Crowns and Cloaks

Annoyance

THE NEXT MORNING, she grabbed her horse, her saddle bag, along with the gift she had packed for Blade. Stealthily, she made her way past Leon's classroom and the king's' chambers, getting into the sable and saddling up her horse, and riding off into the large field once again. Once she made it there, she dismounted, and sat at the base of a tree, and waited for Blade to arrive.

For a decent hour, she waited for Blade on the outskirts of the forest munching on a bit of bread that she had packed in her saddle bag. Suddenly, she heard small voices coming from the forest, and her curiosity got the better of her.

She walked partially into the forest, just enough so she could still see her horse, and started to look for where the voices were coming from. She looked down the path to see a familiar green cloak, and the person wearing it talking to someone.

Not someone, a hare.

"Don't get caught in those traps again. Some people can't be as forgiving as I am." She heard Blade's smooth voice say, and she watched on as the hare seemed to understand he was saying, before bounding off into the forest.

"Did you know its rude to stare?" He said, and Vera suddenly became aware that she was staring at Blade.

"Sorry." She mumbled, and he huffed, standing back up and walking back into the deeper part of the forest. "Wait!" She called out to him, and Blade rubbed his hands along his face in annoyance before turning around and giving the princess a dull look. "I brought the gift. I thought you might want to go get it."

"I don't need one. I don't need a reminder, so you can take your gift and leave." He said, and started back on his trek through the forest. Xaveria grumbled in annoyance, before deciding to follow him into the forest.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, and he gave her a frustrated glare. "Didn't you learn your lesson from last time?"

"Nope. Not one bit. Care to inform me?" she said innocently, and peered up at Blade to see he was still angry at her. He rolled his eyes at her stupidity, reluctantly agreeing on letting her follow. "But, if you get lost again," he scolded her. "I'm not saving you again."

"Didn't think so." Vera mumbled, before keeping her head down and walking with him. "So, why do you live in the forest?" she asked him, and he gave her a sideward glance.

"Why do you want to know? Its not any of your business." "Well, I told you about mine, so I thought it was only fair."

"Yes, but the difference here, is that I didn't ask you where you lived, I asked you about your lineage. Its a different scenario." He replied, as he weaved through another batch of trees. "And before you ask, the only parent I have is my father."

"Oh." Xaveria whispered to herself, and she walked in silence for a few minutes, once again taking in the scenery. But, for some reason, she always ended up staring at Blade's back. She always wondered what she was hiding underneath the big cloak of his.

"Um, where are we going?" Vera asked, and Blade remained silent. "I asked you a question." Again he remained silent. "Are you ignoring me?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" He turned around abruptly, startling the princess. He looked at Xaveria with a neutral expression, but his eyes were a slight shade of orange. I swear they were green before... She thought to herself, and her silence was not appreciated by Blade. "I asked you a question." He mimicked, and she gave him a glare back.

"You know what, maybe I should just go." "You should have done that from the beginning."

"Maybe I was being a polite person in any situation, unlike you, who has been rude every since I met you. The questions I ask is to start a conversation, not to annoy you, but everything that comes out of your mouth is like static to the ears of a child. Annoyance at its best."