Magic of the Four Elements~Chapter 2

*I split up these Chapters because they were a bit lengthy when I first posted them. It's still the same story, just split up. Enjoy! ^_^*

Chapter 2

Alexandra's eyes widened and she looked at the Prince, her whole face going beet red. Prince Makani blushed as he jumped up. “I was trying to keep that a secret!” he whispered harshly. "I don't get that many breaks from my duties, and now everyone's going to know because she's going to tell!"

“Oh, were you? I'm sorry.” The woman said, furrowing her brow.

Alexandra quickly stood up and smoothed out the front of her dress. She kept her head lowered as she said, “Well, um, I promise I won't tell, and thank you, Your Highness, for helping me. I’m very grateful. If you’ll excuse me….” She curtsied and ran in the opposite direction, leaving Prince Makani and the woman standing by the bench. Her head swam and she scolded herself for not knowing who he was. No servant women had ever seen him, since the only ones who had ever served him were the men, and he was always surrounded by men, anyways. Cassara hadn't even met him yet, since she had just arrived a week ago.

Alexandra didn’t go back to Lady Cassaras’ room. Instead, she went to the stables where she had the most comfort. There were ten stables all in a line on the West Side of the castle, each housed ten horses, with five stalls on each side. She could hear all of the horses in the barns whinny and neigh to each other, along with the pounding of hooves and the smell of hay and manure.

As she walked into the first stable, she heard Raven's distinct whinny from inside her stall as she poked her head out. Alexandra smiled and walked about three stalls down on the right. She held out her hand as Raven nuzzled it with her soft, velvety muzzle, looking for treats. Raven bobbed her head up and down as a strong arm went around Alexandra's neck in a loose chokehold. Alexandra smiled even wider and looked up to see a well-built face smiling brightly down at her. The man had brown hair with a little bit of blonde in it, and his blue eyes twinkled as laughter filled his eyes. He was about a head taller than her.

He let go as she turned around. He was a little bulky, and wore working stable clothes. “You sneakin’ off again?” he teased.

“You know I would never do such a thing, Edward,” she said. “Just paying a visit is all.”

“You like ta be here, don’cha?” asked Edward, stroking Ravens' soft neck. "I'm not surprised that you've become attached ta this here horse. She's a beauty, all righ'. Pure black Thoroughbred mare, nice strong legs. She's a great horse for one of our knights."

“Of course. I love coming here! These horses are my friends, just like most animals, you know that.”

“Yeah, well, see if yer friends with most animals when ya try and make nice with the frien’ly wolf ‘er mountain lion, ‘er maybe ev’n a dragon, then let’s see who’s tryin’ ta be friendly,” he half mumbled as he was grabbing Raven's halter from the wall on the other side of the stables.

“You and I both know that dragons have been extinct for thousands of years,” Alexandra lied as she leaned against Raven's wooden stall door. She started picking some slivers out of the door. She knew for a fact that there were still dragons living amongst them.

“Ah, not true,” Edward stated. He looked at Alexandra. “It’s been said that there’s been sigh’in’s of flyin’ monsters—closely ta the shapes a dragons—around th’ Kurgan Mountains, mostly t’ th’ east of ‘em, though, so they stay away from Rebbs Port.” Alexandra moved off of the door as Edward opened it. Raven shied a little from the halter but soon let Edward put it on her. He gave Raven to Alexandra and she led her into the walkway. She put some strands of hair backl behind her ear that the breeze in the barn had dislodged.

“Now, if you want to get all specific,” said Alexandra a-matter-of-factly, petting Raven's black dirty neck, “It depends on what type of dragons you’re talkin’ about. There are the Wyverns, Lindworms, Europeans, Knuckers, Gargouille, Frost, Amphithere, Marsupial, and the Asian Lung. Or, there’re the Steelbacks who aren’t dragons at all, but when from far away they look similar to the European—”

“Whoa, whoa, now, hold on a minute! Have you been stealin’ books from the Royal Family’s library again?”

Alexandras’ face grew hot. “Now, that’s not a nice thing to say!” she reluctantly smiled. “I only did that once.”

Edward stopped pushing the wheelbarrow he got from the storage room nearby and smiled brightly. “What was that? Oh really, didja now?”

“But you can’t tell a soul! I put it back right where I found it. You know I’ve read all of the books on my shelf, and I get bored if I don’t have something to read.”

“Hey, if you get bored, just tell me; I’ll give ya somethin’ ta do.”

“Yeah, but I don’t like what you give me. No, I didn’t steal from the library; that information was in one of the books on my shelf. It was a birthday present from—”

“Is everything coming out nicely? Everything getting clean?” asked a familiar voice.

“Yes, Lady Beth.” answered Edward as he was shoveling manure into the wheelbarrow.

Alexandra turned around to see the woman who came up to Prince Makani and her earlier. She quickly turned her head around so she wouldn’t know who was holding the horse, but it was too late.

“Ah, yes, the young woman Makani saved. I was looking for you.”

Edward dropped the shovel and Raven startled and reared. Alexandra calmed her down after a couple minutes. When she turned back around, Edward was standing right in front of her.

“Saved? Why were you saved, and by His Highness noneth’less!? Are you all right? What happened?”

“I...I fell.” Alexandra mumbled and looked down.

“You fell? Prince Makani saved you from falling? Now, I would understand if it was from tripping over your own feet, ‘cause it is you after all, but falling?”

Alexandra nodded shyly.

“Oh no, it was much more than tripping over her own feet,” said Lady Beth.

“Oh, no, please, I—”

“Apparently—now this is what I heard from Makani, correct me if I’m wrong—but she fell out of a three story window.”

“No, wait—”

“You what!? And you didn’t tell me?”

“Well, I’m sorry; I didn’t want you to worry—”

“Worry!? You didn’t want me to worry!? Are you kiddin’ me?”

“But I’m okay, right, and that’s all that matters?” she asked slowly.

Edward paused and sighed. “Yes, that’s all that matters,” he said quietly and hugged Alexandra. “I just worry ’bout ya, Alex. Yer like family ta me, since I ain’t got one, an’ all. You were the only one who cared when I was out on the streets. Thank the gods you weren’t hurt.” Edward said in her ear, low enough for only her to hear.

“Yes, I’m sorry.” Alexandra hugged him back. “I’ll—I’ll try to be more careful next time.”

“Thank you.” He squeezed her and let go.

Lady Beth cleared her throat. “Listen Alexandra, I’m sorry if I got you in trouble with your friend, here. I was just coming to check up on you."

Alexandra was puzzled. “Wait—I have a question for you. How did you know my name before we even met over by the bench?”

“Just wait here ‘til you're ready to go home at the end of the day and I’ll tell you everything. I have some issues with your guardian, also, and he might

be able to answer some of your questions. Please wait for me.” When she turned to leave, she gave a wry smile and held her head high as she exited the stables.

Alexandra looked up at Edward questioningly. He shrugged, picked up his shovel, and began working again.