Chapter 48

Author's Note- high school sucks. I hate it. It's a 30-minute walk home. I hate it.

"Where's mother?" Eliena asked her father as he sat down at the table for dinner.

"I don't know," Jonathan replied, his voice clipped. "I don't run her life." Eliena raised her eyebrows.

"Did you and mother have a fight?" the princess demanded. "Because I will not have you mad at each other when we plan my wedding." It was Jonathan's turn to raise his eyebrows.

"Since when did you become the parent, mistress?" Jonathan asked. Alanna breezed into her seat, slouching. "Ah, Alanna. You've decided to grace us with your presence. How kind of you." Alanna muttered at curse at her husband.

"That's no way to talk to your husband, mother," Eliena said. Alanna glared at her daughter.

"If you want to keep your tongue, you will keep your mouth shut the rest of dinner," the Lioness snapped. Eliena raised her eyes and cleared her throat, turning away. Sam took her hand under the table.

"Excuse me, your majesties?" a female voice asked from behind them. Eliena turned to see Cressida.

"Yes, Cressida?" Jonathan replied.

"Might I borrow Eliena for a moment?" she requested.

"She's her own person, you needn't ask us," Alanna muttered. She waved her hand. "Go, Eli." Eliena rose and followed Cressida into the hall. They went into a vacant room and Cressida smiled wickedly.

"You know, Eliena, you never told me that Neal was more than just a handsome face," she remarked, picking at her nails. Eliena knew immediately what her friend was referring to. The princess frowned.

"Cressida… Neal's a sensitive man—" Cressida groaned.

"Oh, spare me the lecture about how not to break his heart." Cressida tossed her silky hair over her shoulder. "He told me not an hour ago that we can't continue." Cressida glared at Eliena. "And it's all your fault."

"What?" the princess asked incredulously. "How is it my fault?"

"He said your engagement has depressed him and he 'can't sleep with me on false pretenses'!" Cressida cried. "Imagine! Someone not wanting to sleep with me! Me!"

Eliena suddenly realized how much her friend had changed.

"You know what, Cressida?" Eliena asked, her tone casual. "You've turned into a real whore." Eliena went to leave.

Cressida gasped in fury and grabbed Eliena's shoulder, spinning her around. "How dare you call me that!"

"No, how dare you," Eliena hissed. "Take your hand off my shoulder or I'll have the Own in here faster than you can say, 'Help me.' You forget your place, Cressida. I'm the princess." Eliena's eyes were flaming. "More than that, get out."

"What?" Cressida blinked in disbelief.

"Get out. Are you hard of hearing? Get out of the palace and I'll talk over with my parents whether or not you can stay in the country."

"You can't do that!"

"Oh, really? Watch me." Eliena put her hand on the doorknob.

She practically felt Cressida smirk as the girl said, "What, you still have feelings for Neal, then? If anyone is the whore, its you. Don't think we all don't know about Neal and Leo." Eliena turned around and slapped her one-time friend across the face. She spat nasty named at Cressida and left.

Eliena stormed into the dining hall an announced, "Cressida has to go. As in, exiled from Tortall. She called me a whore."

"Eliena, this isn't the time," Gary whispered. Eliena looked at Gary.

"Don't you tell me what I can and can't do," she told him, voice dangerously low. "You aren't my father." She turned her eyes to Jonathan. "I mean it."

"Sweet, you can't go exiling people because they call you a name," Jonathan told her.

"She called me a whore!"

"I think that's reason for exile," Alanna said. She turned to her husband. "Our daughter's reputation is at stake, Jonathan! Imagine what Cressida could do! Tortall will never accept Eliena if they think she sleeps around." Alanna held Jonathan's eyes. "Think about it." Jonathan sighed and rubbed his temples.

"So you're speaking to me in civilized tones, Alanna?" he asked, turning blank blue eyes on his wife. "What changed your mind?"

"Oh, shut up," she told him. "Answer her question or I'll give the order myself!" Jonathan sighed again. He clapped and a servant appeared at his side.

"Please inform Lady Cressida that she should return home and gather her belongings. She has a week to leave the country. Send guards with her to be sure she talks to no one. If she is not out of Corus by midnight, there will be severe consequences," Jonathan said.

"As you wish, your majesty," the servant replied with a bow and went off.

Jonathan looked at his wife and daughter. "I hope you know what you've done."

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Eliena grabbed Neal as he was leaving the pages' dining hall. "What the—" he cut himself off when he saw Eliena. "What?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, I suppose congratulations are in order."

"Thank you. If you'll stop sulking, please, maybe we can have a civilized conversation." Neal smiled—he loved Eliena…in any and all of the meanings of the word. "Thank you, again. Now, what is this I hear that you slept with Cressida and now won't because it was under false pretenses."

"Cressida approached you?" Neal winced. Eliena nodded. "I was…hurt. That you didn't tell me. I thought we were closer. Then I was smacked around by some people." He inclined his head to indicate his friends. "And I realized that it wasn't about me, it was timing." Neal smiled. "Are you going to hide the lucky man from us all or do I get to meet him?" Eliena laughed. Neal laughed along with her, silently killing himself over his lies to her.

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Jonathan placed his hand on Alanna's shoulder. They were the last ones to leave the dining hall. She looked up at him. "What?" she snapped.

"Follow me," he instructed. "Please." Alanna could see in his eyes that he wanted to talk. She groaned and stood, following him out. They roamed the corridors. Outside a set of doors, Jonathan pulled a kerchief from his pocket. "I'm going to cover your eyes."

"Jonathan…" Alanna said. "What is this all about?"

"You'll see." Jon took her hand and led her through the doors. Alanna had no idea where they were or where they were heading.

They hadn't been walking long with Jonathan stopped. "OK. Close your eyes." He removed the kerchief. "Open." Alanna's eyes popped open. They were in the gardens.

"This looks familiar…" she murmured. "Oh, Goddess." She recognized it as the exact place he had kissed her that time on her seventeenth birthday. She turned to him. Jonathan was surprised to see her violet eyes were damp. "Oh, Jonathan." He enveloped her in his arms, rocking her as tears leaked from her eyes.

"I know you were mad at me, dearest, but I can't let you forget this place." He tilted her face up toward his. "It's our place—forever and always, this is our place." He kissed her tenderly. "I love you. I have for years—even before I admitted it to you. And this…" He gestured to the area where they stood. "This is proof of that." He smiled. "It's been a long time since that night."

"It has," Alanna agreed. She kissed him. "A lot has changed." Jon smiled wickedly.

"You're not a boy anymore." She swatted his arm.

"I was never a boy," she murmured. "I was always a girl."

Jonathan kissed her deeply and groaned. "I know, Alanna. And when I found out in the Black City, I knew I could never forget." His kiss sent her mind reeling, just as they had for their last eighteen-odd years of marriage.

Oh, Goddess, Alanna thought. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for sending me this wonderful man. I don't know how I could've lived without him.

The Goddess smiled in her mind's eye. –You've come a long way my daughter. I am proud of you.—Silently, the Goddess added, --Your daughter will make a lovely goddess one day.--

Author's Note- I liked that chapter. What a way to come back with an update after a few days, huh? REVIEW.

Oh, PS: (authoress has hit floor in a dead faint) Jonathan…