(A/N: Ok here's the next chapter. Thanks to Lightkit for reviewing :D)

Chapter 8: Confessions

Bryana sat on her bed, holding her knees up to her chest. She stared at the letter that sat in front of her and frowned deeply. It had been a terrible week for her. Not only was her date with Aaron a disaster, she went to the hut and found out that Dan had went back home. All he left was a letter! The whole week was spent in her moping. She never left the house once all week despite attempts from her friends and family.

"Why does it hurt so much?" She asked herself, "Why do I keep wishing for more with him? Why can't I get him out of my head? Maybe, maybe Mariella and Emma are right…maybe I am in love with him…There has to be some reason why the thought of him is making me crazy!"

Bryana's thoughts were interrupted with a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" She asked, glumly.

"It's Emma and Mariella…"

"Come in…"

Emma and Mariella walked into the room and closed the door behind them, "Hey, how you holding up?"

Bryana shrugged and lay down, curling up in a ball. Emma walked over and picked up the letter.

"Huh, that's nice; just leave a letter after you spent so much time looking after him. Hmmp! What nerve!"

Mariella elbowed Emma in her side and glared at her.

"I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason for leaving abruptly…" She said, sitting down next to Bryana, "Hey, cheer up! You will see him again. I'm sure of it!"

Bryana sat up, "How can you be so sure? How do I know if I will ever see him again? What if I never do? Then what will happen? I'll never know….err… (Sigh) What am I gonna do?"

She plopped back down on the bed.

Mariella exchanged a look with Emma.

"Do you love him, Bry?"

"I…I…I" she stammered, trying to gather her thoughts together.

"Oh my goodness, you do," Emma said, "You do love him…"

"Just because I feel something for him doesn't mean he does…"

"You don't know that! He could be in love with you too, sis!"

"I don't think so. There are so many maids that probably throw themselves at him and they are probably much prettier and smarter than I am…."

"Oh goodness. Don't degrade yourself like that, Bry. You are smart, beautiful, quirky, and funny, you're everything that any guy would want. You are, you really are."

Bryana looked at her, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm in love with him…I'm truly, madly, deeply in love with him…" She said, with a smile, "I've got to see him again, Mari. Em, what do I do? I can't just go in Tanger Territory. I will get in so much trouble if I get caught…What do I do?"

"Wait until the next battle. You will definitely see him there. You just have to search for him, but I'm sure that you two will meet. Bry, I told you already, you will see him again!"

Bryana picked up Dan's letter and held it close to her heart. She smiled and then folded it and placed it in her bedside drawer. The door to Bryana's door suddenly burst open. The three maids turned to the door, startled at the sudden intrusion.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"Bryana, Mariella, the Tangers are attacking…We need the two of you to get to your places. We're going to have both of you there leading the healers and keep an eye out for any dirty tricks the Tangers may come up with. Hurry up and get ready! Meet down at the base."

"Okay, Dad, right away!"

Mathew left the room and Mariella put a paw on Bryana's shoulder.

"Here's your chance, Bry…You can also keep an eye out for Dan and maybe you should tell him how you feel…"

"I don't know about that," Bryana answered, shaking her head, "But I most definitely will meet him or my name isn't Bryana Sarmana!"

Dan made his usual preparations for a battle. He sharpened his sword and got his gear ready for the field. Besides a sword, he carried daggers, bow and arrows, and a small ax. He sighed loudly. This would be the first battle he would participate in after two months. He wasn't fully healed but Natasha still cleared him at his insistence. He still thought of how he left so suddenly.

"Bryana must be so worried," he said, quietly to himself, "What if she's so mad at me that she will never talk to me again? (Sigh) I should have waited. I should have said goodbye to her face to face. I had to go though. Everyone was shocked and so happy when I came back…But was it worth coming back knowing that Bryana would be so sad? Why am I questioning my actions so much? Why do I care so much about that maid? She's driving me crazy! I want to see her so badly I don't know what to do! Ugh!"

He punched the wall, irritably.

"Matey, are you alright?"

Dan turned abruptly at the voice, "Ricky, uh hi. Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Why'd you hit the wall, idiot? Look at what you did! I'm calling Natasha."

"Wait!" Dan called after him, but he was already gone. He didn't realize how hard he hit the wall. His paw was all bloodied. Natasha rushed over to him.

"What did you do?"

"I, I…"

"He hit the wall, that's what!"

"Why'd you do that?"

Dan didn't answer. He just turned his head away from them as his paw was bandaged. Natasha and Ricky exchanged glances as Natasha finished her work on his paw.

"Dan, you've been acting so weird since you came back….Are you sure nothing happened. I mean you're not yourself anymore…"

"I don't feel like myself!" he exclaimed, "I'm bloody miserable and I don't know why! It's pissing me off!"

