het2468: thanx for R&Ring!

Dev1234: thanx i'm glad you like it, you should really read the book it's really good.

Moonlight234: I'm glad you like my charries!

EvaliaPoison: I don't mind if you send me a million a reviews, i like gettin lots of reviews...it makes me feel special. :)

fantasycrazyperson409: Thanx and i'm sorry it took so long to upload! i try :)

-xo-silver lined clouds-xo-: I...love...Teddy Geiger! By the way i'm starting to read your story, i haven't finished yet but i'll R&R!


Chapter seven:

Aunt Sarah

Anna was nervous about meeting Aunt Sarah; she was always quick to judge people, and had never been nervous around strangers because one look and she put them in simple categories. Annoying, nosey, mean, nice, not annoying, friendly, and boring; now however after meeting Darrow and discovering that her first impression of him was very wrong indeed she was nervous. Perhaps Sarah would come off as nice and turn out to be quite nasty!

Anna shook her head and opened her journal, at first nothing appeared and then she saw Darrow talking to a bunch of nights. They were all laughing too much for Anna to hear what he was saying but he wore a broad smile. He was perfectly healthy as far as Anna could tell. She smiled and closed he book as the carriage drew to a stop in front of a large house.

Anna stepped down into the wet streets and took in her surroundings. Bast was clearly different from Frell. The streets were cobbled and everyone was walking around in big fluffy dresses and velvet suits with brightly colored hats. All the women had their hair curled and pulled back. This made Anna feel self conscious of her straight hair that hardly ever came into contact with a ribbon or bobby pin.

"Anna darling you've grown so much, come inside out of the damp!"

Aunt Sarah rushed of the house. Anna sighed with relief at the sight of her aunt. Aunt Sarah's hair was down, it was curly but Anna knew that the curls were natural. She knew because Sarah had the exact same soft brown curls as Charles she also shared his brown eyes.

She wasn't wearing any ruffles or lace on her gown and there was no big gaudy hat either. Anna decided she was normal then stopped herself perhaps Aunt Sarah wasn't like this all the time. She'd wait and get to know her better before she labeled her.

Aunt Sarah smiled and pulled Anna into the house, it was warm and cozy in the dry little hallway and Anna was happy to take off her thick traveling cloak and hang it up on the wall.

"Now, come into the kitchen and we'll get to know each other better over a piece of chocolate cake and some hot chocolate," Aunt Sarah had found Anna's weakness, chocolate.

Anna smiled and was surprised that she's said nothing to her aunt at all, "Thank you," she managed following Sarah into the closest door and seating herself at the little table while Sarah fixed the cake and drinks then she sat down across from Anna and smiled. Anna could smell her lavender perfume and knew that she'd remembered the right Aunt.

"So how old are you now it's been so long?" Sarah asked.

"I'm thirteen, but next month I'll turn fourteen," Anna answered then smiled, "How old are you?"

Sarah laughed, "Well I'm not going to tell you young lady I may be younger than Charles but I'm no fourteen year old," she said.

"Are you married Aunt Sarah?" Anna was feeling at home now, she liked Aunt Sarah her father had known that she would.

"Yes, he's a salesmen and is hardly ever home though, you might get to meet him. His name is James," Sarah said, "and don't call me Aunt Sarah it makes me seem so old and stuffy, just Sarah will do."

"Sure…Sarah," Anna agreed turning to her cake.

"So do you have a lad waiting for you to return to Frell?" Sarah asked.

"No," It was true enough it didn't matter if she was in Frell of Bast she no closer to Darrow here nor there.

"No? I'm surprised," Sarah replied in disbelief.

"Well there is…somebody, but they aren't in Frell," Anna said sipping her hot chocolate.

"Oh…where is this somebody?" Sarah probed.

"I'm not quite sure," Anna said truthfully, "He's traveling with a group of knights."

"Who is he? It'll be our little secret," Sarah said leaning over the cake in interest.

"Darrow," Anna muttered shyly.

"Prince Darrow? Anna I'm so proud! He came with his father and mother once to Bast and he is a handsome boy. Looks just like his father, except for those eyes…he has his mother's beautiful eyes, but don't tell James I said so," Sarah said laughing.

"I won't," Anna assured her, "He is handsome isn't he?"

"Very," Sarah agreed.

"Do you want to see him?" Anna asked hesitantly.

"How is that possible dear?" Sarah asked.


Darrow was about to got peek at Anna in his book when he heard the cry of his knights. He turned and saw five…no six ogres attacking the camp. He drew his sword and plugged his ears with beeswax trying to recall something from the language that might be helpful.

He tried to speak, "Why do you…What's the word? Oh yes…why do you attack us, we are your…now how do you say it? Ah that's it...we are your friends…This is just a waste of my time isn't it?"

As if to answer the ogre raised his club over his head and laughed.

"Is it possible that you'll find me not worth your time?" Darrow asked hopefully.

"No," the club came crashing down and Darrow just barely dodged it.

He stabbed the ogre in the foot and it cried out, and swung again.

Darrow side stepped and slashed at the ogre's arm, a nail that had been hammered into the club scraped his shoulder tearing his shirt. Darrow ducked another blow aimed at his head and stabbed his foot once more. Darrow had become quite proud of his evasive maneuvering. He was smaller than the other knights and faster so it made it easier to dodge instead of parry blows.

They would have been much better at fighting off ogres if one of them could speak the language. Although they had all tried to learn it none of them was any good. Another stab and the ogres began to retreat' by now Darrow as accustomed to random attacks. He had even taken to sleeping in his clothes to be ready for them.

Now they were gone and everyone hurried to help bandage wounds. The wounds they received were never serious so nobody ever worried and Darrow had only just received his first battle wound. It throbbed and bled but he found that if he thought about other things he didn't notice it that much.

He didn't let any of the Knights see his wound until every one else was patched up and then Sir Gabriel made him sit on a rock by the creek and get bandaged up.

"Prince I've never seen you wounded before, are those fast feet slowing down?" Gabriel teased.

"Of course not, I was trying to make sure your slow feet weren't getting you into trouble," Darrow smiled.

"Alright well you'll live, might scar though that was a fairly nasty cut," Gabriel said tying the bandage.

"Like you said I'll live," Darrow muttered and pulled his torn shirt back on, "I'm running out of shirts, they all get torn."

Gabriel laughed, "Well I'd offer to sew them up for you you're highness but only women know how to sew and that's the truth," Gabriel said smiling.

"Yes, I'd say we need a woman or two in camp to help mend clothes and bandage us up properly. Perhaps women that could actually speak ogrese that way we wouldn't have to fight just let the women talk to them," Darrow said grinning.

"Aye, have any in mind?" Gabriel asked.

"One, but I doubt her parents would let her come, but she's get a kick out of bewitching ogres," Darrow said sadly thinking about how Anna would despise the sewing but love the battle part.

"Oh is that your bonnie lass?" Gabriel asked.

"No!" Darrow said defensively and then when Gabriel continued to stare at him, "Anna." He said simply.

Gabriel smiled, "Aye! Charles's daughter she's a trick she is!" Gabriel laughed now, "Aye, she's love it wouldn't she just?"

"Yes," Darrow looked at his feet regretfully, "she would."


I hope you guys like this one, I don't think it's as good as my last chapter. R&R please! ;)

Ali,