'love is anything but patient; love is far from kind.'

✧ michael lewis ✧ ✧ stable boy for the kingdom of belgium ✧

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs​:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

“ oh, shut up. though i am a little offended that i haven’t met your parents yet, ” she teases, manicured nails drumming along the fence. “ i was just curious. you never talk about them, so i wasn’t sure. ”

“not much to talk about, really. we’re not the royal family or anything. speaking of.” he turns back around, pointing the brush at her. “ aren’t you meant to be with them right now ? some fancy luncheon or something ? you wouldn’t stop complaining about it yesterday. ” he raises a knowing eyebrow. “ ditching again, are we ? ”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs​:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

she snickers at him and leans forward again, watching him through those same lovesick eyes that have followed him for the past year. “ hey, mikey ? do you ever see your family ? ”

“ sometimes. when i can, i bring them money in person. they understand that being here is what is best for me. ” he glances over his shoulder. “ why ? don’t tell me you’re planning on running away to my house. ”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs​:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

she beams at him innocently, because of course it’s hypothetical. “ of course, of course. so … your dream land is somewhere tropical, not near a castle or anything fringing on the royal side of things. duly noted ! ” 

“ annnnd this is the part where i regret ever opening my mouth. he turns back around and grabs a brush off the shelf in hopes of vandal actually letting him brush him, if only to give him something to do other than stare at her.

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs​:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

“ a beach town … in which country ? i’m sure we can use my princess-ly powers to get us a ticket to anywhere you’d like to go. just say the word and we can go. ”

“ this is all hypothetical, ” he reminds her, because if he doesn’t, he truly believes she’ll find the two of them a pair of one way tickets and never look back. “ anywhere that’s not too hot, but not too cold. the perfect breeze. no worries, no concerns. but. ” he fixes her with serious look. “ that’s not how life works. ”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs​:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

bridgette lets out another groan. “ goooood, you are so complicated, why am i in love with you ? ” it’s not the first time she’s said it and it won’t be the last. she’ll say it until he gets it. ( and that’s shaping up to be a big, fat ‘never.’ ) she lets out a huff. “ okay, then where do you want to run away to, huh ? ”

why she continues to say that damned l-word, he will never know. it very well may play into her never ending dramatics. because there’s just no way ... no, not a chance. he will not dwell on the thought for how ridiculous it sounds. “ seeing as you refuse to let this go, i suppose i’d run far, far away from any castles. far too confining. perhaps a beach town. lots of land, clean air, all that. ”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs​:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

“ you wouldn’t work for me if you’d just run away with me, ” she points out, singsong and innocent, where she really isn’t. “ i don’t know if i need to remind you, but colton’s already said that we can live in his castle. all you gotta do is say yes. ”

“ you want to run away to france ? ” he asks with a scrunch of his nose. “ i think i will most definitely pass. if i don’t fit in your castle, i most certainly won’t fit in his. not exactly the palace type, in case you haven’t noticed. ”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs​:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

bridgette rolls her eyes, a full body movement that involves her leaning back as far as humanly possible and letting out a groan. “ i don’t want to be a princess, and when will you let that go ? you’re the only one who cares about that ! stop caring about it ! ”

standing back up and dusting off his hands, he finally faces her fully. shaking his head at just how dramatic she is, he reminds, “ a bit difficult when i work for you. or is this no longer your horse ? ”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs​:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.​

“ um, duh ? ” bridgette leans forward on the fence, chin hooked over her crossed arms. “ what are your priorities ? considering you still won’t run away with me, that is, ” she throws out, because yes, she’s still asking.

“ feeding your horse, for one, ” he replies, going to refill vandal’s trough with fresh hay. “ doing my job. getting paid. ” he smiles at her over his shoulder. “ not all of us can be princess. ”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs​:

“ with halloween on the horizon, i think it’s very important to focus on our actual priorities … costumes ! ”

eyebrow raised, michael twists the knob on the water tap and places the empty water bucket beneath it. “ those are our priorities ? ” he asks.

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs‌:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

the smile on her face is one for the ages: bright and unbothered, mouth spread so wide, it conquers everything else. “ we don’t to any lead, silly ! all you have to do is sway … ” she steps into him, positioning their arms correctly. with one of his hands situated on the small of her back and the other wrapped around hers, she starts to sway them back and forth. “ … and spin me when the moment is right. ” that was more of a joke than anything else, but she wouldn’t protest being spun or dipped. “ see ? it’s not that hard. ”

it’s a nice night, slightly cool and lit up by stars. bridgette is glowing form the moonlight, and he’s a liar if he dares to say she’s anything less than 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍. he does his best to keep his eyes on her - he’s sure he’ll get lectured if he looks anywhere else - but it’s hard. nothing about bridgette is easy. she’s more fierce, more bold, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 than anyone else he’s ever met. “ you don’t get bored with things like this? ” he asks, because a princess who is so very not a princess doesn’t seem like the type to be held down by a slow song. “ this doesn’t seem like something you’d be into. ”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs‌:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

