The sky was clear, the morning sun was bright, and all nature was calm with no sign of any impending hurricane to disrupt the serenity. It was the perfect weather for Elena Rivera to have her tea at the table on the terrace of Rivera Manor. She just wished she wasn't being pestered every now and then by the older woman who sat infront of her, knitting.

Elena was just about to take a sip from her porcelain tea cup when an exceptionally loud gasp from her mother startled her, causing some of the liquid to spill down the side of the cup.

"How about Lord Lestrad's son?" Lady Victoria Rivera asked, her smile a reflection of the excitement she radiated. "Er...what was his name again? It's at the tip of my tongue..."

Elena glared at her mother as she peered at the blue sky, trying to jolt her memory. "Was it Moses? Mason? It certainly had an 'M' ring to it."

"His name is Gerald," Elena stated, her voice laced with exhaustion.

"Ah yes!" Victoria snapped her fingers. "You went to school together as kids."

"But we were not close," Elena informed her. She drew out a breath to calm herself. "We still are not."

Victoria's smile was teasing. "Well, I think he would make a good match for you."

Elena sighed. She bet her mother did not even remember what the lad looked like.

"Will you stop it, mother?" she whined, finally giving in to her exasperation."I do not wish to get married to any of these people you keep bringing up."

Lately, her mother had been looking for a life partner for Elena as though the world was nearly ending.

Elena was twenty two years old; five years past the marriageable age. Most of her lady friends were either in courtship, engaged or just married, courtesy of their parents choosing their life partners.

However, Elena's parents had left the final decision of choosing her husband entirely up to her. That, although, did not stop her mother from bringing her marriage proposals or suggesting the names of noblemen for her to choose from. She felt awfully pressurised since her friends were leaving her behind, and she was only growing older.

"Oh! What are they doing?" Victoria scowled as she looked at the servants in the wide compound, bustling about a long table.

"I thought I had told them the dining tables would strictly be inside!" She angrily placed her unfinished cloth on the table, stood up and pranced down the steps from the terrace to go yell at the servants.

The Rivera Manor's front yard was green with lawns save for the wide path that lay in between, from the front gate to the house itself. On the lawn to the left was an oak tree surrounded by a small garden shaped in a circle, and a bench placed within the bare radius of the circle.

The Riveras were hosting a banquet that evening, and preparations were ongoing, a few servants setting up furniture in the lawns.

Finally left at peace, Elena raised her cup to her lips, but a shrill shriek of her name startled her, and the tea spilled once more.

"Mara!" Elena whined as her jumpy younger sister emerged from the house and rushed onto the terrace, throwing herself in the chair their mother had previously been occupying.

"I'm thrilled about performing tonight!" Mara declared, beaming. "Aren't you?"

Elena' stomach flipped and she placed the teacup on the saucer.

"I am a bit nervous," she admitted.

"You're always a bundle of nerves at first, it's true," said Mara, "but we both know you snap out of it once you're on stage. You'll be fine, don't worry! It's only a dance, and you love to dance."

Elena smiled and nodded, immediately calming down at her sister's encouragement.

"Anne says we need to do one last practice before the banquet, so I came to get you," Mara informed her.

"Okay. Let me finish my tea first," Elena picked up her cup but paused, noticing how wide Mara's coffee brown eyes grew.

"By the way, sister; did you know?" Mara asked.

"Know what?" Elena drawled, and quickly took a sip of the tea, not really interested in what the chatterbox had to say.

Mara leaned on the table with her forearms and said in low voice, "The Crown Prince's Guard is returning today. This means General Kieran is coming back as well."

Elena nearly choked on her tea. Her sister let out a cackle, seemingly enjoying how she coughed for quite a bit, whilst patting her chest.

She then looked at Mara with an ashen face and exclaimed, "Wuh-what!"

"You're stuttering," Mara pointed out, with an amused giggle.

Elena placed her cup on the saucer, her lips parted in shock.
"He's buh-back already?" she asked.

