As the morning gave way to the afternoon, the preparations gave way to the event. Though Ella would not be able to attend—as she was working that night at the makeshift Emergency Room housed in their main facilities, Maddie would be going to support the project and the efforts of many of their friends and coworkers. Ella was sure to school Maddie on royal etiquette, should she happen to run into the Prince again. While Maddie assured her she would do all she could to avoid him altogether, Ella insisted and Maddie caved.

Armed with her crash course in behavior, Maddie arrived at the site just in time to see Khenda and Collins take the stage and begin the small ceremony they had planned. Khenda was the Site Director and, for all intents and purposes, Maddie's direct supervisor. She was a native of Bendal; having moved to France at a young age. After attending University, she had traveled around the world and had been with Doctors Without Borders for over ten years. Bendal had once again become her home. She lived with her long term partner Collins. He was a tall, muscular bald man who spoke several languages and loved Khenda unlike anything Maddie had ever been witness too. They were wonderful people to be around and they had a deep appreciation and knowledge of local customs and culture. Maddie smiled as Khenda invited the Prince to the stage to cut the ribbon and just like that, the party was underway.

Waiting for the swarms of people to enter, she spoke to a few coworkers, said hello to a few of the children she worked with, and eventually made her way inside. She was standing close to an anesthesiologist she had met from Spain, sipping on a cold drink when Khenda flew into her line of vision.

"Maddie, come with me," Khenda commanded; holding tight to her arm as she led her through the crowd. "There is somebody I want you to meet." She knew exactly where this was headed; the surprise guest that had everyone chattering. Yes, she knew exactly where this was headed. She opened her mouth to protest; to tell her friend and mentor that she had already met him—already humiliated herself enough for one day, thank you very much. But it was too late. Before she could even mutter a polite no, Khenda was tapping his shoulder. He turned towards them; his face brightening immediately.

"Khenda!" He leaned in to place a kiss to her cheek, his eyes sweeping to meet Maddie's for a second.

"Your Royal Highness," Khenda responded with a jocular familiarity; having known him for many years. "I would like you to meet my good friend and colleague, Dr. Forrester." She smiled affectionately at Maddie. "And this is Prince Harry the founding patron of Sentebale. I was just telling him what an asset you have been to the community."

"Oh wow, thank you," Maddie blushed at the compliment.

"I'm sorry," Khenda interrupted apologetically. Her eyes were focused on something across the room. "I see that my attention is needed elsewhere. Please, excuse me," she looked to Harry who smiled warmly.

"Of course," Harry nodded and waved her off. "We'll be fine without you." And, as she hurried away, he turned a wide smile to Maddie. "So, we meet again." And she couldn't help the smirk that played at her lips. Her initial anxiety about the mornings' meeting had faded and she found herself much more relaxed this time around.

"Your highness," a twinkle of playfulness shone in her eyes as she looked up at him this time. "You'll forgive my American ignorance; am I supposed to curtsey to you each time I meet you or just the first?"

"Ha," he masked his grin by taking a sip from his drink. "Well, it's all a matter of your own comfort level. You are, in fact, not required to bow or curtsey at all, Doctor." His lips twitched at the new bit of knowledge he now had about the woman who stood before him. "It seems like I'm not the only one who kept their title a secret, no?"

"It's not quite the same thing," she protested; enjoying the liveliness persona he exuded.

"Oh I think it is." He nodded. "So, Doctor..."

"It's Maddie," she waved her hand; instantly realizing that interrupting a Prince was probably high on the list of Ella's 'Do Not' list. "I'm sorry. But, if you don't mind, please call me Maddie, Sir."

"Sir?!" He laughed. "It's Harry," he pointed at his chest. "Remember? I'm just Harry."

"I'm not sure it's appropriate for me to call you that. My friend Ella would just..."

"It is," he interrupted her. "I assure you."

"Fine. Harry it is."

"Thank you."

"Harry," her voice was low; growing serious in the moment. "I really must apologize."

"I thought we had settled this already."

"Yes, well..."

"No," he shook his head again; his voice more forceful. "Do you have any idea how refreshing it is to meet people who do not know who I am? People who treat me like...like a new arrival in Bendal who simply needs to help unload a truck?"

"No. I guess I don't."

"No, you don't. Now please, please stop apologizing. I enjoyed my time with you this afternoon and you apologizing for it is..."

"Getting old?" She offered with a laugh.

"Yes."

"Fine. I cede your point. I will refrain from apologizing for the rest of the evening."

"Thank God," he sighed; a relaxed smile lighting up his face again.

