Hello all! ((ducks rotten tomato)) I know, I know, this is really really super late, but it's hard with an entire family monopolizing the computer, plus everything coming to a head. (Yesterday, I left for school at 6:50 and didn't get home until about 9:45) Ugh. Anywho, here it is.

Tiger Lily21: Yeah, someone's not to happy with Jarrod (poor guy!) Your story's going great! I see you have a new chapter up. I'll have to go read it.

Serenic Griffin: Yeah. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

fell4adeadguy: Like ESPN, or something?

Areida Rivers: Thank you! So much stuff happens, sometimes I forget the time frame and kind of have to pull it back a little bit. But I'm a firm believer in that one week can change your life. Yeah!

Elariel Erestorion: Thank you for reading all of them!

livingdead2010: Thanks!

PrincessofRain: I'm not telling. :cP

little miss tiny shoes: So many questions, and not one of them that I can answer until later. :c( But I'll keep writing!

panemonium: Ack! This is so frustrating!I want to write the entire story right now just so I can answer everyone's questions, but I just can't! Fiona firmly believes in the bandits, so I don't think she'll actively go out and hunt them down. I can't say the same thing about Jarrod though.

littlelambug: Yeah, I know they're really short, but if it takes me this long to write these chapters, imagine longer ones! I've actually upped my word-count per chapter since my last few chapters, but I do realize it's still short. Hopefully, I can work on that.

rainkisser: BECAUSE CHOCOLATE IS FRICKIN AWESOME! I just had chocolate ice cream. Good luck on your test!

Uruviel Tinuviel: Yeah. My mistake! I didn't see it! I'm sorry! ((grovels)) Forgive me! Hehe. Yeah, it was Jarrod's that was poisoned. By who? We will find out!

CharlyB: Thanks! Here it is (a little late, but it's here)

Dreamer at heart: The custard is evil! It's lemon!Yeah, we can't go on fanfiction at school except in the journalism room (because we have to be able to go on other sites for stories and such) My calculus always calls me, but usually I smother that calling with ice cream and tv.

Akwyn: Thank you! I love romantic scenes (I'm hopeless). Unfortunately, I'm not sure how many I'll be writing in the future (you'll understand what I mean after you read this chapter). There does seem to be a little bit of a pattern, eh?

Thank you all for stickin with me! We'll see when the next chapter gets up. It'll be before next Tuesday, I promise you that.

Lulai

Chapter Ten: Discussions

"You are looking better, my dear," the kindly old doctor told Fiona the next morning as he packed up his instruments, "but I'd still prefer if you'd stay in bed."

"Of course," Fiona agreed. She felt a whole lot better, especially after changing into her nightgown after sleeping in her dress. She sat in her bed as the doctor had listened to her heart, looked in her throat, and gave her some instructions. Annabelle and Nia stood there at the start, nearly smothering Fiona with their worry. It was nice to know that they cared, but they were starting to get a little annoying. After the doctor assured them that Fiona wasn't at death's door, they finally agreed to Fiona's wishes and left.

But now it was nearing noon and Fiona was frightfully hungry. She decided it would be terribly rude to ask the doctor to bring her some food. Besides. He would probably make her eat liver or something equally distasteful. She thanked the doctor and he left.

It would be nice to have the day off and not have to do anything. Fiona smiled and lay back on the pillows.

After about thirty seconds, Fiona was bored out of her mind. She wasn't the least bit tired, so sleeping was out of the question. All the books in her room had been read at least thirty times. She wished she had her knitting, or her sewing, or something. There was a welcome knock at the door.

"Come in," Fiona called, hoping who ever it was had brought something to eat.

Jarrod entered, carrying her wicker basket.

He eyed her cautiously, ignoring the feeling in his gut at her dimpled smile. She still looked pale, but did look much recovered from her bout with poisoning. He set the basket down on the large bed beside her and sat in a chair.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Other than a slight aversion to the sight of bread, I'm feeling fine," Fiona said wryly. She pulled the basket close and discovered a new wrapped bundle on top.

"Ah!" she exclaimed happily, unwrapping the two muffins.

"Carrot," he replied with a smile.

As she devoured the two muffins, Jarrod took the moment to give her a thorough look over. Her hair was still up in a messy bun. It made him wonder how long it was. Down to her knees? He dismissed that thought, her bun wasn't that big. Her waist maybe? Perhaps.

Unfortunately, his mind took these thoughts and ran away with them. He imagined her undoing her hair and letting the russet waves fall over her bare ivory shoulder, then her well defined collarbone…

Stop, he ordered himself. She had just been poisoned. This was no time for those types of thoughts.

"That's two things I owe you now, my lord," she said, brushing the crumbs off her bed.

"Please," he said. "It's the least I could do after what happened last night."

She heard the strange note in his voice, and looked up into his face. At his bleak look, she understood.

"It wasn't just a case of off milk, was it?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "The physician suspects that it was Foxdoll."

"That grows wild by the forest," she said, "and is used by a few people as incense. Perhaps someone accidentally slipped some into that custard."

"I don't think it was an accident," Jarrod said, his voice laced with anger. "There was enough in there to kill someone."

Fiona gasped, her hands coming up to her lips. It wasn't the prospect of losing her own life that shocked her, it was the thought that someone was trying to kill Jarrod.

"I will find whoever did this," Jarrod promised her. His expression told her exactly who he thought the culprits were.

"You think it was the bandits," she accused.

He gave her an incredulous look. "Of course it was. Who else would it be?"

Fiona shook her head. "I don't know that, but I can assure you it wasn't them."

Jarrod stood up angrily and began to pace. "How can you defend them, Fiona? They nearly killed you!"

Fiona's jaw came up stubbornly. "It wasn't them."

