Tera: OMG, I AM SO SORRY! I didn't realize how long it had been! -bows at your feet- As soon as I realized it had been almost (or more than) two months, I sat down at my computer and forced myself out of my writer's block. That's how much I love all of you.

Chapter 5

“You should’ve seen it! It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen! The sorcerer-”

“Mage.”

“Mage, whatever, on their side threw this huge green fireball at our side and our mage threw up this gigantic blue shield and when they hit, the magic like, exploded and there were flashes of lights everywhere! And the sparks that rained down healed everything! It was spectacular!”

Jenelle hid an amused smile as Jon bounded along next to her, giving her a play by play of yesterday’s battle.

“That’s amazing,” she agreed, even though she had seen that type of thing quite a few times before.

“And then, and then Duke Nicolas got into a battle with one of their generals and damn! That guy can use a sword! They were flashing so fast, you could barely see what was going on! And then, all of a sudden, you see the general’s arm flying through the air, still holding his sword. One of his men caught it, but then one of our mages blasted it to pieces. The general collapsed on his horse and one of his own men ran him through.” Jon’s eyes seemed to light up when talking about violence of any kind.

“It’s a courtesy. A great swordsman cannot fight without his sword arm and sword, so it is common courtesy to spare him. His man was just doing the right thing.”

“Oh....Hey, Jenelle.” He looked at her.

“Yes?”

“Do you think Duke Nicolas would teach me how to use a sword?”

“Maybe. If I order him to.”

“Would you? Please?” His brown eyes shone with golden flecks as he begged her.

Jenelle laughed. “If you want.”

The breath left her lungs as he scooped her up in a massive hug and kissed her on the cheek.

---

“First you’ll need to learn how to forge a blade. It takes a lot of strength, you think you can handle it?” Duke Nicolas was peeved at having to teach a peasant. And private lessons no less.

“Yeah, I can handle it,” Jon growled. All I have to do is pretend the metal has your face on it, he added silently, readying his hammer over the glowing orange metal.

“Hit it, incompetent!”

“I’m not incompetent!” He smashed the molten metal and sparks flew. Nicolas had to shield his eyes.

“Very good,” he said through clenched teeth. One could tell it was killing him to compliment Jon, who hid his smirk behind his arm.

After at least an hour of smashing, Nicolas was satisfied with the work.

“Come back tomorrow and we’ll fold it some more.”

“Yessir.” He ran off to go find Jenelle.

He found Frankie first.

“Hey, Jon, I need to talk to you.” He shifted his eyes suspiciously, then yanked Jon into the stables.

“What is it? You look worried.” When Frankie worried, Jon worried.

“The Duke of Casnan’s here! He’s calling on miss Jenelle. Jon, I need you to get in there and do whatever you can to get him to leave. Come on, I’ve got some clothes for you up in one of the parlors. We’ve gotta run!”

He set of sprinting with Jon hot on his heels. Duke Nicolas looked up from he leisurely walk and rolled his eyes.

“Frankie, I’m gonna smell.” Neither was panting for Frankie was used to running and Jon had done track as well as football at his highschool. Finally, they made it into one of the first floor parlor where Frankie locked them in and pointed to a basin.

“Not to worry. Just strip and get into that,” he ordered, pointing.

Jon stared at him before remembering that time was of the essence, so he quickly undressed and leaped into the basin.

“Give it a minute.” Frankie tapped his foot impatiently for exactly 57 seconds, then motioned for Jon to get out, throwing clothes at him as he did.

Jon sniffed his arm. “Hey, I smell damn good.”

Once dressed, the men ran to the kitchen to retrieve a pot of tea for an excuse, then made their way to the parlor in the opposite wing that Frankie believed Jenelle and Neils to be occupying.

“Tea, your highness?” Jon asked, falling through the doorway. Jenelle looked up from her already full mug.

“They sent a tray already, thank you. But you could fetch some biscuits.”

“And jam. Do you have jam?” the duke asked.

“Of course, sir.”

“It’s ‘your grace,’” Neils corrected just as Jenelle opened her mouth to do the same.

“Pardon me, your grace.” Jon bowed out of the room and passed the tray off to Frankie who was waiting outside.

“What happened?”

“They’ve got tea, they want biscuits.”

“Right. Go, run boy!”

He skidded into the kitchen less than a minute later, startling the cook who already had a tray prepared.

“Is there jam on here?”

“Yes.”

“Here you go.” If he left it there, it would be another excuse to barge in on them.

