Chapter 23

Happily, Ashta walked into the castle, and then she walked into the throne room. 

"Hi,” she said cheerfully, and Gale and Liam turned to her. 

They both had a look of concern on their faces. 

"Are you alright?" asked Gale, alarmed, and Ashta looked at the king in question. 

"Yeah, I am fine,” she said, as she looked at both of her uncles. 

"We heard that you were taken away from the guards, and you were nowhere to be found," Liam said in a worried tone. 

Ashta looked at them and giggled. She thought they were being very dramatic. Now, she wondered what Damian and Xavier told them, but she would worry about that later on. 

"No, I am quite alright,” she said with a grin. 

"What happened to you? How did you get that gash on your head?" Liam asked, concerned, as he looked at her forehead. 

"What gash?" she asked, as she felt her forehead. 

However, she didn't feel anything. There was blood on Ashta's forehead, but Ashta had forgotten about her ability to self-heal. She also had forgotten that she hit her head on the boulder in the garden. Disbelieving, Liam walked over to Ashta, and then he examined her forehead. She was right, there wasn't a scratch on her. Liam looked back at Gale in disbelief, and then he looked back at Ashta. 

"Then where did this blood come from?" he asked, as he searched her eyes. 

Ashta thought for a moment, and then she realized that she had fallen in during her and Roman's battle practice. 

"Oh, I hit my head in the garden, but that was earlier this morning,” she said, as she chuckled. 

"Amazing!" Liam said, astonished, as he looked back at his brother. 

"That confirms it. Ashta is a healer,” he said, as he huffed a laugh. 

Ashta looked at Liam, and then she looked at Gale, confused. 

"A healer?" 

Gale looked at Ashta thoughtfully. 

"There is no one on this land that has the ability to self-heal. This is truly amazing. It must have something to do with the two species evolving,” stated Gale, and Liam nodded. 

"Ashta!" 

Gale, Ashta, and Liam all looked at the doorway as Lashanna ran into the room, and then she threw her arms around her friend. 

"Are you okay? What happened to you?" she asked, concerned, as she pulled back and looked at Ashta. 

"Nothing happened. We just went for a jog, that's all," Ashta said, as she looked at her friend thoughtfully.

Lashanna looked at her for a moment, and then she nodded. She decided that she would ask Ashta for the details later. Right now, they have to get ready for the festival. 

"Well, let's get you cleaned up. There is a festival in the town tonight, and you are going to be my date," Lashanna said, cheerfully. 

"Okay,” said Ashta, as she laughed. 

Ashta bowed her head to her uncles, and then she and Lashanna ran upstairs to their rooms. Gale turned to Damian and Xavier, who were standing against the far wall of the room, and he gave them both a serious look. 

"Keep an eye on them at the festival tonight,” he said, and the guards both nodded. 

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

"So, where do you really go?" Lashanna asked, curiously, as she braided Ashta's hair. 

A smile spread across Ashta's lips as she thought about this afternoon. 

"He took me to the mountains. It was so amazing and beautiful,” said Ashta, as she looked at her hands. 

Lashanna smiled. She was glad that the prince didn't try to hurt her friend or try to kidnap her. Suddenly, Ashta turned to her with a serious look on her face.

"Look, I think that you should keep Damian and Xavier busy while I am training with Roman. He seems very skittish or acts very strange when Damian comes around,” said Ashta, as Lashanna turned her head forward so she could finish her hair. 

"Why do you think that is?" Ashta asked.

 Annoyed, Lashanna sighed as she pulled Ashta's head back and looked her in the eyes. 

"They are both fighting for your attention,” she stated, and then pushed Ashta's head back down. 

"Like wild dogs,” added Ashta, as she brought her hands up, curled her fingers, and made chomping noises. 

Both of the girls giggled. They both wore shorts, t-shirts, and sneakers on their feet. 

"Come on! Let's go!" Lashanna exclaimed excitedly, and she and Ashta ran out of the castle together. 

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

The sky was already beginning to darken, and the girls lost themselves in the crowd in the middle of the festival. Along the streets of the small village, booths were lined up with all sorts of crafts and arts that were being sold. There was a small area where kids' rides were set up, and children were laughing and screaming as they played in the designated area. 

Amazed, Ashta and Lashanna looked around as they looked at the booths made out of wooden stakes and all sorts of colored fabric. Villagers were everywhere shopping, dancing and dining, and the sight was absolutely amazing to Ashta’s wide eyes.

Suddenly, Ashta found herself in the middle of a crowd that was dancing almost like a line dancing sort of thing. A man bowed to her, and she politely bowed back to the man. He did a couple of moves with his legs and beckoned for her to join him. 

Happily, Lashanna and Ashta looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders as they began mimicking the dancers' movements. Gleefully, they laughed as they danced with the village people. 

Little did the girls know that they were being watched closely by the guards. The girls bowed their heads to each other, as they continued to dance with the others. Lashanna grinned at Ashta as she kicked out her legs, and Ashta grinned back at her as she laughed. Surprisingly, Ashta saw Roman and his mother watching them, and they were smiling. Ashta saw Roman whisper something to Chantelle and then she giggled as she put her hand to her face. 

Shyly, Roman smiled at Ashta and she waved him over. His smile faded, and he shook his head. She has got to be kidding me. He thought as he watched her dance to the upbeat song with the rest of the crowd. Ashta laughed as she waved him over again. At that moment, Ashta saw Chantelle give Roman an encouraging push, and Roman finally walked over to Ashta. Without saying a word, and as she jumped around, Ashta took his hand. 

