Disclaimer: I don't own Ella Enchanted, but I do own Hayden, Arianna, Kyler, Devyn, Terrance, Charlene, Christine, and whatever character you don't see in the book. And, of course, the plot.

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Kyler's POV

The journey here had been very boring, and too long for my liking. The knights that accompanied me for protection (why the heck did I need that anyway?) were rather dull and had nothing to talk about except for the occasional "Are we there yet?" I could have fallen asleep. But at last we had arrived, and our arrival had been such a surprise. The Ayorthaians had thought we were coming later in the day.

I saw my sister's old maid, Christine. She's just as chatty and bright as ever, and equally besotted with me. It was rather annoying, having to put up with her blabbering again, but of course I didn't say so. Everybody around these parts thinks I'm some sort of perfect hero. I guess I expected it, seeing as their prince and princess were so loud (especially Princess Devyn). After all, anyone who's quiet and doesn't disturb the peace and quiet is considered wonderful.

So I'd ended up here, at the stables, where all the people at the Ayorthaian Castle were surrounding me, staring. Just staring. It was beginning to get on my nerves when I heard a cry. The prince is hurt? What? I'm not hurt! But then all the unnerving (but friendly, I guess) gazes turned toward a girl in her riding clothes and I realized that they weren't talking about me. They were talking about the Ayorthaian prince, Prince…what was his name? Oh, yeah…Terrance.

But my brain refused to function any further when I looked over to where everyone else was staring.

For the first time in my seventeen years of quiet, uninteresting life as a prince, I experienced what Mother and Char giggled about in fairy tales and such. I'd made fun of them before, but now I knew it was something serious, yet wonderful. It was called love at first sight.

And no, I'm not gay.

Though the girl looked pale and ragged in her ruffled riding clothes, there was no mistakening her beauty. Brilliant blue eyes the color of sapphires peeked out from under the longest, smokiest lashes I'd ever seen, their lustre pronounced by the tears welling up in their deep blue surface. Wavy ink-black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, yet curls had made their way loose and now trailed down her cheeks, resting on shaking shoulders. While a smile would have brightened up her features, the intense grief on her face darkened her eyes, deepening them to an almost immeasurable depth.

I turned to pure mush.

But the girl just had to talk, didn't she?

"What the hell are you staring at?" she demanded, anger radiating from her voice. Her pale cheeks immediately flushed in fury as she locked her eyes with mine. Instead of being deep in concern, those extraordinary eyes were now bright in rage. "If you haven't noticed, my brother's dying, and all you're doing is watching, too arrogant to help. I don't care if you're the prince of Kyrria or not, I just can't believe some people!"

Prince Terrance was her brother? Then that would mean…

I immediately forgot what I was thinking. She looked like she was about to beat me up, and I wasn't stupid. I'd sensed already that she had a very quick temper, and a bad one, too. I quickly ducked as she ran over and attempted to bruise my cheek. What I hadn't expected was that she'd kick me…in a very sensitive area. Ohh, the pain…man, she kicked hard. But before she could blacken my eye, one of my supposed 'guards' restrained her. At the end, it ended up with all five of them tackling her (after a muttered apology, of course; always polite, they were) so she wouldn't kill me.

"Devyn!" King Hayden and Queen Arianna looked distraught, their faces white in shock and eyes dark with disappointment.

Before they could say anything, though, the prince, who had been forgotten by the rest of the crowd (they had been watching our fight – or rather, watching the princess try to murder me), opened his eyes and muttered something hoarsely. All eyes turned to him, and he repeated, "Devvy?"

The furious girl, who had been wrestling with Sir Jerry, one of my guards, instantly calmed. Her face softened considerably, and she merely asked the knights to let her go. They were quick to oblige. Devyn made her way to her brother's side and the prince smiled. It made him look…less dead, let's say. She brushed his curls away from his forehead gently and murmured soft words into his ear. He laughed, a sound that lightened the tension in the air.

For a moment, I almost felt jealous of him.

I could have smacked myself on the head. Me, Kyler, jealous? Inconceivable! The very thought was ludicrous. But what was that twisting coming from my stomach, the tinge of anger and envy pricking at my heart (ouch!)? I shook my head as if trying to rid my head of the thought.

-

Devyn's POV

"That guy…the prince, is such a prat," I muttered to Terry, but out of my joy that my brother was okay, my voice came out soft and lighthearted. As expected, Terry laughed, though it was weaker than usual. His eyes, overwhelmingly green like Mother's, stared up at me (unblinkingly, as it seemed).

"I'm glad you're here," he finally said. "Mother and Father would be in a rush to help me, with Father in a panic and Mother in hysterics. None of them would care to comfort me, but that's what you always do." He grinned cheekily.

