A/N: Well, thank God I have an amazing Beta, because seriously, I wouldn't have posted this chapter otherwise (it was full of mistakes and all). But thanks, Donnamour1969 for checking it for me!

The waiting for Season 5 is too long. I think I'm gonna kill myself when I've finished all my In Progress stories.
Oh, speaking of which, 'Daydreams and troubles' and 'Breathless' might have a slight delay (understatement of the year, really), but that's because I'm a bit... tired of things right now. Nothing for you to worry about, it's all my fault, so don't blame yourself :D. I'll finish these stories when this story is done, and I'm afraid that might take a while. Hold on just a little longer!

Disclaimer: Nothing here is mine. It's never been mine and it will never be mine. Unfortunately.

Summer was brushing Teresa's hair. Not that Teresa couldn't do that herself, she just wanted the company. Some feminine conversation, considering she was surrounded by men almost always. And since Summer loved to make Teresa even more beautiful than she already was, she was happy to help her.

Besides, Teresa didn't have anything to do otherwise; still another two hours until they had to retire to bed.

Teresa never had trouble becoming good friends with maids, although, Grace hadn't been a maid, at first.

"Summer, may I ask how old you are?"

She saw Summer cringing a bit at this question, but she immediately regained her composure.

"I'm sixteen."

"And are you in love?" Teresa asked. Summer stopped brushing Teresa's hair.

"Yes."

A big grin appeared on Teresa's face.

"Do I know him?" Teresa asked, but Summer shied away.

"Come on, Summer, it's just me. You can trust me, I'm not going to kill him if I know him," Teresa teased, and Summer chuckled.

Teresa turned around in her chair and looked at Summer.

"What's his name?"

Summer chuckled.

"I don't know if you know him," she said. "His name is Kimball, knight of Bertram."

Teresa's eyes widened.

"Really?" Teresa exclaimed, and they both burst into laughing.

A knock on the door made them both stop. Teresa motioned to Summer to open it, while she quickly put a dress on to hide her undergarments.

When Summer opened the door, King Minelli smiled at her. She bowed, and let him enter.

Summer left the room, and Minelli walked over to Teresa. She was standing in front of her bed.

He smiled, and took her in his arms.

"Do you start to like it here?" he asked, walking over to one of the chairs in her room. She followed him, kneeling in front of him.

She shrugged.

"And what about Prince Patrick?" he asked, narrowing his eyes until they were almost little lines, but a smile on his lips betrayed him.

She sighed.

"He's... rude, selfish, disrespectful, and-"

"And what? You like him?" he teased. She gently slapped his knee with her hand. He grabbed it, and kissed the top of it.

"I talked with Gale. If you two really don't like each other, we can arrange something with other kingdoms. But that's only if you two are ready to smash each other's heads in," he teased again, and she huffed.

"I'm sure that is going to happen," she muttered. He lifted her head to make her looking up into his eyes.

"Teresa, give it a chance, please. Do it for me then," he whispered. He was deadly serious now, and always when he acted serious, she couldn't deny him.

She nodded, slowly. He kissed her forehead.

"Now, go and have some fun with that maid, but don't you dare replace Grace!" he said. She chuckled.

"I wouldn't let that happen, father," she said, and he smiled.

"Great. Because I like Grace, she's like-"

"I know, the daughter you never had," she said. He pointed at her.

"Exactly," he stated, and left the room. Teresa lay down on her bed, still laughing.

She was used to the fact that her father didn't really see her as a daughter. Hell, she was a tomboy. Sometimes she even had the feeling she was a man in the wrong body.

Maybe she just wanted to be a man. Men's lives were a lot less difficult. They got to do more things than women.

Suddenly, a thought struck in her mind. Would Patrick like her? Or would he reject her as soon as he came to know her better?

And why was she even thinking this?

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick and Teresa were sitting in front of each other at the table in the Great Hall. They occasionally looked at each other, faintly smiling.

And for some reason, Patrick felt strange. Light-headed. Happy.

It had been a long time since he'd teased a woman like that.

Maybe he did like her, a bit too much.

He saw her looking at her father, then her brother, and then him again. And he held her gaze, all but drowning in those beautiful, emerald eyes of hers. He saw a faint flickering in there, and his breath caught in his throat.

He suddenly felt a hand at his side, which made him reluctantly look away from her.

