CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Friday, December 2nd

Today was the last day I would see Shane Gray.

"Please?" I begged him, we were in the car on the way back to the palace, Shane's shift ended at midnight, and then he'd leave to his new detail and I'd never see him again. The thought made me want to vomit. "Please, Shane, stay. We can figure it out." I insisted desperately. I didn't care what anyone said. If I was being forced to get married why couldn't it be to the person I love? Why couldn't I chose who to marry? Why couldn't it be Shane? Because he's a commoner supposedly. He's not common, and there had to be some way around that. There had to be.

"There's nothing to figure out." Shane muttered darkly, facing away from me. I groaned and unbuckled my seatbelt, which made Shane snap his head to me. "Put your seatbelt on." He ordered, but I ignored him, moving my school bag from in between us and sliding over. "Your Highness, it's in your best safety for you to put your seatbelt on." Shane said in a strained voice, the closer I got.

"You want it on so bad, you put it on." I crossed my arms as I sat next to him. Shane let out a low frustrated sound and reached across me and grabbed the seatbelt and pulled it across. When he looked up at me his face was so close I could feel his breath on my own face. He froze and looked at me, his breathing getting shallower.

"You-you need your seatbelt on." Shane gulped, slowly moving away and buckling the strap in.

"Why won't you talk to me?" I demanded, trying to will myself not to cry.

"There's nothing to talk about." Shane replied shortly.

"Maybe the fact that you say you love me and then do everything possible to avoid me?" I suggested and he winced. "If you really love me then we can figure it out, Shane, we can find a way to be together."

"My job is to protect the Crown, not kiss the Crowns granddaughter." Shane snapped, glaring straight ahead of him.

"You're the one who said last week that you suck at following orders. Why are you so against us, Shane? You say you love me, and I think I'm in love with you, and you're refusing to let us be together. If you really loved me then nothing would stop us." I unbuckled my seatbelt again and Shane opened his mouth, but I moved over and sat, straddling him, which effectively shut him up. "Shane Gray, do you love me?" I asked slowly, looking straight into his eyes and holding my breath. Shane stared right back into my eyes, his were both pained and searching. Searching for what, I didn't know. Shane moved forward, trying to kiss me, like he always did when I wanted us to talk, but I pulled away from his reach and he frowned. "Answer me." I told him firmly.

"What I feel doesn't matter." Shane avoided and I glared at him.

"Yes or no, Shane, do you love me?" I demanded directly.

"Yes." Shane sighed and I sighed softly.

"Then why are you pushing me away?" I asked, feeling a warm fluttery feeling when he finally answered.

"I can't tell you." Shane denied and my smile turned into a frown.

"So we're back to that?" I got off of Shane and moved to the farthest part of the car that I could. I'd already had enough of this 'can't tell you, you wouldn't understand' crap.

"I do love you, Princess, but it's not as simple as love to be together. You need to get married, and I would love nothing more than for it to be me, but it just can't happen, and I can't stand beside you the rest of my life and watch you with someone else." Shane said, looking out the window away from me as he spoke, we were going up the drive of the palace. "You have to tell Hawthorne yes because I know that at least he cares about you." And then my door was opened and the doorsman was waiting for me to get out whilst Shane got out the other side on his own.

"Shane, wait!" I called, getting out and running after him. He didn't slow or stop or even look back. "Can't we just have the weekend?" I asked softly.

"Hawthorne is going to be here tomorrow for your answer, and I start my new detail tomorrow morning." Shane denied, keeping his quick pace away from me.

"Tonight, then? Please? I can't lose you like this? You said you didn't want to hurt me, don't you think saying you love me and then just walking away saying I should marry someone else doesn't hurt? Please?" I was desperate, I couldn't just let him go, I needed to convince him to stay.

"Your Highness!" A voice called and I glanced over to see Alyssa and I groaned. Shane took that opportunity to walk away from me and I was left just standing there, watching him walk away and waiting for Alyssa to walk over to me. "Your Highness, his Majesty is waiting in the dining hall." Alyssa said when she reached me and I sighed and followed, dragging my feet.

"Sir?" I asked softly, looking down as I picked at my food.

