I know it took awhile to get this chapter up but that's because school is drawing to an end and studying for finals comes first. Once school is out I should be back to my weekly updates. Hopefully.

~*Hurry, Hurry*~

The sun had yet to rise as Tonya was already working up a sweat. Seeing as how she'd had trouble sleeping the night before, she'd woken early that morning. She'd changed into her sports bra and a pair of cotton short shorts and had decided to go for a run around the palace. Leaving a note on the door for Ivan in case he came looking for her. The bracelet jiggled on her wrist as she ran past the garden, about to finish one lap. Seeing as how large the palace itself was, she'd settled for running around it. Having started around at the front. As she was rounding the last corner she could hear a familiar sound as she skidded to a stop. Listening hard as she waited to hear it again.

"Dribbling? Is someone playing basketball around here?" Tonya asked herself as she headed towards the noise.

To her surprise there was a small court set up and a man was out on it. Tonya recognized him as one of the princes as he just messed around, taking various shots while throwing in a few moves. It surprised her to find a basketball court by the palace, let alone a prince who knew how to play. She stood there watching him as the sun slowly rose. Unfortunately for her, one of the rising rays hit the bracelet and reflected the light towards the prince. As he turned the light shined right in his eye as he covered his eyes and squinted in the direction of the girl.

"Shit! Damn thing's always giving me trouble." Tonya hissed as she lowered her arm.

"Who are you?" She looked up to see Prince Alvah only an inch from her face.

"Aah!" Freaked out by how close he was, the girl had taken a quick step back and tripped over a root. Causing her to fall on her backside as she rubbed her butt. Alvah looked from the girl, to her wrist as he spotted the bracelet.

"So you're the one the king told us about." Alvah muttered as Tonya nodded.

"Yeah the 'lucky one' who'd saved the bracelet. Honestly it's more trouble than it's worth." Tonya griped as Alvah couldn't help but laugh at the girl. "What?"

"You're an amusing girl. Most people that I catch spying on me apologize quickly and take off. Yet you don't seem bothered." He said as he stood over the girl.

"I wasn't spying. I heard the basketball and came to find out who here actually participates in recreational sports. Not to be rude but the words 'prince' and 'physical sports' don't exactly go together. Ow." Tonya whined as a dull pain throbbed in her backside.

"Tell me, what's your name?" Alvah asked as he held his hand out.

"Tonya Shadray. And you are?" She asked as she gripped his hand tightly as he pulled her up.

"Prince Alvah. But just call me Alvah. No need to stand on formalities right?" He grinned as he let her hand go. "If you know about basketball then you know how to play right? Come on."

Tonya just followed the happy prince as she was amazed by how friendly he was. It'd taken Nagit a bit to warm up to her yesterday. Yet this guy had just met her and he was already asking her to join him in a game. Tonya shook her head as she realized just how different each prince must be from the next as she walked on to the court.

"How about a game of horse?" He asked as he passed her the ball. "I'll even let you start."

"Okay." She grinned as she stood at the 3-point line as shot the ball, making a swish.

Tonya didn't know how she'd gone from running to playing a game with the prince. But it was interesting to say the least. Alvah would try and do some hard move to purposely make her get a letter, so Tonya would do the exact same thing. Only seeming to have better luck than the prince. After the game was done the two just shot around, enjoying the free time. Tonya could almost believe that she was with some regular person enjoying a regular early morning workout as the two exhausted themselves. Alvah motioned for her to follow him as he carried the ball off. Waiting in the garden was a bottle of water. Apparently someone had known about Alvah's early morning shootout and had left him something to drink.

"Here, you take the first sip." He offered as he handed her the bottle.

"Thanks." Tonya took a small drink as Alvah's eyes looked her over. "Can I help you?"

"You have a really toned body for a girl." He said as Tonya handed him the bottle.

"I live on a ranch. Have to be physically strong." She explained as Alvah tilted his head.

"Really? So Nagit wasn't lying when he said you work with horses?" He asked as she nodded. "Can I see?"

"Not now. But I'll be working with a horse later if you want to see then." Tonya said as she took another drink. Considering that Nagit had wanted to learn more about her style of working with horses, he'd made it to where no one but her could work with the horse she'd started with last night. Which was fine with Tonya because it gave her something to do to distract herself. She took a deep breath, pulling her hair off her sweaty back as she did so. "Ugh…I need a shower."

"Yeah I guess we both do." Alvah laughed as Tonya found herself warming up to the prince more and more.

"There you are." Ivan breathed as the two of them turned to see the butler.

"Tonya!" Nagit came running out from behind the man as he flung himself at the girl. Wrapping his arms around her.

The younger boy squeezed her tight as Alvah looked at his younger brother in surprise. Even Ivan was shocked by Nagit's actions as he looked at the girl. She hugged him back before the two separated, Nagit still holding on to her hand as the four stood there. Ivan cleared his voice as he regained his composure.

