Caitlyn is 6, which makes Halt 9 in this one. I just realized how short these chapters are... hm...

Caitlyn peeked around the corner, her hands over her mouth to suppress a giggle. She saw her oldest brother walking slowly across the floor, looking under every table, every desk he came across, and peeking into every hallway he passed. She couldn't stop the smallest of giggles from escaping, but she was quick to dart around the corner again before he saw her.

She bit her lip to stop another giggle from escaping.

Halt will never find me, she thought smugly. The young princess was practically bouncing in place, enjoying the game more than she probably should have been.

"Cait? Where'd ya run off to?" he called softly. Her shoulders were shaking with the near-impossible task of not bursting into laughter.

She risked another peek around the corner. Her brother wasn't there anymore. She ducked back behind her corner, sliding to the floor in a sitting position, and allowing her giggles to escape freely. Halt wasn't there anymore, so there was no more risk of-

"GOTCHA!"

Caitlyn let out a small shriek, fighting against the hands that had wrapped themselves around her torso and picked her up. But she recognized this hold, and she recognized that voice.

She started laughing, still struggling to break free of her oldest brother's grasp.

"Halt, lemme go!" she exclaimed, still laughing.

"You want me to let you go?" he asked. She stopped struggling and turned her head to look at him. He didn't smile much, but she could always see the thinnest of smiles that he tried to hide all the time. She didn't see why it was so hard for everyone else to find them.

But she loved that about her brother. It was like his smiles were for her, and her only. They were her smiles, and she suspected that he gladly gave them to her.

She nodded at him, trying her hardest to look commanding. Halt raised an eyebrow – his signature look – one of his secret smiles on his face, a light shining in his eyes. He shrugged once.

"Alright, I'll let you go," he said. Caitlyn let out another overjoyed squeal when he suddenly raised her up higher and slung her over his shoulder. She understood what he was doing and acted accordingly. She twisted in his grip so that her legs were facing the floor and her face was on top of his head. She wrapped her arms around his neck, being careful not to choke him, and then wrapped her legs around his torso.

She felt him put his arms under her thighs to support her weight. A wide grin overtook her face and she pointed forward, trusting that Halt wouldn't drop her.

"Forward!" she shouted. "Go horsie, go!"

Halt didn't laugh often, but he let go a short bark of laughter at her command.

"Yes, your majesty," he said in a serious voice. "As you wish."

He ran off down the corridor, Caitlyn laughing and whooping and waving hello to everyone they came across.

The ride was excellent. She was enjoying every moment of it, occasionally leaning backwards so that she could stare up at the ceiling. She could feel Halt underneath her, not faltering, not seeming to get tired.

But the fun didn't last forever.

He turned a corner and stopped abruptly, losing his balance and falling over backwards. Caitlyn grabbed onto him tightly as he went down, feeling his body shift around so that his arms were suddenly wrapped protectively around her.

She landed on his arm and heard him gasp in slight pain. Caitlyn dug her way out of Halt's grasp as quickly as she could, kneeling beside him and inspecting his arm. He was clutching it tightly to his chest, a pained expression on his face.

"Haltie, are you alright?" she asked frantically. She felt panic start to seep into her brain. Was her brother badly hurt? Was his arm broken? WAS HE GOING TO LOSE HIS ARM?!

"Prince Halt!" someone exclaimed. Caitlyn turned around sharply, staring up at the servant guy holding a tray. He set it down on the floor now and leaned closer to Halt to examine his arm. Caitlyn crawled over Halt to wrap her arms around his head. She gently lifted it into her lap and started stroking his hair.

She didn't know what it was for. She just knew that she had seen her mother do it to Ferris when he was upset, or hurt, or… well, anything, really. Ferris was always fine again very soon, so she thought that maybe it was a way of healing people.

"I'msosorryyourmajestyIdidn'tseeyouI- "

"It's alright," Halt said through gritted teeth. The servant helped him sit up, Caitlyn backing up a bit to allow room for the action.

"Haltie?" she asked. Halt turned to her, one of his more visible, extremely rare smiles on his face. It was a reassuring sight, and she felt her panic start to go away.

"I'm alright, Cait," he said. "Seriously. Why don't you go and find a doctor, ok?"

Caitlyn nodded. Doctor. The guys with the white clothes. She could do that. She stood up and ran off, knowing which direction to run in. She missed the servant shaking his head and missed his next words.

"You're very strong, Your Majesty," he said. Halt shook his head.

"Caitlyn's the strong one," he said. He smirked humorlessly, his eyes betraying the pain in his arm. It didn't seem broken, but his wrist was definitely sprained. "I'm just trying to ease her panic."

The servant once again shook his head in admiration for his prince.