"Fine…" I searched for words. "I umm…I met someone last night…" I blushed furiously. "He...well…told me some interesting things about you. I…I just needed to find out if they were true." He looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, Princess, are they true? I would be most obliged to know, since it is about me."

"Yes." I sighed. "They are true." I continued making little circles with my rather large big toe until he interrupted AGAIN. I was making a flower…

He chuckled when I glared at him. You know…That glare has stopped people in their tracks, as turned men into statues, withered away maids who want you to wear pink…you get the picture. But my glare did nothing to faze him! I still find that quite odd…

"Damn! I really have to get going…" I sat down and pulled my brown leather work boots on hastily. "Bye Jerrold!"

I called. Him. Jerrold. This is NOT happening…At least I didn't get too flustered. I'm usually so calm and cold when things like this happen! It isn't me…I don't understand it. He just seems…a bit familiar? I don't know… well, moving on…

I quickly ran to meet Tamma at the bakery, my bootlaces flapping in the cool rushes of air, treating to trip me and delay me more. I hadn't intended to spend more than a minute in the garden…and I did NOT intend on P.J (see! I did it! I did not call him 'Jerrold! HA! You didn't think I could do it, diary?) Being there/ I never planned on being late…this time! I swear! It just…happened.

I swiftly charged through the door, only to see a beet-red faced Mr. Roscoe. Hello diary, meet my new employer! Man is Mr. Roscoe ugly when he's mad…and he was hideous without the tomato face. His normally muddy brown eyes that held no life were filled with un-speak able rage. Well…I guess you can't exactly call it unspeakable, since he started yelling at me.

"Dorina! You're late!" he pasued to grind his slowly diminishing cigarette inbetween his beer stained molars. "And on the first day of work!" his nostrils flared as he waited for my reply.

"Hmm…" I got out my handy-dandy quill, and began to write a note down. Apparently, writing intrigues Mr. Roscoe, seeing as he can barley read, let alone write a sentence.

"What are you writing girl!?" He demanded, his uni brow crinkling. I smiled as I read:

"Not to self. Next time I'm late, use the backdoor it will." (I swear diary, that was being as respectful as I can! He best be glad I didn't show him the other part of my note… 'And Roscoe looks like a pink Easter egg.') I began to feel the heat radiating from his body. " I think I'll get to work now, so we won't become any more behind than you have been for the last 7 years or so." I smiled cheekily as I bounded off to go find Tamma.

I entered the pastry room to find that the oven had blown up and Tamma was covered from head to tow in pink icing. I walked over to the tall figure and stuck my finger in the icing and popped a bit in my mouth.

"At least I get something out of your goof! And…it is pink. And we all know how much you love it." She glared and started running after me with the remains of the pink frosting like a mad woman! "GAH! ANYTHING BUT THE PINK!!" Tamma giggled madly. So, after 5 minutes of covering each other with pink frosting, Tamma began to taunt me.

"Soo…Have you seen Caspian?" Her eyes went full as she started to pull the frosting out of her long blonde hair. "was that why you were late?" She leaned on the counter, tucking a curl behind her ear. Her tone was eager…a little too eager if you ask me…I should have known she was up to something.

I eyed her suspiciously before answering. I knew I had to choose my words carefully. "Yes…" she smiled evilly. "And no." She stuck her glossy lips into a frown, as if contemplating… "Thinking too hard, eh?" She smiled and stuck her tongue out at me joyously.

"Soo…how the yes, and the no? Come on…" She pleased, a half smile unfolding on her delicate lips.

"CRAP! Why the heck do you have to do that face…"

"The same reason you do the platypus face! Now spill!" she curtsied as she said "Your majesty."

"Ha ha. I'll tell you. Well... you see…last night he kept telling me that P.J—"

"P.J? who in all of Frell is P.J? such an odd name…" I rolled my eyes at her lack of seeing obvious abbreviation.

"Prince Jerrold. Now may I continue!?" I said gruffly, my eyes narrowed. She waved of my glare and said nonchalantly,

"I suppose…" She then began to file her nails with a specially adapted butter knife.

