Chapter One: A Father's Concern

A noble king would be crazy if he didn't worry about his eldest daughter, any father would be. But, for King Ansem, he had more reasons to worry than any other father in the kingdom and beyond. Ansem's daughter was the next hire to the throne, meaning she would have to get married in less than two years timing. Naturally, he was concerned about the type of man she'd marry and what his main interests would be. There were also concerns about the kingdom, the war with Rixsap, and how happy she'd be ruling.

Being the daughter of Ansem, he knew she was born a leader. She had the instincts that gave her the pride and courage she needed to do this. Of course, there was no doubt in Ansem's mind that she wouldn't be able to do it…no, it was more worry about the war. The stupid war he no longer had complete control over, and now his daughter would have to face the real world as well. The harsh reality that killed her very mother…

Ansem named his daughter after her mother, when she died giving birth to the healthy baby girl. The king remembered watching his wife glow with happiness as she heard her daughter cry out, only being able to hold her for a mere twenty seconds. In that time, her little girl was silent, as if she knew her mother was going to leave her soon. Ansem was amazed by the way his new daughter instantly hushed down in her mother's arm, only to cry again when the woman's heart stopped beating.

"What are you going to name her, my lord?" The royal doctors had asked, days after the child still was born, her mother buried in the ground already. The king sat silently next to his sleeping baby on his bed., deep in thought about a suitable name. He glanced down at the young princess, she had a face that resembled her mothers, he knew she would grow to resemble her even more with age. He smiled for the first time in days, gently stroking the tiny princess' head with his large hand.

"Amanda."

Ansem sat upon his throne wondering about his daughter ,when his head guard presented himself with a low greeting. Ansem felt uneasy as the man bowed slightly and looked around for any sight of any other people being present. Satisfied with nobody else being around, he gracefully walked up to Ansem and talked in a low hushed tone of voice. The air around the older man thickened, his heart beginning to race with furry.

"Get me your best guard, NOW!"

________________________________________________________________

"So, I think maybe you should go with me."

"You know your father would never in a million years allow that." Lea laughed under his breath as he put away my freshly washed wardrobe.

"So? Maybe I can convince him." I smiled up at Lea, only admiring his gravity defying hair from the back.

"Yeah, okay, Princess." He turned his head, giving me a look from his breath taking eyes that would have me on my knees in seconds. "Have you picked out a dress yet, anyway?" Lea asked, turning his attention back to my almost full closet.

I sighed heavily, leaning back against my pillows in aggravation. Lea sensed my stress and knew I hadn't picked out and/or planned anything for my party yet.

"You really are a lazy princess." He laughed for second before I threw a brush at his head. Listening to the wood hit him hard on the back of his pretty little head. I lay with a satisfied smirk as he turned to show how much I had hurt him.

"Ow!" Lea complained, now walking towards my bed with a hand on the back of his head. "That bloody fuckin' hurt!" He cursed, lying down near the foot of my bed. I laughed, starting to feel a little bad for the red head.

"Awe, Lea." I cooed, crawling over to him and resting on my stomach to face him. He looked up through locks of red hair and I caught a glare in his eye as he mumbled something incoherent. "I'm sorry, what?" I asked innocently, using a hand to mess up his hair, my fingers brushing his.

"I said!" He bolted up, "You really are mean!" He crossed his arms as I looked up at him with an innocent smile, he'd forgive me in a matter of seconds.

"I love you, Lea." I smiled, bringing up one hand to touch his.

"I don't love you anymore!" He looked away, being absolutely childish. I sighed and sat up, thinking for a second on what to do.

"Lea?" I mocked sadness, wrapping my pale arms around him from behind and resting my chin on his shoulder. "I love you." I whispered softly, knowing for a fact the older teen couldn't resist.

"Well…I…Hmm, no!" Lea laughed uncrossing his arms and turning to face me fully. I unwrapped my arms and sat still, folding my hands in my lap as I gave him a sympathetic look. "Stop it." He warned, I visibly saw him relax at my look. "Hey, don't you try…oh come on this isn't fair." He complained.

"I love you?" I tried again, feeling my victory in within arms reach…literally.

"Okay, okay, okay." I immediately smiled up at him and lunged forward to hug him, he of course hugged back. "I love you too, Amanda."

I tensed up again, the happiness of my moment gone in just a flash. Lea also tensed, his arms tightening around me as I tried to let go. He knew better than to call me by my name, he knew. Lea swore to me he wouldn't ever say it. I closed my eyes, trying to hold back my emotions as he brushed his hands from the top of my bare neck to the top of the corset lacing on my dress.

"Please, let me say it once in a while…You can't hide your name forever." He whispered in my ear, and for once I didn't find comfort in his voice…I was only hurt.

