A Christmas Kiss – A Special Scene with King Cyrus from The Five Princes
“You’re a princess, my dear. You know you don’t need to do things like this yourself, don’t you?”
I smiled as I handed Cyrus the gigantic wad of Christmas lights, watching him cringe under the weight of it.
“Yes, I know,” I replied. “But Mom and Dad hired people to decorate the grand hall, the ballroom, the parlors, the meeting rooms, and the foyer… I can do my own bedroom.”
I could feel him staring at me sheepishly as I climbed up the ladder to start hanging the lights on the gigantic Christmas tree I had put in my bedroom. Our family house in California had been too small for such a big tree, but my new bedroom in our family castle could eat my California house and still have room for dessert.
It had only been six months since I learned I was a princess, and that our family was royalty; and although I couldn’t complain about the housing upgrade, this castle didn’t feel like home to me. The only times I felt at home was when Cyrus came to visit, which was only once a month due to his responsibilities as king in his own kingdom.
“Besides,” I added as Cyrus fed the lights to me, “I don’t think you’re annoyed about me working on decorations. I think you’re more nervous about being in my bedroom.”
I added a flirtatious lilt at the end of my sentence. He coughed, looking away as his dark caramel skin turned pink on the edges of his ears.
“What are your traditions in America for this holiday?” Cyrus asked, changing the topic.
“Hmmm… well, we decorate everything in lights, we have a large family dinner, and we exchange presents. What about in Aujina?”
“Nothing exciting, really. It’s custom to drink ginger tea accompanied by traditional cinnamon pancakes, and then make wishes for the new year.”
I smiled at the thought. “Then would you like to eat pancakes and drink tea with me, Cyrus? …Cyrus?”
I looked down to find Cyrus completely tangled up in the lights, grunting as he tried to detangle them from his dark hair. I couldn’t hold back my laughter, which deflated him instantly.
“Oh, go on and laugh, will you?” he asked, pouting.
I climbed down the ladder and carefully unwrapped his hair and clothes from the lights, fully aware of his large, soft eyes watching my every move.
“You’re quite accident prone, Your Majesty,” I said. “But don’t worry. I won’t spill your secrets to the public.”
“Because you’re embarrassed of me?” he asked shyly.
I shook my head. “Because you’re too adorable to share with anyone else.”
As my hand passed by his face to detangle him from the lights, he quickly grabbed it. I froze up, but he just smiled and kissed my hand, the same way he had kissed it when we first met six months ago. Butterflies headbanged against my ribcage.
“You have so much grace in you, Marina,” he said, rubbing his fingertips against my palm. “You’ll make a wonderful queen one day.”
For a heart-stopping moment, I thought he was proposing to me, but then I remembered that I was destined to be queen of Paijeana whether or not Cyrus asked me to be his wife. I was queen either way.
But, the truth was, if I was going to be queen, I wanted it to be with Cyrus by my side.
I finally detangled him from the lights, letting them drop beside us as he took both my hands in his. He smiled that warm smile of his – the one I was completely in love with – then wrapped his arms around my back to pull me in close to him. He looked around the room.
“Remember when we came to this castle together for the first time?” he asked.
I nodded. “You brought me here when I found out I was a princess. You mentored me, watched over me, and took care of me. I think your patience and kindness is what made me fall for you.”
He gave a dreamy smile, running his fingers through my hair. “And your grace and considerate nature made me fall in love with you. The day we came here, we had drinks and dessert in the courtyard. Do you remember?”
I nodded, remembering that warm summer afternoon of lemonade and scones. The same afternoon that Cyrus confessed that I was his first real date.
“That was the moment I fell for you,” he said. “You asked if the staff would be treated to drinks and dessert for their hard work. That made me realize what a great queen you would be. And what a great woman you are.”
He held me tighter, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he glanced at my lips.
“Would it be inappropriate to kiss the princess of Paijeana?” he whispered.
I smiled and shook my head. Taking the initiative, I leaned in to kiss him, but he put a finger to my lips, stopping me.
“How dare you tease me,” I muttered behind his finger.
He chuckled, reaching for his pocket. He then pulled out a shriveled-up plant, holding it above the two of us.
“Is that… mistletoe?” I asked.
His cheeks went pink. “It’s another American tradition, yes? I read about it somewhere… Maybe it’s outdated or perhaps in this modern era it’s considered sexual harassment, but I thought it was rather romantic–”
I cut him off with a kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck to keep him close to me. He laughed through his nose as he kissed back shamelessly in front of the Christmas angel sitting at the top of the tree.
I may have been Cyrus’s first girlfriend, but his kisses were nothing close to amateur.
When we finally parted our lips, Cyrus leaned his forehead against mine and smiled, his fingertips tracing my arms.
“It looks like I don’t need to make any wishes this year,” he whispered.
“Oh?” I asked. “And why’s that?”
He smiled wider, the Christmas lights reflecting in his eyes.
“Because when I’m with you,” he said, “I have all I could ever wish for.”