An Unlikely Pair

Chapter X

Prince Andrew

I should surprise Margaret and go meet up with her at her room. I thought as I got dressed for the day. There were knocks at my door. "Who is it?!" I yelled at the door.
"It's Cole," She said from behind the door.
"Come in!" I yelled at the door again. Cole came in and gently closed the door behind her.
"Are you getting ready to go to a party?" Cole asked the moment she closed the door.
"I'm going to surprise Margaret," I said, buckling my belt.
"Are you sure she likes surprises?" Cole asked, as I started to look at myself in front of the mirror. I had a slight moment of silent dread in front of the mirror. "You look like you don't know," She bluntly stated.
"I may not know, but doesn't everybody?" I asked. The answer is no. I know that for sure. I thought.
"No. Not everyone does," Cole said, "Just think of your sister. She hates when things change," I walked to my bed and slumped down on it with my hands on my face.
"Should I wear something else?" I asked. I felt the bed shift as Cole sat next me and wrapped one arm around my shoulders. She started to rub my shoulder with her hand.
"I know that I'm not your mother, but I think you should," She said while rubbing my shoulder.
"You've been the closest to having a mother," I said, "I'm going to put something much more comfortable on. But, what?" I stood up and walked into my closet. Cole followed me inside.
She and I looked around for a little, then she asked, "How about these?" I turned around and saw a nice tan shirt and some black pants. They were very nice, but not as nice as what I was wearing. I nodded, then she handed me the clothes. "Okay, here. I'll step out and wait outside," Cole said, then she left my closet and closed the door. I took off the clothes I was wearing and put on the outfit Cole had picked out for me. I hung up the clothes and walked back into my bedroom. "That's much better," She said.
"I'm going to meet up with her at her room," I told her.
"Would you like me to come with you?" Cole asked.
"Yes, but not all the way," I said as I left my room and Cole started following me.
"I'll stop at the corner just before her room," Cole said as she walked behind me.
"You've been to her room, right?" I asked.
"Yes. As captain of the guard, I'm required to know where all the royals and their guests sleep," She said.
"Could you guide me to her room?" I asked.
"Of course," She said, then she walked faster to walk in front of me. She gestured in front of her with her right arm and said, "This way," I followed her until she stopped at a corner that led to a long hallway. I stopped as well and fixed up my shirt and pants. Cole patted my back and I breathed in and out. Then, I turned the corner and walked down the hallway. I saw Margaret walking down the hallway with... Duke Kaelde? What is he doing with her? Did he get to her before me? I thought. Margaret was looking down at the floor in distress and confusion. Her eyebrows were furrowed. Then, she saw me, approaching from down the hall. She smiled.
I looked at Duke Kaelde and he was smirking at me. What are you smirking at, jerk? I thought, then he did something that just enraged me. He wrapped one arm around her waist. Margaret suddenly began to squirm when the touch happened. I quickened my walk towards them. "Get. Off. Her." I said, threateningly.
"Why should I? I'm comforting her," Duke Kaelde said with that stupid smirk on his face.
"You're not comforting her! You may be blind to how she's feeling, but I know that you're not stupid!" I yelled at him.
"I'm not blind. She told me that she needed comfort and I'm fulfilling that," Duke Kaelde said.
"Stop. Let go of me," Margaret squeaked. Duke Kaelde didn't immediately let go, but he did after a minute or two. When he let go, Margaret leapt onto me and clung to my arm for dear life. I stumbled backward a step or two when she collided with me.
"I'm not allowed to hug you. But, you clinging onto a prince you just met is okay," Duke Kaelde said, annoyed.
"At least he doesn't do what you did," Margaret said.
"Don't you remember what I said last night?" Duke Kaelde asked, "He's an English king. He will probably have fun with you for a little then he'll just throw you aside,"
"Untrue!" I defended myself. Margaret was strangely silent. Why isn't she saying anything? I thought, then I felt my chest tighten, Does she really think that way?
"Prince Andrew, you look confused," Duke Kaelde stated.
"Margaret? You don't believe this jerk, do you?" I asked, then I looked down at Margaret's face. She was in her dragon form. Why hadn't I noticed? I thought, Wait! How is her hair not burning me or my clothes?!
