A/N: Chapter 16 for all of you! Yay. Just like I said. On the weekend. Does anyone here think I should be waiting longer to put out my chapters? I don't know . . . its like I put a chapter out but too soon for some reviewers. What am I saying? You guys would hate me if I did that! Haha. SO! We reached 100 reviews. Never did I think I'd write a story that people would give me 100 reviews for. It literally did happen because of you. (At the end of the story I'm going to write down all of the reviewers so . . .yea. :D)

Ah, yes, it probably is. Thank you On top of Cloud 9 for pointing that out to me. I'll change it as soon as possible! Like I said I'm not too adept in horse . . . anything. lol. Thank you again.

Disclaimer: Sir Gregor also belongs to me. If there is another one well then this ones different. Nothing here belongs to me except what you don't recognize.

x..:..X

"Oh, no. You were thinking. You were just thinking with what's in your breeches instead of what's in your head." She'd gotten him with that line. Liam had been to stunned to even move and instead was forced to watch her storm away. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He leaned against the wall behind him.

Cursing aloud he thought to himself, Is it really so bad kissing me? I understand she may not have wanted me to but why make so much out of it? Gods, why did I do that? I should've let it be.

He shook his head causing some black hair to fall into his eyes. How long will she be angry with me? He walked back to his room. Inside there was a bath waiting for him. It was hot. I wonder how they knew. Liam stripped down and slip into the water. He sighed.

"But she's wrong." He murmured. I didn't just want to kiss her because she was another pretty woman. Had that been the case I could very well have my pick! But no, I didn't want to kiss just anyone. I wanted her.

I know she's a commoner.

And I a prince.

But if I could forget all of that, I'd be happy.

He sunk a bit deeper in the tub. It had first come in short spurts. When she turned her head just right showing off her jawbone. Or how she smiled a certain way that a glint came into her crystal blue eyes. Or when the light hit her just right, showing her cheekbones all the more. The little things that caught his eyes were to blame. Liam noticed the water was becoming cooler and decided to finish up. He scrubbed down and got out.

Liam put on some comfortable sleepware which consisted of the absense of a shirt. He flopped onto his bed and let out a considerable amout of breath. He fell asleep after a while and the next morning would remember Arra had been the core of his dreams.

He woke up the next morning to a knock at the door. For one fleeting second as he was opening the door he thought maybe it might be Arra. But as he opened it he found it was only his knightmaster, Sir Gregor.

"Liam, I need to attend to some business. It'll only be a day or two so I'll leave you here," Liam was about to object but his knightmaster continued. "I should take you with me but it really isn't important enough."

Liam nodded in reluctant agreement. Sir Gregor nodded in approvement. "Good, then," And just before he turned away he added. "If you plan on leaving your room you may want to add a shirt to your attire." Liam smiled and closed the door after he left, but his mind wasn't near the subject of wearing a shirt. His mind skimmed over the fact that he'd be left without his knightmaster before returning to Arra and then bridging a connection between the two.

He sighed looking for clothes to wear thinking, I thought maybe I'd have time away. Maybe by then Arra would've in the least cooled down. "I suppose that plan won't be working out."

Lazily, with the morning air still around him, he opened his window. At the moment, he didn't care if there was a fair lady down below that might see his exposed chest and giggle. No, he just needed to see the day. A part of him hoped that clouds overhead were dark with impending rain, that the birds would've forgotten their song and the trees would look dull. Instead he met with the bright blue sky and wisps of cloud still pink with the rising sun. The birds played their concert and the trees reflected the early morning sun.

Beautiful morning. Liam thought dully, tiredly, but most of all with a bit of anger that the day had to be so opposite to his feelings. Luckily for him, there was no fair maiden below but instead his friend Lanchran.

"Oi! Liam! What are you doing walking around in near nothing! I'm sure the court ladies would love to see this!" He grinned up to Liam. The prince smiled. "Come down – dress first! - and we can meet some of these ladies."

"Lachran, I'm not much in the mood to play with women's hearts."

"When are you ever?" He questioned. "By the time I'm up there you better be decent!"

Liam changed and splashed water on his face. He was just about to take a seat when there was a knock at the door.

"Liam, come on now, you look glum." Did he always have to smile? They walked for a while until Lachran burst out. "What is the matter with you?"

"What do you mean?" He turned slowly to his friend.

Lachran's eyes widened as if realizing something. "Who is it?"

"What?"

"Oh come on. A man doesn't just act all sad for nothing. So, who's the Lady that has finally captured your attention?" He smiled. "I know, it was Lady Farica of Tenpost? Or possibly Lady Verity of Starbridge? Yes, she is fine one isn't she? Quite a work of art."

If only he knew how far off he was. But he continued. "I woudn't understand it if you liked her, she's a bit of a teasing one."

"Lachran will you quiet down with your accusations?"

"But this is a big deal! Prince Liam has fallen for someone." Liam opened his mouth to protest that he'd liked women before this but Lachran stopped him. "This one's got you I can tell."

Liam gave him a sideways glance that must've set something off with Lachran.

"I knew it was a woman!" How can he tell? Liam wondered, with just a glance?

The next few weeks Liam decidedly stayed away from Arra in hopes of possbly two things. One, she'd calm down enough to in the least talk to him again, or two, maybe his feelings would leave him.

