...I am still having issues with the stupid document manager...It refuses to keep my page breaks in the same places...I hate it...

Any way. I hope you guys are enjoying my story thus far...Guess who starts college in a week? I hope I can finish this story in time!
Italics: Flashbacks
"Italics:" "Thoughts"


"...Another rose...?" Veera asked curiously. There was no one else in the room- Veera had checked- and the door to the lavish room remained locked. Perplexed, Veera sat on her bed holding the flower gingerly. When she had awoken a few moments earlier the first thing her eyes focused on was the white rose gently laying on her vanity. Veera knew the source, of course, but she couldn't fathom how Chase had gotten in and out of her room without waking her. Even her balcony had been locked.

"Veera, darling?" Her mother's voice came from the other side of Veera's bedroom door. After letting her in the room, Veera retook her spot on her bed. She still held the rose in her small hands. "I'm glad you are back, my child. You don't know what your father and I had gone through the day you vanished..." Aleia sat next to her daughter and stared at her sadly.

"Mother...What..." Veera was unsure how to go about asking. Instead of avoiding the question, she jumped right to her point. "...What happened to Chase...?" She glanced apprehensively at her mother, who narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Well...The boy was devastated. When you hadn't returned home that night, your father and I sent out a search party. Chase, he was out for days looking for you, even when..." Aleia's eyes teared up, "...Even when there was no more hope...And, Arron, well, he eagerly searched the mountains the first few days." Veera's mind stopped. "He knew what happened to me...Why did he not come forward..?" Aleia continued, taking the rose and turning it in her hands.

"Then, after about two weeks, Chase...he was so upset...I remember he had shut himself in your room for about two days searching for some sign to where you had gone, or what had happened. After...well I suppose he could no longer go anywhere in the kingdom without being reminded of you. He stopped visiting..." Aleia finally looked back at her daughter. "I always knew that boy cared about you more than Arron did. Why you two did not fall in love, I shall never know...In any case, I just wanted you to know that Tyra, your servant, I don't know if you remember her, will be around shortly to help you pick out a dress for the celebration tomorrow night." Aleia stood and handed the rose back to Veera. "I must go wake your father; he was up all night overcome with joy." Veera's mother smiled, thinking fondly of her husband, and then stepped from the room. Veera remained in her spot, unsure of what to do. "Should I try to find Arron, now? Should I confront him out of anger for leaving me in that cave? He was probably frightened..." She didn't hear her door open again.

"Princess?" Veera jumped and looked up with wide eyes. An elderly elven woman stood in front of her, head bowed, waiting for the Princess to speak.

"I assume you are Tyra...?" Receiving a nod, Veera smiled. "I apologize for not remembering you...I have been gone a long time." Tyra returned Veera's smile.

"There is no need for an apology, Princess. I was told you needed assistance looking for a dress for tomorrow night's celebration. Do you have any idea of what you think you would like?" Veera thought to herself for a moment. Then, she looked at Tyra with another smile.

"Surprise me."


"Would you stop pacing? You're making me dizzy, child." Boslin watched his daughter pace back and forth behind a large, heavy curtain concealing them from the guests. All of Sabriel had come out to attend the Princess' return, and Veera couldn't help but feel nervous. "What if they do not believe I am their Princess?" Veera suddenly felt nauseous; she wasn't sure if it was the nerves or the corset of her dress. Tyra had made her a beautiful sky blue dress. Its sleeves stopped at Veera's elbows, but angled backward and had fabric that billowed to her fingers. The gown flowed seamlessly to the ground and twirled lightly with Veera's movements. The center of the gown split and showed a second white skirt underneath. The white fabric matched the trim and laces of her corset.

Veera ran a small hand through her hair, but stopped when she remembered that half of it was tightly pulled back into a bun. So, she resulted to playing with the locks that fell to her shoulders in the back. Boslin finally grew tired of his daughter's nervousness and halted her. His large hands clutched her shoulders and he held her gaze. "My child, you are going to do perfectly fine. You are home, now, and no one will take you away." He stood straighter and fixed his daughter's tiara. "Just, please, stop pacing. And, breathe." King Boslin went through the curtain and greeted his loyal subjects. After hearing a long speech about how long it had been since he had seen his daughter and how much he and his wife had missed her, Veera heard herself being called out. Letting out a long breath, Veera tilted her chin up, threw her shoulders back, and went through the curtain. Instantly, cheers, music, and applause met her pointed ears.

