A/N: Thanks for the rp @benjaminschreave! 1044 words
“Then I think it's just a left over here…” I mutter to myself, trying to find my way to the gardens. I make said left I am greeted by yet another room that does not hold the door to the gardens. I am about to turn around when I spot Ben walking around with a book in his hands. I make my way over to him, butterflies beginning to take flight in my stomach.
“Hey!” I say, a small grin on my face.
He looks up from his book and returns my smile. “Hey Amalia.”
“What are you reading?” I question, gesturing to the book in his hands. Ben holds it up so I can read the title: Greek Mythology and Related Stories.
“Freshening up my memory.” He tells me.
“Oh, I love myths!” I exclaim, my face lighting up. When I was in the seventh grade, I stumbled upon a book of different myths and instantly fell in love.
“Which is your favorite?” The Prince asks, his head tilted, “Jason? Persephone and Hades maybe?”
“I've always loved Pandora's box.” I answer, “Which is saying something, because I'm usually not a fan of things associated with my sister.” My sister and I have never really gotten along. Mostly due to the fact that she has always made it her mission to one-up me and always rubs her success in my face whenever she gets the chance.
He crosses his arms, an eyebrow quirked out of what I assume is curiosity. “Is her name Pandora?”
“It is. I've always wanted her name.”
“I don't like my name.” I inform him, “People either pronounce my name incorrectly or call me Amelia.” My parents said that they wanted to give me and my siblings names that you don't hear very often. I'm fine with that, I just wish that they hadn't given me a name that is easy to mispronounce. By the age of 10 I was tired of accidentally being called “Uh-mal-ia” instead of “Uh-mall-ia”.
“Amalia…” Ben tests, “I like it if that counts for something.”
A soft smile comes across my face. “Thank you, you're very sweet.”
He raises his eyebrow with a teasing smirk. “So it does then?”
“Hmm…” I start, matching his smirk, “Does the opinion of a nice, attractive Prince mean anything to me? I'm going to go with yes.”
Ben lets out a short laugh at my response. “Alright, I'll give you that.” His eyes travel around the room for a few moments before they land back on me. “Care for a walk in the gardens?” He asks, pointing down the hallway.
“Sounds great.” I state with a smile.
He offers me his arm, the book in his free hand. “So which myth is your favorite?” I ask upon taking his arm.
“Eros and Psyche.” He answers, “Kind of romantic but, I like it.”
“Oh that one is beautiful!” I reply, “A little sad, but that kind of comes with most myths.”
He chuckles. “And probably one of the few that still ends happy.”
“Very true. I'm a firm believer in all fictional love stories having a good ending.” I tell him.
“Romeo and Juliet not quite your taste then?” He asks, flashing me an amused smile.
I did not understand why people always found Romeo and Juliet to be one of Shakespeare’s best works. Yes, the writing was good, but their romance was obviously just sparked by teenage hormones and the yearning to rebel against their families.
I shudder. “No, I prefer the Twelfth Night. Much happier.”
“Took a lot to get there, but I agree.”
“Most good love stories take a lot of work.” I say, glancing up at him.
“I don't think I'd go as far as pretending I was a woman, but yes.” He says with a small smile.
I nod in agreement. “Definitely not.” I reply, immediately regretting my words. What are you saying Amalia, you are a woman! We walk in silence for a bit as I continue to quietly scold myself.
“Any other favorite stories of yours?” Ben asks.
“This might seem a little juvenile, but I like Harry Potter quite a bit.” I tell him. When I was ten years old, Pandora told me I should read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This was back when we were on kind of good terms,so I read it. For the next two years I went through a very intense Harry Potter phase which may or may not have involved me speaking in a British accent.
He shrugs and smiles a bit. “Not too juvenile. Harry was always a winner with me.”
“What house are you in?” I question, excitement lacing my voice.
“Hmmm…” I start, thinking for a moment, “Ravenclaw?” I answer very hesitantly. I've never really been a good guesser.
He shakes his head. “Nope.”
“Gryffindor!” I exclaim, only jumping a little bit as I do so.
He lets out a small laugh. “Yes. Proud Gryffindor.”
“Very nice, very nice.” I say with a smile, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
“And you are… Hufflepuff?” Ben asks.
“Wow, you're a good guesser.”
“Call it my intuition. My second guess would have been Ravenclaw.” He tells me with a chuckle.
“I'm very close to being a Ravenclaw.” I inform him.
“And what makes you more Hufflepuff than Ravenclaw?”
“I'm not sure honestly. Hufflepuffs are supposed to be good finders, but I always seem to lose things. My family and friends insist that I'm a Hufflepuff, so I just go with it.” I remember why my best friend, Tristan, thought I was a Hufflepuff and he just sort of laughed.
Hw lets out a short laugh. “Good enough reason. And maybe you're better at finding knowledge than actual things.”
“That is a very good point!” I say with an impressed smile.
After discussing politics and Illéan history, we make our way back to the entrance of the gardens where Ben let's go of my arm.
“Thanks for the walk, Amalia.” He says.
“It was fun!” I tell him with a grin.
He nods once, a smile on his face. “It was Hufflepuff. I'll see you around.” He walks back into the palace with a small wave.
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