A/N: Well thanks to my two reviewers. Bryony Casten: Thank you for the tips and yes I know thirteen was a lot to do but I like them all. Nelarun: Thanks for reviewing I am glad you like it, I had nine chapters already done but I changed them cuz they turned out bad so I hope you like this one.

Chapter 4: Two Days Together

Jason sighed and looked out the window. They had only stopped once at a small Inn that night. After being cleaned up and changing horses they left again in a new carriage. Ellie was once again fast asleep laying back into him. He had switched positions this time, letter her lay back into his chest. His arms were wrapped around her waist so she wouldn't fall. A smile curved her red lips and she seemed content where she lay.

Her fingers were twined with his and one of her legs hung over the edge of the seat. She had changed into a tunic and pair of breeches saying it was much easier to travel in. The more he thought about it the more he looked forward to their marriage. A smile came to his face as he realized he would be spending the next two days with her.

"We are 'ere Yer Highness," the driver called.

"Thank you good Sir," Jason said. "Wake up Ellie," he said quietly in her ear.

"Wha?" Was all she managed to say as she sat up her blue eyes ladden with sleep.

"Come on," he whispered gently to her as he led her into the castle. She stumbled as she walked, still more than half asleep. "Whoa watch your step." Jason caught her around the waist keeping her from falling.

"Where am I?"

"The castle, come on time to sleep," Jason said with a grin. She managed to mumble something incoherant as she followed idly by him. He opened the door to his room and turned her towards the door to hers but she didn't follow him. Instead she headed in the opposite direction and crawled into his bed. "That's my bed you know."

"It's mine now," she said just before dozing off. Jason stood there watching her sleep in his bed. He actually liked the idea of her sleeping in his bed.

A soft knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. He opened the door to reveal his servant, James. "Hello James, what are you still doing up?"
"I came to see if you were alright."

"I am. You should be with your wife, go I can take care of myself."

"That I am sure of but it is my job to at least check on you."

Jason grinned wide. "True, true but for the next two days consider yourself free of me. Now go back to your wife I am sure she misses your company."

"Thank you, night Jason." James said as he headed off down the hall. Jason slowly closed the door behind him.

Turning he found Ellie still fast asleep and curled up against the only extra pillow he had. Shaking his head he changed into different clothes as he moved to lay on the other side of his bed.

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With a sigh Ellie pushed herself upwards from where she had been so comfortably sleeping. She vaguely remembered leaving the carriage and crawling into some bed. Jason mumbled something and rolled onto his side, his arm falling across her lap. Of course, she should have expected she would wind up in the same bed as him, though, now that she thought about it, it wasn't that bad. She would be married to him before long so she should get used to the idea.

Shaking her head she slipped out of the bed and headed to the window. She pushed open the doors and stepped out onto the balcony. The wind rushed by her pulling free the rest of her light brown hair. She inhaled the smell of rain on the wind. Turning her gaze eastward she saw the storm front that was moving in. It would be here with three days time.

Ellie didn't hear Jason wake up or head over to her. Suddenly his arms wrapped around her waist making her jump slightly. He smiled as he set his head on her shoulder. "It's not nice to scare people you know."

"Sorry I didn't intend to scare you."

"You're a bad liar," she mumbled quietly.

"Looks like a storm is moving in," Jason said as he turned to look at the oncoming clouds.

"Should be here in about three days but could be shorter."

"Well then should give us plenty of time."

"Plenty of time for what?"

"We have two days together, I think we should enjoy it. Now come on I am starving and its passed noon so we have less time then I would have liked. Your room and things are right through that door, I will see you in ten minutes," he told her kissing her neck before turning to head to his dresser.

Ellie shook her head and headed to her room. Just as he said Jason knocked on her door in ten minutes. She pulled open the door wearing a modest light pink dress and her hair was pulled back. Smiling he offered his arm to her as the two made their way down to the dinning area. After a quick chat with a young page he led her into a small dinning area.

Taking her seat she let her eyes wander around the hall. "So what are you planning on doing today?" She asked him.

"I was hoping you would join me for a walk to the library, which I am sure you would like, then a short tour of the castle, also dinner, then a stroll in the gardens."

"Gardens? As in you have more than one?"

"Eight to be exact. Its more of a tradition for the Queen to plant her own garden, well to carry on one that is. That means the next queen will finish the half of my mothers."

"Interesting tradition. I see that means there have been fifteen queens before that have done this?"

"Oh yes and they are still growing and thriving I might add."

Ellie let out a low whistle. "Impressive to say the least."

Food was brought out and Ellie couldn't help herself as she dug in. Jason smiled and stood when they were done. "Well shall we?"

Ellie nodded and got to her feet, ignoring the arm he held out of her. The two slowly made their way down the hall for just about every servant stopped to talk to the Prince. "Sorry about that," he said as he opened the door to the library. It was huge! She gasped surprised at the size of the library.

"This is spectacular! My sisters will be envious!" Ellie managed to get out her blue eyes wide with envy. Her fingers lightly ran over the spines of the books she passed. Jason leaned back against the wall, a huge grin on his face, as he watched her look over the books. He slowly ran his fingers through his hair his eyes moving slowly over her.

