Nixiesocean: I forgot what number I started at… so, oh well. I'm updating. Mostly for my friend, Shadow of Faith. She's addicted to my stories, so. Lol. Ah well, keep reading. Please review! Thank you.

For all of you who like a good romance… I shall say no more! Bwhahaha!

P.S. Please Review!

Chapter 12: Saoirse: Freedom

Kyne turned to the stable boy, Favian. His confused thoughts were plain on his face. "Wh- How do you know her?"

The stable boy didn't stop shoveling. He had to answer, I had given him a royal order."I worked in her father's stables. She dressed as a maid every day to talk to me. When I tried to kiss her one-day, she freaked out. She stumbled backward and her hair fell around her face," He was still doing his job but had the look of sorrow. Sorrowful, like he had lost something dear to him. "Her hair betrayed her in the end. I told her we couldn't keep seeing each other if she was a princess. I guess she never got over it. I left that night so she wouldn't be tempted, I think she took it the wrong way."

"Apparently," Kyne snorted. Something dawned on him. "Is that why she hates men now?" Favian shrugged. Sighing, Kyne left the boy to his work. Though, he couldn't really call him 'boy'. He was only a year younger than the prince. He decided to visit the princess, who he had heard, was shaken up from the meeting with Favian.

Kyne looked back on his first love, Lady Carys. He realized that his first love wasn't so perfect. It was flawed. That maiden had betrayed him in the end. Of course, it was probably just lust. She had had so many flaws that he had overlooked, that he thought would go away if he ignored them. She was, like the ideal maiden, beautiful. Then his thoughts drifted to Princess Fria. She had been so much like his first love. Only, the princess hadn't been flirty-kind to him the day they met. The princess treated him like dirt. Carys hadn't. She had been perfect to him, so perfect. Kyne had immediately loved her. She had that air about her. That air had made him follow her like a lost puppy. She had kissed him the day after they met. It had been exhilarating. He had felt a fire in his stomach; he had kissed her right back.

Glimpsing back a month ago, he knew the only way he had been released from her charm was the prospect of meeting Princess Fria. He had been drowning by Carys' affections. He hadn't even known that she wasn't in love with him. The day after he had received a pencil drawing from one of his messengers of Princess Fria, he had sent Carys away. He had thought that surely this newer woman would love him in return. But, instead, she was the opposite of Carys. She hated him because he was a man. She refused to flirt or even look at him in the eyes.

It had been a month to the day. A month ago, he had dismissed the power-hungry woman from his presence. He had dismissed a beauty for an aloof princess. If he judged the two women, he would choose Carys' beauty over the princess' attitude. He turned a corner and arrived at the princess' room.

"Princess Fria?" He lightly knocked and spoke at the same time. "Uh, excuse me."

"Go away." A voice called. He felt vehemence in that voice and decided to leave the princess to whatever she was doing. Prince Brennin rounded the corner.

"Excuse me, Prince Kyne." He was holding a bowl with water. I moved aside, letting Princess Fria's brother past. Wait… did he just speak?

"Prince Brennin!" I said, turning. He was almost inside the door. "Ask her if she would like to come to dinner, seven bells past noon." He nodded and went inside, sliding a note under the door. Kyne stooped to pick it up. It was in a complexly flourished writing. People that do not know one another or have never met use extremely formal writing like that style of writing a letter.

Prince Kyne,

My brother and I will be leaving in three days' time. I will not regret it. I cannot say much more, except that you should get rid of that disrespectful stable hand if you would ever like to see my face again. Brennin will tell me if you have. If not, I shall stay locked up inside this room for three days.

Signed,

Princess Fria, Heir to the Crown of Auszin and Guen.

Kyne sighed. She seemed like a control freak. Favian wasn't in the wrong. He couldn't just fire him and leave him without a job. Besides, if what he said was true, it was a misunderstanding on the princess' part. Not Favian's. He did want to talk to the princess more, to get her to know more. She was distant and aloof.

