Chapter 5: Official Bad News

"You're bad. You're evil. You're wicked." Drew keeps telling himself while staring at his reflection in his handheld mirror. "You aren't getting close to the Princess. You can't."

Drew pauses, a frown forming on his face.

"But yet…why am I feeling this way now? Just thinking about her makes my heart beat faster…"

Drew shakes his head. "You can't like her, Drew. You're part of Team Nature." ("They'd kill me if they found out I possibly want to cancel the plan to steal from the Royal Family.")

He sighed. "I've never felt this way before…"

May walked out on her balcony. She frowned, staring at the city. ("In just a few days, Drew became my closest commoner friend. I never even stopped to think of why. I guess it started when he saved me from those thieves. And then I found out he was homeless too, and all I wanted to do was be a friend to him, so he won't feel lonely.") She smiled slightly. "He makes me feel less lonely as well."

Knock knock knock.

"Princess, it's Brendan."

"Come in!" May said, walking towards the door.

Brendan opened the door, and entered the room. "Good morning, May. I was hoping we could go on a morning carriage ride while we learn more about each other."

("Ugh. I really don't want to. But maybe I'll see Drew.") "Sure." May answered.

"Okay then. Let's go."

Brendan takes May's hand, so he could help her up into the carriage. He followed behind, and they were soon in town.

As the carriage moves, May looks on both sides of the street for any sign of Drew.

But she didn't see him.

Not at all in an hour.

Every time Brendan would speak, May would tune him out. All she wants to do is see Drew. He's really become a good friend of hers.

("Did he take what I said too far?") May thought sadly. ("Since I've been forbidden to speak to him…I guess he doesn't even want to see me…")

Meanwhile…

Two men slowly approach Drew from behind. Drew is sitting in front of the waterfall pond, staring down at the water. The two men have expressionless faces, and dark clothing. Both men have green hair.

Drew could hear the footsteps beside him, but he didn't react physically. "Derek, Ethan. What are you doing here?" He asked the two very people that knocked May out with sleep powder the other day.

"We should be asking you the same thing." Derek crossed his arms.

"Shouldn't you be charming the Princess right about now?" Ethan asked.

Drew sighed and stood up. He turned around. "I'm working on it. It takes time, you know."

"Well, make sure she falls for you quickly." Derek said. "Your mother is getting impatient."

Drew nodded, eyebrows furrowed with confidence. "Don't worry. Princess May will soon fall." He smirked evilly.

Derek and Ethan smirk.

"Good." Derek said. "We're going back to HQ."

Derek and Ethan turn around, and walk away.

Drew's smirk remains. "Enough thinking about the Princess in a different way. My mission is to trick her into giving me access to the Jewel Room. And nothing will stop me from completing that mission."

After dinner, the King and Queen called May and Brendan to the Throne Room for a very important meeting.

"Okay. As you know, May, you are to marry Prince Brendan to connect the kingdoms of Johto and Hoenn into one unified kingdom." Norman said. "And we've seen how your relationship has progressed. So therefore…it's official."

"What's official?" May asked.

"The wedding will be three months from now."

May's eyes widened. ("So soon? But…") She glanced at Brendan. ("I don't connect with him at all. He's not the one for me. I can't marry a self-centered Prince who brags about how great his kingdom is compared to mine.") She faced forward with a frown.

"So, we'll handle all the preparations." Caroline said. "And you two can just bond some more. We need our next King and Queen to be close."

May looks down. "Yes, Mother."

Drew lifts his arm, so it's perpendicular to his body. His watch shows a hologram above it. "Mother, Father, you called?"

"We need to know how your mission is coming along, Drew." His Mother said.

"It's going according to plan. I was just about to go into town to see if I could find the Princess. And then I'll work on charming her again."

"Excellent. If anyone could do that, it's you."

After his mother hung up, he smirked evilly. "You won't know what hit you in the end, Princess…"

Drew headed into town. He walked through town for a bit before hearing the familiar voice of the Princess coming from around the corner. He stopped and peeked around the corner.

Princess May is playing with a little girl on the swings at a playground. The girl is giggling loudly. "Yay! This is so much fun, Princess!"

May smiles.

Drew's expression fades. He watches May laughing with the girl, and…he feels something inside stir. ("W-why…why am I feeling this?") He shakes his head. "Focus on the mission." He walks around the corner.

May's eyes drift to him. They widened. ("…can it be?") She stops her swing and gets off. "Ariana, let's play later, okay?"

"Okay, Princess." The little girl said.

May smiles, walking to meet with Drew. "I…I can't believe you're here." She looks away nervously. "…I thought you wouldn't come to town again after what I said…"

Drew smiled. "Being 'forbidden' to talk to me won't keep me away."

May's cheeks tint pink.

"So, would you like to go for a walk?"

May smiled brightly. "I'd love to."

Drew and May start walking side by side down the sidewalk. "So…I've been wondering…remember the other day when you told me that going to my campsite is like a little escape from palace life?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to know more. Why don't you like living in a palace?"

