One of the greatest blessings about this Trial is the amount of time we get to spend together. Even though he has a lot of responsibilities to attend to, I am always there to support him through it. But there are days where I can't handle the pressure and stress, and he comforts and soothes me until I am strong enough to help him again. For the most part, my personal life hasn't been an issue and I could keep it separate from the mission (this also counts our love life)…but today was completely different. It was a very important day for the Prince; this day would determine if we got the alliance with Sarasaland. He was in the restroom changing into his costume again, trying to look as professional as he could. I faked a smile when he exited and said that I could change. As I closed the door, I sighed, trying not to lose my emotions. It took a few minutes, but I managed to gain control and changed into my black suit, not bothering with the tie or vest. I put a pair of white gloves on and was examining my cuffs when Peasley opened the door. His eyes read deep concern and confusion.

"Cassandra is wearing her Songbird outfit today." I whispered. "So there is no need for me to wear it."

"So a suit?" he asked softly.

I finally broke, sobbing softly. He embraced me, not knowing why I was crying but wanting to help anyways. It took me a few minutes, but I managed to get a hold of myself again. I faced Peasley and he cupped my face, genuine concern in his eyes.

"Eighteen years…" I strained not to cry again. "Today marks eighteen years…since he died."

Peasley held me tighter as I regained control of myself. By this time, we were in the living room and he sat down next to me. He held my hands and kissed my forehead, whispering that he loved me and that my Dad would be proud of how far I have come in the time he was gone. I nodded, and I heard the other three girls enter. They didn't say anything. Cassandra came up to me and asked if she could hug me. I stood up and she held me. All three of them knew what today was; I had told them about my Dad's passing when we presented the idea of the show to them, explaining that it was to try and help me move on. She held me for a minute before releasing me, and Cecily hugged me on one side while Sandra did the same.

"Thank you…all of you." I said quietly.

"We'll make a note about it at our voting booth." Cassandra answered. "What time did he pass? Do you remember?"

"It was early afternoon…around 2."

"If you need to step out so you can hold a moment of silence for him, go right on ahead. We can manage without you for a few. I'm sure the voters will respect your loss."

"I put a note about it in the pamphlet." Peasley stated calmly. "All it said was that this performance hit you a bit too close to home since the passing of your Dad. They'll know you are respecting him when they don't see you."

I thanked them again and Peasley fixed my coat as we left. He grabbed a few handkerchiefs along the way. All five of us (Cassandra was on crutches) walked out of the hotel in silence as we made our way towards the building where all the voting was being held. It was basically a big room with tables in it. They were lined up against the walls, and the one that was ours was very close to a door. Cecily mentioned that she had requested that one for my benefit, and I thanked her. We all arranged the table in a tasteful manner then sat down.

It took a few hours, but soon the entire place was filled with people. All five of us were talking to them as votes came and went. I got a few sympathy mentions for my loss, and I thanked each one of them deeply. I didn't use my Dad's death in order to win votes at all; that would have been very vain of me to use him that way. Sandra brought us a light lunch, and we all went in shifts so some people got to eat while others spoke to possible voters. It was a fairly good plan we had; we kept everyone's attention by wearing full costume (minus me) to remind people which performance we were. I glanced at the wall clock, and it told me that it was 1:57. A wave of sadness hit me all the sudden, and Cecily told me to go take a few minutes. I nodded, and started to leave. Before I got to the door, Sandra caught up with me and placed a small cherry in my hands saying that it would help me. I thanked her and left.

The streets were surprisingly quiet as soon as I had closed the door. I walked through the empty streets until I got to one of the smaller fountains of the Songbird. Sitting down, I grabbed a handkerchief and couldn't contain my emotions anymore.

I broke into a hard sob.

I don't know how long I cried, but it felt nice to actually cry and morn for him. I haven't had time to since Mom and I lost everything and I had joined the Teacup. I probably bawled for a good five minutes before I started calming down. I rubbed my eyes with the cloth, cradling the cherry in the other hand. Once I could see straight, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths.

A small sound interrupted my focus. Confused, I opened my eyes and looked around, but didn't see anything. Suddenly a small bird landed on the lip of the fountain. It was a baby blue color, and it peeped at me. I smiled lightly as it hopped in my direction. It stopped next to my knee and spread its little wings out, chirping at me again. It tried to fly, but didn't get very far. Using my hand that held the handkerchief, I rested it on the lip of the fountain and the little bird jumped on my hand, singing in happiness.

"Aren't you a pretty little bird?" I whispered. It chirped at me again, and I laughed. "Very friendly as well." I used my index finger of my other hand to pet him, and it nuzzled under my fingers, closing its eyes in satisfaction. "You like me, don't you?"

