Kaden strung the large bow and loosed her arrow into the tree. She was near the woods. The practice courts were getting too boring, and she needed another target. Anything but a big, round block of wood with paint on it. She also needed time to think; to think about Allan. He hadn't come back, and this was the second day. He promised her that he'd be back. She missed him already and was starting to get worried. Her siblings left that morning - only a few hours ago - and Kaden was bored. Whenever she started to go find her parents would be good, she just didn't know who, where or how. Maybe she was better off at the palace, a parentless freak.

Kaden loosed another arrow and it struck the wrong tree. 'How did I manage to do that? My first bad hit in a year! Maybe I should just stop thinking.'

She stopped, and strung another arrow. This time, she cleared her mind. She wasn't concious of anything around her. The arrow loosed and hit her target, another tree.

"Whoa! watch it! I could have been hit..." A boy said from in the forest. What was a boy doing in the forest? She made herself go back into reality and finally could see again. When she saw who the speaker was, she almost jumped with joy.

"Allan! You're back!" She ran towards him and hugged him fiercely.

"I'm sorry I was so late... I know I promised you." He smiled foolishly at her, and she smiled back. He had a smile you couldn't refuse. "What are you doing shooting arrows into the woods?"

"I got bored... Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, stop worrying." He looked her in the eyes, always smiling even a little bit. Then he looked at her head to toe. "You look fabulous!" Suddenly, Kaden was concious of how she looked. She was wearing a plain dark green dress. The skirts weren't layered so that Kaden could actually be sensible, and the top wasn't too low or too tight. It was just as Kaden liked it. She hated wearing dresses, but this kind she liked.

"Thanks."

"I feel like I should be bowing to you, milady." He joked.

"Allan, stop it. Get up!" He was kneeling on the muddy ground. Kaden pulled him up, and looked at him seriously. "I am no 'milady'. I'm aden, your friend. Do you not remember me?" Now it was her time to joke around. She laughed. "What did your parents do? Brainwash you?" Allan laughed.

"Come on, bonehead, lets go eat."

"Bonehead? Who're you calling bonehead?" Kaden asked.

"Maybe it occured to you that it was you I was talking to." Allan replied, his face full of foolery.

"I am plainly insulted."

"Kaden, you couldn't get insulted if a-" Suddenly, Allan stopped in his tracks and stared. At first it looked like he would never smile again, and then he grinned so big that his white teeth stuck out and his eyes crinkled. "Ambrose!" He ran towards a girl with brown locks curling all the way down her back. Kaden followed.

"Who's this, Al?" The girl he had embraced and stood with wore a long, black dress - was she mourning? - with silk embroidery. It looked so elegant next to Kaden's simple dress that she wanted to run and hide, but she didn't dare lose her pride. Besides. This was the onlt person Allan had ever gotten excited about seeing. Maybe there had been something between the two.

"This is my good friend Kaden. Kaden, this is Ambrose. She's one of my old friends."

"I'm not that old, you dolt!" She punched him slightly on the arm. "Very honoured to meet you, Kaden."

"Me as well." Kaden said blandly, but smiled as sweetly as she could manage.

"Well, let's get to lunch, I'm starved." Ambrose said. They set off, Kaden not too pleased. At least she had Allan back.