"Magnus, son. I must ask you a question. Please, answer me honestly," the King said, catching Magnus completely off guard as they sat alone in His Majesty’s office.

"What is it, Father?"

"Do you love Miss Sinclair?"

Unsure of how to react, Magnus remained facing to his father, one hand on the pen and the other keeping a pad of paper he'd been taking notes on in place. He opened his mouth to reply but wasn't sure what to say to his father. Was it a test, he thought to himself? Surely it wasn't. That wasn't like his father, a very transparent man.

"Why do you ask?" he settled on answering with his own question, to buy himself an additional few minutes.

"The obvious reasons, son. You've never brought a young lady here as a guest. Not that you are not a pleasant person, but there is something about you since Miss Sinclair has been in the picture. You seem so much happier and ready to take on any challenge you are charged with."

The King smiled. "Then there is the way you look at her. When Miss Sinclair is in the room or anywhere near you, you light up. It's not a bad thing, son. However, since you are the Crown Prince of Martierra, I need to know what may possibly be headed our way."

Still, Magnus sat there, stiff, unable to articulate words. What the heck is wrong with me? he wondered. Perhaps it was the fact that he did love Freya. He was happily in love with her. He hadn't told her yet, for fear of scaring her away by moving too quickly.

Was it right to confess his love for her to his father before doing so to her?

"Father, I do love her."

There. He admitted it out loud.

"I haven't told her yet. I don't want her to feel pressured. Our world is much different than hers and this step, her being here, is already a lot considering everything she has going on in her life."

The King was smiling as if he'd heard the best news in the world. But Magnus couldn't figure out why. Of course, he figured his Father would be happy for him. Who was he kidding, he was venturing into uncharted territory. It was a first for both the King and Magnus, to be discussing the woman he loved.

"I am happy for you, and I'm sure your Mother will be too. I know this is all brand new, but if you know she is absolutely the one, don't waste your time, son. Declare your love to her. If she is unable to say it back immediately, don't fret. Give her time."

"Father, to be honest, I'm surprised you are giving me this advice."

"I don't see why? I am a father before I am King. The happiness of my children matters more to me than anything this title can afford. We only have one life to live. Live it well."

Magnus stared at his father, witnessing for the first time a different layer he'd never seen before. It wasn't that it was a bad thing, but it was certainly different. Refreshingly different.

"Magnus! Wait," Cossette said as she hurried to his side, catching him just as he'd surfaced from the King's office.

"Were you stalking me?" Magnus said playfully.

"Actually, I was. I'd gone to say goodbye to Tristan and then came back in to look for you. Gerard told me you were in there with Father." She studied him carefully. "Must have been good news. You look very happy."

It was true Magnus couldn't contain his happiness. But he was still faced with figuring out the timing to tell Freya.

There was one thing that was for sure, he sure had no plans of telling anyone else about his feelings for her until she heard it first.

"Well, it was a productive meeting. Plus, I'm on my way to find Freya. I've barely seen her since the ball, and I have a few hours free." He smiled. "What was it that you needed to see me for?"

"Oh! That. My brain is going to mush with this pregnancy, and I'm all kinds of emotional. Anyway, I wanted to do something special for the children of our staff. All of our staff," She emphasized.

"What are you thinking?"

"A posada." She smiled eagerly awaiting Magnus' reaction.

She was right to wait, because he not only liked the idea, he loved it.

"Cossette, that is perfect! Count me in. Why don't you ask Freya to help you coordinate it? I think it would be nice to have something to do outside of accompanying Mother on her charity visits. They have a couple crammed in before the holidays."

"That is what I was contemplating, so I'm glad you agree. Just one more thing, will you ask Father if it’s okay to have it here on the Palace grounds?"

Magnus knew it was going to take Cossette a bit of time to feel comfortable again within the family, even if it was all her doing. "Yes, a matter of fact, we'll go in there right now, together, just like old times, and not leave until we get what we want."

They both joined in the laughter as he took his sister's arm in his, and together they marched into the King's office.

"There you are!" Magnus exclaimed as he reached in to embrace his beloved Freya. "How are you?" he said, kissing her softly on the lips, blocking any attempt she had to speak.

He'd found Freya outdoors walking in the gardens alone. She seemed to have a lot on her mind, but he'd get to that later. All he wanted at that moment was to kiss her sweet lips.

"Whoa, Nelly!" she said as she came up for air.

Magnus had no idea what she'd meant. Who was Nelly?

"I'm sorry?"

Freya laughed uncontrollably as he stood there trying to decipher the meaning to her comment.

After a minute or two she finally composed herself. "You'd never heard that expression ‘Whoa, Nelly?’" She was still smiling.

