This is a multiple part side story.
The two children do not recall the meeting (as most non traumatic events in five year olds lives). The queen mentions this event in vol 2: Motherly Chat. The king goes into more detail a few chapters later.
If you are in a mind to not pick up a spoiler, best pick another story to read.
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Last warning::
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Part 1: Thomas's 1st POV. He's five and trying to find a way out of the castle.
Footsteps have me duck into a random room. It's empty at least. Most in this hallway are. Seems like no matter how hard I try, I still get out of the castle.
Not that I mind the people who are guarding me all the time. But sometimes I just want to walk on my own two feet out the front doors. Everyone screams at me to stop. I get caught long before I even see the front doors. Only Mom and Dad have taken me out.
The way they act when they leave, though... It's like they forget to smile.
No! They 'smile'. I hope to never 'smile' like they do. It's... terrifying.
I scan the room wondering if there is a side door I can use. Or maybe the window? I can't climb out of a second story window. Maybe that's going to be my real option. Windows. If I learn to climb out of the castle I'll manage to escape.
I struggle to walk across my room with my favorite books, though. How would I manage climbing out a window? I'm gonna need to practice. I think there was an option for bunk beds. I'll request that. I'm sick of the little bed they have me in. I'm already five. I should get a bigger bed.
A big bed that is far off the ground. So I can practice climbing. Then... I'll see how to make it out to the city.
The door opens. I stare at it frozen over the idea I was caught.
But it's not a guard. It's no one I know. The cute pink dress suggests she is meant for the tea party I'm being denied. Mom said I couldn't join. That's why I decided I could escape. If Mom is on top of me, there's never any chance for escape. I blink as the little girl leans on the door keeping it closed. "Who are you?"
She glances to me a moment. Then she's back to focusing on the door. "I'm Jessica. Sh! I'm playing Hide and Seek with Mom." She pulls back from the door probably hearing something coming and races across the room. In her movements, she grabs me to hide both of us behind the curtain.
The window here is locked. So even if I wanted to escape this way, this option isn't it. Whatever. "Am I playing too?" I crouch down as if that will help.
Jessica scans me a moment. It's not very trusting. It's like when Natalie knows I'm planning something. Why does everyone seem to always know something? This girl shouldn't be able to guess. Right?
The door opens. I hold still as the adult walks into the room we're in. We're hiding. Clearly this lady has a task. "Where did that child go? How are we to greet the queen if she's hiding again?" The lady doesn't stay. She'll want a tracer spell then. I know I'll be found soon if I don't keep moving. That's how it works.
"You're here to see Mom?" I ask her. I thought she looked ready for the tea party. I can't go. "I heard she was getting visitors. I wasn't allowed to join the tea party." So annoying.
"Why not?" The girl glances around the curtain.
I just stare at her. Mom didn't explain. And the one going doesn't know either. Maybe it's nonsense. Like when Natalie tells me Mother Goose stories. They're nonsense. A cow can't jump over the moon. "I don't know. It may be for ladies only." I'm not one. She is. Not like Dad's going.
She pulls back the curtain reviewing the room.
Or maybe... "Are you a lady?" I question. Maybe I'm assuming.
"I'm gonna be a knight." She's confident.
"Like Lady Hydrangea." I grin. I know her. She's a lady knight. Made sure I wouldn't assume things. I was just repeating Dad, though. She just didn't agree with Dad.
Looks like Jessica doesn't know Lady Hydrangea. "Who's that?"
"She's Mom and Dad's friend. She's a lady and a knight. I cheered her on when she refused that one proposal because he couldn't beat her in a duel." I nod. "Important that your partner is strong enough." I pause. I'm repeating again. Am I assuming?
"Are you going to look for someone who'll beat you up then?"
Wait... Me? I'm not gonna... Wait... Aren't I going to...? That's like forever away. "Maybe." I really have no idea. I was repeating. I shouldn't repeat. Hydrangea will yell at me again. "Did you want to-" I was going to suggest go into the city...
But...
Nicolas opens the door. I knew I didn't have long. "Your Highness!" He captures me easily. Stupid adults. "And... Lady Jessica?" I look at the girl who manages to curtsy.
"I am."
She said she was going to be a knight. I was right then. She's a lady. And that's who can join tea parties. Not me.
Nicolas takes Jessica's hand. "This way, young lady. Your mother is at her wit's end."
"Oh. I was only playing hide and seek."
Nicolas asks, "Did she consent to hide and seek?"
I watch as a lady runs up to Jessica collecting her. Her mother. They have a pleasant reunion. Nicolas takes me on path to my rooms again. Will I be locked in this time?
I hate this. "Nicolas?"
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Can I have bunk beds? Like you do in the dorms?"
Nicolas squeezes me. "You are not getting a room mate."
I pout. "I just want to sleep on the top bunk. So I can see out the window better."
My guard places me in my room. "I'll tell your parents. Please stay in your room today."
I move to my bookcase and pull out my mother goose book. I sit down and read... Or... Look at the pictures while remembering the story. Some of the words in here are beyond me.
There's a lot I need to practice still. My door closes. Someone will be back shortly. They always are. I'm never alone for long. I watch the window for the longest moment before flipping to Rapunzel. It's my favorite story. Maybe I'll ask Anna to read it to me again. Based on time, I'd think she'll be the one to guard me next.
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Part 2: Jessica's 1st POV. Same scene.
"Jessica? Where did you go?" Mom calls out from the end of the hall.
I slip into a random door giggling. I love hide and seek. Mom is good at finding me too.
"Who are you?" A boy? Here? At the castle? No one told me there'd be a boy at the castle.
"I'm Jessica. Sh! I'm playing Hide and Seek with Mom." I listen at the door. The footsteps have me grabbing the boy's hand to hide behind the curtain.
