::Chapter 21: Alternatives::
"I do."
The words that came out of my own mouth shocked me. Was I really in love with Nate? I mean, sure, I was getting used to having him around. . . he had turned out to be a decent guy. . . but in LOVE?
"I-I mean. . ." I started. "I don't really-" I noticed the familiar blurring of my vision and I stopped, shrugging instead of continuing to speak.
Mayleah paused for a moment, then pulled the door open. "Come inside," she whispered, gesturing with her hand.
I stepped into her room, and she closed the door behind me. I peered around, and realized her room wasn't much different from mine, save a few differences in colors. Both had a stone fireplace, silk bed sheets with matching drapes, rugs with embroidered fairies that mother claimed had been made by the hands of gnomes themselves. . .
"So what's your plan?" Mayleah spoke up hushed voice.
"My plan?" I said, snapping my gaze away from the rug. "What do you mean?"
I watched as she gently bit her lower lip. "Well. . ." she paused. "If you're really sure about finding my mother, we're going to need a plan. We can't just run away from the palace and venture off into the Elves' Forest, you know."
I felt a mixture of nervousness and surprise in the pit of my stomach. Though I knew what was coming, I decided to ask anyway. "Why would we go into the Elves' Forest?"
"That's where I used to live."
I shut my eyes and held my breath as fear crept up spine. How could I have been so clueless? What did I expect, just to waltz off into town, pick a random cottage, find Nate, rescue him from the evil siren and live happily ever after without even a single scratch? Who knows what kinds of dangerous creatures are lurking in there? I mean, Nate was in there this very moment hunting for OGRES. . .
I gulped. "You mean we. . . we've got to go. . . IN there? Alone?!"
Mayleah shrugged nervously, playing with a strand of her curly blonde hair. "Well, I guess that's the only choice we have. . . unless you want to risk leaving the duke's son-"
"NO!" I cried out.
She stared at me with wide eyes. "That's exactly why we need a plan!"
I sighed and thought for a moment. All we needed to do was find the house, find Nate, tell him about what Sebille really is. . .
"It's not that easy," Mayleah spoke up. "Although I know the exact location of the house, we can't just wander into the forest. We're getting into a very dangerous situation here. . . and about you're condition-"
"My what?!" I blurted, my heart racing. "What are you talking about?"
"You know. . . about your. . . honesty. . ."
My eyes widened. She was talking about it as if it were a handicap! I don't remember ever mentioning that to her. . . was it really that obvious?
"I-I overheard," she replied quickly as if she'd read my mind. "I'm sorry if you wanted to keep it secret, but please, you can trust me with this. . ."
"It's alright. But. . . what about, my 'condition,' as you called it?"
"I'm sorry," she grinned nervously. "But you know very well that there is a very good chance that we will come across crooks, cutthroats," she gulped. "Possible even ogres. . ."
I felt a shiver go up my spine. "Yes, unfortunately. . ."
"If by chance we DO come across any of these, we'll need to talk our way out of it. Who knows what kind of mischievous things a bandit will do if they came across a princess? Ransom, threats, murder. . ."
I cringed at her words. They weren't exactly what I would call encouraging. "Well, I would have thought it was pretty obvious. Don't they have to listen to royalty?"
Mayleah sighed, staring at me as if I were a clueless child. "You don't get it, Amena. You wouldn't know it, since you've been sheltered from the world outside the palace for all your life, but there are some pretty sick people out there. Not everyone follows the rules."
"Oh. . ." I said, feeling ridiculously naïve. "Then what's that got to do with my. . . honesty?"
Mayleah pondered upon the question for a moment before answering. "Alright. Say we're walking innocently along, when a crook, or someone similar, comes up to us, and he says 'who are you?'"
"Why would he say that?" I asked.
She sighed again. I have a feeling she's a bit irritated with me. "Just work with me here. Okay, so he asks us who we are, and I give him a false name. Then your turn comes up, and what do you say?"
"Well, I'd say what you did. Give him a false-" I stopped. Oh. I see what she's been trying to say. "I would have to tell him who I really was. . . Amena. . . Princess Amena. . ."
"That's right. Then he'd most likely kidnap you and send a ransom note to Father."
