Forced Emotions
Chapter 13 - Practice Day 1 - Not So Noble, Noble
"T-T-T-T-T-T-T-Troy!!?" Mint had a hard time getting out of her mouth. "W- What are YOU doing HERE!!?"
"My dear princess, there is no need to be so loud at the sight of me," the man named Troy stated calmly and casually. "How many years has it been since we were last reunited..?" he added, walking right in front of Mint, (forcing Rue out of his way,) and kneeling down before her, taking her hand in his own and kissing it.
"Mrgh..." Rue grumbled, glaring at the blonde-haired man dressed in red and gold.
"You there," Troy started, coming to his feet, (not releasing Mint's petrified hand,) and turning to Rue, "go fetch me some champaigne and two glasses for us royals."
"Troy!!" Mint barked, snatching her hand away from his grasp and walking over to the side of Rue, spinning on her heel to face Troy. "Does he look like a dog!? No! Therefore, he can't go 'fetch' you a drink! Besides, he's not even a servant; he's my best friend!
"Rue, this is Troy, the highest nobleman's son in the West Heaven Kingdom," Mint explained, holding a hand out to Troy. "Troy, this is my greatest friend and comrade, Rue." Rue nodded, and Troy clicked his tongue, practically rolling his eyes instead of a nod or handshake. He got glares from both Rue and Mint.
"Well, shall we get going?" Troy questioned, ignoring Rue and setting his cerulean eyes on Mint.
"Go where?" Mint asked hastily, her hands on her hips.
"Why, I have the whole day planned perfectly for the two of us! Lunch in the courtyard, horseback riding, a fencing session... Won't you accompany me?" Troy said excitedly, ending with an innocent, begging face.
"You should have thought ahead, Troy, and let me know all this in advance. I've already made plans for the day," Mint told him, making him frown in disappointment.
"...Could they not be cancelled?"
"No!" Rue and Mint looked at each other, and then back to Troy as they said the word in unison.
"Would tomorrow be pressing my luck?" Troy asked again, coming back with another eager facial expression.
Mint shook her head, and responded after givign a shrug, too. "Sorry, Troy. I'm gonna be getting ready for a tournament."
"Then, we could practice together, maybe?" inquired the noble.
"You're taking part in the tournament!?" Mint's jaw dropped open, her eyes bulging out as well.
Troy nodded with a pearly white smile, his grin growing wider. "Of course I am taking part in your tournament. I would not miss it for the world."
(Oh, no no no no NO! Troy can't be in the tournament! I don't, no, I won't marry him!! Dang it..! I'm in some serious sh--)
"I'm entering the tournament," Rue brought up, Troy's eyes sparking with excited rivalry.
"Oh, really? Then, to the best of us: good luck," Troy said, sounding more interested in him than before.
"So, you any good at that?" he asked, looking at Rue's Arc Edge that was firmly set on his back.
Rue grabbed its handle and swung it off his back, the blade heading straight for Troy's neck. It stopped right under his chin, although Troy didn't flinch in the least.
"What do you think?" Rue challenged seriously.
"Humph," Troy snorted, snickering at Rue as Mint watched, enjoying the position the two were in. "You will be yet another obstacle I will have to trample over."
Rue kept his earnet face as he asked, "You any good with that?" His eyes went from Troy's saber back to his face quickly, waiting.
"I've--" Troy drew his saber and knocked Rue's weapon to the side, (out of his hand,) placing its blade to the side of Rue's neck, thinking that he's impressing Mint, (who rolled her eyes, muttering 'What a show-off...')--had some experience with many weapons. I just handle the saber with growing strength and skill."
To Troy's surprise, Rue smiled a small smile, putting a confused expression upon his own face. Rue moved his right hand up and across his shoulder, grasping the saber's blade in his gloved hand.
While Rue did this, mint cocked her head in wonder, gazing at her friend. (Wow...) The princess just noticed how tougher, and less innocent he looked...and...was that a six-pack Mint could identify through his usual green and checkered shirt!? Daaamn! He got muscular since the last time she had seen him, and a little taller, too.
