A/N: If anyone considers this a Mary Sue, let me know so I can do something about it. I don't do Mary Sues.

****

To Marth's bewilderment, he found Kyree giving him a puzzled stare. "Did you...did we....did that just happen?" she stammered.



"You mean did I just kiss you? It appears that way, doesn't it?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.



"But did you mean it?"



"What do you mean by that?" He appeared confused.



"Did you intend to kiss me, or were you just overcome by emotion?"



"I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't mean it." By now, Marth was beginning to become annoyed.



"I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you care about me or did you just feel like kissing someone?"



"You think I pass out kisses for no reason? I thought your opinion of me was a little higher than that." His expression and voice softened. "I do care for you, truly. Maybe it's not love, at least not yet, but I do feel something."



"I wish I could believe you, but Jeron told me he cared about me and look what he did!" Her eyes began to water, but she regained control of herself and stated, "I think you've had enough for today. You're getting cranky."



"Kyree, what's gotten into you? You've never snapped at me before. If I knew you were going to act like this, maybe I wouldn't have kissed you!"



Kyree was shocked by his harsh words. She stood speechless, mouth hanging slightly open. She couldn't find the right words to express how she felt. Instead, she retorted, "You're the one who's always so negative. Why is that? A few days ago, you and I both thought planting a garden to feed the hungry people was an excellent idea, but yesterday you said it probably wouldn't work. Why can't you give anything a chance? Changes don't always happen overnight.

You need to learn some patience!" Shocked at what she'd just said, Kyree added shakily, "I...I think I need to be alone right now." With that, she dashed back toward the castle, leaving a speechless Marth standing in the garden.



Marth couldn't believe the gentle, soft-spoken Kyree had snapped at him. No one had ever dared talk back to him. It just was just not done. He honestly didn't know how to react. With a shrug, he decided to let Kyree cool down and speak with her later.

****

That afternoon, Marth tapped on Kyree's door. After hearing a muffled "Come in" from the other side, he opened it cautiously and stood in the doorway. Kyree sat at a table, mixing something in a bowl. Marth cleared his throat and addressed her quitely.



"Kyree, may I come in?"



"Even if I told you 'no,' there would be nothing I could do to stop you from doing as you please. It's your castle, after all," she stated, with no emotion in her voice.



Marth cautiously approached her. "Kyree..."he began hesitantly, "I'm sorry...about this morning. I didn't mean what I said about maybe I shouldn't have kissed you, and I certainly didn't want to upset you."



Kyree smiled gently and stood to face him. "It's me who should apologize. You tried to show affection, and I got defensive and insulted you. I guess I'm not completely healed after what Jeron did to me. Still, I shouldn't have said those things about you being negative and impatient. After all you've been through, who wouldn't be depressed? You've been hurt as much as I have, maybe more. I'm sorry," she murmured softly, staring at the floor in shame.



Marth placed a hand on her shoulder, and to his surprise, she did not jump back or shy away. "You did make some good points, though. Change does take time, and maybe I haven't been giving anyone or anything a chance. It seems to me like we're both at fault."



Kyree looked at him, wide-eyed. "So..can we put this little disagreement behind us?"



Marth winked at her. "I do believe we can." He gathered Kyree in his arms and kissed her lightly on the cheek. They were distracted, however, by a servant speeding down the hallway. When he saw Marth, he stopped.



"Prince Marth, there you are!" the servant panted. "There's someone at the gate to see you. I ran here as fast as I could. From what I gather, this is a very strange situation indeed."



"I'll go see what this is about. Kyree, you can tag along if you wish. She merely nodded and followed him out the door.



At the gate, they saw a lone figure had been stopped by the guards. A young woman, wrapped in a shabby cloak, was apparently arguing with them. "What's the trouble?" Marth asked, eying the woman.



She turned toward him and studied him a moment, then spoke. "Marth, is that really you?" she asked in an incredulous whisper.



Marth gazed back into her face in disbelief. "Ellis? No, it can't be. You're dead!"

***

Hehehe, how's that for a cliffhanger? You'll have to wait to find out if that's the real Ellis or some sort of trick. And I thought a little fight between Marth and Kyree might make things interesting.