Kingdom of Hearts by Anonymous (best ereader for manga .txt) 📖

in with me on your shoulders.” They laughed. “Yes. I would love to.”
“Love to? Do what?”
“Go on a date with you, but it has to be one of your wishes. This doesn't count as a date, though. I mean we're not dating. We are friends who are doing things together. I have an obligation to the crown, my family, my kingdom someday, I have to marry a prince.” Jakob moved out of the water and started putting on his shirt angrily. “Did I say something?” Kaylee was just getting out of the water.
“Yes, you did.”
“Wait, wait.” She grabbed his shoulder. “What do you want from me?” They stared into eachother's eyes. He grabbed her hands.
“Apparently something I can't have. One hour. For one hour I thought you stopped thinking about your duties as eldest princess. I thought...” He started pulling away. She pulled back with too much force and they fell to the ground.
“You thought what?” She said when he was holding himself over her, like he was doing a pushup. He stared at her. For a moment he thought she might feel the same way as he did.
“I thought you might...love me.”
“I do. Your like my big brother.” He sighed. She stared at him confusingly.
“Nevermind.”
“Tell me, what is wrong?”
“That I am the only one who feels the way I do.”
“And how do you feel?”
“I feel like I am walking on sunshine when I am near you, like the entire universe revolves around you. Like life is all about you. When I'm not around you I fall into a dark hole.” Her worries were far worse than they were before. For she had fallen for Jakob and his short brown hair and his hazel eyes. She had fallen in love with someone other than a prince, and liked it.
“Jakob.” She smiled.
“Jakob!” Soturin yelled. “Front and center.”
“Yes, sir.” Jakob pushed himself up and ran over to him.
“Jakob, you lied to your general. You told me you were going to the beach, this is not the beach. You also need to learn your place. The princess is obligated to marry a prince.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright. The climb down is much more dangerous than up, so I insist that you two come back with me.” Kaylee walked over and hugged Soturin.
“What brings you here, Soturin?” Kaylee offered as peacemaker.
“I had a report of two kids climbing the cliff face, some parents were concerned of their...innocence, others were concerned for their safety, and many townsfolk were worried of the private property line. They were pretty sure, but not positive that the princess was with a soldier, they were concerned a Moed had kidnapped the princess. Overall it was pure concern.”
“Oh. If I had thought the...that Kaylee was in danger of Moeds, I wouldn't have brought her. I thought the biggest concern was the cliff face, or what was in the water.”
“I know. Personally I was concerned for the first one, and with what I walked in on, I believe I was right in doing so.”
“Nothing would have happened, you know that, Soturin.” Kaylee said innocently. Jakob didn't comment, he wasn't sure she was telling the truth. Something could have happened, in fact something definitely would have happened. Kaylee was too beautiful to resist and she was definitely thinking about it. But he could lie good.
“Yeah, neither of us were thinking about that. I would never have even gone that far without protection at least.” Yeah, Jakob could lie good.
“And did you bring protection?” Soturin asked skeptically.
“No! I asked Kaylee over here for fun, not that.”
“How do I know that? You could've wanted something, that you weren't getting. I was your age once, I had a beautiful girlfriend, and I wasn't ready, but I pushed myself to try. I didn't because of the thought of a child I couldn't provide for, for an innocent girl who I ruined, for myself. I wanted to save that special moment for someone who I had married and wanted children with, for someone who hasn't come along yet. That girl was a phase, like this. I want her to have phases.”
“That kind of hurts, Soturin. You think I am just a phase! I am not going to be a phase. I am Jakob freakin' Tyros, I am not a phase!”
“Jakob, I didn't mean it like that. You know I didn't mean for it to come out like that.”
“No, you didn't mean for it to come out at all.” Jacob headed away, Kaylee on his arm.
“Kaylee, I...” She put a finger to his lips.
“You shouldn't say anything. You might screw this up.” They laughed. They scaled the cliff face and managed not to even slip once.
“I might be kicked out of the army, I shouldn't have done what I did. I was being stupid.”
“Not an uncommon occurrence.”
“Is that right?” He looked around to make sure they were out of eyesight.
“Yes. What are you going to do about it?” He picked her up. They stayed like that for a while, until he moved into the forest a little. He set her down on the ground and put himself in the same position they were in before Soturin interrupted.
“I made two crucial mistakes. One was yelling at him, and the other was lying to him.”
“What did you lie to him about?” She asked concerned.
“I lied to him when I said nothing would have happened. The truth is I always keep protection in my back pocket-safety thing, not...it helps when your stranded without a water bottle. I can't resist you, if you had wanted things to go further, they would have.”
“I lied, too. When I said nothing would have happened. I know I am fifteen, but with you...I feel different.”
