I am going to need suggestions for the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this one.

The rest of the week passed by without many significant happenings. Elestra and Andrew had lots of fun together. Andrew almost got her mind off things with Flauvic, Galen, Brenna, and Jenna (har har har). Elestra passed by them every now and then when she went on rides or practiced her fencing, but other than that, didn't see them at all.

At the end of the week, Andrew and Elestra were riding through the woods when Elestra heard music coming from the trees. It sounded like pipes were playing but these pipes couldn't possibly be played by any human. "Drew," she whispered, afraid to disturb the peaceful music surrounding them. "Drew, who do you think is playing that amazing music?" She got off her horse and started walking toward the trees.

Before she could get very far, Andrew jumped off his horse and grabbed her hand. "I don't hear anything, El…" He frowned, scanning the trees. "And since when have you started calling me 'Drew'?" He finally turned his gaze to her, but she was looking wistfully at the trees. Grabbing her by the shoulders and staring into her dazed eyes, he shook her gently trying to make her return to reality. When Andrew saw this wasn't going to happen, he knew immediately what he had to do.

Ignoring Elestra's protests, he picked her up, plopped her on her horse, and guided them back to the castle, where he sought out her mother after dropping Elestra off at her room. When he found her mother in the library, he pulled her towards Elestra's room.

As Andrew led Elestra's mother toward her room, he explained to her what happened in the forest. Soon it wasn't Andrew leading, but the queen. She stopped dead when she got to Elestra's doorway. Speaking slowly to Andrew, without turning around, she said, "You said that you two were alone in the forest, right?"

"Yes…"

"And nobody knew when you two came back in?"

"Yes…."

"How long ago did you two get back?"

A slight pause. Then: "Ten minutes ago."

"You came straight to me? You didn't go to anybody else for help?"

"No." A definite answer.

"Then why is there somebody in my daughter's room?"

Furiously, she swung open the door to Elestra's room and glared at the man sitting next to Elestra's bedside, where she lay sleeping. Andrew stepped into the room and asked the intruder, "How did you get in here?" He was surprised and angry.

"Why, through the door, of course," came the smooth reply. The man stood up and Andrew gaped at him. This was the man who had turned the whole population of the town to stone, had been turned into a tree for twenty years as punishment, and had kidnapped his best friend two years ago: the one and only Flauvic Merindar.

Elestra's mother asked him, "What do you think you're doing here?"

"I felt I was needed, seeing as nobody was attending to your spellbound daughter," he said suavely, "Also, I thought that if I couldn't at least help take the spell off her, then I would be falsely accused of casting a spell to harm the princess." He narrowed his golden eyes lazily and said, "I know that's what you would have thought. But I happen to have more information on this matter than you do," he concluded coldly.

Andrew could tell that his friend's mother was dying to question Flauvic further, but he walked past her, straight up to Andrew. Quietly, for Andrew's ears only, he whispered, "I think you had better leave me to take Elestra out on these little outings. She will be better protected by me… considering." Before Andrew could so much as open his mouth to respond, Flauvic had brushed past him and out the door, with a little wave good-bye.

Andrew's eyes followed Flauvic until he was long out of sight. When he finally turned around, Queen Meliara was sitting at her daughter's bedside fussing. "How is she?" Andrew murmured, going closer.

"She will be just fine. All she needs is a little bit of rest. She's had a small taste of magic on the receiving end, which wasn't an entirely pleasant experience for her."

"Will we have to postpone her Name Day party?" Andrew asked, worriedly. He had a surprise planned for her. He put a lot of effort into it.

"No, she should be fine by then." Mel stood up and looked at Andrew kindly. "You did well bringing her back to the castle like that."

Andrew smiled in thanks. "I'd best be going now. Tell me when she wakes."

Meliara nodded and walked out the door with him saying, "I must go too and tell my husband about what happened."

They went their separate ways in the hall leaving Elestra to rest and recover in temporary peace.

Send me what you want to see soon! I have a pretty good idea where this story's going to end. It's just a matter of getting there...