Chapter Text
London England
Prince Oliver adjusted the collar of his Irish Guards Guard of Honor uniform as he walked down the hall that led from his wing of the castle. His father King Robert was holding a garden party which was a tradition his mother had started when she was the Queen. The guest list was vast and Oliver sighed a little as he thought of all of the upper-class women that would be trying to vie for his attention. It was always exhausting. He decided to take the back stairs and slip out one of the side doors of the garden. He knew his father would be upset that he was not announced but tonight he did not care.
He made his way past the kitchen, his eyes noting the hustle and bustle taking place as caterers hurried to plate their creations and waiters and waitresses dressed in crisp white coats and pants carried the delicacies out to the waiting guests. Oliver paid them no mind as they were paid well to work the venue unseen and he took a deep breath before slipping out the French doors to the garden.
The lawn was already crawling with the wealthy and upper class of London and Prince Oliver plastered on a perfunctory smile as guests started to notice his presence. He made his way slowly through the guests complimenting the women on their hats and shaking the hands of the men dressed to the nines in top hats and vests. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best and as the first of the elite tried to introduce him to her "niece" he gave them his usual polite smile, kissed her hand and then shrewdly moved on his way.
Growing up as the future King had been a burden that Oliver had carried all of his life, but being blessed or cursed, whichever way he chose to look at it that day with good looks made it an even harder burden to bear. Every single woman within London society vied for his attention at every gathering and it slowly was becoming a frustration he wished he could avoid. It caused him to find ways to escape even if for a few moments and he looked forward to when he could do that here.
Oliver had been mingling for about an hour when he saw his father speaking with the Earl of Windsor and so he slipped down the lawn toward the tree line hoping to catch a moment of reprieve. As he hurried along the stone fencing, he noticed a small figure standing by the small koi pond at the bottom of the lawn slope. The person was dressed all in white, similar to what the wait staff was wearing and Oliver stopped for a moment not wanting to be seen. If he wanted to admit it, he was a little annoyed that he did not have the pond to himself. He wanted to escape not run into some waiter or waitress that would stumble over their words when they saw him approach.
However, when he stopped, he heard crying, a soft sound that sounded broken and alone and Oliver could not stop it from touching his heart. He had felt that alone before and he did not wish the feeling on anyone. He saw the person look up out over the water and his breath hitched slightly as he saw blue eyes that rivaled the sapphires that adorned his mother's favorite broach. It was a woman. She was petite with blonde hair that had been pulled back into a loose bun and he saw her wipe her eyes before slipping a pair of dark framed glasses onto her face. She was beautiful and he felt a pull in his chest as he wondered why she was so sad.
He walked slowly toward her and when their eyes met, Oliver felt a jolt of awareness unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Felicity wiped her eyes placing her glasses back on her face. The cry had been good but she was embarrassed that she had broken down her first day on the job. However, everything in her life had finally overwhelmed her and as she had walked around these beautiful happy people with a tray of the finest shrimp, it had been the final straw. She just hoped she could sneak back before her boss noticed she was missing and she got fired. To be able to work the Royal Garden Party had been a dream come true for her both in terms of seeing the beautiful grounds first hand and the money she would earn. She couldn’t afford to lose the opportunity as she might never be asked again.
She had heard footsteps coming toward her from the gate and when she looked up into deep blue eyes she had been ensnared for a moment. But she looked away and as the person got closer, Felicity lowered her gaze to the ground, not wanting to see the disgust she would see at a servant being where they were not welcome.
"Look, I know I am not supposed to be down here...." Felicity said and then she looked up and her heart skipped a beat. Prince Oliver was standing in front of her looking devastatingly handsome, those blue eyes raking over her waitress uniform and she looked down mortified.
"Your Royal Highness please forgive me. I thought I would be alone here." Felicity tried to brush past him, but his voice stopped her in her tracks, his tone commanding but gentle.
"Wait. Why were you crying?" Oliver did not know why he asked. Something about this woman and her sadness pulled at his heart. He knew he should just let her get back to work, but something would not let him.