"Please, Miley, you may call me Altiyan." The King said gently and I shook my head, that just a little too weird. "What can I do for you?"

"Shane Gray." It hurt a little to say his name, knowing that I wasn't going to see him again. "He-he says that it doesn't matter who I love because I have to marry someone with status." I frowned and pushed my plate away, I couldn't eat when I felt like this. "I already have to get married, why can't it be to who I want to marry?"

"The constitution is in place to ensure that a Princess marries... Right. For-"

"For breeding?" I cut in angrilly. That's all it was, that's the only thing keeping Shane and me apart, the fact that the stupid constitution said I had to marry a guy for good breeding.

"Miley-" King Altiyan started in that soothing voice, but I got up and walked away, heading back to my quarters. I was resigned that I'd have to get married when I was 15 because of the constitution, but I didn't understand why it couldn't be to someone that I was in love with? Because of what a bunch of dead stuck up people thought was better breeding?

"Shane?" I spotted him outside the double doors to my quarters when I ran up.

"Your Highness." Shane bowed, he seemed to be going out of his way to be formal.

"Shane, I-" I bit my lip, there was one thing I could do to make him at least be in the same room with me again. "I-I order you to-to come with me." I stuttered and Shane broke the facade and looked at me with those pained hazel eyes.

"Yes, your Highness." Shane whispered, looking down and following me into my quarters. I shut and locked the double doors behind Shane after he entered.

"I hate you!" I anounced and Shane winced, but he didn't say anything. "I hate you, Shane because you make me love and it won't matter that you're going to leave because I'm still going to love you."

"Don't love me." Shane sounded begging as he finally broke protocol. "Please, Princess, don't love me."

"Yeah, well, it's too late for that." I muttered, walking past him and sitting on the couch.

"Hawthorne is a good guy." Shane said, he'd been saying that since the trial. "He'll make it easy for you to fall in love with him." He walked over and sat on the couch next to me.

"I don't want to." I denied and Shane turned to me sharply.

"You can't keep fighting for us, Princess, its pointless and only ends up hurting both of us." He was right, and I hated it.

"Please?" I whispered, looking down and feeling like I was about to cry. "Can-can you please just stay with me for tonight? I just want you to hold me one more time?" One more time before I never see him again. Shane sighed and stood up and I thought he was going to leave me again when he held out his hand and I looked up.

"Come on." He urged and I took his hand, letting him lead me up to my bedroom and we both got on my bed. We just looked at each other for a few seconds before I moved over and laid down in the middle of the bed, on back and looking at him. Shane moved over as well and laid down beside me, on his side, looking at me and he draped one arm across me waist.

"Will you be here when I wake up?" I questioned, moving to my said as well so I was facing him. In response Shane reverted back to his old way of getting me to stop talking about painful things, he kissed me. His lips were urgent against mine, this was all the time we had together. As soon as I fall asleep Shane and I... There is no Shane and I. All we have is right now. I cupped his face and kissed him back with the same urgence, need, love.

Shane gently rolled on top of me and pinned my hands down to the bed gently, he laced our fingers together and squeezed lightly. He pulled away for a second and looked at me. His eyes were never pained when we were kissing, I liked that. He kissed me again, quickly, but he didn't move off of me, so I took that as a good sign. If I only had tonight, I wanted all of tonight. I leaned up and kissed Shane, slowly pulling away and smiling against his lips when he followed me. His kiss was soft and he tugged my bottom lip into his mouth for a second before he pulled away.

A few kisses and nips later Shane was laying next to me again, his arm tight around my waist and his breath hot on my neck.

"Shane?" I whispered softly, the only thing I'd said since he kissed me.

"Hmm?" Shane hummed, toying with the ends of my hair.

"Why were you crying?" I asked, I don't know why, but I needed to know now. "That night in the tree, why were you crying?" Shane stiffened and I reached up to stroking his cheek, I pecked him lightly on the lips and he relaxed a little. "You don't have to tell me." I decided.