"Already?"Mara echoed. "It's been months! But you know father gave the Commander an invite to the party. And since his son is returning today, maybe he'll come with him."

"No!" Elena's voice came out louder than she had intended, causing Mara to flinch.

"I m-mean..if the General is c-coming back today, then his family m-must be celeh...celebrating as well," Elena said. "Why would he come here?"

Mara looked pensive.

"Mm. You have a point. The Hammedatha family is probably throwing their own party as well to celebrate the return," she said. "But you should stop getting so worked up everytime you hear General Kieran's name."

Elena looked at her sister as though she'd grown horns.

"How can I not?" she asked. "The General hates me." The last line was more of a cry.

Mara rolled her eyes. "The last time he saw you was when you were children. I don't think he still does."

"Yes he does!"

"Come now, Elena," Mara cooed. "He's probably even forgotten you exist."

"Wh-which wuh-would be good for me," Elena said and sighed, finally calming down. "I have spent all these years making sure he never gets to meet me."

"You mean running away," Mara said flatly, "and hiding."

"All for a good cause!" Elena argued. "Mara, if he ever meets me, and by chance remembers who I am and what I did, my life will be over."

Mara looked at her through half-lidded eyes. "You're being over dramatic."

Elena shook her head. "You do not understand. The only reason I have survived up till now is because whenever he is in the city, I have made sure we never collide. Even when we are walking the same path."

She recalled how she feigned illness or made up some important work to do everytime her parents asked the children to accompany them to the Hammedatha Manor.

She narrowed her eyes. "It has been a tough battle. I cannot lose now when I have come this far."

"Well stop worrying because the Hammedathas won't be coming tonight anyways," Mara assured her. "Now can we go and practise?"

***** ***** ***** *****

That evening, the Rivera Manor was illuminating with not only the effulgence from the numerous oil lanterns and lamps secured in their brackets in the walls, but also the lively chatter of the guests that were both in the house and a few out in the compound. The home had been beautifully decorated, the interior arranged with round tables to accommodate the guests.

Lady Evelyn's eyes were searching through the guests as her friend, lady Alice, admired the décor and gushed about the wisteria flower garlands hung on the walls.

Suddenly, one of the guests caught Evelyn's eye, and she grinned. Leaning to her friend, she whispered, "General Kieran Hammedatha is here."

Alice jumped at once, her head whirling in all directions as she shrieked, "Where?"

Evelyn directed Alice's gaze to a table at the front. There were four men settled there, along with one girl who looked a lot younger. But one man particularly stood out.

He had thick and silky shoulder-length dark brown hair, his side-burns and beard neatly trimmed. His jawline was firm and prominent, his shoulders broad. He was wearing his uniform, which consisted of a band collared maroon cape with silver shoulder pads, his jacket bearing the Kingdom's crest on its breast. He was also wearing brown leather vambraces on his forearms, like his siblings.

The two ladies sighed dreamily in unison when they saw him smile his perfect white smile, his canines protruding deliciously as he replied to something his brother had said.

"Oh Al," Evelyn said, eyeing the General like he was freshly roasted meat."If I were not already engaged, I would have thrown myself at him long ago. I envy the woman who shall marry him."

"Is he not engaged?"

Evelyn looked at Alice like she was the dumbest person she ever saw. "Honestly, Al, with all the gossip in this city about General Kieran, I'm disappointed you know not of the situation."

"Will you please tell me then?" Alice asked, touching Evelyn's arm.

Evelyn turned her full attention to Alice to recount the tale.
"Of course General Kieran, being the man he is, has received over one hundred marriage proposals. But do you know what? He has rejected all of them, and is still rejecting."

Alice's eyes widened. "One hundred?" she echoed, incredulously.

"It's what I heard," said Evelyn, shrugging her shoulders. "Long story short, no matter how many women try to seduce him, he doesn't budge. He's even rejected the higher nobility."

"Does that mean even I wouldn't stand a chance?"

"Don't even think about it, else you'll be embarrassed," Evelyn advised. "At this rate, everyone else is convinced he'll marry from a foreign land."