Ricky raised an eyebrow, "Miserable? Aren't you happy to be home?"

"I am, but I feel like there's something missing…"

Natasha smiled slightly, "Something, or someone?"

Dan and Ricky looked at her, confused.

"What are you talking about?" Dan asked.

"This maid that took care of you…She had an effect on you. Anyone with eyes can tell that ever since you came back, you haven't been yourself. You're distracted. You can't concentrate. You feel upset one moment, and the next your happy, right?"

"Yeah, exactly!" he exclaimed, "What's wrong with me, Natasha? Why am I acting like this?"

Ricky shook his head, "Isn't it obvious, matey? You're in love with this maid…"

"What? No, I am NOT in love with her!" He frowned, turning his back to them.

"Oh, Dan, you're very much in love with her, and you feel bad for the way you left her right? You left a letter instead of saying goodbye face to face…"

Dan looked at Natasha, "Am I in love with her? I don't know anymore…"

Natasha smiled, "We still got time before the battle, so tell us about her. What's her name?"

Dan smiled slightly, "Bryana…"

"That's a pretty name…"

"It is, just like her…"

Natasha smirked, "How pretty is she?"

"She's extremely beautiful! I would say she's one of those rare beauties, just like you, Tasha." He said with a wink.

"Aww, you're so sweet! Now, remember, we're talking about Bryana, not me…So, she must be a fantastic healer since she saved your life. You almost die."

"Yea, she is pretty great…though I hated that swampy medicine she used to make me take…bleh! It helped a lot so it wasn't that bad…"

"What color are her eyes," Natasha asked.

"Is that necessary to ask?" Ricky complained.

Natasha hit his arm and shushed him, then nodded at Dan to answer.

"Her eyes are a creamy hazel color. It brings out her honey brown fur…"

"She asked about eye color…So now I guess you're going to describe her now." Ricky asked, sarcastically.

"Go ahead," Natasha said, "Describe her."

Ricky sighed, loudly as Dan continued.

"Well, like I said, she has hazel eyes, honey brown fur, she's not that tall, probably goes up to my shoulder. She has a slim figure, but she's not too skinny. She wears clothes that brings out her figure, clothes that make her look nice. Her clothes rather do get skimpy sometimes, but she's a Langi so what do you expect? You know how they get sometimes…"

Dan stopped abruptly, realizing what he said.

"Uhhh, I was supposed to go to that one place to meet that one creature…umm, got to go!"

"Wait!" Natasha exclaimed, "Don't even think about it! What did you say? She, she's a LANGI?"

Dan shushed her, "Don't announce it to the whole damn world!" he exclaimed, closing the door.

"Dan, what are you thinking? Oh my goodness, you're in love with a Langi maid? Do you know what will happen if anyone finds out?"

"I trust both of you," Dan said, softly, "I know you won't tell anyone…"

"Of course, you can trust us," Ricky said, "We got your back, matey. Go get that Langi, haha!"

Natasha shook her head, "I don't know about this, Dan…You need to be careful! When everyone thought you were dead, they felt lost without you…Every single creature in our village were mourning for you. If you get caught with this maid, you can get in serious trouble!"

"I know. I know, Tasha, but I know how to handle myself. I don't even know if I will ever see here again. I'm hoping to see her today though. I know she will be there somewhere. I just have to see her one more time. I have to know what her feelings are…"

"What are your feelings? You should figure that out first before approaching her," Ricky commented.

"You're right," Dan said, "And I think I know my feelings for her. I realized the way I was going on and on about her when you asked me about her. I can talk about her all day if any beast would listen. She may be a Langi, but she is the opposite of what we were taught when we were younger. She's smart, beautiful, amazing, and funny. She has a temper, too, but so do I. I think we can make it work, but that's only if she feels the same way. Well, I guess we are going to find out sooner or later…"

Natasha smiled and put a paw on his shoulder, "Well, I think she does feel the same…How could she not? You're pretty amazing yourself, Dan. You know, all the mousemaids in our village are crazy about you, but not one ever caught your eye. Bryana did though…She got you on a hook!"

Dan smiled slightly, "Yup, she sure does!"

As usual, the alarm went off, signaling the time for battle. Dan, Ricky and Natasha grabbed their gear and walked towards the battlefield. Dan took a deep breath. Today would be the day where he would tell Bryana that he loved her. He hoped and prayed that she would feel the same way. If not, it was like his uncle said, "It is better to have loved and lost then to never love at all!"

(A/N: Yay, finally done with this chapter! I hope I lived up to the expectations of my readers. If not, please tell me so I can improve! Constructive criticism is welcome! So, please R&R!)