JC moaned. "Fine. I'll be there in a bit." Tyler nodded and left. JC sighed and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He ran a hand over his face, still tired. The party had gone very late and JC wasn't in the mood to get up. He sighed and changed, still half asleep.
He stumbled out of the room and walked down the hall. He stopped when Dei came out of Alex's room and started grumbling. "Alex won't get up," she said shortly and went off to go find Lance to get rid of her bad attitude. JC knocked on the door. When he didn't get an answer, he walked in to see a lump in her bed. He went and pulled the covers off of her head. "If I have to be up, so do you."
She moaned and threw a pillow at him. "Go away!"
"Forget it Lexi. Get dressed and come down to the sunroom, okay?"
"Whatever! Just go away!" He walked out of the room and went into the sunroom.
He half-heartedly smiled and dropped onto a couch. "Well, the first thing to note is that my son isn't a morning person," joked Roy. JC opened his eyes briefly and smiled before closing them again. Alex came into the room dressed comfortably in breeches and a shirt. She walked over and punched JC's shoulder. "That's for waking me up." He glared at her as she sat down next to him. She leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. "This is your punishment: be my pillow." JC smirked and rested his head on top of hers. Arianna and Chris walked in both laughing about something. They both sat down and kept off in their own conversation.
Dei walked in having finally found Lance. They kept beaming at each other and didn't stop as they sat down in chairs. Lydia and Joey they came in, off in their own world, talking about nothing in particular, as long as they were together. Finally Justin and Char came in followed by the rest of both families. They smiled at JC and Alex even though they both had their eyes closed. Laughing, they sat down on the floor. "Let's get started," said Karen. When JC and Alex didn't move she picked up a pillow and threw it at them, hitting them both in the face.
They both sat upright as they blinked. "Which means, we would like to have everyone awake." Everyone laughed, including Alex and JC. Alex pulled her legs up so that she was sitting Indian style on the couch. She turned and leaned back so that she was leaning against JC's chest. "I'm not letting you off that easy." He rolled his eyes, but made no inclination to move her. Karen and Roy smiled at each other. "Now, I want to know all about you Josh."
Alex laughed as the memory came to mind. "Remember when we had just gotten Storm? How you mounted him and he reared and took off?"
"I got control of him," JC replied defensively.
"After a mile! I can just remember the look on your face when I caught up to you." She started laughing again and JC finally joined in.
"Well, I really must thank you for taking care of Josh during his life," said Roy.
"Oh, it was nothing," replied Cythera. "He was a joy to have around."
"I'm sure he was. I just look to forward to seeing his face everyday."
JC froze. Everyday. He wouldn't be at the Madrigal kingdom anymore. This was his life now, he would no longer be able to talk with Dei or laugh with Chris or be with Alex in general. He would be here, being a prince. His chest tightened as he looked at the back of Alex's head. He wouldn't see her anymore, only on rare occasions. He snapped back to reality as everyone once again erupted into laughter. Karen looked at the hourglass on the wall. "Oh my, I'm afraid Roy and I have some things that we must do. However we shall see you tonight at dinner." They nodded as the royal couple left, followed by everyone else.
Alex moaned. "Great. I'm comfortable and now I have to get up, it never fails." She stood up and stretched and looked at JC curiously as he stared into space. "JC!" He snapped his eyes back toward her and she laughed. He wouldn't be able to hear her laugh anymore, hear her issue challenges from down the hall. He sighed, which made Alex look at him. "Are you okay, JC?" she asked concerned.
"Yeah I'm fine," he replied. He got up and they walked down the hall together, one of their minds being weighed down with sorrow.
"Okay. You need to tell me all that's happened in the last few days, seeing as we had lost contact with you." Dain sat calmly on his throne as one of his operatives, Jemis, kneeled before him. "Your majesty, the most important fact is that her servant JC is actually a prince of the Leo kingdom."
Dain's eyes widened. "A prince? Of the Leo kingdom?" Jemis nodded. "Princess Alexandra found out somehow. Several days ago they left for the kingdom and aren't expected to return for at least a week."