I raised an eyebrow perfectly; I'd been practicing. "Oh, and am I supposed to take that as a compliment or what?" I asked in a mockingly huffy tone. "If it is, thanks. If it isn't, thanks anyway." That made him laugh. It was good to see some color in his cheeks, some light in his expression.

"I think Prince Kyler likes you," Terry concluded, causing me to narrow my eyes and scowl, which caused him to laugh, which caused Mother and Father's expressions to soften, which caused me to grin impishly, which caused Terry to laugh again. This all aroused curious looks from the people around us, which made my baby brother (from now on, I was determined to 'baby' him) laugh…again. Could he go two seconds without bursting into laughter?

"But he does," Terry persisted. "See? He's staring at us now, and he's – "

"Talking to himself," I finished the sentence for him very solemnly. "A sure sign of insanity, that is." I don't need to say what happened next, but I'll say it anyway: Terry laughed.

I allowed my gaze to wander casually but deliberately over to the prick. I was pleased to see that he was wincing in pain as he nursed his shins. He was good-looking enough; Christine hadn't exaggerated about that. I had met the rulers of Kyrria, King Char and Queen Ella, already and decided that he looked a good deal like his mother. But the eyes were the exact same ones on King Char's kind face: minty green with a sprinkling of chocolate. "If my conscience is wondering about why I'm comparing people to food, it's because I'm hungry."

Everyone stared at me, puzzled. Then someone laughed. It was Prince Kyler.

"What?" I asked Terry, whose lips were quivering from stifled laughter. "What did I say?"

"Y – you said – 'If my conscience is wondering about why I'm comparing people to food, it's because I'm hungry'." He burst into gales of laughter as a blush rose upto my cheeks. Damn.

"Never let it be said that I don't speak my mind," I muttered audibly…very audibly. The entire court plus Kyrrian visitors doubled up in laughter.

I blinked. What did I do?

-

Kyler's POV

I laughed along heartily with the rest of the crowd, surprising even myself. I hadn't laughed this much in a long time. A long, long time. It was astonishing how quickly Princess Devyn's moods could change. A few minutes ago, she could have wrung anyone's neck with that temper of hers alone and now here she was, the Ayorthaian comedian. I guess her brother's recovery made her happy.

King Hayden and Queen Arianna (they had told me to call me by their names WITHOUT their titles, but it just didn't seem proper, so I'm sticking to the King and Queen stuff) seemed to have forgiven their daughter about her…er…recklessness and were now beaming at her, laughing harder than I'd ever seen them (well, that was hardly surprising since I'd only known them for an half hour or so). Prince Terrance wore a smile that could break your heart. Princess Devyn herself looked puzzled and confused, but she was smiling anyway, the crimson blush still on her cheeks. She seemed to have forgiven me.

I spoke too soon. As we were all going back into the castle, she shot me a murderous glare. If looks could kill, I'd have been turning up the daisies. She was soon distracted by Prince Terrance, still in her arms, who was protesting that he could walk and there was no need for her to carry him. Devyn turned the glare on him and he quickly shut up. She should really market that thing. It would have scared even 'Aunt' Hattie.

It was nine o' clock when the Ayorthaians really bustled up. Of course, everyone was polite enough to utter a quick "hello" when they passed me, and occasionally a slurred "by your leave", but that was all the talking that was done. I was given a room in the West Tower, despite Devyn's pleads (I knew this because Christine had heard the princess and her mother bickering in the middle of a corridor). Terrance told me later that it was because her room was located there, too.

There was pretty much nothing to do until twelve, when lunch would be, so I just picked up Mother's gift. It was a fairy book all right, and the cover was exquisitely decorated with splashing colors and whatnot ((A/N: I don't know what the book really looks like, so blah. If there's really a description in the book, as in Ella Enchanted, please tell me!)). But the surprise was what was within the covers.

A picture of Mother was on the first page. She appeared to be having a row with Father, which did not happen very often. Little Char was spying through a crack in their bedroom door, eyes wide and a smile spread across her face. I grinned (which also did not happen very often) and turned the page. It was an entry in my sister's journal. I didn't hesitate to read on.

Dear Diary,

Mother and Father do argue about the strangest things. Today, it was about second cousins. Mother was sure that they were cousins' cousins, but Father declared that they were the mother's cousin's children. Of course, I listened very intently through the door (it was slightly ajar) and they were still going on about it. The conversation changed to other things later on, though, like what the meaning of life was, how many apple pies Mandy could make a day, which one was quieter: Kyler or me, and other rather interesting but random things.

