Chapter Twenty Three - All In Proper Order

Aw, guys, thus was so much fun to write! ;; I'm pretty sad to see it be finished, but the series may or may not be over yet! We will just have to see. I'm so glad you guys stuck with me, and I'm still amazed by how many positive reviews this got. You don't know how much it means to me, or how excited I got when I saw an email notification telling me that there was a new review on Just Follow Me. Thank you so much guys.

And I hope you guys like this chapter! Hopefully things make a little more sense now.

Roseberry007 : Thank you! I'm glad they leave you with a smile, and I'm glad you love it! I'm sad too, but it may not be the end yet. After all, what about Annalora's promise?

Evx : Aw, thank you. c: You - and everyone else, for that matter, who keeps sticking with me and my new fanfictions - always make me smile with your reviews! And I'm glad you liked the wedding!

booknerd00 : Thank you! I'm glad it was perfect. :)

Guest 1 : Yes! Somebody else recognized my inspiration to put the past stuff in order! Haha, I wish I could somehow have all the Once Upon a Time past clips in order, but that will probably never happen. cx But I wish it did! And great! I'm glad you like it!

Guest 2 : Aw, thank you for sticking with my stories!

themagicalmarissa : Hehe, Meague babies. Yes. The ultimate children. And thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it so much! And I'm really excited to get the story on here, so I can't wait for you to see it!


From Chapter One (Teague's POV)

I run through the forest. Away from the palace. Away from my parents. Away from my duties. Away from my books. Away from my prince status. I'm running away from my life, although not for long. Something always drew me back. I suspect that this time it would be that I packed no supplies. But it was no matter. These were Royal woods. No was allowed in that wasn't staying at the Fates' palace or that didn't have stated permission. I would be safe, hiding out here.

But that's when I saw something that should not have been there. I stayed behind a tree, watching and frowning.

It was a girl. A girl, who was crouching on a tree branch, slowly standing up. She was a little wobbly on her feet, but she was graceful too. Very graceful. As if she was experienced in everything but having legs. Which could be the case. Perhaps she was a water Fae.

She was, undoubtedly, very pretty. She had brown hair with golden streaks in it. I don't recall ever seeing any Fae with golden streaks in their hair. It was kind of pretty. She was wearing a red dress too. One thing that I noted was the fact that she was barefoot. Had she kicked off her shoes?

Suddenly, there's a voice above me. "I always thought spying wasn't a very princely thing to do."

I admit it. I jump out of surprise. The girl is nowhere to be seen near the branches she was at, but when I look up, there she is, sitting on a branch and looking down at me.

"How do you know who I am?" I ask accusingly.

She gestures around. "These are the Royal woods. And everyone knows the appearance of the Prince."

"If you know these are the Royal woods, you must know the punishment for being here uninvited."

"Death?" She scoffs. "Please. You won't have me killed."

"And why are you so confident that I won't have you killed?" I glare at her. She's certainly cocky.

"Because I'm observant, and I can see that you look lonely."

Geez, she can read someone pretty easily. Or am I just that easy to read? Am I an open book? I decide to assume the former. "Maybe I am. But that doesn't mean you should be here."

She shrugs. "Nobody will know if you don't tell."

So, she's trying to get me to lie in order to save her skin? Wow. "What are you even, anyways?"

"I'm a siren." She grins, dropping out of the tree. "The name's Mina. Well, actually, I'm named Wilhelmina, but I hate that name. It's a mouthful."

She's certainly friendly. It's odd, really, for her not to have more respect for a Royal. Most people do. "And I'm-"

"Prince Teague, yes." She finishes my own statement, and I stare at her. "Like I said, everyone would recognize a Royal, and these are the Royal woods. By the way, why are you here?"

"Can't a Royal walk through his own woods without questions from commoners that shouldn't be there?"

She shrugs. "I was just curious."

Oh no, I think I've gone and offended her. Not that I should care. But I want to make a good reputation on the commoners. After all, someday I will succeed my parents and take the throne for myself. And I'll take the title Fate. That will be a great day.

