Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note-I know I'm jumping the time here, but I only needed certain events, so…Hope you enjoy this chapter.

The 'Good' News

Five Years Later

Z looked out and down into the valley. Her perch on the tree was stable and far from the castle. She didn't want to be there. She was angry. How could her father do something like that? If her Mother was still alive she would definitely have talked to her about it. But would it have really mattered?

Probably not.

Her Father was so horrible in doing that.

And it wasn't just to her. He told her that Syd was in the same situation. But unlike Z, Syd wasn't being kicked out of her home.

She sighed. She wanted to scream, but that would alert someone of where she was.

It had already been a few hours since he had told her. He was coming. The traitor who was going to steal her away. Let him try. See if he could find her. She bet he couldn't.

"Hey."

Z let out a gasp as she jumped a bit. Turning she saw Jack settling onto the branch next to her. "What are you doing here?" She turned back away from him. Of course he knew where this was, they had found it together. Stupid boy.

The thirteen year old boy spoke up, "Looking for you. Syd was worried."

"Well I'm not going to talk to you. Traitor."

"Why am I a traitor?"

Z rolled her eyes and turned to him, "Because of what you're going to do."

"Oh. Your Dad told you about the marriage thing huh?"

Her eyes widened, "What!?" She turned to face him even more and clenched her hands into fists, "You knew?!"

"Knew?"

"Did you know the whole time?"

"Z come on…"

"It's Elizabeth."

"Right. Like you want anyone to call you that."

"Maybe I want you to."

"Look, my Father told me after the summer last year. When you left. He brought me aside and asked how I felt about you."

"And let me guess you said that you were madly in love with me."

"Be realistic."

Z looked to the ground, "Fine, go on."

"Anyways, I told him that you were my friend, then he explained that we were going to be married one day."

"Did you explain that you were madly in love with me?"

"No. Z don't be stupid. I only see you as a friend, like a sister."

"And I see you as a brother, so it would be wrong. Let's go tell them." Z jumped down from the tree.

"Yeah that'll go over good."

"It might."

Jack jumped off as well, "Just accept it, we're getting married and neither of us can stop it."

"That answer, right there, that's why I always won at everything."

Z gave him a little shove and took off running with Jack following close behind her.

A few weeks later

Z and Syd were in Syd's room on her bed.

"Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"That you and Jack are going to be married. I think it's wonderful."

"It's not wonderful Syd."

The younger girl looked closely at Z, "Why not?"

"Don't you get it?"

"That you get to be married in a very pretty dress."

Z shook her head, "Forget the dress."

"Well I don't understand, you like Jack right?"

"Yes."

"So what's the problem?"

"I don't love him."

"Well you're only thirteen. Rebecca says that you don't know what love is until you're older. So by the time you do get married, why you and Jack could be completely in love."

Shaking her head Z got up, "I don't think you're understanding what's going on."

"I am too. I may be only eleven, but I'm not stupid you know."

"Syd, that's not what I meant, not at all."

"Than what?" The younger girl followed Z and got off the bed. She walked over to her dresser and picked up her brush. Quietly she began brushing her hair.

"Why can't I choose?"

"Because it's simply not done that way."

"Well maybe it should."

"Syd imagine you had to marry Jack."

The pretty blonde princess pursed her lips together, "But I don't want to. What if I want to marry another Prince?"

The brunette princess shrugged her shoulders and imitated her sisters' words from just a couple of minutes again. "It's simply not done that way."

Syd was quiet for a few minutes until Z saw her sister's face light up in understanding. "Oh. I'm sorry. And Daddy won't let you get out of it?"

"No. Jack is just fine with it, even though he doesn't like me that way."

"I'm sorry Z."

"Well don't worry, I'll think of something." Z was determined to not have to marry Jack.

Five Years Later

Sixteen year old Syd had just finished her breakfast. Z wasn't there. She was reluctantly spending two months at Jacks, which meant that for two whole months Syd was on her own. She knew that soon she and Z weren't going to be around each other more permanently, but…she missed her.

And she was bored.

Today was just going to another day.

Another boring day.