"You…you promised me, you would never…never say it." I held back the wave of tears, attempting to keep my voice from stuttering.

"I know, but…I love saying your name. I know you hate it because it reminds you of her, but really…now it's your name." He tried to convince me.

"No! It was hers!" I violently shrugged him away, surprising myself as much as him when I pulled back. The tears were freely running down my face now, making it hard to see him correctly. I didn't want to cry, not now when I was happy. I hated to cry in front of him…I didn't like it when people saw me weak.

"Am-"

"Stop it, Lea!" I placed my hands over my ears, now I'm being childish. "Get out…"

He stopped talking, looking stunned at my command to make him leave. Yet, he didn't move a muscle and I knew he probably would remain there. Lea was just stubborn like that, he would never listen to me. Even with the title of a princess, he disobeyed me from time to time because he knew I loved him.

Without another word I got up and rushed out of the room, with the knowledge that he'd know where to find me. Lea would most certainly respect my wishes after I had left, right? Yeah, I probably won't have to see him for the rest of today. But, he knew better than to say my name. He knew it was the one, absolute one thing, I didn't want him to do. And now, he goes and says it…I'm not sure as to why…But, he did.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Ansem frantically ordered his guards and servants around as he searched the castle for the princess. In doing so, he got to her chamber in time to see a distressed Lea walking out of her room. His head bowed down, the spikes of his head falling towards the ground. Ansem was concerned, but had no time in asking the boy any questions.

"Lea!" Ansem shouted, getting the teens attention.

"Yes, my lord?" Lea asked rather dully, his back straightened to satisfy the king.

"Where is she? Is she inside her room?" Ansem placed his hand around the door knob as Lea sadly nodded his head no. "But, she's always with you, is she not?"

"…I'm sorry my lord…I'm afraid I've upsettin' your princess…" Lea looked away from the king, his body reacting on its own as he began to walk away.

"Wait! Lea, you have to help look for her. I need to tell her something very important." The king grasped Lea's shoulders, forcing the teen to look at him. Lea for a second thought Ansem was going to hurt him, but saw beyond the mighty grip. Ansem's eyes were full of worry and possibly defeat as he stared into Lea's rare eyes. "Braig's army was seen on Lxaity soil…"

___________________________________________________________________________________

I can't think straight in moments like these, when everything makes little to no sense at all. I was thankful for my own garden deep in castle, where nobody goes…mostly because they aren't interested in walking down the dark, gloomy hallway first. The gardener, Marluxia, has a natural talent for tending Earths rich soil and creating the most breath taking flowers. Sure, he had a strange magic that nobody could explain, but I didn't mind. He was an amazing person.

The day I met with Marluxia, he waved his graceful hand in a circle around a patch of dirt and to my amazement, a tall white rose appeared. From that day forward I gave him the job of creating my garden, as well as any other places on castle grounds. He enjoyed what he did and did it for little pay, but of course I paid him in great amounts. I also had a love for flowers, and with Marluxia's power I couldn't just give him enough money to buy a loaf of bread and some wine, no. I gave him enough to pay for his rent for about ten years, new clothes, new gardening supplies, and anything else he wanted.

So, this peaceful garden was created for me by Marluxia, a sanctuary within the darkness of my fathers castle. I sat upon a wooden swing sudden by vines of babies breath flowers, swinging slowly as the thoughts consumed my mind. The number one thought on my mind was of Lea…not my mother.

Lea was someone who was supposed to understand me the most and do as I wish without hesitation. Lea, was my servant from the heavens. He was loyal, beautiful, understanding, and just my best friend ever since he first started working here. He gave me the confidence I lacked as a princess, I sometimes thought he should be ruling the kingdom one day, not me.

Giving a heavy sigh, I griped the ropes holding up swing and tilted my head back to gaze up at the open ceiling towards the blue skies. I closed my eyes as I let the wind flow through my hair, thinking now about getting a hair cut before my party…My seventeenth birthday. One more year until I had to think about marriage.
"Thought I'd find you here…"

"Lea?" I bolted up from leaning back and tightly held onto the ropes, he gave me quit the freight. "I told you…I don't want to see you right now." I looked away from him as he slowly moved towards me, his boots crunching in the leaves that scattered along the stone path. I wasn't going to force him away again…I secretly wanted him to be near me right now.

"I know…But, you know a lot of people are looking for you right now." He stopped in front of me, kneeling down to be at my level. I continued to stare out at the arrangements of tulips across from the sparkling pond that boarded the wall. "Listen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that to you…I just thought…I don't know what I thought, to be utterly honest with you." He gave a short laugh, reaching out to take my hand that I unconsciously placed on my lap. Feeling his warm hand close over mine I closed my eyes again, he was too much. "Will you please look at me?" He whispered lowly, I loved that tone of voice.