That's when I notice she's about to walk off. "No, wait!"

She glances back, and smirks. "I told you you were lonely."

"I-I am not!" I stammer, but I'm pretty sure I'm the worst liar ever for a twelve-year-old. I really need to improve that skill.

"Then why are you telling me to wait?"

"I...I was going to ask why you were in the tree." I pick something at random to ask, and point at the branch I'd initially seen her on.

"I wanted to learn to use my legs better, and tree climbing seemed like the perfect way to test it. I'm afraid I'm doomed to be clumsy though." She says it likes it's perfectly natural.

"Wha-What? Why on earth would you need to learn to use them better?" I demand.

"Sirens have tails, genius."

Andddd now she's mocking me. Honestly, does she not care at all that I could have her executed? Or banished? Or worse? It's refreshing though. Talking to someone who doesn't care at all about what I'm like. In fact, it's almost enjoyable. Almost.

"Oh, yes. I knew that."

"I'm sure you did." She glances up at the sky. "Drat. I'm going to be late. My parents are going to kill me." She turns yet again to go.

"Wait!"

"Again with the wait?" She smirks, but she also looks a little rushed.

"I won't tell anyone you were here-"

"Thanks." She sure likes to interject things into conversations, doesn't she?

"-on one condition." I finish, and she lifts an eyebrow.

"And that condition is...?" She waits for me to tell.

"You meet me here again. Tomorrow. If you don't, I'll tell my parents you were here, and you'll be punished."

She shrugs. "Alright. Am I allowed to go now, Prince Teague?" She exaggerates the prince, and I roll my eyes. I don't think she would care even if I was a Fate. She seems like a rebel. Which I kind of like, in this situation.

"Of course." I nod, and she runs off, slightly wobbly.


From Chapter Two (Mina's POV)

"You came?" Teague - although I don't think I'll be telling him any time soon about the fact that I'm referring to him in such an informal manner - looks totally stunned that I've showed up. "You actually kept your word?"

"Of course I did." I cross my arms. "Why? Did you think I wouldn't?"

"Of course not." He says it in a hurry. I can't help but smirk and snicker a little. He totally thought I wasn't coming.

"So, why am I here again?"

"Ah, well..." He frowns, avoiding my gaze.

"It's because you're lonely, isn't it?" I say, triumphant.

"No!"

I just smirk. He really can't admit it, can he? He's lonely.


From Chapter Three (Teague's POV)

"We should play a game." I stare at Mina as if she's gone crazy.

"A game? I couldn't!"

"You don't play games?" She gasps. "Come on, just try it."

"But it isn't proper!"

"Come on!" She grabs my hand, and tugs me into a clearing. "We'll play a simple game first. Hide and seek! Somebody hides, and the other person counts to ten and looks for them."

"That sounds like a stupid game." I mutter.

"I think you're just too chicken to play." She smirks, and suddenly I can't back down.

"Fine, I'll play!" I sigh, but she just smirks a bit bigger.

"Alright. I'll hide first! Close your eyes and start counting!"


From Chapter Eight (Mina's POV)

"One...Two...Three...Four..." His counting echoes through the trees I dart away, looking for a suitable hiding spot.

Where should I go? Somewhere clever, of course. I spot a fallen log, big enough for me to fit inside, and manage to clamber inside.

"Ten!" I hear his cry, and know the search has begun.

That's when my clumsiness happens to strike. Just a shift of weight causes the log to go rolling, and it happens to be in the direction of the hill I climbed to get here. I let out a short, terrified scream. I'm going to crash!

"Mina, one of these times I'm going to fail this test and you're going to end up dead." Could it be?

The log stops bouncing, and lands with a soft thud on the ground. I easily climb out, panting, and glance up. Sure enough, there's Teague, smirking at me. I can't help but feel slightly sour.

"I believe I've found you. And saved your life, again."

I brush off my skirt, going a little pink. "I...Uh...Meant to do that."

"You don't need to make excuses. I think you enjoy making me worry."