Felicity stopped a little past him, her back to him and she closed her eyes when she heard his query. She had hoped that he had not seen her crying. She was mistaken. She turned and looked up into those intense blue eyes, eyes of the man that would one day rule England and she felt her face flush.
"I am not going to burden you with my problems Sir." she said, her fingers twisting nervously behind her back.
"It is not a burden if I ask." he said and took a casual stance waiting for her to answer.
"I am supposed to be working, not taking up your precious time Sir. I just needed a few moments to myself." she said and turned to leave.
"Sounds like we have a lot in common." She heard the words spoken quietly and she turned back and noticed his gaze had drifted out over the pond. She did not move.
"I find it hard to believe that a Prince such as yourself would need to sneak away from a party to get time to himself Sir." she said gently.
"Then you would be wrong. Sneaking away is the only way I get time to myself. Unless I am in my wing." he said.
Of course, he would have his own wing, Felicity thought. The palace was massive. She had only seen the kitchen and a couple of hallways but she could imagine the house teaming with people from guards to staff.
She glanced out over the water and feeling something compelling her to talk to him, she gave a soft sigh. "I have only been in London for a few weeks. I moved here after graduation. I thought this city would be a wonderfully, romantic place to make a fresh start. I never dreamed I would become homesick."
Oliver glanced over at her as she continued, "I took this job tonight to make some extra money. I am saving up to hopefully make a trip home at Christmas."
"Where are you from?" he asked her with sincere curiosity.
"The States." Felicity gave a soft smile. "My friends told me I was crazy for moving here. I am starting to think they were right."
Oliver heard the loneliness in her voice and he felt a connection with her. People would not believe it but with everything and everyone in the castle, he understood what it felt like to be alone.
"I think it is brave." he said and gave her a soft smile.
Felicity felt her breath catch at just how beautiful a smile it was and she felt her cheeks flushing again. She heard him chuckle and looked up at him with surprise.
"What is so funny?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"I didn't know women could still blush." he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"There are still a few of us left Sir." she said teasingly.
Oliver outright laughed, feeling a lightness settle over his chest. He had not enjoyed a woman's company like this in quite a while and it was surprising and slightly exhilarating.
"Well I need to get back to work Sir. Enjoy your evening." She turned and made her way back up the lawn and she turned to look back at him before she slipped into the French doors. Oliver turned back to the pond as a smile lingered on his lips. He gave it one last look before he walked back up the lawn steeling himself for the evening ahead.
King Robert saw his son walking his way and he frowned slightly. Oliver was supposed to be announced when he arrived. Where had he come from?
"Sir." Oliver acknowledged his Dad with a nod. His father always liked to be formal when they were in public and if Oliver strayed from that etiquette his father was always quick to remind him.
"Son, where have you been? Our guests have been waiting." Robert's voice held a tightly reigned reprimand.
"I was mingling with the guests and then took a moment to myself Sir." Oliver said, trying to keep the tightness from his voice.
"Well I am glad that you are here. I would like for you to meet Princess Helena of the House of Savoy." Robert turned to usher forward a beautiful young woman with dark hair down to her shoulders, brown eyes and long legs that flirted with the high slit of her black dress. Oliver had to admit she was quite beautiful but he was really in no mood to flirt or fight off advances tonight. However, he would not be rude and so he gently took the hand she extended and kissed the back with a gallant flair. Her skin was soft and pale, and the dark red of her nails stood out as he pulled back from her hand.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Princess." he said with a nod of his head.
"The pleasure is certainly mine." she said coyly and Oliver had to keep from rolling his eyes.
"How long are you in London?" he asked politely, his smile not quite meeting his eyes.
"Well my Father is here for the polo tournament so at least through next Saturday." she said with a suggestive smirk. “Will you be attending the tournament your Highness?”
"I am playing in the tournament actually.” he said with another fake smile. “I am sure that we will see each other there." he said and bowed to her once again before slipping into the crowd. He knew his father would be upset but he really didn't care. He could feel the tension building back up in his shoulders and he walked toward the French doors that he had slipped through previously. He saw a flash of blonde hair and he turned to see the woman from the pond moving through the crowd, a tray of hor'deuvres balanced on a tray in her hand. He felt a smile lift his lips as she moved through the crowd and he found his feet moving in her direction.