When he turned, he saw James sitting next to him.

"I want to talk to you for a moment," he whispered in his ear, and Patrick nodded.

He looked at Teresa again, but she was suddenly involved in a chat with her youngest brother, Tommy. He sighed, and followed James outside the Great Hall.

"I can see you're enjoying your time with Teresa a lot, but I swear to God, if you ever hurt her, Iwill hurt you," James threatened.

Patrick raised his hands in self-defense.

"Trust me, I would never want to hurt your sister," he said.

James smiled.

"Good. That's all I wanted to say," James said, and went into the Great Hall again. Patrick rolled his eyes. Was the entire family that feisty?
Patrick sat down in front of Teresa again. She smiled at him.

And then Patrick knew it. He couldn't keep his promise to Angela forever, couldn't keep his lonely heart from never loving a woman again. The last years had been a lie. He couldn't lie to himself like that.

He had fallen for Teresa. Hard. And the fact that he'd only known her for one day made the fall surprising and painful.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa saw a wide range of emotions crossing Patrick's eyes. Those beautiful, deep blue eyes, as blue as the seas. What was he thinking about?

"Tell me, Prince Patrick, to which beautiful kingdoms have you once been?" Teresa asked.

Patrick smiled at her.

"Well, dear Princess Teresa, I have been to many kingdoms. For example, I am happy to be able to add the kingdoms of Waterford and Bregna to that long list. As well as Osraige-the ladies there were quite extraordinary."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, they were. They were nice, polite, but also beautiful and feminine," he said, well aware that most of those words did not fit Teresa one bit. He saw that she was aware of that as well.

She shot him a teasing glare, before excusing herself and leaving the Great Hall. He followed her almost immediately, feeling like a puppy obeying his master. But this chat was just too nice; he couldn't let it end.

"So, Princess Teresa, what do you think about me?" he asked, which startled her. She stopped walking and turned around.

"Oh, uhm...Well...I believe you are selfish, disrespectful, completely immature and utterly mean," she said, a hint of playfulness in her voice. He approached her, slowly.

"And when do we get to the bad stuff?" he asked. She smiled, a bright smile that made his heart melt. He immediately bowed down and kissed her.

She complied, swinging her arms around his neck and moving in closer to deepen the kiss.

He smiled against her mouth.

His hands went to her neck, and pulled at her hair to change the angle of her head. He could get more of her this way.

But as suddenly as the kiss had started, it stopped. The two looked at each other, their faces flushed with lust and passion.

How could they have fallen like this? They hardly knew each other.

Besides, they always told their parents that they wouldn't love the other, would stay alone forever because they didn't want to live a slave's life, being married off to random strangers.

But all of a sudden wanted to feel like slaves, for they could be together if they were.

Teresa felt strange. She had never felt such a connection with a stranger before. And it felt marvelous.

She smiled at him, and walked away. He looked after her, noticing how she put a slight sway to her hips-the little minx- before returning to the Great Hall again.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa collapsed on her bed.

Today had been the best day of her life, but also the most confusing. This morning, she could've killed Patrick, if only because she was doomed to marry that bastard. She could still remember how they'd been standing in the garden, awkwardness almost killing them both.

And then, she'd kissed him, and wanted nothing else than to kiss him again, feel his hot, strong body against hers.

How could this have happened?

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick sat on his throne. He was bored, as always.

Teresa entered the room as well. She smiled at him, but he was lost in thought. She sat down on the edge of one of the tables in the room, her back turned to him.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"Nothing, really. Just...I...Nothing," he said.

Teresa felt like he was thinking about his wife and child. Maybe he even regretted their kiss. She didn't want to think that way, but it could be possible.

"You're thinking about them, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"I'm sorry, if you don't want to be with me, just say it, but I-"

"Teresa, I wouldn't want anything other than to be with you. Believe me. I would love to get to know you. But it still hurts, especially at moments like our kiss. Though I was supposed to be ready for this all my life, I don't think I am yet."

She swallowed.

"Yes. I'm not ready either," she whispered. Though she knew full well that she was more ready than ever.

She admitted that she'd thought that marrying Patrick would be a living hell, but now that she knew him a bit, she didn't find it that bad. Of course, she still was angry at her father sometimes for making her do this, for not letting her marry whomever she wanted to marry.