"It's not that I don't like it…it's just that…there's so many things I need to know and do that it just gets too hard. And sometimes, I actually dream of leaving this kingdom."

"What? You want to leave?"

"To be honest…I don't know what I want. You don't even know all the work that Princesses have to do. All the lessons in ruling a kingdom. Lessons in being a true Princess."

"A…true Princess? What does that mean?"

"It means…having a pure heart filled with generosity…compassion…and love. That's the personality of a true Princess."

Drew smiled. "Like you."

"Maybe. I surprisingly still have a lot to learn though about ruling a kingdom. All the rules…duties…There's so much to learn in only three months."

"Three months?" Drew questioned.

Before May could respond, Drew stopped to stare at a paper that's taped to the side of a building. May and Brendan are on it.

"You're invited to the wedding of Princess May and Prince Brendan on…"

Drew looked at May.

"You're engaged?"

May sighed. "Sadly…yes."

Drew stares at May in confusion.

"I don't want to marry that Prince. But my parents are making me."

"Why would they force you to do something you don't want?"

"It's part of being a Princess as well, Drew. Marrying Brendan will unite Hoenn and Johto together. Which will be good for both kingdoms. And I'm willing to do whatever for my kingdom."

"Even…spending your life with someone you don't like?"

"…even that."

Drew frowned. "But…can't you find a way to improve your kingdom and like it too?"

"Drew…" May nods her head in the direction of the sidewalk to signal Drew to continue their walk. "That's not how it works in Royalty. My parents still rule over me, and they are able to decide what they want me to do. I have no say in it."

"But that's not fair!" Drew raised his voice.

Drew faces her.

"You're your own person. With your own voice. And you can't do anything about this?"

"That's right."

"…you're really okay with marrying that guy?"

"It'll help my kingdom grow."

"Wow…I really thought you had it easy. Living the life of a Royal sounds amazing. You have a gigantic home…servants…and a whole lot of money to buy whatever you want."

"That's true. But sometimes…I wish I didn't have all of that. And I just had a normal life. All the stress I'm under as a Princess tires me out."

"You don't seem stressed at all."

May smiled slightly. "I've learned to hide it. I still love meeting with my people, and I don't want them to be worried. That's honestly my favorite part of being a Princess. The people."

Drew smiled genuinely. ("This Princess is something else…I always thought that she liked her job completely. But getting to know about it…getting to know her…is making me feel guilty for wanting to steal from the palace.")

"Shall we continue our walk?"

Drew nodded. They continue their walk.

"So Drew, there's something I've been wanting to know about you as well."

"Hit me."

"Do you have a job as well?"

"Um. Nope." Drew lied. "I don't work."

"What's your dream career then?"

Drew chuckled. "What if I told you it was to be a Prince? Because I'll be rich."

May giggled. "Oh, Drew…you're funny."

("She doesn't need to know that I wasn't kidding.")

"I'm sure you'd make a fine Prince. Definitely better than Prince Brendan."

"Why thank you, Your Highness."

Drew looks ahead of them and can see guards at the end of the sidewalk. He took May's hand and pulled her into an alleyway. "Come on." He whispered.

"Where are we going?" May asked.

"I'm not going to get you in trouble with your parents if the guards see us together."

May smiled. She looks at their hands as they hurry through the alley, and a blush comes to her cheeks.

The end of the alley is open, and Drew peeked around both corners before they walked into the open. He released May's hand, and they continued their walk. "I don't see any guards on this side." He said. "We should be good for a while."

"Thank you." May said. "I would've been in big trouble if those guards saw us."

Drew smiled. "We wouldn't want that."

"There you are!" A familiar voice called, making them stop in their tracks.

May gasped. "Brendan?!" Said Prince crossed his arms in front of them.

"I see you're with this same commoner."

May furrowed her eyebrows. "You can't make me stop talking to my people."

"I thought your father already made you stop talking to Drew. He wouldn't like to hear that I caught you disobeying him…"

"Please don't tell him, Brendan. Drew's harmless."

Brendan scoffed. Drew narrowed his eyes. "Harmless?" Brendan questioned. "I can see right through your act, Drew."

"What act?" Drew asked.

"You only wanted to be friends with the Princess, so you could use her."

Drew doesn't respond.

"That campsite of yours was very nice…Why would you make it that nice unless you live there? Something tells me…that you're poor. And you've been only pretending to be May's friend, so you could only take her riches in the end."

Drew stays expressionless.

"That's enough, Brendan." May said. "Drew isn't only pretending to be my friend."

"Keep believing that, May. One day…he'll break your heart in an instant." With that said, Brendan turned around and left.

May looked at Drew. "Sorry about that. Brendan really doesn't like you."

"Yeah." Drew looked at May. "I hope you don't…believe what he said."

"About you stealing from me? Don't be silly. Of course I know you wouldn't do that."

Drew smiled softly, feeling more guilty for it being true.