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Kieran sighed in irritation. He had not failed to notice the constant glances shot in his direction from all corners of the hall. How could he not, when the women were being so blatantly obvious about it?

With disinterest, his eyes followed the swirling motion of the wine in his chalice as he rotated it.

"As usual, everyone's attention is pouring right onto our family." It was his youngest brother, Raymond, who spoke.

"Hate to rain on your parade, brother, but half of that population is actually swooning over the General."

Kieran snorted at his brother Aaron's comment. He looked up at the second born, who winked at him.

Aaron was the only one of his brothers who grew his black hair out until it flowed magnificently down his back, and liked to style the front half in a top knot. He was also the only one who liked to tease Kieran about his popularity.

"By stars, look at all these women and their randy gazes," cursed Joshua, the third born. "It's like they're in heat."

Ray and Aaron laughed lightly at his remark while Kieran rolled his eyes, raising his cup to his lips.

"What does randy mean?" The only female at the table inquired, causing Kieran to freeze before he could take a sip.

Like his brothers, he instantly looked at their sister, Aira. She was the youngest, and the only one who wore a confused expression.

"And what do you mean by they're in heat? It's not even hot in here. It's relatively warm."

Aaron rubbed his temple awkwardly, while Raymond and Joshua retreated into silence.

"Joshua, you forget your language," Kieran finally remembered to scold his brother.

"Forget it, sister," Joshua said dismissively, picking a grape from the fruit platter.

"Come on, I want to get the joke and laugh too," Aira whined, pulling her lips into a pout.

Kieran smiled, but merely took a sip of his wine, finding it wisest to keep mum.

"Hey sister," Ray said to her, a naughty smile on his lips. "I will tell you the meaning once you beat me in a sword fight."

Aira glared at him. "You always say that."

"And do you ever beat me?" Raymond taunted with a smirk, earning a shove in the ribs from Aira.

"You're such a bully!" she snapped as Ray laughed.

"Oh look!" Ray exclaimed, throwing his arm around her neck and with his hand, turned her head by her chin. "Dinner's served."

Kieran followed their gazes and saw the servants push in the long trolleys stacked with a variety of dishes, to the middle of the room.

"About time!" Aira groaned. "I'm famished."

******* ***** ******* *******

Elena was with her cousin Anne in the guest room on the ground floor, and they were already dressed up in their outfits for the dance performance. The outfits were of the same make; Fitting short sleeved blouses that stopped right above the navel, along with long free skirts embroidered with golden sequins, each skirt having a different pattern of the sequins. Elena's outfit was dark red, Anne's dark green and Mara's was violet. They also had dupattas of their respective colours, which were worn over their heads and flowed over their shoulders. The girls had worn earrings, anklets and numerous bangles. They had adorned themselves specifically for this occasion.

When Mara came in to announce that dinner had been served, Elena went into panic mode seeing as their perfomance was up next.

"Calm down, Elena," Her cousin said, sitting on the bed beside her. She placed her hands on her shoulders. "Deep breaths."

Elena took her advice and started the breathing exercises.

"Ugh, Elena you always do this!" Mara groaned. "You get super nervous and stutter all over yourself like you're going to die and fail in the performance. But once you start dancing, you steal the show all the darn time!"

"Mara, you know that's not intentional," Anne said in her naturally soothing voice. Of the three of them, she was the calmest and most cool headed.

"I c-cannot help it," Elena said, her voice trembling. "I only get confident wuh-once I'm in it."

"I'm just saying that the sooner you acknowledge you're a great dancer, the sooner you'll get over this silly pre-stage fright," Mara said to Elena, and earned a look from Anne.

"Yes I do think it's silly," Mara affirmed her words, then grimaced, rubbing her hands over her stomach. "What isn't silly is the chicken not mixing with the goat in here."

Anne face-palmed. "I told you not to eat so much!"

"Sorry, but all the meats were looking at me," Mara whined. "Besides, it's a feast, is it not?"

"I think you better lie down for a while," Elena suggested with a small smile, put at ease by her sister's simplicity.

