A/N: The 'lovestruck' definition is inspired by wikipedia.

CHAPTER 3

Takara was sent to town, along with Lowel, to find a certain vendor who was capable of ordering an ample supply of a rare spice.

She'd been wary of leaving the castle. The people in her day-to-day life had gained her trust to the extent that she didn't expect any of them to try and kidnap her, but the same could not be said for the people of Clarines. Her last encounter with a group of citizens had knocked her unconscious, but Lowel's companionship on this journey was enough to make her accept the directive.

He was of tall stature. Dark hair and dark eyes, combined with a permanent scowl, served to make him an imposing figure who she thought capable of keeping even the boldest of criminals at bay.

There was more to her acceptance of this task though; she knew that no one would grow accustomed to her unusual features if she kept herself hidden. Remaining in the kitchens was easy, but there would come a time when she had to leave and it would be better to do so under her own power first. In any case there was really no way to hide her eyes short of wearing a veil and that would draw just as much attention, so she'd decided that now was the time to begin acclimating the populace to herself.

It was an uncomfortable walk to the shopping center; none dared approach, but staring couldn't be helped. She supposed this was something she would have to grow used to. There would always be an element of the population who gaped. At least here and now she did not have to fear being carted off by some stranger on a mission.

The merchant was easily found, her stall was a large one and the wait in line was near twenty minutes, but the palace's order for seasonings was gratefully accepted; the two returned to the castle with written conformation and an estimated delivery date that was one week out.

Standing in a line full of curious people hadn't turned into the torture she'd expected. Few asked about her eyes or hair, though a couple commented that Clarines had attracted unique people in recent years citing the royal pharmacists Ryu, the young genius, and Shirayuki, the woman with red hair who was close to the beloved second prince Zen. It seemed to be a source of pride.

Perhaps the people of this kingdom would accept her yet.

/~/

Izana had precious little time for thoughts of women, other than his mother who remained at Wilant Castle and he had no cause to be concerned about her. So why was it, he wondered, that he could not help thinking of Takara?

His thoughts of her were only small musings that entered his mind as he went through the motions of reading and sorting tedious paperwork, but he could not recall a time when he'd thought of another in a similar way. Excepting Zen.

It was a curious development.

He supposed he felt an understandable measure of concern for the girl. That was a reasonable explanation. Takara had been under palace employment since early autumn and the days were growing colder, perhaps he was worried for her health.

But, that was an errant care and unnecessary. He had no reason to fear for her. The royal pharmacists would be prepared to handle any illness she may contract in the winter months and she'd likely developed a healthy immune system in all her days of travel.

With those accommodating reflections he attempted to put Takara out of his mind, but it seemed this chore would not be so easily accomplished. Through his unwanted thoughts of her he continued his work, tried to ignore the growing and alarming desire to request her presence, and silently berated himself for developing such an inappropriate affliction.

There was no call for this. He'd never been distracted by a woman before and now was not the time to have the experience. In fact, he thought it would be preferable to live his life without ever experiencing the hardship. Unfortunately it seemed that he was destined for another fate because even now, after near twenty-four hours away from her, she remained in his mind.

The unwanted thoughts were temporarily put aside when his retainers arrived for a meeting. Many things were discussed and for one hopeful moment he thought he was finally rid of her, but the topic of inter-castle relations was brought to his attention and she returned full force as most of this discussion centered on her arrival and the ensuing days of confusion.

It was mentioned by one that she'd brought the rumor mill to a full crescendo, another spoke of her work ethic as described by other kitchen aids, and someone else mentioned that she'd gone into town that morning.

"It would seem," Izana's quiet tone brought the speech of the others to a halt. "That she is a source of interest to many, however it appears that this is not impeding work that must be done." He did not look at the men he spoke to; instead he kept his eyes on the papers before him, moving one to a side pile and pulling another forward. "There are other things to discuss."

