-To oceanspike: Joren plays a small part in the next part of the plot.
-To Kore Yan: Sry that this can't be Roald/Kel...but I still hope u read it!
-DarkJamAB: Yes...you're right...do u like Kel/Neal fics?
-Chapter Fourteen:
"Please accept my apologies!" Mitzi said as she knelt down next to Roald, rubbing her hands together in distress.
"I'm fine...fine," Roald muttered as he tried to straighten up. He reached up a hand to his forehead and winced.
"Don't touch it!" Mitzi ordered and without thinking the princess leaned his head against her shoulder and pushed back his black hair to better see the bruise she had inflicted on him. A purplish bump was already becoming apparent.
"Neal!" she called. "Do you think you could heal this?"
"Certainly." Neal strode over and placed his pole on the ground.
Almost reluctantly Roald lifted his head from Mitzi's shoulder (which happened to smell quite nice because of her perfume) and turned towards Neal. With a cooling touch of emerald green magic the throbbing subsided.
The Prince started to get up and Mitzi hastily backed away, bowing her head. Merric came over from the sidelines.
"Great shot Mitzi!" the red-headed boy told her.
But Mitzi didn't see it that way. "No it wasn't! It was clumsy of me! My apologies, Your Majesty. I meant to do no such thing! I swear it!"
'Mitzi...why are you so upset?" Roald asked, brushing dirt off his tunic. "We came here to help you be able to do...just that!"
"Yeah," agreed Kel. "So your training must be sticking in your brain a little."
Mitzi smiled ruefully.
Suddenly Kel groaned. "Uh-oh. Here comes trouble."
The others turned to watch Joren of Stone Mountain come striding over to them.
"Your Majesty," he said icily. "Nice to see all of you out here."
"You sound thrilled," Merric commented.
"I couldn't help but notice that you were spending your break-time out here in the sun when you could be inside resting."
"You are too."
"I was going to go check on my mount in the stables," replied, fixing them with bright blue eyes. "When I saw you practicing staff work. Helping Mindelan?"
"Kel doesn't need any help with her staff work," Neal snapped. "She could beat you anytime."
"Really?" Joren raised an eyebrow...he seemed to be disinterested in the conversation.
"Yes. It was me they were helping," Mitzi spoke up.
"Oh," Joren flashed the girl a tolerant smile. He then turned to Roald and the others. "You were helping Gurshrew...how nice."
Roald's face was forcefully blank. The others didn't reply.
"I've seen Gurshrew in the staff arena during class," he continued. "She's pretty pathetic."
Mitzi nobly ignored him.
"But there are some boys who are almost as bad as she is...so why aren't you helping them?"
"Mitzi's our friend," Neal replied.
"But why is Prince Roald here? What are you doing with pages younger than you?"
"Kel and Neal asked me if I could help show Mitzi a few tricks."
'Oh...and instead you end up being hit in the head by a girl?"
Roald blushed slightly.
"Show more respect for your future King!" Mitzi broke in.
"What about his future Queen?" He said, eyeing her.
Mitzi's face flushed visibly.
"Let's go!" she ordered and grabbing her staff stalked out of the staff arena.
Kel rushed after her.
"Don't be so upset!" she said. 'Joren doesn't know anything. He always accuses the girls of flirting with the boys. He meant nothing by it."
"How dare he spy on me like that! Watching me in the practice arenas...I know he follows me! I plan to tell Lord Wyldon so that he can have him sent away!"
They walked into the palace towards Mitzi's room.
"There are a few things I am going to change when I am Queen!"
Suddenly Mitzi's face darkened.
"What's wrong?" Kel asked.
"Nothing you can help me with," the princess replied as she fumbled around in her pocket for the key to her dorm.
"Is it about your parents?"
"That's part of it. But I have plenty of things on my mind." She muttered to herself as she tried to get the key to go in the lock.
Kel watched as the princess, usually calm and composed, fumbled and dropped the key onto he floor. As she reached to pick it up her staff knocked her on the knee. Seeing her chance Kel reached down and snatched the key.
"Unless you tell me what's wrong...I'm not gonna give you your key back." She said firmly.
A look of rebellion crossed the princess's face. "Give me that!" she snapped.
Kel held it above her head and Mitzi made one attempt to jump up and reach it, before she decided it was not ladylike to do such a thing.
"Fine...you win," she said sulkily. She leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. Her eyes were staring straight at the floor and while she looked composed Kel could sense a lot of bottled up stress.
There was a moment of silence.
"I don't love Roald!" Mitzi suddenly blurted out.
"What?" asked Kel, not out of shock...but because she had not expected this.
'It's true," Mitzi said, shaking her head. "I don't love him."
"Mitzi-" said Kel quietly.
"Isn't that terrible! He's such a well-educated, kind, gentleman...but I don't love him!"
"He likes you a lot."
"He does?" Mitzi looked up hopefully. "Then I feel even more terrible for not being able to return his love. We'll get married soon...and I won't be able to truthfully tell him that I love him."
"You've been going through a lot these past weeks," Kel reminded her. "You're all mixed up...what with worrying about your parents, trying hard at your classes...your heart is probably too busy."
'No...my heart isn't too busy."
"How do you know?"
"Because...because I think...I think I like someone else." Mitzi took in a deep breath.
Kel felt her stomach give a nervous jab. She tried to keep her face blank and voice casual.
"Who?"
"Someone with green eyes and a lopsided smile," answered Mitzi dreamily.
"How can you be so sure right now?" Kel asked...almost desperately. "Maybe you'll grow to love him."
"Maybe. But I doubt it. I expected love at first sight...and it didn't happen."
"Well...there's nothing you can do about it. You're betrothed."
"I know," Mitzi said calmly as she grabbed the key from Kel's limp hand and fitted it into the lock.
"Thanks," she continued as she closed the door. "It really did help talking to you, Kel." -Hope ya'll enjoyed it! Next chapter: Neal seems different!
