Meanwhile, unaware¹ that anyone was looking for them, Kit² and Ella walked down the long castle gallery. The walls were lined with portraits of previous rulers and their families, their faces looking down upon the pair.

 

Ella's mind was reeling. As they had finished the most perfect dance, she was unable to miss the way the crowd had bowed low as they had passed. It had seemed odd to her, until she realized that as they bowed, they also said, "Your Highness." She had looked at Kit in bewilderment . It was then that he had leaned down and asked her to join him in the gallery.

 

Now Ella was trying to make sense of it all. She had thought she was dancing with just a boy… an apprentice³ of some sort. But this was obviously no regular boy. Had he been playing her for a fool all along? He had seemed real and honest. Now she didn't know. The promise she had made to her mother echoed through her head. Have courage. She took a deep breath. She would find out the truth.

 

"So you are the prince," Ella said.

 

"Well, not the prince exactly. There are plenty of princes in the world. I'm only a prince," Kit said, trying to lighten the moment.

 

"I see," she replied. "But you are no apprentice."

 

"I am," Kit said quickly. "An apprentice monarch⁴. Still learning the trade." When Ella didn't say anything, Kit scrambled⁵ to find the words. "Please forgive me. I thought you might treat me differently if you knew. I mistook you for a simple country girl. But now I see that you didn't want to overawe a plain soldier."

 

Ella looked down, thinking it through. This was Kit, even if he was really a prince.

 

"So," Kit said, holding out his hand, "no more surprises?"

 

Ella paused and then took his hand. "No more surprises," she repeated.

 

A relieved smile spread across Kit's face, and Ella found herself once again captivated by his handsome features. Nervously⁶, Ella looked away, her gaze landing on the portrait in front of them. It was a sizable painting of Kit riding a majestic⁷ horse. He was larger than life, his hand holding a sword high in the air, his eyes trained on something in the distance. She was surprised she hadn't noticed before: he was every bit a prince.

 

"Is that you?" Ella asked.

 

Kit nodded. "I hate myself in paintings," he said sheepishly. "Don't you?"

 

Ella let out a nervous laugh. "No one has ever painted my portrait."

 

"Well, they should," Kit said.

 

Ella felt her face flush. She looked back up at the wall. "What were you doing?"

 

"That?" Kit said, pointing at the picture. "Oh, I was about to charge the enemy."

 

"How terrible!" Ella replied.

 

Kit raised an eyebrow⁸. "Most people would say, ‘How exciting!' "

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"Don't be," the prince said. "You're right. It is terrible. I'm not supposed to say that… but it is."

 

Before Ella could ask him more questions, Kit took her hand in his. As she looked down at their interlaced fingers, all other thoughts left her mind. She followed as Kit led her out of the gallery and into the gardens behind the palace.

 

The full moon bathed everything in a silver glow. A large ornamental⁹ fountain stood in the middle of the grounds. Water sprayed out of the mouths of ceramic¹⁰ fish, and several Greek gods stood captured forever in stone. Cupid and his bow seemed to be aimed right at Ella and Kit as they walked past.

 

Kit smiled. "Here is where I played when I was little," he said.

 

"With whom did you play?" Ella asked, imagining a young Kit, his dark waves disheveled and his knees covered with grass stains.

 

"The Captain of the Guard, kind fellow that he was," Kit replied. "Who did you have to play with?"

 

"Oh, I had so many playmates!" Ella answered, a big smile spreading across her face. "Sheep and geese, and all the mice, of course."

 

Kit looked at Ella, trying to see if she was teasing him. Then she added, "They are excellent listeners."

 

Kit smiled. This girl continued to amaze him. She was so wise, yet so innocent. So sweet, yet he could tell she was strong. He felt as though he'd only scratched the surface, and he longed to find out more about her. Kit had to admit the ball had turned out to be quite the good idea after all.

 

They continued to walk around the grounds, past rosebushes. Passing a particularly lovely ornamental urn¹¹, Ella clapped her hands. "How beautiful!" she exclaimed.

 

A sad smile tugged¹² at the corner of Kit's mouth. "My mother loved it here," he said softly. "Since she died, my father can't bring himself to visit the gardens."

 

Ella squeezed his hand. "My mother is in heaven, too," she said. "Do you suppose they know each other?"

 

Kit was touched by Ella's sweetness. "I don't see why not."

 

"I think heaven is like this ball," Ella declared. "Everyone is invited."

 

"That's because of you," Kit replied. When Ella looked at him in confusion, he went on. "I made sure that everyone could come because… well, because I hoped to see you again."

 

Ella looked up at him. He had planned all this for her? It was overwhelming. "And I came," she finally said, "to see Mr. Kit."