"I do not! That was completely unintentional!" I huff angrily.

"Of course it was."

I cross my arms. "You know what? Think whatever you want. I don't even care." I fling my hands in the air and begin to stalk off.

"Mina, wait! I'm sorry! I was just teasing you!" He chases after me down the hill, and steps in front of me to stop me.

"I'd like to go now." I say it quietly, tired of his antics.

"Please, Mina. Don't leave." He's pleading with me now. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just...Well, I'm not very good at being friends with people. I've never had any before. I didn't think I was going to offend you."

"Well, you did."

"And I'm sorry! Mina, please don't hold that against me."

I huff, and shake my head. "Just this once, Teague. Next time, I won't let you off the hook so easily."

He looks relieved. "Thanks."


From Chapter Eighteen (Teague's POV)

"Are you nervous?" I ask suddenly, after looking at Mina's face for a moment.

"No..."

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow along with my question.

"Anyone would be nervous to meet a prince. Of course, you're probably like the rest of the princes out there."

"How would you know?"

"Stories." Her response is quick, yet I take no notice.

"Stories exaggerate." I argue.

"Do they?"

"Yes." I nod in confirmation.

"And why should I believe that?"

"Just give me a chance, Mina." I plead, looking her in the eye. "Don't judge me by my cover. You didn't yesterday."

She sighs. "Fine. Only because you seem so lonely."

I pout in response. "I'm not lonely..."

"Of course." She shakes her head, obviously not believing me, and I sigh.


From Chapter Five (Mina's POV)

"Is there a reason you decided that we'd not only meet twice in a day, but we'd also meet at midnight?" I ask, watching Teague carefully.

"Technically, since we met at midnight, it's tomorrow. Er, today. Today which was yesterday's tomorrow, and-" He's going to keep rambling

"You're making absolutely no sense." To prove my point, I think about a small ball of water, and toss it at him.

That gets the desired reaction. He jumps back, as if it's acid, and barely manages to not get hit "Ack! Wilhelmina, what on earth are you doing?"

"How many times have I said I prefer being called Mina?" I form another ball and toss it at him.

He dodges behind a tree, eyes wide. "Stop it! Where are you getting that water from anyway?"

I smirk. "Guess you'll just have to find out."

On that note, I scramble up the trunk of another tree, and begin traveling from branch to branch. I grab ones overhead to steady myself - and occasionally swing from them - as well as land and leap from the ones beneath me, traveling from tree to tree.

"Mina! Where on earth are you going?" He awkwardly scrambles up a tree, and cautiously tests a branch I had gone on, both hands wrapped around the trunk.

"Come on, Teague! Just follow me! If you want to find out, just throw caution to the wind!" I continue my gleeful trek, and finally, he gives in, hurrying after me.

Till he falls. He doesn't even fall very far, but you'd think he'd fallen one hundred feet down from the ruckus he makes. I can't help it. I break down in fits of laughter as he lays splayed on the ground, groaning.

"Remind me why I listened to you?" He grumbles.

"Because you only learn from your mistakes." I respond, spinning back around.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Like I said, just follow me!" And then I set off again.

He ends up scrambling back into the tree - I wonder if it ever occurred to him he didn't technically have to listen to me and go tree leaping, and could just follow on foot - and while I occasionally slip, he takes more spills than I do. I'm honestly quite proud, since I'm a siren.

Finally, I arrive at the small pond, where I imagined the water from. "Here we are!"

He stares at it. "Why are we here?"

"Because this is where I got the water from, and you asked where I got it from." He moves his head and stares at me as if I've gone crazy. "Care to see if it's to your liking?"

He opens his mouth to respond, not understanding my teasing till it's too late, and he goes sprawling into the pond below. I so do enjoy pushing him around, considering he has some very funny reaction. He sputters out water, and glares up at me. "Mina!"

"What, is it not to your liking?"

His response is silent, until I feel a tug on my foot - Fae magic? - and I go falling into the pond as well. I fall with a splash, but I do land more gracefully than he did. "Ha."

