Jonathan paced the floor nervously, watching his wife fiddle with her fingers and stare at him for an answer.

"You were right, she looks like royalty. She seems like our daughter, Thayet." He turned to look at her, eyes filling up with tears and a relieved look on his face. Thayet jumped off the bed she was sitting on and hugged her husband comfortingly.

"Jon, she is our daughter. I know it." She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "Listen to me, Jon. We're going to get that girl to come down here and we'll tell her. We'll tell her she's our daughter. Hell, we'll tell all of Tortall if we want to. All that matters is that we've got our girl back." By the time Thayet had finished, Jon had calmed down and was nodding his agreement.

"Of course we will, sweet. Of course we will."

For the next three days, Kaden hung out with Eadulf, or rather, Eadulf asked Kaden to hang out with him. He was rather charming, and she was fair flattered by the older man. She enjoyed her time with him, and getting to know him was just the beginning of their growing relationship.

"So, do you have any siblings?" Kaden asked as they strode down a path through the palace gardens. He was even more handsome than normal in plain breeches and a tunic. His boots crunched in the light snow that barely covered the ground.

"I have a sister, and I had two older brothers."

"You had? What happened to them, if I may ask?"

"They died a long time ago." He said without a change of his cheerful mood.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." She said sympathetically.

"No need. I never really knew them." He said with a smile on his face. That struck Kaden as strange. If her brothers had died long ago, she would still grieve them. She saw the glint of anger in his eyes. It was starting to get more frequent, and everytime she saw something different. This time she saw the same anger, but there was discipline, disappointment and grief. She was about to build up the courage to ask him about it when he interrupted her thoughts.

"Do you know how beautiful you look today?" She blushed bright red.

"Thank you, kind sir." She kept using that word as a joke, but he didn't seem to get it like Allan had. Allan would have played along with her, personifying the 'kind sir' and they would have doubled over in laughter when they had gotten tired of it. Eadulf just seemed to be used to being called sir. Maybe he even required being called sir.

All the same, she had been thinking too hard and she jerked herself out of her daze to find that 'kind sir' gazing into her eyes, as if he was reading her thoughts. Suddenly, he swept her up for a kiss, just enough to tell her that he was interested, not just for midwinter luck, as he had so politely put it the last time they had kissed. This time, it was as pleasant as before, and she enjoyed every drop of the taste on his lips, savoring it until the end. When he pulled away, she barely had time to speak before she pulled him in for another, deeper kiss, telling him that she was interested back.

"Kaden, I really like you." Eadulf said when they had finished kissing, and now they were holding each other; her around his back, him around her waist.

"I like you too, sir." He still hadn't asked her to stop using the name sir, and for some reason, she couldn't stop saying it.

"I'm glad," He said and he kissed her sweetly and shortly. He ran his fingers through her long, black hair. "I've got to leave for a meeting, sweet." When had he ever called her sweet before? She pushed the thought out of her head and tried to enjoy being called sweet. She did like him, but 'sweet' was the wierdest name she had ever been called.

Before she could answer, he left her standing in the gardens, alone. She sat down on the bench and sighed longingly. She was in love.

Allan crouched behind the willow bush and watched his true love kiss another man. Of course he was jealous, but why wouldn't he be? He loved Kaden with all his heart, and not even a stupid fight could get between them. Maybe he was just too insecure to have a relationship with anyone at the moment. Maybe she was the insecure one and she was just trying to get back at him, but all the same, he was the one behind the bush.

Allan watched still as they kissed one more time and the man left. He watched lovingly at his love as she sat on the bench and sighed. He remembered that she had done that when they were in love, but he knew those days were over.

'Wait a second!' He thought. 'It can still work out! We can still be together! I still have a chance.'

Kaden waited on the bench for something. She didn't know what. Finally she stood, and walked right into someone. She fell over on the ground, getting considerably cold and wet.

"Oh, I'm so sorry-" She started to apologize when a calloused hand picked her up. A very familiar calloused hand. She looked up into Allans eyes. They weren't the ones she remembered. These eyes were filled with pain, sorrow and regret. "Allan."

"Kaden." They sat in awkward silence, and Kaden realized they were still holding hands. She snatched them back and started to walk away. "Kaden, we need to talk." He grabbed her arm, pulling her back into him.

"What about, Allan?" She said as sweetly as possible. He gave her the know-it-all look. Only Allan knew inside that Kaden had put her mask on. He cringed when she smiled innocently.

"About our relationship. I mean, we can't just give our relationship up over some dumb fight. I still love you, Kaden." She turned around in guilt.

"We don't need to talk about our relationship. It's over." She said coldly. She could feel him cringe when she said this.

"But I still love you, Kaden! Don't you still love me?"

"I have my own life now, okay Allan?"

"And I thought I was still part of your life." He argued.

"I need to go now." She said as she walked past him and down the hallway at a fast paced speed. She didn't want to have this conversation here, she didn't want to have this conversation now, and she didn't want to have this conversation ever. She could feel him follow her down the hall.

"Kaden." She heard that familiar voice behind her.

"Allan, I don't need to hear your excuses. I don't really need to hear you. Now, can you please just leave me alone?"

"Kaden, you don't understand, I-"

"And I don't need to." She continued walking in the direction of what she thought was her room.

"You have no right to be mad. I didn't do anything!" He blurted defensively.

"Exactly!" She turned and faced him with a sour look on her face and nasty words on her tongue. "You didn't do a thing! I know we haven't talked and we broke it off because of a stupid fight, but I've moved on! I have a new life, and since you didn't bother being part of it, I've taken you out of the picture." She willed herself not to cry, and turned her back on his surprised, beautiful face. "I don't want to talk to you, Allan. Leave your sorry excuses for people who care."

She realized one thing when she got back to her room; she still loved him. She collapsed on her bed and cried until her eyes hurt.

A/N: Hahahahah... evil laugh... MUAHAHAHAHHAH! Sorry, I just felt so happy writing fights, and if you've ever written one, you know how fun it is to do it. Ummm, R&R as always, and give me some love! Haha.

-AM