 

"Not the prince?" Kit asked, teasing her.

 

"Oh, no," Ella replied playfully. "The prince is far too grand."

 

"Surely not for someone like you," Kit said. "I don't suppose you have a large army?"

 

Ella shook her head. "I'm afraid I have no army at all."

 

Kit shrugged¹³. He hadn't expected her to say yes, though it would have made things a great deal easier.

 

"Won't they miss you at the ball?" Ella asked.

 

"Maybe," he said. "But let's not go back just yet."

 

Ella looked worried. "What's wrong?"

 

"When I go back, they will try to pair me off with a lady of their choosing," Kit replied, his honesty surprising Ella. "I am expected to marry for advantage."

 

"Surely you have a right to your own heart," Ella said, shocked by this notion.

 

Kit shook his head. "I must weigh that against the king's wishes. He is a wise ruler, and a loving father."

 

"Perhaps he will change his mind," Ella suggested.

 

Once again, Kit shook his head. "I fear he hasn't much time to do so."

 

Ella felt a pang¹⁴ of sympathy. She reached out a hand and gently touched his arm. Poor Kit. He was a good person, a sweet and thoughtful man who listened to what people had to say. He did not deserve so much pain.

 

"Would you like to see my very favorite place?" Kit's question caught Ella off guard. She had been so lost in thoughts of what the future held she'd forgotten to enjoy the moment while she could. She nodded.

 

Kit led her away from the more formal gardens. As they headed farther down the path, nature seemed to take over. The bushes grew wilder, the trees' leaves hung lower, and the grass grew higher. It was a romantic garden, full of life and wild beauty.

 

"A secret garden!" Ella said with delight.

 

"I've never shown this to anyone," Kit said, pulling aside a few branches to reveal an old wooden swing. He offered the seat to Ella.

 

"I shouldn't," she protested.

 

But Kit wouldn't listen. "You should."

 

Ella gingerly took a seat, the wood creaking beneath her. Kit moved behind her and placed both hands on the small of her back, his touch hesitant. "May I?" he asked, his voice a whisper in her ear.

 

Ella's heart fluttered and she felt goose bumps rise on her arms. "Please," she said breathlessly.

 

Ever so gently, Kit pushed Ella forward. She tucked her knees under the seat, sending the swing back to him. As the swing squeaked¹⁵, Ella laughed. She hadn't been on a swing in years, and she felt foolish and alive. It reminded her of riding Galahad in the forest, the cool wind rushing past her.

 

Kit gave her an even harder push and Ella flew high into the air. As the seat reached its peak, one of her shoes flew off and landed in the grass a short distance away. Ella let out a surprised "Oh!"

 

Kit raced to retrieve¹⁶ the shoe as Ella slowed the swing until she was still. "It's made of glass," Kit said in a tone of wonder. He was holding the shoe very carefully in his hand.

 

"And why not?" Ella replied with a twinkle in her eye.

 

Kneeling down in front of Ella, Kit gently slid the slipper¹⁷ back onto her foot. Their eyes met. The garden suddenly seemed hushed. Ella felt herself holding her breath, lost in the beauty of the moment.

 

"There," Kit finally said, his voice full of unspoken emotion. He stood up.

 

"There," Ella said, her voice equally soft. she, too, stood up.

 

Face-to-face, they lingered. The moment was pure and simple. Beautiful and romantic. It was perfect. And then Kit spoke¹⁸ again and Ella realized it was not altogether real.

 

"Won't you tell me who you really are?" he asked.

 

"If I do," Ella began, struggling to find the right words, "I think everything might be… different."

 

"I don't understand," Kit said. "Can you at least tell me your name?"

 

Ella couldn't seem to catch her breath. She felt as though her ribs¹⁹ were tightening²⁰ around her heart. This was it. He had been nothing but honest with her that evening, and he was only asking her name. Once again her mother's words echoed in her head. Have courage. Be kind. Now was the time. "My name is . . ." she began. "My name is . . ."

 

Ella's eyes grew wide as she looked up at the large clock atop one of the palace's towers. It was nearly twelve o'clock. "I have to leave!" she cried. Kit looked at her, confused. "It's hard to explain. Lizards²¹, pumpkins²² . . ." She didn't bother to go on. Instead, with one last look at Kit, she turned and ran.