Mint got pulled away from gawking at Rue from Troy's laugh.
"Ha ha! What do you plan to do!? Break my saber!? that's very hard to do with your bare hands; this beautyis made of pure steel, yet it is light as a feather!" Troy stated braggingly with a laugh, his broad shoulders heaving a few times. They stopped when a cracking noise was heard.
The princess and the noble stared at Rue's balled up fist, (wide-eyed,) as shards of Troy's saber fell to the floor. They were all unmoving, Rue opening his hand, more shards falling to the floor as Troy tried to form some words, but got nothing but jibberish as he slowly brought his now very broken weapon back to his full possession.
"Well...we have to...go, now, Troy... You should get that fixed..." Mint said, gazing up at Rue with almost envy in her eyes. He held out his other hand to her, and she grasped it gratefully, Rue giving her a squeeze. She blushed at him, making him smile as the progressed down the hallway, (not removing their eyes from one another,) leaving their friend behind to mourn for his facorite weapon, (Rue picking up his own on their way.)
"Th-That...is...i-is not, possible..." Troy said in disbelief, looking over the broken object more carefully, then darting his eyes to where Mint and Rue walked. He gripped the handle of his saber with anger, shaking his fists slightly.
(I will win that tournament, and defeat that deluded fool, Rue, taking my beloved Mint as my own...)
~Castle Hallway
"That was incredible!!" Mint finally said, blinking as they turned a corner.
"Heh, it was nothing," Rue responded, making a grin appear on his face.
"Are you kidding!? I've never seen anythin glike that before in my life!" Mint confirmed, her eyes full of amazement. "How did you do that, anyway?"
"I...just kind of crushed it..." Rue replied honestly, not so sure himself what had happened. "I felt like I was invincible, and I could do anything..."
"Wow... Whatever you did, though, it kicked some major ass back there!" Mint complimented, making Rue laugh. "So, where are we going, invincible?"
"Let's see, hmm... We could first have lunch in the courtyard, and then go horse back riding... Oh, and we might be able to squeeze in a fencing session or two if we have time..." Rue mocked in the fakest British accent Mint had ever heard, because she started cracking up with her. "Shall we?"
Mint coudn't stop laughing, and came to a halt, bracing herself against a wall until her laughs shrunk into small giggles.
"Sure..." the princess finally answered.
"Heh... What?" Rue was confused; her thought that they were just joking around.
"But, could we fence first? Eating before horseback riding hives me...oh, nevermind. Could we just fence after we eat?" Mint finished, looking at Rue for an answer.
"Uh, s-sure. I didn't have anything better for us to do," the doll said after a while.
"Great! Let's go now!" Mint said, both eagerly and happily.
Rue nodded, and they were off on their little 'date'...
The servant that Rue had helped giggled nonstop, trying to muffle her sounds from disturbing anyone.
(Oh, Rue, Rue Rue... You'll thank me later...) the servant thought, holding her hands upward as a yellow glow came from them, surrounding herself with magic.
When the magic disappeared, it revealed a young-looking woman with a bunny hat covering brownish-red hair, wearing a short, pink dress, two yellow fluttery things flying around her.
"Yes, you'll thank me," Mel said aloud, walking down the hall, planning on wandering around the castle to see who discovers her first.
~Main Kitchen
The eldest princess walked right into the kitchen, (Rue's had grasped in hers, Mint dragging him along,) until they came to the head chef.
"I need a lunch large enough for two people in an hour or so," Mint stated, the chef giving her his full attention.
"Anything you want, Your Beautiful Majesty," the chef answered, nodding his head. Rue muffled a laugh.
"And NO pumpkins, or else I swear I'll wring your neck until your head's the size of a pumpkin!" Mint threatened, the chef nodding again before gathering other cooks to start preparing the meal.
