The Swan and The Pirate

Lunch

Lunch finally rolled around and the Evers and Nevers were gathered in a large field covered in luch green grass that they called the Clearing. The Evers' side was elegant, calm and everyone were well mannered. But to great contrast of the Nevers' side. They were yelling, sitting on top of the tables and throwing food at both eachother and the Evers. One girl with big, black hair and scars on her face cackled so loud that it echoed through the Clearing, and even a bit into the Blue Forest. With her sat two other girls and the Neverboy. One of the girls were stuffing a variety of different chocolates in her mouth and the other girl had three rats in her lap. 

I made eyecontact with the Neverboy, took a quick glance at a large tree at the edge of the field and looked back up at him as a sign, telling him to meet me there. He seemed to get it because he stood up from his wooden table table and started walking over to it. A little later, I stood up from mine as well. "Where are you going?" Reena asked. "Just to try to get some fruit from that tree over there, you know, to practice my mysterious princess vibe. I'll be back soon, ok?" I replied. "Oh! Good luck!" Kiko smiled. I smiled back and started walking over to the tree.

Hort was already standing behind the tree, and I stopped in the opposite side of it, to not raise suspicion or draw attention to myself. I sat down, looking at all the people in the Clearing. "Hi!" he whispered from behind the tree. His voice wasn't raspy, as I thought it would be. It was calming, funny and he had the cutest accent. "Hi!" I replied as my look moved to the sky. "I'm Hort," he introduced. "I'm Elizabeth," I replied. I didn't know what else to say. I didn't dare turn around to see him face-to-face. "I've seen you a lot," said Hort as he started ripping a fallen leaf apart. "You have?" I asked hopefully as a big smile grew on my lips. "Yeah! Not like I've been watching you! That's creepy!" I giggled and thought for a second. "Meet me at the Halfway Bridge during dinner this evening," I instruced him. "Ok," he replied with an expecting tone in his voice. "We can talk more then," I finished as I got up and started to walk back to my table, quickly glancing behind me one time. I saw his face stick out from behind the tree, looking at me walk off.

"How'd it go?" Kiko asked. "And why were you talking to yourself?" Beatrix asked. "I was just talking to the tree!" I said, beginning yet another lie. I leaned in towards the girls. "You know some princesses can talk to animals, right? I guess we can speak to plants, like trees, too!" I added. "Really?" Millicent asked, her eyes widened. I nodded.

The girls resumed their conversation regarding princes and dresses, but I stayed quiet and looked at the Neverboy once again. My feelings had only grown stronger after our quick chat at the tree. I was supposed to like princes, and he was quite litterally the complete opposite. He ate sloppily and laughed with his mouth full of food, but I guess that was what I found charming with him.

What I didn't notice, however, was Tedros. He was sitting along with a couple of Everboys at a table a little further away from ours. His friends were discussing what princesses they thought were pretty and the best sword-fighting techniques, but Tedros was distracted. He was looking over at our table, but not at Beatrix, who he was supposed to like, and not at Reena or Millicent or Kiko. But at me. I didn't know why and I didn't know what he thought he felt, but I knew that I didn't feel the same for him.