Candace's POV

"Mirror, mirror on the wall..."

"We all know you're the fairest of them all," Leticia interrupted. I looked back to her with mad eyes.

"Shut up," I ordered.

"OH. MY. GOD."

I looked to Lydia as she was on the computer.

"'Prince Nikolai Tyree is said to have officially broken things off with his previous love of six years, Candace Pint'," she read. "'It seems as though both partners got into separate altercations with different parties that ended at the police station. Although no charges were pressed, two hearts were surely broken in this scenario.'—"

"I am going to kill your sister!" I yelled, getting up, ready to storm out and hunt down Miss Amy St. Claire, but Leticia grabbed me. "LET. ME. GO."

"Why should you even do anything?" she asked. I stared at her with wide eyes of anger.

"She took Nik away from me! After six f*cking years!" I reasoned.

"Candace! She's a peasant and he's a prince. They won't last anyways!" Lydia reminded.

"And I'll make sure of that," I said, trying to escape again, but failed.

"You'll get charges pressed for sure. Now that they're together—"

"Don't say they're together!" I roared.

"Well I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that—"

"I don't care, Lydia," I expressed. They don't understand how it is to be in love. They don't understand how to lose someone. You know what; they don't understand anything at all!

I loved Nik with all my heart. More than Amy could ever imagine trying to love. If she even liked him other than for his money and title...Either way, when he spends all his time with her and then realizes that she's just some gold digger, he'll break up with her. Even though I'm in love with him, I'd wait it out when he would finally come back to me. Only to make sure he was sure about who he wanted to be with. But Amy St. Claire would not come in the way of that.

Amy's POV

I was falling more and more for Nik. He always knew the right things to say, when to say them, and how to act chivalrous. He didn't pressure me into PDA or anything like Kevin had, but the thing was that, I actually wanted to. I wanted to hold hands with him and...kiss him every time he'd put his face close to mine in a teasing manor...

"Has anyone told you that you're really pretty?" he asked one day at lunch as he looked over at me. He'd looked at me with the same look since we sat down with Emmett and Kelly.

"Um no..." I answered.

"Good," he said. I gave him a look with narrowed eyes. "They'd be lying. You're far too beautiful to just settle for 'really pretty'."

I playfully rolled my eyes.

"This is sickeningly charming," Kelly said as she ate a fry and looked between us.

"I try, I try," Nik said, getting a big head about it. He looked to me with an adorable smile. "Come on."

He grabbed my hand with his and his open hand stacked both of our trays. We stood and then walked out of the lunch room.

"Wanna go off campus?" he asked me.

"Well there's like ten minutes left for lunch..." I reminded.

"Not today," he laughed as if I told a joke. "I meant tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day..."

"A bit much of the fast food, don'tcha think?" I giggled.

"Who says it'll all be fast food?" he asked. "I'm a prince; I have my ways."

"Which troubles me, deeply," I expressed, giving him a crazed look.

"Well what else am I to do?" he asked. "I need some way to take you on a date."

I bit my lip. I wasn't allowed to date, even though I technically was doing it now. Dating gave Lily some reason to believe that I may leave her one day. Once home, I wasn't to leave unless on errands. Somehow, I thought Nik knew that.

"What about for English? I need help on my paper," he suggested.

"And...?"

"You could come over—to the castle and help me work on it," he clarified. I nearly snorted.

"A prince in his senior year of high school needing help on his paper?" I described. "I suppose."

He gave me a beautiful smile before leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"You're the best girlfriend in the world," he whispered in our hug.

"He says after only a week," I commented with a smile.

"That's all I need," he said, pulling me away by my waist. "And plus, you're only other competition was Candace—if you consider her competition at all."

I slightly smiled.

"When do you want me over?" I asked him. Ugh. Why did I ask this now? I was rushing him? Wasn't I!

"Today's Friday, is it not?" he asked.

"Correct..."

"Then tonight," he smiled. I tilted my head in confusion and he winked.

I changed out of my school clothes when I arrived home.

"Where are you going?" Lily's voice asked as I made it up the stairs, ready to leave.

"Out," I answered. She scoffed.

"Where, exactly?" she asked.

"I was asked to help with extra school work," I said.

"Where?"

"I don't believe it matters—"

"Mother!" The girls called.

"I have news! Important news!" Another added.

"Go," Lily ordered to me. "Be back at once and do not dishonor your family any more than you already have."

