A/n: Yay! I actually got reviews!! (Even IF it was only 2 so far).well,
it's a start ^-^
Blasurefire: Thanks 4 the review! I'm updating right now.
Disclaimer: Don't own anyone that u can recognize from the story
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I met James outside as soon as I could get away. He was waiting by the large weeping willow tree, just staring off into space.
"Hello? Anybody home?" I said teasingly. He snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, hi."
"Well?" I prompted. "Obviously this isn't just a spot-and-chat thing. What did you want to say?"
"Well, um, I think Darren's actually okay. I mean, he doesn't seem so bad. But then again, something tells me that he's not the person he looks like."
I looked at him, puzzled. "James, you're not making sense."
James frowned. "What I meant was, though he seems, okay, just be a little careful around him, okay?"
"You don't have to tell me that. I'll be careful." I replied, trying to be light about the situation. But as we went inside, I was secretly worried. I had the same feeling as James. Was Darren, perhaps, not the charming prince he seemed to be?
Inside the room again, I was forced to dance with many courtiers, dukes, and other people, whom I had never met in my life. Or maybe I had - it wasn't as if I memorized everybody's face, name, and status.
Mother watched me dance, and I saw her watching. I pretended I was having lots of fun, and that these boring people were the most interesting people in the world.
Prince Darren was also watching me, and in the middle of a gavotte, he tapped my partner on the shoulder, saying, "May I cut in?" My partner, currently some lord of who-knows-where, bowed and walked away.
I felt slightly uncomfortable as we began to dance. "Why are you so nervous around me?" he asked me suddenly.
I was taken aback by his question. So he had noticed? "I - um, I was -" I stammered. Brilliant start. "I wasn't ignoring you, Your highness. I was only tired of the talk." Inwardly, I made a face. Like that made sense and answered his question.
He didn't press me any more. "Oh," was all he said. We separated then, twirling into the arms of other partners, a duke, lord, some random guy, some more people, and then back to Darren. As the dance finished, he bowed. "Would you like to dance again, my princess?"
I didn't want to, but my parents would kill me if I refused. "Honored." I answered, curtsying.
James saved me. He appeared out of nowhere, asking Darren politely if he could cut in.
Darren gave a nod, and walked off. I breathed a sigh of relief as James and I started dancing. "Thank you! I thought I would die! And he called me Princess again!"
James grinned. "You definitely looked like you were going to die. Or maybe faint on the spot."
I rolled my eyes. "After this dance, I'm leaving the banquet. Her Royal Highness of Kyrria shouldn't have to stay for the most boring celebration in the country."
"There's a ball tomorrow night." James reminded me.
I stared at him. "Oh, no. Oh, you just had to go remind me! No."
James wasn't even listening to me. He had some faraway look in his eyes, as if he were thinking very hard about something. "James?" I asked, worried.
"What?" he said startled back into reality.
"That's the second time tonight you've been distant." I told him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." James said quickly. I could tell that he was lying, but I didn't push him about it. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then closed it again.
"James, tell me." I ordered.
"Lela, it's nothing, okay? Forget it, you wouldn't care."
How do you know? I wondered silently.
"Really. You shouldn't have to worry about it, Lela," James repeated. Then, in a really low voice, so I couldn't hear, he muttered, "It can only slow me down."
"What?" I asked, taking a step back. "I heard that, James. Slow you down how?"
His eyes blazed. "Nothing! Forget I said anything, okay?"
I was hurt. I turned away from him and stalked to the edge of the dance floor. I muttered something to my mother about, "a headache", and slipped upstairs to my room.
James was keeping a secret from me. He had never done this before - and he never would, unless it was something big. And I needed to find out what.
With that thought in mind, I drifted off to sleep.
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James stared after Lela, wishing he hadn't said anything.
He felt bad about this whole thing. But it was a secret plan. And Lela should know. If she did, she would insist on coming along too.
Sighing, he walked away from the other dancers. A few girls came up to him and asked him to dance, but he politely declined.
"I'm leaving the banquet." He muttered to his mother, Nancy, who was directing the servants. "I've got a headache and this is gonna make me fall asleep."
Nancy nodded understandingly. "Okay, honey. I'll see you later."
If only you knew, James thought.
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"Lela!" James said, stopping in surprise. The figure before him was still, silent, unmoving. "Lela? What's wrong?"
Still, she didn't move. James frowned, and moved outside, where, in the pale moonlight, he could see her better. Lela was just standing there, in her light nightdress, staring off into nowhere. She didn't even acknowledge his presence.
James felt a shiver of dread race up his spine, but it wasn't from the cold night.