I sighed slowly, turning my head to see him staring directly into my eyes. Hazel eyes met green eyes and for a spilt second…everything was okay in my world. The kingdom didn't matter, marriage didn't phase me, and not even the war was on my mind. He smiled almost sadly and brought my hand up to his lips, placing a soft, apologetic kiss there. I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my face as well when he pulled away and smirked up at me.

"You are forgiven." I rolled my eyes with a smirk as he jumped up like a child and did a victory dance of some sort. I laughed shortly and placed both hand in my lap, stroking the spot on my hand where his lips had been. I'm not going to lie, I imagined what it would've felt like from his lips to be pressed against my own.

"Thank you, your highness." He smiled…but than his smile was gone. "Oh…Oh! Please, forgive me again but, I promised to come find you and bring you to your father!" He was suddenly moving quickly, grabbing my hands and pulling me along with him down the stone path.

"What? Lea, what's going on?" Now I was concerned, Lea was never like this. He was always calm and collected. This wasn't like the red head to do.

"I'm not the person to tell you, but I can tell you that it's very urgent." He told me as he we walked past the miniature waterfall before the long corridor that led down here. "Please, just hurry." He said quietly.

I lifted my dress a little to run faster to keep up with him, the whole time he held my hand.

"Ah, there you are!"

"Father, what's going on?"

Okay, first Lea is pulling me along to run through the castle. Than I notice all the royal guards rushing around, along with almost every servant. Now, my father is giving me a look of distress and fear, I will have to admit, I'm a little scared.

Lea let go of my hand and gave a bow to my father, I glanced between the two men before noticing Lea was staring off behind my father. Before I had the chance to look behind him as well my father embraced me in his arms. Okay, somebody better start talking…

"Father! What in God's name is going on?" I asked, pushing him away almost forcefully, my crown tipping off my head at the movement. He sighed heavily, fixing my crown as he did and looked at Lea. Seriously…

"The Rixsap army was seen on castle grounds. My men have captured the invaders, but we all know that they were just the beginning. They had…things in their possession that lead us to believe they were up to no good." He avoided eye contact with me as he spoke of the Rixsap army, the men responsible for this ridiculous war.

"What things? What are they doing on our land?" I demanded answers, and these men were beating around the bush with them.

"Sweetheart, please-"

"No! Tell me at once, father." I needed to know why everyone was staring at me, well besides the fact that I just commanded the king of Lxaity to give me answers.

"…They had…well to put it simple they were going to do a kidnapping." Now, my father looked at me for a reaction, but I remained calm.

"And why are you concerned about it so much? We get threats EVERYDAY father." I sighed, he was overreacting, what else was new.

"Princess…If I may?" Lea began, looking towards my father for approval. The king nodded shortly at Lea, hoping he could explain better. "They were coming after you…Direct orders from King Braig. They found, ropes, a weird potion, a body bag already to take you away…Your name was on the bottle, it was designed for you…No doubt the masterminded chemist of Rixsap created it." Lea's voice echoed through my head at the confrontation…They were coming for me?…Why?

"Honey, please understand we are taking extreme caution now. We have twice as many guards, we'll have double night shift-"

"King Braig wants to kidnap me?"

"Yes, but please don't worry so much. Like you said, we get threats everyday, right?" My father placed a comforting hand on my face, but I remained staring off into space…I could've been kidnapped?"

"Oh, and for even more reassurance I have hired Aeleus."

My vision cleared as a very tall man came into my sight. His hair was dark and reminded me of flames, his eyes were slanted in concentration. He looked ready to fight off anyone that came into the room, I guess that was good.

"He is going to be with you, every hour of the day and night. He will keep his distance of course and remain outside your bedroom door at night. When he is not around, when he has to sleep in other words, Lea will be at your side." Ansem looked over at Lea now, his eyes almost unsure of what he was saying.

"And I will protect her…I will never let anything happen to you." Lea turned to me again, taking my hand into his again, the same hand he kissed moments ago. "I promise."

It amazed me at how sure he was about his words, and how much I believed him. Because it came from Lea, it meant I would never be in harms way. Lea never let me down.

"Okay…Now, I'm sure you'll be on your highest alert? And for now on, I do not want you wondering alone. Well, at least until this blows over." My father placed a jeweled hand on his forehead, the stress starting to take its toll, maybe his hair will turn silver soon.

"Aeleus, please escort my daughter and Lea to the ballroom, she has lessons in ballroom dancing to attend."

"Yes, my lord." Aeleus held nodded and walked forward until he got to me, I nodded my head and turned to start walking towards the ballroom. Lea was by my side talking, but I didn't pay much attention to what he was saying, I was too busy watching the guards around me whisper to each to each, obviously about me. What would've happened if they hasn't caught the men involved? Would I be well on my way to Rixsap?…What would I have done?