Whatever it Takes

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

            Ah, this is the life, I think as I sip some tea while lying on a piece of plastic in the middle of a lake.  I close my eyes as I let the sun warm me.  Within in a second flat, a rough shove on my shoulder pushes me into the water.

            "Wake up!" someone yells and I growl.

            "Well, you did throw me in water, I'm wide awake now!" I scream at the invisible voice.  A chuckle reverberates through the air.

            "Wake up Lucille," the voice says again as my world rocks beneath me.  I sit up gasping while punching forward to the person in front of me.  Not thinking I would punch him, the prince ends up rubbing his cheek.  "Seriously Lucille," he whines as he rubs his now swollen cheek.  I glare at him as he slowly stops bouncing on my bed.

            "Seriously prince, get off my bed," I say as I glare at him.

            "Seriously Lucille, stop calling me prince," he says as he gets off my bed and stands in front of me with his hands on his hips looking down at me.  His perfect lips pursed and his green, mesmerizing... snap out of it Lucille.  He's a beast, literally.  I mentally shake my head and glare up at him.

            "Seriously, can we seriously stop saying seriously?" I ask and he chuckles slightly.

            "Fine, but only if you call me Alastair," he says and I glare at him.

            "Fine, now get out... Alastair," I say mockingly as I step out from the warm covers and out onto the fluffy rug. 

            The prince... I mean Alastair, shrugs but start towards the door.  "Oh, nice hair by the way!" he says as he opens the door.  The blood rushes to my face as I glare his retreating figure.  First, he wakes me up rudely, and then mocks me, and now he's making fun of me! 

I hold out my hand and whisper, "Aria kwazza," and a wind flows from my hand as I ask the wind to slam against the prince kicking him out of my room roughly. 

            "Hey!" Alastair roars as he's slammed against the wall and the wind retreats shutting my door and locking it before it dissipates.  I sigh and fall back on the bed trying to think of anything, but only one thing sticks.  The prince saw me with bed hair.  I groan and clutch a pillow to my face.  Why should I care?  He's a beast by night and a know-it-all by day.  I wish I never became his... I stop my thought right there.  Do I really regret agreeing to protect the Prince of Jerks?  I shake my head under my pillow.  No, what I regret is not asking for all the details. 

            I get up off my bed and move towards my closet.  I sigh as I look over my clothing.  What are we doing today?   I shrug my shoulders as I get out a pair of blue baggy shorts and a green race-back tank top.  I move over to the mirror, pull my curly, black hair into a neat ponytail, and step out of my closet.  I walk across the room to open the door that joins the prince's room.

            I stop dead as I gaze at the picture in front of me.  A very sculpted back is within three feet of me as Alistair pulls his shirt over his head and puts a new one on.  "You know there's a thing call knocking, maybe you should try it," he says as I look away blushing.  Darn, I got caught!  I mentally hit myself on the back of the head.  Stay focused Lucille. 

            "You know there's a thing called a lock, learn how to use it," I grumble under my breath as I look up to see a smiling Alistair in a black button down shirt and khakis. 

            "What's on the agenda today?" he asks as he moves away from me to his closet as he takes out a pair of black, suede shoes.

            "Well, I'm going to practice while you do whatever you want to that does not involve anything dangerous, magical or unmagical," I say and he looks over at me with those big green eyes.

            "Is unmagical a word?" he asks in a superior tone.

            "Is unmagical a word?" I mock in a high soprano.  He sticks his tongue out at me and I can't help but laugh a little.

            "How about breakfast?" he asks and I shrug.  I snap my fingers and an energy bar appears in both of our hands.

            "Bon-appetite," I say with a false French accent and walk out of the room while ripping the wrapper open.

            "Wait!" Alistair calls after me and I turn around to see him going through the doorway.  "Can I watch?" he asks and I scrunch my eyebrows together.

            "Why?" I ask and he shrugs.

            "I'm bored," he replies.  I huff but make a motioning sign with my hand and he follows me enthusiastically.  I open up the door to the training room and smile at the sight of weights in the corner and treadmills up front.  A boxing bag suspends from the ceiling as other kicking manikins dot the large matted floor.

            "I need you to be quiet for a second," I say as I hold up a finger to him.  I close my eyes and take in a deep breath as I enter Linda's thoughts.

            "Hey can you come and help me practice?" I ask and I hear her mentally groan.

            "Can't you get someone else?" she asks whining and I laugh a little.

            "Nope, now just come," I say stubbornly and I hear her groan loudly.

            I hear Alistair yelp slightly and I open my eyes immediately pushing him behind me.  "I'm already here," sighs Linda as she looks down at her nails bored. 

            "Did you really need to teleport?" I ask as I feel Alistair stand up straighter trying to get his manly macho act back up.

            "Did you really need a fighting partner?" she asks as she looks over my shoulder to Alistair.  "I'm pretty sure he would be a good one," she says as she admires him.  I glare at her.

            "Just come on," I say while pulling her wrist.  "I need a minute to stretch though," I say and she nods while sitting down and stretching herself.  I slide down the match and fall into a perfect split.

            "Did you really have to scare my charge like that though?" I ask as I came straight up from the splits and falling backwards into the bridge position.

            "Hey, she didn't scare me!" Alistair says defensively.  Both Linda and I turn our heads at the same time to stare at him.

            "Uh-huh," I say not believing him while Linda laughs.  I lift up my feet so my body is perfectly upside down and fall backwards landing very agile.

            "Is that all you can do?" Alistair asks while trying to change the subject.  In response, I just smirk.  He crosses his arms while standing there with an air of dignity.  "Show me what you've got!"  I laugh at him so hard and Linda joins in after me.  Alistair looks down at me in confusion as to why his command didn't work on me.  "Why isn't it working?" he asks in confusion as I stop laughing, but I stay lying on the ground breathing hard and giggling.  Linda, on the other hand, is sitting straight up looking at the prince.

            "It's because of the royal blood in her your highness," she says likes it's no big deal.  As soon as it's out, she quickly puts her hand to her mouth and looks back at me.  "Sorry!" she squeaks while I glare at her.

            "You mean, we're related?" he asks with a twinge of disappointment in his reply.  I deep blush crosses across my cheeks and I shake my head no.

            "No, we are not related at all," I say and I see him physically relax.  He looks down at me as I stand up and invisible dirt of my shorts.

            "Then how can you have royal blood?" he asks and I smile up at him as I turn back to help Linda up.

            "That, my not-so-dear charge is for you to find out," I say while turning back around to him, "alone."  I bend down in a fighting stance as Linda does the same.  I can't help but smile to think of the blood running through my veins... the blood of an Alagaesian.