Author's Note: Question – do you think I should change the title? I've been thinking it is rather boring, but I have zero ideas for a new one.  Any ideas? Thanks a bunch! P.S. I know I don't have my facts straight, but I would just like to ask that you suspend your disbelief and consider that Aragorn does not have a son.  Sorry to those whom that offends, but it helps the story a hell of a lot more…thank you!!!  Oceansblue – Sure! If you want, you can e-mail me at DiscoGirl99@aol.com. We can brainstorm :) Thanks to everyone for all the great reviews!!!

            Teagan left, and the palace went on as usual.  The following Monday, Donovan sent a message saying that he had fallen sick and was calling off training.  Venitia decided to go down and help out Annette, who was busy making a wedding dress for one of the courtiers.

            "Hey, girlie! You come on over here and help Annette!" Annette called when she saw Venny.

            Venny hurried over a held the spool of thread while Annette weaved beads in and out of the dress.  Annette talked and talked of palace affairs, and Venitia had somewhat fallen into a stupor when Annette snapping her fingers cleared her head.

            "Be a good girl and take this and go down to the market and buy some more white thread!" Annette said, holding out a purse of money.

            Venitia nodded and made her way to the front entrance that led down and out to the city's main street.  Venitia hardly ever went beyond the palace grounds, for there never was any real need to do so.  She stood for a minute or two just staring out at the city.  The once-ruined gray stone building had been rebuilt since the war.  They were all built fairly close together, except for the palace, which was upon a hill.  The way that had once faced Mordor was slowly coming back to life.  Venitia put a hood over her hair to try to blend in, which was difficult considering she was pale and raven-haired, whereas her people filling the streets were sandy- or brown-haired and brown-skinned.  Yet no one seemed to notice her as they went about their own business.  

            She started walking down the stone streets, past vendors targeting the vulnerable customers. She smiled as she watched people haggle over the smallest thing, like an egg.  She finally made it to Harriet, the seamstress who sold thread and fabric.

            "Yo' highness!" she said in her thick accent.  "What you be doin' here? Wait, let me guess.  Yo' bin sent by Annette, tha' ol' crockpot.  I'se toldst her, she be needin' more white thread for tha' fancy dress! But do she listen? Here ya go chil'.  Oh no!" she said as Venitia started to get out her money.  "You go buy yo'self somethin' nice.  But doan tell Annette!" She winked.

            Venitia smiled a thank you and turned to go back up the street.  She looked at the different vendors and wondered if she would really buy something. Then she saw the jewelry vendor and hurried toward it when she saw –

            "Donovan?" she cried.

            He turned quick and hid something behind his back. "Ven…Venitia! Um, what are you doing here?" he stammered.

            "What am I doing here? What are you doing here! I thought you were sick!"

            "Oh, that…well, I um…it's just that…well…the truth is, is that I, uh, thought we deserved a day off.  I am so sorry for lying to you, Venitia," he said finally.

            She was puzzled, but shrugged it off. "That's alright.  I suppose you are right, I was feeling awfully exhausted.  Are you buying something?" she asked.

            "Oh! Um, no, just looking.  Are you?"

            "Um…no, I do not think I will.  I was going to, but I have changed my mind." She felt awful about spending Annette's hard earned money on something for herself.

            "Oh.  Shall I escort you back to the palace?" he asked.

            "Yes, I suppose so," Venitia said.  She would have liked to stay in the market longer, but Annette was probably direly needing her thread.

            They started back up the road toward the palace.  Venitia instigated the conversation.

            "Isn't the market fascinating? I always used to love to come here as a child and wander around.  But then one time when I was 8, I got completely lost and Father got all worried and decided I should not come alone any more." She laughed at the memory of her father searching high and low for her, and her secretly following behind.  When he finally discovered her, he went on a tirade of how she wasn't funny and things like this are not the qualities of a princess and so on.

            Donovan smiled politely.  At last they reached the front hall.

            "Would you like to go down to the sewing room with me? We can go to lunch afterwards," Venitia asked.

            "Um…yes, I think I will," he smiled.

            She smiled back and they headed down to the sewing room.  Annette was pacing around worried about the thread, and launched onto Venny when she entered the room.

            "There you are child! I thought you had gotten lost! What was I thinking, sending you all alone out-" she stopped abruptly when she saw Donovan.

            "Oh," she said. "I guess I should not have worried after all. It seems you found someone to protect you, eh your highness?" she nudged Venny in the ribs.

            Venitia blushed and said, "Annette stop.  It's only Donovan."

            "Only?" Annette repeated.  "He certainly does not look like someone you call 'only' Donovan," she pushed on.

            Now Donovan was blushing furiously as well.  Annette noticed this and continued on.

            "It was very fortunate your father found someone so handsome to train you, child.  Otherwise I think you would have found it dreadfully boring, no? But you have this strapping young man to teach you.  I am sure you don't mind going to training, do you?" Annette said cheekily.

            "Here, take your thread," Venitia said, embarrassed. "Walk fast, Donovan, and don't look back," she warned.

            They hurried out of the room as fast as they could and made for the dining hall.

            "I am so sorry, Donovan.  Annette is so brash sometimes," Venitia tried to explain.

            "It is alright.  She was, um…nice," he said, starting to laugh.

            "Oh, yes.  A little too nice, don't you think?" Venitia said, also starting to laugh.

            "Well, if someone calls you handsome and strapping on your first meeting, I would say they are awfully nice," he said, now laughing pretty hard.

             "I would have to agree," Venitia said, leaning on him and laughing.

