9. Myra

Alexandra enters the alleyway with a pile of clothes in her hands. They’re plainer and simpler than what I’m wearing at the moment, a ridiculously extravagant nightgown, that is covered in dirt after running through the forest for hours.
I take her in for a moment. The shirt she is wearing is quite worn out but it doesn’t downplay her attractiveness by any means . Her amour now lying somewhere in the woods.
“We need to change, ” she explains, handing half the pile, “One look at me and people would think I’m about to steal their bread. One look at you and well. . .” She blushes and points her chin in the direction of my too revealing nightgown , barely covered by the thin cloak she gave me.
“What are you suggesting?”, I ask, eyebrows raised, trying my best to hide a smile.
Alexandra’s cheeks darken, and she exclaims: “I wasn’t trying to- Your grace, I would never-.” Her loss of words amuses me and I can’t help myself anymore. I burst out laughing.
“I was just joking. No need to be this scared.” Still chuckling, I reach for the clothes. The knight looks down and lets me take the pile without another word. I make sure to face the wall instead of her before I start undressing.
The orange and brown dress hugs my slim body perfectly. I let my finger glide over the smooth fabric as I turn around. Lifting my eyes I’m met with a bare back and arms covered in strong muscles that move underneath her skin. My breath hitches and it is me who now turns bright red. Luckily for me, Alexandra does not notice, and does not even turn around when she is ready but instead opens a brown fabric bag I did not notice before.
“Give me your gown, Princess.” She turns around and I finally notice the dress she is wearing. A red dress. And I was right. She looks absolutely gorgeous. To distract my mind from her sight I ask: “How did you afford the dresses?”
She rubs her neck, looking down embarrassed. “I didn’t.”, she admits. “I stole them.”
“When did you go from stealing treats to stealing dresses?”, I tease. Alexandra looks up surprised. Robbing the palace kitchen is something other than a market dress stall, but it does not bother me as much as it should.
I follow Alexandra towards the city. I am so overwhelmed from the number of stalls, I do not know where to look first. Flowers, fresh bread, fish, tiny figures, everything I could imagine laid out in front of us. A particular colourful dress catches my eye. I am so impressed by the delicate work that I almost miss Alexandra say. “I have the slight assumption that it has something to do with a Princess and her sweet tooth.”
I enjoy that she is finally joking back, but can not stop an eye roll. Although I forbid myself to think about it for too long, I missed our banter filled nights. I do not think she should call me “Princess” on the open street, but all thoughts vanish from my mind when she wraps her hand around mine. I let it happen but only because I am too scared of getting caught up in one of the stalls and losing her between the oppressive crowd. As her fingers interlock with mine, it is harder to pretend I do not enjoy the feeling of her skin on mine. Here in the throng of people , it is easy to pretend I am not a Princess and she is not my guard, that we are simply Myra and Alexandra, like all those years ago, during our late-night talks. I only realise now how much I missed that feeling.