Two days passed without the knowledge of any of the three royals. Kyne's parents left to tour the small country, leaving Kyne as steward. He had devised a plan. Favian could get work at a local inn or tavern. Princess Fria would think that he had dismissed Favian. Kyne smiled. It would work. He thought he owed her something for freeing her of the grasp of Carys.

He walked to the stables, to talk with his stable hand. Favian agreed, with another sad look at Kyne. He nodded and walked out with his things, as if he had been dismissed.

He sauntered inside, and to the intersection between his quarters and Princess Fria and Prince Brennin's. There, stood Princess Fria with Prince Brennin at her side. Like she had so often done.

"We're leaving tomorrow, Prince Kyne." She said, looking somewhat at his chest. "I thought I'd tell you that. In case you forgot." Her eyes were at his chin.

"I did not, Princess Fria." He replied conversationally. "I take it you know I dismissed Favian, at your request?"

"I do." She said. Her eyes rested on the tapestry behind him. Prince Brennin stepped up behind his sister. "Why else would I be out here, talking to you?"

"I had not thought of that, Princess. I merely thought you were reminding me of your departure." Kyne said coolly.

"Fria?" Whoa… he spoke again. Prince Brennin pulled out a small paper. "Mother wanted me to give this to you the night before we were to leave." He acted as if the prince was not present. Princess Fria gave him a 'why-didn't-you-give-me-this-in-private?' look. Prince Brennin gestured at the note. She read it, eyes scanning the page quickly.

"What!" She yelled. "I'm suck with you!" She yelled, pointing at the prince. "You- it's your fault!" She stormed off, leaving Prince Brennin looking at Kyne.

"It's not, Prince Kyne. Mother requested she stay another month. If that's okay with you?" Prince Brennin asked the steward/prince.

"It is." Kyne agreed, this meant more time for him to get to know her.

"It also says she has to speak civilly and equally to you, Prince. That is the part she is not happy about. I take it you have deduced that she severely dislikes the race of men, save my father and I." Wow. How long did it take him to come up with that?

"I did, I guess was because of Favian's rejection?" Kyne asked, now intrigued.

"Yes." The foreign prince replied. "Do not tell her I spoke so informally to you. She wouldn't like it. I must go pack. I am to leave tomorrow." He bowed and left.

Kyne turned down his hallway and into his rooms. He sat at the drawing table and opened a small drawer that held his important papers. He lifted that stack out of the drawer and pulled out one piece. Its edges were torn and the ink slightly smudged. On the bottom was the name of the object of the quick sketch. Princess Fria.

He pulled out a blank paper and a quill. He set the papers back inside the drawer and locked it with a key. Setting the picture in front, he trimmed the quill and dipped it into the jet-black ink. It was practically a copy, except for his flourishes. He added hair to her head and took away the prominent cleavage (which had been exaggerated). He drew in the queen's garb of Auszin, which he remembered from a book in the library. When his candle had melted to the candle he rubbed his eyes and looked at the picture. He blinked. She was beautiful.

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I said goodbye to Brennin. I told him I would be back in a month. I wouldn't be different and I would be back and keep taking my classes so I could change the way society was run. I would take the throne single.

"I refuse to talk with that despicable prince." I told him that morning. He just shook his hand.

"Fria, you're going to be very lonely. Even I have enough sense to flirt with girls." He laughed. "Don't worry. Even if you comeback with a man at your side, I'll love you the same." He patted my shoulder. His brown hair spun as he turned to leave me at this dreaded palace with an annoying man. I turned and came face-to-face with the prince.

"Excuse me," I said icily. "But I must be off to the library." He nodded and swept his as an indication of him allowing me to go. When I hesitated at an intersection, I found him silently behind me pointing to which hallway to go. I nodded, trying not to notice his presence behind me. Finally, when he followed me up to the Romance area, I turned. "Why are you following me?" I yelled.

He smiled. "It's a library, Princess." He said quietly. "I'm making sure you don't get lost, the palace is decently large."

