Author's Note- hey! I'm BACK! I was in Vermont for most of the week, but we were in Niagara Falls Friday to Saturday. It was kinda cool, but VT was better. I miss Smuggler's Notch! I'll have pix up on my homepage at some point soon-ish, so you can check that out when they're up. Getting back to the story, I have this chapter and I think that's all for "Eliena", but one for "Another Chance" as well.

Chapter 14

She must have all the boys after her, Roger thought as he watched the steadily glowing orb in front of him. (A/N- I used that in a non-fan fic story.)

Inside there was a scene: a girl of about seventeen, sitting at the side of a pool. She wore a dress of the palest yellow, it's long, flowing skirt several inches deep in the water. Her knees were tucked up near her face, which was lit by violet eyes. Black tendrils snaked down her back and a crown woven of flowers sat atop her hair. She used a stick to create shapes in the water, clearly lost in her own mind.

The girl Roger was looking at was not just any girl, nor was she a goddess. She was Princess Eliena of Conté, crown princess of Tortall.

Oh! Who might this be? Roger wondered as a decidedly male figure entered the protected area of the pool. Eliena turned and her thought-darkened face was brightened by a smile. Roger read her lips: Leo. She stood and her beautifully curving figure became noticeable. Eliena and the new arrival—who Roger decided was King Jonathan's squire, Leonard of Pirate's Swoop—embraced. The squire kissed Eliena deeply, the way only a lover can. Roger smiled. So the young princess has taken a lover. Roger knew that this tidbit could be crucial to bringing down his cousin, King Jonathan, and longtime enemy, Queen Alanna.

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"You look so beautiful," Leo murmured into Eliena's neck. The feeling of his breath against her bare skin made her shiver happily.

"I'm cold, though!" Eliena replied. "This may be heated, but its still freezing!"

"Then here." Leo removed his tunic and pulled it over her head. Eliena, several sizes smaller than him, hugged herself. It was still warm from Leo's body heat.

"I'm still cold." Her eyes twinkled wickedly.

"That's because the bottom of your dress is wet," he teased.

"It is? Oh, Mithros." Eliena moved her skirt to see that, yes, the hem of her dress was dark with water. She swore and Leo laughed. "Then come dry it off." She grabbed his shirt and pulled him against her mouth. Leo easily lifted her and sat them down, placing her on her back. He leaned over her, keeping their mouths moving. His lips moved to her neck and Eliena giggled, half-heartedly pushing him away. "Leo! Stop it! I'll stain my dress! Stop!" Leo sat.

"Then come here." He patted his lap. Eliena shook her head and went to a bench.

"No. You come here," she instructed. Leo groaned and went over to her. Eliena put her head on his lap and tucked up her feet. Leo stroked her hair.

"Mithros, El. Do you know how much I hate this?" Leo asked. She looked up at him, the question in her eyes. "Sneaking around like this. I want to tell the whole world how much I love you."

"But you can't," she murmured. "It would ruin both our reputations."

"I don't care," Leo confessed. He cupped her face and looked down at her. "I love you, Eli. And, Mithros, I want to marry you."

Eliena sat up. "Are you…?"

"Do you want me to?" Leo's hazel-eyed gaze was steady. Do I? Eliena wondered. Do I want to marry Leo?

"Yes, but not now. Give it a little more time." Leo sighed. Eliena put her hand on his arm and gave him a pleading look. "Please, Leo. I don't want there to be gossip about where I spend my nights—and there will be if we don't give it more time. I'll be queen one day, Leo. And I want respect from my people. Not opposition because they think their queen is a whore." She spat the last word. Leo drew her to him.

"No one will think you're a whore, Eli," Leo whispered. "We know better than to speak ill of our Tigress." He pushed her hair behind her head and whispered, even softer, "And all of us—Daine, Numair, me, even Neal—would make it very clear otherwise."

Eliena smiled and kissed him gently. "Thanks, Leo. And I would like to marry you, someday. But we need time. I don't want to regret anything later."

"I know you don't, El. And that's why I love you: you have a good head on your shoulders, even when your heart is telling you to dive in."

Author's Note- I liked that chapter. I really did. Now, REVIEW.