"My uncled died... He's the one who raised me, My Dad died in action before I was even born, and my Mom died when I was three so my Uncle Brown raised me, and he died." Shane said as I kept stroking his cheek. "He was all I had left, and you-..." He sighed softly and I felt guilt run through me. "I guess you were all that I had left that I cared about."

"And I pushed you away." I shook my head.

"You let me hold you, and I needed that, I needed to feel something that was real and you let me do that." I moved closer to Shane and he held me tightly.

"Promise me that you'll-" I choked, I didn't want this. "You'll find someone else to hold you when you need it? You deserve someone that will hold you for eternity."

"No-one could ever be like you." Shane murmured sadly.

"You deserve someone better."

Princess Miley

Saturday, December 3rd

I sighed sadly when I woke up alone. Shane had been perfectly safe in my arms last night, we'd held each other and kissed gently, we'd talked as well. I'd told him how scared I was of living up to peoples expectations, and he'd soothed me and said I'd be a good Queen. But, I was alone now. Shane hadn't answered last night when I'd asked if he would be here this morning, and I knew that meant he wouldn't, but it still hurt to feel the emptiness around me.

"Your Highness!" I frowned and turned away from the voice, that wasn't Shane's soft murmur. "Your Highness, breakfast is available, would you like to dine in your quarters?" The voice persisted to ask and I groaned, burrowing into my pillows, they still smelled like Shane.

"Leave me alone." I whined, inhaling Shane's scent. I already felt alone and miserable, I might as well be alone as well, it didn't really matter any more. Shane was gone, he wouldn't be back. Ever. And now it was only a matter of time until I told someone who wasn't Shane that 'd marry him.

"Very well, your Highness." The person said and I heard them leave. I snuggled back down into the sheets, pillows and covers. I knew I'd have to leave eventually and that Shane's scent would start to fade, soon. But, this was all I had left of him. He was gone now, he was gone, he'd transfered to another detail so that we wouldn't be around each other. I wondered idly if he'd started yet, if he'd thought of me, if he regretted even taking the assignment to be on my detail now that everything had happened.

"Miley?" I didn't even look up when the King entered. I didn't know how long I'd been here, I didn't really care. I knew as soon as I got out of bed it would be real, Shane's scent would be gone, and I'd never see him again. Marcus was a good guy, and for a few weeks there I actually felt like I was falling for him, Shane was right; Marcus would make it easy to fall for him. "Is this about marrying with status, Mister Gray's reasignment, and or Lord Hawthorne's proposal of marriage?" He asked and I groaned, burrying into what I had left of Shane. It was all three, I couldn't marry Shane because he didn't have the propper status which was why Shane kept pushing me to say yes to Marcus' proposal and why he transfered.

"What time is it?" I peaked out, Marcus usually came around eleven in the morning.

"Half past ten." The King replied and I frowned, half an hour. Half an hour until Marcus got here. Would he even be here? The last time I'd seen him he was proposing to me and I ran away and passed out. We hadn't even talked since then. "Miley, if you wish to talk-" The King started to say, but I sat up and he stopped.

"I just-" I sighed and looked down. "I just need some time." I murmured and King Altiyan sighed as well.

"Please know, that when you are ready, whenever you need it, I'm here to talk to... Or if you just need someone to listen..." The King offered and I nodded.

"Thank-you." I whispered and the King reagrded me for a moment.

"Very well, Miley. But, I would prefer it if you ate something this morning." King Altiyan said softly before he turned and left. I sighed and looked around my room. Empty. The room was empty, I was empty.

:'( Sadsies.

I've been uber busy the last few days, and for the next few as well, so I don't know when I'm going to be able to post again. Also, I think is going to be another short one like Avis Cyrus... I just don't see it lasting too long, I don't really know how to draw it out... Maybe I'll make a sequel when I'm finished, or maybe it will go on to be a long one. I'm not really sure at this point, but when I get a better idea I'll let you guys know.

Review?

COUNTDOWN TIME!
9 DAYS UNTIL MILEY CYRUS' 19TH BIRTHDAY!
41 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!
51 DAYS UNTIL MY 19TH BIRTHDAY!

Reviews are very much welcomed, apreciated, needed :)

XOXO
Peace, Love, Miley!