It sang to me for a minute as it continued to nuzzle under my gloved hands. I told it that it had a pretty singing voice, and the bird blinked at me. It turned its head, and I followed it.

"Oh. Do you want this?" I grabbed the cherry and presented it to the bird palm flat. It hopped to my other hand and pecked at the cherry happily. Once it was all gone, it looked at me and sang to me. "I don't have another; I only had one."

The bird took off. It landed on my shoulder then took off again. I stood up and followed the bird with my eyes. It landed on the statue and sang to me before it took off into the afternoon sun. I looked at the statue of the Songbird, and a sudden realization hit me. I smiled a great smile as I waved farewell to the baby bird.

I returned to the building, thanking the women (Peasley was busy) for giving me the few minutes to truly mourn for my Dad; that it really helped me. I had a new charge of energy and was going all out with talking to voters and getting the votes. I think what helped voters vote for us was for them to seeing how well I was handling the passing of my Dad. The others were happy to see my quick recovery and how hard I worked until the hours drew to a close. I didn't take many breaks because I knew if I stopped I would get sad again. There were only a few voters left, and all the groups were trying their hardest to get them. I sat down and just watched in interest. Peasley looked at me in concern, but didn't ask anything. One of them came up to me.

"Good evening." I greeted.

"Hello." She responded lightly.

"If you are waiting for the song and dance, it's not going to happen; I can tell it is stressing you out. But if you have any questions, we would be more than happy to assist."

"Will Cassandra be able to dance again?"

"I went to a doctor earlier this afternoon." She answered from where she was sitting. "He told me that if I stay off my foot for a few weeks that I should be able to dance again."

She nodded and left our table, talking to the one next to ours.

"Does she know how much she is torturing the performers?" Sandra asked.

"I think she is just having fun watching them squirm." Peasley answered. "I've given up at this point; there are plenty of other performances that had a lot more votes than ours."

I faced him. "So what does that mean for you?"

"Come again?"

"You wouldn't get the alliance with Sarasaland."

He shook his head. "We have it already; it would just stay the same with no alterations. I don't think we did so badly to the point of actually losing the alliance. We just can't change it."

The room fell silent as the woman we talked to earlier was the only one left. Everyone's eyes were on her, and I noticed how uncomfortable she looked. I asked Peasley if he had his violin and he handed it to me. I softly played it, filling the room with music. She looked at me.

"I can't take silence." I explained to her. "It is easier for me to think if there is music or something in the background. I'm just trying to ease the discontent I see on your face."

She smiled, thanking me. I closed my eyes and continued to play slowly and softly. I stood up, getting restless and gently swayed with the music. For a minute, everyone's eyes were on me and off of her. Smiling, I managed to get out from behind the table and stand in the center of the room, playing. I told her to take her time and that I can keep the focus away from her for a little bit. She thanked me and took her time as I played Beanlands. I stood in the middle of the room losing myself in the melody. A few minutes passed, and she told me that she had voted. I nodded as I closed the song and she thanked me for helping her decide. Another gentleman and I made sure she had an escort home before we returned to our own tables.

"She gave us her vote." Sandra informed. "She didn't do it because of your kindness; she did it because your recovery made her realize that our performance touched on something that is usually overlooked."

"I'm not too happy at the thought of my Dad's passing being the reason we are getting the votes." I felt my expression darken.

"Well, it's not like we planned it deliberately. Your experience of losing him inspired the show, and ironically the day of voting was the day he died." Cecily explained.

"You should have seen the people that came over while you were gone." Peasley held my hand. "They noticed you were gone, and the entire place fell silent."

I faced him. "They were silent?"

"They knew how important the performance was to you, and word got around that today was the day. The judges asked us after you left what time he passed, and everything stopped…everyone stopped. It was one of the most powerful moments I have ever experienced."

"Wow…I didn't mean for that to happen."

"That's not all…" Sandra added. "The doors aren't known for blocking sound." Horror filled my eyes and dread and embarrassment filled me as I felt my face burn. "That's when the power of our performance made sense to everyone; no one really understood why you were hurt after eighteen years. It was near the end of the moment when your voice carried through the building."

"Damn it…"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of at all, Fi." Peasley told me as I covered my face. "I would have cried harder. You never had the chance to mourn for him in the first place; you were always too busy trying to save your Mom's life and keep her happy. It made me realize that as well; everyone realized that you never had time to properly mourn for him."