A wicked grin crossed Dain's face. "How do you think they'd react if they came home to a broken kingdom? How do you think they'd react if one of their treasured princess' were to be kidnapped again?" Jemis chuckled. "It certainly wouldn't be good for them."
"Well then. Let us begin. We shall see how well the 'spirit' of the Madrigal kingdom can hold up."
Gareth ran as fast as his legs would carry him down the hall. He burst into the dining room and fell to the ground with exhaustion. Everyone rose and Alex ran to his side, the others close behind. "What is it Gareth?" she asked.
"It's Dain," he gasped. "He attacked the kingdom several days ago. There is nothing but chaos." Fear overcame every mind. Ana came over and gave Gareth some water.
"Thy action has been thou's last," muttered Alex with fury. She turned and stormed out of the room. JC glanced up and followed her. "Alex! Wait up! Don't do anything just yet! Wait up!" Alex didn't stop at the sound of his desperate cries. She went to her room and rifled through a drawer till she retrieved her sword. She didn't even change expressions as she turned and grabbed some things, shoving them into bags.
JC knew what she was doing and ran to his own room. He grabbed some things and went to the stable. Alex hadn't gotten there yet, but he knew she would. He placed everything in saddlebags and went back to tell everyone what was going on. They followed him out to the stable as he briefed them. When he came out, he saw Alex mount Iris. He bolted toward Storm. "Alex!"
She spurred Iris into a gallop and JC immediately followed. They watched as the two disappeared down the trail, the faint sound of the horses' hooves being heard. Roald turned to them. "Let us decide what we are to do quickly, I'm not leaving them alone for long." Everyone nodded and hurriedly followed him inside.
Alex stopped and dismounted, JC doing the same. They had both had ridden hard and decided to rest the horses and get some sleep. Alex hadn't said much of anything and when she did it was in her dialect. Alex sighed and sat down, thudding her back against the tree. She wrapped her arms around her legs and stared at the fire that JC had started. "Alex?" he asked, sitting next to her. "How are you doing?"
She shrugged. "Fine." JC inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. At least now she was speaking normally. "Look, you're tired and I suggest you get some sleep. At the rate we're going, we'll reach Madrigal by the day after tomorrow, maybe tomorrow if we push it."
She nodded and got up, going to the saddlebags. She grabbed some blankets and tossed one to JC. "It's going to be cold," she said. He nodded and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders as she sat down next to him. Alex thought of all that could have happened. All of the lives that could have been lost. Tears started to stream down her face as she thought of everyone in the village. She remembered one day how she and
Arianna had gone to visit the children in the orphanage. How they smiled as the two girls stepped into the house. Or how she and Dei and Ana had snuck down during one of the festivals and celebrated with them.
The tears came faster as she remembered how one day when Justin was here, she took him and Char into one of the villages and the elderly had seemed to be delighted to have visiting royalty. The way they beamed at everyone from the doorway. She started to cry freely, tears of fear and tears pain. But also tears of anger at Dain for what it is that he might have destroyed.
JC put his arm around her and pulled her against him, not wanting her to cry. He rubbed her back as she cried into his chest, dampening his shirt with the salty tears. His heart broke hearing her cry. He could relate. On many occasions, he himself had gone into the villages and he knew why she was so heartbroken over the situation.
She looked up at him and he cupped her face in his hands, wiping away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. His gentle touch made Alex calm down, a calm for all emotions.
She smiled and reached up, holding his hand within her own. JC smiled as she did this. It made him realize what she should mean to him, what she did mean to him. Painstakingly slow, he lowered his head down to hers; afraid the moment would shatter into a million pieces. Alex's eyes fluttered closed as their lips met, sending waves of emotion through their hearts and souls.
Neither wanted the moment to end, but both still pulled back, unsure of what they would see in the other's eyes. Alex could only breathe deeply, her heart pounding. JC's eyes met hers and held them. Alex broke the contact when she turned and leaned against him. JC put his arm around her as she closed her eyes.
JC's mind raced. Why had he just done that? What in the world was going to happen now? He could only remember the feeling of her lips. Their fingers were still intertwined. He only breathed deeply, smelling the scent of pine from the trees around them. He closed his eyes and burrowed deeper into the blanket, never once loosening his grip on Alex.
Fourteen