The meeting continued, the topic of Takara passed into something less than gripping, though far more important Izana told himself, and it was near two hours later that his advisers were dismissed. Plans had been made for another trip away from the castle and preparation would begin immediately for this important visit to Lyrias.

/~/

"They say he is to be engaged!"

With Izana's departure came gossip; the reason for his trip to Lyrias was the topic this time. Truly Takara was not interested in this talk, she did not care to know about the personal affairs of anyone at all, but Suzuki could not be dissuaded and even Dina seemed curious enough to listen.

"To whom?" The brown-haired woman couldn't help but ask. As focused as she normally was on her duties this chitchat held her attention.

"To Haki-san! She is the Head of the Academy District at Lyrias and he has gone to make the engagement official!" Suzuki was near vibrating with excitement.

"That sounds awfully formal," Takara muttered.

"Of course," Dina told her. "This is royalty we're talking about. It's no simple matter to marry the man who will be king."

She supposed that was true, but her thoughts on the matter remained unchanged. What sort of marriage would come of one put together this way? Then again, she didn't really care. It was no business of hers who the first prince married or how he went about finding his bride.

"She is very intellectual," Suzuki enthused. "And beautiful. I saw her once when she came here to give a report, but that was before you arrived Takara. I wouldn't have guessed they were to be engaged then."

"Well, however it turns out we're not involved," Dina said. "We have no say in it."

Suzuki sighed. "Yes, I guess that's right... But, it's still exciting! Maybe there will be a wedding soon!"

"That will mean more work for us." Takara was not partial to the thought. "Think of how many guests there will be and how long they'll stay!" She shook her head, annoyed with the very idea; a royal wedding would be nothing but a nuisance to her.

She left the company of her co-workers soon thereafter and retired to her small bedroom within the lodging house. It was nothing to brag about, but neither would she complain. The bed was comfortable, the window looked west, and she had perfectly adequate storage for her few items of clothing.

Her work for the day was done. After spending the last two days covering for an ill workmate, and after having done the same the week before, she'd been given two and a half days of 'vacation' time. What they thought she would do with herself she had no idea, but though she'd protested mightily her objections feel on deaf ears. She would have no duties for the next two days.

There was nothing to be done. She supposed that rest was the first order of business, but one could only do so much sleeping. What was she to do with so many hours? She could hardly remember a time when she was without an occupation. Prior to this new phase of life she'd always been on the move, looking out for danger and hoping to have a day's travel in peace. To think that she was expected to do nothing...

She couldn't even imagine it.

/~/

In the end Takara's holiday was short lived. The next morning she was called upon to fill in for yet another poorly worker. It seemed an illness was slowly working it's way through the staff and was easily passed from one host to the next. It was not a serious sickness, but it was enough to confine the ill to bed for a day. The royal pharmacists produced medication to deal with the symptoms and health soon returned, but for a week and a half there was no escaping the malady.

By that time the first prince had returned, but as he'd not brought the rumored fiancee with him the excitement was limited.

"Aww," Suzuki whined. "I was hoping so much that there would be an announcement!"

"We can't expect something so soon," Dina reasoned. "Even if they are engaged now there are probably still things to discuss. It would be stupid to declare something like that without being sure."

Lowel, who was passing through the kitchen, made no comment and Takara also refrained from remarking on the discussion.

Her time off was set to begin in the morning. For the moment it appeared all was well within the kitchens and she would not be needed for a couple of days. Again she'd tried to argue her way back into the flow of things, but her attempts were thwarted on all fronts. She was not to work and she would not be allowed to even if she begged.

"Everyone needs to rest sometimes, Takara." Dina's tone was stern. "It would not do for you to work yourself to a point of exhaustion. This way your time is scheduled and prepared for, rather than taken suddenly."

She could not argue against that point and supposed it was logical. She did not feel that she was on the edge of collapse, but it was better to take time away long before she fell into crisis.

