"What would you like to see first?" Ashlynn asked.
"What are my options?" Prince Dallance replied.
"Oh, well, we could see the garden," Ashlynn suggested.
"Why don't we?" Prince Dallance answered.
"It's right this way," Ashlynn led.
Prince Dallance followed the Princess down a series of halls. Once they reached a glass door Ashlynn stopped.
"Here it is," she pushed open the doors to reveal a beautiful garden filled with all different kind of flowers, bushes, and trees. "My favorite part is the maze," Ashlynn continued,"I've done it about a dozen times."
"It's okay, I guess," Prince Dallance shrugged,"in my garden, everything is so neat and tidy, the rows are perfectly straight, and not a single flower is wilting. Like that one over there, is wilting," he pointed out," and that one, right there, that one is about two inches from where it's supposed to be."
Ashlynn took a deep breath trying to keep her anger from rising. She closed her eyes remembering what her father had said.
"Ashlynn, we understand that this may be a bit challenging, but, we want you to be very respectful towards our guests."
Ashlynn took another deep breath and turned to face Prince Dallance, a smile plastered into her face.
"Shall we go in?" She asked, holding out her arm for the Prince to take.
Prince Dallance smiled too,"we shall," and he linked arms with the princess.
Ashlynn led him over to one of the six entrances into the maze.
"We can start here," Ashlynn suggested,"it's the easiest one."
"You are implying that I can not do a maze," Prince Dallance looked offended.
"No, no that's what I meant," Ashlynn tried to explain," it's just that I thought you would like to see the rest of the castle, and this is the fastest one."
"Well, I would like to do the hardest one," he decided firmly.
"Of course," Ashlynn led the Prince to the other end of the maze," here is the hardest."
Prince Dallance looked satisfied and walked in. After a few moments, he looked back, and saw Ashlynn crouching down into one of the decorative bushes.
"Princess Ashlynn?" He asked in a disgusted tone, "may I ask you what you are doing?"
"Oh," Ashlynn jumped in surprise. She quickly stood up and brushed of her skirt, clutching a magenta rod." Oh, well this," Ashlynn held up her rod,"is a digital map."
"That?" Prince Dallance asked, continuing his disgusted tone.
"Oh yes, I... I can show you," Ashlynn went over to Prince Dallance's side.
She pulled the rod at its ends. The rod split in two, and in between was a very bright digital screen.
"See, over here, this is where we are," Ashlynn pointed to an opening in the maze," now if we take the first left-"
"Where did you get this?" Prince Dallance questioned, a tone of admiration was hinted in his voice.
"Well, I hide them in the bushes, you know, just to be safe," Ashlynn answered.
Ashlynn looked over her shoulder, Prince Dallance was staring at the digital map in awe.
Then, out of nowhere, he put a frown on his face.
"I don't need a map," Prince Dallance stated, standing up straight, and fixing his bow tie,"I can do it on my own."
"Oh, okay," Ashlynn was surprised at his sudden change of expression, but she shrugged it away,"I'll just hold onto it just in case we get lost."
"Princess Ashlynn," the Prince put his hand on Ashlynn's shoulder,"do you not have faith in me?"
"I... I do, of course, I do," She stuttered.
"Then I do not need a map, you can put that away," Prince Dallance ordered.
"Are... are you sure?" Ashlynn asked,"I mean, this maze is really hard."
"I'm positive,"
Ashlynn put the map back in its hiding spot. The royal children walked through the maze.
Left, right, left, left dead end. Strait, left, right, Ashlynn couldn't keep track anymore.
After about a dozen more turns, Prince Dallance stopped in front of a bench. He sat down, and Ashlynn was left standing.
"Um... do you want to take a break?" she asked, even though Prince Dallance was already seated.
"Oh... yes, sure, of course," he stuttered to reply.
"Do you know where we're going?" Ashlynn asked.
"I just realized," Prince Dallance stood up abruptly," the walls in my maze are way taller than yours."
"Do you know where we are going?" Ashlynn asked again.
Prince Dallance continued to ignore her question and kept on pointing out flaws in the maze's design.
While he rambled on how he hadn't seen another bench for miles, Ashlynn sat down on the stone bench they had stopped at.
She was worried. Prince Dallance had no idea where they were going, all he was doing was leading her down random paths, almost all had lead to dead ends. He kept on complaining about how his kingdom is so much better. And above all, he was the reason they had no map, and he was the reason they were in the hardest part of the maze, his snobby attitude probably would lead to a full out search of the kingdom for the two of them.
Ashlynn wanted to scream. It was all his fault, and he refuses to take the blame, but instead, wants to take his time saying how he is so much better then she is.
"Princess Ashlynn," Prince Dallance finally realized that the Princess was no longer listening,"why are you sitting down, we must keep on going. We are going to take another left at the corner here."
Ashlynn stood up angrily,"weren't you just saying how there weren't enough benches to sit on?" she yelled.
"Princess Ashlynn," Prince Dallance straighten his bow tie, a little edge in his voice,"how dare you yell at royalty that way!"
Ashlynn was fuming, but she again, remembered what her father had said. She turned her back to the Prince and drew a deep breath.
"Prince Dallance," Ashlynn turned to face the snobby, self-absorbed Prince, making sure he was listening very clearly, "do you know where we are going?"
