Hmm, Ciara was bad… she got grounded from the computer… =*(… but she's back! Hey all… here is chapter 11, sorry it took forever.

Dancing. Music.

A man with short-cropped blond hair and hazel eyes, that were alight with passion, was dancing. To music. Gentle music, with a woman. In one hand, he held hers. It was small and dainty compared to his large square hand, and yet, it was surprisingly rough, with a comforting feel to it. In his other hand, he held her waist. It was thin, covered in a fabric that felt of so many things. A cloud, an ocean wave, silk, fire, air, a rainbow, so many things. He glanced at her face. Her eyes were closed, as if she was trying to figure out exactly how this felt, so she could store it in a small section of her mind and retrieve it whenever she wanted. Her raven hair was piled upon her head, but in the course of the evening a few strands of wayward hair had fallen about her face. Her lips were curled upwards at the corners. Oh how she smiled! Like a humble goddess, not aware of her own enrapturing beauty. Annoyingly, she wore a mask that covered the rest of her face. How he wanted to rip it off, just to see the rest of her creamy skin.

Her name? That also was hidden behind a mask. A secret held by her smiling mouth. Safe from him.

As he watched, a sigh escaped her and her head leaned closer and fell to his shoulder.

Several minutes passed. Could they've been hours? The song began to slow to its end. Reluctantly, the two dancers pulled apart. She curtsied in front of him and her navy eyes gleamed.

"Thank you, milord. 'Twas an honor to have such a dance. I must be off, though. Cannot be home late. Fare thee well." And just as he had parted his lips to say good bye, she was gone.

"Fare thee well." He whispered to the air, before regaining himself and attempting to follow her. But as soon as he had taken a few steps, females in colorful gowns bombarded him, begging dances from him. As he politely tried to remove himself from the crowd of worshippers, he signaled to a squire who was standing a few feet away, watching with a small grin at the mans predicament.

"Yes, Lord?" The squire asked when he was closer.

"A lady just left here. Did you see her? She was wearing a silver gown that felt like… like magic. Ebony hair. She looked something of a sprite with rainbows shimmering around her and a silver mask on. Find her. Please? I need her name. I will reward you." The man begged.

"No, Lord, I did not see her. I will try to find her, though." The squire replied after a few moments of silent contemplation.

"Thank you! Hurry now!" He cried at the retreating back of the squire.

'Now, to deal with these women…' He thought.

Chris woke up suddenly, with a warm feeling coursing through him. The first light of morning was beginning to show over the far away horizon. Rustling caught his attention and he took his gaze from the window. There, not ten feet away sat Clover. She was seated behind a cardboard box, with an unmarked book in her hand. Although no noise was coming from her, tears were falling down her cheeks and into her lap, where her cat, Cinders, was lounging. She snuffled once. She turned the page. Chris shifted. Her almost black eyes glanced up and she saw Chris looking at her. Hastily, she placed the book back in the box and used her arm to wipe the tears from her face. Her voice, heavy with emotion, cracked when she spoke.

"Sorry."

Chris blinked. "What's wrong?" His english voice was groggy.

"Nothing." She stated.

And with this, he knew that the subject was closed, and would be closed, until sometime in the future.

I know it's not as long as earlier chapters… barely over 500 words… but it was the place to stop. I need to get it out, too… Here are my thank-yous:

All who reviewed chapter 10:

Coolgirlchic16

Indigo Ziona

Harmony Namir

Lis

And a special thanks to Harmony for continuously aggravating me about getting this chapter out and about. Without that, it may've been another week. Or two. Of course… there may be a sword hidden in the deep, dark, recess of my closet that has your name on it… *grins evilly*… on second thought… I need you too much! I'd never get these chapters out if not for you… feel special!

-Ciara