So, with her arguments taken from her, she had nothing to do but accept that she would spend two days in quiet solitude. Perhaps it would not be so bad as she'd thought it would. She'd lately discovered the palace library and had learned that she was welcome to visit it whenever she had the time.

/~/

The next morning indeed found her within the library. She entered on the first floor and spent many minutes pursuing the shelves in search of something to read. In the end she found herself seated at a small round table surrounded by books on everything from the history of Clarines to the current theories of science.

Takara was not aware that her study was observed. Izana stood on the balcony above, gazing down upon the black-haired girl with a slight frown. A thought had occurred to him, one he did not like, and the longer he watched her the more he felt certain that his intuition was correct.

It was not until a missive was brought to her and received, opened and read, that he realized exactly what it was he felt. When she began to cry he found himself moving down the winding staircase before he could form a coherent thought and her surprised jump, when he placed a hand on her shoulder, did not bring him a smile as it had before.

He did not allow her step away, though he could have and one part of him berated the other for this failure, instead he took her letter for himself. She did not protest this as she was too busy trying, and failing, to wipe her eyes and stop the flow of tears.

The script was not elegant and hardly legible, but Izana understood enough to see why it had caused her to cry. Her father had sent this, apologizing for his failures and for her difficult life. He told her that he'd not known of her troubles, had only thought that she remained at the home to which he'd sent her, and begged forgiveness for his neglect.

The handkerchief Izana offered was grudgingly accepted and though she demanded to be allowed to wash and return the object, he insisted that she keep it.

"Think of it as a gift," he said in an offhanded tone as he strode away, ignoring her attempts to change his mind. A gift it was; he could not deny it no matter how badly he wished to.

This was foolishness, all of it nonsense.

It seemed that he was no better than Zen.

/~/

There was something very wrong with her. Had she not been in tears over the sentimentality of the letter sent by her father only moments ago? What was this fluttering in her stomach and why had she stuttered so badly when attempting to return the first prince's handkerchief?

She felt slightly ill, yet simultaneously an irrational happiness had her biting back a smile.

This was a bizarre combination of emotions and she didn't think she'd ever felt anything like it before.

Luckily she was in a library filled with books on a variety of subjects, including illnesses.

Takara made quick work of finding tomes related to her new interest and took to page flipping in hopes of finding an explanation for this sudden turn of ill health. Much to her dismay there didn't seem to be anything viable listed within her range of symptoms. She doubted this was life threatening, but–

"Lovestruck?"

Historically, being lovestruck has been viewed as a short-lived mental illness brought on by the intense changes associated with romantic love.

Some of the symptom clusters shared with being lovestruck include:

Abnormally elevated mood, inflated self-esteem, extravagant gift giving, tearfulness, loss of concentration and difficulty sleeping, high blood pressure, pain in chest and heart, and acute insomnia. Preoccupation and hoarding valueless but superstitiously resonant items, psychologically created physical symptoms such as upset stomach, change in appetite, insomnia, dizziness, and confusion.

Absurd. She was going to return the handkerchief, not keep it in remembrance. She felt nothing of the kind for Izana.

Takara shook her head violently. That was too familiar of her! He was not 'Izana', he was the first prince of Clarines. The engaged first prince of Clarines. Only a fool of the worst kind would develop romantic feelings for that sort of character.

Still, perhaps she ought to be on her guard against the abstract sickness. It seemed far too easy to mistake his actions for kindness when they likely were not.

Books returned to their rightful places and Takara abandoned the library, hoping to put those ludicrous thoughts behind her, but the sentiment was not so easily uprooted.

She found herself in the gardens, wandering amongst the hedges, unable to forget the odd sensation that had come when he presented her with the square of cloth. A near painful tightening in her chest, as if her heart was somehow restricted, and a strange urge to reach for him as he swept away.

Surely that could be attributed to her other emotions in that moment? She'd been upset by the letter and Izana, no, the first prince, just happened to be there. She was grateful for his comfort and perhaps she'd been a tiny bit flattered, but that was all. There was nothing more to it, no deeper meaning.