My heart sank. I was making this much more difficult than it should've been. "But. . . Mayleah. . . you don't understand. . . I try. Really, I try! But I just can't. . . I just can't LIE!"
"You don't have to."
"But. . . well, I can shake or nod my head to 'yes or no' questions, but that's about it."
"Have you ever thought about answering a question with a question?"
"Huh?" Obviously not, considering I hadn't a clue what she was talking about.
"Hm. . . how do I explain this. . . oh I know! Ask me a question," she said with a grin. "Any question. Except for a 'yes or no one', that is."
"Alright. . ." I replied. Was this girl nuts, or did she really have something? "Um. . . I'll pretend I'm that bandit you were just talking about. Okay. So. . . Who are you?" I still had NO idea how she was going to answer this question without lying.
"Who wants to know?"
I paused for a moment. 'Who wants to know?' wasn't a lie. . . nor was it the truth! My eyes lit up, and I laughed out loud. She was brilliant! I continued to play my role. "I do."
"You?" she continued. "Do I know you?"
"Um. . . No, little girl. Give me your money."
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"Why do I have to listen to you?"
"Unless you're associated with the king, you better listen to me, or you'll be sorry."
"What if I AM associated with the king?"
I laughed. I was beginning to like this. I gave her a fake suspicious look. "Are you?" It was a 'yes or no' question.
To my surprise, Mayleah didn't reply by shaking her head or nodding. Instead, she answered back with another question. "Do I LOOK like royalty?"
I was grinning so hard my cheeks were beginning to sore. Before I knew what I was doing I reached out a grabbed her in a tight embrace. "I can't believe it!" I squealed. "Now, ask ME a question!" I said, releasing her. I rubbed my hands together, feeling prepared for any question that I may have to answer.
"Alright. What are you doing?"
"I'm talking to you." Wrong. Well, it was true, but not quite the answer I meant to give. This was harder than I thought, coming up with a lie on such a short notice. "Um. . . wait a moment. . . I mean, what does it look like I'm doing?"
"I don't know. So what ARE you doing?"
I shrugged, then squealed again. Maybe this curse wasn't so bad after all! I just never took the time to sit down and think about how to bend the rules a bit.
"That's great!" Mayleah applauded.
It felt as if I had been born again. . . like something inside of me had been uplifted. If only mother were still here. . . she would've been so proud.
"So when do you plan on leaving?" she asked me.
All of the newfound happiness inside me was drained when I thought about the position Nate was currently in. He had said that she was going to sing to him soon. . . but that could mean anywhere from tonight to who knows when! "As soon as possible."
I froze when I heard the slamming of a door. The two of us whirled around and I gasped when I saw the person standing there.
"Thinking of going somewhere, Your Highnesses?" the smug looking brunette said. It was Brayden.
"How long have you been listening to us?!" I cried furiously.
"Long enough to know that you two are up to something strange. So. . . what is it exactly you're up to?" he was talking to me, but his suspicious gaze was glued on Mayleah.
"N-Noth- Why do you want to know?" I beamed as I used the new technique Mayleah had taught me.
"Because if you don't, as your tutor, it is my duty to inform the king of-"
"Brayden, trust me. You don't want to know," Mayleah spoke up.
"Oh?" he raised his eyebrow and stared at the blonde girl. "What makes you think that?"
My mouth gaped open. What has gotten into Brayden lately? What happened to the dull, lifeless Brayden I knew?
"I'm not as clueless as you think," she shot back. "I know about you, Brayden. Oh, and to answer your previous question, we're going to look for Sebille," she said, stressing the name 'Sebille.'
I looked back and forth between the two. And what happened to the shy, timid Mayleah?!
The color from Brayden's cheeks were immediately replaced with a pasty white.
"Brayden, stop pretending you don't know that I'm Sebille's daughter."
He continued to stare at her without blinking. We stood silent for a few moments before speaking. "How do you. . . has she. . . talked about me?" he said in an unusually raspy voice.
Mayleah shook her head sympathetically. "No. . . I-I'm sorry."
"Then how do you know?"
Mayleah hesitated before answering. "I-It's complicated."
The three of us just stood there silently, no one daring to make a single move. After what felt like hours, Brayden finally spoke up. "Can I come along?" he whispered.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don't worry, all those little confusing bits will make sense later on. Please review!
