Thank you all so much for the great reviews! I'm really looking forwards to continuing with this story, as much as you are to reading it! This chapter is going to be rather long, but I have quite a few interesting ideas for it, so don't worry. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter…I'll try to make it as humorous as I can. – RH
Chapter 2
Mia sped up to her room, careful to keep her presence a secret from her maids. It was hardly possible however, considering the fact Brigitte and Brigitta could be found almost anywhere. But, luckily for her, this time was an exception, and she managed to expertly dodge her maids, finding refuge in her suite. Breathing a soft sigh of relief and triumph, Mia quietly closed the door to her room, and ran childishly towards her bed, jumping on it, as she always did. It was getting to be quite a habit, nowadays. But of course, her grandmother didn't quite approve of it, and Nicholas found it rather…well, child-like, to be honest. Mia simply chose to ignore their perspectives of the whole thing, and had continued to bounce around on her bed, as much as she pleased.
She laughed hysterically for a moment, her face reddening slightly. She bounced giddily off her bed, this time being careful not to bruise her forehead furthermore, and avoiding the nightstand completely. She headed towards her beloved walk-in closet. She flipped through the many clothes carefully, deciding on what to wear. Nothing too formal, but nothing too casual – and with all of the clothes adorning the many shelves and alcoves in her closet, you'd think it'd be easy for the young queen to find something to wear – but not quite. She finally decided on a pair of flared, yet fitted jeans, a black tank top adorned with trendy rhinestones for a bit of class and a vintage look, a basic black sweater-coat and a pair of worn in, faded black converse shoes.
Her grandmother never would of favoured her choice in fashion, but then again, it wasn't like she was delivering pears to an orphanage or any other public event – she was simply spending the day with her best friend, Lilly. She smiled broadly to herself, and piled the clothing onto her cradled arms, rushing off to ensuite bathroom. She quickly showered, brushed her teeth, applied the lightest touch of make-up, and fixed her hair, settling for loose, lazy curls. She gave a final twirl in her bathroom mirror, which wasn't very big, she settled for it anyway. She exited her bathroom, and peered underneath her bed, before pulling out a large box, wrapped in dark red paper, and topped with an oversized violet bow. Lilly's present, obviously. Mia stood up and placed the present neatly onto the coffee table in front of her bed.
"She's gonna love it!" Mia squealed quietly to herself, grinning proudly. Not long after, a swift knock graced her door.
"Your majesty, may I come in?"
Mia grinned, recognizing the voice instantly. "Yes, Charlotte?" She asked, glancing towards the door, which now had been opened, to reveal a rather short blonde woman, undoubtedly her assistant.
"Miss Moscovitz has arrived, your highness." Charlotte replied, smiling warmly.
"I'll be down in just a second!" Mia answered hastily, watching intently as Charlotte nodded politely and closed the door behind her, exiting the room. Mia jumped up from the windowsill, running towards her door, yanking it open, and sprinting down the hall, and into the entranceway. A girl, looking no older than Mia stood by the gigantic doors, chatting bossily to one of the guards. The girl turned around, noticing Mia as she galloped down the flight of stairs that lead from the dormitories to the entrance hall.
"MIA!" Lilly exclaimed, dropping one of the bags she was holding.
"LILLY!" Mia exclaimed with equal enthusiasm, running towards her, and hugging her friendlily. "Happy 22nd Birthday!" Mia said, once she had stopped hugging her best friend.
"Stop it, you're going to make me feel old…" Lilly said with a hearty laugh. "And your birthday isn't too far off either, ya know…"
"Yes, I know…thanks for the reminder." Mia replied with evident sarcasm, smirking slightly.
"It's what I'm here for, Mia."
"No, you're here to celebrate YOUR birthday." Mia pointed out, matter-of-factly. Lilly laughed again, and Mia gave a simple snicker. "Anyways, want to help Nicholas and I make some pear sherbet?"
"Pear what?"
"Pear sherbet, Lilly." Mia replied, blinking a few times. How could she not know what that was?
"What the hell is that?" Lilly asked, staring at her friend incredulously.
"It's like ice cream, without the…cream." Mia answered.
"Oh, that. We've got that back at Berkley's, I'm sure." Lilly answered, nodding in final understanding. "Sounds fun…do you have one of those…ice cream maker things?"
"Lilly, I'm a queen. I rule a country, live in a gigantic palace…do you really think I don't have an ice cream maker?" Mia asked, laughing slightly.
