Thanx for the reviews. I've incorporated some ideas you've given me.

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Chapter 11 – The Sword

When I went to meet John, I decided to keep my encounter with Count V a secret. I didn't want to worry him.

John gave me a smile. He already had the horses ready. I was wearing the stable workers' outfit of course.

When we were out of the castle and safely out of sight of the guards, John turned to me.

"I've got a surprise for you Dee. Can you guess what it is?"

"A riding hat?" I had no idea.

John walked over to his horse and presented a long white box about half his height. How he smuggled it out I wasn't sure.

"Go ahead, open it."

I took off the lid and inside I found a beautifully crafted sword. The sheath was made from iron with the words ".iwootde loyjg reyfj" written on it in gold. I think it's Gnomic for "yours to control".

I took the sword out from the sheath. I gasped, it was beautiful. Its blade was shiny silver. The hilt was golden and in the center were two blue dragons facing each other. The dragons' eyes were made of rubies.

I held it up and tested its weight. It was quite heavy and would take some time to get use to. I loved how the sun reflects off the blade and made the rubies sparkle.

"It's yours." John smiled at me, seeing how much I loved his present.

"Really? Thanks!" I tried to swing the sword but almost fell over.

John laughed, "If you don't want to be rescued, you'd better at least have a weapon to defend yourself."

"I already have a weapon, my bow and arrows." I'd brought my equipment to Ayortha.

"Then I guess you don't want this then." John teased.

"No, I'd still like to keep it."

I set the sword down, another question popped into my head.

"Where did you get this?" I was almost afraid of the answer. Just how could a poor boy like him get such a beautiful sword?

"It was part of the merchandise my father left me. It was made by gnomes."

I studied his face and relaxed. His face looked honest.

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So for the rest of the day, John taught me a bit about swordplay. His father taught him a little when he was young. In return I agreed to teach him archery the next time we meet.

It was getting late and we had to go back or risk getting caught. I asked John to keep the sword for me. I hadn't thought of a place to keep it yet.

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Before going to bed, I decided to read from the book Mother gave me.

I opened to cover, expecting to see Apple, but I saw John instead. That was strange; I could've sworn that it was a picture of Apple that was on the first page.

The picture was of John sitting at a desk in his room. The sword was beside him. I turned the page wondering at how that picture got there.

On the second page was what looked like a journal entry. I knew it was wrong to read others' thoughts but my curiosity got the better of me.

July 7th

Dee liked my gift, I knew she would. I taught her a bit about swordplay but I'm afraid I don't really know that much. She's an excellent rider as well as archer. I can't wait to learn archery from her. I've heard that she's one of the best archers in Kyrria.

She's not like any girl I've met. She's much better. I think I've grown quite fond of her. I love her spirit and her smile.

We have so much in common. We both love horses and riding, we both love the outdoors and being active.

I wonder if Dee wants more than friendship…

Wait, what am I thinking! Why would she want anything to do with me other than being just friends? She's a princess after all, even though she's not vain, but she's royalty nevertheless. And me, I'm just an orphan with barely enough money to live on.

Sigh, besides I can't –

That's as much as I read before I slammed the book shut. My heart was pounding in my chest. I knew it was written by John, but what did he mean by "more than friendship"? Deep down I knew exactly what he was talking about. I just didn't want think about it.

That night I dreamed about swordplay. But occasionally my mind would show me an image of John...

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The next morning when I opened the door and was about to go down for breakfast, standing outside my room was Count V. He had a sneer on his face.

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Evil cliffs again!!

Hope that chap was a bit more exciting. Thanx to Squeegiechick and phoenix for the ideas of the swordplay and John's POV.

WindPrincess1 – funny you should mention the marriage thing, that's exactly what I have planned for her (well, with a few exceptions)… and Dee's 15…why do you think her parents sent her to Ayortha and she had to have lessons with Oreto…(I'm spoiling my story again, AH!! (I'm okay)