Happy Monday everyone! Here's an update, and I'm also going to answer a few questions you guys had.

1. How can Len feel fear if he is emotionless? - I wouldn't consider fear an emotion, at least not like happiness, sadness, or anger. Fear is a more of a state-of-being, like confusion of boredom. So it's not considered an emotion in my opinion.

2. Who's side is Dell on? - Dell is on the side that is most convenient for him at the time.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. If you have any other questions, please tell me and I'll answer as best I can. :)

- THE NEXT MORNING -

Rin's POV

There was a loud knocking on my door. Who could it be this early in the morning? I walked over to the door, and opened it. To my surprise, Luka was standing there, looking a bit worried.

"Could I trouble you for something?" she asked, politely.

"Of course, what do you need?" I replied.

"Yuki is running a small fever, but I don't have enough of the right herbs to make the medicine," Luka said. "Could you please run out and get some for me? They grow just in that nearby forest." Luka pointed at a forest about two miles in the distance. "I would get them myself," Luka continued. "But I don't want to leave Yuki alone, in case she gets any sicker."

"I'm happy to help!" I smiled. Luka explained to me exactly what plant I was looking for, and then she quickly left to check on Yuki. I grabbed my brown cloak, since it was a bit cold, and my sword, and headed towards the forest. I expected it to take only an hour or two to collect everything. Then I can take the herbs to Luka, and that cake I made yesterday to Yuki.

I didn't feel like grabbing a horse to go the forest. It was only two miles after all. I asked Neru, who was sitting outside tending to her garden, if she could watch my house for a little while. She gladly agreed, and turned back to her flowers.

After about 30 minutes of walking and jogging, I arrived at the forest. Looking at my surroundings, I tried to find the herb Luka was looking for. It was green and funny shaped leaves. She said it also smelled like mint, but a bit different.

I trudged deeper into the forest, since the herb didn't appear to grow near the edge. Kneeling down, I looked a bit harder. Then I heard a loud noise, coming from the opposite direction. It sounded like a horse.

Standing up, I walked in the direction of the noise. If there was a horse, there had to be a rider. What if it was one of the prince's men? Could they have found out about the village? I quickly started to run, as I pulled out my sword. A fight might be necessary if I am going to protect my village.

I arrived near a small pond, where a horse was drinking. It looked like a fancy, well-taken care of horse, but there was no rider. How did a horse like that end up here then? I walked up closer the horse, until I was practically touching it.

"Where is your rider?" I asked, petting the horse's head. The horse made a noise, and turned around. Is it going to show me? The horse nudged me with its head, and made another noise. I patted its head with a smile.

"You're a pretty nice horse," I observed. "If you want, you can come home with me." The horse nodded its head, almost as if it was agreeing with me.

"I'll have to come up with a name though," I said, thinking to myself. What's a good name for a horse? Then I remembered that I had to look for this horse's rider. I jumped on the horse, and asked her (I'm assuming it's a her) to take me to her rider again.

The horse and I ran through the forest until we reached a small clearing. To my surprise, a boy around my age was sitting there, asleep. Who would sleep in a place like this? I dismounted form the horse, and walked over to the boy.

His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but most of his hair had fallen out of it. His clothes were very fancy. He must come from a wealthy family, probably near the castle. What is he doing out here?

His image reminded me of what I imagined the prince as looking like (A/N Keep in mind that no one in the village has actually ever seen the prince, except for Kiyoteru. They've never traveled the castle, and there are no photos). The prince would be older though, and less good looking than this boy. He was kind of cute.

I poked the boy on his forehead. His nose scrunched up, making me laugh, so I poked him again. The second time he woke up. His eyes were a stunning, cold blue. He shot up, and pointed his finger at me.

"What are you doing?" he demanded to know.

"You were asleep," I pointed out. "I was just trying to wake you up. What are you doing sleeping in a place like this?" I asked.

"That's none of your business," the boy said, defensively. Someone is keeping secrets, and he's not very nice to boot. I bet he's just afraid.

"Why don't you come back with me?" I offered. "You look cold and hungry, and I can get you something to eat."

"Fine," the boy simply said. I helped him get onto the horse, and then I jumped on. I was about to leave the forest, when I remembered the herbs.

"Sorry," I apologized to the boy. "I have to grab something real quick." He gave me a bored expression, but said nothing.

I looked through some shrubbery and quickly found what I was looking for. I stuck the herbs in a pocket in my cloak, and returned to the boy.

"Sorry," I apologized again. "I had to collect these herbs for a friend of mine."

"As if I care," the boy said coldly. His reply took me aback. Why was he being so rude? I offered to take him to my village and feed him, and this is his thank you? I suppose he does come from a wealthy family. He must be used to being waited on hand and foot.

