• Perhaps she had never truly loved him. But she knew that when she saw him walk out of the ballroom, and the tears began to fall, that, that was a lie. She would always love him. But would he had stayed if she had tried harder? No. It was obvious from the beginning that he would still leave. Perhaps her happiness was somewhere other then with him. She walk down on path, and he another. Two paths that would most likely never meet after tonight. She would serve her duty to her country, and he would do what his father had done before him: serve in her military. Glimpses of each other would be few and far between. But she was born into this privileged life, and he was not. Neither's world was meant to cross. And it would always stay that way.
    And if anyone would ever ask, perhaps she would say what had truly happened. But this one night seemed to mean so many things, in one little incident. This one night, this night of all nights, Christmas night. She knew that most likely, he would marry a girl of his social standing. A girl that perhaps he would love so much more then he had ever loved her. Had every sweet word he had ever said to her, so many times he had told her that he had loved her, meant so little, mean really, nothing, that he could give up on something that she had thought was pure? Purer then the most pure love?
    Would she ever know true happiness? Would she ever know a love so pure, as the one that she had thought that she had experienced? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But, if love like the one she thought could break, then did that not mean, that every form of love could just as easily be broken? All questions, and very few answers.
    She, a princess....no a queen now. He, a young lieutenant in now what was her army. Two paths not meant to cross. And yet, for a few magical weeks, they had. Both of them had been able to understand each other on a level no one else had. Both had been, and at this a small smile and blush accompanied the thought, each other's first time at connecting, body, mind, and spirit. They had given each other, whole heartely, to each other. But now, that no longer mattered.
    Yes, their worlds were not meant to cross. And they never would. As much as they may have loved each, and now she realized, that they had. True love can only be found once in life. And they had. Nothing had ever been a joke. But life had gotten in the way. And now it seemed, fate had decided on the paths they would forever walk along.
    She turned around and set herself on the path fate had marked for her. Loved him she did, and always would. But if fate destined for them not to be, then so be. She would not fight against fate. It was all too powerful. All too knowing. She would live now for him. In her heart, he would forever remain. Fate marked their paths, and if fate decided to once again be with each, then so they would be.
    She smiled and walked along her path. He along his. Both loving each other for eternity, yet both understanding that fate had decided what they had decided. Neither would fight against it. They had lives that would most likely never again cross. Both would be happy for one another. For this night, Christmas night, they had both discovered all of this.
    "That is the way things are meant to be," she wispered to the wind on the balcony.
    "That is the ways things are meant to be," he wispered to his horse in the stables.
    And be it, it shall.

    Fin