Never Too Far Away
By Thriasia
o~o~o~o~o
What possible reason could the Prince have to be nosing around a common marketplace? Weren't there servants for that type of thing? But, Ella looked once more and confirmed, unless Prince Charmont had crazy doppelgängers running around Bast looking at pottery, it was certainly he in the flesh.
He seemed perfectly innocuous, examining the various merchandise salesmen held for him to see; so different from the arrogant lunatic she had met the day before. 'Though the devil has many disguises,' she mused.
Ella quickly scrambled behind a hanging tapestry, trying to get a better look without being discovered. Still clutching the potted fern, her small head peaked out the side of the cloth, further attempting to determine His Highness' purpose for being there.
However, she did not notice another merchant approaching while eying her queerly, "Uhm… excuse me, miss, are you interested in buying some tapestries?"
Ella tugged the alarmed man by the sleeve to crouch down on the ground with her. "Shhhh," she said, putting one finger to her lips.
"I think its time you move along," the man pleaded hesitantly, slightly afraid of the young woman who had his shirt in her abnormally strong grasp.
"Just give me one second," she whispered distractedly, ignoring him and crawling on the dirt back to the edge of the tapestry, still dragging the fern behind her with one arm.
Using another furtive glance, she now saw that the prince had bought a single daisy and was bestowing it upon a little girl, who looked up at him with adoring eyes. The ladies around him, a few of them hopefully the girl's sisters, visibly sighed and swooned.
'Okay,' Ella thought, 'number one: the prince was a pedophile. And, number two,' "what a cheap trick," she muttered and rolled her eyes.
The prince stood from bent knees and brushed his breeches off, looking about. As the women elatedly murmured about his presence, he felt his good deed was done for the day. Perhaps he might walk over to see the new stock of centaurs that were brought in this morning. Preparing to head down the street, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. It was a woman's head… lying on the ground? Char squinted in confusion; was the girl unconscious?
Then hazel eyes clashed with honey-brown.
'Oh no!' Ella thought in panic.
Surely not the brightest moment of her life, Ella clumsily yanked the fern in front of her head to cover her face.
Holding her breath, she took a few minutes to poke one eye out from between the leaves, her heart beating rapidly. Maybe it was her imagination that they had made eye contact.
But, the only thing Ella was now making eye contact with was the boots of the Prince of Kyrria.
Again.
"Well, well, if it isn't Ella of Frell," she silently groaned as she heard the suppressed laughter in his voice. "Why is it that I keep encountering you dirty and on the ground?" he asked with barely held mirth.
Lifting her head to see above the fern, she hurriedly got to her feet, holding the plant to her once again, dirt-covered chest. "You see…" Ella cleared her throat. "I was just, uh…" she trailed off.
Char waited patiently for her explanation.
Her eyes frantically darted around for inspiration. "Well, I've been really wanting to get my aunt a… uh, fern," she finished decidedly, not sure whom she was trying to convince. "This fern," she added weakly, bringing it up to his line of vision.
"Ah, I see. Do you usually buy your goods on the floor?" Char chuckled.
Ella's face flushed a light red. "I had once heard that one must test a plant's…" she said the words slowly, "capacity to get sunlight before you buy it." What the hell was she saying? "You know, a trick of the trade" she stretched the words out lamely, averting her gaze anywhere but on him.
A trick of the trade?
Ella mentally cringed. She was not a credit to humankind today.
"Capacity for sunlight, you say?" the prince questioned if he heard right, although ever since he met Ella, nothing she said seemed normal.
"Yes," she snapped, more emboldened by her lie.
Might as well sell it.
"Haven't you heard that before? Horticulturists swear by it, not that you probably take an interest in Mother Nature's great gifts."
She didn't mention how she had been throwing and abusing the plant all over the place just ten minutes ago.
"But why a fern?" he queried in amusement and crossed his arms, resting the side of his body against the street stand, unmindful of the curious onlookers that watched the couple's interactions.
Ella sighed. What was this? An interrogation?