Her grip tightened. The claws of her scaly hands dug into my sleeve, then she said, "I don't want to, really. But, I've been thinking of that night,"
"What night?" I asked, then I thought of the first night we met. Oh. I thought.
"See. He doesn't even recall what he did," Duke Kaelde said.
"I do remember what happened and I'm still sorry," I said. I pried her fingers off my arm and moved to stand in front of her. "I said that out of anger. But, none of that anger was towards you," I said. I held her hands gently.
"Liar." Margaret said, "You directly said those awful things in anger towards me."
"No, I didn't." I said back at her.
"I don't want to marry someone as crazy as you! Are you saying that wasn't towards me?!" Margaret yelled at me. She tore her hands from my grip. Her eyes were forming tears.
"I've never forgiven myself for saying that awful thing to you," I said as calmly as I could, "I lie awake at night thinking about it,"
"But, you looked pretty damn happy the next morning." She said, coldly. She was looking down at the stone wall past me. She's avoiding my eyes. I thought.
"That suit of armor in my room," I started to say.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Margaret asked.
"I spent the whole morning punching it. It has a huge dent in the chestplate," I said. I move my hands to touch her face, but Margaret stepped about three feet away from me. "Margaret?" I said, worried.
"You won't hurt me, will you?" Margaret asked. She cowered against the stone wall away from me.
"No! I would never do that!" I panicked. She seemed to relax a little bit, but she still looked nervous.
"He destroyed one of his own pieces of armor and one day that will be you!" Duke Kaelde yelled from behind me. I could see only panic on her face after he yelled that. It looked like images were flashing in front of her eyes. Then, she just ran away without saying a word.
I turned to face Duke Kaelde and yelled right in his face, "Why would you do that?! She was finally becoming relaxed!"
"I still want her as my wife," Duke Kaelde said with that infuriating smirk on his face. I so want to knock that dumb smirk off his face. I thought, clenching my fist and gritting my teeth.
"You can't have her!" I yelled. I've had it with this duke! I thought, enraged.
"You don't know that. I know that if I ruin any stupid relationship you've formed with her, then there will be no marriage between you two," Duke Kaelde said, "Well, there will be one wedding, just not with you," I just lost it. I was done with trying to be calm. I saw red the moment he said those words to me. I just punched him in the face. His nose started bleeding. He stumbled backward a couple of steps from the blow. Then, he felt his nose and he was pissed when he saw the blood. He lunged at me and knocked me to the ground. My back and the back of my head hit the hard wood floor with a loud thud. But, the hatred I felt for this man caused me to feel no pain from the impact. Then, he just started pounding my face with hard punches. I did the same to him. After a minute or two of fighting, Cole and Gray come. They broke us apart and had to hold us back.
"What?! Is the meaning of this?!" Cole screamed in our faces when we stopped trying to fight each other.
"He punched me!"
"I was trying to calm Princess Margaret down!" Both Duke Kaelde and I said at the same time.
"One at a time!" Cole shouted. She pointed at me and commanded, "You. Speak." This was something I've never seen her do.
"I was defending Margaret and trying to calm her down. But, Duke Kaelde was actively trying to make her more upset. He was messing with her mind and trying to turn Margaret away from me and ruin our relationship," I said.
"What were you trying to calm her down from?" Cole asked with her arms folded.
"Okay, I admit that I put her into a panic first, but..." I started to say.
"Why would you do something like that?" Cole asked. 
"I didn't mean to," I defended myself, "I told her that I put a dent into my armor and she got frightened. I really didn't mean to frighten her,"
"Liar! You meant to frighten her! I could see it in his eyes," Duke Kaelde said back at my explanation.
"I hardly believe that you could actually see his eyes," Cole said, glaring at Duke Kaelde, "From behind him,"
Duke Kaelde went silent. When I looked at him, he looked like he just smelled something really bad. I couldn't stop myself from smiling a little bit.
"You didn't know that I was watching, did you?" Cole asked.
"N-no. I didn't," Duke Kaelde said.
"I was watching you two very closely, but who fought first?" Cole asked.
