Chapter 19

Eliena managed to get Daine into the pages' mess and sit with Neal and his friends with both of them going unnoticed. It was a small miracle that her magic hid them, as many pages were mages—including Neal! (AN- pages/mages! Ha! I RHYMED! Anyway.) Once Lord Wyldon was done with the blessing, Eliena took her magic off and sighed.

"Nice job," Neal complimented, ripping a piece of roll with his mouth. "Hello, Daine."

"Hello, Neal. Its nice to be able to talk to you again after almost four months," Daine said, looking meaningfully at Eliena. The princess sighed.

"What? Is it my fault I inherited my mother's temper?" she asked innocently.

"I hope that was rhetorical," Neal replied sweetly. Eliena swatted him.

"Shut your mouth, Queenscove," she told him, but she was smiling.

"How many times have you told him that in the past four years we've known him?" Daine asked. Eliena laughed.

"Too many!" she replied.

"Excuse me, El, but I distinctly remember you having trouble keeping your mouth shut," Neal remarked.

"Excuse me?" Eliena asked. "When?"

"Eli, you did used to have problems holding your tongue," Daine replied.

"Still do!" Neal said.

"Thanks, you two, really," Eliena commented sarcastically. "It really means a lot that two of my best friends have just high opinions of me." Neal put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed.

"Aw, Eli, you know we love you," he told her. Eliena gave him a sidelong glance.

"I sincerely hope you're using love in a purely platonic sense," she remarked.

"I do," Neal assured her quickly. Eliena cocked an eyebrow, sending the message that she didn't entirely believe him.

"Stop it, we're being rude," Daine reprimanded. She smiled at the pages. "Sorry, I don't know all your names."

"Oh! Sorry. Daine, this is Keladry of Mindelan, Esmond of Nicoline, Faleron of King's Reach, and Cleon of Kennan across from us. Seaver of Tasride and Merric of Hollyrose are on Neal's other side. Everyone, this is Veralidaine Sarrasri, the Wildmage," Eliena introduced. "Sorry, I always forget manners around friends."

"You have manners?" Neal faux-gasped. "No!"

"You, shut up," Eliena instructed.

"So, how are you all enjoying page training?" Daine asked.

"Its fine," Esmond replied.

"A little hard, though," Merric commented.

"Shut up! She and Eliena teach us sometimes!" Faleron hissed. "D'you want her sending the animals after you?" Eliena, Daine, and Neal exchanged a look.

"I mean, you two aren't hard on us," Merric corrected quickly.

"I think you have the wrong idea about how I work, Faleron," Daine said. "I'm usually a pretty calm person. It takes quite a lot to get me riled." Eliena and Neal nodded in agreement. "And I would never send animals after a person unless they really deserved it, or Eliena or her parents—or even her siblings—gave a royal order to do so."

"I can't believe you'd think she'd send them after you!" Neal exclaimed.

"I'm interested in where you heard such things about Daine, Faleron," Eliena remarked coolly.

"Everyone says it. It's a threat now," Cleon responded.

"'Everyone', Cleon?" Eliena and Daine asked together—they had the same views about such a generalization. "What else does 'everyone' say?"

"You shouldn't have used that phrase," Neal said. "These two don't like it."

"Not everyone can say something if we aren't," Eliena retorted. "So, clearly, 'everyone' is a bad choice of words."

"Like you never make them!" Neal scoffed.

"Excuse me, Page Eli-I-love-you-in-the-platonic-sense," Eliena shot back, "but I'd forgotten how perfect your word choice is!"

"Well, what do you want me to say, El? Eli, Daine and I think you're great? Eli, Daine and I like you? Eli—" Neal suddenly couldn't move his mouth. Every time he tried to take the purple fire away with his own emerald Gift, he looked like he was in pain.

"What did you do?" Kel marveled.

"Magic," Eliena replied. "Un—Master Thom taught me. It's a silence spell."

"Can you show us how to do that?" Cleon asked. "Because he'll need it when you aren't around."

"And, while you're at it, why not teach some of the teachers? I'm sure they'd love to shut him up," Merric put in. Neal was glaring at them, apparently, he could still hear. Eliena laughed.

"We'll see."

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"I can't believe you put the silence spell on me!" Neal exclaimed as he, Eliena, and Daine were walking through the gardens later than evening.

"What else could I do to make you shut up?" Eliena wanted to know.

"A simple, 'Neal, please be quiet' would suffice," Neal replied.

"It hasn't in the past," Daine put in.

"Why do you always agree with her?" Neal asked her.

"Because she's usually right," Daine replied.

"See?" Eliena told Neal triumphantly. "I'm better than you. So there." She stuck out her tongue at her friend.

"I never said you weren't," he remarked. "And, what are you, ten?"

"Maybe," Eliena shot back.

"Horse Lords, do you two ever stop?" Daine asked.

"No," they replied together. The three laughed, and Eliena tripped. Neal caught her in one of those romantic dips Jonathan was always doing with Alanna when they were dancing.

"Oops, careful!" Daine giggled. But then she saw that Eliena's violet eyes were locked on Neal's green ones and Neal was breathing hard. Oh, no. She saw it coming before it happened:

Eliena slowly shut her eyes and Neal pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that Daine couldn't tell if it was gentle or passionate. But, as Neal brought Eliena back up to a standing position and she wrapped her arms around Neal's neck, it became clear to Daine exactly what kind of kiss it was. And she didn't really think she wanted to see it.

"Uh, Eli?" Daine said, feeling queasy. "What about, you know, Leo?" Eliena flicked her hand, dismissing Daine. "Eliena!" Eliena broke her kiss.

"Leo who?" Eliena asked.

"Leonard of Pirate's Swoop Leo. You know, the squire courting you?" Daine replied. Eliena didn't seem to hear—she was too busy kissing Neal again.

Author's Note- HA! I've been planning that since… well, since about the time Eli let Leo start courting her! And I have the story planned out from here. –Hides from Eli/Leo fans- DON'T KILL ME! (I MEAN it, MSB!) REVIEW.