"My aunt loves ferns," Ella shrugged, trying to seem natural. "Adores them, really. Definitely a love match… her and ferns," she coughed into her hand.
This time Char had to release a bout of laughter. Honestly, what would this girl say next? She was completely unpredictable. Unlike any woman he had met before.
Ella wrapped her arms around the pot with a scowl. He was making fun of her, and she detested being the expense of someone's joke. Well, yes, maybe she shouldn't have been spying incognito with a plant… on the floor no less; but still, it was very ungentlemanly-like to mock her. However, what could she expect from the foul man?
She opted for a silent departure and began to turn in the direction that would lead her as far away from His Highness as possible.
Char was promptly by her side, matching her steps. He grabbed the edge of her elbow, "Stroll with me, Ella of Frell."
Ella shook his hand off, "I certainly will not!" she ground out.
"Why not?"
"Because I have better things to do than be your jester," she replied angrily.
Char dashed around her agitated figure, stopping her movements by blocking her way and lightly held up his arms. "Can we please be friends," he grinned ruggedly with one side of his lips. A grin that probably made a hundred girls melt.
Letting out a puff of air, Ella was about to tell him where he could stick his friendship –
"Miss!" A man interrupted the beginnings of her tirade as he ran up to her side, gasping for oxygen. "Please," he begged, doubled over with his hands on his knees, "are you going to pay for that plant?"
Ella felt everything leave her mind as she stared at the man blankly.
Then, she looked down at the stupid fern.
Then, she hung her head in apparent exasperation.
The two men gave each other worried glances, most likely wondering about Ella's mental health.
Meanwhile, Ella was wholly mortified. Not only was she behaving utterly ridiculous this morning, but she had also almost become a felon for petty fern theft! She narrowed her eyes at the royal Prince, knowing it all to be his fault. Every time they met, her day was quite literally turned upside down. Or at least thrown flat to the floor.
She turned towards the man and apologized profusely, "I am so terribly sorry. I thought I had paid for it but I was diverted by all my, ah, sunlight testing." Ella reached into the pockets of her satchel with one hand to retrieve her pouch of coins. Untying the strings, she felt around its velvet-lined interior.
Empty.
'Oh, goddd,' she thought nervously, 'this is awkward.'
It suddenly dawned on her that in all her haste to retire to bed last night, she hadn't seen Mandy for the money she needed. Her hands broke out into a feverish sweat, leaving a damp imprint on the pot she still possessed. Yet, she refused to appear like she might need the Prince to settle her debt.
Think. Think. Think.
Ella gasped, again startling the men before her.
"I absolutely forgot!" she cried in horror.
She was met with stunned silence, neither of them knowing how to respond.
Ella continued, "What was I thinking? Actually, my aunt despises ferns. In fact, she's deathly allergic! She wanted a palm! If I brought this plant home, sir, her fate would be sealed!" Ella bemoaned. She abruptly shoved the fern back into the owner's baffled hands. "Please accept my sincerest apologies." With that, Ella briskly strode down the market, certain that she could never look any of these gawking people in the eye again.
'Great first impression on the town,' she admonished woefully.
The sound of padding footsteps behind her rose sharply to her ears, and she could likely guess whom they belonged to. Attempting to lose the fool, she zigzagged through the shops. Had he not humiliated her enough today? Scouring across the street with her eyes, she could see a gap in the trafficking carriages. Seizing her opportunity, Ella bounded over the paved street, while irritated footmen yelled at her heedlessness, until she was safely perched on the side, huffing for air. She stared wickedly as Char became caught up behind the oncoming horses and carriages, looking around for signs of her. Taking once last glance, she took a nearby alleyway that led out onto a dirt fork in the road.
What proceeded was a dusty, wooden sign that held arrows in two directions. The carved words were hardly visible under the assault of weather and time.
'I suppose its either direction 'blank' or 'unknown' we have to choose from,' Ella thought, squinting at the scribbles that were supposed to be letters. Further moving away from the lingering murmurs of the marketplace, Ella went left.