victory paints a grin across her lips, and shoots lightning through her veins. “ that’s all i ask, i promise. ” she snatches his hand up again, and leads him out of the dance hall. the benefit to being as close to charlotte and samuel as she is is that she’s been here so many times, she could make a map of this palace. finding the garden is mindless work, and her feet can’t carry her fast enough. she values every stolen moment with him, so she doesn’t complain about it. when they’re standing in the middle of the garden, away from the mass of royals and nobles but still close enough to hear the music, she finally comes to a stop. grinning up at him, she holds out a hand. “ may i have this dance ? ”

there’s absolutely no way she’s going to make this easy for him, and he is foolish to think she would. “ you’ll have to lead, ” he tells her because he’s not some noble, some p r i n c e. he hasn’t had formal dance lessons, isn’t even quiet sure what a formal dance is. all he knows is that women are meant to follow secondly in all of this, but bridgette isn’t just some woman. she’s frustrating and stubborn and all together beautiful because of it. and finally he can appreciate that beauty, away from the prying eyes and tight tension he feels from being in a place he doesn’t belong.

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs‌:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

“ it will be fun because it’s with you. why is this so hard for you to understand ? ” she knows that, at some point, she has to give up. she can’t force him to like her,  no matter how much she wishes he did. but she can force him to have fun. “michael, it’ll take two minutes to dance with me, but i can stay up and argue with you all night. one dance,” she repeats, hoping that he’ll get it this time. “no strings attached. just something to do tonight, so you can see that it’s okay to have fun. no one’s going to tattle on you.”

there’s little he can do. fighting bridgette is worse than dealing with vandal on a bad day which is saying something. so with little choice and a sigh, he nods. “ one dance, ” he yields. then he can sneak away from the royals he most definitely does not belong with and try to block any recollection of this entire night from his memory.

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs‌:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

she crosses her arms with a huff, tipping a glare in his direction. “ what the heck are you so afraid of ? my parents aren’t even here this time. it’s just diana, and it’s not like she’s going to tell on us. ” if diana wanted to ruin bridgette’s life, she could’ve done it years ago. or maybe she should just stop being so insurgent, determined to break rules and fall in love with the wrong boy. she could be like charlotte and marry a nice boy of her parents’ choosing. but that’s not bridgette, and that whole ‘ love ’ train has already left the station & gone out of business. she’s stubborn and stupid because dear god, she swears she’s in love with him. “ we don’t even have to dance in front of everyone. there’s a beautiful garden, it’s super private, and we’ll still hear the music. all i want is one dance, then you’re free to go back and hide in your room. ”

it almost sounds worse. 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆. it’s intimidating and daunting and so far out of his comfort zone he could scream. he’s a stable boy just looking for a solid job and now he’s here. in korea. with the princess who is no way acting like a princess, because she’s asking him to dance instead of the dozens of men just inside the doors who are more than willing. she doesn’t have to put up a fight with them. but instead she’s here, near begging him. “ you don’t want to dance with me, ” he uses as the only excuse that comes to mine. “ i have two left feet. it’ll hardly be any fun. ”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs‌:

                                              [      for @mxchael-l      ]

“ come on, michael ! ” heels click a sharp staccato beat against the linoleum as she shuffles closer to the man in question. one would imagine that after being rebuffed so many times, she would take a hint, but lord knows bridgette’s never been one to do that. taking his hand in hers, she playfully tugs at him. “ i didn’t sneak you all the way to korea for you NOT to dance with me. ” a pout forms on her lips, shining with fresh gloss. “ please ? it’s just one dance, i swear. ”

there are so many head aches that come along with bridgette rothschild, but this has to be the biggest of all. he’s a stable boy, not some stuffy man of the court. and yet, here he is, far away from home in a country he can barely locate on a map. all of that is uncomfortable enough, but dancing ? that’s a whole other problem that he doesn’t want to begin to deal with. “ the fact that you snuck me here is the 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕 reason why i shouldn’t dance with you, ” he says as he pries her fingers from some stolen suit he’d been forced to wear. if someone found out his real identity, it will be him getting the punishment, not bridgette.

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs‌:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

she rolls her eyes at him, the gesture more playful than irritant. “it’s because you’re so grumpy. you two are never going to get along if you don’t learn how to treat each other nicely.”

“i’ve been nice - !” his attempts are futile, and he knows it. there’s absolutely no point in it. playing nice and complying with bridgette’s ideas is the only option that will result in the least amount of pain. “fine. whatever. help me get on.”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs‌:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

she positively beams at him, and wiggles her fingers emphatically. “come on, then. honestly, vandal’s not going to wait for ever, you know. you’re not making a very good impression,” she teases, her smile unshakeable.

“oh i’m not making a good impression?” he’s hesitant to even approach the horse let alone get on him. bridgette is far too optimistic that the two of them will get along. “i’m not the one who tries to bite the person trying to feed me.”

[mxchael-l]

libcrtincs‌:

╰ ˟ ｡ ♛ ┆BRIDGETTE ‌.

she doesn’t allow herself to feel triumphant yet, but she feels herself getting a bit closer to victory anyway. she shrugs. “if they do, i can say  forced you to do it. but no one comes around here this time of day. haven’t you noticed?”

he had. because he’d been checking. there’s nothing going on between him and the princess; just an unlucky, unfortunate relationship bonded by a stubborn horse. that’s it. but that doesn’t mean any passersby won’t see something different. it’s risky, but it’s more annoying to argue with her. “fine,” he agrees begrudgingly.