"New Arrangements and Feelings"
Chapter Four
"I can't believe that we haven't been caught yet. It's been two months," Mina said while she was hanging out with Elias one night.
"Tell me about it," Elias agreed. "It's kinda weird, but really cool that Tails has been able to find us clear areas to hang out." Mina didn't respond. "Mina?"
"Why are we hiding the fact that we're friends?" Mina asked.
Elias blinked. "What?"
"If we were seeing each other, that would be one thing, but we're not," Mina continued. "I just feel weird keeping secrets from my friends. I've been thinking lately, what harm could it do to have someone other than Princess Sally and Tails know about our friendship."
"Well, to be honest, I never really thought about it," Elias replied. "See, I remember why I asked you to keep it a secret in the first place, I was afraid of you bragging and taking advantage of the fact that we're friends, but thinking about it, I don't really see a reason for us to keep on hiding our friendship anymore."
Mina looked at the prince thoughtfully. "Hey, Prince Elias?"
"Yeah?"
"How about we stop hiding? If anyone asks where we've been, we tell them the truth if we were hanging out together."
"Yeah, I like that idea," Elias said. "I've had a lot of close calls. The only reason I stayed out of trouble was because of Sally. Being honest would be a lot better."
"Also, it would make it a lot easier for us to meet and hang out," Mina said. "We won't have to worry about getting caught or anything. Lord knows how much easier that would make life for Tails. We've had the poor boy stressed out."
"Yeah, I know. I've felt bad about that."
"Ditto. Well, are we in agreement?" Mina held out her hand.
Elias stifled a laugh as he took her hand. "Little lady, we've got ourselves a new arrangement."
* * *
"You decided to what?" Sally asked Elias later.
"Stop hiding. I mean, it's not like we're doing anything illegal. I changed that rule about the royal family not being a part of the rest of the kingdom." Elias smirked, remembering the pissed off look on Geoffrey St. John's face when he'd made the change.
Sally was obviously remembering too, because she had to refrain from laughing. "Well, I guess you're not, but won't it be considered weird that your only friend is a girl?"
"Who cares?"
"Fair enough." Sally shrugged. "If you don't care, maybe you should go explain to our parents where you were tonight."
Something in the way Sally said that made Elias nervous. "What happened?"
"When Mom and Dad came to get you for our royal counsel, they flipped out when they saw you gone. Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through calming them down?"
The royal counsel!!! Elias had forgotten all about it. They were supposed to meet that night to discuss the new set of rules for Knothole. Even worse, Elias himself had been the one to set the date for it. Whenever he got word that he had a chance to meet with Mina, everything else seemed to fly out of the window.
"Damn it, I forgot all about the counsel!" Elias grumbled.
"Like you always seem to do whenever you have a chance to go meet Mina," Sally remarked. "Elias . . . what is going on with you lately? You're not cut out to be ruler of Knothole, you and I both know that, but you've never shirked your responsibilities before. What's really going on between you and Mina?"
Elias glared at her. He knew what she was hinting at. "Absolutely nothing more than what I tell you about. Mina and I are just friends, nothing more, nothing less." Elias stopped when he saw that Sally was being completely serious. She wasn't picking on him like she seemed to have made a habit of since he became friends with Mina.
Sally sighed. "Okay, nothing's going on between you, I understand that. But Elias, I want you to be completely honest with me. I promise I won't tell a soul, but you need to be honest with me. What exactly do you feel for that mongoose?"
Elias regarded her with some surprise but then began to seriously think about Mina. When he'd met her, he'd barely known anything about her, but he still thought she was cool. He wasn't sure why he'd asked her to be his friend that night, but it was like something was drawing him to her. Since then, he'd been growing fonder of Mina every time he saw her. Hell, he became fonder of Mina whenever he thought about her. In his opinion, Mina was like no one else. She was very easily the sweetest person he'd ever met, not to mention one of the most caring, and she was very smart, clever, and she was quick-witted.
Elias's eyes widened. "Oh my God. Sally, I think I've fallen in love with Mina."
Sally didn't seem the least bit surprised. "I thought as much, considering how you've been behaving lately and the way you talk about her."
"Oh no, what am I going to do?" Elias whispered.
"What do you mean, 'Oh no?'" Sally asked.
"Sally, she told me two days ago that she's still hoping that Sonic will ask her out soon," Elias explained. "In other words, she's still head over heels for Sonic."
"No wonder you came home upset that night," Sally commented. "I'm not sure what to tell you. I've only ever loved one person, and he loves me right back. I don't know how to handle this situation Elias."
Elias sighed. "Actually, even if you did know what to do, I'm not sure Id want to hear it."
"Huh?"
"I've been too dependent on you Sally, and this is something I really ought to deal with on my own. I may not make a choice right away, but at least when I do make that choice, I'll have reached it myself. For once, I'm going to follow my own heart and not listen to the words of others."
