AN: Sorry 'bout the delay in updates, this chapter had been giving me
difficulty
There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be in time
It's easy. All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
The beatles, (All you need is love)
Chapter 3- You, me and the prince makes three
"Check." Mathew announced and then taking another look at the board added. "Mate."
It was probably the last day that would be warm enough to venture out without four or five pounds of winter clothes, fall in Ayortha seemed about half an hour long, so we had decided to play our game of chess our in the orchard. "That's what you think." I said moving my bishop to take his knight.
"Mathew!" A voice called from across down the row of apple trees, still mostly green but with oranges and reds just beginning to creep into the edges.
"Alex!" Mathew jumped to his feet, nearly overturning the chessboard.
They greeted each other like good friends but I had never met this man before. And then I remembered what Mathew had shouted, of course this was the prince. "Alex this is my best friend Lorelei, Lorelei this is Alex." He introduced me.
The prince didn't look like either of his parents at first glance, his naturally spiky and black hair and his bright green eyes were different but his high cheekbones were also apparent in his mother and the noes and broad shoulders were certainly his father's. He was extraordinarily handsome, a sure guarantee to break a few court girl's hearts no matter what he did. I was attracted to him but not delusional enough to mistake the pleasant churning of my stomach as "love at first sight" a sentiment I didn't believe in, it was more likely, I reasoned, lust.
I flashed him a grin, which he returned. "So what do you think of Ayortha?" Mathew interrupted before I had time to think of anything to say to this beautiful stranger.
"It's nice, if a little quiet." He laughed.
"Get used to it, for the next year the only people who will say more then three words a month to you for the next year are me and Lei." Mathew laughed.
My head shot up, he never called me Lei in front of anyone. I looked at him but he didn't wear the regretful look of someone who has just spilled a good secret. And then I got it, he was telling me that Alex, even though he had just joined our happy little party, that he would get every benefit and be treated as a senior member.
The next week brought snow and an avalanche of other less expected if not less welcomed things. A slue of sings, all of which Harmony had to prepare me for, time she spent reviewing every little gesture the prince made in her vicinity that could possibly be skewed, contorted and twisted in him trying to catch her attention.
It was a cruel twist of fate that Harmony was so infatuated with his status, it reduced the slim chance I had at him to zero. As the week progressed I liked him more and more but even if he had harbored romantic notions towards me Harmony would make sure I crushed them. I consoled myself with the promise of friendship but the promise of seeing him with someone else for the rest of my life was far from enough to keep me content.
Alex fit perfectly into our pattern, filling cracks in the surface of our friendship we didn't even know existed. There was no conflict of who liked whom better or any nonsense that usually happens when you get three friends together.
Monday night was the first time we didn't have a sing in a week, coincidentally it was also the night of the first frost. As tradition dictated Mathew and I assembled all the ingredients for ice cream in my kitchen and were about halfway through the process when Alex showed up, he had been delayed because of some sundry court duties. "What are you making?" He asked.
"Ice cream, we always make it the night of the first frost." Mathew explained handing the crank over to me.
"What's ice cream?" He asked.
Mathew and I looked at each other and laughed. "You'll see." I explained. "Here you spin for a while."
I fixed his hands around the crank, ignoring the shiver that never failed to shoot up my spine when we touched. "Now just spin." I instructed him.
I hopped up on a nearby counter and tucked my legs under the tent like skirt I had been forced to wear, rubbed my tiny noes and thought back on the conversation Areida and I had earlier that day.
She had started off by telling me she had already put this off for far to long. "But it appears it is my pleasure to explain something to you." She said, taking my hands in a silent order to look at her, I obliged. "We live in a society which is ruled by men but carried by women, and I don't want you to forget that ok?"
It didn't make sense, if the society was carried by women why didn't we rule it too? I had asked just that too. Areida had laughed and laughed after that. "Dear child, why would we want to? As long as we have good men in power, like Char or Alex we don't have any battles to fight and why fight needless battles? But dear I don't just mean on the national level, think about it on the personal level. I don't want any man ever telling you that he's better then you because of his sex but it will doubtlessly happen and when it does I want you to hold your head high and know that the man who told you that is trash." She said kissing me on the cheek. "Now run along and play dear."
It occurred to me many years later that Areida had shared a vital piece of information with me, a piece of information that had been passed down from mother to daughter sense the dawn of time, and I was glad that it was Areida who had told me.
Finally the ice cream was done and we sat around the fire eating the fruit of our labors, making popcorn strings and pulling taffy. "So Lei, shall we teach Alex how to ice skate tomorrow?" Mathew suggested stuffing a long string of taffy into his mouth.
"Sure." I agreed.
"It looks hard, is it hard?" Alex asked.
"Well if the ice doesn't br.." Mathew started.
"You'll be fine." I glared at Mathew.