Speaking of Kyler, I do wish he were here. It's dreadfully boring without him. We've never talked much, sure, but whenever there were people around – take High Chancellor Thomas, for example – we could make fun of them. He is the best at imitating people, much better than I am, and possibly as good as Mother. I'm the clumsy one, unfortunately, another far useless 'talent' of Mother's.

Why couldn't I go to Ayortha with him? That would have been simply splendid! I've heard that the prince over there – Terrance, I think his name is – is awfully shy. That would be one trait we have in common, and maybe we could cure each other of shyness. Besides, Princess Devyn is wonderful, from what I've heard. Insanely loud but marvelously fun. I would like her, I believe. I hope Ky does.

Mandy misses him too, though it's one of her every-minute sayings that Kyrria is better off without him, whether it's a day or a year. The tears in her eyes convinced me in the end. That might just have been because she was slicing onions, though. But I'll continue thinking she misses him because it's a much more comforting thought. I like comforting thoughts, don't you, diary?

Oh, great…now I'm talking to a book. You are a rather pretty book, but you're not exactly human, not exactly what I can call a friend. I mean, who's heard of a person befriending a book (besides Kyler – he doesn't count)? I think I'm going nuts. Or maybe I was always nuts. HELP ME!

This is a rather short entry, but I have nothing else to talk about. I'm bored to death, remember?

- Char

I smiled. Who would have thought that baby Char was this talkative underneath that shy surface? If this is short, I don't even want to know what 'long' is. I flipped the page. The person in the picture captivated me. It was Devyn, of course. She was on the horse I'd seen before in the stables. It's the most beautiful stallion I've ever seen, even grander than Father's. The Ayorthaians have always had a way with horses, and dragons, too. Dragons never bother Ayortha, and some people even keep them as pets. Back to Devyn. She and her horse (for it was evident that it belonged to her; the two seemed to come together as one, a very rare relationship between human and horse) were galloping across a field. An oak tree stood near them and one of its long branches brushed against the top of Devyn's hair, which was running loose and wild in the wind. Her cheeks were flushed and she was smiling: a true, brilliant, infectious smile.

No journal entry or letter accompanied the picture, but I was satisfied enough with the picture. My eyes lingered on it for a long time. It wasn't colored, but showed everything in vivid detail. "Don't erase this one…please," I whispered to the book, though the reason I whispered wasn't clear.

As I was about to move on to the next page, the door slammed open. I reluctantly tore my eyes from the sketching of Devyn to the Ayorthaian princess herself. I must have spent a long time looking at her picture for she seemed perfectly groomed in a long pale lilac dress that brought out the brilliance of her eyes. Her hair was done in a sleek raven bun with loose tendrils flowing out of the expensive-looking emerald green scrunchie. My breath hitched in my throat.

She looked at me with an expression of mingled frustration and embarrassment, then finally muttered, "Lunch." I snapped my book shut and slipped it under my pillow. Her uncomfortable look softened to curiosity for a second, but then she shook her head and walked out of the room, rubbing her forehead and mumbling to herself.

I quickly regained my senses and followed her to wherever she was leading me, eyes lowered so I wouldn't be able to stare at her form. What was wrong with me? I'd never had any of the problems this…this…well, I'd come up with an insult later, but back to what I was saying. I'd never had any of the problems this person was giving me now. It was annoying, irritating, frustrating…all of those things meant nearly the same thing! My brain was going fuzzy because of this…oh, heck, I couldn't even come up with a good insult!

I started to curse darkly under my breath, which was heard by a maid walking by. She raised her thick, hairy eyebrows (they looked like caterpillars!) at me, shocked, then continued on her way, shaking her head as she muttered, "Young lads these days…" Before I could hear any more, she had rounded a corner. I shrugged and continued to chase Devyn. Old people these days…

Finally we arrived at the dining hall, a splendid room with golden walls on which various portraits and paintings hung. I was just examining a fairly detailed one of the Ayorthaian rulers (a certain bright-eyed princess in particular) when someone cleared their throat. I whipped my head toward Devyn, who had sat down moments before. The whole Ayorthaian court was looking at me as if expecting something. I blushed for the first time, and hopefully the last, then took my seat as the guest.

Lunch was rather nice, though quiet. King Hayden had a friendly face and a kind smile, but he seemed not to know how to talk except for the rare "by your leave". Queen Arianna spoke few words, but they were words all the same. Prince Terrance looked like he wanted desperately to start a conversation but couldn't because he didn't want to have the attention. Princess Devyn kept glaring at random people at the table as if warning them not to say anything. She was determined to make my stay as miserable as possible, by the look of it. So I just sat there in my seat, meekly digesting the luxurious food being served.