“But what about what your brother said? I don't want to be the one that 'ruins' you, I mean when your sixteenth birthday comes around, if you still want this, I have no right to refuse it.”
“I can't ask you to stay abstinent for a year, when you are obviously ready for it.” She felt split. She had two lives that couldn't touch, one where she was responsible and respected and honest, but the other was one where she had no responsibilities and she didn't need to be honest, but there was only one her. Could she let them not only touch, but join? Could she be what she wanted to be? That was a stupid question, she thought to herself.
“I can't,” He said. “ask you not to not stay abstinent. Making sure you don't make a terrible life decision is a responsibility I have taken on my shoulders.”
“Sixteen?”
“If you still want to.” He nodded.
“Help me up?” He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. “Jake, I love your sense of judgment, but I met someone today and I forgot that he asked me out on a date tonight. I told him I would. He's a common boy, doesn't know who I am, never came to the castle before. I have to cancel our plans, not cancel but postpone for tomorrow night.”
“You are telling me you are going on a date with a commoner? What about our plans tonight?”
“Like I said merely postponed.”
“You are postponing our date for one with a common boy? That surely makes me feel special.”
“You know it is just a simple dinner, nothing more.” She soothed.
“I trust you. Can I at least get his name?”
“Sure, it's Kyle Mathews. You better not go talk to him, get him to back out or anything.”
“No, I wouldn't, but I couldn't live with this if your planning on settling with this common boy.”
“I wouldn't. I don't know what he looks like.”
“What do you mean?”
“It's a blind date set up with these girls who call me Lizzie.”
“Blind dates normally end up bad.”
“I guess.”
“Until tomorrow then.” He walked her home, not holding her hand. He grabbed her hand and kissed the top of it when they reached her room. “Until tomorrow, my princess.” He bowed. Tyson walked past him and Jakob bowed.
“My king.” He greeted.
“Jakob.” Tyson nodded. Tyson walked over to his daughter. “What was that?”
“Me and Jakob went swimming today, he was being a gentleman and walking me to my room. Besides I heard that the Moedian prince, Caleb Hensley, I believe, has a date with me in three days time?”
“Yes, King Johnathon was reluctant to try and create peace through marriage, but, as soon as he warmed to the idea, he agreed two of his sons in your age group. Michael is about Lanie's age and Caleb is about Sydan's age. He thought Caleb would be a better choice for you, so he's sending him first, Michael has a date with you in a week.”
“I believe I will like Michael more. Does he have any daughters older than me?”
“Nancy, Caroline, and Maria. Maria is closest to you and Sydan.”
“Well invite Maria to come with Michael on that date. Maybe Sydan can marry a Moedian princess and we can forget about my suitors.”
“I will invite Maria for a date with Sydan, but no guarantees on love.”
“Well then we can try Michael with Lanie.”
“Kaylee, what is with you tonight? You were fine with an arranged marriage to a Moedian prince earlier today, but now...your absolutely opposed. Is it some boy you met? Have you already fallen in love?”
“Father, I have fallen for a boy. I don't think you will figure it out, but just so you know I refuse to continually date someone if I think we aren't going anywhere.”
“I cannot believe this is coming from you. Lanie may be Mitchell's, I can't have her rule my kingdom.”
“Then allow Sydan. He is responsible, look at all he's done. He is a great scholar and can read ten times longer words than I.”
“Your mother always wanted a princess to bring kings to rule.”
“Mother doesn't rule the kingdom. She used to, and most of us know what happened. Sydan, Soturin, they found out when they trekked across a vast ocean to find you. I found out through Soturin. He only told me because he thought that the princess to inherit an entire kingdom should know about what happens to those who gain the crown.”
“It will not happen to you if you choose right.”
“And I have. If I think it's not going anywhere I am not going to try to work at it. I have to get ready, are you done now?”
“Ready for what?” He asked sternly.
“I'm going out. A friend invited me. Now, are we done?”
“Yes, don't be out after ten, and your bringing Jakob.” After her dad left and she closed the door, she laughed long and hard. Jake and her would finally have a date, but it would be a little three wheeled and how would she explain why she had an armed guard with her?
“Janette!” She called. Janette arrived and walked in. “Sorry for yelling, would you fetch Jakob for me? Tell him it's fairly urgent, but not life threatening.”
“Of course.” Janette was Kaylee's right hand woman. If Kaylee needed anything Janette was there to give it to her. Janette was seventeen, but married and had a child on the way. Any man would have been lucky for having known her. She was beautiful with her black hair and brown eyes. She was at a healthy weight for her height and condition. Her husband had known her for ten years and loved her for seven, but they weren't allowed to be married until her sixteenth birthday. So they waited. Jakob knocked and