***Author's Note***
Thanks
for the reviews again! Thank you thank you thank you! Luv y'all! I got the name Hippolyta from Shakespeare's A
Midsummer Night's Dream. And a note to Invisible_Rain, you're right. It
doesn't matter if I get five or twenty reviews! I'll post up the next chapters
after I finish 'em. Da heck with how many reviews I get before I post the next
part. I just need more time than reviews. (Not that I want you all to stop
reviewing *winks*) So thanks. Anyway, read on!
Disclaimer: I own only the people I made up.
Dedication: *~A White Rose Petal~* and you readers out there
uh...reading this.
Parents' Wish
Chapter 4: The
Princess of Hippolyta
By: ME jus1digigirl
*Maura*
In
a distant place from Fanelia, in the little town of Hippolyta, a boy at the age
of nineteen sat in the apple orchard playing a flute. At first glance, anyone
would know that this teen was a commoner. His muscles bulged, showing he did
manual labor. Sitting under a tree, he seemed to be waiting for someone.
"Teddie!
Oh I'm so sorry!" cried out a female voice. The boy, Teddie, opened his
eyes and raised his head.
A
girl at seventeen came running to him in tears. She was dressed in rich, royal
clothes, the very opposite his own. The long, golden gown shimmered in the sun.
Her long black hair, which complemented well with her fair, white skin, flew
behind her in the wind and her hazel eyes were filled with sorrowful tears.
Teddie's
intense, dark blue eyes filled with concern. "Kaira! What's wrong?"
He opened his arms as she fell into them sobbing. "Sshh. There, there. I'm
here. There's nothing to worry about." He said in a soothing voice.
Kaira
lifted her face to look at him. "Oh Teddie! I'm so sorry!" she said
again.
"Sorry?
There's nothing to be sorry about." Teddie brushed away her tears.
"Yes
there is!" Kaira wailed. "I just-I just found out that I'm engaged to
someone I've never met!"
Now
Teddie was worried. "What do you mean engaged? Has someone proposed to
you?"
Kaira
shook her head, tears flying everywhere.. "No. It was done at my birth. To-to
King Van of Fanelia! He was t-two at the time. M-m-my parents told me this
morning at breakfast. I tried to talk them out of it b-but all they s-said was
that it's their wish for me to m-marry him and there's nothing I can do!"
Kaira burst into fresh tears and clung to Teddie.
Teddie
gently rubbed her back as he thought of something to say. "Kaira, there
must be a way to break the engagement. There's always a way out of everything.
Don't you worry."
Kaira
slowly lifted her head to look at him. "Oh Teddie! I hope so. I love you
so much! I can't bear the thought of being with anyone else!"
Teddie
smiled. "I love you too." He brushed back a stray strand of hair
behind her ears. "And together, we'll find a way out of this."
Kaira
stopped crying. "I hope so. But," she hesitated.
Teddie
looked down at her. "What is it?"
"You
see, it was King Van's parents' wish as well to have us marry when I'm
seventeen, which I am now. And even if King Van didn't want to get married,
which would suit me just fine, my parents have very strong magic. They can get
anything they want using it."
Teddie
nodded. King and Queen Hippoly, Princess Kaira's parents, didn't deal to well
with things not going their way. Though he'd only met them once when they came
to inspect the country, he'd heard everything about them from Kaira.
"What
about your own magic?" Teddie asked suddenly remembering that Kaira had a
mixture of both her father and mother's magic.
Kaira
looked buried her head into his chest and said, "Mine's not as strong as
theirs. They never let me use it as much because they feared I would get
stronger than them."
Teddie
rested his chin on top her head. "Hmm...well, at least we know that once
we get married, you won't be strong enough to make me do the housework!" he
joked.
"Teddie!"
Kaira laughed lifting her head. "Who knows when we will get married but
once we do, we'll both do the housework together."
Teddie's
eyes twinkled. "Isn't the Princess afraid to soil her hands?"
Kaira
pushed him gently. "Oh dear. Whatever shall she do? Oh well. I suppose the
husband will have to do all the work for her."
They
laughed and then became silent. Often, they joked and dreamed and talked about
marriage but the fact that Teddie was a townsman and Kaira was the princess
didn't help much in making their dream come even close to true. If Kaira's
parents or any of the nobles found out about her secret love for Teddie, they'd
have him banished and her thrown out into the streets. The two had risked
everything for their love and did everything possible to prevent anyone from
ever finding out but they couldn't go on like this forever.
"I
wish I knew why my parents are so dead set against me marrying this king! He
can't be better than you that's for sure." Kaira said leaning against
Teddie.
"I
don't know. Maybe it's politics or something but when do you have to meet this
king?" Teddie asked.