Chapter Four
"I can't believe that we haven't been caught yet. It's been two months," Mina said while she was hanging out with Elias one night.
"Tell me about it," Elias agreed. "It's kinda weird, but really cool that Tails has been able to find us clear areas to hang out." Mina didn't respond. "Mina?"
"Why are we hiding the fact that we're friends?" Mina asked.
Elias blinked. "What?"
"If we were seeing each other, that would be one thing, but we're not," Mina continued. "I just feel weird keeping secrets from my friends. I've been thinking lately, what harm could it do to have someone other than Princess Sally and Tails know about our friendship."
"Well, to be honest, I never really thought about it," Elias replied. "See, I remember why I asked you to keep it a secret in the first place, I was afraid of you bragging and taking advantage of the fact that we're friends, but thinking about it, I don't really see a reason for us to keep on hiding our friendship anymore."
Mina looked at the prince thoughtfully. "Hey, Prince Elias?"
"Yeah?"
"How about we stop hiding? If anyone asks where we've been, we tell them the truth if we were hanging out together."
"Yeah, I like that idea," Elias said. "I've had a lot of close calls. The only reason I stayed out of trouble was because of Sally. Being honest would be a lot better."
"Also, it would make it a lot easier for us to meet and hang out," Mina said. "We won't have to worry about getting caught or anything. Lord knows how much easier that would make life for Tails. We've had the poor boy stressed out."
"Yeah, I know. I've felt bad about that."
"Ditto. Well, are we in agreement?" Mina held out her hand.
Elias stifled a laugh as he took her hand. "Little lady, we've got ourselves a new arrangement."
* * *
"You decided to what?" Sally asked Elias later.
"Stop hiding. I mean, it's not like we're doing anything illegal. I changed that rule about the royal family not being a part of the rest of the kingdom." Elias smirked, remembering the pissed off look on Geoffrey St. John's face when he'd made the change.
Sally was obviously remembering too, because she had to refrain from laughing. "Well, I guess you're not, but won't it be considered weird that your only friend is a girl?"
"Who cares?"
"Fair enough." Sally shrugged. "If you don't care, maybe you should go explain to our parents where you were tonight."
Something in the way Sally said that made Elias nervous. "What happened?"
"When Mom and Dad came to get you for our royal counsel, they flipped out when they saw you gone. Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through calming them down?"
The royal counsel!!! Elias had forgotten all about it. They were supposed to meet that night to discuss the new set of rules for Knothole. Even worse, Elias himself had been the one to set the date for it. Whenever he got word that he had a chance to meet with Mina, everything else seemed to fly out of the window.
"Damn it, I forgot all about the counsel!" Elias grumbled.
"Like you always seem to do whenever you have a chance to go meet Mina," Sally remarked. "Elias . . . what is going on with you lately? You're not cut out to be ruler of Knothole, you and I both know that, but you've never shirked your responsibilities before. What's really going on between you and Mina?"
Elias glared at her. He knew what she was hinting at. "Absolutely nothing more than what I tell you about. Mina and I are just friends, nothing more, nothing less." Elias stopped when he saw that Sally was being completely serious. She wasn't picking on him like she seemed to have made a habit of since he became friends with Mina.
Sally sighed. "Okay, nothing's going on between you, I understand that. But Elias, I want you to be completely honest with me. I promise I won't tell a soul, but you need to be honest with me. What exactly do you feel for that mongoose?"
Elias regarded her with some surprise but then began to seriously think about Mina. When he'd met her, he'd barely known anything about her, but he still thought she was cool. He wasn't sure why he'd asked her to be his friend that night, but it was like something was drawing him to her. Since then, he'd been growing fonder of Mina every time he saw her. Hell, he became fonder of Mina whenever he thought about her. In his opinion, Mina was like no one else. She was very easily the sweetest person he'd ever met, not to mention one of the most caring, and she was very smart, clever, and she was quick-witted.
Elias's eyes widened. "Oh my God. Sally, I think I've fallen in love with Mina."
Sally didn't seem the least bit surprised. "I thought as much, considering how you've been behaving lately and the way you talk about her."
"Oh no, what am I going to do?" Elias whispered.
"What do you mean, 'Oh no?'" Sally asked.
"Sally, she told me two days ago that she's still hoping that Sonic will ask her out soon," Elias explained. "In other words, she's still head over heels for Sonic."
"No wonder you came home upset that night," Sally commented. "I'm not sure what to tell you. I've only ever loved one person, and he loves me right back. I don't know how to handle this situation Elias."
Elias sighed. "Actually, even if you did know what to do, I'm not sure Id want to hear it."
"Huh?"
"I've been too dependent on you Sally, and this is something I really ought to deal with on my own. I may not make a choice right away, but at least when I do make that choice, I'll have reached it myself. For once, I'm going to follow my own heart and not listen to the words of others."