The Soldier

                                    

                                          
Alaric looks up at me, holding the flower crown in his hands, smiling at me. It makes me so happy to see him enjoying our time together, it brings a warmth to my life I wish I had experienced more before. He stands up, leaning over the table to place the crown on top of my head. "Now you're a pretty princess."
He sits back down, and I laugh a bit at the comment. I straighten up, holding a finger up and put on a posh voice once again. "It is I, Princess Felix of the Flower Kingdom!" Alaric snickers a bit and I place my hand on my chest. "And who might you serve, handsome knight?" 
He keeps the smile on his face as he watches in amusement, "Who do I serve?" He repeats and then hums, playing along and 'thinking'. "I serve.. I serve the princess, of course."
I open my mouth to say something, but then my words are cut off by the grumbles of my stomach. Alaric cuts the interaction, and begins to get up. "We should go get you some lunch." He offers his arm again, and I stand up to take it.
As we walk, I feel his arm tighten onto mine. I wonder if I'm squeezing it too much, he's somewhat skinny in comparison to me, which is surprising seeing that I haven't been eating well until now. I keep looking over to our arms, interlocked at the elbow. We're walking together like two girls hanging out after school, free from any problems currently. 
We enter the dining hall, following the same routine we've had for the past few days. We sit at a table, and the waiter drops off menus. They're covered in only words. Shit. Alaric looks at his for a moment before looking back up at me. "So, what do you feel like getting?" 
I shrug, honestly not having a clue. "You can order whatever for me. Surprise me." He looks confused at me, and then shuts his menu. 
He stares at me in silence for a moment and then kisses his teeth before speaking, "Got it. I'll go fancy today, maybe some crêpes." He slaps the menu down onto the table, leaning back and calling over a waiter. 
I feel a bit bad for making him order for me, but it's honestly embarrassing to admit I can't read well. In my old orphanage, we were only taught by volunteer tutors who cared enough to spend time, so education wasn't the best. And when Diego and my mom tried teaching me, they would always become so frustrated. I wouldn't want Alaric to deal with that now that I'm already an adult. 
He pulls me back into the current moment, as the waiter walks away. "So, I noticed you don't have any other..." He pauses, almost like he doesn't want to step on an eggshell. "...formal clothes. What if after this, we went to go get you a new suit?" He smiles at me, pointing a spoon from the table at my shirt.
"Why would we get one for me?" I bring up my hands, somewhat confused now. 
He leans back, groaning. "Because, I want to hang out with you at the ball, dummy. And I want you to have nice things." The waiter brings us our food, and he leans back in. "You know, since you're my 'boyfriend', I want to see you prettied up." He takes his fork and starts to eat the crêpes. 
I nod, and pick up my fork to start eating. I've never tried one before, and it's adorned in all sorts of fruits. I slowly take up a bit to my mouth, taking in the crêpe covered in strawberries and blueberries. Rich people are so lucky to eat this shit all the time. Alaric watches me, before he speaks up. "So, what are your favorite books to read?" 
I think for a moment, trying to remember any books Myra had read. "Uh... well, I don't remember that well, but I think..." Why can't I remember any of the books? "I really liked... The Handmaid's Tale." 
I barely know anything about that book.
Alaric nodded slowly, still eating his food. "Well, maybe one day we can read together." I wish we could. "Anyways, do you have any color in mind for the suit? Oooh, we can get you nice cufflinks too. You seem like you'd do well in a nice suit." He lightened up with excitement, I guess he really likes to play dress-up with people.