 

这时候，基特和瑞拉漫步在城堡那长长的画廊里，根本不知道人们在到处找他们。墙上挂着历代国王和王室成员的画像，他们的脸都看着基特和瑞拉。

 

瑞拉不禁觉得头脑发晕。他们共同完成那曲完美之舞，她不可能注意不到他们走过时，周围的人毕恭毕敬地鞠躬致意。她非常纳闷，直到听见有人边鞠躬边叫“殿下”，她才恍然大悟。她不解地看着基特。这时基特俯身请她一起去画廊。

 

瑞拉想把这一切考虑清楚。她本以为自己只是在和一位男孩跳舞……一个学徒之类的。但是很显然，这不是个普通的小伙子。那他是不是一直在愚弄她？但他看起来又是那么真诚。现在她什么也不知道了。这时她脑海里响起对母亲许下的诺言：坚强而勇敢。她深吸了一口气，想要把事情搞清楚。

 

“原来你就是王子，”瑞拉说。

 

“好吧，我不是唯一的王子。世界上有很多王子，我只是其中的一位。”基特想轻松一下气氛。

 

“我明白了，”她回答道，“但你绝不是什么学徒。”

 

“我是，”基特立刻说道，“一个国王学徒。还在继续学习这个行当。”瑞拉不再说话，基特费力地想着怎么说才合适。“请原谅我。我怕你知道了我的身份会对我另眼相看。我把你当成了一个普通的乡下姑娘。但是现在我知道了，你当时是不想吓坏我这个普通士兵。”

 

瑞拉低着头，思考着整件事情。他还是基特，虽然他是一位王子。

 

“所以，”基特说着伸出了手，“没有什么意外了吧？”

 

瑞拉想了一下，握住他的手。“没有什么意外了，”她重复道。

 

基特的脸上露出了宽慰的微笑，瑞拉再次被他英俊的脸庞迷住了。瑞拉紧张地看着别处，目光落在他们面前的一幅画像上。这是一幅巨大的画像，画像里基特骑着一匹威风凛凛的骏马。画像比真人还大，他手里举着一把剑，眼睛注视着远方。她很吃惊自己先前竟然没注意到，基特怎么看都是一位王子。

 

“那是你吗？”瑞拉问道。

 

基特点点头。“我不喜欢画像里的自己，”他不好意思地说，“你呢？”

 

瑞拉尴尬地笑了一下：“从来没有人给我画过像。”

 

“嗯，他们应该给你画，”基特说。

 

瑞拉感到脸红了。她又抬头看着墙壁说道：“你在干什么？”

 

“那个吗？”基特指着画像问，“噢，我正要冲锋陷阵。”

 

“太可怕了！”瑞拉说道。

 

基特扬起眉毛：“多数人会说，‘多么令人振奋！’”

 

“对不起。”

 

“没关系，”王子说道，“你说得对。是很可怕。我不应该这么说……但确实是。”

 

不等瑞拉问其他问题，基特握住瑞拉的手。她低头看着他们相互交叉的手指，心里什么都不去想了。基特拉着她走出画廊，走进了王宫后的花园。

 

一轮满月给一切都披上了银色的光辉。花园中间有一个很大的装饰喷泉。水花从一条条陶瓷的鱼嘴里喷出，还立着几尊石刻的希腊神像立在喷泉里。丘比特和他的箭似乎正对着缓缓走过的基特和瑞拉。

 

基特笑着说：“这是我小时候玩耍的地方。”

 

“你和谁一起玩耍？”瑞拉问道。她想象着小基特的样子，他那乱蓬蓬的深色卷发和他那在草地上弄脏的膝盖。

 

“侍卫长，他是个友善的小伙伴，”基特回答，“你和谁一起玩呢？”

 

“噢，我的伙伴可多了！”瑞拉回答道，她的脸上露出了灿烂的笑容。“绵羊，鹅，当然还有所有的老鼠。”

 

基特看着瑞拉，看她是不是在开玩笑。她接着说：“它们非常善于倾听。”

 

基特笑了。这个女孩还是让他很惊叹。她那么睿智，又那么天真。她那么善良，但他又看得出她那么坚强。他觉得自己对她只是一知半解，他渴望了解更多关于她的事情。基特不得不承认，举行舞会确实是一个好主意。

 

他们走过庭院，走过蔷薇丛。经过一个特别可爱的花钵时，瑞拉拍着手赞叹道：“多美啊！”

 

基特的嘴角露出一丝悲伤的笑容。“我母亲很喜欢这里，”他轻声说，“她去世以后，父亲再也不愿意来这个花园了。”

 

瑞拉握了握基特的手。“我母亲也在天堂，”她说，“你觉得她们彼此认识吗？”

 

基特被瑞拉的温柔感动了：“我觉得会的。”

 

“我觉得天堂和这场舞会一样，”瑞拉肯定地说，“是对所有人敞开的。”

 

“那是因为你，”基特回答。瑞拉迷惑不解地看着基特，他接着说：“我邀请所有人都来参加舞会是因为……嗯，因为我想再见到你。”

 