"Lela! Wake up!" he tried. It had finally clicked that Lela must have been sleepwalking. When she didn't respond, he picked her up and carried her back to her room.
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When I awoke, the first thing I felt was the cold. It seeped into my bones, making me feel like I had just climbed out of an ice-cold bath. I turned over on my bed and saw James, sprawled out on the couch, watching me.
"Is it that late, or did someone send you up here, or is it just entertaining to watch me wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" I asked, pulling my warm comforters up to my chin.
"Hi to yourself too." James replied sarcastically.
"Do you know why it's so cold? I'm freezing." I said, shivering.
"Do you have any idea what you were doing last night?" For some reason that I couldn't fathom, James was annoyed with me.
I thought back to the night before. "You mean before or after I walked out on you?" I shot back.
"After."
"Um . . . went to bed. That's it. That's all I remember doing . . . why?" I looked at him suspiciously.
"You were sleepwalking." He said matter-of-factly. "I walked outside, and saw you just standing there, staring at nothing in particular. Any idea what's going on now?"
I was bewildered. "Really?" I asked, sitting upright. "Did I really do that?"
"Yep. And you wouldn't answer me either, or wake up, so I had to bring you in."
"Oh." I said. "Thanks, James."
"No problem. Now do you forgive me?"
"About not telling me what's going on? No way." I said, starting to get out of bed. "But thanks anyway. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to change."
James stood up huffily and walked outside my room. As soon as the door closed, I shivered. "Weird."
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"So, James, why were you outside in the first place?" I asked later that day when I saw him again. He looked up surprised from his bow and arrows (he was practicing his archery). "Um - did I say that? I meant that I - uh . . ."
"You couldn't have heard me walking from my room. I doubt you were sneaking up for no reason. You have some type of motive." I pointed out.
James sighed, and dropped his bow and quiver full of arrows on the grass. "Lela, when will you stop bugging me about it?"
I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. "When you tell me."
James flopped down on the grass. "Okay." He said tiredly. "I was outside because I was going to run away."
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A/n: Ok, finished the third chapter. It took me some time to think of a good plot. I have too many ideas, but I can't use them all for this story, so I'm going to start another fanfic or something. This is only the boring part - wait till the story ~ really ~ unfurls. Any ideas or suggestions 4 this one ~ let me know, thanks! Oh, and please R&R!! *~*~AryaWinds~*~*
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Blasurefire: Thanks 4 the review! I'm updating right now.
Disclaimer: Don't own anyone that u can recognize from the story
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I met James outside as soon as I could get away. He was waiting by the large weeping willow tree, just staring off into space.
"Hello? Anybody home?" I said teasingly. He snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, hi."
"Well?" I prompted. "Obviously this isn't just a spot-and-chat thing. What did you want to say?"
"Well, um, I think Darren's actually okay. I mean, he doesn't seem so bad. But then again, something tells me that he's not the person he looks like."
I looked at him, puzzled. "James, you're not making sense."
James frowned. "What I meant was, though he seems, okay, just be a little careful around him, okay?"
"You don't have to tell me that. I'll be careful." I replied, trying to be light about the situation. But as we went inside, I was secretly worried. I had the same feeling as James. Was Darren, perhaps, not the charming prince he seemed to be?
Inside the room again, I was forced to dance with many courtiers, dukes, and other people, whom I had never met in my life. Or maybe I had - it wasn't as if I memorized everybody's face, name, and status.
Mother watched me dance, and I saw her watching. I pretended I was having lots of fun, and that these boring people were the most interesting people in the world.
Prince Darren was also watching me, and in the middle of a gavotte, he tapped my partner on the shoulder, saying, "May I cut in?" My partner, currently some lord of who-knows-where, bowed and walked away.
I felt slightly uncomfortable as we began to dance. "Why are you so nervous around me?" he asked me suddenly.
I was taken aback by his question. So he had noticed? "I - um, I was -" I stammered. Brilliant start. "I wasn't ignoring you, Your highness. I was only tired of the talk." Inwardly, I made a face. Like that made sense and answered his question.
He didn't press me any more. "Oh," was all he said. We separated then, twirling into the arms of other partners, a duke, lord, some random guy, some more people, and then back to Darren. As the dance finished, he bowed. "Would you like to dance again, my princess?"
I didn't want to, but my parents would kill me if I refused. "Honored." I answered, curtsying.
James saved me. He appeared out of nowhere, asking Darren politely if he could cut in.
Darren gave a nod, and walked off. I breathed a sigh of relief as James and I started dancing. "Thank you! I thought I would die! And he called me Princess again!"