"You were more prepared." He protests, but I just smirk, and send a splash of water at him.

He throws some back at me with his magic, and soon we have an all out water battle. I, of course, have the advantage though, till something - and it isn't Teague - sends me sprawling into the water, face first, and out of breath. I sputter, but it's trying to drag me back, and I can't get my face out of the water.

"Mina?" I would respond if it wouldn't use up the small bit of oxygen I have. My lungs burn. I may be a siren, but I can't be under water for too long without air! I haven't learned how to yet! "Mina, what are you doing?"

In the end, Teague jerks me upwards, and I let the air cool my lungs, panting. After a few minutes, I realize he's still touching me, so I shift away.

"Thanks." The corners of his mouth turn into a smile at my gratitude.

"Well, I wouldn't want a damsel in distress to drown."

"I'm not a damsel in distress. I was just in a spot of trouble. It happens to the best of us."

"Whatever. I still saved your life." He looks smug.

And now I owe him. Just peachy.


From Chapter Twelve (Mina's POV)

"So...What do you want to do now?" I ask, shaking my hair and flinging water droplets everywhere.

"Are you trying to change the subject because you don't like admitting that I saved your life?" Teague asks, raising an eyebrow. He doesn't bother to avoid the water.

My face goes bright pink. "Just tell me what you want to do."

"Uh...Well, how about you tell me about yourself?"

"There's not much to tell." I respond, my voice even as I'm trying to keep cool. I can't say a ton of things, or else he could guess what I can't let him know...

"Come on, how can I consider you my friend if I don't know anything important about you?"

"'Important?'" I echo. "And what sort of things are important?

"Like...What's your favorite color?"

"That's going too far." I smirk, and shake my head.

He laughs a little. "No, seriously, what is it?"

"I'm not sure." I bite my lip in thought. "Well, I hate the color red. I also hate the color gold..." I finger my hair, "So as you can see, that's a bit unfortunate for me with gold hair and a gold tail."

"But surely there has to be a color you like?" Very persistent, isn't he?

"Light blue." I answer after giving it some thought. "Definitely light blue. And your's?"

He grins. "Black."

I roll my eyes. "Of course that's it."

"Hey!" He protests, but I just laugh. "What about hobbies? Do you have any special talents?"

"Not really..."

"Come on, there must be something you're super amazing at!"

"Not me. I'm just plain, old Mina who's no good at anything."

"You need more confidence. Come on, name one thing that you're always told that you're brilliant at."

"Well, art in general...I guess."

"Art?" That raises his interest. "Will you draw something for me?"

"I have no paper and pencil."

"That's no problem." He makes both appear, and hands them to me.

So, I begin to sketch. It's black and white, but I do my best, focusing. I block out Teague, the noise of the forest, and focus on my drawing. It's hard, since it's darker out, but in the end I finish, and sit up straight again to admire it.

"Who is that?" Teague asks, looking a bit confused.

"What, can you not tell your own face on paper?" I tease lightly, but I also am a little disappointed that he didn't recognize it. Maybe I'm not as good as I hoped?

"I didn't want to seem conceited or anything because I thought the picture on the paper was me..."

I roll my eyes. "I wouldn't have thought it was conceited." I hand the paper to him after signing it. "There. You can have it."

"Really?" His eyes gleam.

"Would I have handed it to you and said you could have it if I didn't mean it?"

"Maybe..."

"Just take the paper, doofus!"


From Chapter Nine (Mina's POV)

"There are the stars!" I grab a limb of a tree, hoisting myself up so I can climb up and get a better look.

"Hey, Squirrel, get back down here!" I ignore his teasing, staying up in the trees. "Mina!"

"If you want to come and get me, you'll have to come up here." I call down, and he pouts.

He begins to climb the tree as I stand on a branch, looking up at the stars. I don't even realize how close he is till he grabs me from behind, and I jump, nearly falling out of the tree. Him grabbing me is the only thing not letting that happen, as he pulls me up and - consequently - closer.