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As Ella trailed along, the sound of civilization began to disappear, leaving the fresh sighing of nature instead. Surprisingly, the road was pretty, adorned with gentle oaks on each side.
'Well,' Ella contemplated, 'despite having no money and no more town respect, this is rather pleasant.' Back in Frell, she would spend many days of the season finding new trails and haunts. She would say that walking was one of her favorite pastimes.
Was walking considered a hobby? she wondered idly. And, if it was… was that a sad hobby?
Probably.
Shaking her head slightly, Ella hardly noticed the road turning windier and less straightforward. Only until she started to encounter larger and larger ruts in the road did she finally question exactly where she was.
Stopping, she made a circle, and viewed nothing she remembered.
Although she wanted to be consumed in nature, she hadn't meant it quite so literally.
That's all right. All she had to do was come back the way she came, the foremost rule of being lost. She started toward the small sliver of a dirt trail. However, she then realized there were more than a few dirt trails spanning all directions. When had the road gotten so small? And why had she been spinning around so much that now she couldn't recall which direction had been directly behind her?
Exhaling a sigh, Ella meandered down on of the dirt slivers at random and tried to look for any signs that she was on the right track. Nothing really seemed very familiar, albeit trees were not that unique of landmarks.
Wasn't the number one rule in the guide of survival not to deviate from the paved path? If she had followed that logic, she wouldn't even need the foremost rule of being lost.
Guess she wasn't great at adhering to either.
After fifteen minutes passed and Ella still was unsure of a north, left, up, or down, she began to let a little worry enter her mind.
She mentally joked, hopefully she wouldn't have to die out here.
However, in that instant, she made the mistake of thinking about her joke. Just like when someone jokes about something scary, until they realize what they said is actually scary. And just like that, they've scared themselves into paranoia…
But she didn't do that. She was fine. She wasn't going to die.
Ella's throat felt a tad parched as she swallowed. A bead of sweat broke out on her forehead.
She paused and attempted to calm herself from 'not being paranoid'.
She took a deep breath.
Was anyone ever truly lost in life?
Ella groaned. Philosophy would never be part of the survival guide, she was sure. Bookworms were definitely the first to go in a crisis situation.
The leaves crunched loudly behind the bushes and Ella jumped back in reflex. Emerging from the wild shrubbery were brown-red curls atop a royal face she could not seem to be rid of.
Ella gasped incredulously and raised her finger, "How is it remotely possible that you are here right now!"
Char smiled at her affably, certain that it would irk her. "You are hardly as much of a hiding mastermind as you think. It was easy to predict where you were heading."
Mouth agape, Ella could not believe that she had been lost long enough for him to track her down. Even more horrible was that he knew how to get out of here. And she didn't. "Are you having an excessively dull day to be stalking a stranger?" she asked Char pointedly.
"We don't have to be strangers," Char said suggestively, lifting an eyebrow.
Ella let out a sound of disgust and swiveled on her heel. About to make an exit, she had the revelation that an exit meant still not knowing the way. A growl rising in her throat, Ella turned back, "Can you just please direct me to the nearest person that is not you?"
Char drew a breath. "That is so callous. After I went to all this trouble to find you, you would want to leave me?" He placed a hand over his heart.
"Finally you are taking a hint," Ella responded wryly.
Clearly relishing the fact that he knew something she didn't, Char examined his fingers, "I don't think that I can give away valuable information without a price."
Of course he couldn't.
"And what would that be?" she gritted out.
Char smirked. "I have two conditions. One," he said holding up a finger, "I would walk you home. Two: You have to answer five questions of my choosing."
"Absolutely not."
"I guess it's just you and me then," Char sat down and leaned his back against a tree for emphasis. He raised his forearms behind his head and crossed his legs in the ultimate pose of relaxation.
Horror dawned on Ella's face. What was worse? Letting his Smug Highness get the best of her… or being forever lost, with him as company.
Until she died.
