared to be on my head she spoke.

"Hold still. You have something on your head."

She put out her hand to show me what she had taken off my head.

"A flower petal?"

"Yes. It seems that it has come from the flower above you, enlaced in the vines throughout the bookshelf."

She laughed, closing her eyes from how 'funny' this situation was to her. Or to whatever she was finding humorous.

"Dare I say, your quite cute when your clueless."

By now I was not even surprised that she was making fun of me.

I tried to hold back a laugh from how cute she was being.

"Dare I say, your adorable when you smile." I spoke half laughing as she blushed quite shocked to hear the words that had come out of my mouth.

I cleared my throat to keep my composure.

"Well, any books around here you'd recommend?" I gestured around the room as she stayed silent.

When I looked at her she was still as stiff and wide eyed as an alerted deer.

Rey's POV

I could not believe my ears, he actually called me adorable.

I mean I didn't hate it but it was a tad startling.

It was so unexpected...

It was so unexpected that it made my heart skip a beat, and than maybe two.

I could say he was slowly taking my heart to where I couldn't breath properly.

He was making me feel as if I were losing all common sense.

I couldn't even will words to come out of my very mouth at the moment he spoke those words.

I just gazed into his eyes, knowing that he knew I was unable to move.

At that moment I knew I truly loved him.

Not because of his flowery words but because he was him. Genuinely him.

He was not acting to put on a show around me like all the other young fools did in the castle.

He also was not naturally half-dimwitted like thee others were either.

Instead he was quite smart and I'd even say....handsome in his character.

As much as he was a mysterious man in black he was also the most tender and kind-mannered man I'd ever met.

When he wasn't upset.

But my mother, Cordelia, was wise to see he was a wholesome man in every aspect to be someone's husband as not only a lover in courtship.

As soon as the fuzziness left my brain I opened my mouth to talk.

"I think I'm truly and maddeningly in love with you Ben."

He smiled as he took my hand in his.

"I know and I'm glad you feel for me in such a way. Honestly I'm overwhelmed." Happiness and delight filled his eyes.

I held out my hand as if to stop him.

"Don't cry. Your not allowed. You'll make me cry and we'll be a hobbling mess and-"

My eyes widened, being cut off my words by his kiss but my hand had caught it just in time.

"Easy there. My mother would know and I'm not entirely ready for such a ...move as that...yet."

He only smiled in understanding what I meant. As well as being a little embarrassed by the small rejection.

But trust me, some part of me wanted to.

Both of his hands went to my face as he kissed my cheek instead.

When he let go to see me I buried my face in his chest.

Even if it was merely a kiss on the cheek...it was still my first.

And he was the first man I was truly falling for as well, making all of this pretty embarrassing for me.

But I did not hate it. I did not hate him as I thought I would have.

"Please. Don't look at my face right now. I wish for you not to betray my request either."

"I won't."

As his simple words processed he combed his hand through my long dark hair.

"I don't wish to be apart from you Ben."

I could no longer stop the words that flew out of my mouth.

And I was glad I was starting to let go.

He stepped back to see me face to face.

"Then shall we stay here for the night Malady."

He offered his hand as I toke it, almost jolting at the request.

"What stories do you find fascinating Ben?" I asked quite curious to what he might say.

My voice spoke out softer than I had imagined it to be, almost to the point of being unheard to even my own ears.

He briefly looked my way giving a humorous smirk.

"Anything that will put me to sleep."

I thought for a moment as we walked the isles of books toward the romantic section.

"Hmmm. What about a cliché prince and princess story? Or a mysterious beast and a fair maiden? Or perhaps a story that tells the tale of a girl who turns her mother into a bear?"

"Well although those sound interesting I'd rather know what your favorites are, specifically perhaps."

"Well I'd say the beast and the maiden. Although the beast comes out as an ill tempered creature the maiden does not see him as such anymore after spending time in his castle."

"Is he a prince? Or of royalty?"

"Weeelll. I can't quite say. That's a secret until you find out for yourself."

I let my hand touch the binds of each book I passed before reaching the novel I was searching for.

"Here it is. The Beast and the Fair Maiden. My mother used to read this every night for me. This story can truly never get old."

I took the book from its spot and handed it to Ben.

He took it and tucked it away.

We then found a spot to stay for the night, being by a fireplace made of stone with a few pillows and blankets to keep us warm and comfortable.

"What was the book you were reading in the gardens?"

"Oh this." I took out the book I had kept with me called the La Lune De La lune.

"La Lune De La Lune, meaning Luna of the Moon. It's about a girl who is destined to rule over the moon kingdom. She finds love in a young noblemen who forfeits his own ways as the ruler of the sun to be with her. His younger brother takes over as he becomes ruler with the girl in her moon kingdom. I've almost finished it. I'm at the part where she is parted from him by the peacekeepers who find their love wrong and against nature itself."

"I can see you really like the novel."

"Indeed I do." I sat beside him with a gentle glance, fixing a piece of my hair behind my ear to start reading.

And after some time we started to both read our novels in hand as the night went on.

Sparks and crackles of fire filled our ears.

Gentle water rushing out from the small fountains around the library.

It was almost like we were in a fairy tail ourselves.

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Ideas on what the library would look like:
(All found on the fabulous internet)

Fireplace >

Interior of the library >

Ideas on what the interior fountains would look like in the library >

Library flooring >

Library wall torches >