"I would've thought it would be fun to dangle you over the branch and make you beg me to help you back up. It's a good thing I found out you like falling from trees though."

"Teague! Don't you dare do that! Ever!" He just flashes me a grin.


From Chapter Fourteen (Teague's POV)

"Do you like the stars?" I ask Mina, curiously, who turns to stare at me as if I'm an idiot.

"Of course I do. They're amazing!" The happiness sparkling in her eyes is so funny. Stars make her this happy? Strange. "Don't you?"

I shrug. "Not particularly. They're kind of boring."

She gasps at this. "That's not true! Stars have so many stories, and names!" She points up in the sky to one constellation I've seen before, which looks like it's a chimera. "See, the constellation-"

"-Eedon."

"So you do know your star lore?"

"No, just star names." I frown. "Why? Do you believe them?"

"No. But I think they're interesting." She turns her attention back to the sky. "The story behind Eedon is that he once terrorized the lands. He was very fierce, and any Fae who had gone up against him were never seen again. Whether they were eaten, burnt by his harsh terrain he lived in since he lived in a fire swamp, or lost on their way, no one knew. That's when the Fates of that time - no one ever specifies which - came to stop him once and for all. And they did. Using their magic, they imprisoned him in the stars, so he could no longer terrorize the people. Some parents tell the story of Eedon to their children to tell them that he is released once a night every month to handle the bad children, and kill them. At least, that's what some of the more superstitious sirens say."

I'm honestly shocked. "Parents tell their children that?! That's awful!"

She laughs. "None of us ever believe them."


From Chapter Fifteen (Mina's POV)

You know," Teague says, breaking the silence that followed after I told the story about the stars, "you're always telling me that I'm lonely. But how would you know?"

I bite my lip, trying to decide how to best phrase my answer. Father always says I think too much about what I say for a kid my age. But when it comes to tough subjects like this...Well, I just don't see how I can't think it through and make sure the answer is right.

"Because..." I take a deep breathe. "Well, because I am."

He seems very surprised by this answer. "What?"

"I don't have any friends." I add in my head, Besides you, but I don't know if you want yourself to count.

"You don't have anyone?" He persists.

"I have my brother. He's about it. And it's just not the same. Your siblings almost have to love you and spend time with you. Friends? Well, friends make the choice."

"What about your parents?"

He just has to keep finding the most painful topics, doesn't he? I glance back at the sky, anything to avert my gaze from him. "Let's not talk about them."

He takes this as his cue and shuts up about that topic. Or so I think. "I-I'm sorry, Mina. I didn't know that that was painfu-"

"Let's just not talk about it." I repeat, trying my best to keep calm.

"Right." He nods, but he looks a little hurt at my sharpness.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you have any friends?"

He gives a slight chuckle. "No, no, you've always been right. I...Well, I don't seem to have any friends."

"I'll be your friend." I say suddenly.

He looks up, eyes wide. "You...You will?"

"Yes." I nod my head, feeling slightly silly at the fact that we need to talk about it likes this, and decide that we are friends. But then again, how would I know what having a friend is like?


From Chapter Seven (Teague's POV)

"Do you dance?" I ask the question suddenly as we sit in the grass.

She looks away, as if embarrassed. "Uh..."

"What is it?" I ask, tilting my head.

"I never learned how." She looks back at me, her face pink. I can't help but grin, and I leap to me feet.

"Then I'll teach you!" I extend my hand to her, so that she can stand up.

"W-What?" She looks shocked, staring at me as if I've grown two heads.

"Don't act like it's such a crazy thing. I'm a prince. Of course I know how to dance. So let me teach you how to."

"But..." She's still unsure? Really?

"Aren't you the one that says I should be taking risks? That should apply to you too. Otherwise, you'll be a hypocrite." That should do the trick.

This seems to make up her mind, just as I suspected, but she still looks nervous. "Fine."

I help her to her feet, and with some work manage to get her hands in the proper places. With some Fae magic, I create some music for us to dance with, and we begin. If she hadn't told me she'd never danced before, I never would've guessed, because she seems like a natural. After some time, the music ends, but I still look at her.