"But you have to know, I am not normally daft and uninformed."

"I never imagined that you were." And in the beat that their eyes met, her breathed hitched in her lungs. "And for the record, not knowing who I am—in no way indicates a person's level of intellect."

"Point taken," she smiled and softened. "But truly, that must not happen to you very often."

"It doesn't," he shook his head. "But it's really nice when it does."

"So strange," her eyes squinted slightly as she watched him nod hellos to people as they passed.

"Did you just call a Prince strange? To his face?" He smirked and, because she didn't know what else to do, she nodded. "Well okay then." A moment of comfortable silence settled between them and Maddie was unsure of what to do next. Was it impolite to occupy his time when he should clearly be talking to people much more important than she? Was it impolite to excuse herself and leave a Prince standing alone? Before she could formulate an answer, Khenda was returning. She smiled first at Harry and then turned expectant eyes to Maddie. She knew that look well, she was about to ask a favor.

"Madeline," her voice was warm. "I hate to impose upon you, but do you think that you might be able to help me out with something?"

"Absolutely," Maddie nodded. "Don't worry about it. What can I do?" She looked across the room, wondering what it was she was being sent off to handle.

"I promised Harry a tour of the new facility we're working out of across camp and I am being pulled into something here that needs my attention." She glanced behind her and smiled to Harry. "Would it be okay if Doctor Forrester accompanied you on the tour I promised?"

"I think that it would," Harry nodded and tuned to Maddie. "If that is alright with you Doctor?" She could see the smirk tugging at his upper lip.

"Of course," Maddie nodded, forcing her eyes wide and innocent. "It would be a pleasure, your highness."

"Thank you," Khenda, oblivious to the back and forth that was occurring, leaned to kiss them both. "There is a car waiting outside to take you both over, with your security team—of course."

"Thank you Khenda," Harry nodded and, stepping aside, he gestured for Maddie to lead the way. "After you." As Maddie lead the Prince from the room towards the awaiting car, she could almost hear Ella chastising her for walking before the Prince. Shaking her friend from her mind, Maddie smiled and stepped into the car.

As she ushered him through the new facility, pointing out various features, she was more purposeful in her pacing. She was more aware of the conflict inside her. Though she knew there were protocols, ways to be around royalty, she knew none of them. And it certainly didn't help that he made her feel so at ease that she forgot who he was and was most likely committing what Ella would deem as high crimes. His security team kept a respectable distance as they made their way through the complex.

"So," he leaned closer to her. "You're a doctor."

"A PhD," she corrected him with a smile. "Not an MD."

"Are you here with the Peace Corps?"

"No," she grinned as she recalled the two years she spent in the Dominican Republic through the Peace Corps a few years ago.

"Do you work for the State Department?"

"No," she shook her head. "Though maybe someday I will."

"Well..." He held his hands out in surrender. "I give up. What do you do?"

"I am a licensed Psychologist; a therapist."

"A therapist?" He raised his eyebrows. "I cannot imagine that is a profitable business here."

"I'm not here for the money."

"Then why are you here?" And he couldn't help but notice the way she instantly tensed at the question. There was a palpable moment of anxiety between them; one that she broke with a radiant smile that only served to lower his own defenses.

"I am here through Doctors Without Borders," she explained with a casual shrug. He could tell there was more to her reasoning that what she was providing, but he wasn't one to push. "I am a Child Psychologist and..."

"You work with..." He interrupted and then caught himself. "I'm sorry that was terribly rude of me." She smiled and shook her head; dismissing it. "You work with the kids?"

"I do," she nodded, her smile growing warm as she thought of them. "My specialty is in childhood trauma." She watched as his eyes grew darker and they shared a moment of silence for the trauma and violence they both knew was all too prevalent among the youth of the population they were both serving in very different ways. "So I spend a lot of time with the children in the area."

"That must be..." He trailed off, needing to clear his throat of the lump that grew there.

"It is," she agreed. "How about you?"

"Me?"

"What brings you here?"

"I have an organization; a charity which I oversee."

"So I've heard," she smiled as she thought of Ella; who would most assuredly fall over if she saw her now. "But certainly you can oversee such a thing from London. What brought you all the way down here? For the opening of what is essentially a Food Bank?" He paused for only a moment before answering.

"I love it here," his voice was soft; low—honest. "Since the first time I visited, I have loved it here. It's wide and open and the people are so...welcoming. It's such a warm culture; such happy people—even when they have circumstances that, by most standards, should make them unhappy, they seem so..."

"Content?" Maddie offered. The corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile.