Put in that perspective, she spoke mulishly, "Do you always get what you want?"
"I'll take that as your agreement to the proposed terms," Char said blithely, standing up.
Hanging her head in resignation, Ella gloomily followed his lead.
It took a whole five minutes to get back on the path. She had pretty much walked herself into a circle, and then parallel to the main road. What was worse was the fact that she had bargained with His Highness for directions that could not have been simpler.
She begrudging detailed her aunt's estate location and Char proceeded to lead the way. They walked in – dare she say – amiable silence for several minutes. Char seemed genuinely relaxed, as if he knew every crook and niche of the forest. That's quite how she herself felt when in Frell. However, she was rather surprised that His Highness would have such an explorative trait, as he exuded the teasing and nonchalant nature that was so reflective of Royal Court. She had a difficult time to imagine him forgoing those pleasures for solitary walks, but it did seem to suit him.
"Question one," Char permeated the quiet as an obvious start to his allotted questions.
Ella withheld a sigh.
"How was it possible that you did not recognize who I was yesterday?"
"Don't read gossip columns much."
Well, he never made her promise to have engaging answers. She did tell him the truth, however, as while many girls from finishing school poured over which Lord wed which Lady, and what every man, woman, and dog wore to the galas, Ella preferred to spend her time in a more productive manner.
He gave her an annoyed look with her lack of elaboration. "How old are you?"
"Twenty."
"Then why have not you married by now?"
"By some great luck, I suppose," she stated ironically.
Char scoffed in surprise, "Do you really hold matrimony is such low regard?"
Ella thought of her parents' marriage then of Father's countless ploys to wed her off. "My experiences have prevented me from elevating it any further, Sire. And," she smirked, "that was your fourth question."
With a wry smile, Char conceded, "Very well." For his last question, he expelled his words thoughtfully, "So the most beguiling question would be… what have you really come to Bast for, Ella of Frell?" He gave her a searching look, as if telling her that he was more astute than she would assume. "You seem a tad too defensive and guarded to merely be partaking in some traveling months." With the serious implications of his question, Char still managed to keep his tone light.
Ella jerked her head up in alarm, partly shocked that he could make such an observation about her, but mostly that he was bold enough to say something which was so inappropriately familiar, intimate even. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Char registered that his query had an effect, until she willed them to the surrounding trees.
She forced a cheerful smile on her face that did not reach her eyes. "Why, I had hoped to gain some knowledge of court in addition to visiting a beloved aunt. The society is somewhat… confined in Frell. Surely, I have heard of the grand balls given here and– well look at that! There is the manor just over that hill," she flashed a grin at him and quickened her legs over the path.
Though it was evident that Ella had spoken a falsehood, Char knew to push it further would be ungentlemanly. But, he just could not shake the desire to know more about her, as every meeting garnered more questions. And that desire could prove to be dangerous for him if he did not take heed.
As the last of their steps brought them to the entry of Rainford's courtyard, Char did not wish to set Ella's aunt into a flurry with his presence, looking at both of them with hearts in her eyes and the chapel on her mind. Women did have quite a habit of over-analyzing.
"Thus, I leave you to your afternoon," Char said smoothly as he reached for and bowed over Ella's hand.
Somewhat surprised that the walk home was not as painfully tedious as she would have guessed, she allowed him to take her hand. "Thank you for your escort, Your Highness. I can say that it was indeed… interesting."
"Then, until next time, My Lady," Char brushed his lips over fingers with an upwards glance into her hazel eyes. Some of his brown-red locks spilled over his forehead and across one eye, making him look piratical and alluring at the same time.
He straightened and turned his gait towards town.
Ella watched his retreating figure and took a moment's breath before alerting Smithy to her arrival. Why had the Prince not tried to coordinate another meeting, knowing his persistence by now. However, it was a relief to not encounter him again, was it not?
But why then had she the strangest flush in her face, which she tried to attribute to the exercise of her walk.
And irritatingly enough, the warmth appeared to stem from her fingers.
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