"Prince Nagit here became worried when he saw your note this morning. He asked me to help find you and make sure you were ok." Ivan explained as Tonya looked at Nagit.

"You came to visit me this morning? Huh, didn't know I was gone that long." Tonya said to herself as Nagit nodded.

"All your note said was that you were out. But when you didn't return right away I got nervous. So I asked Ivan to help me out." He grinned as she smiled at him.

"Since when are you so bold?" Alvah asked as Nagit just noticed his brother. He let go of Tonya's hand as a deep blush came across his face.

"H-Hi Alvah." He stuttered as the older prince laughed.

"It's nice to see you not being so serious for once." Alvah said as Nagit just looked at the ground.

"Anyways I'm just glad to see you're alright." Ivan said as he finally spoke up. "Is there anything I can do for you while I'm here?"

"Um maybe some bodywash so that I can scrub this stink off?" Tonya asked as fanned herself off.

"I will have a maid bring you some immediately as well as a fresh robe and towels." Ivan said before taking off. The three began walking after him slowly as they headed back inside.

"He's very efficient isn't he?" Tonya asked as the two nodded. The cool air inside felt good on all of them as they headed down one of the main halls.

"So Tonya you're gonna spend time with me again today right?" Nagit asked as the girl was about to nod yes to him.

"Don't you have studies today Nagit?" Alvah narrowed his eyes as a smirk came across his face.

"I was going to do them later after Tonya and I had spent time together." Nagit huffed as Alvah snickered.

"Nagit you shouldn't neglect your studies for anything. Besides we can spend time together tonight." Tonya said as Nagit's face fell.

"So what will you do?" He asked as Alvah wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders.

"I'll keep her entertained. After all she's supposed to be getting to know all of us so she can decide the future king right?" Alvah pulled her closer as Tonya just rolled her eyes. Nagit looked at her with big eyes, wondering if she would really be ok with his eccentric older brother.

"I'll be fine Nagit. If he gives me any trouble I'll just beat him up." She said as Nagit nodded, a smile coming back to his face. He turned to Alvah as his smile went away, a serious look replacing it.

"You better treat Tonya with respect. If I hear that you were rude I'll give her every right to get you back." Nagit warned as Alvah waved it off.

"Sure, sure." Alvah said as Nagit left the two alone. Alvah let Tonya go as he watched his brother walk away. "Well we better get clean. I'll meet you back at your room in about two hours ok?"

Tonya nodded as the two went their separate ways. True to his word Ivan had sent a maid to her room. Waiting in the en suite bathroom were various brands of bodywash as Tonya just picked one and quickly stripped. Enjoying the feel of the warm water upon her skin. She quickly scrubbed herself down and washed out her hair before jumping out. Dressing in a simple shirt, jeans, and regular shoes for the day. She ran the towel over her damp hair once again before hanging it back up and combing out her hair so that it could dry with no tangles in it. As she was looking over herself in the mirror she heard a light knock on her door as she closed her bathroom door and went to answer the bedroom door.

"Oh, hi Ivan." She stepped aside to let him in as he placed a tray of food down on the small coffee table.

"I figured you hadn't eaten anything yet." He said as she looked at the food. Her heart jumped for joy as she saw it was simple eggs and bacon, a side of pancakes, apple juice and water to drink.

"Ivan you are a saint." Tonya praised as she sat down and began to eat.

"Well I didn't think you'd want to try anything fancy on your second day here. I'm glad you're happy with my choice." He smiled as Tonya nodded vigorously. "May I ask what you plan to do today?"

"I don't know. Alvah said he was going to entertain me." Tonya shrugged as she sipped on her apple juice.

"Knowing Prince Alvah he'll want to go into the city. Which I would highly advise against." Ivan sighed as Tonya looked at him. "You are the bracelet bearer. If anyone saw you with it that would make you a prime target for attacks. I would really hate to see anything happen to you."

"I guess you're right. I mean it's only how Prince Alvah spotted me this morning. It's what got me into this mess in the first place to. If this thing wasn't so flashy it would be easier to hide."

Tonya glared at the bracelet around her wrist as she realized just how much of a pain it really was. Part of her wished it was just another gaudy piece of jewelry so that she wouldn't have to worry so much about things. An idea came to her as she quickly stood and faced Ivan who wondered what she was thinking.

"Ivan, you wouldn't happen to have any spare material lying around would you? Preferably silk or velvet?" She asked as Ivan thought about it.

"We may. Would you like me to get you some?" He asked, not quite sure what her plan was.

"Yes please." She said as Ivan left to find something for the girl while she dug into her breakfast.

Tonya finished her breakfast quickly and moved it to the side as Ivan came back with a piece of black silk. It surprised him when he watched her tear a long piece off and lay it down as she slipped the bracelet over her wrist. He watched as she wrapped the silk around the bracelet, making the pieces overlap each other to give it a pattern. She left the gems exposed so that they seemed apart of the design as she held the now covered bracelet up for Ivan.

