CHAPTER THIRTY
Tuesday, January 10th
"Gray." Someone barked, waking me up and I whined and snuggled into Shane's warm embrace. "Gray, get up." The voice continued.
"Get lost." I shot back as Shane shifted and held me closer. "Princess says he stays." Shanes fingers tugged lightly at my hair and he nuzzled into my neck sleepily. I heard a couple of footsteps coming closer and my eyes flew open when a second later Shane's warm body was gone and there was a slight yelp. "Wha...?" I rubbed my eyes to clear them of sleep and blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining this. Shane had jumped up and grabbed his gun and had it pressed against the other guys forehead, glaring harshly.
"You're off duty, Gray." The man said and Shane tilted his gun back, studying him for a second before he was satisfied that it really was another CRS agent. Shane clicked the safety back on and sat back on my bed, running a hand through his hair.
"What just happened?" I finally managed to ask as the other agent retreated back outside.
"No-one touches you." Shane replied simply, sliding his gun back into its holster and sitting back a little further on my bed. "He could have been here to hurt you and I won't let that happen." I sighed and crawled over, leaning against Shane as I looked at my alarm clock.
"Dude, it's six o'clock." I frowned, I don't do early mornings, at least not when it was absolutely neccessary.
"Go back to sleep, Baby." Shane urged and I frowned and shook my head.
"'M up now." I yawned and he laughed. "I smell stinky." I sniffed, lifting my head and sitting up straight.
"You smell good." Shane contradicted and I rolled my eyes.
"I'm gonna shower, wi-"
"Can I come?" Shane cut in cheekily and all I could do was stare at him for a few seconds. "Joking, Princess." He said, grinning and I just stared at him a little more. "Princess?"
"Have-have you ever...?" I blushed as I picked out a uniform for today, playing with the bottom hem of the plaid skirt.
"Princess?" Shane came up behind me and rested his hands on my waist.
"Have you ever you know-have you ever had..." I blushed and ducked my head. "Sex." Shane froze for a second before he relaxed back against me.
"Once." He said lowly and I looked up at him. "I was a couple of months older than you are now, I didn't love her, she was Trevor's babysitter and I'm not even sure how it started. I've regretted it for a long time and I swore that the second every time after would be with the woman I love." Shane avoided my eyes and I turned in his light hold, reaching up to make him look at me. "I don't want you to think I'd ever force you, Princess."
"I know." I whispered, stroking his cheek and he leaned into my touch. "You're too sweet to ever do something like that." I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek. "I was just-... I don't know... You're gonna be my first; you're my first everything." I smiled softly and his eyes bore into mine, dark hazel meets baby blue.
"What if we don't get the constitution change in time?" Shane's voice was low and his eyes were full of sad emotions.
"You're gonna be my first, Shaney, my only, no matter what any stupid constitution says." I assured, brining his head down and pressing our foreheads together. "Right now though, I smell stinky and I need to shower and we're gonna be two seperate rooms when that happens." I pecked his lips lightly before I pulled away and Shane pouted.
"Door open?" Shane asked, following after me hopefully and I laughed.
"Door closed. And locked." I told him slyly before I closed my bathroom door after me and true to my word locked it with a flick of my wrist, leaning back against it for a few moments. I stepped away from the door and as I undressed I switched on the hot water and heard Shane's footsteps retreat and the door to my dorm room open beofre I tuned out the muffled voices.
I let the scolding water wash over me, washing away yesterday, last night, Shane's scent. By the time I switched the water off the mirror was foggy, the bathroom was filled with steam, and as I wrapped my fluffy white towel around my scorched body I realised something quite crucial was missing from my uniform. I hesitantly unlocked the door and peaked out through the fog. The room looked empty. I slowly stepped out and as I turned to my dresser I jumped and gasped.
"Sorry." Shane blushed, putting my guitar back down in its stand. "I-... Woah..." He blushed deeper when he saw me in only a towel and looked away quickly.
"I-I forgot..." I mumbled, gesturing vaguely to my dresser and he stepped away. I blushed as I stepped over to my dresser and opened the top drawer.
Princess Miley
Saturday, January 14th
Well, this is a position I never thought I'd be in; me and Shane on one couch, Kale and Marcus Hawthorne on the opposite couch. We'de been sitting here uncomfortable for ten minutes. Kale had called and requested a meeting with me and then I was shock when Marcuus came as well, I was even more shocked when Marcus asked for Shane to come as well. Making for one awkard encounter.
"Why?" Marcus eventually spoke, his voice soft and a little sad. "If you had no intention of ever loving me then why did you lead me on?"
"I tried, Marc, I swear I did." I nodded ernestly. "I tried to love you, to give you a chance, but..." I looked up at Shane, he looked uncomfortable and his eyes were restlessly flickering between the brothers and me and the door. "I'm sorry."
"Why did you call this meeting?" Shane finally asked, we were both thinking it, but I didn't know how to ask it quite so delicately as he put it.
"I asked him to." Marcus said, looking straight at Shane and they locked into a staring contest. "Got a problem with that?"
"Why would I?" Shane bit out and I winced, this probably wasn't going to end well.
"Soo... Kale... What's up?" I asked awkwardly and he laughed, shaking his head.
"Take care of her." Marcus eventually muttered, getting up and leaving the room.
"You must really love her." Kale smirked, standing up as well and I felt confused. "Marcus is a very devoted, emotional kid, to get his aproval..." He shook his head again and bowed slightly to me before he left.