"Wait, you just said that you were watching us very closely," Duke Kaelde said.
"Princess Margaret drew me away from a moment. She told me what happened," Cole said, "So I ask again. Who started the fight?"
"He did,"
"I did," Duke Kaelde and I said at the same time.
"Why did you land the first punch, Andrew?" Cole asked, sighing in annoyance.
"He told me that he would ruin Margaret's and my relationship and he said that he would marry Margaret in my stead," I explained.
"Lies!" Duke Kaelde yelled.
"They're not lies!" I yelled back.
"Yes they are! I said that there would be a marriage just not with you," Duke Kaelde said.
"It does sound like you mean yourself," Cole said. She had crossed her arms in disbelief.
"I uh, I meant my brother," Duke Kaelde said. He was sweating bullets and looking around at everyone, frantically.
"Okay," Cole said. I looked at her with an annoyed and bewildered look on my face. "That's funny because Princess Margaret told me that her uncle died before he had anymore children,"
Duke Kaelde finally shut up for once.
"And you're her cousin, correct?" Cole asked.
"That's right," Duke Kaelde said through a shaky voice.
"That makes her uncle your father so you lied to my face," Cole said, "I want a straight answer from you. Do you intend to marry Princess Margaret?" I looked over at Duke Kaelde and he looked pissed. His teeth were clenched and his fist was shaking. Wait, is that blood?! I thought.
"Okay, fine. Yes! I fully intend to marry Princess Margaret!" Duke Kaelde shouted at Cole, then he pointed at her, "And I want you to stay out of my way! If you try to stop me, mister, I'll go ahead and tell King Hans of how you assaulted Princess Margaret in her room."
Cole took off her helmet and held it on her hip. "I'm not male. I'm female and Captain of the guard. I've been entrusted with keeping Princess Margaret and Prince Andrew safe from threat. Anything you say to the king won't make a difference," Cole said with a no nonsense look on her face. Something about Colette taking off her helmet was much more terrifying than the look on her face. She put her helmet back and Duke Kaelde punched the stone wall with the side of his fist. He stumped past Cole and me. Just before he passed us, Cole grabbed a hold of his arm and whispered, threateningly, "And if you ever touch Princess Margaret or Princess Sharah in any way, I will personally see to it that you are far away from the princesses." Duke Kaelde yanked his arm from Cole's grasp. Then, he stomped away. Cole sighed in annoyance and relief. "I'm going to make sure Princess Margaret is alright," Cole said, then she started to walk away.
"Wait, I'd like to come with you," I said.
"No, Andrew." Cole said, apoplectically. She kept walking down the hallway.
"But..." I started to say as I took a step towards Cole.
"No! Andrew!" Cole yelled at me. She had stopped and turned around with a jerk. "I don't want you to come!" She yelled at me.
"Colette, you don't have to yell," Gray said, trying to stay quiet.
"Can you heal my face before my father sees me?" I asked, sheepishly.
"No, I will not." Cole said with a scowl on her face.
"Colette, King Hans told you to heal Prince Andrew whenever he's hurt," Gray said, trying to stay quiet.
"If I do, King Hans will never find out that he got into a fight," Cole said as she took a couple steps towards Gray.
"But, that's not a reason for you to refuse to follow King Hans' orders," Gray said.
"Come here, Andrew." Cole said. She didn't say it angrily, but I could tell that she was by how she acted. She walked over to me with her hands in fists. She grabbed and yanked my hands towards her torso. I stepped forward after she yanked my hands down. A gust of wind came up from my feet. "Now that you're healed, I have to find Princess Margaret and make sure she's alright," Cole said, coldly, then she ran down the hallway.
I started my way down the hallway and asked, "What's her problem?" Gray followed me silently. That's strange. Gray is never not talking. I thought. I looked over my shoulder at Gray and asked, "Why are you being so quiet, Gray?"
He remained silent.
"Gray, you're being strangely quiet," I said. We came out of the hallway. When I was looking over my shoulder, I saw Gray looking around, squinting his eyes. He's never been this serious. I thought. I stopped and turned around. Gray immediately stopped, but he kept looking around. "Gray. What is going on?" I asked as I got more annoyed at his silence.