"How about another dance?"

"What?" Her eyes widen.

"You heard me. Let's dance again."

"But I don't know how..."

"You just danced like a natural, yet claim you don't know how? Now we have to do another dance, so I can prove you can." Taking her hands again - and restarting the Fae magic - I dance with her yet again.

This time, she believes me when I told her she passed that class with flying colors. She smiles a little. "Good. I can't be outdone by a prince."


From Chapter Thirteen (Teague's POV)

"Mina, I'm bored. Entertain me." I lay on the ground, and Mina huffs at me.

"I'm not some servant, to be ordered about in such a manner."

"You are a commoner, so you are to be treated as such."

She rolls her eyes, but then closes them. Good, she's going to do something for me. I push myself to a sitting position eagerly as she begins to make water with her hand, and begins to play with it. It's very impressive...Till she throws it in my face.

"Hey!" I protest loudly, and she giggles.

"Well, if I didn't entertain you, I at least entertained myself." She says before breaking out into louder laughter as I sulk.


From Chapter Seventeen (Teague's POV)

Mina sits on the log beside me. Then, I take my gaze off her for a moment, and she's gone.

"Mina?" I call, a little confused.

"Boo." Now confusion threatens to consume me, and I jump slightly at the voice, so I turn around, seeing Mina sitting in the tree.

"Mina!" I'm slightly pink now at my fear, and try to blow it off. "Don't do that!"

"Do what?" She asks it completely innocently, with big eyes and only a hint of a smile.

"Do that!"

"And what's that? Sitting in a tree?"

"No."

"I'm afraid you'll have to specify then."

"Don-Don't scare me!" I cross my arms.

"Aw, did I scare you?" She laughs. "Well, I won't make any promises on not doing it again."

I sigh. Difficult, that's what she is.


From Chapter Nineteen (Mina's POV)

"What do you do as a prince?"

My question seems to take him by surprise. Not that that's very surprising to me. He might not expect me to be interested in that. But I am. I'm also trying to assess character though. Mother says I need to only be friends with those that behave properly. Naturally, I never follow that rule. Father says to give everyone a chance. I never follow that rule everyone. I assess the character to the best I can, deciding if they seem fun and nice, and if they do I decide whether or not to try and become friends.

It's a tedious process.

"Why do you care?" He raises an eyebrow.

"I was just curious." I respond. "Is that so wrong?"

"No, it's not wrong. I'm just surprised that you're interested in my life." He admits. "I don't do a lot. I have tutors, but I hardly ever go to those boring lessons. They teach me stuff I already know, so why bothering going if it's a repeat? The only thing I have even a bit of control over is food. Everything else is controlled, like clothing, social interaction, and anything else. If I do it myself, it's technically not allowed. Even my marriage, at the age of nineteen, will be dictated if I don't choose fast enough."

"Sounds awful."

"It is." He nods, and offers a sad smile. "But I'm enjoying my life to the best of my ability while I can, and try not to dwell on that too often when I'm having a good day. So let's make it a good day! Let's play a game!"

"I knew you'd change your tune on games after some time." I grin, leaping to my feet. "What should we play?"


From Chapter Twenty One (Teague's POV)

"Why do you look so afraid?" I ask, glancing down at her curiously.

This snaps her out of her fearful trance, and she looks up at me. "Teague, get me out of here!"

The panic in her voice is something I can hear loud and clear, and that same panic mingles with fear in her eyes. Is she really that freaked out? "What, do you not like being in that pit?"

"Teague!" Anger joins the fray of emotions that I see reflected in her gaze. "Get me out of here right now!"

"Geez, Mina, no need to yell." I stretch my hands down, and when she grabs them, I haul her up. She's trembling. Is that natural for someone when they fall into a hole? Is she just shocked? Did she get hurt?

She pulls away from me. Then, she goes over and slumps down by the base of a nearby tree. Of course, there's trees all around. We're in the forest. Her eyes are closed, but I walk over, and kneel beside her.