Sandra handed me another handkerchief. I thanked her as I held it against my eyes, trying not to cry again. It took me a minute, but I reassured them that I would be alright. I closed my eyes, and saw the baby bird in my mind and smiled. I helped close our table and even reached out to the others for help; one of the singers had a booth and it was only her and her assistant. Peasley and I jumped to the occasion, saying that the faster and more efficient everything is packed up, the sooner all of us can go home. I just got done collapsing a table and putting it away when a familiar figure caught my eye. Peasley looked at me, and I casually shifted my head. He looked up, and I saw the fear in his eyes instantly. He sighed and raised his defense.

"If you wish to speak to me," he spoke calmly, "I'd prefer you come to me rather than stare from across the room."

I turned and Yorik was walking up to us. I gently rested my hand in my pocket, fingering the blade for safety precautions. The man bowed to the Prince deeply.

"Prince Peasley." He greeted standing. He was a full head taller than him. "I was wondering if you had any plans for tonight."

"He has paperwork to attend to." I answered.

"Well, what about after? I could grab dinner or you and I can go someplace."

"Peasley, I believe the girls need help." I spoke as I winked at Cecily. "Why don't you see what you can do? I can arrange this if you are interested."

"Thank you." He walked over to Cassandra and examined her ankle.

"You are really fucking creepy." I hissed. "Stop stalking him."

He laughed. "You are quite wrong. It is you who is the stalker. I watch as you follow him and watch in silence. But…we aren't that much different you and I." he gestured to Peasley. "We both want him for the same reasons. He is gorgeous, has beautiful eyes….and a lot on money."

"I want nothing to do with his wealth or Royalty."

"Really? You always address him as 'my Prince'. It seems strange to me that you would address him as such and not want a piece of the royalty yourself."

"It's not his royalty. I am not willing to discuss my relationship with the Prince to you."

"You have secrets to hide?"

"I'm sure you do, too."

"Not as big as yours."

"Excuse me?"

He walked right up to me. "If you don't want Beanbean to know that their beloved Prince Peasley is in a relationship with a bloodthirsty pirate, I suggest you drop this conversation and leave me be."

"You don't frighten me, asshole." I hissed. "I've shot a lot worse than you. Keep in mind that, yes, I am part of a pirate crew; I am not going to deny that at all. I love the men I work with; we are a family. If word gets out, fifteen vicious men will be hunting you down to make sure you are killed for your actions. That's just the crew I work with. About twenty other men would be after you as well; Captain Brian's men. If you want your body to be torn apart limb by limb, go on ahead and tell Beanbean our secret."

"Fine, have it your way. I'll go tell the Queen right now." He turned and started walking.

"Just know you won't get to see the Prince if you do this."

That stopped him. "Do explain."

"Captain Brian is held in high regards in Beanbean for his services towards the Kingdom; he and his men protect the boarders when are not hunting for treasure. He is also the man I trained; my name is already known because of this. If you reveal my secret, he would jump up and explain how the only way you would have found out about it is by stalking him. He doesn't lie and she would have you banned from the Kingdom, never to see the Prince again."

He walked away, leaving the building completely. I placed my hands on my temples. I felt one of the girls' hands on my shoulder.

"There is a dagger in my left pocket." I spoke. "Give it to Peasley."

I felt her hand in my pocket and the blade was removed. She walked away and I continued to breath. I felt a pair of hands rub my back slowly, and I relaxed slightly. I turned and Peasley was giving me a reassuring smile, trying to make me feel better.

"I don't want to hurt you." I whispered. "Please stop."

He did. "Did he upset you?"

"Just…I'll talk about it later. It's not safe."

I kept my eyes closed and I felt him gently guide me out of the building. I felt the air hit me, and I asked if everything was packed up. He told me that everything was taken care of, and that the girls were in front of us. He made sure they got into the rooms safely before he got me back. As soon as he locked the door, he walked in front of me and carefully undid the buttons on my coat trying not to irritate me. Once it was unbuttoned, he told me to take it off. I did and it hit the ground.

"Leave it." I spoke straining not to snap.

He was very cautious and ushered me deeper into the room. I didn't both to open my eyes; I only followed his words. They lead me to the bed and I rested my hands on it, gathering the sheets in my hands. I clutched them so tightly that I knew my knuckles were going white. I felt my nails pierce the skin in my palms and I released them, trying not to get blood on the bed. I felt Peasley sit me down and cradle one of my now-bleeding hands in his. I felt him wrap it with bandages. He left for a few minutes and returned.

"Can I see your other hand?" he asked kindly.