When she was eighteen, she'd had a short affair with one of the knights, Samuel, but she wasn't supposed to, so no one talked about it. Everybody knew about it, though. A few years later, she'd seen Walter, a man from the village, but he wasn't the one either. Teresa had been happy with him for a moment, and had even considered marrying him. But her father was very clear-she had to marry Prince Patrick, and that was the end of it. Her love life had been nonexistent since then.

Traditionally, she was still a virgin. Or, that's what her father thought. After all, she'd slept with Samuel. And Walter.

A hand on her shoulder pulled her out of her reverie. She turned around, and saw that Patrick was standing behind her.

She looked into his eyes. She saw pain there-a lot of pain. She felt it deep inside herself. But she also saw admiration there.

"Let's walk a bit," he whispered, and she nodded. He pulled her onto her feet, and their faces were suddenly mere inches apart. He stroked her cheek for a second. Then they went outside, their hands linked.

-YulianaHenderson-

"So, Gale, we're leaving today," King Minelli said, while he and his good friend, King Bertram, walked through the halls of the castle. Both of them never seemed to be able to stop talking, and neither wanted to stop. They had a lot to catch up on.

Bertram nodded.

"Yes. I hope Patrick and Teresa can get along. Speaking of which, where could those two be? I haven't seen them since this morning," Bertram said.

A big smile appeared on Minelli's face.

"I wouldn't worry about them; I'm sure they're fine. They have each other," Minelli said. Bertram seemed to think about this one, but then his eyes widened at the realization of what they could be doing together.

"Oh," he said simply, but awkwardly, and Bertram laughed. Minelli wasn't really pleased with this insight, but he trusted Teresa to stick to her beliefs. He didn't want her to have pre-marital sex. He waved it away, and followed Bertram.

-YulianaHenderson-

A chill ran down Teresa's spine as she saw where Patrick was leading her: the woods.

She shook her head.
"No, I don't want to go there," she whispered. He squeezed her hand.

"Teresa, promise me you won't get sick of the woods," he replied.

To encourage her more, his hand went up, to rest on her right shoulder, then on her left, so that his arm was completely wrapped around her.

She took in a deep breath.

She'd sworn to herself she would never go the woods again, since what happened with her mother. But she had the feeling Patrick would protect her against the evil that lurked in the wood.

She took in a deep breath, and he continued walking.
With every sudden sound, she tried to see where it came from. And Patrick, surprisingly, found it charming. She was cautious-that was a good thing-but maybe she was a bit too cautious.

He suddenly thought of how he could make her relax. Yes, he knew exactly how to make her feel calm and relaxed.

When they arrived at a field covered with beautiful flowers of all colors, Patrick looked at Teresa. She obviously loved to be outside, to see all the wonders the earth could show her. He could see it in her eyes. He picked a flower, a white one that looked lovely with her green dress and placed it in her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear as he did so.

She blushed. Butterflies started to dance inside his stomach.

God, this woman was the devil.

He'd sworn to himself that he would never love again. His heart belonged to Angela forever. He would live in celibacy for the rest of his life.

But at the same time he'd sworn it, he knew that it could never be true. He was only nineteen when Angela and Charlotte had died, and though he knew he couldn't live forever, he also knew that 'for the rest of his life' was a bit too long.

And this woman had completely shown him how to fall in love again.

He brushed her cheek with his thumb, and she moved into his touch, which moved from her cheek, to her nose, to her mouth, and then to her neck.

She shuddered. He took her in his arms, and brought their lips together. She went through his curls with her hands, tugging at them. His touch went all the way down to the small of her back, and then to her bottom. She gasped in his mouth, and he smiled.

"Teresa, I love you. And not because we have to get married, but because I really, truly do. You make me feel things I never thought I'd feel again. But I do now, thanks to you," he whispered, and she smiled softly.

She suddenly ran away, which startled him. Was she rejecting him?
But when he heard that she was laughing, he growled. She was playing with him. The little minx.

He started running after her, joy filling his entire body. He'd thought he'd never feel so happy again; the last sad years were completely forgotten.

She stopped, but he hadn't seen it coming, so he ran past her.

She chuckled, grabbing his arms, and started dancing with him.

God, he loved that smile, her laughter.

They danced together, reveling in each other's company, when Teresa–- accidently or on purpose, he wasn't sure-–tripped, pulling him down with her.