I nodded slowly and then snuck out the back door before the twins saw.

I walked around the street's corner, expecting Nik to arrive.

"Where are you going?" a familiar voice asked. I looked around to see Blue.

"Well actually I'm—"

"Amy," I heard my name. I looked over my shoulder to see Nik in his sleek car.

"I...gotta go," I told Blue. I climbed into Nik's car, looking at Blue as we departed.

"How'd you get out before me?" Nik asked, humored.

"The twins came home and I said I needed to attend something for school work," I answered. "And what do you mean before you? You have no restrictions."

"Trust me, you don't know my father," he said, sort of saddened.

***

"Hello, sir," I greeted, bowing to the King.

"Hi, dad," Nik said. He looked from over his paper. His eyes went to me and they sort of widened. But why?

"Sir Emmett and his date are upstairs," was all he said. I turned to Nik.

"Kelly's here?" I asked him. But he looked only to his father.

"In the East wing?" he asked. The king nodded, which I thought was a gesture not of his high class. Nik slid my bag off my shoulder and carried it himself. He grabbed my hand and hauled me off. We climbed the hundreds of stairs and took a left at the top, before more tears of stairs started. We entered the first door on the right and it seemed to be a huge bedroom.

It held technology and gaming systems, a futon and king sized bed, a computer and desk. But, it was clean. Too clean.

"Whose room is this?" I asked.

"Mine, of course," he answered.

"Hmm..." I hummed, sitting on his big bed. He sat in his swivel chair, instead. "So what exactly do you need help on with your paper?"

"That essay on abstract nouns," he started. "I've yet to begin where to start."

"What is your topic?" I asked.

"Freedom," he hissed. I stood up from the bed and paced.

"Seeing as though you are a prince, I'd think you of all people have the most freedom and privileges than anyone in this land aside from your father," I started.

"The power of royalty has privileges on civil rights and decisions, not the rights of free will," he spoke. I locked eyes with him and tried to understand. "I'm forced to act a certain way, forced to marry whom is of class, forced to...restrain myself and speak a certain way, even."

"No one can force anyone to do anything," I whispered.

"Then why have you lived all these years in the demand of the Cantwells?" he asked. I sighed and started to touch my mother's locket around my neck. "I'm sorry...tell me what's wrong."

"No. Forget it," I said, looking away as I took my English work out of my bag. He got up and moved over to me.

"Tell me," he pleaded. I managed to look into his changing eyes.

"I thought that in my father's honor, I'd abide by their lives and rules," I told. "And...they have control of everything."

"No one can force anyone to do anything," he quoted.

"It's different," I insisted. "They have everything I care about. Every possession of my mother and father..."

Except my locket and her shoes. But by now the shoes—rather shoe—was stationed on the top of my dresser, lonely without its mate.

Nik reached out and touched my locket.

"Now I see why it is so important..." he whispered, even though he knew the original owner. His now green eyes flew to mine. "I've never taken any of that into account...but I suppose you have nothing to lose now?"

"Nothing but everything," I muttered.

"Maybe not," he commented. He rolled off the bed and exited. I heard his boots go down the stairs as I sat in question. My eyes wandered around his room.

"Shocking, huh?" a voice asked. I looked over to see Kelly. "It's almost too good to be true."

"Maybe so..." I whispered, starting an adventure.

***

"Are we allowed here?" I asked Kelly.

"I can't answer that with a yes, or no," she replied. After making our way up the steps, we took a right, into the western corridor. Images and words expanded along the walls and artistic ceiling. I looked around, not knowing the order in the text. At the end of the hall, something glowed. Kelly was at the left hand side wall, reading the scripture, as I neared the glowing plant-like thing.

"The heir to the throne shall revolve at sunset, on the brink of night.

Doves of love will take flight.

But if you miss your opportunity, it shall be the death of the spawn of a tree..."

I'd heard this before. From the old hag a few months ago. Why was it here? Was it some sort of prophecy?

I looked along the right walls to see images...a set of the moon cycles with a beast turning from human to wolf-bear-monster-thing. What was this?

"YOU DO NOT BELONG IN HERE," a voice yelled. I was instantly startled by the unfamiliar voice and Kelly grabbed my arm before rushing into the nearest room. We shut the door and locked it. We looked around to see a room with clothes everywhere, a bed that wasn't made. Pieces of carpet that was ripped...this is what I rather a boys' room to look like, but not such to this extent.