She could feel his gaze on her but her mind was to entranced with the books. It was possitively amazing to look at! Never had she seen a library this big or this spectacular before. It put her in a state of shock that left her both speechless and amazed. His gaze never wavered as he watched her enjoying herself and she didn't mind in the least, it did, however, make a chill run down her spine.

Turning she smiled at him, meeting his dark green eyes, that seemed to be laughing. "This place really is amazing. I'll have to show my sisters this when they get here! Oh Sara will love this! She reads more than the rest of us."

Jason only nodded his head. The look in her blues eyes was just captivating to him. They danced with excitment, joy, wonder, and anticipation. "Then I will be more than happy to let her come here any time she feels up to it. There is more than enough room for anyone who wishes to come in here. Would you care to see the rest of it?"

She nodded her head excitedly as she took the arm he offered. They spent the good part of the day going through the library. Ellie just couldn't get enough of it and would have stayed the whole day had he not mentioned the gardens. After a quick dinner Jason led her through the castle to two large gold doors.

The door itself was spectacular. Vines were carved running up the sides of it and flowers blossemed along it. In fine writing were the names of the fifteen queens who had built the garden. Jason laughed at the look on her face. Her jaw had dropped open in a big 'O' and her eyes had gone wide again. Quickly her eyes traced over the carvings and the names. "Queen Ezal," she mumbled so quietly that Jason had almost missed it.

"Oh yes, Queen Ezal. She was the first woman to ever be crowned Queen. Though she did eventually marry and have children she ruled her country well on her own. Many people could never figure out where she disappeared to and it wasn't until her daughter became Queen that the gardens became a new tradition. My mother always told me there was a reason why but she said it was only for the next queen to know. Mother spends a lot of time in here but shes never really let my sisters in. She said this place is only for the queens to come. I am not allowed in here but you are."

Ellie had long ago turned to face him. Her face eager to hear what he said as she drank in everything he said, not missing a word. "Me?" She practically squeaked when he said it. "Why me?"

"You are to be the future queen. So this is where I will leave you," he said as he let go of her arm. She watched him go before returning to face the door.

She really wasn't sure if she should go in but the temptation was getting the better of her. Slowly she raised her hand and stopped. Just below Queen Susan's name was hers. Slowly, with her hands shaking, she gently ran her finger over the engraving. She could hardly believe it. Her hands shook as she pulled the door open to see something she had never seen before.

Jason entered his small study and sat down behind his desk. He took a slow deep breath trying to calm himself. It wasn't until he had left that he realized what this all meant. He hadn't missed the engraving with her name on it, meaning it was already set that she was going to be queen.

Suddenly he turned and dug through the bottom drawer. After much paper shuffling he pulled out a black box. He set the box on his desk and slowly opened the lid to the box. Inside was a beautiful gold crown. It was studded with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Beside it was a small gold ring. It was plain except for the engraving inside of it. Removing it from its spot her turned it in his fingers. It had her name engraved with his.

A soft knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. "Come in," he said slowly still turning the ring in his fingers.

James pushed open the door and his wife followed right behind him. "Hello Jason, so glad to see you are here," Kelly said with a grin.

"Hello Kelly, I see you are doing well. Good evening James."

"Good evening my friend. So where is your future bride-to-be?" James said as he eyed the box in front of Jason.

"She, my friend, is in the gardens right now. I thought she would like to see them before the rest of the family arrives. Mother wants to speak with her about them."

"Oh that is lovely," Kelly commented as she came to stand beside him, her gaze lingering on the crown. James walked over to stand by his wife.

"Its the first crown to be made for Queen Ezal. She ordered only that fifteen actual crowns be made for the Queens before they are repeated. So now she gets to have this one," Jason said in a calm voice as he put the ring back in the box.

"So what is she like?" Kelly asked as she sat down on the side of his desk. James laughed and shook his head, taking his wife's hand in his.

"She is the middle child of thirteen!"

"THIRTEEN!" Both exclaimed at once.

"Oh yes thirteen, I was just as shocked as you two are. She is sweet and kind but don't get her mad she can have quite a temper. Amazingly she is close to all of her sisters and she has three others from her mother."

"Close to all of them? I am barely close to either of my sisters!" Kelly said shocked.

"The funny thing is I think all of them draw their strength from her. We were attacked on our way up here and she is amazing with a blade."

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Jason woke to the sound of light knocking on the door. He rolled over onto his back and was surprised to find Ellie asleep beside him. She lay on her back, her head tilted towards him and her right hand resting just beside her head. Smiling he pushed himself up, not realizing he was using his bad arm till pain shot through him. Groaning he rolled out of bed and stumbled towards the door.

Opening it he was surprised to see his younger sisters, Molly and Kai. "What are you two doing here?"

"Mother sent us a day early but we just wanted to tell you that we will be sleeping all day and don't want to be bothered," Molly said covering a yawn.

"I'll be sure that no one bothers you two," he said as he hugged the both of them.

"How's your arm?" Kai asked.

"It still hurts but it isn't that bad. I'm glad to see you two made it here safely."