******* ******* ******* *******

Once the food trolleys had been taken away, Lord Rivera stood up from his place at the high table to speak, and as he did, he lightened the mood further by announcing his daughters having a performance ready for the guests.

"Oh, I was wondering why they weren't sitting up there with him and Lady Victoria," said Aira. "So they're going to dance, are they?"

"And we have front row seats to the performance," Ray said, leaning back in his chair and smirking.
Their table was on the first row facing the high table, along with the Commander's and other higher nobles.

As Lord Rivera sat back down, the girls emerged from a door at the back, situated adjacently from the high table.

Kieran furrowed his brows in confusion when he saw three ladies - and not two - come up to the space infront of the high table and face the guests. He recalled meeting only two of the lord's daughters: Mara and Anne, who was actually his niece, but had raised her up as his own.

Kieran looked at the girl dressed in red, unable to recognise her. Her eyes were downcast, and her thick lashes rested demurely on her cheekbones; her innocent countenance clashed with the colour she wore.

"They look so beautiful," Aira breathed out.

"Are they supposed to be three?" Aaron asked the question that had been on Kieran's mind.
He watched as the girl in red lifted her hands and everyone noticed the tambourine in her right, which she struck. The moment she struck it, the musicians began to play and the dancers moved to the music.

Their movements were not too fast, nor too slow, but they moved with elegance and grace, even when they leapt. Their bodies swayed in perfect unison to the rhythm and beat of the music, and every one of the guests was enchanted not only by the dance, but by the beauty of the women.

When they switched positions, Kieran's eyes followed the girl in red. He saw how she smiled as she twirled, her skirt spiralling beautifully around her, and as she bent her body, she resembled a swan gliding angelically in a meadow. He saw how effortless her movements were, and when she took off her dupatta and danced with it, he saw the white and blue flowers placed decoratively in her long dark braid, their appearance bringing out the delicate aura around her.

He saw that she danced with her soul as her eyes were closed, and her white smile made not only her face, but her entire body shine. From her face, to her graciously long neck, to her arms and to her swaying hips...he could not take his eyes off her.

"This is the most enchanting thing I've ever seen," Ray's voice came out as a whisper, just as the girls dispersed and the girl in red came twirling infront of their table.

Ray was flushed, and Aira helpfully placed her hand under his chin and closed his mouth for him. But on her other side, Joshua was in the exact same state.

Kieran had his elbow propped on the table, his fist resting at his lips; but like his brothers, his eyes were glued on the charming dancer.

Finally, she opened her eyes and lifted them up. The first person she saw was Kieran, his cyan eyes gazing right at her.

It was momentary, but Kieran noticed it; her smile faded, and only when she looked away did it return, and she twirled back to her original middle position with her sisters beside her.

One strike of the tambourine and the music came to a stop, as well as the dance, followed by a loud amount of cheers and applause from the guests.
The sisters curtsied to the crowd and exited the stage.

"Well," said Aaron."That was...pleasant."

"Hey Josh," Raymond nodded to his brother. "You were complaining about randy women yet here you are, unable to control the drool seeping from your lips."

"Look who's talking!" Joshua snapped, glaring at Ray.

Aaron chuckled as the two brothers went at each other. Kieran was silent, and had not moved from his position.

"I thought he had two daughters," Kieran said contemplatively.

"He does," Aira replied above Josh and Ray's bickering. "Elena and Mara. Anne is his niece."

"Elena?" All four brothers chorused.

Aira nodded, baffled by their reaction. "You guys haven't met her?"

Everyone shook their heads no except Kieran. This was because he couldn't quite shake the feeling that she seemed familiar somehow.

****** ****** ******* *********

Meanwhile, Elena was having a nervous breakdown.
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!"she panicked, pacing in the room back and forth, her fingers inter locked in a fierce grip. "I c-cannot believe it! He...he's here, it's him! He's here and he saw me!"

"What are you talking about, Elena?" Mara asked, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Mara you told me he w-would not come, but there he is, w-with his entire fah...family!" Elena cried.