"Then I guess I won't…I'll just get back to making…umm…what were we making?" Tamma rolled her eyes, a special machos gleam in her eye.

"Oh, just a cake. You back, and talk. I'll make the icing n do the lettering." She was up to something. I knew it. I still can't believe she did it…

"All right. Well, Caspian told me something about the prince last night… about how he helps people and gives out work and stuff like that…So…I went this morning to see if it was true—"

"Were they??" She said, her eyes filling with awe.

"So you want me to finish or not!!" I screamed impatiently. Patience is not my strong suit.

"All right…don't get so jumpy! You'll mess up your hair I worked on for 1 hour this morning so it would look 'peasant-y'. She crossed her tanned arms over her chest, her slippers tapping.

"yes. They are true. And I met P.J there and he kept talking to me and that's why I was late. Happy now?" She smiled that evil smile of hers…you know what I mean, the one that shows all her teeth…and they start to look very pointy? This was that smile. You come to recognize them when you're a princess. By choice, or by birth.

"Is the cake done yet?" She asked, her voice oozing with honey sweetness. Subtly is not her strong suit. Tamma can be devious…but she's not so good at hiding she's planning something. She would NOT make a very good spy.

"Umm…yes…I hope they like chocolate…" I tapped my foot nervously as I handed her the cake. "Soo…umm…how are things going with the umm…dude?"

"you mean, Ethan?" A nervous look began to form in her eyes. I knew right then, that Ethan is somehow either connected to Caspian, or P.J.

"Who." I demanded, my finger dangerously close to her eye. She shifted quickly, her eyes darting all over the room.

"W-who? I d-don't know what you mean?" She loosened her collar as she shifted back away from me.

"Who does he work for?! WHO! Tamma, you. Will. Tell. Me. Now." With every word she was forced back into the corner by the force of my poking her stomach.

"OK!! He works for Jerrold…" I snapped loudly.

" I KNEW IT! So he had to send his little spies everywhere doesn't he? Is Ethan using you?!"

"No. He's not. And Jerrold does not have spies! He's not like that. At all. And Ethan wouldn't snoop that low. He's a good guy for once!" I looked at her tear stained face in awe. I've only seen her cry twice. It's still astonishing. She's not emotional. At all. I decided not to say 'you said that about them all' and just went and hugged her, getting chocolate all in her hair.

"It's all right. I'll just have to meet him then, won't I? You seem smitten." She pulled away and whipped her tears on her apron.

"How do you know?" she asked, her voice still horse.

"How did you know about Caspian? It's exactly the same way. You can't see it yourself, but it's evident to other people." She laughed, choking back a sob.

"I suppose your right. Now we need to get back to work." And she immediately went to frost the cake, While I started to make the cookies the children like to buy after their schooling.

"Tamma?" I asked questiongly. She turned back, to answer me, her brown eyes open wide.

"Yeah?"

"Do you believe there is someone made especially for someone else? Or in true love?" I smoothed my hair back as I began rolling out the dough, some how, anticipating her answer.

"Yes." She nodded, he strong chin bobbing stubbornly. "I think everyone is made to love someone. That there is always true love for us all." She said definitely.

"H-how do you know…" I gulped. Why was I so nervous? "How do you know when you've found him? That you're in love. True, true love. As in never ending, Till death to us part, as never ending never running out magic?"

"You just know." She shrugged as I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I think, that if you Find your true love, that you can't picture being with anyone else. That you would rather die than not be by their side at any chance. That…you can feel it in your heart. That every step he takes, coincides with the beating of your heart. But just to know? How can you just… know?"

"You just do. It's everything you said, but…theoretically, you can feel it in your bones, you're meant to be. It's a feeling of security…and you see that they're not perfect, but perfect for you. And you realize that anyone you ever claimed to have love, was only a crush. Real love never fades. Now, that I'm finished, take this cake to Lake Oniean. The man who ordered it will be waiting for you. He's already paid. Now, veet! Veet!" Tamma said as she pushed me out the door and shoved a box at me.

You think that was strange? Ha. The bakery had nothing on what happened next. I had been walking probably an hour through the thicket of woods that, supposedly, was the short cut to Lake Oniean. Remind me to never listen to Symbkel Again. But surprisingly, someone was out in the woods hunting. Can you guess who It was? Jerrold? No. Symbkel? No. Carol? No. Caspian. YES.