He hesitated, that was all she needed to know, but instead of admitting he was wrong, he continued to keep up his act,"why of course Princess Ashlynn, I clearly see you have no faith in me which is very displeasing."
"Why don't we keep on going straight to see where we end up?" Ashlynn suggested.
"Princess Ashlynn, I know where I'm going, and I know we shall take a left,"
Ashlynn reluctantly followed. They hit about a dozen more dead ends. Ashlynn thought the would come out of an entrance rather than the exit at this point.
Suddenly, Prince Dallance stopped in front of another bench. He was completely lost, Ashlynn knew it.
"Where do you think we should turn next?" he asked her.
Ashlynn wanted to yell I told you didn't know where to go! so badly, but kept that in her head.
She thought,"let's go straight."
"Ah, yes, that was the way I was going to go," he quickly said, straitening his bow tie for the millionth time.
They went straight as Ashlynn had suggested. Ashlynn was now telling Prince Dallance where to go, and he replied with the same 'I was about to go there anyway' sentence each time.
When Ashlynn accidentally lead them to a few dead ends, he would say,'I thought you knew this maze,' even though before, he said he would have gone down there.
At what seemed like there fiftieth dead end, Prince Dallance stopes Ashlynn.
"Princess Ashlynn, I would like to get back to the castle before midnight," he said with a huff, checking his gold wristwatch.
"I'm trying," age moaned, "and with saying that you know everything and that you're so much better then I am, nothing is helping," Ashlynn half yelled half huffed defeated.
Ashlynn also didn't want to be here at midnight either. That's when her story unfolds, and usually the worst or best happens.
"Well, it's already eleven thirty-two, we should hurry up," Prince Dallance noted.
"We've been out here for two hours?" Ashlynn asked surprised.
"It seems that way,"
"Okay, let's take a right," Ashlynn suggested.
"No, we should go straight," the Prince decided,"you've gotten us this far."
So Ashlynn reluctantly followed behind him. After two more turns, they hit another dead end.
"Okay, that's it," Ashlynn decided,"we are going to go back and make a right."
Prince Dallance huffed but followed reluctantly. Once they made the right, Ashlynn gasped.
"I... I know where we are!" she exclaimed,"this is where all of the other paths meet up, I know this fountain. I chipped it when I was upset about not finding the exit by throwing rocks at it. I know this part by heart, so you will follow me."
Ashlynn thought she saw Prince Dallance roll his eyes, but Ashlynn didn't care, they were finally going to get out!
After a few more turns, they were out.
"We should probably go back to the castle," Ashlynn suggested.
The Prince nodded, as the huge clock in the front of the castle chimed midnight.
Ashlynn just realized that tonight was one of those good nights, where midnight is something good.
On their way through the castle halls, a maid came scurrying by.
"Oh, Princess Ashlynn, your parents are in the parlor, they're a bit worried.
"Okay, thank you," Ashlynn replied.
Once outside the parlor door, Ashlynn brushed off her skirt, as she saw Prince Dallance straiten his bow tie.
The door was opened for them, and the stepped inside.
"Oh, Ashlynn dear," Cinderella got up to give her daughter a hug, "don't scare us like that again," she whispered so that only Ashlynn could hear.
"We got lost mom," she tried to explain.
"We'll talk about it later," then in an audible tone,"why don't you sit near me, dear?"
Ashlynn didn't hesitate. Prince Dallnce sat next to his father.
Through the next ten minutes, Prince Dallance acted as if he were the perfect child.
Soon, the King and Prince of the Northern region of Sawbuck left the castle.
On his way down the many steps, Ashlynn could hear Prince Dallance complaining to his father in very hushed voices.
"She yelled at me!" She heard him say.
Ashlynn sighed, earning glares from her parents.
Once the limousine was gone, her mother glared at her.
"Mom I-" Ashlynn tried to explain.
Cinderella just shook her head," in."
Ashlynn followed her parents back to the parlor.
"Sit," her mother commanded, Ashlynn obeyed.
Once the door was closed, Ashlynn's mother sat down opposite her, and next to her father.
"You yelled at him!?" Cinderella asked.
"Mom I... I can explain," Ashlynn stammered.
"You better, because you know how important this is to us Ashlynn," her father stated.
"He was really mean, and snobby, and he got us lost!" Ashlynn started.
"What do you mean?" her mother asked.
Ashlynn explained the maze, how Prince Dallance insisted on going through the hardest path, and not letting her take the map. She then explained how Prince Dallance criticized everything they owned and said he was better, while he had gotten them lost in the first place. She explained how she had accidentally lost her temper more than once, and their final escape through the maze.
"And not to mention," Ashlynn added,"he criticized your wedding painting, saying there was a tiny smudge, and the shadow was a bit off. Who would even say those things!?" She finished.
"Alright, well now we understand why you yelled at him," Cinderella concluded, looking at her husband, "But you should never yell at anyone Ashlynn, especially a prince whose kingdom we are very close with. I thought we brought you up better than this."
Ashlynn was shocked at her mother's response, but continued her furry,"I just wish he were more like-" but she stopped herself mid-sentence.
"More like who?" King Charming asked.
"More like..." Ashlynn thought,"I don't know."
But she did know.
More like Hunter, she finished her thought.