"I don't dance,” he said, as she smiled up at him. 

"Just watch me,” she said, and Roman nodded in agreement. 

Impressed, she laughed as he caught onto the dance rather quickly, and they bounced together to the song. 

"What type of training is this?" he asked, as he laughed. 

"Training?" she asked, as she laughed, and he looked at her in question. 

"This is just for fun!" she said, as she bounced in a circle. 

Fun? he thought. 

While he lived with his father, there was no time for fun. He dismissed his thoughts as they danced to the ending of the song. Afterward, everyone in the crowd clapped and laughed. Roman looked at Ashta.

"Fun?" he asked, and she nodded as she caught her breath. 

Roman wasn't used to having fun, but the way he felt at the moment, he felt that he could get used to it. Another song came on and Ashta made a face. Roman looked at her. 

"Come on. I was just getting started,” he said, as he chuckled. 

Ashta shook her head, and then she looked at Lashanna. She had found a dance partner to dance with during the slow song, and Ashta and Roman moved to the side. 

"So, you brought your bodyguards, I see," Roman said, as he leaned toward her. 

Ashta looked up at him, and gave him a confused look. 

"My bodyguards? I don't.." 

Roman cut her off by crouching to her level, and then he pointed, and she looked. Evidently, she saw Damian and Xavier standing in the crowd. 

"I didn't bring them,” she stated, as she looked back at Roman as he straightened and he grabbed a drink from a nearby passing server. 

"Well, someone must have sent them, because they have been watching you and your human the entire time that you guys have been here,” he said, as he took a sip of his drink. 

"Really?" she asked, coyly, as she looked at them, and she raised an eyebrow. 

She then looked up at the handsome man standing next to her and she grinned. 

"Maybe we should pull one of your disappearing acts," Ashta said with a smirk playing at the corner of her lips. 

Roman looked over at Damian, and then he looked at Ashta thoughtfully. 

"Not tonight, my friend. I am ready to turn in, so I can have you all to myself tomorrow," he said with a smile. 

Ashta gave him a disgruntled look, and he almost spit out his drink. 

"What?" he asked, as she crossed her arms over her chest, and she scowled at him. 

"I am not a toy that you two can just fight over, and you don't have to act like that just because Damian is around. He is actually very nice to me,” she said, frankly.

"Yeah, I bet,” he said, as he drank the rest of his drink. 

Ashta looked at him offended, and then she smacked him in the arm. 

"That's not very nice. Where is the guy that I was with earlier?" she asked coolly, and Roman looked at her and grinned. 

"You will see him tomorrow, maybe." 

Ashta rolled her eyes, and he held out his hand to her. Curiously, she looked up at him. 

"One last dance before I go home?" he asked innocently. 

Softly, Ashta looked up at him as she took his hand, and she nodded. Gently, Roman led her onto the dance floor, and he put his hands on her waist as Ashta placed her hands on his wide shoulders. They held each other's gaze as they twirled around the dance floor, and the other dancers stopped to watch them. 

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

Damian and Xavier were talking with some of the other guests, and they even stopped to watch them. Angrily, Damian glared at Roman as jealousy crept up on him. Xavier saw the look on Damian's face and placed his hand on his shoulder. 

“This isn’t the time,” Xavier said softly, and Damian looked at him. 

“I don’t like how she and that commoner are getting so close. A princess should not bother herself with commoners,” he said, and Xavier gave him a knowing look.

“Just like the king’s guard and the princess should not be in relations,” he said, and Damian hung his head. 

“Things are different with her, and you are just going to have to see how things play out.” 

Damian only nodded as he turned his jealous stare back on Roman.

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

Swiftly, Roman twirled Ashta as the beat dropped, and the song took a faster pace. She smiled as he pressed her against his body and spun her around again. Nothing seemed to exist around them as they danced.  

She shyly looked away and Roman squeezed her hand, and she looked back up at him. There was something in his eyes that she had never seen before. It was a softness that was just for her, and her heart soared. 

"Thank you for our first dance,” he said, as he spun her around one last time as the song ended. 

"Technically, that was our second,” she whispered, and he only nodded. 

"Till we meet again,” he whispered, as he kissed the back of her hand. 

He smiled at her and then he walked away. 

"Bye,” she whispered after him, as she watched him walk away. 

"What was that?" Lashanna asked, quietly, as she reached Ashta. 

"That was. I don't know," Ashta said, as she watched Roman disappear from her sight. 

Lashanna laughed, and then Ashta turned to her. Suddenly, she remembered what Roman had said about Damian and Xavier, and her eyebrows shot down in anger. 

"Lash, did you know that Damian and Xavier are here?" 

Lashanna looked at her for a moment and then she shook her head. 

"Where are they? Why haven't they come up and at least said hi to us?" Lashanna asked, as she looked around. 

Angrily, Ashta scanned the festival as she searched for the two guards. At that moment, she saw Damian and Xavier standing in the corner, and she pointed. Lashanna looked at where she was pointing and she inhaled sharply. 

"Because they came to spy on us," Ashta growled, and Lashanna's eyes widened. 

"Why would they do that?" she asked, as she looked at Ashta. 

"I am not sure, but we are going to find out,” snarled Ashta, as she grabbed her friend's hand.