However, after lunch, Queen Arianna came to my rescue.

"Devyn, Terrance, dears, why don't you take Prince Kyler to the garden? Then, after, you can get ready for the ball," she said with a dazzling smile. Devyn looked as if she was about to throw up, but Terrance was jumping up and down like an overexcited puppy.

So the three of us, two blissful and one completely miserable, set off to Queen Arianna's private garden. The queen had specifically directed us there. "In honor of the prince's visit," she had said with a wink. It was beautiful, I had to admit, though rainbows and flowers and cotton candy clouds weren't my type of thing. I noticed that there were a great deal many rosebushes. They were my mother's favorite, and apparently, Queen Arianna's as well. Devyn looked bored, but her bright eyes betrayed her expression. Terrance, on the other hand, didn't bother to conceal his delight. His face was radiating extreme happiness and his eyes were like stars, making even the sun seem dull. He reminded me of Charlene when she went shopping.

"So, Kyler, are you looking forward to the ball thingy?" Terrance suddenly asked me as we admired the clashing of lilies against lilacs. "I won't be doing anything there."

"You'll probably be serving the refreshments, kiddo," Devyn said with a hint of a smile on her face, making her brother laugh. It was rather unnerving. Every time she said something, Terrance was hit by the laugh bug.

"Well, balls have never been my thing, but I suppose I'm looking forward to it," I answered with a shrug.

The Ayorthaian prince looked surprised, but then grinned. "And why is that?" he asked with a perfectly raised eyebrow, using a teasing tone that reminded me of Mother. I blushed, but cursed myself for doing so. What was wrong with me? I never blushed. That was Char, not me. Terrance noticed the flush in my cheeks and the embarrassment clearly displayed on my face, but Devyn just shot me a curious, then venomous, look.

For the duration of two hours we talked in the garden, or rather, Terry talked and I listened (Devyn stared off into space, only half-listening). It was good to hear the sound of human voice again after all that ringing silence.

"It's going to be absolutely splendid, having someone to – "

"Lady! Sirs!" The three of us turned to the castle to see Christine, who was waving her hands frantically in the air as she ran toward us. I couldn't help but stare at her, bewildered, as Devyn and Terry (he had started to ask me to call him that, though Devyn had given him a nasty look) laughed. But Christine, being the sweet, clueless maid she was, didn't know what they were laughing at and was too polite to ask. "Your Majesties, the King and Queen are expecting you."

So we followed Christine into the castle again, weaving through the paths between magnolia trees, sweet-smelling vines of sweet pea, bushels of beautiful lupines. Indeed, King Hayden and Queen Arianna were waiting for us at the back door entrance. They had both changed already. King Hayden didn't look much different from before, except for the fact that he was wearing gold instead of red. Queen Arianna, however, looked stunning in an elaborate gown of shimmering blue, her spun-gold hair done in a similar way as Devyn's.

-

I quickly slipped into my room and got dressed. If there was one thing I hated, it was dressing up 'dressily'. Which I had to do every day. Being a prince had its advantages, but the clothing was just too much. Char would have fumed if I'd said that to her face. Thinking of my sister soothed my nerves. If she really was here, she'd be too excited to be mad at me. Dances and all that girly stuff were in her area of favorite things. Mine included breathing, sleeping, pissing people off, and that was just about it.

Dress shirt, navy blue jacket, matching pants…sounded about right. Now if my hair would just flatten…wait, why was I fussing over my appearance like this? I was acting like a girl! As I ran a wet comb through my raven curls, my mind started to wander. What would Devyn be wearing? Damn…I have really got to get over this…arrgh, I can't even think of an extremely unpleasant name for this…ugh.

Just as I was thinking that, the door opened. I turned around from my position in front of the mirror to look at the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.

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PoEtRyAnDpRoSe – Hehe…maybe it was a tiny bit evil of me to put a cliffie there, but it was worth it. It kept people reading and reviewing, didn't it? I checked out your FictionPress thingy and it's awesome!

babyblueangel097 – I know…shortness sucks. This chapter is a bit longer, as you can see. Yes, Devyn loves Terry; she shows it clearly to some people, but it's usually very awkward.

andreaatf – I can speak fluently and understand a few languages, but Spanish isn't one of them. Thanks for the review, though!

breathless74 – Go goobersnots!

Dark knightress – Aww…thank you for the award! It was pretty hard to start this fic off, seeing as Gail Carson Levine finished it off perfectly, but I suppose it came out all right.

StardustPixie – Thank you! I had to think a lot about the names, especially Firefoot's.

Swordmistress of Nephinilar – I feel so special…thanks!

brain-brat – Your wish is my command!