"I don't give a crap if this is a library, you're acting like a stalker." I hissed through clenched teeth. If he wouldn't leave, I would… oh crap. I love books way too much to do such harm to a library. Not the place that had harbored me during the worst emotional storm… no! Get that out! I shook my mental head vigorously. I turned away from the prince-stalker. "I only wonder why a prince read such an emotional book as The Lost Memory. Men don't read those." I said to him without really talking to him. I grabbed the book I was looking for, Love?, and turned to leave. "Men are heartless." I said coldly. I quickly walked of leaving the prince behind looking at the Romance shelf.

The librarian smiled kindly and handed me back the book after writing down which one was borrowed. "Here you, your highness." She said politely. "Have a good read. I've heard it's a great book." She went on babbling about how good my book was, how everyone who wanted a good romance story should read it et cetera. I slowly inched myself away from this freaky woman. I slowly walked down the hall and turned. I went past an open door. As I peered in, I saw a man, of similar build to my father, standing, nay staring, at the throne. When he turned to leave, I dashed behind one of the opened doors.

"No need to hide, my dearest niece." He said airily. "No need to hide." He came around the door, gently pushing it shut.

I hesitated. "N-niece?"

"Oh, yes." He feigned surprise that I didn't know such a fact. "Didn't your dearest father and lovely mother tell you?" He laughed a hearty laugh. "Oh my brother. He forgets such important facts." He neared. I saw the haggard look on his face that was so different from my father's cheerful face. "Especially when he takes the throne!"

Now I was rightly confused. My father had never spoken of a brother. My father never lied. My father's lineage had never spoken of a brother he might've had. My world was being turned upside-down. My head spun.

"Who are you?" I asked. Everything seemed to spin.

"Perhin. Prince Perhin." He said simply. "Younger brother of that bastard." He spat out the insult. "And heir to the throne little the little sneak stole my future wife!" I could've been the daughter of this lunatic? Gross! Speaking of gross… he was getting just a tad close to me… I stepped to the side, my right his left. He stepped back in front of me. I was starting to shake.

Just because he was my uncle (or supposed uncle) didn't mean he didn't have a sense of propriety. He spoke in husky voice. "If I can't have Ditri, I'll have her flesh and blood!" He smiled a cruel, heartless smile and reached up to pull down the sleeves of my dress. I was crying about now. I was helpless, cornered by his man twice my age and size. I couldn't do anything.

Then, I thought of all the men that laughed at me when I wanted to do sword fighting. I had proved them all wrong. A lady can fight. I steeled myself and brought me knee upwards. He kneeled over in pain and let enough space for me to run. Just as I was clearing his back, he lashed out a hand and grabbed the hem of my gown. It heard a sickening rip and saw the tatter of my gown in his hand. He screamed in fury and I quickly dashed away. From all the running I had done, my hair hand fallen out of its simple curls and stuck to my sweat-plastered face. My sleeves were falling down my shoulders, my dress was tattered in the back, my hair was down and plastered to my face. I looked behind to make sure he wasn't following me. As I did, I ran into a warm wall.

Concerned that the madman would find me, I tried to push past but the wall held me firmly. When I looked up, I saw the face of my most dreaded enemy, save that vile stable boy. Kyne. His face showed a great deal of concern as to why a princess was running in tattered clothing. "What happened?" He asked tenderly.

Tears streaked and ruined my make-up that had been hastily redone before Brennin had left that morning. Now that he was gone, my worst nightmare had happened. He wouldn't come around the corner to protect me from this freak of nature. He was hours of carriage travel away by now. My lips quivered as I told the story, exactly how it had happened. I felt the walls I had so carefully built fall away. He held me tight to his chest. My head was against the base of his neck, gently rising and falling as he breathed deeply.

It was then that I realized how close I was to the prince. How easily he had crumbled the walls I had developed for five long and painful years. I tried to push my worn-out self away from him, but being in a worn-out state and physically less strong than him, it was in vain. He held me close, letting my salt tears flow onto him.

