The Last Chapter

The Girl

Zephon was going to be in control of Toborika, but there was one thing; he had no princess. He was only seventeen years old and his father, the king, was ill. He didn't want his father to die and have to move onto a marriage. Prince Zephon has to find a bride to become the princess by the end of the week. His mother, the queen, arranged a ball for Sunday, a week later.

All of the girls of the ages sixteen to seventeen would attend the ball. They would form a line, oldest to youngest. Prince Zephon would dance with each girl and the following day, he would find the girl that he liked the most and the following week, a wedding would be arranged.

That day, the prince and his mother went to church. The girls that Zephon passed, smiled and giggled at him, annoying him more. He caught a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye. He turned around to a girl with long curly red hair and long white legs. The girl had bright blue eyes and lips the color of blood. She wore a dress up to her knees with pink flowers at the hem.

Zephon hadn't noticed he'd been staring at her and her blue eyes burned through him, making him blush and turn away. He glanced back and she was gone.

Was I imagining her?

She had left with no trace, although the door to the church swung shut. After that, during mass, he was so jumpy and tuned in and out of the bible stories, turning back and forth toward the church entrance to see if she had come back. But as he suspected, she never returned. When mass ended, he got up slowly with his mother and took off out the door, looking left to right for the girl's red hair. He ignored the queen's shouts for him.

At one point, he fell and scraped his knee. As he was brushing himself off, he spotted red hair behind a bush. He ducked down, hiding from her. She was humming a lullaby that he vaguely remembered. He took a closer look to verify that it was really her. Sure enough, it was.

Why was she here? Why'd she leave mass?

He fell over and grunted. She stopped humming and came out of the bushes, her eyes glowering over him. He started laughing but when he realized that she wasn't laughing, he turned it into a cough.

"What are you doing out here?"

She folded her arms over her chest." I could ask you the same."

He smiled. "Ahh... That doesn't answer my question."

She began impatiently tapping her foot. "My business, not yours."

He looked open mouthed at her. "I think I misheard you."

She smiled. "You heard me."

He coughed nervously. Is she for real?

"I'm real if that's what you were thinking," she smirked.

He chuckled nervously. "Why'd you leave mass?"

She sighed. "My father's the priests brother. He gives us orders."

Zephon scratched the back of his head, brushing himself off. "What's your name?"

She scoffed. "Well what's your name?"

Zephon's mouth was permanently hung open. "You're kidding."

She grinned grimly. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

He backed away. "I'm Prince Zephon." Her expression remained the same, unimpressed. He went on. "The son of the queen and King of Toborika."

The girl laughed, harshly. "Right, and I'm the queen of England."

Zephon felt insulted. "No really, I'm the pri-" he took a look at his ripped pants from the fall and stopped himself, deciding against it. "I'm Zephon," he reached his hand to shake hers. "And you are?"