(A/N: ... Will sorry make up for the horrible things I put you through?)

After I was done eating and had gotten ready for the day, I decided to walk around the castle a bit before my lessons with Lucero. Although I had been living here a month, I really didn't have too many opportunities to explore. I had been so busy. And yesterday… Well, yesterday was in the past.

After fifteen minutes or so, I found myself at Lucero's door. I had never been in his room before, and until yesterday, he had never been in mine. I knocked lightly. I wasn't sure why I was there, but I wasn't going to ignore my subconscious when it was so obviously trying to tell me something.

"Yes? Come on in."

Hesitantly, I opened it. And although I was dying to know what his room looked like now that I was in it, all I could stare at was Lucero's bare back as he bent down to pick up his shirt.

"Set the food on the end table."

I snapped out of my haze as Raptor walked around me with the food cart. "Good morning again, your majesty. I have the proper breakfast for you, I am terribly sorry for the mistake."

Lucero sighed. "Thank you. Again, just set the food on the end table."

Raptor smiled brightly at me. "Yes your majesty. Would you like me to escort princess Cairin out as well?"

Lucero whipped around and stared at me like a deer in the headlights. I inwardly chuckled and tried to hold back a laugh. My laugh was short lived as I realized how truly handsome he was.

He looked so different. His hair hung loose below his shoulders and I noticed for the first time that he was ripped. Not disgustingly so, but there was no shortage of muscles on his chest or arms. He looked wild. I couldn't help but feel he was incredibly sexy right then. The only thing that would make it better was if there were water drops covering his hair and chest.

"No. I would like to speak with her before we begin our lessons. That will be all, Avian."

Without another word, Raptor left us alone and closed the door behind him.

Lucero quickly turned around and put on a shirt, buttoning it up as he talked to me. "What do you want, Cairin?"

I took a deep breath. The spell was broken and he was just his normal, pain in the ass self again.

"What, can't a girl visit her fiancé's room without being scowled at?"

"Of course. Yet somehow it doesn't seem fair for you to call yourself my fiancée. We may be getting married, but you don't act any more my fiancée than that end table. And at least that end table doesn't fight with me."

I looked down and bit my lip. I couldn't really argue with that. He was completely right. I had been here a month, but my primary focus had been Raptor. The whole time. It really wasn't fair to Lucero at all. I took a deep breath to prepare myself for the impulsive words about to come out of my mouth.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Let's go on the date. Right now. Just you and me."

He stared at me, trying to see if I was really serious or not. I stood there for a long, awkward moment. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, or feeling and after a while, it made me excruciatingly uncomfortable.

Just as I was about to tell him to forget about it, he sighed. "If you think you are going to get out of lessons that easily, you are sorely mistaken, Princess. Now if you don't have anything more to say, I need to eat breakfast before I am confined to a small space with you for five hours."

I bit my lip. That wasn't my intent in the slightest, though that was an appealing afterthought. Telling him such probably would just start a fight, though so I didn't tell him this. I just nodded and walked out of his room.

As I wondered the castle some more, I decided to visit Aunt Mari. She was the only person other than Raptor I felt comfortable talking to openly in this big place. Even after meeting so many of my other family members and servants.

I knocked softly on her room door and waited for her motherly voice to tell me to come in. Unlike Lucero, I'd been in Aunt Mari's room several times. I often came in here before my lessons on Saturdays to talk to her about all of my conflicting emotions. Especially in regards to Lucero. I almost never talked about Raptor, though. She may have been one of my best friends in this place, but she was still family.

"Hey Aunt Mari," I said softly.

She smiled at me from her desk. "Well hello there, child. What brings you in here? Are you alright?"

I smiled at her and gave her a tight hug. I really loved her. She understood me almost better than my own mother.

"Not really. I don't know what to do about Lucero. I asked him out on a date this morning, in an attempt to make up for the last month of fighting, but he just threw it in my face."

Aunt Mari stroked my hair with a gentle hand as I sat at her feet. Her warm smile calmed me and I wondered what I was getting so anxious about. Lucero and I would inevitably fix this patch up. We were going to be spending our entire lives together, after all. Why was I in such a rush to do it now?

"Something you have to understand about Lucero is that he is very sensitive to being hurt. When someone hurts him he shuts them out and they have to earn his trust back. I know he can be stubborn and hard headed, but if you can just show him that you are serious about having a working marriage, he will accept you with open arms."

I gave her a skeptical look. Even before I opened my mouth he hadn't accepted me with open arms. The only time he so much as tried was when he asked me out on the date that one time. And the whole castle knew how well that one blew over.

She just grinned at me again and patted my head in a reassuring manner; my cue to go down to my lessons. That was the only thing I didn't like about visiting her. She made sure I was never even remotely late. This also meant that my time with her was always exceptionally short. Sometimes shorter than my trip up the stairs.

As I walked down the stairs, my mother stopped me in the hallway. Suddenly I felt like I was in trouble. Lately the only time I'd been seeing her was at dinner or sitting next to Dad during the weekly hearings.

Before she could tell me what she wanted, I asked, "Um… am I in trouble?"

I heard her chuckle a moment, making me blush and bite my lip. It wasn't an unreasonable question. What else was I supposed to think? She never just talks to me anymore. Though I was told that would be changing after I married Lucero. Apparently she doesn't want me distracted and these first few months would be the hardest on me.

"Of course not honey. Can't I just talk to my only daughter?"

I glowered. Was she really trying to pull that card on me?

"Ok. Fine. Your marriage date has been set for three weeks from now on May first. And I'm pregnant."