Certain events took his mind temporarily off of Arra but did not make time pass any easier. Over the next few weeks, rumor passed that Prince Liam had fallen for a woman. The court Ladies who lived in the palace were all in a flutter with excitement. Each thinking, could it be me? When this rumor reached Liam's ear he immediatley went to Lachran, who claimed he told no soul.

Liam paced around his room. With a ball in the near future for his sister, Lianne's, birthday, he was in a foul mood. Who could have heard? He hit his forehead. It's not like we were in a secluded area, anyone could have heard and spread it around. A knock sounded from his door where a maid informed him that he was to get dressed.

Silk. It was beautifully dyed silk with intricacies sown into it. Deep down he found himself resenting even owning something so fine. Liam put on the clothes anyways and headed down to where the royal family would enter. Roald was arm in arm with his wife, Shinkokami as were his parents. The three younger simblings would walk in alone. Liam smiled when he reached Lianne. Secretly, he liked her above the other siblings. Maybe it was because she too had been born with hazel eyes instead of the blue that came from his father, but he told himself it was because she was the most fun, even if she was just now turning thirteen. Lianne was mature for her age.

He hugged her lightly, "Happy birthday, my dear sister."

She grinned. She wore a green themed dress that resembled something of a kimono. "Thank you, Liam."

Liam waved and took his place in line, behind Roald and his bride but in front of Jasson. Section by section, they were each announced as they entered. Upon Liam's turn, he wasn't nervous, why should he be? He'd done this plenty of times. What did upset him however was how the eyes of all the eligible women in the room were upon him, lustful looks apparent to anyone. Inwardly he groaned. At that moment he wanted to turn around and not face them at all.

I can't do that, but I refuse to do that as I know Roald might have. In his opinion, Roald had been to cautious in his life. Liam would bet money that even his own father had not been so cautious and he had made a fine king.

For the first dance, Liam's father danced with Lianne. His mother danced with Jasson, the newly weds danced together and Liam was, to his horror, dragged away by one of the more forward Ladies. Verity of Starbridge.

She had bright yellow hair, that alone made him want to look away. She had pale grey eyes, as if her hair might have taken the energy from them. She had generous lips but other than that her face seemed almost bland. She didn't compare to Arra.

"Prince Liam! How old is your sister today?" Liam knew she knew how old she was. Who didn't?

"Thirteen." He said, bordering on being impolite.

A trend of this sort followed throughout the entire night. The women would flutter their eyes and start up conversations, or at least try to, and all he could do was compare them to Arra. One didn't have a nice enough smile to compare, another's features didn't do her justice as Arra's did, another didn't have quite the same blue eyes.

I've got to stop this. Thinking about her every other second isn't going to help me.

Liam had a break from the vulture-like women when Lianne decided to dance with him; she'd already danced with her other two borthers.

"Liam, are you ever going to introduce me to this Shang girl?" She asked.

He hid a frown. Liam had promised her he would introduce her to Arra. Lianne had been so excited. "I'm afraid that plan might not be working out."

"Lover's quarrel?"

"What?" Liam said, shocked to almost taking a mis-step.

Lianne giggled. "Anyone who can't tell something's between you two can't be too bright."

Or maybe you are just extremely bright. No one else has even implied that I might like her. Liam laughed, possibly a little too loud. "You see things that aren't there, Lianne. We w—are friends, nothing more." He'd been close to saying 'were'.

"Whatever you say. If you ever need to confide in anyone—someone to trust completely anyways—I'm here for you." At that note the song ended and she curtsied before a new partner claimed her again.

The ball long over, Liam went for a walk, not bothering to change. Maybe I shouldn't, I could be swarmed.

He walked with his eyes cast down to the ground. But when he lifted them he found none other than Arra. Her back was facing him and she was sitting cross-legged on the ground looking up to the sky. He followed where she was looking. The stars shone, brightly throbbing. Had he ever taken time to really look at them?

"Are you just going to stand there?" Her voice didn't sound angry. Did his plan work?

"I'm sorry Arra." He said quietly, taking a seat.

"Is that all you do? Apologize?" Her crystal blue eyes were still wholly focused on the stars.

"What exactly are you looking at?"

"The sky. I watched the sun set. Beautiful." She said.

Much like you I'm sure. It was silent for a while. He broke it. "Are you going to forgive me? I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say."

Arra sighed. "Yes, I forgive you."

A relieved smile came over him. He held out his hand. "Friends?"

Arra's eyes fell from the sky to the ground to somewhere on the ground in front of her. Then she turned her focus to Liam. "No, I can't do that."

She stood from the ground. "Good-night your highness."

x..:..x

A/N: One word. Short. Thank you for reading. Please REVIEW!

Ahem. Okay, I want everyone to first take a deep breath and calm down. Look up at what category this story is under Romance/Drama. (Though I will not say who the romance refers to.) You have to know that something is going to happen. I love all of your reviews, they really keep me going. BUT I'm going to tell you something. Arra is most definitely impossible. That is because I made her that way. She promised herself she would never love a prince. Not just anybody, a Tortallan prince. That is her character. So everyone, I'd appreciate it if you just gave her a bit of time.

Thank you.