[ His smile is wide and warm, no hint of embarrassment in it for once as he meets her gaze squarely. He...suspected she harbored this warmth for him, though he's elated that she gives it to freely today. ]

I'm sorry to disappoint, my queen of the seas, but I am a man of no title and little importance from a country that no longer exists. But if you want me to be a prince, then I am a prince.

[ That he was her knight was a foregone point.

He does not realize, either, the way he's closed the space between them, looping an arm around her waist and pulling her to his side, gazing over the sea with her.

No wonder she misses this. It feels like...freedom. Hope. ]