Lily stepped down from the stage thing. She was immediately swarmed around by maidens of the house and courtiers all praising her and congratulating her.

She decided she needed to get out and get some fresh air. She stepped out onto the balcony and the wind sweeped through her hair and she looked skyward to see the stars sparkling and winking down at her.

Someone interrupted her thought process by politely clearing their throat behind her to announce his presence. She turned expecting to see Snape or a courtier.

But it wasn't any of them. It was the guy she danced with earlier.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He asked motioning to the sky.

"Yes." She looked at him more closely. "Sorry, but I didn't get your name earlier."

He smiled. "That would be my fault, I walked away so quickly, I'm James." While he said that, he dashingly took her hand and kissed it.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really recognize you, are you from around here?" Lily asked curiously.

"I'm... visiting a cousin." James responded as he tried to thing of a better excuse besides being from India...

"Oh?" She asked interestedly.

"So, congratulations on your... erm... engagement." He changed the subject.

She frowned. Not what her first subject to talk about at the moment.

"Not your first choice of husband then?" He asked quietly. "I couldn't help but notice your discomfort while that speech was given." He said quietly, leaning over to her.

"You must be very observant then, not many people seemed to notice." Lily sighed and turned to look at the fields and valleys bellow.

James followed in suit. Lily didn't know why, but she felt like she could talk to him about stuff. She felt comfortable around him and she had barely known him for two minutes, she was about to just spill her heart out to him, if it wasn't for the intruder.

Remus walked out onto the balcony at that moment. "Hi James. Princess."

"Remus, I thought I told you a billion times before to call me Lily." Lily said turning to look at him exasperatedly.

"Alright then Lily." He smiled at her. She smiled back.

"So how do you two know each other?" She asked.

"He's my cousin." James said before Remus could say anything.

"Oh. Well... I don't see the resemblance." Lily said good-naturedly.

"We... er... get our looks from our fathers." Remus covered.

"Oh..." Lily smiled at them. "Well... sorry to cut this little conversation so short, but I have to go find my ...fiancé." She said 'fiancé' with a hint of disgust. She left them both on the balcony.

"What were you talking about?" Remus asked.

"The sky, and how she doesn't want to marry Snape." James replied. "Why?"

"No reason, I just never saw you this... persistent before."

"What do you mean?" James asked, looking up at Remus.

"Well... you know what the king does to anyone who tries to go near his daughters don't you?" Remus asked.

"No." James said slowly.

"Listen, I just don't want to see you get hurt. One way, or the other." Remus shuddered. "You better watch your back if you want to be in any kind of relationship with Lily."

"Who said I wanted to be?" James asked.

"I can see the way you look at her, the way you've always looked at her, I'm not blind, you know." He left James on the balcony.

"I look at her funny?" He mused to himself.



'This must be a very bad dream.' James thought as he woke up in the barn he had found himself in the first day he woke up... here. He woke up with the same thought every morning.

First of all, his back hurt like hell. He was dirty. He knew he smelt horrible. And he always had this feeling he was going to get the plague.

With all these bad things, there was one good thing. That good thing was the horses. He loved riding horses. He owned a horse. But he could only ride him on the summer holidays.

He could ride 'his' horse whenever he wanted here. That would be one thing he would miss when he got home... if he got home.

Liza seemed to have forgotten he didn't know anything about this... place... dream. He was getting kind of frightened though, here, by the age of sixteen-to-seventeen, he would have to move out soon and live on his own. Or get married. Either way, he'd have to eventually move out.

He sighed as he got out of the hay-bed that he was forced to sleep in.

He had been here for a week. That was enough to do a bit of exploring on his part too. On the horse he found the name of on the third day, supposedly his horse, Faragen, he had found some of his way around the forest.



Unfortunately for him, Princess Lily wanted to go on a little horse ride today too.





A/N: thanks to the few people who reviewed. I know this story is losing it's potential, but I'm running out of ideas. I promise, it'll get better... I hope.