"Hello Princess. Are you lost?" He laughed at the way I was handling the cake and look up at him on his horse.

"Me? A princess? I can't wait to tell me Da I was called a princess by a in a mask!" I said in my best peasant accent. I even giggled to make it seem less like me.

"Hmm…If I didn't know you better from the other night, I would have sword you were a simple country girl working in a bakery making the King his Danish. The giggle was a nice touch. Maybe you should quit being a princess and run off to join the players!" He chuckled merrily. Why did he have to be so smart? Which normally would have been a good think. I'm eating my words…I'll even go back to my writing desk and eat the piece of paper I wrote what I wanted in a guy! I'm gunna kill Tamma for making me write that out and put it under my pillow…

"Fine." I would have put my hands on my hips but, I was laden by 30 pound cake…why did the customer have to go for the 4 tiered cake? I swear If I ever get the change, I'll kill him with his own cake! "So what If I am. I still have a job to do. Now goodbye." I think I handled that well…but, apparently not well enough…

"Aww don't be so grumpy." He pouted…how shall I say…sexily?

"Well, I might now be so grumpy if I hadn't been carrying this stupid 4 layer cake for an hour! And yeah, I may be glad to see you, but right now, this is holding me up!" I snapped…wow…I snapped at a fantastically amazing, sexy, nice, funny, smart man of my dreams…I'm getting good at this temper thing…

"Wow. Where are my manners. Hand the cake up to me and I'll take you to where ever you need to be, all right?" I looked at him strangely. There has to be a catch…always a catch…

"What's the catch?"

"Catch?" He feinted surprise. "Why would there be a catch?" He began to weave his fingers thought each other. "Just a request…" I rolled my eyes and huffed playfully.

"And what is the catch?" He raised his eyebrow. "Sorry, I mean 'request'?" I handed the cake up to him (thank Lucinda! That sucker was he-e-ea-vy!) and crossed my weary arms over me waist, and tapped my foot impatiently. (again, patience not me.) He smiled kindly. I hate it when people do that…

"You that you spend tomorrow with me. Not as a princess, not as Daria or Dorina, but who you want to be. And I will not go as Caspian Rivedlchi, but as who I am, and with whom I want to be with." He smiled kindly. I. Was. Dumbstruck. He laughed out loud so hard, he spooked my horse back in Kenery!

"What is so funny?" I asked, a little amused, and a little confused. He smiled and stated,

"Well, your face. My request is tempting, no?" How the heck does he know that was the only thing that would make me cave in? We've only met once and he seems to know my tendencies. Strange, no?

"So tempting, That I think that I must take you up on your temptation." He smiled and reached down with his calloused hand to help me up. After I was securely mounted in front of him and the cake, I was able to enjoy the grove. It was beautiful…how could I not of seen it's beauty before? I must be blind.

It was so lush, so perfect. The grass looked like a perfect, soft green carpet, so wonderful, the perfect place to play games. The trees. They were do tall! You could barley seen the sky through the canopies of the Maneities. (A special type of tree that can only be found in the magical land of Kyrria.) The leaves were magnificent colors of bright ref Hughes and magical yellow and even the 'dirt brown' seemed to shimmer with the daylight. But there was something odd. There was a green leaf floating down from the south end, and a blue (yes blue) one coming from the north. It was quite odd, but it didn't seem like he noticed it at all.

"Here we are. The lake in the middle of the grove. I hope you enjoyed your ride, come back and see me soon." I could help but smile and laugh. He's smart…and funny. I quickly dismounted and laid the cake by the lake.

"I guess I'll leave it here…" I turned to Caspian. "Thanks for the ride. I see the other trail. I'll see you tomorrow!" and I turned around and walked as fast as I could back to my room In the castle without looking back. I know if I had looked back, I would never have been able to walk away. But I did hear his goodbye, even though I was not supposed to. The wind carried the deep, husky voice to my ears saying,

"Goodbye my precious Present. My queen. I will see you tomorrow. If I can wait that long."