瑞拉抬起头来看着他。他策划这一切都是为了她？这太让她感动了。“所以我来了，”最后她说道，“来见基特先生。”

 

“不是见王子？”基特开玩笑地问。

 

“噢，不是，”瑞拉调皮地回答，“王子太高贵了。”

 

“对你来说可不高贵。”基特说，“你有庞大的军队吗？”

 

瑞拉摇摇头：“恐怕我根本没有军队。”

 

基特耸耸肩。他并没指望她说有，尽管那样会让事情好办得多。

 

“他们会不会到处找你？”瑞拉问。

 

“也许会，”基特说道，“但我们先不回去。”

 

瑞拉看起来很担心：“怎么了？”

 

“我一回去，他们就会给我指定一个选中的姑娘，”基特回答说，他的坦诚让瑞拉感到惊讶。“他们希望我为了利益而结婚。”

 

“你有权选择自己的爱啊，”瑞拉说，她对这种说法感到震惊。

 

基特摇了摇头：“可是我要权衡国王的意愿。他是一位英明的国君，一位慈爱的父亲。”

 

“也许他会改变主意，”瑞拉说道。

 

基特又摇了摇头：“恐怕他没有那么多时间了。”

 

瑞拉感到非常同情。她伸出手轻轻拍了拍基特的胳膊。可怜的基特。他是个善良、体贴的好人，总是愿意倾听别人的意见。他不该承受这么多痛苦。

 

“你要看看我最喜欢的地方吗？”基特的问题把瑞拉从对未来的沉思中惊醒。她差点儿忘了享受眼下的美好时刻。她点了点头。

 

基特带着她离开了精心雕琢的花园，沿着小路继续前行，周围的景色变得更加自然。灌木长得更茂盛，树枝垂得更低，草长得更高。这是一个浪漫的花园，生机勃勃，充满了自然之美。

 

“一个秘密花园！”瑞拉高兴地说。

 

“我从没带别人来过这儿，”基特说着拨开树枝，前面是一个旧的木秋千。他让瑞拉坐到秋千上。

 

“我不能坐，”瑞拉不太愿意。

 

但是基特坚持说：“你应该坐。”

 

瑞拉小心翼翼地坐在秋千上，身下的秋千发出了“吱嘎”声。基特走到瑞拉背后，犹豫地把手放到瑞拉的腰间。“可以吗？”他轻柔地在她耳边问道。

 

瑞拉的心跳得很厉害，她觉得胳膊上起了鸡皮疙瘩。“请，”她喘息着说。

 

基特轻轻地推动瑞拉。她把腿蜷在秋千下面，又荡回基特身边。秋千吱吱地响着，瑞拉开怀大笑起来。她很多年没坐过秋千了，感觉到既可笑，又充满活力。这让她想起了骑着加拉哈德在树林里飞奔时习习凉风吹过身体的感觉。

 

基特更用力地一推，瑞拉飞到了到空中。当秋千飞到最高点的时候，瑞拉的一只鞋飞了出去，落在不远处的草地上。瑞拉吃惊地叫了一声：“哦！”

 

基特赶忙跑过去捡鞋子，瑞拉则让秋千慢慢停了下来。“是水晶做的，”基特惊奇地说。他小心翼翼地捧着鞋子。

 

“是的，”瑞拉回答，她的眼睛熠熠闪光。

 

基特单膝跪在瑞拉面前，轻轻地将鞋穿在她的脚上。他们的目光相遇了。花园突然安静了下来。瑞拉屏住了呼吸，她迷失在了这甜蜜的时刻。

 

“好了，”基特终于说道，他的声音充满了说不出的情绪。他站起身来。

 

“好了，”瑞拉用轻柔的声音说。

 

他们面对着面，驻足流连。这一刻是多么纯净，多么简单，既美丽又浪漫，简直是完美无缺。但是当基特开口说话时，瑞拉感到这种感觉不全是真实的。

 

“你能告诉我你到底是谁吗？”他问道。

 

“如果我告诉你，”瑞拉极力想找到合适的话，“我觉得一切都会……变得不一样。”

 

“我不明白，”基特说，“至少能告诉我你的名字吧？”

 

瑞拉有点透不过气来。她觉得她的心被裹得紧紧的。就这样吧。今晚他对她毫无保留，现在不过是在问她的名字。母亲的话又在她脑海中响起：坚强而勇敢，仁慈而善良。现在该告诉他一切了。“我的名字叫……”她说，“我的名字叫……”

 

这时她看到王宫里一座塔上的大钟，顿时睁大了眼睛，马上就到午夜了。“我必须走了！”她不由地叫道。基特疑惑不解地看着她。“这很难解释。蜥蜴、南瓜……”她没有再继续说下去。她看了基特最后一眼，转身就跑开了。

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