(AN: If you want more take my advice and review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be in time
It's easy. All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
The beatles, (All you need is love)
Chapter 3- You, me and the prince makes three
"Check." Mathew announced and then taking another look at the board added. "Mate."
It was probably the last day that would be warm enough to venture out without four or five pounds of winter clothes, fall in Ayortha seemed about half an hour long, so we had decided to play our game of chess our in the orchard. "That's what you think." I said moving my bishop to take his knight.
"Mathew!" A voice called from across down the row of apple trees, still mostly green but with oranges and reds just beginning to creep into the edges.
"Alex!" Mathew jumped to his feet, nearly overturning the chessboard.
They greeted each other like good friends but I had never met this man before. And then I remembered what Mathew had shouted, of course this was the prince. "Alex this is my best friend Lorelei, Lorelei this is Alex." He introduced me.
The prince didn't look like either of his parents at first glance, his naturally spiky and black hair and his bright green eyes were different but his high cheekbones were also apparent in his mother and the noes and broad shoulders were certainly his father's. He was extraordinarily handsome, a sure guarantee to break a few court girl's hearts no matter what he did. I was attracted to him but not delusional enough to mistake the pleasant churning of my stomach as "love at first sight" a sentiment I didn't believe in, it was more likely, I reasoned, lust.
I flashed him a grin, which he returned. "So what do you think of Ayortha?" Mathew interrupted before I had time to think of anything to say to this beautiful stranger.
"It's nice, if a little quiet." He laughed.
"Get used to it, for the next year the only people who will say more then three words a month to you for the next year are me and Lei." Mathew laughed.
My head shot up, he never called me Lei in front of anyone. I looked at him but he didn't wear the regretful look of someone who has just spilled a good secret. And then I got it, he was telling me that Alex, even though he had just joined our happy little party, that he would get every benefit and be treated as a senior member.
The next week brought snow and an avalanche of other less expected if not less welcomed things. A slue of sings, all of which Harmony had to prepare me for, time she spent reviewing every little gesture the prince made in her vicinity that could possibly be skewed, contorted and twisted in him trying to catch her attention.
It was a cruel twist of fate that Harmony was so infatuated with his status, it reduced the slim chance I had at him to zero. As the week progressed I liked him more and more but even if he had harbored romantic notions towards me Harmony would make sure I crushed them. I consoled myself with the promise of friendship but the promise of seeing him with someone else for the rest of my life was far from enough to keep me content.
Alex fit perfectly into our pattern, filling cracks in the surface of our friendship we didn't even know existed. There was no conflict of who liked whom better or any nonsense that usually happens when you get three friends together.
Monday night was the first time we didn't have a sing in a week, coincidentally it was also the night of the first frost. As tradition dictated Mathew and I assembled all the ingredients for ice cream in my kitchen and were about halfway through the process when Alex showed up, he had been delayed because of some sundry court duties. "What are you making?" He asked.
"Ice cream, we always make it the night of the first frost." Mathew explained handing the crank over to me.
"What's ice cream?" He asked.
Mathew and I looked at each other and laughed. "You'll see." I explained. "Here you spin for a while."
I fixed his hands around the crank, ignoring the shiver that never failed to shoot up my spine when we touched. "Now just spin." I instructed him.
I hopped up on a nearby counter and tucked my legs under the tent like skirt I had been forced to wear, rubbed my tiny noes and thought back on the conversation Areida and I had earlier that day.
She had started off by telling me she had already put this off for far to long. "But it appears it is my pleasure to explain something to you." She said, taking my hands in a silent order to look at her, I obliged. "We live in a society which is ruled by men but carried by women, and I don't want you to forget that ok?"
It didn't make sense, if the society was carried by women why didn't we rule it too? I had asked just that too. Areida had laughed and laughed after that. "Dear child, why would we want to? As long as we have good men in power, like Char or Alex we don't have any battles to fight and why fight needless battles? But dear I don't just mean on the national level, think about it on the personal level. I don't want any man ever telling you that he's better then you because of his sex but it will doubtlessly happen and when it does I want you to hold your head high and know that the man who told you that is trash." She said kissing me on the cheek. "Now run along and play dear."
It occurred to me many years later that Areida had shared a vital piece of information with me, a piece of information that had been passed down from mother to daughter sense the dawn of time, and I was glad that it was Areida who had told me.
Finally the ice cream was done and we sat around the fire eating the fruit of our labors, making popcorn strings and pulling taffy. "So Lei, shall we teach Alex how to ice skate tomorrow?" Mathew suggested stuffing a long string of taffy into his mouth.
"Sure." I agreed.
"It looks hard, is it hard?" Alex asked.
"Well if the ice doesn't br.." Mathew started.
"You'll be fine." I glared at Mathew.
(AN: If you want more take my advice and review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)