"True…" Lily said, with a shrug. "Where is the lovely Sir Nicholas anyways?"
"I'm not quite sure, actually."
"Well that's great, Mia. For all you know, he could've drowned in the river!" Lilly said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"He can swim, though, Lilly." Mia replied, with a slight frown.
"Good for him, he's risen just slightly above all of your former boyfriends." Lilly said, the sarcastic tone in her voice growing more and more as the conversation continued. Mia knew that Lilly had never liked Nicholas, and she'd never quite accept the fact that she was now dating him. It had taken Mia nearly 5 months to convince her grandmother so. But knowing how stubborn Lilly could be, there was a very slim chance she'd get used to it as soon as her grandmother did. But, as much as Lilly loathed Nicholas, Nicholas loathed Lilly equally as much, only making matters better for poor Mia.
"Lilly, give him a chance, will you? I certainly did, and look at me now!" She protested, sighing slightly. Lilly glanced directly at her friend, inspecting her carefully.
"Nice sweater, by the way…" Lilly complimented, as if she had heard what Mia had said, but had completely missed the point. Mia groaned in frustration, and glimpsed over at her friend.
"Wait in the kitchen for a minute, I'll go check the garden for Nicholas." Mia said, nodding slightly.
"Fine, but hurry up!" Lilly exclaimed, nodding slightly.
"Do you know where the kitchen is?"
"Down the hall, third door to my left." Lilly replied, beaming proudly.
"You know this place better than I do!" Mia exclaimed, chuckling slightly. "Anyways, catch up with you later." She added hastily, and waved a goodbye to her friend, watching as Lilly headed off to the kitchens.
Mia smiled to herself, and exited the palace, following the winding cobblestone walkway towards the exquisite gardens. She searched every twist and turn in the path, scanning over every bench, under every tree. Finally coming to a halt near the infamous Genovian pear tree, she gazed up at it's looming branches, it's fresh, crisp leaves, and the plump yellow pears that weighed down the twigs holding them up from falling. Mia picked a perfectly ripened pear from one of the lower branches, inspecting it carefully and turning it over in her hand, for any bugs or bruises. She smirked softly and sat down on the concrete bench underneath the tree, glancing around contently. Where on earth was he? Knowing Nicholas, he was probably still on the palace property, reading or chatting briefly to one of the staff members. But he was usually outside, in the garden when he was following her usual routine, and she was certain he wasn't inside. She would've seen him, wouldn't she? But then again, she had searched the entire garden.
Or had she?
"The fountain…?" She whispered faintly to herself, standing up abruptly, and stepping back onto the paved pathway, turning just one more turn. She smiled sufficiently and glanced up at the tall, solid fountain, sprinkling water into a pool below it. It was a surprisingly magnificent sight, and the only sound to be heard was the shimmering sound of water trickling down into the pond. And seated on the edge of the fountain-side was Nicholas, merrily reading a piece of literature – the scarcely readable golden letters on the front reading: "Romeo and Juliet". Typical of Nicholas, Mia was sure. Shakespearian novels seemed to be the only thing he was reading lately. She quietly crept in front of an ominous-looking hedge, walking silently over to him, and all the while, he didn't even make the slightest movement as to look up. Really, the only part of him moving were his unmistakeable blue eyes, and his chest, which moved ever so slightly up and down as he breathed in and out. Mia grinned gently and sat down next to him, causing him to look up as his beautiful girlfriend in surprise, and shut his book.
"Why hello, Mia." He said huskily, smiling warmly. He obviously hadn't spoken in a while.
"Hey there." She greeted humorously. "Pear?" She offered, holding out the fruit to him.
"Thank you, darling." Nicholas taunted, taking the pear out of her hand, and taking a bite of the juicy fruit. "Delicious." He said, smirking. "Told you pears were better than oranges."
Mia shook her head. "So untrue. Even ask Lilly."
"She's here?" Nicholas asked in disbelief, glancing over at Mia, taking yet another bite out of the pear.
"Yeah, where have you been?"
"Here."
"Well…obviously." Mia said, rolling her eyes.
"When did she arrive?" Nicholas asked curiously, arching an eyebrow, and quickly finishing off the pear.
"About half an hour ago."
"So why are you here…talking to me?"
Mia gave a teasing gasp. "Y-you don't love me?" She winced, looking up at him with her chocolate brown eyes, giving him the most innocent look she could congregate.