"I do."
The words that came out of my own mouth shocked me. Was I really in love with Nate? I mean, sure, I was getting used to having him around. . . he had turned out to be a decent guy. . . but in LOVE?
"I-I mean. . ." I started. "I don't really-" I noticed the familiar blurring of my vision and I stopped, shrugging instead of continuing to speak.
Mayleah paused for a moment, then pulled the door open. "Come inside," she whispered, gesturing with her hand.
I stepped into her room, and she closed the door behind me. I peered around, and realized her room wasn't much different from mine, save a few differences in colors. Both had a stone fireplace, silk bed sheets with matching drapes, rugs with embroidered fairies that mother claimed had been made by the hands of gnomes themselves. . .
"So what's your plan?" Mayleah spoke up hushed voice.
"My plan?" I said, snapping my gaze away from the rug. "What do you mean?"
I watched as she gently bit her lower lip. "Well. . ." she paused. "If you're really sure about finding my mother, we're going to need a plan. We can't just run away from the palace and venture off into the Elves' Forest, you know."
I felt a mixture of nervousness and surprise in the pit of my stomach. Though I knew what was coming, I decided to ask anyway. "Why would we go into the Elves' Forest?"
"That's where I used to live."
I shut my eyes and held my breath as fear crept up spine. How could I have been so clueless? What did I expect, just to waltz off into town, pick a random cottage, find Nate, rescue him from the evil siren and live happily ever after without even a single scratch? Who knows what kinds of dangerous creatures are lurking in there? I mean, Nate was in there this very moment hunting for OGRES. . .
I gulped. "You mean we. . . we've got to go. . . IN there? Alone?!"
Mayleah shrugged nervously, playing with a strand of her curly blonde hair. "Well, I guess that's the only choice we have. . . unless you want to risk leaving the duke's son-"
"NO!" I cried out.
She stared at me with wide eyes. "That's exactly why we need a plan!"
I sighed and thought for a moment. All we needed to do was find the house, find Nate, tell him about what Sebille really is. . .
"It's not that easy," Mayleah spoke up. "Although I know the exact location of the house, we can't just wander into the forest. We're getting into a very dangerous situation here. . . and about you're condition-"
"My what?!" I blurted, my heart racing. "What are you talking about?"
"You know. . . about your. . . honesty. . ."
My eyes widened. She was talking about it as if it were a handicap! I don't remember ever mentioning that to her. . . was it really that obvious?
"I-I overheard," she replied quickly as if she'd read my mind. "I'm sorry if you wanted to keep it secret, but please, you can trust me with this. . ."
"It's alright. But. . . what about, my 'condition,' as you called it?"
"I'm sorry," she grinned nervously. "But you know very well that there is a very good chance that we will come across crooks, cutthroats," she gulped. "Possible even ogres. . ."
I felt a shiver go up my spine. "Yes, unfortunately. . ."
"If by chance we DO come across any of these, we'll need to talk our way out of it. Who knows what kind of mischievous things a bandit will do if they came across a princess? Ransom, threats, murder. . ."
I cringed at her words. They weren't exactly what I would call encouraging. "Well, I would have thought it was pretty obvious. Don't they have to listen to royalty?"
Mayleah sighed, staring at me as if I were a clueless child. "You don't get it, Amena. You wouldn't know it, since you've been sheltered from the world outside the palace for all your life, but there are some pretty sick people out there. Not everyone follows the rules."
"Oh. . ." I said, feeling ridiculously naïve. "Then what's that got to do with my. . . honesty?"
Mayleah pondered upon the question for a moment before answering. "Alright. Say we're walking innocently along, when a crook, or someone similar, comes up to us, and he says 'who are you?'"
"Why would he say that?" I asked.
She sighed again. I have a feeling she's a bit irritated with me. "Just work with me here. Okay, so he asks us who we are, and I give him a false name. Then your turn comes up, and what do you say?"
"Well, I'd say what you did. Give him a false-" I stopped. Oh. I see what she's been trying to say. "I would have to tell him who I really was. . . Amena. . . Princess Amena. . ."
"That's right. Then he'd most likely kidnap you and send a ransom note to Father."