Felicity moved quietly, not speaking as she tried to stay as incognito as possible. You were not supposed to be seen at these events and so she would present the food on her tray and give a napkin when needed but mostly she stayed quiet and out of the way. She passed a group of men talking about current events and when she turned to walk back to the doors leading into the castle, she almost spilled her entire tray on Prince Oliver.
He put out his hands grabbing her upper arms as she almost tumbled head first.
"Oh, my goodness, your Highness, I am so sorry." she said turning beet red. She straightened her tray and stopped herself from reaching out and patting his chest.
"If you wanted me to try a shrimp that bad, all you had to do was ask." he said with a grin. Felicity could not help but smile back, but then she remembered where she was and what she was doing there. She was supposed to be serving, not flirting with the future King, and it was at that moment she realized his hands were still on her arms. She felt a warmth from his hands seep through and when he realized he was still holding her he dropped his hands and took a step back.
"You did not tell me your name." he said as his eyes searched for a name tag.
"You did not ask." she said and looked around nervously. She tried to walk past him but he stepped in front of her.
"I need to get back to work before I get fired for keeping you from your party Sir." she said and tried to walk away again. There was a woman glaring daggers her way and she looked important. The last thing she needed was to draw attention.
He blocked her path and smiled.
"You can go when you tell me your name." he said. "That is an order."
She knew he was teasing but she still tensed as it was a reminder of just who he was, "Felicity. My name is Felicity your Highness."
She gave him a soft smile and met his eyes for a moment before she hurried away.
Oliver watched her go and an idea formed in his mind. So far, she was the most interesting person here and he found he wanted to know her better. Oliver knew the castle better than anyone as he had played in every nook and cranny when he was a child and he slipped into the French doors and strode purposefully down the hall toward the kitchen. Seeing the castle Chef, he walked up and placing his hands behind his back, gave him a stern look.
"Chef, I am in need of a waitress to help me. The Prince of Andorra and I are going to meet in the library to discuss the tournament next Saturday." Oliver saw Felicity walk into the kitchen with her tray and he glanced her direction. "She will do."
The Chef nodded and quickly called Felicity over. "Please send her to the library with some delicacies." He saw Felicity look at him in confusion and he turned with a smirk and walked down the hall toward the library.
Felicity looked at the Chef in confusion as he put together an assortment of the hors'deuvres he had made and then handed it to her. "Please take this to the library for Prince Oliver and stay in case you are needed."
Felicity glanced down at the tray and then made her way down the hall. She had passed the library when she arrived and as she stepped into the room and looked around the vast room, her eyes lit up in delight. She loved books, all books and she looked in envy at the assortment that lined the beautiful oak shelves.
"Please close the door behind you." she heard Prince Oliver say and she balanced the tray on one arm as she closed the door behind her, and then walked over to a nearby coffee table and set down the tray. The Prince was standing with his back to her looking out the window toward the front lawn and she stood and shifted uncertainly.
"Your food is here Sir." she said. "If you need me, I will be right outside the door."
She started to walk toward the door when she heard his voice, "Please join me?"
Was she hearing things? She could have sworn he just asked her to join him. She turned as she heard him walking across the room and when he smiled and motioned for her to sit, she thought surely, she was dreaming. Why would the Prince, future King of England want her to join him?
"Please Felicity. I have enjoyed our brief encounters this evening and would just like to get to know you better. Will you please join me?" He stood patiently waiting, and she could see the hope in his blue, blue eyes.
She walked over and took a seat on the couch. As bad of an idea as this was and as ridiculous as it seemed, she found she could not say no. She found she didn't want to say no. He took a seat across from her his large frame folding gracefully into the wing back chair and Felicity blew out a breath.
He was so very handsome. Felicity hoped she was not making a huge mistake.
Notes Below:
The pond where Oliver and Felicity first met.