"How can you be so su-" Suddenly, he understood. "You know who the bandits are," he said, incomprehensibly. "God, I'm a fool. I should have seen it before. You defended them so fiercely."

Fiona said nothing, her lips a thin line.

"Who are they, Fiona?" he asked.

"I can't say," Fiona said. "I promised not to."

"Damn it, Fiona," he swore, trying to get through her thick head. "They nearly killed you! They don't deserve your loyalty. If they aren't guilty, I'll find out. Just tell me who they are!"

Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I can't!" she cried. "Don't you think I would if I could? I would like to tell you everything, but I took an oath! I can't go back on my word!"

He wasn't going to stay here and listen to her defend the very people that nearly cost her her life.

"I thought you were different," he hissed at her and stalked out of the room.

Fiona nearly collapsed into tears. She paused momentarily, unsure of what to do. Her pride wanted to keep this to herself, but her heart really needed a shoulder to cry on. Her heart won out.

"Elsie," she said, hoping her voice didn't sound as bad as she felt.

"Aye, milady?" she asked, popping her head in.

"Can you find me Genevieve?" Fiona asked, miming looking through her basket so that her maid couldn't see the tears on her cheeks.

"O' course," Elsie replied cheerfully, and went away.

Genevieve was the one to talk to. She listened and was brutally honest, which always made Fiona feel better. Elizabeth was too flighty and Fiona had neither the patience nor the desire to spell everything out for Daphne as she would have to. Harmony was too shy, Josephine too young. She could talk to Nia, but Nia was part of the problem. She couldn't upset Cassandra's happiness with her petty problems and Annabelle, well, Annabelle would have an apoplexy if she found out that Fiona even had a friendship with Jarrod.

Yes, Genevieve was the one to talk to.

"You wanted to see me, Fiona?" Genevieve asked, walking in without knocking. As soon as she saw the tears on Fiona's cheeks, though, she immediately rushed over to her side.

"Are you alright? Are you feeling okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes and no," Fiona replied, wiping away the tears. "Can you close the door?"

Genevieve did as she was bid and sat beside Fiona on the bed. "Now, what are all these about?" she asked, wiping away some that she missed.

Fiona took a deep breath and told Genevieve everything that had happened that morning. It didn't take long. In fact, the retelling made it seem very short and blunt.

"So, what do you want from him?" Genevieve asked.

"Nothing!" Fiona answered hotly. Then she thought about it for a minute. "No, that's not true," she amended. "I want to help him. I want to find out why he's hurting and take it away."

"What if it's something you can't help?" Genevieve asked.

Fiona shrugged. "At least I would have tried. I can't just sit and see the pain in his eyes and not do anything."

"You love him," Genevieve said suddenly.

"What?" Fiona spluttered.

"Or, if you don't love him right now, you're falling for him," she replied with a sly smile.

Fiona opened her mouth to deny it, but found that she couldn't. "Get out of my head," she muttered petulantly.

"Isn't that why you called me in here?" Genevieve asked, an innocent look on her face.

"I said, get out of my head!" Fiona growled. Nothing that Genevieve had said was untrue. She had brought Genevieve in to sort out her thoughts. And she was falling for him. That brought more heartache. How could she be falling in love with a man she could never be with? The pain in his soul seemed to hold him captive. Even if his heart were whole, Jarrod deserved better than her. He was the king. He needed a princess, or at least someone as pretty and talented as a princess.

"I'm so confused," Fiona said helplessly, burying her face in her hands. "And I don't even know if he will ever talk to me again."

"Do you need me and Nia to set you up another assignation?" Genevieve suggested mildly.

"What?" Fiona spluttered for the second time, looking up at her sister. "You mean… in the garden… you two planned that?"

"Of course," Genevieve said. "I thought we were entirely too obvious, but perhaps not. Did anything happen?"

"No, nothing happened," Fiona mumbled, as a blush flew across her cheeks.

"You must give me all the details of that nothing later," her sister teased.

"He's just so frustrating," Fiona exclaimed, waving her hands in the air, startling her sister. "Jarrod Fer Drewery, King of Secrets! Half the time, I feel like I'm sharing him with another woman whose identity I don't even know! It colours all his judgements."

Genevieve put her finger to her chin. "I'll write Thomas in Drewery. If anyone would know anything about this king of yours, he would." She patted Fiona's hand comfortingly. "Don't you worry. Between Nia and myself, we will be able to find everything about Jarrod's past."

Fiona sighed. "I just feel like I've blown it. How can I help him; how will he be able to open up to me when he doesn't trust me?"

"You'll find a way, I'm sure," Genevieve said.

"What if he doesn't care for me the way I care for him?" Fiona asked, struck by a sudden frightening thought.

Genevieve gave her sister another of those sly half-smiles. "I don't think you need worry about that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fiona asked angrily, but her sister was already out the door.

On the other side of the castle, in his room, Jarrod was beginning to regret his outburst. Sure, he was angry, but now that the adrenaline had settled down, he realized that his worry for Fiona had vented itself in a furious outburst. Unfortunately, Fiona was on the receiving end of his rage.

Now that he was thinking more calmly, he was actually rather impressed. She was extremely loyal. He began to wonder what it would be like if he was the recipient of that loyalty.

He sighed. He should really go apologize to her, but he was still a bit angry over her direct disregard for her own safety. And even if he didn't say a word resembling I'm or sorry, his very presence would be tantamount to eating crow. That wouldn't do. He would talk to her later.

He had to catch these bandits. Each time they got closer to killing him, the more in danger everyone else was. He needed a trap.

An idea popped into his head. He thought it through. If it worked, he could catch the bandits, and then Fiona wouldn't have to tell, and he could be assured of Fiona's safety. It was win-win situation. He frowned. The only problem would be if the bandits took the bait.

He went off to inform Havara of his plan.