Pursing her lips together she decided to go for a walk. She went to her room quietly and got a brown cloak and put it on. Quickly she went outside and with luck no one had questioned her. She normally didn't mind having a few escorts with her, but this time…she preferred to be by herself. She had to remind herself that Z would be home in a few weeks. This was the longest time Syd and Z had been separated. Five weeks without her sister.

Syd was surprised that Z hadn't put up much of a fight in going. She had been so insistent about not getting married and was against anything that was held for it. But Z had agreed, and without much complaint, to their Father that was. To Syd, she told how much she wished that this 'ridiculous marriage thing' would just go away. Syd wouldn't mind getting married, and if it was to a specific person, than that's how it went.

She had been walking for a while. Looking around she could tell that she was near one of the towns. She was still in the woods, but the trees were sparser than before. All around the castle there was a huge forest. These trees had protected the castle and its inhabitants in time of war. Not many people went in the woods, so it was usually nice and quiet.

As Syd looked around the new clearing she had just entered her eyes fall on something that she wasn't expected. Something quite odd. There was a man there. He appeared to be close to her age. He wore ordinary clothes. The odd thing about him was the way that he was standing.

He was standing on his hands!

What an odd thing to do?

No one or nothing else was near him.

Syd slowly walked up to him, hoping he wouldn't attack her as soon as she got close, but she didn't have to worry about that, his eyes were closed. She then asked, "Why are you standing on your hands?"

He lifted one of his hands, "Just a minute."

Syd waited, curious. After another couple of minutes he flipped to his feet, "Now that's better. How do you expect to talk to anyone if you're on your head?"

"I don't. That's for thinking."

"Thinking?"

"Yeah. I want to make sure I look at all possible sides."

"For what?"

The man shrugged, "Anything. Sometimes just to think is nice. It gets so noisy where I'm apprenticing at."

"Where's that?"

"At the Blacksmith's."

"Oh. Well…that's…nice?"

"It's what my Dad does."

"I see."

"My name is Bridge."

She smiled, "Bridge? Well I'm P—Syd. Syd is my name."

Bridge smiled back, "Syd. I like that; it's pretty. It suits you." Syd felt her cheeks burn at that compliment and watched as he ducked his head for a minute before looking at her and gesturing ahead, "Are you heading to town?"

Syd realized that this boy didn't know who she was. She wouldn't have to go back to the castle right away. She liked that idea. "I was just walking around. Why do you have to go back?"

"Well, not right now."

The Princess smiled, "Want to walk with me? My sister is visiting…someplace else and I'm bored…and alone."

What surprised Syd next was that he looked upset about that and then he grinned, "Well I guess since we're both alone, we can walk together?"

"That would be nice."

He smiled and the two walked off.

Northern Kingdom

Z got off the horse and allowed the stable boy to take the reigns. Jack should be coming up any minute now. She walked over to the small hill that was near the stables. Jack's Kingdom was very hilly, but nice. It was a nice place. But it wasn't home.

Z still wanted nothing to do with the marriage, but right now she had no choice.

No choice. Like that was different from anything else?

Syd didn't care. She wanted to be engaged; she thought the idea was romantic. She hadn't met the guy that she was betrothed to, he lived in the East. Far away from them. In fact, that was why Syd hadn't meant him. On the other side of the Dying Woods and Barren Plains were other kingdoms, but the ones from Z's side and the other one, they didn't interact. At all. So it was odd that her father had made a deal with someone from over there.

Syd.

She missed her sister.

Jack was great and they were friends, but…it was different now that they were going to be married. Jack wasn't thrilled with it, but he figured that was what was going to happen, so why bother. He also brought up that at least they knew each other and were friends, whereas Syd didn't even know the guy she was going to marry.

"Z."

Z turned and saw Jack coming up the small hill, "About time you got here."

"You started the race as you took off. Of course you beat me."

"I beat you because I'm better at it then you are."

"Right." Jack smirked and looked out. "I am sorry."

"Thanks. But don't worry alright."

"Alright." He raised an eyebrow at Z.

Z shrugged, "It'll be fine right?"

"Right."

Z smiled, it would be fine because she would figure out something, anything. Anything would be better than marrying someone you didn't want to or a stranger, as her thoughts flashed to her sister. Z would find a way to save them both, she just wasn't sure what it was yet.