I sat it on my lap. My hand was still in a fist and my nails had pierced through the skin. He got to the other side of me and gently rubbed my wrist and arm, soothing me as much as he could. He knew better than to push me; he just waited calmly and patiently until he felt the muscles in my arm relax. We sat in silence for a few minutes, but my mood never lifted.

"…would talking help?" he asked. "I'll just listen."

"I don't know." I answered. "I'm afraid I'll hit you."

"Tell me what is on your mind."

"My hands hurt a lot. I don't feel the anger I did earlier, only the pain in my hands." I hissed as he opened my hand. I felt the cold cloth in my palm, and he was gently cleaning them. "It's not like I want to hurt myself; it is habit for me to clutch my hands tight."

"I can cut your nails after I bandage your hands if you would like."

"You don't have to."

"I want to. You'll hurt yourself again." He wrapped my hand and I felt him shift his weight. "Relax your fingers, please."

I clutched my hands. "I can't think straight…I'm upset. I try to protect you and I can't…I can't protect you from him. No matter how hard I try, he's still there. He'll never leave you alone. I tried to scare him off, but he knows…"

"…knows what?" he asked fear in his voice.

"Our secret; he knows that we are far in our relationship. He threatened me, saying that I should ignore him from now on or he'll tell the Queen who I am and ruin what we have! He wants to get rid of me so he can have you for himself. He made that clear to me. He wants you for your title and is willing to sabotage my name in order to get it. I told him that he would have about thirty-five pirates after his life and he would be banished; Brian would protect you if…" I placed my other hand on my neck, fear possessing me. For the first time, I realized how dangerous our situation was.

"No. I won't let them. I would rather you be exiled from the Kingdom than die."

"But I would never see you again."

"Then it's settled. I'll live with Yorik staring at me. We'll just have to rub it in his face every time we get the chance to. Once we get back to Beanbean, I can address the issue properly. You will get some recognition for your services as Guardian; I can arrange a few things so that you can get a home in Beanbean for you and your mother to live in. You'll be out of the pirate life and we can see each other more often than we could before. Lie down; you are exhausted." I followed his instructions, and he rested a few more pillows under my head. I turned my head to face him, and he smiled as he took my hand. "You can sleep if you want to."

"I'd rather be awake and watch you take care of me." I closed my eyes for a few seconds. "…can I tell you something?"

"You can tell me anything." He answered as he dug through his small travel bag and brought out nail clippers.

"This isn't my question, but why in the world did you bring those?"

"My nails are very thin and they split and are very painful. I keep them short to prevent them from splitting."

"By any chance, do you know what color the Songbird is?"

I opened my eyes and he was trimming my nails and filing them so there would be no sharp edges to cut my hands. "Light blue; almost a baby blue color."

"Then I was right."

"You've lost me."

"My Dad…his spirit finally moved on."

"Wait, start from the beginning; I'm confused."

"When I stepped outside to take a moment for my Dad, I was absolutely bawling. I held the cherry in one hand and a handkerchief in the other. When I started calming down, I heard a small chirp. A baby bird was standing next to me." Peasley stopped, listening to my story in interest. "He got on my hand and let me pet him. He sang to me until I stopped crying. Then he saw the cherry and when I gave it to him he gobbled it up. He flew off my hand and landed on the statue of the Songbird before flying away towards the sun." I sat up and faced him, "Peasley…my Dad finally passed on to the heavens! After eighteen years, he can rest in peace! The Songbird came to me and soothed me of my pains, allowing me to finally move on with my life so my Dad can watch me from above."

"Fiamo!" he hugged me. "That's truly amazing. We'll have to tell Princess Daisy regardless of what happens; we're supposed to get a call tonight if we win the popular vote. We can tell who got the popular vote because at some point someone will be screaming in happiness. The girls will be coming soon; they would have come up here with us, but I was afraid of your short temper. But…I'm happy that happened to you and your Dad. That's truly amazing."

We parted, and I thanked him for his kind words. I sat up as he continued cutting my nails. We spoke lightly about the myth and the other Kingdoms we need to go to for the alliances and our door knocked. Peasley called over his shoulder that the door was unlocked and that they could come in, and Cassandra pushed the door open with her crutch, saying hello. She mentioned that the other two would be up later; they were having a hard time getting the paint off. Sandra came in a few minutes later, and I told her that she was more than welcome to use our shower to finish getting the color out of her hair. She thanked me and headed in.

Once all three girls were in our room (and clean of body paint), Peasley was working on my other hand as I explained about the baby bird when I was mourning for my Dad. They all had the same reaction as Peasley did: shock then happiness. We all had a light dinner and held a nice chat about our backgrounds and past as well as dreams gained, achieved and lost. The mood was very light and happy. We could hear the people next to us talking as well, but we couldn't distinguish words. Cassandra mentioned that the entire ceremony and performances were being broadcasted and that she wanted to see what everyone else did as well as how we did.

