Chapter 36

The next morning, the Conté betrothal ring was back to sparkling from Eliena's left ring finger. The first place she went was to see Daine and Numair. Numair opened the door, this time not wearing a shirt. "Eliena," he sighed, and stepped aside.

"Hi, Numair. Put on a shirt please," Eliena said, breezing past and into the room. "Daine!" she squealed, holding out her hand.

"Great Mother Goddess, Eli!" Daine cried, grasping her friend's hand. "Does this mean…?"

"Who's making an honest woman out of you?" Numair asked coolly, sitting on Daine's other side. "Neal? Leo? Someone else we don't know about?"

"Ha, ha, ha, Numair," Eliena replied. "Leo."

"Oh, Eli!" Daine hugged her tightly. "That's so wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" She paused. "Again!" Eliena laughed. "When did you decide?"

"Well, last night, I had a long chat with my parents. My mother—don't look like that!—explained to me that I was pushing love away. She told me—from experience—that this was a bad thing, that I needed to embrace the love I was given. She and my father explained that Leo doesn't think me perfect—that he loves all my flaws." Daine sighed—it was so romantic! Eliena went on to describe the scene when she had told Leo she was willing to love him back and be his forever. Daine sighed again, and kept looking pointedly at Numair, as if to say, "See, Numair? This is how I want you to treat me!"

"Well, I'd better go," Eliena remarked, rising. "I still have people to tell!"

"When are you telling Neal?" Daine wanted to know, walking Eliena to the door.

"When I see him," Eliena replied, and left. Daine sat back down beside Numair.

"Why did you keep looking at me like that? You said yourself that you aren't sure you want to marry me quite yet!" Numair exclaimed.

"Yes, but I also said you could attempt to make it sooner," Daine reminded him.

Numair threw his hands in the air. "You know, you're really starting to remind me of Eliena."

"Excuse me, master, but I distinctly remember that you felt something for Eliena!" Daine's hands were on her hips and she stood over Numair, looking imposing. Numair sighed and rose. Daine had to look up at him—he was so much taller!

"I know, magelet, I know," he said, embracing her. "But that's why I love you—because you aren't Eliena." Daine looked up into his dark eyes.

"You love me?" she squeaked. "Like, really, truly? Like how Leo and Eli love each other?"

"I've told you I love you before," Numair told her, brushing a smoky brown curl from her face. "Don't you remember?"

"Of course I do. But… I never thought that there were more levels of love than marriage love and friend love," Daine admitted. "But, Leo and Eli…" Numair shut her up with a kiss.

"Veralidaine Sarrasri, I love you in the same way Leo loves Eliena. I love every cell in your beautiful body, every hair on your gorgeous head, and every aspect of your personality," he murmured, mouth only inches from hers. "I feel like the luckiest man in the whole world that you chose me—fourteen years your senior—to share your bed at night." Daine was too shocked to even respond. Numair looked into her eyes. "And if you don't think me too old, I'd love for you to be my wife."

"Are you?" Daine managed to squeak out. She cleared her throat. "Are you asking me to…marry you?"

"Unless you're going to say no, in which case I am not," he replied jokingly, but his eyes were serious.

"You can ask seriously," Daine told him.

"In that case…" Numair got down on one knee and held her hands. "Veralidaine Sarrasri, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

"Say yes!" a voice that sounded distinctly like the Green Lady's hissed in Daine's ear. Daine mentally rolled her eyes. Stay out of this, ma! She commanded. It seemed that Sarra had only spoken to her daughter, and not Numair.

"Daine?" Numair asked, looking concerned. "Are you going to give me an answer?"

"Numair Salmalín," Daine replied, "I would be fair honored to be your wife." Numair was silent.

"Is that a yes, then?" he wanted to know. Daine sighed.

"Odds bobs, Numair, yes!" she cried. "Its an absolutely, positively, without a doubt y-" Numair lifted her in the air, spinning her in circles. Daine squeaked, but was silenced by one of Numair's mind-blowing kisses. When he put her down, she clutched her head. "D'you have a ring for me, then?"

"Oh! Yes…" The mage fumbled around for it, finally producing a small black box. "Here it is." He opened it, revealing a slim gold band with the lightest green emerald Daine had ever seen. She gasped. It was the same color as the dress her mother wore as the Green Lady.

"Numair…" She looked up at him, eyes teary. "Its…beautiful."

"The same color as Sarra's dress," Numair whispered. "I looked all around so I could find one that color." Daine bit her lip to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks. One escaped, and Numair kissed it away. "Now Eli isn't alone in her betrothal," he whispered in her ear. Daine threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his strong bare chest—but not because she was sad.

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Eliena didn't see Neal all day long. If a voice in the back of her head said she was avoiding him, she ignored it. She finished her dinner as fast as she could, and then spent nearly ten minutes pacing outside the door of the pages' and squires' dining hall. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the big doors open. They squeaked. She winced as the room fell silent and everyone turned to stare at her. A shocked murmur rippled through: "The princess! Wait… what's that on her finger?" Eliena cleared her throat.

"Lord Wyldon, might I request permission to see Page Nealan?" she asked, biting her lip as her voice echoed in the silent room.

"I am fine with it," the training master replied, fixing his eyes on Neal's table. "Nealan?" Neal rose.

"Yes, my lord?" He bowed.

"Her highness wishes to see you."

"I heard, my lord."

"Watch your mouth, Queenscove," Lord Wyldon warned. Neal bowed as he passed the dais. He went out the doors and Eliena dragged him away.

"Gods, Eliena, what is so private that you couldn't say it there?" he wanted to know. "I was in the middle of a very important discussion with—Eli…your finger is sparkling with something big, shiny, red, and yellow." Eliena sighed and held her hand out to him. "Are you…again?"

"Yes, Neal. Leo and I are engaged…again," she replied. Neal nodded. "If you say anything bad about it, Queenscove, I swear I'll break your arm."

"I'm not." He smiled at her, but it wasn't a smile hiding his heartbreak. "I'm happy for you, El. I really am."

She looked at him skeptically. "You are?"

"Yes." Neal shook his hair out of his face. "You are Leo are really great together." Eliena put her hands firmly on her hips.

"Queenscove… what's going on in that tiny brain of yours?" she pressed.

"Nothing!" Neal insisted, throwing his hands in the air. "Gods, Eli, why don't you believe me?"

"Because I thought I knew how you felt about me," Eliena replied slowly. "But you don't anymore, do you?"

"I don't what?" Neal inquired.

"Love me," Eliena clarified bluntly. A smile spread across her face. "Mithros! Cressida! You…oh, Goddess!" She hugged Neal tightly. "You love Cress now don't you?"

"Love is a strong word," Neal said, but he was turning pink.

"Neal!" Eliena squealed. "This is wonderful!" She grasped his arms. "You and Cress are perfect together!"

"Eliena, calm down for a second. Are you forgetting something? Like that Cressida leaves for Carthak in a week to go try to woo the emperor?" Neal reminded her.

Eliena waved her hand and smiled wickedly. "Oh, piffle. You're forgetting who I am, Queenscove. I am Eliena of Conté, heir to the throne." She tossed her hair. "I can talk my parents into anything."

Author's Note- I liked that chapter, too! Gods, what is this? I'm writing these chapters I LIKE for a change! LOL. I still like the previous chapter better. Well, I'd LOVE to stay and chat on about my day, but I have to run out to training. Then I shall EAT! REVIEW.