-Come on people, review! I won't put the next chapter up until i get 5 more!!! You hear! Five more from different people! I'm sick and tired of my best friend having like 100 more reviews than me! I'm better writer than she is...opps, she's in the room with me...and reading over my shoulder...I luv her so much!!!

-Chapter Nine:

"Here, try this," Kel said, showing Mitzi a small bottle.

"What is it?" The princess opened the lid, touched the white cream, and smelled the fragrance.

"It's something I received -from someone unknown- that helps heal cuts and bruises."

As Mitzi tested it on the blue-purple bruise near her neck, Neal walked into the hall that the pages used to study in. He came over to their table where Mitzi, Kel, Merric and Faleron were sitting, their books strewn around, notebooks open and quills resting in ink bottles.

"Hello," he greeted them all with a wide smile. Seaver and Merric looked up from their etiquette books, giving the green-eyed boy dark glares. "Why looking so glum, friends?"

"Why are you looking so happy?" Merric replied. "We have so much homework today! I'll probably have to stay up all night working on this essay."

Neal didn't reply, just whistled nonchalantly as he sat down, hands empty.

"You're done!?!?!?" Seaver asked, disbelievingly.

"Maybe," answered Neal, leaning back in his chair, placing his feet upon the table.

"Well then," suggested Faleron hopefully. "You can help us?"

"Maybe."

"Get your feet off the table before Lord Wyldon comes around," Kel said, shoving his feet off the table.

"Not wearing any make-up today, dear?"

Seaver and Merric chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure Mitzi has the perfectly shade of blue that will go perfectly with the bruise I'm about to give you," retorted Kel.

"Really?" asked Mitzi with a smile. "Then show it to me so I can use it...the bruise on my neck is noticeable enough."

"I can help you with that," Neal said. He rose from his seat.

"My homework?" asked Seaver.

"No...Mitzi's bruise."

"You can help that?" the princess asked.

"Yeah, he's got healing magic," answered Merric, unaware that he was smearing ink over his freckles as he itched his nose.

"It runs in my family," Neal said with a disarming grin.

"I'm not so sure."

Neal gave the princess a moment to think about it. She moved her neck a bit, wincing every time. She rubbed the sore area gently.

Kel knew that Princess Mitzi hated human contact. As a princess she was used to people keeping their distance. So she was surprised when Mitzi answered, "Why, thank you Neal."

And for some reason it made her jealous when Mitzi pulled her tunic a little lower over her shoulder so that Neal could place his hands over the center of her bruise. It seemed like she couldn't pull her eyes back to her book.

Mitzi let out a satisfied sigh as Neal's green magic seeped into her skin. As he spread his fingers out his gift turned the purplish skin into its original amber-hued color. None of the other boys seemed to be aware that Neal's head was rather close to Mitzi's...so close that his brown locks were hiding the princess's face from Kel's view.

As Kel tried to focus on her book, Prince Roald, who sometimes studied with them, walked over with his own schoolbooks. He stopped right behind Kel as he, too, spotted Neal and Kel. But of course, it wasn't like they were doing anything wrong.

"Hey Neal!" Roald said, rather sharply, so that Neal snapped his head up. "I...I need some help with this math problem."

"Alright," replied the boy. "But Kel's better at math than I am."

"I'm kinda busy," Kel broke in...a little too snappily than necessary.

"Okay," said Neal innocently, taking his hands away from Mitzi's neck and sitting next to Roald.

"That's better," said Mitzi, kinda surprised. She swiveled her head around and a pleased smile made her bright amber eyes crinkle.

"Isn't it?" asked Neal, looking up from Roald's math book. "My father taught me well in healing magic, huh?"

"Neal!" insisted Roald, before Mitzi could answer. "I really need help on this problem."

"My neck feels perfectly fine again-" continued Mitzi.

"Mitzi, you think you might hand me my quill?" Kel asked, trying desperately to get the girl to stop distracting Neal.

"So how did you get that bruise?" Neal asked.

"I...I missed a block in staff practice."

"Oh...I get those all the time...not very good at staff work myself."

"NEAL!" said Roald. "My math!"

"MITZI!" said Kel. "My quill!"

"Oh...right," chuckled Neal, returning to the math. "This problem is easy...here, this is how you do it."

"I wish...wish that someone would help me with my staff work," said Mitzi softly. "Then I wouldn't get any more bruises...I hate seeing my skin all purple and blue."

"Don't look at me," muttered Kel; she was feeling anything but hospitable to the princess.

"I'll help you," broke in Roald, looking up from his math. "I have plenty of free time. And I'm almost as good as Kel."

'Who's having trouble focusing now?" Neal said, smiling teasingly at Roald.