I have to say that everyone did a fantastic job; not only us but each performance was amazing and breathtaking in its own way. All the sudden our happiness disappeared at the sound of a car crash. Sandra's voice rang strong and powerful in the darkness, setting the tone automatically. Peasley made a comment about how terrible Cassandra looked, and she responded with a 'thank you'. We laughed lightly. Peasley also warned us that this particular show was being broadcasted in Beanbean for the Queen and his people to watch.

Cecily repeated all of the critiques we were given before Cassandra started speaking. We all watched in interest, making small comments here and there about our performance. When the part of the show came that I pulled Peasley away from the darkness, all five of us got chills. The judges were definitely right; that moment was powerful. Sandra told the Fiamo on the television to smile, and we laughed. He did for a few seconds, but that was about it. The entire show closed and Cassandra was carried off stage as the entire crowd was dead silent.

As the final performance started, Cassandra informed us that the phone call would happen right after it. We spoke about how our show went as watched the final one. Once the lights went dark, the crowd exploded with happiness and the credits began to roll. Peasley turned off the television and no one spoke, not even our neighbors. It felt like someone had muted the entire world. Everyone was waiting for either a cry of happiness or a phone to ring. I held Peasley's hand, and soon we were all standing (Cassandra was sitting) in a circle holding hands, silently reassuring ourselves. Minutes passed, and the feeling was absolutely terrible. I wanted to scream to get the feeling to go away, but I knew I couldn't.

Our concentration was cut when the sound of a phone echoed into the room. It took me a few minutes to realize where it was coming from. I stood up, but Peasley stopped me, saying he would answer it. I remained with the girls as he walked across the room, grabbing the phone.

"Hello, Prince Peasley." He answered calmly.

He closed his eyes and faced away from us, nodding. His voice lowered to the point that none of us could tell what he was saying. He pulled out his schedule book and wrote in it, scratching things out in the process. About a minute passed, and he thanked the person who called and hung up.

"So?" Cecily asked.

"That was Princess Daisy." He informed us. "She wanted to give her condolences to Fiamo."

I nodded. "Was that all?" I asked.

"Basically…" he faced me. "That and she wanted to move our appointment time."

"Appointment time?" Cassandra asked.

"Wait…that appointment?" I pressed. He gave a short nod and shock overwhelmed me. "Wait…we got it?"

"To quote the Princess: 'The five of you completely stole the show. It was no surprise that the popular vote went to you.' Fi…we completely blew the competition away! We did it!"

I embraced him as a shout of pure joy rang from all of us. The girls were completely astonished and were cheering as well. I set Peasley down and gathered Cassandra in my arms. I did a few three point turns with her, saying that I wanted her to experience the happiness with us. She thanked me and I set her down and she and Peasley embraced. We all had a group hug for a few seconds then separated.

"I just want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart." Peasley said tears of happiness on his face. "This would have never happened if it weren't for all three of you. All of you are more than welcome to come to Beanbean once I return after the Trial."

"The honor would be ours." Cassandra answered as she gathered her emotions. "Would Fiamo be there, though?"

"I sincerely hope so." I answered. "That's my goal."

We all celebrated for a little while longer and Cassandra mentioned that it was probably best for all of us to sleep; that Peasley has a very important meeting to attend. After thanking them again and again, I lead the girls out and made sure they got to their rooms safely. Once I returned, Peasley was in his pajamas and I walked into the restroom to change. As soon as I did, he was sitting on the side of the bed, writing in his schedule book. I kissed his forehead, and he set the book on the end table. He kissed me back, saying that he was genuinely scared that we wouldn't get the vote since the judges ripped us apart. I closed the drapes and made sure the door was locked before gathering the Prince in my arms. He turned out the lights, and he snuggled closer to me.

"Fi…" I looked at Peasley. "Thank you for coming with me on this journey. I know that it will only get worse and harder from here on out. The past two months were very hectic, and I still remember you joining me on the first night, asking if you could join me. That meant so much to me. I just wanted to tell you that before all hell breaks loose."

"I'm glad I found you; I was afraid I lost you." I answered kissing him. "Get some sleep now; you deserve it more than anyone else here."

He shifted his position until he got comfortable, and I wrapped my arms around him, holding his hands. He held them back, and I felt the ring on his finger. Our hands intertwined and I closed my eyes. I fell asleep to a future with the Prince in my dreams.