The air was warm and the streets were alive. Rory and I abandoned the carriage not long after we exited the gates of the castle. He held my arm in his as we walked through the busy cobblestone streets. I had been allowed to change into less formal clothes before our departure, which I was glad for. It would have been a nightmare to navigate the streets in the dresses I wore in the castle. Those who saw us would either bow, get out of the way, or want to shake my hand. A group of kids playing with wooden swords ran about the place, calling out to one another, laughing. I smiled at them. We were offered free food at more than one of the carts, but we always paid anyway. Rory and I fell back into our normal routine, as if we had never been apart. He would make jokes just to hear me laugh, would make us run a few feet just so he could fix my hair again. When we were ten, it would get annoying for him to always be trying to fix my hair or hold my hand, but now, his every touch sent joyous tremors through me. The chaotic peace was broken by a loud noise. Hooves thundered against the cobblestone and people ran out of the way as a loose horse stampeded down the road. My eyes went to the group of boys playing. They ran to the side, but one of them tripped. I acted without thinking. I ran forward and wrapped my arms around the terrified boy. The wild horse was upon us. There was no time to run, so I flung myself to the other side of the road, the boy still wrapped in my arms. I shielded him as we tumbled into one of the buildings lining the street. My dress was dirty and torn, my arms scrapped and undoubtedly bruised. The boy, though, to my great joy, was unharmed. He was scared, but unharmed. There were gasps and cheers all around as the boy and I stood up. The boy's mother ran forward and fell to her knees. She threw herself on the ground, bowing to me.

"Oh thank you! Thank you! You are the most noble, the most courageous, the most selfless! Oh how God has blessed Alston with a queen as kind as you! A million thanks for saving my son!" She cried. I put a gentle hand on her shoulder and helped her stand up. I smiled at her.

"Seeing this boy unharmed is thanks enough." I assured her. She nodded, tears in her eyes. I crouched next to the boy, aware of all the eyes watching me. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked him. He nodded and looked at me for really the first time. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Wow!" He exclaimed "You're Queen Mnemosne!" I smiled and nodded at him. There were chuckles from the viewers. "Thanks for saving me!" The boy threw his arms around me in a hug. I squeezed him tight and patted his back.

"Make sure you watch your step next time, okay?" I instructed him. He blushed and nodded, pulling away. He turned to run back to his friends. He froze, turned back around, bowed, then ran off. I smirked. Rory broke through the circle embraced me. There were whispers among the crowd. The boy's mother shooed the people away, which I was thankful for. I hated it when everyone was watching me. Rory kissed my cheek.

"Are you hurt? Your dress is ruined!" He exclaimed. I smirked at him.

"Your accent gets thicker when you're worried, did you know that?" I teased. He frowned at me for a moment before smiling and shaking his head.

"No, I didn't. That's good to know." He said, his accent practically disappearing. He kissed my hand and my stomach fluttered. "Come on, let's get you back to the castle and cleaned up." We walked back to carriage, whispers about what I had done floating behind us. We got in the carriage with only a raised eyebrow from the driver and rode back to the castle. My Prime Regent, however, wasn't as accepting of my condition. We entered the doors and were met by a cry of shock.

"What in the Lord's name happened?!" He cried. I stifled a laugh as Rory replied.

"She saved a little boy from getting trampled by a rampaging horse." He stated simply. Turbalowe blinked a few times, opening and closing his mouth, before sighing, shaking his head, and walking off. Rory and I both laughed. He took me back to my room. He instructed me to sit on the bed while he got a bucket of water and cloth. I started to protest as he undid my dress. He sighed angrily and sat back again.

"Would you rather a servant do it? I'm just taking off the fancy bit, you can keep on your undergarments." He said more gently than I expected. We took off the outer layer of my dress, the part that was ripped, and tossed it aside to be dealt with later. Rory kneeled beside my bed and took my hand. He held my arm out and cleaned it off with the wet rag. He washed off the dirt and cleaned the small cuts. His touch was soft and gentle. Each stroke with the rag sent my heart racing. Once he finished cleaning my arms and legs, he began washing my face. Our eyes locked as he lightly trailed the cloth along my cheek bone. There was something in his eyes I didn't quite understand, but before I knew what was happening, we were kissing. He pulled me to my feet and I threw my arms around his neck. He pulled away, his dark green eyes staring deep into mine.