"It's not much of a change, but it's enough to make it look like costume jewelry. And since no one but the royal family and servant know I have it, no one will recognize the thing." She grinned as Ivan was amazed by her work.

"I have to admit that is a very ingenious idea Miss Tonya. Hiding it in plain sight." He chuckled as she put it back on.

"Exactly." She laughed as there was a knock on her door.

"Tonya you ready?" Alvah called out as she flipped her now dry hair over her shoulder.

"Be safe." Ivan said as Tonya nodded before walking out to meet Alvah. Even dressed in relaxation clothes he was still impressive looking.

"Well, what do you have planned for me?" She asked as Alvah grinned.

"I know you probably got to see a lot of the city while you were here on exchange, but I haven't been out in a while. So I figured we'd go sightseeing." Alvah said as he latched on to her arm and drug her behind him.

The prince was a ball of energy. Running from one place to the other. Going from the shopping district, to the casinos (naturally she couldn't go in since she was only nineteen so they didn't stay long), to watching street performers, and finally heading out to a park. Even then he didn't seem to slow down. A small festival was taking place so Alvah was running from stand to stand as Tonya struggled to keep up with him. He was more of a kid than Nagit was. But it was nice to be running around as if she was a normal girl again. It almost made her feel like she was back home just enjoying an outing with a good friend. Alvah even acted silly with her as the two tried on random items whenever they came by clothing vendors. What really surprised the girl was how Alvah talked with just about every vendor he went to. Seems that the prince was known for always rushing about.

"So what do you want to do next?" Alvah asked as the two enjoyed the popsicles he'd gotten them.

"I don't know. We pretty much went everywhere in the park." Tonya said as the two walked along a path. "Hey, is that a lookout over there?"

Tonya pointed to a small railing as Alvah motioned her on. The two walked over and Tonya was amazed at the sight before her. This was one thing she hadn't seen before. Down below them was a small beach with crystal clear waters. A lighthouse stood in the distance, adding to the picturesque scene. She looked at the prince who read the question in her eyes as he led her down the hill and to the beach. Tonya kicked her shoes and socks off, the sand feeeling good between her toes.

"This is one of my favorite places to come to. The air is always calm and our waters are some of the cleanest in the world. If you walk along those rocks during low tide you can look at all the tide pools around here. Each one is unique and I always like watching the creatures in them. Our coral reefs are really beautiful too since we have nothing polluting our waters." Alvah explained as she looked out over the water.

"This is amazing. See I'm from a dry area and we don't have anything like this around. But our mountains are beautiful in their own right." Tonya said as Alvah looked down at her.

"So you've never been to the sea?" He asked as she shook her head. "Well then you have to go swimming here at least once! The water feels amazing."

"Maybe next time. After all neither one of us is really dressed for swimming" Tonya said as she looked to him. "Alvah what are you doing?"

The prince was taking off his shirt and kicking his shoes off as he ran towards the water. He pulled his socks off before diving in as Tonya watched in amazement. She couldn't believe he'd just done that. She dropped her shoes as she watched in disbelief. Alvah popped up as the sun reflected off the water in his hair. Making it a scene that many girls would kill to see. Tonya shook her head as she laughed at him. Leaving her shoes near his as she walked out into the water as it lapped on to her feet.

"Oh come on! You have to try this!" Alvah hollered as he splashed around.

"I'm good here." She called back as she looked out towards the light house.

Taking advantage of her lack of attention, Alvah squirted water at Tonya with his hands as it hit her in the face. The girl screamed in shock as she wiped the water off her face. She turned to glare at Alvah who was laughing at her as he closed his eyes. He could hear splashing as he wondered what was causing the noise. He opened his eyes to see Tonya launch herself at him, tackling the boy into the water. The two both came up as Alvah just stared at the girl who splashed water in his face as she started laughing. Alvah couldn't help but laugh too as they got into a splash fight. After a while they got out of the water and moved off the beach and to the grass where they just lied out in the sun.

"This is the most fun I've had in a long time." Alvah breathed as he looked over at Tonya.

"Me too. I'm glad I got to spend this time with you Alvah. It felt good to just act like a kid again." She giggled as Alvah sat up.

"Now I can see why Nagit acted the way he did this morning with you. You know he's never that open with his feelings around strangers?" Alvah asked as Tonya sat up.

"I got that feeling. But I'm glad to see that he's opened up more." She smiled as Alvah looked at her.

"You sure are an interesting person Tonya. I like that." He said as he shoved her lightly.

"You're not too bad yourself." She bumped him back as the two shared another laugh before heading back to the palace in their still damp clothes.

And another prince is introduced! Not a whole lot to say on this one. Just really tired from school and will be glad when it's out for the semester. Anyways let me know what you thought.