Disclaimer: I do not know Gail Carson Levine nor am I Gail Carson Levine. Many of the settings and some of the characters used in this story are hers.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!! Finally, we meet Terence again. Enjoy :)

Aria's Melody

Chapter Two: Accidental Rendezvous

Prince Terence stared at the soft-pink jasmine for a moment, the petals of the flower intensely placid against the vivid green backdrop of leaves and vines. He was standing quietly alone in the palace garden, momentarily bathed in a sea of golden light as the spring sun escaped the cover of clouds.

Reveling in the peace and quiet, Terence slowly bent down and inhaled the sweet scent of the jasmine, wondering if Ayortha had such a flower in its kingdom. Thoughts of the neighboring kingdom had been on his mind for the past month already, and as he stood back up to his full height, Terence felt a sudden wave of nostalgia overtake him. He was already missing Kyrria.

Terence was reluctant to go, to say the least. But he'd convinced himself that it was his duty, that Ayortha would be wonderful, and that if all the past rulers of Kyrria had gone and endured a year there, he could too.

However, Ayortha had changed drastically in the past few years. Terence had attended many of the meetings his father held with his council, and he'd learned of how King Randall had excessively changed ever since the death of his wife. Suddenly the king of Ayortha had turned somewhat cold and recluse, a few times turning down the assembly the kings of various kingdoms held to discuss issues and to keep peace. Many of King Randall's neighboring kingdoms were becoming concerned, and Terence was now not only going to Ayortha for a year to keep the tradition, but also to help keep the peace.

Ayortha. Terence suddenly grinned, remembering the Ayorthaian girl they'd found in the woods the time his father had brought him along to catch ogres four years ago. Aria—that was her name. She had been stubborn and foolishly brave, with a beautiful voice that had saved them all. He wondered whatever happened to her. Did she ever survive finishing school?

"Tere, are you alright?"

Terence automatically smiled at the voice. It was Queen Eleanor's, but she was always known at the palace as Ella, and for him and his siblings, Mother. He turned to her now, and immediately hugged her, something he hadn't done for a while. She hugged back, and understanding surged through them both; there was no need for words.

"It will be okay," Ella whispered. She looked at him for a moment, concern in her green eyes. With a motherly hand, she pushed back a lock of brown-blonde hair on his forehead. So much like Char, she thought to herself, smiling a little.

"I'm scared," Terence admitted. "Did Father go through this unsettling feeling in his stomach too? Or am I just this weak?"

"Oh honey," Ella sighed. "Of course your father did. It's normal to be nervous and a little scared. And I know it's even harder for you because of this entire conflict with Ayortha, and the uprising of the ogres in the Eastern Forest…"

"I wish Father was here right now. Or rather, I wish I were in the Eastern Forest with him right now to help pacify the uprising."

"Don't we all," Ella murmured. "At least they have the Ogre Linguist with them." Almost every time Char traveled, Ella went with him, but because of Terence's departure tomorrow to Ayortha, and the growing conflicts in the kingdom and in lands outside of the kingdom that needed dealing with in Kyrria, Ella had to stay behind.

The two began slowly walking around the garden, trying to shake off the gloom that had slid over them.

"Don't forget to drink your Tonic," Ella warned, smiling when Terence grimaced.

"I know, I know. Mandy's already reminded me twice in the past day." Terence laughed. "And inform me if Hattie decides to come wanting something again. We'll think of another trick to play on her."

Ella laughed. "Alright. And remember to give my best regards to Areida and her family. Once your father comes back and we have peace again, we will visit."

Terence nodded, his gaze focusing back on the pink jasmine.

"Oh and Tere? Remember to resist the urge to slide down the stair rails in the palace at Ayortha when someone's watching, okay? No matter how steep it is." Ella smiled, watching as Terence's eyes crinkled in laughter at the thought, and she was reminded of Char once again.

"How did you read my mind?" Terence grinned, forgetting for the moment all the things he had been worried about.

Ella smiled. "Because you're my son."

* * *

Aria carefully peeked around the large Corinthian column, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible. Everyone had already arrived, most of the guests girls her age, anxious to catch a glimpse of the prince of Kyrria and hoping they could get more than just a glimpse.