Nicholas smiled. "No, that's not what I mean…" He trailed off, staring her down, his blue eyes meeting her brown eyes. He was always the best at staring contests.
Mia continued to stare at him, despite the fact he'd obviously win.
"But if Lilly is inside, why are you out here? Shouldn't be two be…watching a movie, or gawking over Prince William?" Nicholas asked, a mischievous twinkle glistening in his alluring eyes.
Mia laughed, still not taking her eyes off him. "Well, actually we were looking for you."
"Is that so?"
"Yes that's so." Mia replied.
"How come, may I ask?"
"We were going to make the sherbet, weren't we? And without your amazing culinary skills, it simply wouldn't be the same. And with just Lilly and I's culinary skills, you can most certainly hope for a dollop of green slush for dessert."
"You've proven your point quite accurately, your majesty." Nicholas taunted, his piercing stare almost tempting her too look away.
"Will you stop with the 'Your Majesty' thing? You make me sounds so sophisticated and old…which I'm not." Mia replied, giving him a gentle shove in the arm. He shifted slightly, but didn't tear his gaze away from her.
"Well you certainly think highly of yourself, your majesty." Nicholas replied sarcastically, his serious expression twisting into a handsome grin for a moment. He gave her a soft shove in return. She pushed him back. He pushed her back. Eventually, Mia pushed Nicholas so hard that he fell backwards into the water, and instantly grabbed Mia's wrist, dragging her into the murky water with him. Once they both surface, soaked completely, Nicholas started laughing slightly, while Mia looked rather flushed and furious.
"Nicholas Devereaux! Why'd you have to drag me into it?" She whimpered, and watched at Nicholas stood up, and offered a kind hand to help her up. Mia took his hand, and hoisted herself up, looking in distain at her ruined outfit.
"You're the one who started it, Mia." Nicholas teased, stepping out of the water and onto the concrete pavement, helping Mia to follow.
"So…?" She winced, pouting slightly. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her into a tight hug.
"We best go back to the palace and dry off, you know." He said simply, releasing her from his grip, and smiling, picking up his book at the same time. Mia nodded in grand agreement, giving a slight shiver. Though it was a rather hot, sunny July afternoon, she couldn't help but feel a little bit chilly. He led her back to the palace, cracking a smile every now and then, and she couldn't help but to do the same. Although she hated the fact that her shoes were soggy, and her hair was dripping wet, she couldn't help but to find the whole matter a little funny.
Once the couple reached the palace, earning themselves odd looks and stares, the two hurried off to the kitchens, to explain their situation to Lilly.
"Hey…guys…" Lilly said, upon spotting her best friend, and her boyfriend, drenched in water from head to toe. "What on earth happened…and do I really want to know?"
"Hello there, Miss Moscovitz." Nicholas greeted with false courtesy. He tried his best to look glad to see her, just for Mia.
"We just sorta…fell into the fountain, is all." Mia replied sheepishly.
"Oh." Lilly said, narrowly interested, and shooting a suspicious glare in Nicholas' direction, who simply gave her a sickeningly sweet smile in return.
"We better go upstairs and change into dry clothes…" Mia suggested, catching the glare Lilly sent to Nicholas. She tugged at Nicholas' arm. "Be right back, Lills." She added swiftly, plastering a quick, weak smile to her face, and turning away from her, heading out the kitchen door, dragging Nicholas along with her. She shut the kitchen door behind them, leaving Lilly alone in the kitchen, once again.
"She seems awfully delighted to see me, doesn't she?" Nicholas asked sarcastically, glancing over at Mia, frowning slightly.
"Just play it cool for now, okay? She still doesn't trust you…"
"Wow, never would've guessed." Nicholas said, his sarcasm much greater than before. Mia frowned, and sighed, once reaching the dormitories.
"Listen, Nicholas, just get changed and I'll talk to her about it later, okay? One way or another, she better get used to it soon." Mia replied, glancing up at him hopefully. Nicholas simply nodded in agreement, and they stopped by Mia's room. Nicholas and Mia stayed in separate rooms, due to Clarisse's wishes.
"Okay." He agreed, kissing Mia on the cheek, and stalking off down the hall towards his own bedroom, after waving to her limply. Mia smiled, but sighed exhaustedly, turning around, and opening her bedroom door, stepping inside.
More coming soon, I promise! :)