Hey! It didn't take me too long to update, right? Right? (Ahem) Anyway, I threw everyone through a loop in this chapter… so enjoy! Here are the thank-yous! Kayla: Thank you! Smittened by Marauders: Ouch? What's ouch? Oh well… thanks for reviewing! Lela-of-Bast (of course, as usual): Thank you! flammingirl: Darnit, you're right! This chapter might give you some action… oh well, it's still a cliff-hanger! lol M#2: You'd better read this chapter! Thanks for the review! M#3: Sort of a fast update… right? Thanks! Gen: Thanks for the review, but… name in box? What? Where? I'm confused! Um… put a penname there… maybe? I think?

Onto the story!

Rilean was already there when I arrived at our usual spot. I could tell he was shouting, but I didn't listen, because I was shouting, too.

"What was that all about?" Rilean shouted.

"What were you thinking? The king ordered me to-"

"My father had to order you! What kind of excuse was-"

"Do you really think I can get away with this! I can't just-"

"They'll understand! I'm their son! I'm a prince of Kyrria!"

"Oh really? Well I'm just a 'pauper' – as I'm so politely called – dressing up like a boy and running away from an evil step-sister!"

Moonlight nudged me. I had forgotten to take off the mailbags and the saddle so he could roll in the grass. I turned away from Rilean, face red with anger. I managed to control myself enough to carefully place the saddle on a dry spot of ground so it wouldn't get ruined.

"So – so now what are you going to do?" Rilean asked, slowly calming down.

"I don't know! I certainly can't stay, now, can I?" I hadn't calmed down. I added sarcastically, "Oh wait! I have no choice now that the king ordered me to be a royal mail carrier, so I have to stay!"

"I didn't want this to be such an upsetting matter!" Rilean said, anger rising. "I suppose I was a fool to think to surprise you with this wonderful idea that Caspian and I had… and I was most certainly a fool to think that you would be grateful and happy with this idea!"

I blinked back tears. They burned my eyes, but I turned my head away, refusing to show him how upset I was and how ashamed I felt. Me and my stubborn hot-temper. I said shakily, still not looking at him, "I-I'm sorry, Rilean. I just - I can't –" I started over again, very softly. "I don't like to be ordered. And-and you'll never understand why. I can't stay, Rilean. I know John and Emma are going to decide we should run away."

Rilean stared at me incredulously. "Elisa, I know you were upset about this and all, but you can't just run away! Father and Mother will understand, I promise! I'm sorry my father ordered you, and I can't possibly comprehend why you would go so far as to run away simply because of that!"

"No, no, it's not that, it's-" I couldn't tell him. It was because of John and Emma. Rilean knew about them both but he didn't understand. I couldn't let them down. Emma would be so disappointed to know that I had revealed our secret to Rilean. And I couldn't let John know about this. He was very close to my heart, perhaps closer than I wanted him to be, and I would feel like I was ruining our friendship if Rilean told his parents who we really were and how the whole thing would turn out. It was so confusing, even I didn't really understand why I knew we had to run away. It was far too dangerous with the curse and with Amelia and my family looking for us, to become part of the royal family as the royal mail carriers.

Moonlight nickered softly. His ears were perked up, and he was watching the trail. I strained my pathetic human/elf ears to hear (elves have better hearing than humans, but still not as good as a horse's hearing) whatever Moonlight was so interested in. I heard voices a moment later. I recognized Caspian's voice, calling out to Rilean. I swore under my breath and quickly started getting Moonlight saddled up again.

"Elisa- please, don't leave." Rilean pleaded quietly.

"I must." I answered simply, trying to leave no room for argument. The voices were growing louder.

"Would- would you leave if I told you- that I loved you?"

My heart stopped. How I had longed to hear those words, and yet… they didn't seem right. Not now. Not… Rilean? I began to back away towards Moonlight who was impatiently waiting for me. What was wrong with me? I had fantasized so many times that Rilean would say those words, and now they meant nothing to me. Why? I realized with a jolt that I didn't love him. I liked him of course, but the butterflies in my stomach were gone.

"Elisa, do you love me?" Rilean asked, coming closer. Without warning, he kissed me. Instead of feeling the explosion of emotions that I thought would come with my first kiss, I remembered something my mother had told me. It was when the two hot guys from Aythoria had come to Kent. I thought I had fallen in love with one of them, and it seemed like we were meant to be together. Then, we both realized a few days before he was going to leave that we really just wanted to be friends. I didn't like him that way, and he didn't like me that way. When I told my mother about this, she told me, "Emotions change like the weather, so that you have to know what is true in your mind, not just in your heart."

I gently pushed him away. "Rilean, I- I don't like you like that. I have to go." I vaulted onto Moonlight's back and immediately took off, leaving Rilean in the clearing. I hated to hurt his feelings like that, but I also was glad. My heart had been whisked away by a handsome prince, and my mind (at the last minute) let me know that it wasn't meant to be. My mother would be proud.

My pride swallowed up any feelings of guilt I had and I quickly hardened my softening heart. I was stupid to get all mushy-gushy like that. I turned my thoughts to other things, such as the horse and rider galloping after me. My reaction was slow, and I cursed myself for it. I turned Moonlight off the trail into the thick woods. We swerved around trees, jumped over fallen logs, and galloped through streams. The rider continued to follow. I looked back to see if it was one of the guards Caspian had brought with him, or if it was Rilean. I couldn't tell, and right when I turned back my head to look where we were going, a thick tree branch hit me in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of me and I gasped for breath as I went flying backwards. I was falling and I think I hit my head on a rock and I could hear Moonlight calling to me and… my world went black.