            This was the way they entered the dining hall, followed by strange looks from pretentious courtiers who thought it atrocious that any one, even the princess would laugh in the presence of the king.  But Aragorn himself was laughing at something Legolas (who was refusing to leave) was saying.

            "Ah, there you are my dear," Aragorn said as Venitia and Donovan took their seats.  "But, why are you not training?"

            "Oh, well, I was…honestly, Father, I was exhausted.  I asked Donovan for a day off and he honorably obliged," Venitia lied.

            Donovan looked at her in surprise, but then smiled and turned to the king.  "Yes, I could see her starting to look fatigued, your majesty.  I would not want her to train when she was so tired," he said.

            Aragorn smiled.  "Neither would I.  She's coming along quite nicely, don't you think so?"

            "Yes, your majesty.  She is coming along wonderfully." Donovan smiled at her.

            Venitia blushed and returned her attention to her food.  Legolas smiled mischievously at her, as if he was realizing something.

            After lunch, Venitia realized she had absolutely nothing to do the rest of the day.

            "Donovan?"

            "Yes, Venitia?"

            "Could we do a little training this afternoon? I've just realized that I will be dreadfully bored otherwise," she said.

            "Of course! I was just thinking the same thing, actually," he replied.

            Venitia quick changed and ran across the field to meet him at the stables.

            "What would you like to do?" he asked as he handed her her sword and sheath belt.

            "How about we ride?" she said.

            "Alright.  Where to?"

            "I don't care.  Anywhere is fine with me," she said.

            He smiled.  "I think I know just the place," he said.

            They rode off into the forest, and trotted along for about a half an hour.  They reached a grove in the center of which stood a tall, twisted tree with white bark. 

            "I found this about a year ago when I was making the rounds," Donovan said.  "I used to come here a lot, but I haven't been able to for a while."

            Venitia walked in a circle, staring up at where the sun shone through the trees. 

            "It's beautiful," she said.

            He smiled at her wonder.  Suddenly, he grabbed her and hoisted her onto a branch.  She laughed, but was soon silent again as she saw the view.  A creek babbled nearby, and trees stood proud for miles.  He got onto a branch as well.

            "There was a tree like this at my old home," he said, somewhat sadly.  "I used to go there all the time."

            "There is a clearing in the south end of the forest that I go to when I need to think," she said. "As a child, I used to just go there to play, but now it is more of a place for solitude."

            He nodded in agreement. 

            "What was your home like?" she asked. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

            "Not at all.  It was green fields with a wooden house every so often.  There were farms, no industry at all." He laughed a little bitterly.  "My parents were the only people for miles who wanted a more civilized life.  That was why they tried to get me to marry Rebecca.  She wanted to move here to be a courtier for your father, but only if she was married.  It was the night we were supposed to make our engagement known to everyone when I left.  I wasn't scared, which was what my mother always told me.  I just…I could not have survived that kind of life.  Being here and seeing all of these nobility…I would have left anyway."

            Venitia listened in amazement. 

            "So I left, to come here of all places. To be a soldier, to protect my country was more than I could have ever asked for. Or so I thought.  When your father asked me to train you, I was amazed.  To play a part in the future queen's life…can I be honest?" he asked.

            "Of course," Venitia said, surprised.

            "I wasn't too sure of what to expect.  I had heard so much about you, about how you were humble and kind and beautiful.  But I have had many dealings with the nobility, and none of them were too enjoyable.  Yet you exceeded by far any of my expectations.  You were so willing to learn and not conceited at all." He suddenly blushed. "Maybe I have said too much."

            Venny shook her head.  "Not at all.  To be honest with you, I wasn't sure what to expect either.  Many of my father's soldier's are very…well, arrogant and brazen." He chuckled.  "But you were so different than all of them.  If I was so willing to learn it was because you were so willing to teach me.  Not too many men would have wanted to teach a woman who knew absolutely nothing." She smiled.

            He smiled and started to say something when an arrow came out of nowhere and struck his arm.  He fell off the tree and Venitia leapt down next to him. 

            "Donovan!"

            "Venitia…I'm alright.  Go fight. Consider it a test," he smiled.

            She was worried about him, but nodded confidently and turned to see ten orcs charging at her. She drew her sword and took a deep breath.

            Taking her stance, Venitia held the sword vertical in front of her and started to slash as the orcs continued to come.  She stabbed, she jabbed, she gouged.  The orcs were surprised but none the less continued to fight her.  She felt small cuts and wounds go into her, but nothing made her stop. Finally, the onrush stopped and Venitia looked around at the bodies.  Nine? I thought there were ten, she thought with panic.  She started to turn when an orc fell on top of her, an arrow through its back.  Donovan had propped himself onto the tree and was still holding the bow in his hand.  Venitia quickly pushed the huge orc off of her and hurried toward him.

            "Donovan!"

            "I…I'm fine…fine, Ven…" he trailed off.  His eyes started to close, and the blood was flowing out of his face.  Blood was coming fast out of his wound.

            "No! Donovan, I am going to get you out of here, I promise.  You'll be fine, you'll see," she tried to say with assurance, but her voice failed.

            "I…I just wanted you to know that…that I…"

            "Shh…do not say anything," she said as she ripped her shirt to bind his arm.

            "I think I have…I know I have…since I first…saw you…" He laid a trembling hand on her face.  He tried to smile, but he slumped down to the ground.

            "No…Donovan, no! Stay with me, listen to me! No…" she started to cry.  "Please…don't leave me…"

*What do you think? Too sappy? Because I can change it…I have an idea for what's next, but I want to know what you think first!