Love of a Giant

Chapter Four

Theresa shook her head to get the snow out of her hair. She had been walking beside Brandon for a bit now, but they were actually having a pleasant conversation. It was all superficial, of course, but her sisters made it seem like he was difficult to talk to. Of course, they mostly chatted about books. As it turned out, they liked a lot of the same authors and genres of books. Brandon was very well educated in the literary arts, so they could actually have more in depth conversations.

She never would have guessed that a warrior like himself would also be a bookworm. He spoke a bit about his personal life, mainly his military training and royal duties. As the only child of King Bennett, he had remarkably more duties to handle on his own. At least her brother had her and their sisters to help him lighten his burden when he needed it.

When they did fall into silence, it didn't feel awkward to her. It felt like a natural pause. She no longer felt nervous with him either. Though, she had no idea what the prince thought of their conversation.

Truth be told, Brandon was enjoying her company immensely. She knew how to carry a conversation, and he felt like he could speak freely about his interests. Back home, his friends would often tease him for his love of books, so he didn't discuss it with them. But she didn't make fun of him. She was eager to discuss plots, thoughts, and feelings about books they had both read and authors they enjoyed.

And when they fell into silence from time to time, he couldn't help but admire her. She didn't treat him like a monster. She treated him like a normal person, as if he were human to hurt. She even laughed and smiled a couple of times. He couldn't help but find her pretty, almost angelic.

Theresa stopped walking once they reached a tree that was taller than Brandon. The prince stopped and looked down at her. "Is something wrong, Princess?"

"No," she said, moving over to the tree. She rested a hand against it. "It's just... I like this tree."

He raised an eyebrow.

She blushed. "S-Sorry, I know that sounds silly."

"... A bit," he admitted. Fortunately, she didn't look offended. Even her embarrassed face looked cute. "But should I assume that you spent a lot of time here?"

She nodded. "This tree gives a great view of the whole garden. I'm sure you can see it all with your height."

He turned to look. She wasn't wrong; he could see most of the entire garden from where he stood. The view from the tallest branch must have given her an even better view. He had to hand it to the gardeners – it sure was a nicely kept ground.

When he looked back at the princess, he was surprised to find her climbing up the tree. Considering how delicate and refined she looked, he didn't think she was the type to climb trees in front of guests. But instead of being put off, he found it endearing.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?"

"It's alright," she reassured him, giving him a small smile before continuing her climb. "I've climbed up here many times before. And this will put us at the same height so we won't have to strain our necks. I know it's not very ladylike though."

Brandon shrugged. One of his good friends, Nyla, was a powerful warrior and acted basically like a man would. Women acting "unladylike" never bothered him so long as they weren't doing anything completely gross and whatnot; he wouldn't accept it from men either. Climbing up a tree was hardly something that bothered him.

She finally reached a thick branch at the top of the tree. She carefully squatted down a bit before taking a seat on the thick branch, looking out into the garden. She could see the small lake where she used to go swimming with her siblings during summers.