Thank you SO much to my four reviewers! Sorry this took so long -- I had an unexpected event last week. The next chapter will come soon!
Disclaimer: I own everything so far (except Carvin's name -- kudos to Lobuck) but I've got Fairy Tales tied in later, don't worry...
Carvin stalked back out to the archery range automatically, feeling numb. My father was right, he thought, this isn't a mere trinket of news. It's the rock that started the avalanche! This is so unreal! Why me?
He, like every other boy in Berensia, had had a crush on the Princess at one time or another, but engaged? He'd never even seen the girl!
Because he lived practically on the other side of the kingdom, the closest he had come to seeing her was a particularly bad painting his father had of the royal family; it was hanging in the hallway. Of course, the painting had been done several years ago, but even the fumbling artist had managed to catch the haughty glint in the twelve year old princess's eye.
"Carvin! What did your father want?" asked his friend, Faidn, running up the hill from the archery range. "You've been gone a while so I came back to see what was taking you so long."
Carvin gave him a withering look that clearly told him he wasn't in the mood for questions.
"I've wasted enough time already; I only have an hour more to shoot before supper."
They started walking but Faidn was bold enough to bring the topic up again.
"What was taking you so long, Carvin? What did your father want to tell you?"
Carvin sighed, but decided the course of direct action would be best, given the personality of his friend.
"I'm engaged to someone I've never met before."
Faidn grinned and punched Carvin's arm.
"All right! Now you can ditch Sara! I never liked her, anyway. She looks at me like I'm a toad or something."
"Well, sometimes you act like one," Carvin replied moodily, remembering the pretty brunette at his school -- the governor's daughter.
"That doesn't give her an excuse to be a judge!" Faidn retorted hotly, then he realized Carvin hadn't denied an attraction to Sara. "You like Sara, don't you?" he grinned.
"No!" Carvin replied firmly.
"I saw that look you gave her last week."
"What look?"
"The one that clearly said 'Oh Sara! You're so beautiful! Let me tie your shoes for you! Let me follow you to the ends of the--' Ow!" Faidn yelped as Carvin kicked him, hard, in the shin.
"Be quiet, Faidn," he growled, "let's go shoot."
He set off at a quicker pace towards the archery range with Faidn limping exaggeratedly behind him.
"Wait up! Hey! Lover boy!" he called.
Carvin didn't even glance behind him, so Faidn gave up the limp and jogged up next to Carvin.
"Alright, so arranged marriage isn't exactly what you had in mind, Vin, but she can't be too bad! Your father isn't a heartless person!"
There was a moment of silence where Carvin pointedly ignored the unasked question. When they reached the range and Carvin started to notch his bow to the string, Faidn grew tired of waiting and got to the point.
"Who's the lucky girl?"
Carvin released the arrow and it thudded a little to the upper left of the center.
"Nre."
"Nre who? That one down the road? She's not terrible... just a bit young."
Carvin rolled his eyes and began to aim his next shot.
"Faidn, Nre Louis is eight. No, not that Nre: the Nre."
Faidn blinked and looked aghast, giving Carvin a moment of silence to adjust the position of the arrow before firing -- a bulls-eye.
"The Princess!" Faidn finally managed in kind of half whisper.
Carvin nodded, grabbing another arrow.
"Why aren't you happy, Vin? She's the Princess! You're marrying the Princess! Hello!"
Faidn shook Carvin's shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. Carvin pulled away and looked at Faidn, as if evaluating the person he'd known his whole life.
"Fai, think about it! Sure, she's a princess, but what about love? Why can't we marry for love? What if I don't love her? What if we don't even get along? What if--"
Carvin just sank to the ground and put his head in hands. Faidn scratched his neck, feeling more than a bit awkward.
"Alright, Vin, I see your point. Really though, look on the bright side; at least it isn't that horrid Danielle Butrosk!"
Carvin had to grin at the mental image of the ugly and snotty girl in the most expensive wedding dress she could afford.
"Well, I guess you're right, Fai."
"See! I'm good for something! Now, let's shoot off a few more rounds before I have to go help serve supper. Ma will give me a lashing if I'm late again."
Carvin agreed and they both lifted their bows to concentrate on the far target.
Alright! Thanks for reading! Please review! I'll give you a cookie... --shows large batch of freshly baked cookies--
EDIT: Thank you Sera dy Relandrant, Emma A. Piper, and Crayola Color Sky for pointing out my mistakes, this should be better!