Disclaimer: Septimus Heap does not, has not, nor will ever belong to me. All credit for the wonderfulness of the books goes to Angie Sage.

Jenna was furious. Milo had really done it this time. He'd pushed her over the edge. In fact, just this morning when, who she considered to be her twin brother, Septimus Heap, asked if she was alright she had thrown Marcia's best tea pot at his head. And she felt bad about it, just not bad enough to go back into that room and apologize. Because Milo Banda, Jenna's father by blood, was there.

Ever sense her fourteenth birthday he had been lecturing her on finding a 'proper escort'. She couldn't stand it. There was no reason why she needed to worrying about such things now, she had plenty of time before she needed an escort. And anyway, Milo was really one to talk, after all he'd left Cerys while she was pregnant with Jenna to go find treasure. Yeah, he was a great escort. And then he had the nerve to say he was trying to help Jenna make better choices then her mother had. He'd been bringing in all sorts of worthy suiters, ranging from ten to nineteen years of age.

Jenna had not liked it. And she let her disapproval be known. Soon she'd brought almost everyone into the loud and lengthy arguments. Marcia, Sarah, Silas, Septimus and Nicko were on her side, but that didn't stop Milo. Another battle was rattling along, taking place in Marcia's chambers. Jilli Djinn enjoyed chiming in, always backing up Milo. Just because she could. Just because she was board. Jenna had gotten so fed up that she'd screamed, tugged at her hair, then thrown her circlet at Jilli. And this is when Septimus had asked if she was alright. She'd grabbed the nearest thing she could reach, chucked it at him, then stormed off.

Now Jenna was walking briskly past shops and houses, but when she reached the Manuscriptorium she was stopped.

"Jenna! Hey, Jen, what's wrong?" Beetle asked, having to run a bit then grab her arm to make her stop and listen.

"Let go." She hissed.

"No. What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"I told you to let go of me!" She shook her arm, trying to loosen Beetle's grip.

"No, not until you tell me what's up."

"What gives you the right to hold me here?"

"Because we're friends! Because I want to help-" Beetle begun, taken aback by her anger.

"Don't act so familiar with me!" She gave her arm another tug, this time pulling free. She ran.

~~~~~~~~OoO~~~~~~~~

Beetle stood there, staring after Jenna. He was stunned. Hurt. The pain gripped him, and some of his worst nightmares welcomed him into despair. He watched the street that Jenna had long sense disappeared from for a long time. His brain didn't seem to be working. He could of stood there all night, if not for Marcia Overstrand, ExtraOrdinary Wizard calling his name.

"Beetle?" She asked, and he turned to face her.

"Huh?" He grunted.

Marcia gave him a strange look, "Are you alright?" she questioned, Beetle nodded. "Right then, there's been a last minute feast at the palace, and we thought it best to invite you." Beetle stared at her. What feast could be so important that Marcia was out inviting guests?

"What's it for?"

"Hmmm," Marcia pursed her lips. "It's a bid hard to explain, but Milo was very insistent."

~~~~~~~~OoO~~~~~~~~

Beetle arrived at the feast. Hardly a feast, really. There was plenty of food, but few guests, and no talking. Not even one smile. Beetle crossed over to the one end of the table were Milo, Marcia, Silas, Sarah, Nicko, Septimus and Jenna sat. His stomach churned. He sat next to Septimus, trying to ignore a fuming Jenna. He noticed a bump on his friends head.

"You OK?" He asked, and was relieved when Septimus gave a small smile and nodded, rather then tell him off for being pleasant.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, do you think you could give this to Jen?" He held out Jenna's circlet. Beetle was tempted to say no, but it was something he'd never been very good at, so he took it and went over to where Jenna stood.

"What?" She snapped as she saw him approach.

"Septimus wanted me to return this to you." Beetle held out her golden circlet.

"Oh. Thank you, Beetle."

"You're welcome, Princess."

~~~~~~~~OoO~~~~~~~~

Beetle returned to his seat. Jenna watched him go. He had been so formal. He had called her Princess. He had not called her that sense they became friends. 'Don't act so familiar with me!' Her words from earlier echoed in her head. How could she have said that? And she'd been rude again when he'd approached her to give back the crown. How could she have acted like that?

Milo stood up, signaling for everyone to take their seats, they did. And he begun to speak.

"As you all know, Queens must, at some point in their life find suiters, and I believe that if we start the search early we have a better chance of…" Milo continued, but Jenna was not listening.

You're welcome, Princess. You're welcome, Princess. You're welcome, Princess. You're welcome, Princess. Princess. Princess. Princess.

She couldn't get off her mind. Beetle calling her princess meant that he would no longer be her friend, but just another person who thought nothing of her besides Princess. And it begun to sink in. She'd lost him. One of the most important people in her life, and she'd practically chased him off with a broom.

Tears flooded her eyes. Then then spilled over her eyelids, and they wouldn't stop. She was pretty sure that Milo had stopped talking, that they were all staring at her.

"See! I told you she's too young to worry about any of this!" Sarah yelled. And then everyone was yelling, arguing. A few of them it seemed, trying to comfort her. But she pushed them away, she had to fix things with Beetle.

Jenna grabbed him and ran. She didn't stop until they were at the gardens. Then she turned to Beetle.

"I'm sorry, Beetle." She gasped, unpleased to find that her tears had nod stopped. "I was just mad at you because you don't care"

"What don't I care about?" Beetle was as confuse as it is possible to get.

"About me getting married, but I was just being selfish because everyone else cared a lot and I just expected you to care too. I'm sorry. Please, call me Jenna again"

"But I do care! I just didn't know! It bothered me listening to Milo go on about the sooner you find someone the better. I HATED it! I don't want to lose-" He stopped, his eyebrows un-scrunching themselves. He wrapped the arm that Janna was not clutching around to the back of her head, resting his hand there. He pulled her face close to his, then he closed the gap. He was kissing the princess, but more then that, he was kissing Jenna Heap.