“Ugh, why did I let  you drag me out tonight?” Cort asked. He took a big gulp of his beer and tried to hide in the shadows of the corner.

Cort and his two best friends Markus and Brody were hanging out at the Riverside, a popular club that they frequented whenever they wanted to blow off a little steam. Cort thought that was the thing he needed after that tense meeting with his father but now that he was out he was more desperate than ever to just be left alone to brood for a bit. He had a major decision to make and one that did not really need the help of booze, fun with the guys, and random ladies constantly throwing themselves at him.

“Because this is what we do,” Markus said. “I mean if we weren’t here you would just be somewhere feeling sorry for yourself. We figured a change of scenery would do you good.”

“Well, maybe being alone is what I really want at the moment,” Cort said. “I appreciate the thought guys but I think I’m going to bail.”

“Oh, you aren’t leaving so soon are you? I was just hoping to catch a few minutes of your time.”

Cort turned to see a beautiful girl with long black hair, a sweet face, wearing a sleek black dress that perfectly accentuated every curve of her nubile body. He was interested on a purely physical level of course but he really did not want bothered by this. It was obvious the moment that she stepped to him that she knew who he was. Over time he’d developed a sixth sense about the intentions of women. And many times he’d used those intentions to get laid and had even had a few great relationships, but in the end it just never worked out. He always felt that being the prince was the biggest thing with these women. All of them had delusions of grandeur of being a King’s wife one day. It was both a blessing and a curse.

“I was actually,” Cort replied. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’d be much fun at the moment.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” the woman said. “I’m Vanessa by the way.”

“Vanessa,” Markus said stepping in. “Our buddy is feeling a bit shy this evening. He needs some alone time right now but we will be glad to come by your table later for a few drinks if you are still around.”

Vanessa seemed disappointed but she tried to hide it with her flirty demeanor.

“Ok, I’ll hold you to that,” she said walking away slowly.

“What the hell? Dude, turning that down? You are in some sort of a funk,” Markus said busting Cort’s chops.

“I told you. This thing with seceding my father as king… it’s got me all turned around. I think I’m just going to go home.”

“Nah man. Don’t do that. You will regret it. We just need to get a few drinks up in you,” Brody said. He immediately went to the bar.

“I have a drink already!” Cort called after him holding up his beer but Brody was already talking to the sexy bartender.

“He is right,” Markus said. “Just know we do this all out of love, man. We hate seeing you moping around. It’s not you.”

“Well, what would you do in my shoes? You think I should just cheer up and marry some random woman to appease a silly rule created by some idiot bureaucrats two hundred years ago?” Cort asked.

“It could be worse,” Markus said. “You keep forgetting that you have all the power here. You could go out and find the best, coolest, most beautiful girl around here and she would marry you. I realize time is of the essence but I think if you put together a team of recruits it can be done.”

Cort laughed. “Listen to what you are saying. It sounds like we are putting together a sports team or something. This is marriage. Call me old fashioned but I really want to fall in love someday. I really want to make something great work here with the right woman. I don’t want to be railroaded into something I’m going to regret or be stuck with for the rest of my life. You know the rule. Once a woman is pronounced queen there is no divorce from that. The King is basically stuck with her until one of them dies. And don’t say it!” Cort laughed.

“I was not about to suggest the queen have some unfortunate accident at some point down the road,” Markus joked.

“You are terrible, man!” Cort laughed. His friends were too much sometimes.

Brody returned with a couple of long island iced teas, Cort’s favorite drink. He begrudgingly accepted it.

“So, what did I miss?” Brody asked.

“Go ahead Markus,” Cort responded. “Tell him your plan.”

Markus rolled his eyes.

He was about half finished with his drink when he felt something rubbing his shoulder. Turning his head slightly he was not at all surprised to see a sexy blonde girl who looked as if she might have been slightly underage but had charmed the bouncers, or at least had a fake ID to gain admittance to the club. But the way she carried herself suggested she was much older than she appeared. She was looking at him with that mixture of recognition and hope, which Cort had termed the “Stalker Eyes”.

“Hey, there handsome. Would you like to dance?”

“I appreciate it, but not so much right now. Maybe later,” Cort said trying to let her down gently.

The girl was persistent though.

“Well, maybe I can find other ways to make you feel better,” she moaned in his ear.

Cort almost choked on his drink. He smiled and took the girl’s hands off his shoulders.

“I have other things on my mind right now. I was just leaving,” Cort said.

Before she or his friends could even protest Cort finished his drink in one gulp and walked out of the club. He needed some fresh air. It felt good hitting his face and filling his lungs as he his feet slapped against the pavements, his boots making slight clomping noises on the pavement.

It never ended did it? Everywhere he went the women would find him, sniffing around like hungry dogs, smelling the fame and the prestige that was given to him simply by being born. He had done nothing really to earn such recognition. He was just lucky enough to be born to the right people. That was it.

