Chapter Text
Warning: Attempted kidnapping
~
Walking around the town square of your kingdom, you'd think that the business of the place would detour thieves and kidnappers. Obviously, that wasn't the situation you found yourself in. You were currently being taken to God-knows-where by God-knows-who – his arm tightly holding onto your wrist, sure to leave a pretty decent bruise.
You were panicking, no doubt, too scared to even call out for help – of course, the man's 'don't scream or I'll do much worse' order certainly wasn't taken lightheartedly either. You were heading toward the alleyway, running out of time, when you heard a voice behind you.
"Your Highness!" another male said, making both you and your kidnapper turn around. "I'm very sorry to cut your time outside the castle short, but your father has requested that you come back immediately."
Now, you knew you'd seen this person before, and you knew he didn't work for the castle. His eyes seemed to flick between yours and the hand around your wrist, and it was then that you knew exactly what he was doing.
"Of course," you nodded, trying to pull your grip away from the man. Unfortunately, his hold only tightened, making your face scrunch up in pain.
"You work for the castle?" he raised his eyebrows at the boy.
"I do apologize for any inconvenience," he said, not directly answering the question, "But Princess Y/N really must be getting back."
"Let me see some ID." The boy paused and you stepped in the moment you realized who he was.
"I don't think that will be necessary," you said, "Right, Alex?" His eyes widened slightly before he nodded.
"Of course not, Princess," he smiled at you, making your heart race.
He held his hand out to you, letting you place your own in his. You stepped away from the man, but he still wouldn't let up. Alex's eyes narrowed and he took a step toward him.
"I am not going to tell you again, sir," he growled lowly, "Now you can either release her, or I can arrest you for attempted kidnapping of the Princess."
The man snarled under his breath, but finally let go of your wrist. You sighed in relief as Alex quickly whisked you back toward the castle, making sure not to let your hand slip out of his.
As you approached the front gates, the guard standing there was about to stop you, but you rushed the words out of your mouth, knowing the man was still watching and you didn't want to make it seem like Alex couldn't get through.
"He's fine, Justin," you said once the guard was within earshot, "There's a man watching us from the alley near the bakery-" Justin subtly looked over and found exactly who you were talking about. "-and I just need him to think that Alex is a guard for reasons I'm sure you'll hear about within the next hour, so please let us in." He quickly opened the gate just as you approached.
"Is everything okay, Your Highness?" Justin asked as you passed him. You made a few noises of indifference, making Alex chuckle softly as you pulled him up the steps.
The moment you were inside the castle and the door shut behind you, you spun around. You threw your arms around Alex's neck and hugged him as tightly as you'd ever hugged anyone before. Your heart was racing – both from the experience you just had and feeling Alex smile against the skin on your neck as he hugged you back.
"Thank you," you breathed. You felt him grin again, squeezing you slightly before he let go. He put his hands on your cheeks and examined your face, making sure the man hadn't hurt you.
"Are you okay?" he asked, the concern in his expression very obvious.
"I'm fine, Alex," you assured him.
"You know my name?" he whispered, letting go of you. You immediately missed the feeling of his hands on your skin, but shook it off.
"Yeah," you said, "You're Joseph's assistant, right?" Alex nodded. "I go to the shop sometimes to get bread for the cooks," you told him, "You're always in the back baking something when I'm in there so I've never actually met you, but I've had some of the stuff you make and it's really good."
"Thank you," he looked down at his shoes, a light pink tint to his cheeks, "You could always drop by some other time and we could make something together... I-If you wanted to, I mean..." Before you could answer, your dad's voice was echoing throughout the hall.
"Y/N!" he said, coming up to you and Alex, "I just received word from Justin that something was wrong." He glanced at Alex, "Who's this?"
"U-U-Uh," he stuttered, his eyes as wide as they could get, "A-Alex, Your Majesty." Your father's eyebrows furrowed together, clearly confused as to why he was in the castle.
"Dad," you said, pulling his gaze back to you, "Lighten up on the staring, please. I brought him here."
"Why?" You started making random noises again, so Alex spoke up before you could tell your father it was nothing.
"Attempted kidnapping," he stated, earning another glance from the king. "Sir," he added quickly.
"By who, young man?" he asked quickly, motioning for you and Alex to follow him. You both looked at each other for a moment before hurrying after him, not entirely sure where he was going.
"Oh, uh... I don't know, sir," Alex finally answered his question, "He was just holding her wrist really tight and when they passed me, I could tell she was panicking, so I stepped in and got her back here as soon as I could."
"How did you manage that?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Convinced him I was her guard."
"You impersonated an officer?" Alex swallowed thickly, knowing there was no way out of this.
"Yes, sir," he said softly. Your father opened a door without another word, ushering the two of you inside.
You were met with the sight of some of the best castle guards. Alex stayed close beside you, neither of you really sure what was about to happen.
"What did the man look like, son?" the king asked him.
"Uh... Grey hair, I'm pretty sure he had green eyes, but they could have been blue... A little taller than the Princess – an inch more than myself, I'd say, so about 6'1''. He had on really nice clothes though," Alex pointed out, "Like he'd just come out of a business meeting or something."
