A/N: Characters belong to Gail Carson Levine, etc. I hadn't originally planned on continuing the story, but I have decided to do so because so many reviewers requested it. =) Enjoy.
- - - A CHANCE MEETING - - -
Char couldn't believe his good luck.
He had been quietly walking through the menagerie, thinking about how he could "accidentally" run into Ella at the market. He had been running through all of the different ways that they could meet. She would be with her cook, browsing through a fruit cart or something of that sort, and she would notice a perfectly round orange that she thought would be delicious with lunch. Char would just happen to be out on a jaunt with his younger sister, and he would notice the self-same orange. He would reach out his hand to take it so he could examine it further for bruises or spots, and at the same time Ella would be reaching out her hand. . .
That's when he saw her. He thought it most strange that he should meet her like this, all while he was dreaming of ways to meet her unexpectedly. It was as if his imaginings had jumped out of his brain and started playing out around him in real life.
She was near a herd of centaurs, and was offering one of them a tiny morsel of cheese. She was slightly bent over, her arm outstretched. She wore her long dark hair flowing freely about her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed with the excitement of the centaur allowing her to come so near. Char watched silently as she smiled her gorgeous smile at the centaur and inched closer to offer him the cheese. He marveled to himself about how she could look so beautiful no matter where she was, no matter what the circumstances.
He himself stepped closer to where she was, and reached into a pocket in his cloak. Aha! The apples he had picked from the royal apple trees in the royal orchard this morning were still there. Perfect!
"Here," he said, presenting a shiny, red apple to Ella.
She turned, and he delighted in the expression on her face when she first saw him and realized who he was: it was happiness; the joy of meeting a friend or someone you like. She accepted the apple.
"Thank you," she said. She immediately turned back to the centaur, who, upon seeing the apple, trotted toward her with hands outstretched. She tossed the apple, and Char noted that she had very good aim. He smiled to himself. He was liking her better and better.
"I always expect them to thank me or to say, 'How dare you stare?'"
She was speaking. He had forgotten everything; he had been lost in smiling at her.
"They're not smart enough to talk. See how blank their eyes are."
Char felt like punching himself. Now she was going to think he was a know- it-all. Great. Way to go, Char. You sure do have a way with the ladies!
"If they had words, they wouldn't be able to think of anything to say," she said.
Char was surprised. He had not been expecting a joke. She was making him like her even more. He laughed, happy that she didn't seem to think he was a know-it-all after all. Maybe he was just over-analyzing things. Again.
"That's funny! You're funny. As the Lady Eleanor was."
His stupidity was unbelievable. Probably the last thing she wanted was to be reminded of was her dead mother. Char decided that maybe punching himself wouldn't be the best idea. He thought that throwing himself off a cliff would be much more effective. Definitely.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you," he apologized, his cheeks burning.
"I think of her often," she responded, a little quietly.
Maybe a piece of candy or something would brighten her spirits again. Char reached into his cloak, but all he found were those darned apples. Oh well. Maybe fruit was the key that opened the door to her heart. You never knew.
"Would you like an apple, too?"
She surprised him again. She pantomimed the centaur, taking the apple from him, mimicking the the animal's blank, stupid gaze.
He laughed, really laughed, with his head thrown back.
"I like you," he announced, without thinking. "I'm quite taken with you."
He was sure the smile on his face was so big that she could see all of his teeth. He didn't much care. He felt so comfortable with her. He felt that if he wanted to, he could speak whatever was on his mind, or tell her stupid jokes or what he was thinking. She wasn't putting on a false front because he was the Prince, she was being herself. He respected her for that.
They walked through the cages of exotic birds, and she was able to copy the way they said the words of the different languages exactly. Char thought that with some practice, she could be speaking fluently in no time. He was amazed. What other facets of her character would be revealed to him next?
She tried to teach him some of the words, but his accent was horrific. She teased him about it for a little, and Char was enjoying himself so much that he hadn't noticed that they were coming upon the Ogre's hut, guarded by soldiers.
They heard a soft voice coming from near the hut, and it was definitely not the Ogre. They heard the voice again. It was very soft, but it sounded upset.
Char, Ella, and the Ogre all saw the small toddler gnome at the same time, and they all realized at the same time that the Ogre could very well reach the child through the window of the hut.
Ella started forward to grab the child, but the Ogre was already reaching out his hairy arm. . .
A/N: I know this isn't the best place to stop, but I wrote all of that in one sitting, so I'm just going to rest there and pick up again in the next chapter. I hope this was a good follow-up! =)