Sorry it's been sooo long! But I'm back! I think this is my favorite story, and I also think that Alek is the awesomest fictional character ever! What girl doesn't want a prince for a boyfriend? C'mon, admit it! Anywhore, sorry it's been so long! Enjoy!

Chapter 3

"How could you have let this happen?" Alek stormed, pacing the length of her small cabin without looking at her.

She gingerly crossed her arms across her chest, careful not to jar any wrappings. She continued to do her best at glaring at him, but she had a sinking feeling that it was going very badly.

"You ninny! I didn't let this happen! My plan was barking foolproof!" she cried, wincing when the yelling hurt her ribs.

Alek's pacing paused for a second, as if he were considering something, the silence eerie without the clomp of his boots. When he resumed, it was with a new vigor, his features twisted angrily.

"Dummkopf," Deryn thought she heard him say under his breath.

"You daft prince! If all you're going to do is storm and pace and be angry, leave. I barking didn't do anything wrong, so I don't understand why you're so barking angry with me!" Her outburst made him pause once more, only this time, he quit pacing completely and turned to look at her.

He scanned her face. She became self conscious and the throbbing in her head returned. She refused to show the pain on her face, though, since she was still embarrassed about her passing out.

Alek let out a big huff of air before coming to sit at her feet. He was hanging half off of the small cot.

"I'm sorry, Deryn. I wasn't thinking. I was just angry that I wasn't here to protect you." She looked straight into his eyes, and he stared back at her.

She felt something flutter in her stomach the longer she gazed. She didn't exactly disapprove of the weird butterflies, but she wasn't so sure about them either, and they were making her ribs start to hurt again, and she was focusing on keeping the pain out of her her expression, that her head was also beginning to throb, and she hated being useless more than anything else.

"Alec," she sighed, trying to change the subject. "What about you're meeting with the Pope?"

Alec was supposed to be trying to talk the Pope into writing him a new letter, since he dropped his over the side of the Leviathan.

He looked distressed. His face paled, and he dropped his eyes to the toes of his boots.

"Uh, yeah. About that. Deryn, I did talk to the Pope-"

Deryn interrupted him with a smile and then a grimace because her head told her it disagreed with her happiness.

"Alec, that's really great! Wha-" Alec held his hand in front of her face in the silencing gesture only royals had. She shut her mouth, but fumed inside.

"Deryn, he said that unless I find a royal girl to marry in a month, I'm not allowed back in the country."