"Where did this happen?"
"Well, I don't know where it started, but I got there at the alley by the bakery."
"Wait, so you're Joseph's new assistant... Alex..." Your dad started snapping as he tried to put a name to the face he was looking at. "Gaskarth!" he exclaimed once he remembered.
"Yes, sir," Alex nodded with a small smile.
"Well, Alex," he said, holding his hand out, "Thank you for being around when you were." Alex shook your dad's hand. "We'll be on the lookout for anyone fitting this description and call you back here to confirm it if we find any leads." The boy beside you nodded quickly as your dad turned back to you. "Y/N, why don't you show him back out and then report back here," he ordered. You threw your head back and groaned loudly, spinning on your heels and simply motioning for Alex to follow you.
"They're gonna give me a babysitter," you frowned, knowing he was giving you a wondering look.
"I'm sure they're not going to give you a babysitter," Alex chuckled, nudging your arm lightly.
"That's because you don't know them," you sighed.
"Well, I'm sure this will all blow over in a couple months and you'll be free to go places alone again," he said reassuringly, "But until then, I think it's good for you to have a watchful eye on you."
"Would you like someone watching your every move 24/7?" you rolled your eyes.
"No," he smiled, "But I would understand – especially if I was almost just kidnapped." You grumbled quietly, knowing he was right.
Once you made it outside and reached the steps at the bottom of the castle, you pulled Alex into another hug.
"Is this going to become a thing?" Alex laughed, hugging you back anyway. You squeezed him a bit before letting go to look at him.
"Thank you," you murmured, making him grin again.
"You're welcome," he chirped.
"And if you could tell Justin I said thanks as well, that would be great," you commented.
"You know what? I don't think you really mean that," he smirked, stepping away from you.
"Hey, Alex," you said, making him look over his shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow?" you asked shyly, letting him know you were accepting his offer from earlier. His eyes widened and he nodded rapidly, but he couldn't keep himself from grinning ear-to-ear.
"Bye, Princess," he said, walking onto the bridge before you could tell him he didn't have to call you that.
~
The next day
"So you put the flour in half a cup at a time," Alex explained.
"Why a half a cup?" you whined, "That takes too long!"
"Because it doesn't make a mess that way and I don't enjoy cleaning flour off of everything," he chuckled.
"What's the fun in baking if you don't make a mess?" you asked, a serious expression on your face.
"Do you want to clean it up?" he asked simply. You felt a small smile pull at the corner of your mouth.
"You know just as well as I do that you're not going to make me do that," you stated. Alex paused for a moment before he sighed, knowing you were right.
"Fine," he said, "But we're still not making a mess."
"You're no fun," you pouted, shoving his arm with yours. You missed the blush on his cheeks as you poured half a cup of flour into the bowl of wet ingredients, Alex taking his mixer and combining the flour with them.
~
An hour later, the timer for your bread went off and Alex carefully removed it from the oven. You were growing impatient, just wanting to taste it, but he made you wait until it was cool enough, not wanting you to burn yourself. You tried sticking your bottom lip out, but that only made him smile – not budge. You huffed lightly and jumped up on the counter to sit while Alex came over and you just talked about whatever popped into your heads.
When Alex thought the bread was cool enough, he gently shook it out of the pan onto a plate. He brought it over to the counter where you were sitting and sat it beside you, getting out a knife to cut off a piece. He then cut that piece in half, handing you one. You giggled softly as you toasted the pieces of bread before taking a bite. You groaned loudly, making Alex look at you with raised eyebrows.
"I've never tasted anything so good in my life," you declared.
"I find that hard to believe," he chuckled.
"Princess," the guard assigned to look after you poked his head into the bakery, "We should be going back to the castle. You know how Charlotte is if she doesn't have enough time to help you wash up before dinner." You sighed under your breath, really not wanting to leave yet.
"Here," Alex said, cutting the loaf of bread in half, "You can share some at dinner." He put it into a bag and held it out to you. "Or keep it to yourself," he grinned. You rolled your eyes at him, causing him to chuckle as you took the bag from his hand. Your heart skipped a beat when your skin touched his, but you did your best not to show it.
"Thanks for inviting me today, Alex," you said softly, "I had a lot of fun."
"Me too, Princess," he replied shyly, "And you're welcome to stop by any time you want."
"Hey, I don't call you Baker," you reminded him, "So you don't call me Princess."
"But I-"
"Alex." You noticed his cheeks turn pink that time, making you smile slightly.
"I'll see you around, Y/N," he told you.
You smiled brightly, surprising him by leaning up and kissing his cheek before trotting out of the shop and following the guard back to the castle. Alex watched you for a moment, the area where your lips were on his skin feeling like it was burning.
"The Princess?" Alex heard behind him, making him turn around to find Joseph.
"Why do you say it like that?" he asked.
"I don't mean it like that, Alex," the baker shook his head, "I just meant she never seemed like your type."
"My type?"
"You always struck me as the kind of guy who likes party girls," he shrugged, "And the Princess is the furthest thing from that."