Anne looked at Mara and asked, "Who does she mean?"

Elena gasped as Mara grabbed her by the shoulders, stopping her in her tracks.
"Who do you mean, Elena?" Her tone was firm, her eyes steady.

Elena's  forehead creased, her face contorting into an expression of sheer worry. The tears weren't far when she squeaked, "The J...J...the General."

Mara blinked, just as Anne rolled her eyes.

"Oh," Mara said dryly. "Is that all?"

"What do you mean, sister-mine?" Elena was in distress. "This is serious! I..." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I saw him and...and...he saw me. Our eyes m-met!"

"Yeah, so?"

"So he recognised me!" Elena cried and turned away from her sister. "This is bad. This is very very bad. I...I'm going to die."

"Oh, for Pete's sake," Anne drawled. "Is this about the imaginary grudge again?"

"It is not imaginary," Elena muttered, pouting.

Anne sighed. She walked to Elena, and made her sit on the bed, next to her. "Dear cousin," she said, softly.

Elena lifted her big worried ocean blue eyes and looked into Anne's reassuring brown ones.

"Look. General Kieran doesn't hate you, and he most definitely doesn't hold a grudge," Anne soothed. "If he did, he would've come looking for you ages ago, but in all these years, not once has he asked for you."

"But that was only because he had maybe forgotten," Elena shrugged. "Now that he has seen m-my face, he...he..." She took a slow breath in and a slow breath out to calm her nerves. "He has recognised me and will not let me get away with what I did."

"Just forget it, Anne," Mara drawled, standing arms at akimbo. "Whatever you say won't crush Elena's paranoia or drama. Let's just get changed and go to the banquet."

"You girls go. I shall stay." said Elena.

"Elena!" Anne warned.

"Well I cannot go back in there and f-face him!" Elena wailed and shook her head vehemently. "I am not taking any chances."

"You know father's going to ask about you," Mara said to her.

"So tell him I'm ill or tired; I don't know...think of something." Elena said and chewed her bottom lip nervously.

"You can't keep acting this way because you're scared of a man," Anne lectured Elena.

"Please!" Elena grabbed her cousin's hands and begged, "Please do this for me, just this once!"

Turning her head to her sister, she continued, "Mara, you are always my partner in crime, aren't you?"

Mara pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed after a while. "Well I guess since I've abetted your must-not-meet-the-general plans all these years and we've come this far, why stop now?"

Elena smiled big.

***** ******* ******* *******

The guests had already begun making merry by dancing and interacting, and since Kieran wasn't exactly a dancer, he had been forced to interact with others. The women had been particularly vexing, taking it as an opportunity to touch his arms and chest.

One noble lady had laughed hysterically at absolutely nothing he'd said, and with an, "Oh, you!" patted his chest with her palm.

No matter where he walked, he couldn't seem to shake them, and when he did, he couldn't shake the glances. Of course he did cut them some slack, blaming half their insanity on the impressive wine that had been provided.

Kieran joined Aaron by one of the tall lantern stands as he watched the ladies and gentlemen prance about happily in a separate bare room, openly adjacent to the banquet hall. The musicians played a happy tune with their flutes, lyres and tomtom drums as the guests clapped, skipped and danced along.

"I see you are having women trouble," Aaron said, amused. His brother's popularity always amused him. He was like nectar, and everyone within his vicinity were bees.

"What did I ever do to deserve this?" Kieran muttered.

"A lot of great things, brother," replied Aaron. "You are the eldest son of the Commander to the Imperial Army, and also General of the Crown Prince's Guard. People have written songs about you. I think I read a tale or two somewhere..."

Kieran sighed in exasperation. "You always mock me, Aaron."

Aaron laughed. He knew Kieran was closed off, and grew tired of praise quickly. In fact, he tended to become irritated by it because it made him uncomfortable. And anything that made Kieran uncomfortable, was Aaron's amusement.

"And to think father wants me to pick a bride from this lot," Kieran said, unimpressed.

