AN: Only two more chapters and I'll be writing new stuff! Enjoy!

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Lea Rose: WE HAVE A WINNER! Yes, the book was Pride and Prejudice and the characters were Lydia and Kitty. Just PM me or review telling me if you want the hint or not! I don't want to give something away (it won't be too huge) if you don't like spoilers. ANYWAY, I'm really glad you like the story! Thank you so much for the review and the guess :)

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Chapter 5: A Night in the Vineyard

(Edmund)

Her eyes were as wide as the moon above her, and a single tear slid slowly down her cheek. "Are you alright?" I asked, slightly terrified that I did something wrong.

She smiled at me radiantly. "It's beautiful," she said simply. But the look that accompanied it gave all the words of utter amazement that she could have possibly said. Anna looked back up at the sky and fell back onto the blanket. Taking a few bunches of grapes from the vines around us, I walked over and laid beside her.

The vineyards stretched out around us, leaving us with only the starry sky visible. It was here that every star could be seen, making it perfect for stargazing. I always enjoyed how alone and solitary I could feel when I came here, but this time, I loved how I felt being here with someone else to share it with.

"I used to do this every night when I was little," she whispered, "I would climb onto the roof of the orphanage with my parents, and my father would try to teach me the constellations." She laughed to herself, munching on the grapes I had given her. "I would never pay attention to what he was saying, though, his voice was all I wanted to hear. And I would just lie back in their arms and imagine myself dancing in the sky, jumping from star to star. But they were never as clear as they are here. It's incredible."

"Why did you live in an orphanage if you had parents?"

"They founded the orphanage before I was born. So naturally, we just lived there. There were always kids for me to play with and it was pretty big compared to most cottages so it wasn't too bad. But my mother died giving birth to my brother, and my father died shortly after." She stated this, showing perhaps too little emotion. I could tell that she had trained herself not to betray her sorrow on that subject.

I could see her eyelashes flutter softly. All I wanted to do was to comfort her like I did in the courtyard, but I didn't think she'd want that now. "Have you heard anything new about your brother yet?" I asked gently.

"I wrote back to him but it's only been a day so—"

"Oh! Right, right, sorry I wasn't thinking." Color was rising in my cheeks. Why am I acting so stupid? I managed to sneak a glance back at her and all I saw was a stone cold emotion on her face; she was obviously very practiced in blocking out what pained her. "Look, I'm sorry I brought it up. It was insensitive of me."

"No it's alright," she replied quietly, "You were trying to help…" Then she looked at me with a sad smile and murmured, "…and you have. More that you'll ever know." Looking back to the stars she continued, "When I first came to the palace I felt so alone; I knew absolutely no one. Then the letter came and I felt like… I don't know… just…"

"I understand; it feels good that someone else knows. Right?"

She turned to me and weakly attempted a smile. Then, looking back at the stars she murmured, "You lost someone too." It wasn't a question.

It took me by surprise but I responded nevertheless, "It was my mother. She died when I was about twelve. She was everything to me." I paused before continuing, "Most royal mothers would never take care of their kids; they'd just leave it to the nanny. But my mother was always the one to play with me, teach me, and… well… be my mom. After she had Lydia though, she started losing her glow and just began to fade. My father never told me what was wrong with her when she died one day. She practically disappeared from me. And Lydia barely knew her at all. I tried being like my mother to her by raising her as much as I could, but I was never able to do much."

"But what about the new queen?"

"I don't trust her. My father doesn't love her or anything; he just married her to give the kingdom a queen. But she always seems off, like she's waiting burst. I don't know what it is about her... I just don't like her."

There was a thoughtful silence.

I gave a melancholy chuckle. "I can't believe I just spilled all of that."

She smiled at me, sending my heart skidding. "Thank you for telling me, though." On some impulse I reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She returned it.

"So, how did you find my little hide out?" I asked with a grin.

"Your hide out?"

"The lotus tree courtyard. I'm the only who ever goes into it. I'm also kind of surprised that you were able to find it."

"Well I really only found it by chance. I managed to get myself lost—"

"Understandable."

"—and I just… found it. It was just so beautiful and warm and light. It also had some privacy which I was looking for. Or at least I thought it had privacy," she smiled and nudged me with her elbow. I immediately noticed our still clasped hands. I quickly dropped her hand, and wished I hadn't. She stuttered a bit but eventually continued, "So why did you decide to bring me here?"

"Well you were one of the only other people who really enjoyed the courtyard, so I took a shot and guessed that you would like the vineyards. "

"And I'd say you guessed correctly."

We sat like that for over an hour after, eating grapes and whispering stories. She told me about her childhood at the orphanage, lighting up whenever she talked about her brother. I would talk too, but more than anything I loved listening to her. Even in the dark her fiery hair would ignite and her blue eyes sparkled with more warmth than I could process. She was beautiful, I wouldn't deny it. But what we had that night was special and I didn't want to mess that up.

If I allowed myself, maybe I could have loved her, and for all I knew maybe I did; but I if she didn't feel the same way then I would be ruining everything between us and I would never be able to see her, or hear her laugh in the same way again. After only one day, she became one of the most important people in my life and I was not about to lose her.

From that day on, we met every night in the vineyards. Our friendship grew in ways that neither of us had imagined. We told each other everything that there was to tell and before long there was nothing that we did not know about each other. We knew each other's favorite styles of dancing, favorite colors, favorite foods…everything!

You could say that everything was perfect between us, but it was all about to be put into jeopardy after one talk with my father and one suggestion from the Queen.

AN: Sorry this one was a little short but I needed a time jump! The chapters will start getting longer once I start writing new ones though. REMEMBER TO REVIEW! Or say whatever else you want :)