This time, he had to walk carefully or else the biscuits would spill and the butter would smash onto the spotless carpet. The duke was moving to get on his knees just as Jon kicked the door open, smiling innocently.

“Here you go, your highness, your grace.”

“Where’s the jam?” Neils barked, glaring at Jon.

“Oh, right, coming sir.”

Jenelle glared at him as he sheepishly made his way back out the door, zooming across the hallway and back to the kitchen where he retrieved the jam and zoomed back.

“Your highness, you should really marry soon,” Neils was saying as Jon approached the parlor.

“Yes, well, I’ll of course need to marry for the good of the country.”

“I think that I–”

And Jon burst in, carrying the jam and a knife.

“Will you be needing anything else?”

Jenelle looked suspiciously at him, then relaxed.

“No, but if you’ll just stand in the doorway and refill things.”

“Yes, your highness.” Jon bowed and took up his position in the doorframe. Neils shot a scathing look at him before slapping his oily smile back on and returning his attention to Jenelle.

“So, as I was saying–”

“So, your grace, how are things at Casnan?” Jon interrupted, smiling pleasantly. Jenelle disguised her chuckle as a cough.

“Very well, thank you,” the duke replied, surprised at being interrupted.

“Really? That’s good. How are your children?”

“My children? They’re fine. My oldest son’s gone to study healing arts and the younger one’s training here at the palace.”

“Ah, the joy of children. I know mother was so proud of my sisters when they all became seamstresses in her stead.” He didn’t actually have sisters, but neither of them knew that.

“Oh, seamstresses? Where do they work?” the duke asked.

“In Abivi, across the sea.”

Jenelle was impressed- he remembered the name of a country.

“You’re Abi?” Neils asked.

“Oh, no, we’re from Rilan, but my sisters moved there.”

“How interesting. Are your sisters married yet?” His eyes held a greedy glint; if his sons could marry an Abi commoner and he married the heiress, they could establish an alliance and possibly take power across the sea in Abivi.

“Yes, they are. They’ve been married for years.”

“Oh, no chance of an annulment then?”

“No, they’re living and happy.”

No one noticed how suspicious yet relieved Jenelle was. She had no desire to marry the duke, but as of yet, she had no good reason to turn down any proposal he might make. Did Jon really have sisters? He never mentioned them before. And he had remembered the name Abivi! That was something all by itself. She watched as Jon engaged the duke in conversation without the duke even realizing what he was doing.

“Your grace.” A maid bowed into the room causing all of their heads to snap to attention.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Your carriage awaits, your grace.”

“What? Oh, right, of course. I shall be along shortly.” He never bothered to thank anyone.

“Well, I wish your sons well! Come on, I’ll get your coat, take a biscuit for the road, why don’t you?” Jon chattered at him while he slipped into his coat in a daze and it was only once he was half way to Casnan that he remembered he was supposed to have proposed.

---

“Jon! I can’t believe you did that!” Jenelle cried, trying to look angry. It was very difficult since, secretly, she was elated.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t let you marry him. He’s such a lying bastard.” Jon had changed back into what he had come to call his “riding and running” clothes and was walking out to the stables with Jenelle to report to Frankie.

“He is? What about you and your ‘sisters in Abivi’? You don’t have any sisters in Abivi!”

“Actually, I don’t have any sisters.” Jon smirked as Jenelle gaped at him. Though after a minute, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. A huge grin spread over her face as she laughed with relief.

“Thank you. But wait a minute, how did you know the duke had children?”

“Lucky guess.” Jon smirked again and Jenelle knew she shouldn’t have worried.

---

Tera: Sooooo, did ya like it? We got to meet Duke Niels of Casnan. Everyone boo!

Matt: BOOOOOOO.

Tera: Now, to my three reviewers!

Forest E. Halliwell: PIEPIEPIEPIEPIE!

Clair-a-net: Hmm, you'll just have to find out! Though she doesn't appear to be too terribly scared anymore...But you'll find out! Ah, calc...that blows. I'm in Algebra 2, so I'll be taking calc in...errrr....two years, I think (but I might not take it, I might just take pre-calc and then stop taking math).

Hobosam: Ahahaha, Torv never reads my shit anymore. He's too "cool" for it. Wait a minute....AHAHAHAHAHA, TORV BEING COOL, AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Tera: Anywayz, that's all for now, I'll try to update sooner (No promises, I've got school -cries-). Much love to those of you who review!