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: Gracias for all the reviews, they were awesome and made me smile/laugh. I was checking my email during my computer class, and I started laughing because the reviews were all so cute. I'm glad you guys are liking the story.

But there IS one thing that I HAVE to mention, because I find it kind of funny/strange/interesting. The jasmine flower that I wrote about… okay, well first, I had "rhododendron", but then I realized those were sort of big, and wouldn't exactly work, so I was like, okay, need another flower… Except with my embarrassingly limited abilities in the field of flower names, I couldn't think of one appropriate enough. Finally I was like, OMG! JASMINE! Because, well, it happens to be my name. It wasn't cuz I was conceited and decided jasmine was really awesome or anything!! Lol, so it was sort of a weird coincidence when TallemeraRane (thanks by the way for the suggestion! :) ) suggested that my pen name be Jasmine.

Bear with me here if you didn't find that amusing at all… I guess I must just laugh and find things amusing easily. ANYWAY, now that you have finished reading my story about jasmine flowers and jasmine names, you may go read the REAL story. Enjoy!

Aria's Melody

Chapter Three: Startlings

Terence stared. And blinked.

Liquidy dark blue eyes gazed up at him, wide and startled, recognition swimming in their watery depths.

Terence wondered if his eyes reflected the same. Could it really be her? It couldn't possibly. After all, what were the chances…?

The two seemed to be frozen in time, surprised at the turn of events of the night. Terence took the moment to study the girl in front of him, comparing her to the mental image he still had of Aria. They both had the dark, wavy brown hair and blue eyes that held both rebellion and intelligence. The heart-shaped face, the slightly copper-toned skin that many Ayorthaians possessed…

Terence blinked again, his mind slightly dazed.

Realizing they were both still kneeling on the pebble-stone ground, he slowly got up, one hand offered to the girl in front of him and another tightly clutching the flower she'd dropped on the ground.

"Th-thank you," the girl said softly, her eyes still wide as she accepted the hand offered to her and slowly stood up, her free hand unconsciously running through her hair.

For some reason, Terence knew she wasn't wide-eyed because she knew he was the prince of Kyrria. He was almost sure it was because she remembered him.

"Are you alright?" he asked again, awkwardly and shyly, realizing she'd never answered the first time he'd asked. It seemed as though that had been ages ago, although it only had to have been a minute.

The girl nodded, her eyes darting to the hand that still grasped hers. Realizing this, Terence quickly let go, embarrassed that he hadn't released her hand earlier. He opened his mouth to ask for her name when she spoke, her voice erasing any doubts the prince had at who she was.

"I'm terribly sorry for colliding into you like that, Prince…" Her voice trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence she'd begun.

"Terence," he filled in, marveling at the sweet sing-song of her voice, although she wasn't singing at all.

"Terence." She repeated softly, her head pausing in mid-nod, blue eyes meeting hazel-green ones, both confirming what they had thought the other had known. She broke into a small smile and curtsied, watching as the prince returned the grin and bowed.

"Aria, correct?"

The girl nodded, and his heart leaped. "It's wonderful to see you again…Prince Terence."

"You may call me Terence." He smiled, noticing how she didn't sound like a child any longer. "Remember?"

"I remember." Aria's smile back was warm. They studied one another for a moment, light sounds of the orchestra drifting into the garden from the ballroom. A light spring breeze traveled through the garden, and Aria pushed a wisp of hair back from her face.

Terence felt peculiarly nervous and looked down at his hands for a moment. "Oh! Your flower." Remembering the flower still in his hand, Terence opened his loose fist, and the two looked down at the broken blossom in his palm, the petals worn and weary from Aria's fall.

"I'm sorry." Terence's voice was stricken as he stared down at the flower, sounding as though he should have prevented it from falling apart. He looked closer and was surprised to find it to be a jasmine. A light pink, it was almost exactly like the one he'd seen in the garden at home. How strange of a coincidence, it seemed.

Aria gently took the flower from Terence's palm and gazed at it for a moment. "It's alright. It was my fault. I was angry and in a rush to get as far away from everything as possible and was too lost in my thoughts to look where I was going."

Terence looked at Aria's now flustered face in concern, her cheeks a shade darker than it had been before. He knew it wasn't because she was embarrassed; it was from anger.

"Are you alright?" He anxiously asked for the third time that evening. "Is there anything I can do to help? I know it isn't any of my business but if there is anything I can do…"

Aria shook her head, and her face cleared as she smiled again. "No, no, it's nothing. A girl and I were having a silly argument…she was angry because I had the same dress as her." She looked down at the ground for a moment and back up at Terence. "Aren't you supposed to be inside being welcomed? I'm sure many girls are eager to see the prince of Kyrria," she teased.

Terence pushed curls of hair back from his forehead, his face a slight pink. He debated whether or not to tell her that he had been outside both thinking and stalling before he had to make his appearance at the ball.

Instead, he smiled down at the girl in front of him. "Well, I had to practice my dancing, correct? And it's perfect for practicing out here—there's no one around to see the prince of Kyrria make mistakes and there's music…"

Aria laughed, and Terence watched as her smile reached her eyes, making them sparkle and become more beautiful than ever.

"You make me laugh," Aria noted, smiling. "I'm a lot happier now than I was before I collided into you."