"Am I playing too?" The boy whispers hunkering down.
Jessica looks at him. She didn't want him telling her mother where she was. It's no fun when a servant stated the fact. How could she trust him to not tell her?
The door opens. Her mother's footsteps come into the room. Jessica holds her breathe. Don't move. Don't find her. "Where did that child go? How are we to greet the queen if she's hiding again?" Mom walks back out of the room closing the door.
"You're here to see Mom?" The boy asks. "I heard she was getting visitors. I wasn't allowed to join the tea party." He frowns over the idea.
"Why not?"
He stares at me for the longest moment. "I don't know. It may be for ladies only." He pauses watching me.
I pull back the curtain. The room is empty of others.
"Are you a lady?" He asks following me out from behind the curtain.
"I'm gonna be a knight."
He stares at me then seems joyful. "Like Lady Hydrangea."
I stare at him confused. "Who's that?"
"She's Mom and Dad's friend. She's a lady and a knight. I cheered her on when she refused that one proposal because he couldn't beat her in a duel." He nods. "Important that your partner is strong enough."
"Are you going to look for someone who'll beat you up then?"
He stops ready to have a comeback, but scratches his head instead. "Maybe." He shrugs. "Did you want to-"
The door opens. It's not Mom.
"Your Highness!" The guard must know the boy. He grumbles about wanting to see the city while getting caught in the guard's arms. "And... Lady Jessica?"
I offer a curtsy. It's not very good. I can't copy Mom, but I wanted to give the queen something nice. "I am."
"This way, young lady." The guard takes my hand. "Your mother is at her wit's end."
"Oh. I was only playing hide and seek."
"Did she consent to hide and seek?" The guard asks.
Mom runs for me as I say, "No."
"Where have you been? Her Majesty is waiting for us."
"She found the prince." The guard shows off at annoyed boy. "Be watchful for tingles. She's been close enough for long enough."
"I hated learning that knowledge." Mom lifts me into her arms. "Please do not wander the castle alone. It's dangerous here."
"But... It feels safer than back home."
"You'll understand when you're older." Mom carries me. We have a tea party with the queen to get to.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Are only ladies allowed at a tea party?"
"No, but it's rare to have others join."
I frown. I didn't even ask that boy's name. "Can I walk in properly?"
"Stay right next to me." Mom places me on the ground. "We are already late."
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Part 3: 3rd POV limited. Warton's residence. Several weeks after the first scene.
"Her Majesty would like to know how the problem has progressed." Lord Jacob White sits in the den with the Warton heads. This is about the youngest child of the house, though: Jessica.
Lady Warton looks absolutely perfect sipping tea. But her eyes tell a different story. "I hated finding out who my true love was. It means nothing. We create the contracts for marriage for the safety of the house and country. Part of me is glad Jessica won't even recall her true love."
"So she had the classic signs? Tingles?" Jacob asks.
The lady looks to her lord. "Um... No. She hasn't given us any indication she has felt the spell activate."
That was the word in the letter. By two weeks... She should have had a dream with the true love's image. A need almost to find them. These two know the spell well. "Nothing at all out of the norm?"
The lord hisses. He stands to pace the room. "No. We have been expecting it. Waiting for it. Only to have her show nothing abnormal. No nightmares or dreams. No desire to search for someone. No one setting off the tingles we all know so well. I was worried and I still am, but..."
"Did the spell work?" The lady asks. "Are you certain Thomas has that curse active?"
"Yes. It has caused harm to several now. There is no way Thomas could turn it off. The only situation would be... She is immune or..." Jacob pauses. Should he make the statement?
"She is Thomas's true love." The lord knew the direction. The meaning. "It would be seen as absurd to have that luck befall us."
Jacob stands up looking between them. "I will return in two weeks. If by then, no signs have been found... Would you be willing to create a contract between the two?"
The lord stares out the window for a long moment. "There was some suggestion Jessica would be marked future queen option, but to create such a contract for such young children..."
"We were barely any older." The lady reaches for her husband. The lord only nods.
"I will return in two weeks. Unless you wish to join the castle then."
"That would suit us better. Jessica can stay here this time. It may have been a fluke. Best not take chances."
"The contract will be for when they are much older." Jacob nods. "Safer to have someone named early, though. You can understand why."
The lord doesn't focus on Jacob. His eyes are set outside. "I worry over the king and queen. Thomas was made with love. Now the two only spew hate at each other." He pauses looking to his wife. "Better to have a contract without emotions involved. Do as needed. Act properly besides."
The lady nods. "Much easier than dealing with the fickleness of love. Even the true loves have been... questionable at times. Leave the heart away from marriage. Focus on what the family needs. Step into your role."
Jacob smiles at the two of them. "I would much enjoy if the two of you could teach Their Majesties such things. It has been a bit of a rough patch. Please join us in a few weeks time. I'll give warning about the true love finding curse failing. It could only mean two things."
"Allow me to see you out." The lord walks with Jacob back to his carriage.
The final farewell, has Jacob wishful it was the true love's curse action. As much as the Warton do not think love helps within a relationship, Jacob recalls what love was like for the king and queen. He watched much of the relationship. The depth they had for each other. A true love will never turn to this hatred. It would be the best of both worlds.
Just... There would be only one way to find out the truth: if a spell falls on either. If such a spell happens where the true love can break it, we'd know the truth. Taking such a risk is a fool's game. Not all spells have the caveat of true love's kiss either. Better to trust a mage than luck.
Jacob watches the scenery while returning to the castle. Her Majesty will accept the contract. As long as Jessica does not have a true love mark. Part of him worries that the Warton would do it anyway. Even if Jessica did feel something. They don't see love as worth it. It could be a third reason we do not know about Jessica's true love. It could be just because love isn't something Jessica would know what to do with.