"I...I do not think I was ever very good with speeches...But, I will try my best. I have been away from home for far too long. And, before anyone asks, I do not wish to speak of what happened. This is a night of celebration, and I just...I wanted to let everyone know had it not been for these five that you see before you..." Veera gestured to Omi, Kimiko, Clay, Raimundo, and Dojo. The boys were in expensive dress robes and Kimiko donned a beautiful violet gown. "...I would not be back here. I owe each one of them my life and gratitude. Kimiko, Omi, Dojo, Raimundo, and Clay, especially, you all have my thanks." Veera bowed her head respectfully and everyone in the room cheered once more. Those who were close to the monks clapped them on the shoulders or back gleefully.

"Now, my friends," Boslin addressed his people once more, "We celebrate!"


It was all too much to take in at once. Veera had slipped out of the party unseen for some air. Every person she had encountered spoke of how much they'd missed seeing her, how they understood her running away the day before her marriage, and how they would have probably done the same thing at her age. Veera couldn't stand the fact that she couldn't tell them the real reason she'd been gone for so long. She sat down, frustrated, on a bench in the gardens and held her head in her hands. "Who would believe me?"

"I cannot believe you are actually back." Veera's mind stopped again, recognizing the voice. Her head snapped up and spotted Arron in front of her. Veera must have looked as surprised as Arron sounded. "It really is you...I thought you had died that day..."

"Arron...Do not think that I blame you...You must have been terrified. But, why did you not come back and tell people what happened? You should have brought my parents to that cave!" Veera stood, suddenly feeling angry. She stormed over to the tall man and looked him in the eye, her neck craning slightly.

"Do you know what I went through! I watched you turn to stone and it was my fault! I could not tell anyone! Your parents would have thought I did it purposely, and they would have had me executed. So, I told them I would search the mountains and I kept coming back to see if you had turned back to normal. You never did. After I told your parents you were nowhere to be found, I ran, and I never looked back. I went back to Falconview and married five years after. Now...Now, I am the King. But, you are back, and I do not know what to do." Arron looked lost and defeated. He hadn't changed since the last time Veera had seen him. He threw his hands up and let out a frustrated noise, spinning on his heel. He began to pace.

"There is nothing you can do, Arron. I am back, and I intend to tell my parents what had happened-" She paused, and then corrected herself, "I intend to have you tell them what happened." Arron stopped pacing, his back once again to Veera. His fists clenched tightly.

"Don't you understand, Veera?" His voice was low and it frightened her. "You're back now, and I still love you. I never stopped. You're back now...And, it's going to ruin everything." Arron spun around and, in a flash, he violently seized Veera's upper arms. She let out a scared yelp and tried breaking free. Arron's grip tightened and his eyes locked with hers. "You are going to ruin my life. Everything that I built is going to come crashing down because of you! My reputation, my Kingdom...my marriage. All of it. And it will be your fault."

"Let go of me, Arron..." Veera demanded weakly. She was shaking.

"I can't do that, Veera. I never could."

Before another word was spoken, Arron was thrown from Veera. Veera fell backwards onto the stone path and she watched as a large, green and black reptilian creature stood over her as if it was protecting her. It roared threateningly at Arron, its large eyes reflecting Arron's fear back at him. Veera was frozen in her spot, her eyes wide. Arron scrambled to his feet and sprinted out of the gardens. Veera's breath quickened as the reptile turned in its place and looked down at her. She shut her eyes, fearing the worst. After a few seconds of silence, other than her uneven breathing, Veera opened her eyes. The reptile was still staring at her. She watched as the scales faded away, turning to dark armor. The black, spiked ridges on its back turned to long, silky, black hair. It shrank slightly in height. Veera realized this reptile was, in fact, a man. His eyes had black slits for pupils, and they were like liquid fire. Veera felt faint as her mind came to a sudden halt for the third time that evening.

"...Chase?"


Yay, cliffhangers! Also, I posted a link to Veera's dress for the celebration since I felt that I didn't do it justice...So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

XOXO

~Killjoy