"Hey." I whisper with a sudden gentleness descending upon me as I try to talk to her. "What happened to you? You're trembling. Are you hurt?"

She hesitates before responding. "I have two ways that I never want to die. Well, two real ways that I fear dying. Cause drowning doesn't count." It obviously pains her to admit this.

"And they are?" I prompt.

"Dying underground and falling from very, very high up." She sounds pretty embarrassed, now that I think about it.

"Which is why you panicked in that pit you fell in." I manage to piece that piece into this complicated jigsaw puzzle. "But if you're afraid of falling to your death, why are you so insistent on climbing and leaping from tree to tree."

"For one thing, falling from a tree won't kill you. You proved that. As far as I go, well, I'm still frightened of being up there, but not as much as being higher up. I was trying to make myself feel better."

"So...Therapy, almost?"

"That makes no sense whatsoever, Teague. I'm not angry or depressed."

"Oh. Right."


From Chapter Twenty Two (Teague's POV)

"Do you ever plan on getting married?" I ask suddenly, glancing over at Mina.

She looks taken aback by this comment, moving her gaze to me. She tilts her head slightly and cocks an eyebrow at me in question. "Where did that come from?"

"I just..." I pause, and reformulate my thoughts and jumbled sentence, that's getting totally tangled with my emotions. "Well, I've been thinking a lot about being forced to marry by nineteen."

"That's awfully far away. You can't, and shouldn't, dwell on a future that's so far away from the present." She says, sounding awfully clever for our age.

I have to admit, she has a point. It is far away. Seven years away. But...What if it also seems close to me? Every day it just seems to grow nearer and nearer.

"Can you just answer the question?" I ask, slightly exasperated at her way of avoiding it.

"I don't know if I plan on marrying. Probably not, when I think about it. I want to travel. I want to see the world! Getting married would just hold me down, and stop me from going anywhere."

"Really?"

"Yes. Girls that are married are the ones that never get to go anywhere." She sounds very passionate, and also a little sad by that thought. "I don't want to be one of those people, Teague. I want to go places. I want to see the whole world."

And I decide right then to make a silent promise to myself. If I can, then I will do everything within my power to make sure Mina gets the chance to travel that she wants.


From Chapter Twenty (Teague's POV)

"Where would you travel, if you could?"

"Anywhere." Mina answers, glancing up in the sky. "Everywhere. I want to get out of here and get to see everything. Meet new people. Try new things. You know, all that good stuff."

"So you're adventurous?"

"Yes, I guess you could say that." I watch her close her eyes in thought, and wonder to myself if adventurous in her mind means reckless. That's what it seems like to me. She's certainly brave, but definitely reckless. Very much so.


From Chapter Eleven (Mina's POV)

"Mina? Are you okay?" Teague asks worriedly, sitting beside me on the log I'm on.

I'd met up with him as planned, but run away after some time. I just couldn't stand being around him. Not right then. Not when all I could think of was my brother...

"Mina?" He asks again.

"I-I...No." I plunge my face into my hands to try and hide the tears.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone was murdered at our homelands, and my younger brother witnessed it. He...Well, it traumatized him. He almost never talked before, but now...He won't speak a single word, and no one knows if it's him forcing himself to be mute, or if it's because of what he saw." I shake my head.

"He's not here with you?"

"No."

"Then it doesn't matter."

That's like a slap to a face. My tears stop and my sadness is replaced with anger as I stiffen, pulling my face from my hands. "What?"

"Well, you left him at your home, which you are obviously far away from. So, you obviously must not care for him too much, so it shouldn't matter."

"What is wrong with you? You have no right to assume that!"

"I have every right. It's only logical."

I struggle to find the right words, so angry that I can't think of anything. But I'd accept anything! An insult, a statement, anything...Except for the truth, of course. I can't tell him why I'm here without Charlie or who I am.

"It isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

I finally decide what I'm going to say in response to Teague, anger fueling me.


From Chapter Ten (Mina's POV)

"You're such a brat!" I snap the words, but regret them instantly.