"I don't know why I did that." He admitted. I smirked.

"I'm just irresistible." I replied, my heart in my head.

"Yeah you are." He agreed. He kissed me again. I was lost in him, in his smell, in his taste, in his touch. A knock on the door caused us to jump away from one another.

"Miss Mnemosne? Your dinner is ready whenever you are!" A servant called from the other side of the thick wood.

"Alright, I'll be just a minute!" I replied, frantically fixing my hair. I heard her leave and turned back to Rory. "Help me get dressed." Rory grabbed the deep blue dress I had laid out for dinner and helped me step into it. He tied up the back as I combed my hair. When he was finished, I helped him straighten up his clothes and fixed his hair.

"If we leave together, they'll get suspicious." I said. He nodded and left the room, winking at me as he went. I blushed and leaned against the door, listening to his footsteps as he walked down the hallway. I sighed. All I could think about was him. His every touch sent flurries through me, and his kiss sped my heart up more than was healthy. Was this what it felt like to be in love?

A/N: Okay, now before you guys get all grossed out, in the old days, the girls wore an underdress. So, they're wearing two dresses, pretty much. There will be no removal of clothing in the presence of another human of a different gender. That's really awkward to read, and it's awkward enough for me to write kissing scenes, so don't worry. There will be none of that in my story. Just wanted to get that out there. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CLOTHING!!! K, keep reading...

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Rory and I dined with Sir Turbalowe that evening. We had finished the main course and were awaiting our dessert. Turbalowe cleared his throat and laced his fingers together. I was sitting at the head of the table, Rory on my left, Sir Turbalowe on my right. Turbalowe turned his attention to me.

"Queen Mnesmosne, as your Prime Regent and your parents' closest friend, I feel that it is my duty to discuss your actions today." He said. I tried not to laugh at the faces Rory was making behind the Prime Regent's back and motioned for Turbalowe to continue. "While your actions were heroic and only increased the public's opinion of you, they were also reckless and dangerous." He said, his voice stern. I sat back in my chair, as the servants brought forth our desserts. I thanked the young girl who placed a chocolate cake in front of me. I caught her hand as she walked away, which seemed to surprise her. She turned back around.

"Miss?" She asked, keeping her head low.

"I haven't seen you around the castle much. Are you new here?" I inquired. The young girl nodded her head, not looking at me.

"Yes, miss, I recently moved here to be with my father. He's the blacksmith in town, miss. My mother and I were living on the border of Hestol and Alston. She was killed in a raid near the end of the war, miss." She said. There was a pang in my heart for the motherless girl. I took her hand in both of my hands.

"My heart goes out to you and your family; I know what it's like to loose those close to you. And I hope you and your father remain happy and healthy in this time of peace." I said, my voice kind. The servant girl looked up at me, her eyes tearing up slightly.

"Thank you, miss, it means a lot." She replied.

"I meant every word. And what is your name?" I asked as she began to walk away.

"Marie, miss." She answered.

"Thank you, Marie." She bowed and scurried off. I turned back to my food. Rory had nothing but admiration in his eyes, but Sir Turbalowe was watching me with a disdainful expression on his face. "What?" I asked angrily. Turbalowe shook his head.

"It's unnatural for a royal to talk with the servants, that's all." He explained. I opened my mouth to protest, but he shook his head again. "If you would let me continue what I was saying earlier?" He questioned heatedly. Rory raised an eyebrow.

"Did you just interrupt the Queen?" He asked, faking the shock in his voice. Turbalowe's face paled and he looked at me, frightened. He bowed his head.

