Destiny Divided

Chapter 13:

Rillian's POV:

I hate the captain of the guard. He is so condescending. The only reason he's still here is because father had told me to respect him since he had helped us win battles many times. I didn't like that he spent so much time with Len. I believed that Len wouldn't be adopted since he didn't seem to want to.

That night I had a terrifying dream where a girl with teal hair came up to me. She smiled and told me she was taking Len. Len went with her willingly and then I was alone. Len smiled at me as he went with sadness in his eyes. He mouthed something at me but my dream self couldn't or wouldn't understand.

Then I felt the pressure of a knife being held at my back.

On that note I woke up with a screech.

"Your highness!" Len cried as he ran up to me. "Are you all right?"

"Yes you idiot it was a dream." I retorted.

He hung his head. "Forgive me your majesty."

"You're highness!" A servant called entering the room. "Prince Kaito is here."

"Well I have to get ready!" I yelled and jumped up. "Send in the maids and the servant girls!"

"Yes highness!" The servant scrambled back out the door. "Oh and the farmer is coming again with more food."

"Excellent!" I smiled. This farmer's crops were much better in taste as well as price than the last dolt I had gotten food from.

Of course the castle had gardens, but this was how the farmers paid their taxes. They gave a quarter of their crops, sold the other half, and kept the last bit for themselves. My father had set it up that way and the people seemed to like it.

The servant girls had gotten me dressed and I was on my way to Prince Kaito. 

"Oh and Allen..." I turned.

"Yes your highness. I will oversee the delivery." He smiled.

"Go." I commanded and continued on my way.

I entered the room where Prince Kaito was waiting and curtsied. 

He bowed, crossed over, and kissed my hand. "I hear you have been spending quite a bit of time with that servant boy." He observed.

I laughed. "He is my chamberlain. He is the only servant I know who begs for more work."

"Well all the same, I don't like him being around you all the time when I have to be away."

"Are you quite so jealous?" I asked with my eyes narrowed.

"Of his position? No. But getting to be with you all the time...yes."

Kaito and I flirted for a while. It pleased me that he was jealous of Len. Of course he had no reason to be.

I flinched a moment as I recalled my dream from the previous night.

Len's POV:

I went as I was told to watch the unloading process. I could see Miku swinging her legs outside of the wagon, but I waited until the servants had left. You never did know what got reported to whom.

I came out of my hiding spot and walked over to the wagon. Miku smiled when she saw me.

I bowed and held out my hand to help her down.

"How are you?" She asked me.

"I am well. How are you and the group?"

"We're doing well also. A woman has offered me and Ilsie a job to clean her house. It was supposed to be all of us but the boys made a bigger mess and Emi and Gumi couldn't go."

"Is she paying you well?" I asked.

"I think so. Any money I get is money I didn't have before! Besides it really helps father." Miku put her hands behind her back. "Everyone misses you."

"I'll be back in town before you know it." I laughed.

Miku sighed. "That seems an awfully long ways away."

I smiled..

Then Miku looked up and the expression in her face changed into one of pleading. "Len I am so sorry about our walk. I was embarrassed because I couldn't stop blushing when you held my hand and looked at me. And...and because I tripped and that was humiliating. When you said it was okay because no one had seen, that wasn't what I had meant. I was embarrassed because YOU had seen. And then I decided not to talk because I felt something might slip out before I could help it and...oh I'm just making this worse!" She gushed, and her face turned pink.

"I'm glad you told me how you felt." I soothed. "I can't change how I act if you don't tell me what you don't like."

"B...but I DID like it!" Miku cried. Her pink deepened into a light shade of red and then back to pink as she realized what she had said.

"Miku do you like me?" I asked her quietly.

"Of course I do..." She started

"You know what I meant." 

"Yes, I do know. The problem is that I don't know what that FEELS like. I can't tell if I just like you much more than all the boys and maybe even Ilsie, or if I...love you."

"How do you feel around me?" I asked. "Then I might be able to tell. But if you don't like me the way I like you...I'll never mention this to you again. I promise."

"Okay. Well I start to get nervous about what I say and do. I become self conscious about my ragged clothes. But I also feel safe and happy. Most of the time at peace because you understand me so well. If it was anyone else I don't think I could be talking to them like this. Sometimes when you look at me in a certain way I can feel my heart speed up wildly. It's the same for when you held my hand. Oh you're doing it again!" Miku blushed.

I couldn't help looking at her the way I was. I felt overjoyed. There was someone in this world that loved me.

"Well now it's your turn." Miku declared a little uncomfortably. 

"When I'm with you..." I began. "I feel incredibly happy. I've known what it's like to love. I've loved my sister and father and mother...but I never knew what it felt like to BE loved. You are the first person who has ever loved me Miku. I feel like trying to show off around you like Luki does for Ilsie sometimes. And when I'm not with you all I can think about is the next time I might see you, but it always seems too far away. You make me feel like a poet, and open the door to a beautiful new world for me."

She again blushed and I smiled at her.

"I...I think my father will be back soon." Miku mumbled.