The Triple Date Disaster

Chapter 28: Princess Ashlyn Mary of Leibe

"WHAT?"  They all screamed in unison.  They knew Ash was from Leibe... she was a matchmaker that worked on the council... but the princess?  That would of been nice to know!  No wonder Ash was so upset.... not only was she banished from her home, she's basically shunned by her family.  The royal family of Leibe, unable to even talk to their daughter because of what she's done.  It was sad really.

They were still confused on why the heck the Queen wanted to see them, or for that matter how she even knew who they were.  They only just figured out Leibe existed today.  Was she still keeping tabs on her daughter?  Maybe by following up on Ash she discovered who we were because of their... gulp... "connection" with Ash.  With that I mean her ruining their love lives only to have it be put together in a more dramatic way.  It still is confusing why she did that!

They followed the guard to the castle.  They were skeptical on whether they should trust him or not, but they really didn't have a choice.  This was a strange place to them, and didn't know anything about their surroundings.  He worked for the kingdom, he obviously is familiar with it all.

In no time they were at the palace gate.  They passed more guards as they entered the castle, and even more as they walked the halls.  Travis tried to count them all, but lost count at 55, it just didn't seem worth the effort.

Once they reached a certain point the guard stopped and faced them, "I can't go further than this.  The Queen is waiting for you inside, I need to stay here and watch the door." he said.

Aaron nodded, thanking the guard and they walked into the stone room.  The room was about the size of their room at Starlight, much smaller than what they expected it to be in this huge castle.

They looked at each and every tapestry that lined the walls, they seemed to be telling a story... a history.  It was beautiful.

The cool cobblestone went beautifully with the dark wood table, but most beautiful was the Queen sitting at the head of the table, waiting.  She had smooth, straight, long brown hair that went to her waist.  She had hazel eyes just like Ash, and fair skin.  

They approached the table and didn't know what to do.  Curtsy?  That's for girls... Bow?  No... too formal.  But it's a queen?  

Travis and Zane settled on a small bow, just bending the waist a little bit.  Enough to show respect but still not making a huge deal about it.

Aaron on the other hand, stood there.  He bowed his head to acknowledge her position, but didn't feel comfortable doing anything more.  Maybe he should of, but this seemed unreal.  He wanted to show the proper respect, but didn't know how.  

"Um..." Travis said uneasily, noticing Aaron's discomfort with this whole situation.  He was thinking the same thing he thought Aaron was thinking... it might be too late by now, they need to find the girls asap.

The Queen gestured for them to sit down, and did hastily.  They still weren't completely sold on this situation.

She smiled lovingly, showing she genuinely cared.  She also seemed shy at the same time.  Maybe she's nervous to speak about her daughter?

Once they were kind of settled, as settled as they could be, the Queen spoke.  "I hear you've crossed paths with my daughter."  She had a sad tone in her voice, as if it pained her to think of Ash in this negative way.  Was she disappointed?

"Yes we did your... um... Majesty?" Answered Zane.

"No need to call me that, call me Amora. "

"Amora.. like from the Spanish word 'amor' for love?"