"Geez, Mint... You sure are bossy..." Rue said in a low voice, Mint turning to him.
"Well, that's just how you get something you want done around here. If you're a royal, you have to boss people around. If you're a servant or somethin', you obey a royal's request; that's how I was taught as I grew up," Mint explained, not getting offended. "So, we have some time to kill... What do you wanna do?"
"I don't know... Why don't we talk a walk?" Rue suggested.
"A walk? Out of all the things in the world, you wanna take a walk? We have a lotta stuff you can do here, but you wanna walk..." Mint started.
"W-We don't have to take a walk..." Rue intterupted, thinking that Mint was finished.
"No, I get so bored doing everything here over and over again. I mean, here there's a pool, a magic stop, servants that you can command to do anything... It get's pretty old. A walk's a great break from all that," Mint corrected, heading out of the kitchen.
"Oh... I see..." Rue said in a light mono-tone, following his friend.
"...If you don't mind me asking, how come you've changed so much? Personality wise, that is," Mint inquired, walking towards a garden at the eastern side of the castle.
"...When I got Claire back, she kept putting a smile on my face. I had missed her so much, just knowing that she's alive brings a smile to my face..." Rue responded, smiling like he said.
"So that's it..." Mint said, turning her head and making a lonesome face.
(I just knew it! He's madly in love with her! She's all he ever talks about!) the jealous princess thought, walking through the walk-out porch doors and into the sunshine.
"But..." Rue continued, looking the opposite direction that Mint was, begins to blush, "It makes me happier to see you alive and well..."
Mint turned her head back to him in wonder. He was more relieved to see her than Claire? This was confusing... Didn't he just say that he liked Claire and had missed her a lot, and was happier now that she was back..?
"...Huh..?" Mint managed out after giving up on solving this on her own.
Rue lowered his head some more, blushing like a cherry. "I really missed you, Mint. Everything was more quiet and dull with just Claire and myself, since Ruenis had gone away...
"But, it was just like old times... Claire would tend to her house, cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I would sometimes go and hunt for some game that we would have for dinner... It seemed like nothing had changed, even though I knew it had greatly...
"I ressurected Claire with the Dewprism, then it disappearing before I could let you use it... I was so happy that I had gotten what I wanted after three years of yearning for my first real friend...then..."
Rue stopped walking all of a sudden, and turned to Mint, who stopped a step or two in front of him. He wasn't blushing anymore; he was smiling the best smile Mint had ever seen on him.
"Then...I met my best friend, after that long three-year wait..." Rue stated, Mint just staring at him. The princess blinked, and felt something cold drip on her cheek all of a sudden. She held her finger up to investigate, and it came back with a tear rubbed off on it. A tear...full of happiness, and caring love...
"Rue..." Mint started after trying harder to blink back her tears of merriment. "I...I never knew you felt that way, about me... I know I'm your friend in all, but I never thought you'd consider me to be a best friend...
"I had been looking for the Dewprism for two groggy years, just for my own greed. But you, Rue, you went to save someone closest to you... I never would have taken the risk of my own life...until...
"Until I had met you. Your modivation kept the both of us running, shooting for our goal: the Dewprism...
"But, then again, I should thank my inconsiderate self... Because, if I hadn't ran away from this gigantic place, I never would have met you. And that would be me missing out on one of the most important things in life... A true friendship..."
The two of them finished with their little kind lectures for one another, and came to just a heart-warming gaze at each other. Rue was Mint's first love... Mint was Rue's first love... Yet, neither of them thought that the other felt the exact same way as they did...
Rue spread his arms to Mint, giving her another smile. She gave him a charming grin, and took two or three rushed steps towards him. It's a mistake to rush love...
"Whoa!!" Mint cried out as she fell over herself, right into Rue's arms, luckily. "Geez... I'm such a klutz!"
"Yeah, a klutz..." Rue agreed, Mint looking up at him with a look of pain on her face. "...a very cute klutz..."