Or so she tried to tell herself, but upon realizing that she was reflexively dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief she was forced to consider the possibility that she was experiencing an early stage of the so-called 'Lovestruck' illness.

It was almost laughable, the idea that she could be on the edge of falling in love. She'd never held any sort of romantic inclinations, had been running from those who did for many years, and to think that she should fall prey to those silly notions was loathsome. Especially when she considered that Iz- the first prince, was already engaged to a woman of rank and distinction.

She would not allow this to happen. She would not be in love with anyone at all, much less the first prince of Clarines.

With those discontented thoughts in mind Takara puttered around the garden, never realizing that she was being watched from an upper floor window by the very man she sought to put from her thoughts.

/~/

He was out of his mind, his heart was a traitor, and resistance was futile.

There was no single action of Takara's that he could point to for this failure of his, but he did hold her partially responsible for his undoing. Had she not been so strong willed, so painfully blunt and blindingly beautiful he would have never fallen for her.

But she was all those things and more and he could hardly blame himself for what happened; many before him had fallen into this trap, though he refused to follow the actions of those wayward simpletons. He would make no attempt to hold the girl against her will as countless others had. If they'd been in possession of any sort of sense they would have realized that that was the surest way to ensure that she abhorred them forever; he was not as stupid as they had been.

Perhaps he was a bit dim though. Who in their right mind would allow themselves to become entangled with a person of low social status when they knew that they had to marry well?

This was not a matter of vanity, but one of state. It would not do for the King of Clarines to wed below his station. Haki was not of direct royal blood, but she was a high ranking member of court, fair of face, and the Head of the Academy District at Lyrias. She knew well the demands that would be placed upon her and was prepared to stand under the strain that would come with her position. The people of Clarines already had a favorable opinion of her.

This was a duty he could not shirk; he could not indulge in levity the way Zen did. His younger brother held an important role, but being the second prince had afforded him a greater level of freedom than Izana had ever experienced.

In truth it was not impossible for Zen to be with Shirayuki, especially considering the way she'd begun to endear herself to the people of the kingdom. She'd already proven herself adept in the role of royal pharmacist and she had no intention of giving up on her goals; neither did Zen and, if he were being honest, he did not want to stand in the way if their feelings for one another were real and unwavering.

Zen had won that battle, but it would do no harm to let the boy flounder for a while longer. He could always use a consistent source of amusement and with the unwelcome entrance of Takara into his life–

And there she was again. Returned to his mind though he'd not invited her. He was not to be rid of her and he was not even sure that he wished her gone. Instead he found himself watching her as she ambled amidst the shrubberies, still holding onto his handkerchief.

His happiness at the sight was illogical and the frown, which came to his face when she suddenly threw the trinket to the ground and walked away from it, unrestrained. Not a minute later however she returned, with brisk steps, to retrieve that which she'd abandoned.

Her actions were incomprehensible. What was she doing now? Staring at the cloth with such an odd expression, bringing it to her face and touching it to her lips...

The hand he'd braced against the window tightened into a fist and the other ran through his hair. The direction his thoughts had taken was hardly innocent and, if the cherry-red coloring that flared upon her cheeks was any indication, neither were hers.

Was that possible? Might she be attracted to him?

Even if his newly realized feelings were not unrequited he held doubts about what could be done. Romance was out of the question, but perhaps friendship could be managed.

The roll of his eyes was involuntary as he thought about the way Lord Haruka would react should any kind of relationship form. The man was highly mistrustful of Shirayuki's motives, how much more would he suspect a woman who was nothing but a kitchen aid?

Takara would not search him out, he knew enough of her character to glean that much, but it would be inappropriate for him to instigate publicly.

Izana made no attempt to hide the smirk that appeared as he wondered over the ways in which a friendship could be forged in secret.