"Guards!" He yelled. "Search the palace for a man with brown hair and a haggard face!" I was falling asleep on my feet, physically and mentally drained. I barely felt the prince lift me up in the style a few hours ago I would've protested was only for fairy tales. Things not true. I never felt him tuck me into my bed because just after he picked me up, I fell asleep, relieved of the burden of standing.

I awoke to the light of morning pressed onto my eyelids. I opened them. The blinds were drawn open and the gown I had been wearing lay out nicely on the chair next to my bed. I looked down. I was in a nightgown. I never remembered dressing into a nightgown. Or going to bed for that matter. When I peered deeper into my memory bank, I encountered last night's attack. I immediately shook my head to clear the memory, but it wouldn't leave. As it played in my mind's eye, I rang the bell for a maid to appear. She did, fairly quickly in fact. As if she had been waiting for me to ring the bell… I shook the suspicions from my head.

"What would the princess like to wear today?" The end of the memory flashed in my head. The smell of Kyne, the closeness I had felt. The lack of hatred for a man was the most prominent in my mind. I hugged myself, feeling so insecure without that certain aspect of my life. I realized the maid was still there.

"The light blue summer dress, if you would." Summer dresses were made of a cotton-linen mixture. It was light, but still could be made into beautiful spectacles. The light blue one I was referring to was plain save the strings in the back. It had short sleeves that stopped before they even hit the downward slope of my shoulders. The hem was simply stitching with no pearls or diamonds imbedded. The maid shrugged her shoulders and drew it out of the closet. The maid dressed me quickly and once again shrugged when I told her I could do my own hair. I gently braided the red-gold locks into plaits and left my room with a small bundle, attempting not to be seen. I wanted to go riding, to erase my fears and feel the openness of the fields behind the palace. I felt a hand on my shoulder as I neared the stables. I shivered and turned, still uncomfortable with human contact.

I turned to look at the prince, who has a nasty habit of appearing behind me. "Mind if I come?" He asked, letting my shoulder go.

"No," I said carefully. I still didn't trust him, even if he did comfort me last night. "If you want to come, I can't stop you." I tried to return to my aloof state of being, but found it unreachable.

He smiled. "A day ago you would've said something different, Princess Fria." He said observantly.

"A day ago I wasn't afraid that someone might try to kill me. A day ago, I was hidden behind walls of stone." I said in reply. I walked to the stables. His smile faded to a neutral expression. "Smile," I said gently. "That face doesn't suite you at all." I reached the closed door of the stables, him following just behind.

"Allow me." He said unlocking the door. He couldn't get it completely open, so he re-locked the door, then tried again. This time, the gleaming lock opened smoothly. "Stupid locks," he muttered as he entered the stables, me quietly walking behind him. I half-expected to see Favian shoveling hay, but then remembered he had been dismissed. The horses eyed the prince and I. I neared a bay horse. She stuck her nose out to sniff my fingertips. Prince Kyne neared me. "Careful, that horse is-" He looked at me, the horse nuzzling my hand. "Completely tame?" When he tried to pet it, the horse backed up and reared, flashing its black hooves. "Whoa, boy!" He said. "Like I said, he's crazy. No one's tried to ride her since we found her last year. I tried to give it to a lady I was courting. She touched it once and it nearly killed her."

"Little Saoirse wouldn't hurt a fly, would you, girl?" I reached my hand in the barred cage. "My little embodiment of freedom wouldn't be mean to me, would she?" I asked, coaxing her to my awaiting hand. While doing so, setting down my pack I had.

"Saoirse?" He asked. "You've already named her?"

"Yes, prince. I have." I smiled. "Could you- uh, please go get the saddle and bridle?" He looked surprised that I was asking a question instead of ordering, but such was my way. I was keeping him on his toes. He brought them back and into my awaiting hands. "Thank you." I said. "Now stand back. She doesn't seem to like you." He snorted but went over to the other side of the stables.

