Destiny Divided

Chapter 16:

Miku's POV:

"Goodbye girls! I will see you on Monday." Called the Earl's wife.

Ilsie and I left the house happily after we had finished our work.  I felt accomplished knowing that I was helping my father with this work.

"What is it." Ilsie sighed.

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"You are happier than usual." She said.

I laughed. "But I'm almost always happy!" I exclaimed.

"Was it that boy?" She inquired accusingly. 

"Len?"

"Miku you used to tell me everything. Why don't you anymore?" Ilsie wailed.

"Oh Ilsie." I cried and grasped her in a hug.

"Miku please tell me what happened!" Ilsie sobbed. "You used to tell me everything!"

"Okay! Ilsie don't worry. It's just that I love Len and he loves me." I said, trying to reassure her.

She pulled back. "W...what? Did he tell you? How do you know?"

"Yes." I smiled. "Last time at the castle. Isn't it wonderful?" I smiled.

"B...but aren't I your best friend?" Ilsie stammered.

"Of course! Just because I love Len doesn't mean I'm not your friend anymore!" I laughed.

Len met us at the crossroad just outside of the town.

He tipped his head and smiled. "Ilsie. Miku."

"Hello." I greeted.

Ilsie kept quiet. I wish I could know what she was thinking.

We walked on in silence. I knew that Ilsie was glowering and that Len was smiling at me, but I refused to look at either of them.

"MIKU! ILSIE! MIKU! ILSIE! MIKU! ILSIE GUESS WHAT!!!" Gumi yelled running to meet us as we approached the circle.

"What?" I asked.

"The town's annual festival is on Sunday." Luki smirked.

"So? We aren't allowed to go." Ilsie mumbled.

"YEAH UNTIL NOW!" Gumi cried.

"What do you mean?" I asked excitedly.

"The lowered the attendance age." Fukase explained. "Now anyone above the age of thirteen can go."

"I don't really want to go." Emi sighed.

"Why not?" Gumi inquired exasperatedly

"Because Neru will be there." Emi mumbled. "I hate her."

"But you don't hate anyone!" Oliver teased.

"Well she's evil." Emi snapped.

"Here we go again." Oliver sighed.

"She tried to drown my brother!" Emi yelled at him.

"She challenged him to swim across the lake." Oliver rolled his eyes.

"She knew he couldn't swim and pushed him in when he said no!" Emi cried.

"You don't know that she didn't know." Oliver countered

"She killed my bunny when we were five because some town boy paid her to." Emi retorted.

"Whatever." Oliver gave up.

Emi looked like she had a few more things she wanted to say but kept them to herself.

"I think that the dance sounds like fun!" I laughed.

"Me too." Ilsie smiled wanly. 

"Let's play truth or dare!" Gumi yelled. "Luki truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to bring Ilsie to the dance!"

"Alright!" Luki agreed readily.

Ilsie opened her mouth to say something but I nudged her. "Give him one night." I whispered.

Ilsie gave me a look that said she was only doing it because I told her to.

"Gumi truth or dare." Luki smirked.

"Dare!"

"I dare you to go to the dance with Oliver." Luki laughed mischievously.

Oliver's eyes darted from Luki to Gumi and back again.

"Fine. But only because it will be interesting." Gumi sighed.

"Now I dare Emi to go to the dance too." Oliver announced.

"With who?" Gumi asked.

"Uh..."

"I'll go with her." Fukase volunteered and smiled at her with a shy, affectionate, brotherly gaze. He would keep Neru away from her.

"Miku truth or dare?" Luki asked.

"Truth." I could feel my eyes twinkling.

"Darn it. Um...what are you afraid of?"

"Pain." I shivered. Sure there were other things but pain was my worst fear.

"Len truth or dare?" Oliver asked excitedly

"Truth." Len answered slowly.

Oliver sighed. "Alright...um...is the princess as terrible as people say she is?"

"No. She is misunderstood. The throne was thrust upon her at too young an age and she isn't quite sure how to handle it." Len replied loyally.

I was a little disappointed that Len had picked truth. I knew that Oliver would have dared him to bring me to the dance and I would have loved to have Len bring me. He obviously wanted to avoid that.

"I'm not dressing up for the dance." Gumi declared.

"Why not?" Emi asked.

"Because Oliver would spill something on my dress and ruin it." 

"No, you would spill something on yourself and then drench me too." Oliver laughed.

Gumi smiled slowly.

"I shouldn't have said that." Oliver moaned.

"No...you shouldn't have." Gumi's smile turned malicious. 

"I'm going to dress nicely so you should too." Oliver smirked.

"Then take off your bandages for the dance." Gumi cried.

"Maybe I will!"

"Bet you won't!"

Oliver and Gumi continued yelling at each other for a while and then we decided to go to Len's lake.

We had all become pretty familiar with the walk so it took us less and less time to get there as we stretched our legs more and more.

When we got there, Emi crowned me with one of her many wreaths. 

"Len needs one too remember?" Gumi called.

Emi proceeded to make Len a wreath of leaves although Gumi said she thought that the king of the woods should wear flowers too.

"In the woodland king and queen's domain, the rest of us must bow our heads and do as they please." Fukase smiled.

"Let's play!" I clapped my hands.

"I'll be the villian!" Oliver cried. "I am going to kidnap all of the fair maidens. MU HA HA HA HA!"

"I'll fight you to the death to save them!" Luki laughed, picking up a long stick that would serve as a sword.

"En guarde!" Oliver shouted.