They lay among the flowers; nobody could see them.

He immediately was beside her, kissing her passionately, pulling her against him.

She pulled him in closer, as closely as possible, and he laid down on top of her. She welcomed his weight, breathlessly pushing her down into the ground, but she didn't mind. They pulled apart, and he nibbled her ear.

"Teresa, if I hurt you or if you don't want this, please tell me, because I won't stop otherwise," he whispered in her ear.

"I partly started this. If I hadn't wanted to do this, I wouldn't have started it," she said. He smiled.

He began undoing her dress. He noticed it was indeed a much more comfortable dress than usual. She'd hoped for this, dressed for it. He smiled again. She was truly the devil. He would never survive her if they got married.

He pulled her body up, pulling the dress over her head, leaving her in only her undergarments, which she shed pretty quickly as well.

Soon, she was laying naked among the flowers. He took a moment to look at her. She was truly beautiful, not only on the inside. Sure, she was tinier than Angela had been, but he completely blamed the corsets and uncomfortable dresses she'd worn her entire life, purposely reshaping her to make her look like a princess should look.

He saw she had a few scars on some parts of her body. She smiled sheepishly.

"Three brothers," she said simply, and he laughed. He knew from the beginning she wasn't a true princess. She was a tomboy, not feminine at all at some moments. She had her feminine moments, but they were quite rare.

"I assumed," he replied, and continued adoring her body.

Though she didn't act like a woman, she still looked like one. She couldn't hide that. Her unnaturally small waist he could easily span with his hands. Her hips too were small, her legs thin. The only thing that surprised him were her breasts, surprisingly full, compared to the rest of her body. Not out of proportion, just large enough.

He quickly pulled off his offending clothes as well, and hovered on top of her when he was completely naked, leaning on his forearms to prevent his entire weight from crushing her.

He looked into her eyes, and they seemed to be exchanging the same thought: They were lost, but damned if they didn't want this.

Her hands went into his curls. She'd already developed an unhealthy obsession with them. Her hands were shaking and her entire frame was trembling.

"What's wrong?" he quickly asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing, just-"

"You're a virgin?" he asked, and she blushed. She shook her head, though.

"No, not at all. It's just... Never mind."

He kissed her then, passionately. He decided to take this slow, making this as comfortable as possible for her.

He kissed her throat, then moved to her cleavage, her stomach, and then even further down.

She gasped, but didn't stop him. He placed a few kisses there, his fingers finding the place as well, and it didn't take long before she cried out his name.

He moved up to her face again.

"I'm serious, if I'm hurting you, tell me," he managed to say between kisses.

"Please, just do this," she groaned, and he did, entering her.

She groaned, struggling to accommodate his size. But she managed-how was a miracle to her.

Teresa saw stars when Patrick started to thrust.

He kissed her again, heavily panting. He pulled away slightly, only to catch his breath again, which seemed impossible while he was inside Teresa.

He felt pleasure building up inside him, and he thrust harder, sending her into another orgasm. She wrapped her legs around his waist to get more of his thrusts, changing the angle of her hips until she came again. She whispered his name as he fell over the edge as well.

The feeling was strange to Teresa, but it was even strange to Patrick. Yes, he'd been with Angela, but they'd only lain together once.

Teresa and Patrick had shared the ultimate sign of love. He was still inside her, and reluctantly moved off of her to lay next to her. He pulled her against his body tightly, for he was afraid he would lose her.

Patrick showered her head with butterfly kisses, while she did the same on his chest.

He reached out around him, never letting Teresa go, and gathered some of the flowers growing there. He wove a colorful rope through her hair with them. He knew how to do this because he could still remember going to the forests with Charlotte and doing the same for her.

She buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I never imagined that I'd ever do this again," Patrick whispered. He felt her smile.

She was completely speechless, and tired to her bones. Her feelings were on display, open for him to read, watch, and react to them. She wasn't used to it.

How was she going to be able to let this man go at the end of her visit?

A/N: Oe, wow, so... I forgot to mention in the first Author's Note that the last part of this chapter was gonna be M-rated... Oh well, you figured out yourself, right? Great!

I'm not really sure about this chapter, so if you could just... REVIEW, thank you! I need reviews, sorry, but I live on them. So, can you give me some reviews, pretty please?