"And you're an idiot!" He snaps right back at me, but the words sting.

"No, you're the idiot for not realizing who I am!" Tears pricking at my eyes, I turn away.

"You're just a peasant. Why should I care who you are?" He snarls the words, and they sting even more.

"I hate you!" I sling the words at him, before running off.

"Where do you think you're going?" He shouts after me.

"I don't know, but anywhere is better than here, because you won't be there!" The tears are falling as I run, and I brush them away. I won't cry because of what he said. I'm not some baby. I shouldn't care what he said. So, I just run.

"Wilhelmina?" My father is in the woods. I can hear him.

I break through the trees, and I see him, turned to see me. I run up to him, and I think he sees I'm crying, because he bends down so I can run into his arms. I push my face into my shoulder.

"Wilhelmina, what happened?"

"I-I don't want to talk about it."

"Did you hurt yourself?"

I guess you could call it that. "Yes."

"It'll be fine, I promise."

He picks me up in his arms like he used to do when I was littler, and begins to walk back towards the castle. That's when I hear it, near the edge of the woods. "Mina?"

I don't respond.


From Chapter Sixteen And A Half (Teague's POV)

"Mina!" I call, chasing after her and her father, but her father is so much faster and taller that he gets ahead, and soon I've lost her. "Mina, come back!"

I lost her. The only friend I had. She said we were friends. So why would she say that about me? Why would she call me a brat? Maybe I was being a brat, but it wasn't her place to say that.

Then again, it was her place. She's a princess. But I refuse to swallow that. It can't be. I chase after her, but I end up back at the castle, and walk back inside dejectedly.


From Chapter Four (Teague's POV)

I sit there, watching the princess step into the carriage with her parents. I can't believe it. That girl in the woods...Was Princess Wilhelmina? I knew that a princess had come with the siren king and queen, but I never bothered trying to look for her. I didn't want to meet her.

So the entire time she was in the Royal woods, she was allowed. Her parents might not have wanted her there, but she was allowed by the law. And yet, she never once corrected me whenever I made comments about her being a commoner. Never once did she tell me she wasn't one. Was it because she didn't want me to act different? Or because she liked being thought of as a commoner and having freedom? I can't tell.

It makes more sense now, the fact that she didn't care I was royalty. She was royalty herself. Although, her manners - in fact, she as an entire Fae being - needs some work as a princess. But...I think I'm going to miss her.

She was right. I am lonely.

I turn away from the window.


From Chapter Six (Mina's POV)

I ride in the carriage, bouncing slightly. I find myself glancing back in the direction we came more and more, a little sad. I'm going to miss Teague. He was a great friend, and he didn't care I wasn't addressing him as a prince. In fact, I think he might've liked that about me.

And it was nice, being thought of as a commoner. He didn't ever guess that I could be royalty, even when I mentioned being a siren. It was a relief, being free of royal duties. But now I feel guilty. I never told him that I was a princess. I never told him who I was. I lied, really, by not correcting him. But now it's too late.

"Wilhelmina?" There's my mom, looking at me with a worried frown. "Are you alright?" She looks dignified, holding herself up straight. She's poised to perfection while I'm...Well, not. I wish I was more like her sometimes. But not right now. I enjoyed not being like her. It helped me make a friend.

"I'm fine, Mother." It's probably obvious that I'm not, but I don't care. Mother leaves me be.

Father on the other hand looks worried. "Are you sur-"

He doesn't finish his statement as the carriage is hurtled forward. We go flying, and I'm sent tumbling headlong into the wall. Everything goes black after that.


Thank you guys so much for sticking by me with this! I know I've said that a bazillion times, but I mean it! You guys really helped me stay inspired to write, because your reviews always bring a smile to my face! So thank you!

This won't be the last you see of me, and maybe not Annalora, cause I have a lot more fanfiction ideas to come! Check out my profile to see what I have up that's finished, what's not complete but is up, and what's to come. It might help you keep track of a Just Follow Me sequel or not... c:

Once again, thank you!

~ Dagger