I ignored the boy's reply, and led the horse back home. The ride back was much quicker, since we were on a horse. The boy and I barely had any time to talk. He doesn't say much though.

"You remind me of the prince, you know?" I said to the boy, as we neared the village. The boy said nothing.

"It's a good thing you aren't though," I laughed. "Then I would have had to kill you."

Len's POV

I sat behind the peasant girl on the horse. Needless to say, I did not want to talk with her. Her white bow bobbed up and down as the horse moved. She was a pretty girl, I suppose, but still a disgusting peasant.

You probably think I'm rude for not thanking her, but in actuality she should be thanking me. She is in the presence of royalty. And besides what reason does an emotionless royal have to thank a disgusting commoner.

"You remind me of the prince, you know?' the girl said suddenly. Her stupidity amazed me. Does she not know she is with the prince? I said nothing in reply.

"It's a good thing you aren't though," the girl added with a small laugh. "Then I would have had to kill you."

What? Kill me? Is this girl out of her mind? Who would kill a prince? That's treason, and she would have her own life taken away. Perhaps, it's best not to talk with this girl. She appears to be a bit crazy.

After a bit more riding, we arrived in a small village filled with people. A woman was tending to her garden, and a child sat by a well. Some men were outside practicing sword fighting. It was very lively, and radiated happiness. Disgusting.

The horse stopped in front of a small house, and the girl hopped off. Assuming that this was her home, I did the same. The girl opened the door, and the two of us walked in. The house was not as nice as the palace, but that was to be expected. A large oven was in the kitchen.

"What would you like?" the girl asked.

"Whatever," I replied, emotionlessly. All food tastes bland, so there was no point in making a recommendation. The girl set to work in her kitchen. As she cooked, she tried to have a conversation with me.

"We never properly introduced ourselves," the girl said, as she set a large pot in the fire. "I'm Rin."

"Len," I said, as I took a seat on a small chair.

"That's a nice name," Rin smiled, as she threw some vegetables into the pot. "What were you doing out in the forest? I know you didn't want to say, but I'd like to know." I said nothing, and looked down at my feet.

Rin laughed a bit. "You're a quiet one, aren't you? Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait to have my questions answered." She laughed a bit more, and then turned to whatever she was making.

After a few minutes, Rin set a bowl of soup in front of me. "Eat it," she smiled, handing me a spoon. Sighing, I took a small sip (A/N Do you drink soup or do you eat it?). To my surprise, it tasted good. It was unlike the food at the palace. This soup actually tasted good. I quickly ate the rest. It had been so long since I had eaten anything with actual flavor.

"I take it you liked it?" Rin smiled, grabbing my bowl. "Do you want some more?" I nodded, and she poured more soup into my bowl. I ate the entire thing again.

"You're really interesting," Rin said. "You don't say much, but you certainly have a big appetite." Rin grabbed her own bowl of soup and sat in front of me. "You're also pretty cute," she added.

For a moment, I felt my face heat up. No, there must have been a wave of heat coming from the fire. I, a great prince, cannot feel flustered. There's also that whole curse matter.

Rin finished her soup, and took both of our bowls. There was a knock on her door. When Rin answered, a woman with long pink hair was standing there.

"Do you have the herbs?" she asked. Rin nodded, and pulled something from her cloak pocket.

"Thank you," the woman smiled. Then she looked at me, and turned back to Rin. "Who's that?"

"That's Len," Rin explained. "I found him sleeping in the forest. He's a quiet one."

"Maybe he should meet Kaito," the woman giggled. "That would liven anyone up."

"That's a great idea!" Rin shouted. She ran over to me, and grabbed my arm. "I want you to meet someone!" she smiled.

She pulled me out the door, and towards the center of the small village. A few men were gathered there. A man with dark blue hair was sparing a man with long purple hair. A teal-headed man was taking a break and talking with a man with glasses. He looked like my old tutor, Kiyoteru, who I had fired a long time ago.

"Hey guys!" Rin said. All the men turned to face her with a smile. "Hello," the blue-haired boy said, putting down his sword. As the blue-haired boy started to talk, the man with the glasses gave me a wary look. He mumbled something to himself, and took off his glasses. He rubbed his eyes, and put them back on. He looked a bit confused.

"Who's your friend?" the blue-haired boy asked.

"This is Len," Rin replied. "And Len, this is Kaito." The man named Kaito glanced at me suspiciously. And in one swift motion, Kaito who had been standing a few meters away was standing in front of me with his sword against my neck.

Kinda of short today, sorry. I'll try and make it longer next time.

Please Review! :)