Eadlyn hadn't known that he liked chocolate. She hadn't known what the palace garden looked like at three o'clock in the morning. She hadn't even known they had a hammock. And she wasn't exactly sure if it was the tiredness, or if the alcohol from the party was still in her system, but she didn't think too much about it.

"Eadlyn," the man next to her says, "what are you thinking about?"

Eadlyn smiles. "What my parents would do to me if they found out I was out here."

He raises an eyebrow, smirking. "Because you're with me?"

She giggles and shoves his shoulder. "Don't think so much of yourself. No, I mean what they'd do if they found me here this late."

Erik laughs. "You mean so early."

Eadlyn shakes her head and lays back down next to him. Indeed, she hadn't known the palace had a hammock until today. It wasn't really something she looked for. One thing she did look for, though, was Erik, and this was where she found him nearly an hour before, by himself, eating chocolate ice cream.

"What are you doing?" she had asked him, a surprised and humored look on her face.

Erik gasped when he saw her. "Oh! Eadlyn, I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?"

"How could you have disturbed me? My bedroom's on the other side of the palace."

He shrugged. "I don't know."

She laughed. "And may I ask why you're eating a half-gallon of chocolate ice cream in a hammock at two o'clock in the morning?"

Erik stared at her for a moment before saying, "Couldn't sleep."

Eadlyn smirked and grabbed the tub of ice cream from him. "My palace, my ice cream." She used his spoon to take a bite.

He narrowed his eyes. "I was eating that."

"I know."

"And you took it from me."

"I know that, too."

"Will you give me it back?"

Eadlyn giggled and said, "Maybe. If you let me sit out here with you."

Erik blinked in surprise. "O-okay."

He scooted over and let her squeeze into the hammock, leaving little space between them. That's where they've been this entire time, just talking, eating ice cream, and acting like normal kids.

"Around, like, ten-or-so years ago," Eadlyn says, taking a bite of ice cream, "my mom had Osten, and I already had most of the big sister stuff down already, you know, with Kaden and Ahren and all, and I absolutely thought that Osten would be my best little brother, but, God, was I wrong."

Erik snorts. "What? You like him less than the others?"

"No! I love him. It's just… he's a heathen, you know? The first time I held him he spit up on me, and have I mentioned how weak of a stomach I have?"

"No. No, you have not. Hey, you think living with brothers is bad? I have five sisters."

Eadlyn rolls her eyes. "Oh, come on. Sisters can't be that bad."

"It is when you live in only a three-bedroom house with two dogs."

She groans. "Oh, God, that sounds terrible."

He laughs. "It was actually much easier than you think. All my sisters are great—when they want to be, at least—but you probably can see why I moved out."

"Well, all kids have to leave the nest sooner or later."

He stares at her a moment before saying, "But you can't."

She lets out a sigh. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I'm not a normal kid. I've never been. I was raised from birth for this life, and I… Well, there's things I have to give up."

Erik studies her face for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry."

She smiles, grabbing the spoon from his hand and taking a bite of ice cream. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's, really."

"No, I'm just sorry that you have to go through that. You know, watching all your siblings leave one day, and then you're just stuck."

"Great things come with a price. It's not bad, though. I live in a palace with people to serve me at a moment's notice, and I have the best clothes and jewelry, the best food, and… pretty much anything my heart desires."

"But that's not what you want, is it?" he asks quietly.

Eadlyn looks at him for a long moment and sighs. "I… I don't know what I want, Erik."

"Tell me, why did you come looking for me?"

She lays her head in his chest, and he sucks in a breath. "I wanted to know who you think I should eliminate next."

He shakes his head, looking at her curiously. "Why me?"

"You know what it's like in there, with the boys, I mean."

"Couldn't you ask Kile or Hale?"

She raises an eyebrow. "Am I bothering you?"

Erik laughs. "No! I'm just curious."

"You're not a part of the selection, so, you know, it's more fair."

"But aren't you supposed to judge them for yourselves? See which ones you like the best?"

Eadlyn sighs. "That's one of the bad things about being a princess. People put on different personalities when they're around me."

"I don't," he whispers.

She giggles and takes another bite of ice cream. "Well, that's great."

"But as for your question, I don't want to tell you who to eliminate, Eadlyn. It just… it wouldn't feel right."

"Okay, then don't tell me who to eliminate. Tell me who you would like to be our king the least."

He laughs. "Fine. Leeland seems a little too sensitive for life as a royal. With the ridicule the royal family gets, I think it would make him snap much too soon. Ean… he makes me a little nervous. You know, like he's plotting your murder or something."

Eadlyn blinks in surprise. "Oh. Probably want to get him out."

"Ivan seems a little too, uh… Burke-like."

"Anyone else?" she asks.

Erik swallows before saying, "Henri."

Eadlyn gasps. "Henri? Why would I eliminate him?"

He sighs deeply. "Come on, Eadlyn. You can't be blind to reality."

She presses a finger to his lips to silence him. "Erik, let's not talk about this right now."

"Then what do you want to talk about?" he murmurs

"This." Without another word, Eadlyn gently presses her lips against his for a second before releasing him.

"O-okay."

She giggles and kisses him again, setting a hand on his cheek The moments move quickly, and Eadlyn is all too aware that someone could catch them at any moment, but she doesn't even care. His lips are soft, softer than Kile's by far, and he's much gentler when he tangles his fingers into her hair. She kisses the corner of his mouth once more before laying down next to him.

"We should get some sleep," she says.

"We?"

(A/N: hello, everybody! So this is definitely one of my favorite prompts! It was just so cute! Thanks so much to those who have reviewed! It means so much to me!

This prompt:

Imagine your OTP sitting in a hammock at three in the morning on a summer night, sharing a bucket of ice cream.

So I'd like to know, what do you think the characters' favorite ice cream flavors would be? I picked chocolate for Erik because he just seems like a chocolate kind of guy. :)

Thanks, guys!

Weatherbug02)