The last words made the adventurous princess blush, her arms moving on their own around his neck. She just couldn't stop smiling at him... He made her feel so happy and free all the time...
"...Well, at least I'm not a hushed doll-boy..!" Mint shot back jokingly. Rue beamed with amusement, and gave her a giant bear hug, Mint giggling childishly.
Rue released his friend after a few more seconds, but Mint refused to let go, and pulled him back to her.
"Just a little longer..." she whined in his ear, the side of her delicate cheek resting on his chest.
"..." Rue didn't dare ruin the moment, which seemed to mean a lot to the princess that he held in his arms, and wrapped his arms around her waist tighter, laying his head beside hers. She was such a great colleague, rival, and all-around funny person, yet Rue still wondered why she would choose him, an average guy, over that rich nobleman, Troy...
(Gosh...he's so...warm...) Mint thought, staying in her position. She could hear his heart; it beated in unison with her own, and suddenly, Mint remembered something that her mother once said: 'To hear another's heart beat at the same time as your own, makes the world stop, time ceasing to exist, just the two of you, listening each others hearts' call out to the other.'
('To hear another's heart...') Mint thought long and hard about that. Her mother said that that's what had happened to her and her dad; they had both heard each other's hearts, beating at the exact same time. They were each others' first love... Could that be the case with herself and Rue..?
Mint froze suddenly as something turned her head to make her face forward. She couldn't see a thing... Everything was covered in a bright white that bounced off of reds and pinks... Her pupils grew wide, not knowing what was happening... She was petrified, as unmoving as a statue... Something was touching her...and she didn't know what...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Well, I updated at least, even if it's another cliffhanger! I'll start on chapter 14 right away, 'cause I know you guys can't wait to see what happens next to poor Minty... Did Troy shoot a poisonous dart at her, getting jealous by seeing her in Rue's arms? Did Valen, (still stuck in another dimension,) attempt to possess Rue once again, attempting kill Mint? Are the chefs coming any closer to completing the two lovebirds' lunch?? Read my next chapter to find out!
Chapter 13 - Practice Day 1 - Not So Noble, Noble
"T-T-T-T-T-T-T-Troy!!?" Mint had a hard time getting out of her mouth. "W- What are YOU doing HERE!!?"
"My dear princess, there is no need to be so loud at the sight of me," the man named Troy stated calmly and casually. "How many years has it been since we were last reunited..?" he added, walking right in front of Mint, (forcing Rue out of his way,) and kneeling down before her, taking her hand in his own and kissing it.
"Mrgh..." Rue grumbled, glaring at the blonde-haired man dressed in red and gold.
"You there," Troy started, coming to his feet, (not releasing Mint's petrified hand,) and turning to Rue, "go fetch me some champaigne and two glasses for us royals."
"Troy!!" Mint barked, snatching her hand away from his grasp and walking over to the side of Rue, spinning on her heel to face Troy. "Does he look like a dog!? No! Therefore, he can't go 'fetch' you a drink! Besides, he's not even a servant; he's my best friend!
"Rue, this is Troy, the highest nobleman's son in the West Heaven Kingdom," Mint explained, holding a hand out to Troy. "Troy, this is my greatest friend and comrade, Rue." Rue nodded, and Troy clicked his tongue, practically rolling his eyes instead of a nod or handshake. He got glares from both Rue and Mint.
"Well, shall we get going?" Troy questioned, ignoring Rue and setting his cerulean eyes on Mint.
"Go where?" Mint asked hastily, her hands on her hips.
"Why, I have the whole day planned perfectly for the two of us! Lunch in the courtyard, horseback riding, a fencing session... Won't you accompany me?" Troy said excitedly, ending with an innocent, begging face.
"You should have thought ahead, Troy, and let me know all this in advance. I've already made plans for the day," Mint told him, making him frown in disappointment.
"...Could they not be cancelled?"
"No!" Rue and Mint looked at each other, and then back to Troy as they said the word in unison.