She scanned the crowd for Emily, and found her far on the other side of the ballroom. Aria had decided that she'd stay long enough just to see if the prince of Kyrria was indeed Terence. And if he was, then, well, maybe she'd change her mind and stay awhile longer. And if he wasn't, then she'd probably leave, considering that her dress was causing her enough discomfort and vexation to want to kill her governess for making her wear it.

It was pretty, naturally. It seemed as though anything that brought beauty brought trouble too. The gown was a pearly white, except for the tiniest hint of azure, so whenever Aria moved, the dress appeared to give off a shimmer of sparkly sky blue. It was an excellent complement for Aria, showing her slim and pretty figure, and bringing out the dark blue of her eyes.

She'd voluntarily placed a light pink jasmine she'd found in the field that day in her hair, liking the flower for both its simplicity and beauty. It seemed that the flower was the only thing beautiful that didn't bring trouble along too.

But now, as Aria planted herself behind the massive column, she squirmed in the tight-fitting bodice of the dress, wondering impatiently when they were going to introduce the prince and thinking of how she could make her leave from the room unnoticeable to others.

"Well, well, well, who is this?" The owner of the voice spat out the last word as though it was disease-contaminated.

Aria groaned inwardly and turned to face the daughter of one of King Randall's council members, flanked by two of her friends. They had been enemies for as long as she could remember, and Aria was sure it wasn't herself who had started the first fight between them.

"Shut it, Laurie. I'm not in the mood to listen to your shallow talk. But oh wait," Aria said, feigning thought, "when am I ever?" Aria could never understand why Laurie was always trying to annoy her. But she knew one thing. It worked.

Laurie's face scrunched up in a frown, her lips raising to show more of her horse-like teeth than usual, and her small squinty eyes becoming almost invisible. She thought for a moment, trying to come up with something clever to say. Instead, she said simply, "I didn't see you at the assembly last week."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Maybe that's because I wasn't there."

"Well you should have been. I could get you into more trouble than you can imagine if I told my father." Laurie smiled at the thought, but her smile came out more like a grimace, her two front teeth blindingly large on her thin face.

"If the king's council would have a mind of their own instead of always following along with what the king says and stop him from making these horrible laws, then maybe I would attend the assembly!" The words were out before Aria could stop them, and Laurie and her friends gave appropriately horrified gasps.

Laurie huffed, her larger than average nostrils flaring horridly. "How dare you…you little wench! Insulting the council and King Randall like that! You'll be exiled or worse when I tell my father!"

Aria's anger rose. "Well if you exile me, then you'll have to exile the whole kingdom, since they feel the same way! So I suggest you close your good-for-nothing mouth and hush up before you annoy someone enough that they do something to that little horse-face of yours!"

Fuming, Aria turned on her heel and walked past a stunned Laurie and her two clones, and straight for the palace courtyard outside. Aria had to leave the crowd before she did something rash. Not that she already hadn't, with what she'd said to Laurie about the council.

Aria hurriedly stepped outside, and the cool fresh air of the evening hit her on her hot cheeks. Laurie and her imbecility, she thought to herself angrily.

She began to follow the path around the courtyard, her eyes on the pebbly ground and her mind elsewhere. "Well if I do get exiled, then maybe I could actually SING!" Aria spoke her statement loudly at the ground as she walked, but all of a sudden found herself colliding with something—or someone.

"Oof!" Aria felt the breath knocked out of her as she fell backwards, the jasmine falling out of her hair.

"Are you alright?" The voice was concerned and had a light Kyrrian accent, and Aria accepted the hand offered to her to help her get up.

"I-I'm fine," Aria gasped out, looking on the ground for the flower she'd lost. "I'm terribly sorry, I really am. I wasn't watching where I was going and—ow!"

Aria's head bumped against the stranger's as they both reached down to the ground to retrieve the jasmine at the same time, their hands both stopping at the same moment and brushing against one another's.

Aria opened her mouth to apologize again but stopped when she focused on the stranger's face for the first time. His hazel-green eyes were startlingly bright against his tan face and a lock of hair was strewn across his forehead. Aria tried to breathe but felt her breath leave her for the second time that night.

But this time, it wasn't because she'd fallen.

A/N: Dun dun dun! I wonder who that hazel-green eyed kid was? Lol, yeah, yeah… it's him… Well, tell me what you guys think! Luv, daydream.