They both smiled but he could see they would rather be sleeping. They wore tunics and breeches which he had never seen them in. "Tell Ellie hi for us," Molly called as she dragged her older sister off behind her. Smiling he closed the door, he was glad that his sisters were home. As he headed back to his bed he stopped as his eyes fell on Ellie again.

The blanket had been pushed down to just above her knees. She wore a simple blue slip of a nightgown. It had small straps that revealed her creamy shoulders. His breath caught in his throat. Suddenly she shifted slightly, pushing the sheets off of her as she pulled her knees up, when she turned onto her side.

"Jason," she mumbled quietly breaking the spell on him. With a deep shaky breath he tried to control his raging emotions. He pulled back the blankets and climbed into his bed. When he settled himself she moved to where she was laying against him. Her head rested on his chest, one arm slightly wrapped around his waist, and her other arm lay on his arm. Inhaling deeply his nose was filled with the all to familiar smell of apples and cinammon.

Ellie was the first to wake as the sun glistened in through the window. With a sigh she stretched herself out not realizing that she had almost hit Jason. To her surprise she found their legs intertwined and the sheet wrapped around them as well. His hand had slid up her side nestling on her ribcage. He smiled in his sleep and pulled her closer to him. She laughed quietly at her predicament but it was just enough to startle him awake.

"Morning," she mumbled quietly to him.

"Morning, did you enjoy the gardens?"

She nodded her head and brushed a piece of hair back from her eyes. It was then that he realized exactly where his hand rested. He moved to pull back but Ellie caught his arm. "Calm down," she whispered to him. Jason didn't say anything but pulled her closer to him. She smiled at him and rested her head against his. "I heard your sisters come back."

"You were awake?" He asked incredously as his green eyes grew wide.

"I am a light sleeper just so you know. I am glad they are back, nice girls," she mumbled running her hand through his hair.

"So then you said my name on purpose?" A sly grin appeared on his lips.

"Maybe," she said a twinkle in her eyes.

As Jason looked at her he had the sudden urge to kiss her till they couldn't remember their own names. He moved to kiss her when a knock on the door made him stop. He let out a groan as he got up but Ellie laughed at him as she pulled the blanket up around her shoulders again. Jason opened the door and four blurs ran in.

"Ellie!" Rian, Hanna, Sally, and Katrina cried.

"Oh no! JASON!" she cried trying to hide from her four younger siblings. Rian managed to slid under the blankets and hugged her older sister.

"Come on I want to get something to eat."

"Well why did you come bug me then?" She asked just as her other sisters lay down beside her.

"Because we have no idea where we are going and they wanted to come see you," Rian's grin grew wider.

"She still in bed?" A voice drawled at the door. Ellie sat up and saw May standing there beside Jason.

"I may still be in bed but I am awake!"

May raised an eyebrow at her sister and Ellie got the implication. "Oh and how long have you been awake?"

"A few minutes," she mumbled.

"Oh leave her alone May! I'm hungry!" Rian snapped as she hurried over to where May stood.

"I can get some of the servants to show you to the dinning hall. After a long trip I am sure you all would like to sleep," Jason put in when Ellie said nothing.

"Thank you that would be great, the rest of the family will be arriving tomorrow," May said but her gaze still held Ellie's.

"Well then," Jason said not missing the two sister's looks. They all wore tunics and breeches after having traveled. After calling out to a servant, the sisters left the room and Jason slowly closed the door behind them. "Are you alright?" Jason asked when he saw her looking down at her hands.

"I'm fine I promise. I should probably go get dressed," she muttered getting to her feet.

"Would you like to go riding? I am sure everyone will appreciate sleeping for a bit."

Ellie's face brightened at the idea as she quickly nodded her head.

The two left the castle two hours later. After a long ride they made it to a small clearing by a tiny waterfall. They talked for a few hours before dozing off.

The crash of thunder snapped them both awake. "Looks like the storm was moving quicker than we though," Ellie said as she ran to her brown mare. Jason laughed as he swung into the saddle of his black stallion.

By the time they made it back to the castle it was pouring. They led their horses into the stables where two stablehands took them. They ran towards the castle in the pouring rain. Somehow Jason managed to slip and fall, knocking Ellie down. "Jason!" Ellie practically yelled as she realized she was covered in mud. Jason, who was in much the same position as her, laughed to himself.

"What? You look cute like that," he said in between breaths. Annoyed Ellie threw mud at him, hitting him in the face. "Hey!" he cried as he launched himself at her. The two wrestled in the mud in the end Jason pinning her.

"You cheated!" she squeaked.

"How did I cheat?"

"You're heavier!" She said as she struggled to free herself. Jason laughed but was forced back into the mud when she rolled. Now she sat on top of him holding him down. "I win," she said with a wicked grin.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he mumbled as he suddenly slid his hand to the back of her head and pulled her head down to his. Ellie was to shocked to pull back as he kissed her but soon gave in as warmth flowed through her body. Jason leaned up but kept her close as he continued their kiss. She was the first to pull back, both of them panting heavily.

"W-we should go get clean," she said as she moved off of him and onto her feet. Jason slowly got to his feet and followed her inside the castle.