I opened the stable door, but before the prince could stay 'I don't think that's a good idea' I held out the bridle to Saoirse. She sniffed it and held out her head, opening her teeth to accept the bit. I put it over the horse's head. She cocked her head at the new weight, but did nothing else. When I showed her the saddle, she merely sniffed the saddle and kneeled down so I could put the saddle on her back. By now, Prince Kyne's jaw was to the floor. I put the saddle over the horse with ease. When I tightened the girth, the horse simply stood there, doing nothing. "Oh what a pretty little girl you are, Sao." I crooned. "See Prince Kyne, that's how saddling a horse is done." I turned, a grin plain on my face. "You may want to close your mouth, it is most unbecoming."

He closed it. "Wha- That horse is insane!" He cried.

"Not she isn't, Prince. She's most sane." I said behind me. "You better saddle your horse if you want to come." I teased. "Unless, of course, you'd rather admit that I'm a better rider?" I asked, sending him a smile.

"Are not." He yelled back. He took a sprint and jumped, placing his hands on Saoirse's rump and landing squarely on her back. She, of course, didn't like him.

"Saoirse!" I commanded. She stopped. "Obey him like you would me. He's not terrible, you know." I reprimanded. She nodded glumly and walked around led by the man on her back. "Now for you, my little prince." I said. "You will get off my horse this instant." He grinned and turned Sao towards me. He kicked the horse, charging me. I screamed and leapt out of the way. Mid-stride his hand came across my hands and pulled me up in front of him. "What do you think you are doing?" I screeched. I managed to grab my bag before I had left the stables to it was still in my arms.

"Proving my superior horsemanship, my dear princess." He laughed in my ear. We rode till the sun was high in the sky and Saoirse was heaving. There was a stream nearby, we stopped and allowed Sao to drink the cool brook water. I sat on the cool grass and peeled off my shoes. Prince Kyne sat next to me following my example. I unconsciously leaned onto him, feeling his chest under the thin linen shirt he wore. He wrapped his arms around me and we watched the stream's water trickle over the rocks, sending a peaceful melody to my ears. I nodded in and out of sleep. "I thought you didn't want to be courted, my dear princess." He said, breaking the stream's spell on me.

"I didn't." I said. For sure, I had a small box of affection for this man. I had barely known him, yet I was out here all the same. I wriggled out of his arms, looking at him with my back facing the stream. He got his knees, mimicking me.

"Think quick!" He said, shoving me down the embankment. I grabbed his arm and yanked him down with me. We laughed all the way down until I hit the bank of the low stream. I was on my back; the water was shallow enough for my head to be in the water and not have it flow over my face. The prince landed somewhere near me and rolled over to me. "That was fun." He said while laughing. I rolled on top of him, sitting not so comfortably on his chest.

"It is." I agreed, trying not to let my surprise show. I leaned down and kissed his lips. What he didn't expect, however, was the sudden push of water into his mouth. I let the kiss go. He sputtered and spat out the water.

"No fair!" He challenged. He was grinning. "You kissed me."

"So I did." I mused, also smiling. I leaned down again and kissed his lips, pulling him up so I could wrap my arms around his neck. His arms found my waist. This kiss was different from the play-kiss I had given. Passions were ingrained into it. All that could b said about one's first kiss was how much it changed you. One moment you're wondering when you'll get your first kiss, the next second, you're kissing the love of your life and you wonder how you lived your life without him. I leaned backward, landing on the soft grass of the bank. My shoeless feet splashed in the water as he kissed my forehead and my lips. Finally, we released out kiss, both of us out of breath. I realized how much I had missed out on when I banished men from my life. The prince, Kyne, my Kyne, sat next to me, pulling me to his chest yet again.

"I love you, Fria." He whispered into her ear. I smiled.

"I love you, Kyne." I whispered back with a peck on his cheek. I was soaking wet, yet I could feel the ghostly imprint of his lips where they touched mine. Saoirse was no where to be found.

I laughed internally. As said by the wise men of old "Freedom goes where Freedom wills, thus is the way of the wild."

Yay! Whooo Hooo! Chapter 12 IS DONE!