"What is this?" I asked Kelly. I walked over and saw pictures on a wall. There were several of Nik, Emmett, Logan, and Todd. There was also one of Nik, Logan, and the King at some banquet. There was also one of two unfamiliar people that I did not know. They looked happy...they looked like Nik, actually. Maybe they were his real parents? After all, they looked to be young and the picture was nearly faded. His childhood was all spelled out in pictures...some of them including Candace, others were only Emmett.

"This is Nik's room," Kelly puzzled. Why did he have two rooms? Why was one in a chamber outside a corridor with scriptures like prophecies—one of which I had already heard when it was addressed to me? I ran my hand on the wallpaper until I reached a hole in the wall which was the size of a fist. I looked up and still saw drawings of the peculiar plant and beast. The only difference was that the plant looked different in the hall. Several petals had fallen and it seems as if only a handful were left. But then again, the picture didn't capture the incredible glow the plant produced in its glass containment either.

Another drawing—half ripped up—showed a human of Nik and Emmett's stature, transforming into a beast at a sunset light. Was Nik the beast? No...it was nearly sunset...it was already sunset and he and Emmett had left Kelly and I momentarily. Maybe to insure their form as a human...either way, Nikolai Tyree and Emmett Lorre were depicted as monsters.

I flipped a picture frame over that was a picture of the entire land that matched the view of the window. As soon as I did that, a beep rang out and a tiny door opened up. I looked over to see a dark slide.

"Well?" Kelly asked. I turned back to the slide and slid down smoothly. The long slide ended when we were thrown into a pair of bean bags somewhere. We stood in the darkness and I squinted to see a light come from glass on a door. I slowly opened it and then realized the place must be the grand library. I stepped out, and started hearing noises, so I hid. Between racks and shelves, I saw the King and Nikolai talking.

"Tell me, then," Nik concluded to his father as he sat down.

"Sandra and Nigel St. Claire may have been the happiest couple I've ever seen," he started. I breathed in. Those were my parents. "As kids, Sandy and I grew up together. Her father was a courtier and a friend of my father's. She was an amazing woman with several talents. We grew to like each other, but I always felt that, although she had natural gifts, it was no match for my immediate royalty. So as time passed and we were together and I wanted to give her any and everything I thought she needed...but she never accepted any of it...Years passed and then she met a middle-class attorney from another region. Nigel had moved in town for work and met her on his way to the courts. From there, I was out of the picture..." King Tate told in a calm voice.

"So that's why you recognized Amy..." Nik said. "She reminded you of the one woman to break your heart."

The king only nodded before the brief silence.

"Sandra and Nigel lived happily with each other...a few months later, they gave birth to a baby girl..." he added, sort of sad now. "But, little did I know, Sandra died six years later. I was to find out when it was released in the paper. I hadn't had a decent conversation with her for any of those six years...I slowly slipped into an unnoticeable depression, but decided that I owed Nigel something for making Sandra happy. But of course this was two years after the fact. Sooner or later, he ended up eloping with my old stylist, Lily—after finally getting over Sandy. With her two daughters, they moved in with the marriage and it seemed as though my debt was paid. So, then again, I was out of their lives as well."

"But weren't you married that long ago? To Mom?" Nik asked.

"Exactly. I had a wife and Logan...and then you," he said. "I had enough things to worry about."

"So what?" Nik asked, asking for more. "That's your issue with everything? That's petty, don't you think?"

"Meaning?" he asked.

"You don't want me to be with anyone in descendant of Sandra because you didn't get her," Nik accused, raising his voice.

"No. You've seemed to misunderstand," he said. "Amy had a life before you came around."

It was quiet for a while.

"If you're insinuating that she has something with someone she's known all her life, then you're wrong—"

"Just think about it," was all the King said, not confirming or denying anything.

"There's something else," Nik said after a while. The king looked up at him as Nik now stood. "Every time I come to you, asking about ways to help her, you get that same look. Even after explaining the situation of her parents!"

"Because I don't believe you," he said, plainly.

"You think I'm lying? Well I'm certainly not—"

"I don't believe that either of her parents would leave her with such harsh conditions," he said.

"Well it's a little late now, don't you think?"

I agreed. I started to tip-toe back to the room and attempt to climb back up the slide, but then my eyes laid on something behind the King and Prince's setting: my mom's shoe that I had lost at the ball...

pad.=af