Kaira
sighed. "Mother and Father insists that I leave tomorrow before dawn! And
even though Fanelia is far, I know that Mother will use some sort of spell to
get me there before the sun sets." As she said this, soft tears began
trickling down her cheeks once more. "Oh! This is the worst thing that has
ever happened to me!"
"Hey!
I told you Kaira. We'll figure something out together. I know we will. I won't
leave you on your own for this one."
Kaira
said nothing and just nodded.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Merle!"
cried Torak seeing the cat-girl's flying tail disappear around the corner.
"Merle will you just stay still for a minute?" Torak asked exasperated.
Merle
sighed and waited at the corner. "What is it? I'm a very busy cat."
Torak rolled his
eyes. The advisors never showed Merle much respect because it shamed them to
see a woman at a higher level with the king than them. "I'm sure you have
mice to chase but this is an urgent matter."
Merle
gave Torak a pointed look. "Torak, I do NOT chase mice but if I ever
happen to and catch one, you can be sure it will be your dinner." Torak
shuddered. "Now, what's this urgent matter?" Merle purred.
Torak held up a
scroll in one hand. "This. I must speak to King Van. Where is he? I've
been searching for him for quite a while now. You must know where he is."
Merle
turned around, not looking at Torak. Hmm...should I say he's in town? Or
maybe down by the lake? "I saw him heading towards the market. Of
course, he may have gone to the lake afterwards. Or maybe he's sleeping. Or
decided to go riding. Or-" Merle stopped upon seeing Torak run for the
stairs. "He's probably headed into town." She laughed and bounced
away thinking that sending Torak on a wild goose chase would be just the thing
to keep him from disturbing her.
Bouncing
along joyfully, Merle didn't notice where she was headed or whom she was headed
towards.
"Oof!
Yow!" the person under Merle yelled. Merle's face flushed as she stood
back up.
"I'm-I'm
sorry Jair." Merle looked down.
Jair
sat up and smiled. "Oh it's you Merle. That's okay."
Merle
looked into Jair's sea green eyes and simply melted. He was a cat-boy, seventeen
of age with sleek, brown fur. Currently, he was wearing pants and an open vest.
Boxes were scattered everywhere from his collision with Merle. Standing up, he
was very tall but not by much from Merle. Jair worked in the castle, helping
with the work such as packaging things, cleaning, and this and that for a fair
amount of pay. He wasn't a servant of the castle however and was totally
independent.
"What's
got you so up and jumpin'?" Jair asked as he began picking up the fallen
boxes.
"Oh,
nothing much." Merle said whistling and looking away purposely.
Jair
looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Aw come on Merle! Ya know I won't
tell!"
Merle
glanced at him quickly. He was looking at her with puppy dog eyes. Merle made
her decision on the fact that he looked too cute so she had to tell him.
"Oh alright!" she exclaimed pretending to be mad. "But I can't
tell you hear. Too many unwanted ears."
Jair
nodded and picked up the rest of the boxes, tail swishing back and forth.
"Where should we go then?"
Merle
thought. "Well, where're you headed with those?" she pointed to the
boxes now all safely in Jair's arms.
"To
the kitchen. Cook Framp wanted 'em to pack up and ship food somewhere."
Merle
nodded. "Ok then. You give those boxes to Framp and meet me...hmm...we
need a safe place away from eavesdroppers."
"How
about by the lake?" Jair suggested, eyes twinkling.
Merle
nodded again calmly but inside she was jumping. She would be meeting Jair by
the lake...alone! "Great. See you later then!" and with that, she
bounced away once more towards her room.
Jair
watched her leave and after a while, he headed for the kitchens.
~*~ Will Kaira and Teddie be
caught in the act before Kaira's departure? And if not, will they succeed in
breaking the engagement? Exactly what
sort of magic does Kaira and her parents posses? What will Van think about it
all and what's Torak's reaction going to be when he can't find Van or will Van
return before Torak can even know he was missing? Will Merle and Jair's little
meeting by the lake prove to be more interesting than just a meeting? ~*~
***Author's Note***
Okay,
I know I was kinda supposed to post up two chapters at once but chapter 5 isnt'
finished yet. And I know, I know, I left Chapter 3 as a cliffhanger and that
this chapter had nothing to do with Van and Hitomi but sorry! ::ducks rotten
tomatoes:: But I promise chapter 5 has to do with them. I was trying to think
of a good idea for it and then it came to me but I'm not done yet. But hey, you
got to meet two new characters and now you know what the title stand for. ^_^ Anyway, I love writing all those questions.
Makes you think and I know what I need to mention in later chapters. Well, hope
you liked this chapter even though you didn't find out about whether or not
they make it. Review please and
peace until next time!
*Maura*