"I can't say I have." He shook his head. "No. I'm positive I've never heard it."

"Ha!" she exclaimed, "no wonder you look petrified." She cleared her throat. "It’s a saying used to say, slow down or stop. Farmer's would kind of call their workhorses Nelly, so when they needed them to slow down or stop, they'd pull on the rein and say ’whoa, Nelly’ and the horse understood the combination of commands."

Magnus was now laughing. "Freya, did you just call me a horse?"

He loved seeing her merriment as she broke out laughing yet again.

"It's a saying! Oh my gosh, Magnus. I can't with you right now." She tickled him in the ribs, causing Magnus to immediately bend over to protect himself.

He was beyond ticklish. The mere thought of someone’s fingers reaching out to him sent him into laughing fits. Cossette was good at getting her head starts when they'd race by tackling him just as Freya had.

"Magnus, I'm barely touching you." Freya laughed. "You are way too ticklish!" she said as she reached behind him to run her fingers down his back, causing him to turn beet-red in laughter. He tried to ask her to stop, but he couldn't get any words out. Tears rolled down his face as he gasped for air in between laughing fits.

"That's it. You are cut off from me touching you," Freya threatened.

She looked cute standing cross-armed beside him, pouting as if she really meant it. She didn't though, as she continued trying to tickle him.

"Okay! I promise, that's the last of it," she winked, "for now."

She finally turned her back to him because he couldn't stop laughing with her facing him the way she was.

Once he was relaxed, she finally turned back to him. "Are we done?"

Magnus straightened himself out and adjusted his shirt before he replied, "Yes, I think so."

"Good. I'm ready to go back indoors. As fun as this little charade has been, it's almost lunchtime, and I assured the Queen that I'd join her for lunch."

"Didn't you have breakfast with her?"

"I did. But I think that was more for her to get to know Tristan. I believe she wants to go over her schedule with me to find out what I might want to attend. You know, her charity work."

Magnus took Freya's hand in his and escorted her back toward the Palace.

"Well, before you overcommit, I have something to share with you."

She looked to him with her big dark brown eyes that spoke to his soul. All he wanted to do was cup her face in his hands and kiss her, but they really needed to get back indoors, and he needed to explain to her what Cossette wanted to do.

"Cossette had this fantastic idea that she would love your help with."

"I'm listening," she said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Have you ever heard of a Posada?" He waited, but she looked blank. "Okay, so Posada in English translates to lodging or an accommodation. If you recall the story of the birth of Jesus, where Mary and Joseph ask for shelter because Mary is pregnant and due to deliver? Well, a posada at Christmas is basically a reenactment of that trajectory of Mary and Joseph, ending with them in the manger where Jesus was born. The nativity scene.

"Anyhow, in most of Latin America and in some places of Spain and here on the island, in nine-day intervals also referred to as a novena during the Christmas season, a Posada is held. The dramatization of the original events rooted in the Bible is followed by a festivity, each night, where kids play games, eat delicious holiday food, and win prizes as the community comes together. Cossette wants to host one of the Posadas as these are usually held at different places, nine nights, every night, ending with the final one at the church and midnight mass. But she wants to do something special, more of a carnival."

Magnus had to admit, it was a great idea and exactly what everyone needed following all the bad press.

Christmas was an excellent opportunity to rejoice and start new again, as the New Year approached.

"Okay, that sounds like fun. What do you need me to do?" Freya asked.

"Help Cossette. Of course, you'll have Estella to help."

Freya looked back at the gardens and the open grass areas. "Would the event be outdoors or indoors?"

"Oh, they are always outdoors."

"So, the Princess wants to have a carnival out there, in that beautiful grass, and no one is batting an eye?" She laughed. "I'm just kidding. Of course, I'll help. I'll read up on it tonight to get an idea of the details, especially the religious aspect of it. But is it like a Christmas pageant?"

"On the final night, at the church, they do something like your version of a Christmas pageant, but it is very religious. Fun, but religious."

"Let's go eat. I'm starving." She smiled as they walked through the back-terrace doors and into the Palace.

Magnus had managed to spend a few hours with Freya, but most of that time had been in the company of his mother and sister. Sharing was proving difficult, he thought as he smiled.

Freya was a special woman, and as he sat back watching her interact with his mother and sister, he felt she fit right in, even envisioning her at his side as his Queen. She'd be a fantastic Queen, he told himself, kind, generous, beautiful, smart, with all the qualities a man ready to rule a kingdom would hope for, and only manage to get a fraction of because what love was typically lacking in a royal marriage. And he already loved her. The question was - did she love him?

Sooner or later he was going to have to find out. For now, he would wait and enjoy every moment he could at her side because she was his kind of woman.