"What just happened?" I asked Shane, furrowing my brow and trying to figure it out. One second I thought Shane and Marcus were gonna get in a fight, the next Kale says that Marcus arpoves? I'm pretty sure I missed something.
"Guy stuff." Shane muttered, holding his hand out to helo me up and I slowly took it. "He wanted to make sure I was good enough for you."
"How did he do that? You were just staring at each other?"
"A dude just knows." Shane shrugged simply and I frowned. "If you chose him I knew he would have been good to you."
"Boys are weird." I decided and Shane chuckled.
"Whatever you say, Princess."
"Your Highness." Alyssa came into the hall and I looked up at her. "You have a fitting for your wedding dress in ten minutes."
"Today?" I asked, just to be sure, that didn't sound right.
"Yest, today." Alyssa confirmed, rolling her eyes.
"But, it was supposed to be in March because I'm getting ma..." I trailed off as realisation set in. It was originally in March becaused then there would be a month to allow for my growing body and alterations closer to the wedding. If I was getting fitted now then that meant that... That they'd need a month to perfect it, and that meant that I had be married in February. "Was anybody going to tell me my Grandfather is dieing in the next month?" I snapped and she looked taken aback whilst Shane held my hand a little tighter.
"You really are far too intelligent for your own good." Alyssa sighed and I glared at her.
"I need to talk to my Grandfather." I excused myself, letting go of Shane's hand and running down the hall, through the Palace towards the infirmiry.
"Miley!" King Altiyan looked surprised when I burst into the infirmiry. The Doctor was halfway through giving him a shot and he winced as the needle was taken out of his arm and the IV went back in.
"You're sick?" I waalked slower until I stop beside his bed.
"I've been sick for a long time." The King said and I glared at him.
"I have to be fitted for a wedding dress now, which means that apparently there is going to be a wedding next month that I wasn't informed of which means you're a Hell of a lot sicker than you told me." I snapped and he looked uneasy. "What? Were you just gonna wait for me to find out when you were already dead?"
"I'm sorry, Miley, I didn't want you to worry." He sighed and I frowned.
"You need to stop worrying about me worrying; I'm your granddaughter, it's my job to worry." I frowned and sat down in the chair next to his bed.
"Make sure that Gray boy is good to you." Grandfather said and I rolled my eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me it was this bad? You don't have to be strong for me."
"I know you don't want to be married, but I promise I will live to see you in a beautiful white gown, even if it takes years to get enough votes." I bit my lip and he smiled weakly at me.
"I need to get fitted now, don't I?" I whispered and he closed his eyes.
"It wouldn't be the worst idea." He sighed, I stood up and leaned over to kiss his forehead.
"I'm gonna hold you to that promise." I told him before I slowly left.
Princess Miley
Sunday, January 15th
"Thank-you for all being here today." I spoke into the microphone during the Parliment meeting. "Today's a slow day." I muttered dully, looking down at my notes. The fitting yesterday had been rather mundane, they'd just taken my measurements and tested a few color samples against my skin tone. "So, I'm just gonna open the floor to voting on last weeks constitution change petition and any new motions to be made." I sighed and glanced back at Shane, I wasn't doing such a good job of convincing people today, I just felt sort of numb as the reality of my grandfather dieing set in late last night when I was trying to sleep.
"Your Highness, with all due respect, may it please the Crown, I would like to make a statement towards the motion you made last week for the constitution change." Marcus stood up as he spoke and my mouth dropped open.
"Uh... Sure." I agreed, not sure what else to do. Shane was just behind me, Kale was next to Marcus, they both said that Marcus aproved or whatever, but that didn't mean he wouldn't say something against us.
"Lords and Ladies." Marcus began, looking around the room. "I'm sure many of you know of the slight romance that happened between Princess Miley and myself last year." I blushed, even though the news of the engagement hadn't been made public, everyone knew the endgame and that the first guy I locked onto would probably be it. "Do not hold it against Her Highness for not following through, she fell in love and she should not be forced to marry someone who isn't that man simply because he wasn't born with the right last name. The constitution currently says that, it says that regardless of who Princess Miley loves she must marry someone of the correct social standing; I implore you to think about what you are asking of our Crown Princess, you are asking her to marry someone she does not love; how would you feel if it was your daughters in her position? Your sisters, nieces, granddaughters... Would you stand by and let a centuries-old law dictate who they could marry? Who would sire their children? Who they would have to spend the rest of their lives with?" Marcus looked straight at me and smiled sadly. "Princess Miley is a girl who has made mistakes, yes. But, she is a still a girl, and a girl in love, do not take that away from her." Marcus bowed his head slightly in my direction before he turned and walked down to the box with the agreement contracts for the constitution change sat.
As I write this AN it is... 17 minutes until my 19th birthday O.o
And I'm listening to my Miley/Joe mix of all my favourite songs of theirs.
Thank-you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter; I really do love every single one of them, and I love getting more and more to inspire me to write (hint hint). I'll start writing the next chapter just as soon as my Ipod does that cute little quacking sound signalling I have 4 new reviews.
I had a dream last night that Miley and Joe anounced that they'd be working on a rpoject together this year... Here's to hoping that that would actually happen because it would be so totally epic.
Please review :D For my birthday?
XOXO
Peace, Love, Miley!
P.S: Should I be worried that my firends are kidnapping me tomorrow and they said that I may need to bring the 'amputated limbs bag' we have in our first aid kit? (no joke, we actually have one in our first aid)