"Would tomorrow be pressing my luck?" Troy asked again, coming back with another eager facial expression.
Mint shook her head, and responded after givign a shrug, too. "Sorry, Troy. I'm gonna be getting ready for a tournament."
"Then, we could practice together, maybe?" inquired the noble.
"You're taking part in the tournament!?" Mint's jaw dropped open, her eyes bulging out as well.
Troy nodded with a pearly white smile, his grin growing wider. "Of course I am taking part in your tournament. I would not miss it for the world."
(Oh, no no no no NO! Troy can't be in the tournament! I don't, no, I won't marry him!! Dang it..! I'm in some serious sh--)
"I'm entering the tournament," Rue brought up, Troy's eyes sparking with excited rivalry.
"Oh, really? Then, to the best of us: good luck," Troy said, sounding more interested in him than before.
"So, you any good at that?" he asked, looking at Rue's Arc Edge that was firmly set on his back.
Rue grabbed its handle and swung it off his back, the blade heading straight for Troy's neck. It stopped right under his chin, although Troy didn't flinch in the least.
"What do you think?" Rue challenged seriously.
"Humph," Troy snorted, snickering at Rue as Mint watched, enjoying the position the two were in. "You will be yet another obstacle I will have to trample over."
Rue kept his earnet face as he asked, "You any good with that?" His eyes went from Troy's saber back to his face quickly, waiting.
"I've--" Troy drew his saber and knocked Rue's weapon to the side, (out of his hand,) placing its blade to the side of Rue's neck, thinking that he's impressing Mint, (who rolled her eyes, muttering 'What a show-off...')--had some experience with many weapons. I just handle the saber with growing strength and skill."
To Troy's surprise, Rue smiled a small smile, putting a confused expression upon his own face. Rue moved his right hand up and across his shoulder, grasping the saber's blade in his gloved hand.
While Rue did this, mint cocked her head in wonder, gazing at her friend. (Wow...) The princess just noticed how tougher, and less innocent he looked...and...was that a six-pack Mint could identify through his usual green and checkered shirt!? Daaamn! He got muscular since the last time she had seen him, and a little taller, too.
Mint got pulled away from gawking at Rue from Troy's laugh.
"Ha ha! What do you plan to do!? Break my saber!? that's very hard to do with your bare hands; this beautyis made of pure steel, yet it is light as a feather!" Troy stated braggingly with a laugh, his broad shoulders heaving a few times. They stopped when a cracking noise was heard.
The princess and the noble stared at Rue's balled up fist, (wide-eyed,) as shards of Troy's saber fell to the floor. They were all unmoving, Rue opening his hand, more shards falling to the floor as Troy tried to form some words, but got nothing but jibberish as he slowly brought his now very broken weapon back to his full possession.
"Well...we have to...go, now, Troy... You should get that fixed..." Mint said, gazing up at Rue with almost envy in her eyes. He held out his other hand to her, and she grasped it gratefully, Rue giving her a squeeze. She blushed at him, making him smile as the progressed down the hallway, (not removing their eyes from one another,) leaving their friend behind to mourn for his facorite weapon, (Rue picking up his own on their way.)
"Th-That...is...i-is not, possible..." Troy said in disbelief, looking over the broken object more carefully, then darting his eyes to where Mint and Rue walked. He gripped the handle of his saber with anger, shaking his fists slightly.
(I will win that tournament, and defeat that deluded fool, Rue, taking my beloved Mint as my own...)
~Castle Hallway
"That was incredible!!" Mint finally said, blinking as they turned a corner.
"Heh, it was nothing," Rue responded, making a grin appear on his face.
"Are you kidding!? I've never seen anythin glike that before in my life!" Mint confirmed, her eyes full of amazement. "How did you do that, anyway?"
"I...just kind of crushed it..." Rue replied honestly, not so sure himself what had happened. "I felt like I was invincible, and I could do anything..."
"Wow... Whatever you did, though, it kicked some major ass back there!" Mint complimented, making Rue laugh. "So, where are we going, invincible?"
