Chapter 7: Nerves

Andi followed the escort until they reached a lone door at the end of the hallway. She thanked him for showing her the way, since she was so mean to him earlier. It wasn't personal though, she was mean to everyone who woke her up. Eventually the servants got used to it at her castle.

Her castle...she missed home. She missed sparring with her father with swords, she missed the chef's cooking, she missed-

"Who is it?" A male voice called from inside. Andi hadn't noticed that the servant had knocked.

"Princess Andrea is here, Your Highness," the servant answered. Andi opened her mouth, then closed it. Berating him for not calling her Andi might make things worse after figuratively ripping his head off earlier.

A pause. Then, "send her in."

The servant bowed, then took his leave.

Andi, although confused, was also a bit nervous. Why would Prince Jax want to see her? Was he going to disqualify her? Did Prince Philip tell him about her stealing food from the kitchen?

Andi's eyes narrowed. If there was one thing she hated, it was a snitch.

Gathering her courage, she opened the door...to find Prince Philip sitting in a chair behind his desk. Across from him sat a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage.

Prince Philip took a quick sip of his orange juice before smiling. "How nice of you to join me, Andi."

She curtsied, cheeks coloring. She was not expecting him to be there. "It's a pleasure, Your Highness. Thank you for inviting me." Although she wasn't fond of the curtsey, she remembered that he was a prince, and royalty always bowed to each other.

Prince Philip smiled as he bowed his head. "Oh, there's no need for 'Your Highness,' you may just call me by my name."

Andi smiled, glancing down at her feet. "S-sure...Philip."

Why was she like this? She wasn't acting any better than the girlish princesses that she always mocked!

He grinned, "please, have a seat and help yourself to breakfast."

For two hours they conversed easily, talking of average things. Favorite colors, hobbies, childhood, etc. Eventually, Andi found herself to be very comfortable with the prince, as if he wasn't a prince at all. Maybe a friend.

...

Emma decided to take a walk in the gardens. She smiled as she spotted a brilliant pink daisy, crouching down to sniff it.

"I assume you like daisies?"

Emma gave a small squeak of surprise as she stood on her feet, whirling around to face Prince Jax. Why couldn't he leave her alone?! Then she realized that thought was absolutely stupid for her to have, the whole point of her being here was so he'd pick her to be his queen. Only she wasn't interested in the contest...therefore she could have that thought. Still, his presence unnerved her.

"I-forgive me, Your Highness," she stuttered, completing a nervous curtsey. "I don't have permission to smell the flowers and-Your Highness, are you laughing at me?!"

Prince Jax chuckled, eyeing the princess with a smirk. "Are you always this jittery?"

"N-no! Sometimes I'm even jittery-er." After all those years of schooling with her governess, she still managed to become tongue-tied?

"It's just that this is a difference from the princess during breakfast," he paused to snicker. "My face was smeared...that was very clever, Em."

She blushed at the nickname, but tried her best to not pay any mind to it. "That was a grave mistake, Your Highness. I sincerely apologize for that thoughtless remark, it was very careless of me and I will not do it again."

He grinned, "yes, it was careless." He took a step closer to her. She tried taking a step back but he grasped her wrist, pulling her closer to him.

Emma gasped as her eyes enlarged. This wasn't how a prince was supposed to act! Although, to be fair, it wasn't as bad as the night they met.

"But I like whenever you get careless," he smirked, releasing his hold on her.

"I-Your Highness-"

He rolled his eyes, "I don't think we have to still continue with that. Call me 'Jax.'"

"But, Your Highness! That is improper!"

You had to be very close with a person of nobility or royalty to just call them by their birth name. Emma and Jax weren't like that!

"Who cares?" he grinned. "I call you by your name, even gave you a nickname."

"But you're the Prince, you may call me whatever you like," Emma frowned. She didn't like where this conversation was heading. "E-excuse me, Your Highness. I know you are very busy and I must be on my way as well-"

"No, I am not busy," he grinned. "May I walk with you in the gardens?"

She'd be a fool to refuse. He could kill her if he wanted to, order her head on a silver platter! The other girls would kill her if she accepted! But she's not here for Prince Jax's atttention, she's just here for the adventure. She isn't the most beautiful of girls, there are plenty who are better-looking than her. Besides, she didn't believe this prince could ever love her. He, a prince of one of the largest kingdoms, and she, a princess of one of the smallest. It was purely laughable, the idea that he could ever admire her!

"Yes, you may," she kept her voice as even as possible. If the other girls became angry, then she'd simply explain that she wasn't interested in Prince Jax.

Then why did his presence still unnerve her?

He smiled, coming to stand by her side. Together, they walked slowly along the path.

"This garden was started by my mother, Queen Liana," Jax said wistfully, with a small smile.

"I'm sorry for your loss, I heard she was a great queen," Emma responded. It was true though, Queen Liana was known for being very smart, kind, beautiful, and caring.

"Yes, she was," he smiled. "Her people always came first, no matter what. Tell me, Princess, are you always involved with your people?"

Emma was a bit surprised by the question, but answered it anyway. "Yes, I care about my kingdom's people very much. My father and I help if a sudden disaster strikes, say, a flood perhaps. We always make sure they have enough to eat, or else we take from our own supply. However, we rule with justice, and are not afriad to sentence a man prisoner for a crime. If someone is a danger to the rest, we put a stop to it."

Prince Jax grinned, staring off into the sky as he mulled over this response.

A/N: Thank you all for your encouraging reviews! :D I hope you liked this chapter!