Chapter 6:
Orlando and Matt were in the middle of a sword fight. Clashing swords, grunts and cries echoed throughout the armor room. Sweat was building and neither was tired yet. Once again, during their practice, Orlando approached the topic of Cryta. "If you can talk while practicing," Matt grunted, "then you aren't practicing hard enough."
"I know. I'm purposefully not practicing hard enough."
"Fine. We'll talk." Matt used less force with his weapon. "But can we please leave the topic of Cryta?"
"No," Orlando said. "Not until I know." Matt rolled his eyes. "You may never know," he told his friend.
The fight ended and the two put their swords away. When they re-entered the room, Cryta was standing there. Orlando quickly grabbed his friend's arm. "Do you see a woman standing there?"
"Are you mad? Of course I do!" Matt answered. Orlando burst into a wide smile. "You're back!" he declared. Cryta's smile matched the prince's. "I know you would fall in love with me," she said, dreamily. "No, this just proves I haven't gone mad," the prince replied.
Cryta approached the two, clearly upset. 'Probably shouldn't have said that,' Orlando thought. "No, you shouldn't have said that," Cryta replied. Orlando was disalarmed. She could read his thoughts! "Why would you think that you were going mad? You thought I was the result of a hunger hallucination!" she screeched. Now even Matt was unnerved. Suddenly, Cryta began giggling. "You probably thought you imagined me because of my incredible beauty."
"Cryta…"
"Don't call me that! I hate that name. It isn't my given name; I've forgotten that. The Onadi gave me that name. I prefer Amie. It means "Beloved" in a language not really yet developed," Cryta said. Orlando and Matt exchanged looks. "Why don't you like Cryta?" Orlando asked.
"Illusioned one. That's what it means. The Onadi, in it's infinite wisdom, call me illusioned one. And not the nice illusioned one. The illusioned one meaning one who thinks there are things where they are not." Cryta was upset. Orlando began calming her down, and Cryta attached herself to him. "Well," she purred, "are you ready to declare your love for me?"
"Cryta…"
"Amie!"
"Amie, I have no undying love for you. I have no love period for you." He dared not tell Cryta about his love for Cecilia. After all, she placed a princess in an accursed sleep. What would she do to a peasant? Orlando didn't wish to take such a chance, especially if he could still find Cecilia.
"Fine," Cryta replied. "But I'll be back. And I won't leave until you say yes!" She vanished, the only remains a joyful "Finally!" echoing through out the room. Orlando turned to Matt, who said, "I think those Onadi people were wise in giving her that name." Orlando began laughing.
Cryta-Amie, as the two men took to calling her, did as she promised Orlando. Everyday for the next week, she appeared and asked him if he loved her. His answer was always no. "Why not?" she would demand. "Because I don't," he would answer. She would then fly into a rage and try to go into his mind. To protect Cecilia, Orlando learned to block her out.
During that week, Orlando's thoughts turned more and more to the Minelian princess. What had been her name? What had she looked like? What had she been liked? He longed to think of her as another spoiled princess, but couldn't. Not since he learned of her fate. As Cryta-Amie haunted his thoughts, he wondered if he could ask her to show him the princess she had "saved" him from.
One day, Cryta-Amie appeared in his antechamber. She lit a fire in his fireplace and sat down in another chair. The two sat in silence for some time, Orlando closing the book he was reading. Finally, Cryta-Amie turned to him and asked, "Do you love me?" Orlando, rather than answering, asked his own question, "Could you show me the Minelian princess?" Cryta-Amie was furious. "Why?"
"I just want to see who stood in our way," Orlando responded, having already chosen his words carefully. Cryta-Amie smiled and told him to look in the fire. Orlando leaned forward, gazing intently into the roaring flames.
In them appeared the form of the sleeping princess. Her red hair, a shade lighter than the flames encircling her image, fell down past her shoulders. It was wavy, as if it had been braided and showed no signs of tangles either. Though her eyelids were closed, Orlando knew they were blue, as blue as the sky. She also held a warm smile where her current frown was. He knew the sleeping maiden was his own Cecilia.
He leapt up, startling Cryta. He turned to her, fury burning in his eyes. With lightning reflexes, he grabbed his sword from its resting place by the fire and held the blade pointing at Cryta. "Orlando, my love, what are you doing?" she asked, disturbed. "For the last time, Cryta," he said, "I do not love you. And the princess you saved me from is my love."
Cryta cried out in agony. "How?" she asked. Orlando made no vocal answer, but let her read his mind. "A princess and a prince dressed as paupers?" she asked, amazed. Orlando nodded and pressed his sword into her neck, but still being careful not to hurt her. "I believe I have every right to kill you," he hissed. "No, you don't. I'm still part of the Onadi," Cryta answered. "Loyal to Minelia? Then I should kill you for treason against your king and princess." Cryta "meep"-ed at the mention of treason. Before Orlando could stop her, she transfigured his sword into a limp piece of rope and escaped. Orlando could just watch in amazement. Then he looked at his rope. "Mother and Father will never believe why I need a new sword," he said aloud.
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A/N: Is anyone reading this? If so, just let me know. Thanks!! ~*Mac*~