"Let's see, hmm... We could first have lunch in the courtyard, and then go horse back riding... Oh, and we might be able to squeeze in a fencing session or two if we have time..." Rue mocked in the fakest British accent Mint had ever heard, because she started cracking up with her. "Shall we?"
Mint coudn't stop laughing, and came to a halt, bracing herself against a wall until her laughs shrunk into small giggles.
"Sure..." the princess finally answered.
"Heh... What?" Rue was confused; her thought that they were just joking around.
"But, could we fence first? Eating before horseback riding hives me...oh, nevermind. Could we just fence after we eat?" Mint finished, looking at Rue for an answer.
"Uh, s-sure. I didn't have anything better for us to do," the doll said after a while.
"Great! Let's go now!" Mint said, both eagerly and happily.
Rue nodded, and they were off on their little 'date'...
The servant that Rue had helped giggled nonstop, trying to muffle her sounds from disturbing anyone.
(Oh, Rue, Rue Rue... You'll thank me later...) the servant thought, holding her hands upward as a yellow glow came from them, surrounding herself with magic.
When the magic disappeared, it revealed a young-looking woman with a bunny hat covering brownish-red hair, wearing a short, pink dress, two yellow fluttery things flying around her.
"Yes, you'll thank me," Mel said aloud, walking down the hall, planning on wandering around the castle to see who discovers her first.
~Main Kitchen
The eldest princess walked right into the kitchen, (Rue's had grasped in hers, Mint dragging him along,) until they came to the head chef.
"I need a lunch large enough for two people in an hour or so," Mint stated, the chef giving her his full attention.
"Anything you want, Your Beautiful Majesty," the chef answered, nodding his head. Rue muffled a laugh.
"And NO pumpkins, or else I swear I'll wring your neck until your head's the size of a pumpkin!" Mint threatened, the chef nodding again before gathering other cooks to start preparing the meal.
"Geez, Mint... You sure are bossy..." Rue said in a low voice, Mint turning to him.
"Well, that's just how you get something you want done around here. If you're a royal, you have to boss people around. If you're a servant or somethin', you obey a royal's request; that's how I was taught as I grew up," Mint explained, not getting offended. "So, we have some time to kill... What do you wanna do?"
"I don't know... Why don't we talk a walk?" Rue suggested.
"A walk? Out of all the things in the world, you wanna take a walk? We have a lotta stuff you can do here, but you wanna walk..." Mint started.
"W-We don't have to take a walk..." Rue intterupted, thinking that Mint was finished.
"No, I get so bored doing everything here over and over again. I mean, here there's a pool, a magic stop, servants that you can command to do anything... It get's pretty old. A walk's a great break from all that," Mint corrected, heading out of the kitchen.
"Oh... I see..." Rue said in a light mono-tone, following his friend.
"...If you don't mind me asking, how come you've changed so much? Personality wise, that is," Mint inquired, walking towards a garden at the eastern side of the castle.
"...When I got Claire back, she kept putting a smile on my face. I had missed her so much, just knowing that she's alive brings a smile to my face..." Rue responded, smiling like he said.
"So that's it..." Mint said, turning her head and making a lonesome face.
(I just knew it! He's madly in love with her! She's all he ever talks about!) the jealous princess thought, walking through the walk-out porch doors and into the sunshine.
"But..." Rue continued, looking the opposite direction that Mint was, begins to blush, "It makes me happier to see you alive and well..."
Mint turned her head back to him in wonder. He was more relieved to see her than Claire? This was confusing... Didn't he just say that he liked Claire and had missed her a lot, and was happier now that she was back..?
"...Huh..?" Mint managed out after giving up on solving this on her own.
Rue lowered his head some more, blushing like a cherry. "I really missed you, Mint. Everything was more quiet and dull with just Claire and myself, since Ruenis had gone away...