My heart sank. I was making this much more difficult than it should've been. "But. . . Mayleah. . . you don't understand. . . I try. Really, I try! But I just can't. . . I just can't LIE!"
"You don't have to."
"But. . . well, I can shake or nod my head to 'yes or no' questions, but that's about it."
"Have you ever thought about answering a question with a question?"
"Huh?" Obviously not, considering I hadn't a clue what she was talking about.
"Hm. . . how do I explain this. . . oh I know! Ask me a question," she said with a grin. "Any question. Except for a 'yes or no one', that is."
"Alright. . ." I replied. Was this girl nuts, or did she really have something? "Um. . . I'll pretend I'm that bandit you were just talking about. Okay. So. . . Who are you?" I still had NO idea how she was going to answer this question without lying.
"Who wants to know?"
I paused for a moment. 'Who wants to know?' wasn't a lie. . . nor was it the truth! My eyes lit up, and I laughed out loud. She was brilliant! I continued to play my role. "I do."
"You?" she continued. "Do I know you?"
"Um. . . No, little girl. Give me your money."
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"Why do I have to listen to you?"
"Unless you're associated with the king, you better listen to me, or you'll be sorry."
"What if I AM associated with the king?"
I laughed. I was beginning to like this. I gave her a fake suspicious look. "Are you?" It was a 'yes or no' question.
To my surprise, Mayleah didn't reply by shaking her head or nodding. Instead, she answered back with another question. "Do I LOOK like royalty?"
I was grinning so hard my cheeks were beginning to sore. Before I knew what I was doing I reached out a grabbed her in a tight embrace. "I can't believe it!" I squealed. "Now, ask ME a question!" I said, releasing her. I rubbed my hands together, feeling prepared for any question that I may have to answer.
"Alright. What are you doing?"
"I'm talking to you." Wrong. Well, it was true, but not quite the answer I meant to give. This was harder than I thought, coming up with a lie on such a short notice. "Um. . . wait a moment. . . I mean, what does it look like I'm doing?"
"I don't know. So what ARE you doing?"
I shrugged, then squealed again. Maybe this curse wasn't so bad after all! I just never took the time to sit down and think about how to bend the rules a bit.
"That's great!" Mayleah applauded.
It felt as if I had been born again. . . like something inside of me had been uplifted. If only mother were still here. . . she would've been so proud.
"So when do you plan on leaving?" she asked me.
All of the newfound happiness inside me was drained when I thought about the position Nate was currently in. He had said that she was going to sing to him soon. . . but that could mean anywhere from tonight to who knows when! "As soon as possible."
I froze when I heard the slamming of a door. The two of us whirled around and I gasped when I saw the person standing there.
"Thinking of going somewhere, Your Highnesses?" the smug looking brunette said. It was Brayden.
"How long have you been listening to us?!" I cried furiously.
"Long enough to know that you two are up to something strange. So. . . what is it exactly you're up to?" he was talking to me, but his suspicious gaze was glued on Mayleah.
"N-Noth- Why do you want to know?" I beamed as I used the new technique Mayleah had taught me.
"Because if you don't, as your tutor, it is my duty to inform the king of-"
"Brayden, trust me. You don't want to know," Mayleah spoke up.
"Oh?" he raised his eyebrow and stared at the blonde girl. "What makes you think that?"
My mouth gaped open. What has gotten into Brayden lately? What happened to the dull, lifeless Brayden I knew?
"I'm not as clueless as you think," she shot back. "I know about you, Brayden. Oh, and to answer your previous question, we're going to look for Sebille," she said, stressing the name 'Sebille.'
I looked back and forth between the two. And what happened to the shy, timid Mayleah?!
The color from Brayden's cheeks were immediately replaced with a pasty white.
"Brayden, stop pretending you don't know that I'm Sebille's daughter."
He continued to stare at her without blinking. We stood silent for a few moments before speaking. "How do you. . . has she. . . talked about me?" he said in an unusually raspy voice.
Mayleah shook her head sympathetically. "No. . . I-I'm sorry."
"Then how do you know?"
Mayleah hesitated before answering. "I-It's complicated."
The three of us just stood there silently, no one daring to make a single move. After what felt like hours, Brayden finally spoke up. "Can I come along?" he whispered.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don't worry, all those little confusing bits will make sense later on. Please review!
