Disclaimer: I do NOT own these characters. But I DO own the events that follow. Enjoy! )

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun shone brightly into the entrance of the cave, streams of light escaping through the gaps of the treetops and illuminating the cave. He stirred a bit in his sleep as the light trailed into his eyes, slowly awakening him. He let a low groan escape his throat and rolled onto his back, feeling his bones stretch and crack, ridding his body of the morning ache.

"Wait…I'm lying down? But…how…" he thought, slowly opening his eyes and carefully scanning his surroundings. He was in fact on the ground, as far as he could tell, the floor of the cave. Trying to sit up, he winced, just then noticing the sudden stiffness in his arm. His eyes then rested upon the princess, lying right beside him, draped in the mossy blanket he had given her, using his stiff arm as a pillow, "How in the world did we end up on the ground?"

His pondering was cut short by the sound of a rustling blanket beside him followed by a groan that was similar to his. She raised a hand to her head and pressed her palm against her aching skull, mumbling out a dull "ow". He smirked, fighting back the strange urge to reach out and brush her hair away from her tanned face, moving himself away from her a little instead.

"Hmm…" she sighed, rolling to her back as well and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, slowly opening her azure optics and looking up at him, confusion quickly spreading throughout her innocent eyes, "Mister Zelgadis?"

"Y-yes?" he asked, snapping out of his daze.

"How did I…get on the ground?" she questioned, blinking a bit in her confusion.

"I…uh…I am not quite sure, Amelia. I was beside you when I awoke." He told her, gesturing to the space between them, only now realizing that he too was covered by the moss-colored blanket.

She followed his gaze and also noticed they had been sharing the thick blanket. She shook her head and slowly got to her feet to stretch, yawning in a slightly high-pitched voice before readjusting herself and straightening out her shirt. Walking to the cave's entrance, she poked her head out and smiled brightly. The rain had passed and the forest was green once more. From the looks of it, you would never have guessed it had rained at all. She ran out into the warmth and her smile broadened as she watched him follow out behind her, his pack once again on his back, the blanket they shared no doubt folded away inside once again.

"Ready to go?" he asked, watching her stop and look at him as if disappointed.

"I'm ready if you are, Mister Zelgadis." She said, trying her best to remain her normal chipper attitude.

"Okay, good." He nodded and began to walk off in their original direction with the young princess in tow, both still confused about so much that's happened in such little time, half of which they had slept through.

"The turns life takes us through sometimes…through the most confusing of loops and twists and turns…all to straighten into the smoothest of paths in the end." He reasoned, "The one problem, life leaves it up to us to smooth them."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Alright, guys. Chapter three's all finished. C'mon...give me a break already. One chapter per day is a lot on top of my club at school that just started as well as chores, homework, and my annoying little siblings who refuse to give up the computer. Plus...WRITER'S BLOCK! xx It attacked me big time throughout this one. So a few days break and I should be all set for a few more chapters. Enjoy, R&R to be lovelled forever, and so on. You get the drift. XD

--yawns and wobbles off to bed--