"But, it was just like old times... Claire would tend to her house, cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I would sometimes go and hunt for some game that we would have for dinner... It seemed like nothing had changed, even though I knew it had greatly...
"I ressurected Claire with the Dewprism, then it disappearing before I could let you use it... I was so happy that I had gotten what I wanted after three years of yearning for my first real friend...then..."
Rue stopped walking all of a sudden, and turned to Mint, who stopped a step or two in front of him. He wasn't blushing anymore; he was smiling the best smile Mint had ever seen on him.
"Then...I met my best friend, after that long three-year wait..." Rue stated, Mint just staring at him. The princess blinked, and felt something cold drip on her cheek all of a sudden. She held her finger up to investigate, and it came back with a tear rubbed off on it. A tear...full of happiness, and caring love...
"Rue..." Mint started after trying harder to blink back her tears of merriment. "I...I never knew you felt that way, about me... I know I'm your friend in all, but I never thought you'd consider me to be a best friend...
"I had been looking for the Dewprism for two groggy years, just for my own greed. But you, Rue, you went to save someone closest to you... I never would have taken the risk of my own life...until...
"Until I had met you. Your modivation kept the both of us running, shooting for our goal: the Dewprism...
"But, then again, I should thank my inconsiderate self... Because, if I hadn't ran away from this gigantic place, I never would have met you. And that would be me missing out on one of the most important things in life... A true friendship..."
The two of them finished with their little kind lectures for one another, and came to just a heart-warming gaze at each other. Rue was Mint's first love... Mint was Rue's first love... Yet, neither of them thought that the other felt the exact same way as they did...
Rue spread his arms to Mint, giving her another smile. She gave him a charming grin, and took two or three rushed steps towards him. It's a mistake to rush love...
"Whoa!!" Mint cried out as she fell over herself, right into Rue's arms, luckily. "Geez... I'm such a klutz!"
"Yeah, a klutz..." Rue agreed, Mint looking up at him with a look of pain on her face. "...a very cute klutz..."
The last words made the adventurous princess blush, her arms moving on their own around his neck. She just couldn't stop smiling at him... He made her feel so happy and free all the time...
"...Well, at least I'm not a hushed doll-boy..!" Mint shot back jokingly. Rue beamed with amusement, and gave her a giant bear hug, Mint giggling childishly.
Rue released his friend after a few more seconds, but Mint refused to let go, and pulled him back to her.
"Just a little longer..." she whined in his ear, the side of her delicate cheek resting on his chest.
"..." Rue didn't dare ruin the moment, which seemed to mean a lot to the princess that he held in his arms, and wrapped his arms around her waist tighter, laying his head beside hers. She was such a great colleague, rival, and all-around funny person, yet Rue still wondered why she would choose him, an average guy, over that rich nobleman, Troy...
(Gosh...he's so...warm...) Mint thought, staying in her position. She could hear his heart; it beated in unison with her own, and suddenly, Mint remembered something that her mother once said: 'To hear another's heart beat at the same time as your own, makes the world stop, time ceasing to exist, just the two of you, listening each others hearts' call out to the other.'
('To hear another's heart...') Mint thought long and hard about that. Her mother said that that's what had happened to her and her dad; they had both heard each other's hearts, beating at the exact same time. They were each others' first love... Could that be the case with herself and Rue..?
Mint froze suddenly as something turned her head to make her face forward. She couldn't see a thing... Everything was covered in a bright white that bounced off of reds and pinks... Her pupils grew wide, not knowing what was happening... She was petrified, as unmoving as a statue... Something was touching her...and she didn't know what...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Well, I updated at least, even if it's another cliffhanger! I'll start on chapter 14 right away, 'cause I know you guys can't wait to see what happens next to poor Minty... Did Troy shoot a poisonous dart at her, getting jealous by seeing her in Rue's arms? Did Valen, (still stuck in another dimension,) attempt to possess Rue once again, attempting kill Mint? Are the chefs coming any closer to completing the two lovebirds' lunch?? Read my next chapter to find out!