Terence's eyes crinkled. "I'm glad," he said softly. He opened his mouth to speak again, when a voice interrupted from behind.

"Prince Terence? Are you ready? Our guests are becoming impatient. You need to be introduced immediately."

Terence and Aria turned to the voice behind them and found Prince Frederick waiting beside a trimmed bush a few feet away. Frederick gave a surprised look when he noticed Aria standing beside the prince, and his eyes flickered over them silently for a moment, questioning and curious.

"You need to come immediately," Frederick repeated, this time with urgent emphasis on the final word.

Terence nodded reluctantly and gave a bow to Aria. "I hope to see you soon," he whispered, eyes searching hers, before giving a shy smile and following Frederick from the garden and into the ballroom.

Aria watched in silence as the two men walked away, their figures disappearing into the castle, before looking down at the flower clutched in her hand. Though the petals were broken, it seemed to suddenly hold even more meaning than before.

* * *

Smiling to herself, Aria sat down in one of the ornate chairs that lined the walls of the ballroom, watching as dancers whizzed by, skirts flashing and whooshing, various scents of perfumes passing near until they all seemed to smell the same.

The jasmine was hidden and secured tightly in Aria's petticoats, and she smiled to herself again, thinking how silly it all was. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and found Terence surrounded by a group of men she recognized to be from the king's council. For once, Aria didn't let anger take over her at the thought of the king. Instead, she smiled again as she watched Terence's figure, standing with his hands clasped behind him, nodding at something one of the noblemen was saying.

It'd been four years since Aria had seen him, but he still looked very much like the 14-year-old she'd met before, except taller. The golden-brown hair with a slight curl, the bright eyes, the sure smile… He was kind and amazingly had been genuinely concerned about the flower. However, he seemed shyer than she'd remembered. Aria grinned to herself again, happy enough to almost want to thank Laurie for enraging her and causing her to go into the garden in the first place.

Suddenly, the light around Aria seemed to become a shade darker, and startled, she looked up, realizing someone was standing in front of her, their figure casting a shadow over her.

She was surprised to see Prince Frederick before her and looking at her with unreadable eyes.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, giving Aria an outstretched hand. His demeanor was much calmer than it had been before, and he stood in a composed manner, smiling mildly.

Aria raised an eyebrow, surprised at his question. Would you like to dance? Why was he, of all people, asking her to dance?

She hesitated, unsure of what to say. It would be impolite to decline, especially because he was the prince, but what did it matter if she did decline? There was no rule saying she had to accept, and even if there was, who cared? But then again…if Aria could get on the prince's good side, she could just possibly convince him to do something about the new laws.

Her mind made up, Aria stood, and accepted the hand that was offered. "Certainly," she said simply, her face studying Frederick's for a moment, thinking how much more handsome he would look if he not only smiled more often, but he'd be more genuine about them too. His dark hair and eyes were the dream of more than a few girls, but he failed to keep his personality as attractive.

As she and Frederick silently began to waltz, Aria noticed the jealous glances that were cast on her. Don't worry, Aria thought wryly, the day I take a liking for Prince Frederick is the day I lose my mind and have to borrow one of yours.

They flew by Terence and the noblemen, and Aria's gaze rested on the prince of Kyrria, his back rigidly straight and a serious look on his face. He obviously seemed displeased about something one of the men was saying. He was probably also unaware of the mob of girls behind him, eager to get at chance to talk to him. Aria recognized Laurie to be among them.

Frederick's voice interrupted Aria's reverie. "You know him." The question that was intended came out as more of a statement.

Surprised and slightly confused at Frederick's question, Aria looked at him. "Who?"

"Prince Terence." It was said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Taken aback at his question, Aria stared at Frederick for a moment, trying to decipher his almost emotionless face. She was silent for a moment, trying to come up with a reasonable answer. "Somewhat." Aria finally muttered uncomfortably.

Frederick's response was a nod and then silence. Aria could feel him watching her, and she turned away, uneasy. She hoped she could accomplish her goal soon—the less time she had to spend with Frederick, the better. Aria opened her mouth to speak upon the matter concerning the laws when the prince spoke instead.

"I sincerely meant it when I said that I do not agree with my father's laws." He said it so suddenly that it surprised Aria for a moment, and she stared at him, his brown eyes strangely unnerving.

Finally she spoke. "Then why are you not doing anything about it? You can make a difference." Aria paused and continued when Frederick didn't reply. "Usually we begin and end our balls with singing…but that's not going to happen anymore because of the laws that were passed. Singing is life for Ayorthaians. People will suffer because of this."

Aria tried to contain her frustration as the music ended, and she broke away from Frederick, impatient that he didn't say a thing.

"Do the right thing," she said, trying to refrain herself from wanting to give him a good slap upside the head instead.

Expressing no emotion, Frederick bowed silently before walking away into the sea of dancers, leaving Aria behind, clenching and unclenching her fists.

A/N: Dude! What is up with this Frederick kid? Don't you hate it when you talk to people, and they hardly say anything or express any emotion so you never know what they're thinking? If I were Aria, I probably would've given him a good slap upside the head… At least then he'd be expressing some sort of feeling, though it'd prolly be in the form of "ow" or something. Oh well, w/e. K well tell me what ya guys think! Thanks a ton! Luv ya tons, daydream—the crazy kid who realizes she talks too much.