I must've been exhausted again, as I overslept. "Alyssa, wake up," I heard a voice say. I felt my arm being nudged. When I woke up, Butters was right next to me. "Alyssa, the elf king wants to talk to you," he said. Butters then handed me a box. "Zaron knows your old outfit was destroyed, so we've got you a substitute," Butters said. I got out of bed and went into the bathroom to change. I donned a brand new gown. It was a short puff sleeved sunset one, that was light blue on the top, and dark blue at the bottom. The accessories were white evening gloves, a dark pink sash, white tights, and a choker with a sapphire pearl. On my feet, I wore dark blue round toe ankle strap pumps.
After I was finished getting ready, I headed back to Kupa Keep, with Butters behind me. Once we were there, we were greeted by all the elves. I subsequently made my way to the front of Kyle's throne. "Alyssa," Kyle began, "I cannot thank you enough for what you've done. For that, you're no longer a rookie. You're now a high ranked member from the kingdom of Zaron." Kyle then put a sapphire tiara on my head. Everyone went wild, they were are cheering. Although this was an exciting moment for everyone, it kind of wasn't for me. I didn't see Stan anywhere in Kupa Keep. I was beginning to worry about him, but I decided not to search for him nor bring up his absence, as I knew he was probably pondering about yesterday, and he needed to be alone.
After sitting on my throne for several minutes while watching the elves, I changed my mind about leaving Stan alone. He could be in trouble right now, and even if he's not, I still needed to know if he was okay. I raced towards the forest, and I soon heard a loud noise. When I was closing in on the noise, I accidentally stepped on something. It was the tail of snake, or so I thought. It was actually a serpopard, and it wailed. It turned around and was marching towards me while hissing at me. I began to run, but I soon tripped over something. I started scrambling backwards, but soon my back was next to a tree. The serpopard was closing in on me, and I cried, "Help!" I was shaking. As the serpopard came closer, I realized how massive it was. The serpopard charged its head at me, and I closed my eyes, holding my hands on my head.
I heard a slash sound, and not a biting sound of any kind. That means I wasn't dead, nor injured. "Huh?" I said, confused, as I placed my hands down and slowly opened my eyes. I was surprised and delighted simultaneously when I recognized who was standing in front of me, their back turned. "No way… Stan?!" I shouted. "Are you alright, my lady?" Stan said, turning around, and sheathing his sword before helping me up. "Yeah…" I said, breathless. "Where have you been?" "I was training in this forest. Why are you here, my lady? This place is dangerous." Stan said. "I came to find you! I was worried." I said. "You should know I'm capable of taking care of myself. You should not worry about me. But I see you've been promoted by the elven king. Congratulations. I'm proud of you, my lady." "Thank you, Stan. I just wished you were there at Kupa Keep to see it. Everyone went crazy!" "I'm sure they did. By the way, have you noticed something unusual?" "What do you mean?" "Your tiara, my lady. It's missing." I touched the top of my head. "I think it fell off when I was running away from that monster," I said, beginning to search for the tiara. Stan laid his left hand on my left shoulder. "Looking for this?" He said, showing me my tiara. "Why, yes!" I said. Stan looked down at my tiara before setting it on my head. "A tiara for a princess," he said, prior to examining me. "An extremely beautiful princess." "Also, I want to talk to you about something." I said. "Go on," Stan said. "Do you remember that voice from that day before the werewolves attacked us? I have a feeling they were and are up to no good. I'm scared… What if they go after me again?" "I promise you that they won't get to you, my lady." "But how can you promise me something that you aren't even positive about?" Stan then knelt in front of me. He said, "I, sir Stanley Marsh, knight of Zaron, promise to protect you. Even if hurts me, even if it breaks my heart, I will stop at nothing to protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you." "Oh, Stanley," I flushed. "That warms my heart." Stanley cupped my cheeks before we pressed our lips together. This time being the first kiss with more meaning, as now that I was promoted, and more importantly, that Stanley made a promise to protect me, no matter what, my heart was bouncing rapidly. We both then pulled from each other for air, and gazed at each others eyes. "I love you," I mumbled, wrapping my arms around Stanley's waist. "I love you too, my lady," Stanley murmured, his arms now around my neck, and the fingers on his right hand caressing my right cheek. We subsequently reconnected our lips.