"Forgive me for my carelessness, my Queen." He muttered. I stifled a laugh and nodded at him to continue what he was saying. Rory winked at me as Turbalowe continued, causing my heart to dance as I ate some of the chocolate cake. "As I was saying, your actions, though honorable, were careless and risky. If you had been seriously hurt, you could have activated the curse right then and there in front of the whole kingdom!"

"Not the whole kingdom." I muttered, taking another bite of the chocolate cake in front of me. Rory was halfway through with his, whereas Turbalowe hadn't even picked up his fork.

"Mnemosne," he said, struggling to stay calm, "I'm just saying that we need to be careful. If the curse is going to be activated, I want it to be on purpose in the security of your own castle!" He snapped, giving up on being calm. He was stressed and angry. I watched him for a moment. My cold eyes seemed to make him uncomfortable. I waved one of the servants over and whispered something in his ear. He looked as if he was going to protest, but saw the look in my eyes and thought better of it. He ran off into the kitchen. A few moments later, he brought me what I requested wrapped in a yellow silk napkin. I thanked him and he bowed, hurrying off. Turbalowe looked nervous and Rory looked worried. I slowly unwrapped the napkin and picked up it's contents. I held the handle of the sharp knife in my right hand. I held out my arm palm up and pressed the tip of the blade to the middle of my forearm. Rory jumped to his feet, but said nothing. Sir Turbalowe remained seated, his face pale.

"My Queen, I beg you to think this through." He stuttered. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You said you wanted the curse activated inside the castle, right? What better time than now?" I snarled. Sir Turbalowe gulped and bowed his head.

"Mnemosne, I..." He began. I cut him off, my patience worn, my anger boiling over.

"You will address me by my title, Sir Turbalowe!" I snapped, pressing the knife harder against my skin. He flinched when a thin trail of blood began to creep down my arm. I didn't feel any pain. "You still want to activate the curse? Cause I will." I hissed. The trail of blood became thicker, the pain merely a slight sting.

"Queen Mnemosne, I apologize for my careless words. It isn't my place to tell you what you can and can't do. I was merely worried. I see now that I was mistaken." He said. I glared at him a moment longer before I tossed the knife to him. He yelped and the knife landed in his lap, the tip red with my blood.

"You'd do well to remember this moment." I growled, standing up. I stormed out of the room, Rory following closely behind me. He followed me back to my room. When I shut the door, I immediately turned to him. He embraced me in a hug and I began to weep. I cried into his shoulder and he let me. He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed my head lightly. After a few minutes, I pulled away, wiping my eyes.

"I'm sorry. He just gets me so wound up!" I apologized. Rory shook his head with a smirk.

"It's fine. It was an excuse to hold you." I couldn't not smile at that. He led me into the bathroom and helped me clean up the cut on my arm.

"It's nothing, really. It'll fade by tomorrow." I assured him. He frowned, but let it be. He walked back into the bedroom to let me change into my nightgown in privacy. When I left the bathroom, he was waiting for me. We stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then, a giant smile spread across Rory's face.

"What is it?" I asked. He walked closer to me, taking my hand in his and holding it to his chest.

"It's incredible how you can make even a nightgown look good." And with that, we were kissing again. I let myself get lost in him. For the first time since I was cursed, I didn't feel afraid. I wasn't cold on the inside and hot on the outside. I didn't feel like a walking explosive. He pulled away from me, his eyes shining.

"Never threaten to hurt yourself again." He whispered. I smiled and shook my head.

"I might not have a choice." I replied sadly. He frowned.

"That's not the answer I wanted to hear." He informed me. I shrugged and rested my head on him, weariness pulling me into sleep. I had been through a lot today, and my body was aching from the incident out in the town. Rory gently wrapped me in his arms and laid down on the bed, unaware that the sleeve of my nightgown was stained with blood.

"That's the only answer I can give." I sighed as I drifted off to sleep in his arms. He kissed my head then leaned his head back onto the pillow. I fell asleep to the steady rise and fall of his chest, feeling at peace for the first time in almost five years.

A/N: CHILL OUT PEOPLE!!! I TOLD YOU THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CLOTHING!!! Wait...you're not freaking out? It's just me? Oh...ok....my bad...