Aaron took a sip of wine from his chalice."He really won't let up about getting you married, will he?"

"It's driving me insane," Kieran said, expressing his frustration. "If it were up to me, I'd rather live the rest of my life as a bachelor than get tied down to someone with no respect for personal space...among other things."

"Well you can't expect anything less when you're so handsome," Aaron said, smiling at him.

"Aaron," Kieran warned, shooting him a glare.

Aaron laughed again. "Compliments have really lost their meaning to you, haven't they?"

He turned his attention back to the banquet hall and saw Anne and Mara sit down beside their parents.

"Oh, look. The Rivera daughters are back," he said absently as Mara started up a conversation with Lord Rivera.

Aaron then looked at his brother and noticed his eyes  searching the high table.

"You seem disappointed," he observed.

"Huh?" Kieran looked at Aaron, who arched an eyebrow.

"I know not what you mean," The General said, and cleared his throat. But Aaron perceived how his words didn't match his actions, and drew a conclusion.

So when Kieran turned his head away from the high table, Aaron, keeping his eyes on him, said, "There's Elena now."

Kieran's attention was instantly drawn back to the high table.

Aaron saw his face change from eagerness, to frustration, and to anger - directed at him. Aaron in turn gave him a triumphant grin, pleased with his trick.

"You." Kieran growled through gritted teeth. "Shut up. I'm going out for a walk."

He turned on his heel and walked away.

"But I did not say anything," Aaron said, and smiled devilishly. "Yet."

*** *** ***

Kieran thought about Elena as he walked out into the compound. He remembered her dance, but more so how her smile had faded as soon as she'd seen him, and wondered why that was.

He still couldn't shake the feeling that she seemed familiar to him. Had he met her previously and simply forgotten? It was possible, since he wasn't good with faces - especially irrelevant ones that only sought his attention.
But how could it be possible to forget someone as beautiful as her?

Kieran shook his head, startled by that last thought.
"The wine's getting to you, Kieran," he said to himself, and continued his walk to the back of the house.

The gardens at the back of the house looked much more endearing without people strolling about, so he stopped to admire the scenery.

All was quiet save for the chirping noises of the insects of the night. Lanterns on thin stone pillars were placed in the corners around the garden, illuminating the flowers, with the aid of dim moonlight and a few fireflies.

Kieran saw there was a pond with still waters guarded by a short brick wall all around it, a little distance from the holly-hock shrub behind which he was standing. In order to get a better view of the pond, Kieran stepped aside from behind the shrub, but didn't move forward when he saw someone standing by the pond.

Her back faced him, and she wore a light cream gown, with long chiffon sleeves. The outer layer of the gown was sheer, with grapevine patterns at the hem. As soon as he saw her long dark braid decorated neatly with flowers of blue and white, he knew it was Elena.

"Should I approach?" he wondered, but then dismissed the idea when he found he couldn't remember the last time he approached a woman.
As he watched, he saw her hoist herself up onto the wall and she carefully stood on it.

"That can't be safe," he thought.

She was still facing away from him.
He heard her clear her throat and saw her straighten her poise, her chin up.

In a mimicry of a deeper voice, which he presumed was meant to resemble that of a man, she asked,
"Does anyone here have in preparation anything that could relieve this festival of boredom?"

Kieran tried to peep around to see if there was anyone else in the vicinity, but he saw none. So...she was talking to herself?

"As a matter of fact," He heard her say in a somewhat higher pitched female tone. "I do, Count."

"Count?" Kieran raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Well then," she said in her terrible mimicry of the man. "Step forward and present."

Kieran was now utterly amused. She was playing a dialogue within a monologue, and seemed to enjoy it, seeing how loud she was. It made him smile, the way she thought nobody was watching.

Yet again as he looked at her acting out an imaginary scene, the feeling struck him that the scene seemed awfully familiar. Though he was definitely sure it was his first time spying on a girl having a one woman show.