"Yes," he took a deep breath. "And I owe Khenda multiple favors." They both laughed at that. "Of course there is the added benefit that the majority of the people here have absolutely no idea who I am."

"Ah yes," her cheeks flushed light pink. "The anonymity you seek—even at the cost of deception."

"The anonymity which you take for granted."

"I suppose," she agreed.

"You like it here," he observed.

"I love it here," she corrected.

"How long have you been here?"

"Ten months," her eyes stared off into the distance as she thought over the last ten months of her life. "Ten of twelve."

"You leave in two months?"

"I can stay longer," she smiled. "My original contract is up in two months. But, if I want, I can stay longer."

"You're thinking about it," he commented, watching the way her eyes danced as she spoke.

"I really am." She looked down at her hands, clasped together in front of her. "My mother would love for me to come home. She doesn't think it's safe here. She worries."

"Of course," Harry nodded. "And your father? What does he think?" And suddenly, Maddie's feet simply stopped moving. Harry slowed to a stop next to her. "I'm sorry did I say something wrong?" He was confused by the look on her face.

"No," she shook her head, her eyes welling with tears she was fighting to halt. She sniffed and smiled clumsily. "My father is... He died; about six months before I came here. He had been battling Cancer for years and right after I finished my doctorate, he...lost."

"Oh, Maddie, I..." Harry swallowed at the lump in his throat, his hand reaching out to touch her shoulder. "I am so sorry. I..." He took a step closer and allowed for a moment of silence before he spoke again. "I lost a parent too and..." He blew a breath out through his lips; of course she knew that. Everyone knew that. "I know it's not enough but...I am truly very sorry to hear that."

"Thank you," she nodded and, taking two slow deep breaths, she recovered and let her eyes rise to meet his and it hit her again; this strange sort of flutter that must have been a part of who he was, the way he smiled sweetly at her. "And I'm sorry for your loss. Though it's never..."

"I know...and thank you," he smiled and rubbed her shoulder with his hand that had not moved since they had stopped. Maddie shifted her weight and looked away, not sure how to proceed in this moment; the connection that she felt with him made her slightly uneasy. Sensing this, he cleared his throat and removed his hand from her. "Do you like candy?"

"What?" She laughed at the question.

"Humor me," he grinned. "Do you like candy?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Tell me...out of all the candy in the world, what is your favorite?"

"Ooooh...." Her smile widened and they began walking again. "That's difficult."

"Give it a moment."

"Hmmm. Oh!" Her eyes lit up. "There were these peppermints that my grandmother used to have around Christmas time. They were red and white with these little Christmas trees in them. They were soft you know...not the hard peppermints..." She smiled wide. "I used to eat so many they would make me sick and they would stick in my teeth and..." Her eyes caught the smile on his face and she grew quiet; impressed with how he had moved her from such a sad story to such a happy memory with the simplest of questions. "Nicely done." He opened his mouth then, ready to ask her more but just as he did, the gentleman from earlier that day whose job must have been to keep him on schedule, stepped up to them.

"Sir," he seemed apologetic as he looked from Harry to Maddie and back again. "If we're going to get you to the plane on time..."

"We have to leave," Harry finished his sentence with regret in his voice.

"Yes sir," the man nodded and turned to Maddie. "There is a car here to take you back to the party as well." He gestured towards the two awaiting vehicles.

"Thank you," she nodded with a smile and the man stepped away. "Well, your highness," he snickered at her choice of words. "It was very nice meeting you today."

"As it was you," he bit his lower lip slightly as he smiled down at her. "Thank you for the tour...and the conversation."

"And the anonymity?"

"Definitely that," he grinned; feeling the inexplicable desire to stall—wanting to stay longer, continue the conversation, the tour...talking to her. But, surrendering to duty and itinerary, he held his hand out to shake hers. "It was lovely meeting you Maddie. Best of luck to you here."

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice having faltered at his touch. With the tiniest of squeezes, he let her hand drop from his and nodded towards the car awaiting her. She nodded again and took a step towards the open door.

"Maddie?" He called out. She turned towards him as he moved to her side. "I just wanted to..." He took a deep breath. "It gets easier." The sadness in his eyes told her exactly to what he was referring; her father. "After a few holidays pass without them...it gets a little easier." Swallowing the lump in her throat, she nodded and blinked. He mimicked her expression and then, in a softer voice, "goodnight."

"Goodnight," she watched as he turned towards his car and, with one last sigh, she slipped into the backseat and let the door close behind her. And for the second time that day the Prince was swooshed away, leaving Maddie confused, elated and more than a little surprised at how the day had turned out.