"Well, I want someone I could see myself with for more than one night," he commented, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand.
"Well, if it means anything to you, I think you two would make a good couple," Joseph said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Alex."
"Thanks, Joe," Alex smiled, thinking you and him would make a good couple too.
~
Three months later
You trotted into the bakery one morning, all ready to go to lunch with Alex. However, when you arrived, you heard him talking to himself. His back was toward the door, so he didn't know you had come in.
You listened for a couple minutes as he went on about how 'she's too good for me anyway' – something that you'd heard Alex say to himself before. You finally decided to make your presence known, walking further into the shop.
"Hey, Lex," you chirped, hopping up onto the counter beside where he was working, "Who were you just talking about?" He hummed in response, continuing to press the dough into the pan. "When I came in, I heard you talking to yourself," you explained, "You said that 'she'd never like you like that' and 'it wouldn't be allowed anyway'. What does that mean? Who were you talking about?"
Alex froze; He hadn't realized you were there when he started monologuing to himself, and he didn't know whether or not he should tell you the truth. He was terrified you would laugh at him.
"N-No one..." he trailed off.
"Well, you mumble to yourself about this 'no one' a lot," you said thoughtfully, "I was just gonna say you should go for it."
"I should?" he raised an eyebrow, sliding the pan into the oven and setting the timer.
"Yeah!" you chirped, watching him wash his hands, "What's the use in living with a secret like that? Even if she doesn't feel the same, at least you'll know – then you can move on and find a girl who does." Alex came back to the place where he just was, wiping the counter top beside you in silence.
When he was finished, he went to throw the towel away and walked back over to you. He stood beside your leg, looking at you curiously for a moment.
"Even if she did like me back, it wouldn't work," he said.
"Well, not with that attitude," you rolled your eyes, making him chuckle.
"I mean it wouldn't be allowed," he informed you, "Her status is way too good for someone like me."
"So she's a royal?" you wiggled your eyebrows, "Is she from your home state? Do I know her?"
"Not from my home state, but you do know her," he answered shyly, "You know her very well."
"Is it Princess Natalia? She's very beautiful – seems like your type."
"No, it's not her," Alex laughed, "She's way more beautiful than Princess Natalia."
"There's someone more beautiful than her?" your eyes widened, genuinely shocked by the statement.
"Mhmm," he nodded.
"Fine," you pouted, "I give up. Who is it?"
"You," he whispered. You instantly felt a blush overtake your facial features.
"Me?" you replied softly. Alex simply kept his eyes glued onto his hands as he played with his fingers on the counter top. "I'm not more beautiful than Natalia, Alex," you mumbled, looking down at your own hands in your lap.
Alex looked up at you, taking you in for a moment before moving to stand between your legs. He put his hands on your face, tilting your head back up.
"Yeah, you are," he stated softly, yet firmly at the same time, "You are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, Y/N. You're kind and funny and you care about your people so much, and they love you right back." You couldn't help but blush at his words.
"But why couldn't it work?" you asked, remembering one of the things he always said when talking to himself.
"Because you're a princess and I... I'm just Alex," he sighed.
"I like 'just Alex'," you muttered, swallowing lightly. The corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile before he let it fade.
"You should be with someone of your own status," Alex told you, simultaneously breaking both of your hearts.
"My dad wasn't," you muttered under your breath.
"Wasn't what?" he tilted his head to the side slightly.
"He wasn't with someone of his own status," you told him, "My mom grew up on a farm a couple miles away from here. She went into town one day when she ran into my dad. He always says it was love at first sight." You found yourself smiling fondly as you remembered all the times your parents would tell you the story of how they met. "My mom married into royalty. Just like my grandpa and my great-grandma did. I don't know of any member of my family who married another royal. You can't make someone fall in love; You have to let them do it themselves. And I want to fall in love with you." Alex's heart was pounding inside his chest and he honestly wouldn't be surprised if you could hear it.
"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?" he asked softly. You nodded and he grinned. "I thought so." Alex pulled your face to his, attaching your lips together.
You let out the breath you didn't even realize you were holding. You wrapped your legs around his waist as his hands slipped down your body to rest on your hips, bringing him up against the counter. You slid forward, your chest pressed to his, as your own hands found his cheeks.
When you both pulled away to breathe, your forehead was on his, your lips still brushing up again each other. Alex let out a soft laugh, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath.
"Has anyone told you that you're a good kisser?" he asked you, making you slap his cheek playfully. "What?!" he exclaimed with another laugh, "It's a completely valid question!" You simply rolled your eyes as he continued speaking, "Can I take you out on a date?"
You nodded slowly, "I would like that."
Alex suddenly got a firm grip on your hips, lifting you off of the counter and putting you back on your feet. He pressed a quick kiss to your forehead before moving his hands off of yours, letting one of them take your hand and tangle your fingers together.
"You meant right now?" you giggled as he led you out of the bakery, laying your head on his shoulder. Alex didn't respond, he just smiled and squeezed your hand, turning so he could kiss the top of your head.