James grinned. "You definitely looked like you were going to die. Or maybe faint on the spot."
I rolled my eyes. "After this dance, I'm leaving the banquet. Her Royal Highness of Kyrria shouldn't have to stay for the most boring celebration in the country."
"There's a ball tomorrow night." James reminded me.
I stared at him. "Oh, no. Oh, you just had to go remind me! No."
James wasn't even listening to me. He had some faraway look in his eyes, as if he were thinking very hard about something. "James?" I asked, worried.
"What?" he said startled back into reality.
"That's the second time tonight you've been distant." I told him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." James said quickly. I could tell that he was lying, but I didn't push him about it. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then closed it again.
"James, tell me." I ordered.
"Lela, it's nothing, okay? Forget it, you wouldn't care."
How do you know? I wondered silently.
"Really. You shouldn't have to worry about it, Lela," James repeated. Then, in a really low voice, so I couldn't hear, he muttered, "It can only slow me down."
"What?" I asked, taking a step back. "I heard that, James. Slow you down how?"
His eyes blazed. "Nothing! Forget I said anything, okay?"
I was hurt. I turned away from him and stalked to the edge of the dance floor. I muttered something to my mother about, "a headache", and slipped upstairs to my room.
James was keeping a secret from me. He had never done this before - and he never would, unless it was something big. And I needed to find out what.
With that thought in mind, I drifted off to sleep.
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James stared after Lela, wishing he hadn't said anything.
He felt bad about this whole thing. But it was a secret plan. And Lela should know. If she did, she would insist on coming along too.
Sighing, he walked away from the other dancers. A few girls came up to him and asked him to dance, but he politely declined.
"I'm leaving the banquet." He muttered to his mother, Nancy, who was directing the servants. "I've got a headache and this is gonna make me fall asleep."
Nancy nodded understandingly. "Okay, honey. I'll see you later."
If only you knew, James thought.
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"Lela!" James said, stopping in surprise. The figure before him was still, silent, unmoving. "Lela? What's wrong?"
Still, she didn't move. James frowned, and moved outside, where, in the pale moonlight, he could see her better. Lela was just standing there, in her light nightdress, staring off into nowhere. She didn't even acknowledge his presence.
James felt a shiver of dread race up his spine, but it wasn't from the cold night.
"Lela! Wake up!" he tried. It had finally clicked that Lela must have been sleepwalking. When she didn't respond, he picked her up and carried her back to her room.
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When I awoke, the first thing I felt was the cold. It seeped into my bones, making me feel like I had just climbed out of an ice-cold bath. I turned over on my bed and saw James, sprawled out on the couch, watching me.
"Is it that late, or did someone send you up here, or is it just entertaining to watch me wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" I asked, pulling my warm comforters up to my chin.
"Hi to yourself too." James replied sarcastically.
"Do you know why it's so cold? I'm freezing." I said, shivering.
"Do you have any idea what you were doing last night?" For some reason that I couldn't fathom, James was annoyed with me.
I thought back to the night before. "You mean before or after I walked out on you?" I shot back.
"After."
"Um . . . went to bed. That's it. That's all I remember doing . . . why?" I looked at him suspiciously.
"You were sleepwalking." He said matter-of-factly. "I walked outside, and saw you just standing there, staring at nothing in particular. Any idea what's going on now?"
I was bewildered. "Really?" I asked, sitting upright. "Did I really do that?"
"Yep. And you wouldn't answer me either, or wake up, so I had to bring you in."
"Oh." I said. "Thanks, James."
"No problem. Now do you forgive me?"
"About not telling me what's going on? No way." I said, starting to get out of bed. "But thanks anyway. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to change."
James stood up huffily and walked outside my room. As soon as the door closed, I shivered. "Weird."
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"So, James, why were you outside in the first place?" I asked later that day when I saw him again. He looked up surprised from his bow and arrows (he was practicing his archery). "Um - did I say that? I meant that I - uh . . ."
"You couldn't have heard me walking from my room. I doubt you were sneaking up for no reason. You have some type of motive." I pointed out.
James sighed, and dropped his bow and quiver full of arrows on the grass. "Lela, when will you stop bugging me about it?"
I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. "When you tell me."
James flopped down on the grass. "Okay." He said tiredly. "I was outside because I was going to run away."
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A/n: Ok, finished the third chapter. It took me some time to think of a good plot. I have too many ideas, but I can't use them all for this story, so I'm going to start another fanfic or something. This is only the boring part - wait till the story ~ really ~ unfurls. Any ideas or suggestions 4 this one ~ let me know, thanks! Oh, and please R&R!! *~*~AryaWinds~*~*
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