Elena, now quiet, lifted her arms above her head and enabled the tips of he fingers to meet, forming a pyramid shape. What shocked Kieran was the fact that next, she twirled round and round, like how she'd done on stage earlier.

Kieran thought she was crazy, thinking she could dance atop a thin wall like that. To him it was a miracle that she maintained her balance, even after she came to an abrupt stop.

He watched with wide-eyed amazement as she dance walked her way atop the wall, her limbs moving ever so fluently. Finally she turned around and stopped. Thinking fast, Kieran dashed and ducked behind the shrub, wary that he might be caught gaping.

Cautiously, he raised his head for a little peep and saw that she was now standing still, her back to him once more. Relaxing, he stepped from behind the shrub.

Elena, touching her dress, lifted it up and made to curtsy, but it seemed her luck had finally run out. She lost her balance, and let out a shriek as she struggled to regain it by throwing her hands up and flailing them about, her once firm feet now battling to remain on the surface of the wall, but in vain.

Sensing the imminent danger, two strides were enough for Kieran to reach the wall, just as Elena tripped and fell back- right into his arms.

Instinctively, she threw her arms around his neck as his one arm held round her back tightly, the other under her knees. He turned them away from the wall and gazed upon her horror-struck face. Her eyes were shut tightly, probably having braced herself for the harsh impact that never came.

When she opened them, Kieran found himself looking into the bluest pair of eyes he'd ever seen. He was captivated by their depth, as well as the immaculate countenance of the face they rested upon.
For a moment, he was at a loss for words, and the uncertain feelings he experienced then didn't help the situation.

"Y-you..." she was the first to speak, and even though it was only a stutter, it sufficed to break his trance.

"So you left the party to play in the garden, but found yourself in the arms of a stranger," Kieran said in a low tone. "I'd say that plan worked out even better than you expected."

Elena looked taken aback. She lowered her eyes from his amused face. "P-put me down."

Kieran complied, but as he set her down gently, he noticed her feet were bare. The moment she stood on her own, she turned swiftly on her heel such that her back was to him. This amazed him.

She took a step forward as if to leave, but stopped in her tracks when Kieran spoke, "Aren't you going to thank me? You would have sustained injury had you fallen down."

He saw her take a breath, and she muttered a, "Thank you."

Kieran could not believe this girl. Was she not going to even look at him?

When she took another step, he spoke again, in a stern voice,
"You know, it's good manners to look at someone when you thank that person. It's also polite to look at someone when he's talking to you."

Watching her from behind, it seemed like she was debating on whether to take his advice or not. Kieran looked away, wondering what kind of woman she was to have to even hesitate to lay her eyes upon him. Him. It was out of the corner of his eye that he spotted a pair of shoes by the wall.

"Unbelievable," he thought. "She was so eager to leave my presence, she was willing to leave her shoes behind."

Kieran looked back at Elena, who had now turned to him. Seeing her standing still and facing him under the light, he was able to get a better look at her.

In a now more decent attire, her hands were clasped infront of her, her eyes downcast and her braid resting over her ample bossom. The light from the lanterns caressed her ivory skin, giving it a seraphic glow against the black of night.

But why couldn't she look at him? Was it because she was shy? Yet, try as he did, he saw no signs of embarrassment, nor were her cheeks rosy.

"Thank you," she said softly. "S-sir."

She certainly wasn't blushing, he realised.

With those few words, Elena turned, once more to leave, and Kieran once more, stopped her; this time by grabbing her wrist.

"Wait," he said, urgently.

A shocked Elena gasped and instantly freed her wrist from his grasp as though it had been stung by a bee. She blurted out a, "What?" in a tone louder that she'd intended.

Her reaction took Kieran completely by surprise as he looked at her startled face. She averted her eyes from him again.

"Your shoes," he brought himself to say, and tried to swallow down the uncomfortable feeling that he had seemingly, in a way, been rejected by a woman.

Elena quietly fitted her petite feet into her shoes, and without another word, nor curtsy, nor goodbye to the General, walked out of the gardens and disappeared from his sight, leaving him flabbergasted.

A/N:

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