He was so tired of it though. It had its perks of course, but he hated that people did not want to ever get to know the real him. It was like he had to be a constant performer. If anyone knew the real him and found out he was a real man with real problems and flaws then the whole image would be shattered to pieces.

And his love life had suffered so because of it. He just could not get away from women who only wanted him because of what he was and not who he was. He was a lot more than the King’s son. Why couldn’t anyone understand that?

As he walked he realized that Markus and Brody were right; he didn’t want to go home. He would really just sit alone and have a few drinks of whiskey while watching some of his favorite shows or maybe strumming a bit on his acoustic guitar until he fell asleep slumped over it night after night.

Maybe he would work on the new song he was writing. He’d been writing a lot lately. It was therapeutic to work out the demons and the frustrations of everyday life. Lately he’d had to deal with more than most people. Of course he would never let anyone hear any of his compositions. It was just for him. Just something personal he did. Maybe one day after his death he would leave instructions for his body of work, some recordings of his songs for people to listen to and judge where he could no longer hear them.

He noticed that the Canal was open and he decided to pop in there for a drink or two. It was a nice little upscale bar that he occasionally went to. He was hard not to recognize but a place like that catered to a crowd that seemed to respect his privacy enough to leave him alone. At least he hoped that would be the case tonight. Things like that could change in an instant.

He went inside and casually walked up to the bar. He ordered a whiskey on the rocks and sat down at an empty stool. The place was pretty busy with a wide assortment of characters all having fun, so far oblivious to the fact that their next possible king was in the room. Even the pretty bartender didn’t seem to notice him, but she was eye flirting with him anyway. Then again that was how she got tips.

Cort begin to sip his drink and glance around inconspicuously. This was when he noticed the pretty girl sitting beside him. How did he not see her before? She was about his age with an angelic face and a demeanor that emanated strength and self-confidence. Her smile was beautiful and as she caught him looking at her it widened considerably. She was the type of girl who seemed perfectly at ease by herself but was also very approachable and friendly.

Cort smiled back at her and went back to his drink. The girl did the same thing. Was it possible that there was a woman in the country who did not know who he was? Or was it just the fact that she did not really care? He was now thoroughly intrigued. As he watched her it became evident to him that she was a foreigner. The way she was looking around as if there were things about the bar and the people  that she did not understand, but she was taking it all in with a mild curiosity that was innocent and he found rather beautiful.

“Hi,” he said after a few moments. It felt awkward to be watching her without at least saying something.

The girl’s eyes lit up slightly as she glanced back at him. Wow, she had the most perfect eyes he’d ever seen…

“Hi,” she said back.

“How are you?” Cort followed up. He realized he was really out of practice with making small talk. When women routinely hit on him he didn’t really have to say much or keep the conversation going. This was harder than he remembered.

“I’m good,” she replied.

She was American. He could tell by the accent. That was why she didn’t recognize him. A wave of relief washed over him right then and he found himself feeling far more relaxed. The pressure was now over; he could just enjoy the good company and not worry about anything else. It had been a while since Cort had felt like this.

“So how are you enjoying your visit to our country?” Cort asked.

The girl smiled a bit embarrassed. “Wow, is it that obvious?”

“Well, yeah,” Cort joked. “I’m Cort. What’s your name?”

“Teegan,” she said. “It’s great to meet you Cort. And yes I am having a great time visiting.”

“What brings you to our little corner of the world?” Cort asked.

“I’m just travelling around. I heard this was a fun place to be, so I stopped here for a bit.”

He loved how vague she was being, but he was not sure if she was being flirty or if she was just comfortable sharing much about herself with a total stranger.

“So, what do you do?” Cort asked.

“I teach yoga,” she replied. “Have you ever done any?”

Cort laughed. “No, I have to admit my exercise is mostly confined to jogging and weightlifting. I’m not sure I’m flexible enough to do that.”

“Well, you have to build it up. It’s harder than it looks and a lot of people give up on it too soon. But I swear if you hang with it then it will change your life.”

“I love the passion you have for it,” Cort said. “That’s the best thing in the world isn’t it? To earn your living through your passion.”

“Yes! It absolutely is. I couldn’t imagine ever going back just a job again. What do you do?”

Cort thought a moment. He was not about to tell her that he was Prince of Rovenia.

“I’m a musician and I also teach surfing,” Cort said. Both of these could have been true, except no one ever heard him playing music and surfing was something he did alone or with a few friends. He hardly had time to teach it to anyone. But he was deeply passionate about both. Somehow this helped him feel less guilty about the fib.

“That’s great!” Teegan replied. She seemed genuinely impressed. “I’ve always wanted to learn to surf.”

“Oh, it is just life changing. There is nothing more exhilarating than getting out on the waves and just becoming one with the force of nature, you know?”

“I do. I feel like that when I’m in the zone doing yoga, as lame as that might sound.”

“No, not at all,” Cort replied. “I couldn’t imagine you doing anything lame.”

Teegan glanced down, then looked back up at him with a big smile.

God, she was perfect.