Arty took her hand and led her gently to the door. "Then let's go."

She smiled and followed him. "All right."

Arty led her out into the hallway, smiling as well. "Well, this is the palace, which I'm sure you've seen enough of." He led her out to the gardens, breathing deeply. "And this," he said, pointing to a patch of well-tended herbs, "is the palace healer's herb garden."

She looked around. "I've always liked gardens. They're peaceful."

He nodded, breathing deeply and smiling at her. "Being here helped right after I got... possessed. It kept me calm."

"At least you had a place to run away to that helped."

"About the only place I could go to in Samori if I wanted to be alone was my bedroom, and even then my...parents could still come in."

Arty hugged her impulsively, smiling. "Well, you have here now."

Madison smiled at him. "Yes, I guess I do have here now."

He spread his arms, gesturing at the garden. "You are welcome here any time," he told her, winking.

She looked around the garden once more before turning her gaze back to Arty. "Thank you."

((hello?))

{I'm sorry! I had a really stressful day, and then we had a match, which we won, and I was just about to post... -sigh- Just so you know, my posting is really going to get erratic starting on Thursday-ish or next week.}

Arty nodded, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently. "It is my pleasure," he told her.

((Ah...ok. Well, I think I can handle erratic posts as long as you don't forget about me.))

She smiled as he took her hand. "What's next on the tour?"

{I will certainly do my best not to}

Arty bit his lip as he thought. "Well... you've seen the throne room, the gardens, the guest chambers... and I'm pretty sure either of us does not want to see the dungeons... Oh! I could show you the town, if you'd like."

"I'd rather not see the dungeons," she answered. "However, going into town could be nice."

He nodded, leading her towards the exit of the garden. As they got closer to town, Luc and Jaime fell into step behind them.

Madison noticed that Luc and Jaime were behind them. It was to be expected that Arty wouldn't be able to go anywhere outside of the palace unescorted.

Arty's shoulders tensed slightly as the two elves followed them. He wasn't used to being followed wherever he went- it was creeping him out.

Madison looked over at Arty. "Are you okay?" she asked. She knew it was weird to have escorts everywhere.

He nodded stiffly. "Yeah, I'm just not used to it."

"It's a huge adjustment, I know that. Just try to ignore them."

{I have to go do some homework, be back in an hour-ish}

Arty grinned at her gratefully. "I'll try."

((Ok.))

She smiled. "Concentrate on giving me the tour and maybe you'll forget about them."

{Back, for a bit}

Arty nodded, taking a deep breath and stopping just in front of some stables. "This is where the Guard houses their horses."

{And now, off to bed. Night!}

She smiled. "These are very nice stables. They remind me a lot of the ones in Samori."

{Sorry I've been gone so long, my rehearsal schedule really got kind of crazy since we're opening on Thursday...}

He smiled back, a thin smile, but his eyes were sad.

Suddenly Luc cried out. Whirling around, Arty's eyes widened as he saw Jaime fall, bleeding from a jagged wound on his leg. "What's going on?" he asked incredulously, before nearly getting hit with a crossbow bolt.

((It's all right. I understand. And...ah, what's going on now?))

Madison jumped back and looked around. "What's going on?"

{My play is just opening on Thursday... and it's really crazy right now. How are you?}

Arty shook his head, ducking as another bolt whizzed by him. "I don't know, but you should hide."

((I understand that. I've been in theatre productions myself. Um...life is good but busy. I'm working on editing one of my novels so I can submit it for publication, and I'm getting ready for NaNoWriMo...plus I'm the Editor-in-Chief of my university newspaper and I am enrolled in four English classes right now. It's all very hectic.))

Madison looked over at Arty. "I'm only hiding if you come with me."

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