3. Great Romances

"What?" he sighed.

"I just didn't know you were into that mushy gushy crap," Stevie replied.

"-Hey!" Rory shouted.

"Well my comment was not directed toward you at all," Stevie depended.

"Okay, good!"

"Well I don't really get tutored in how to talk to girls... and father is insistant that I start making acquaintances with the noble girls my age to see which one will soon become my wife and I have no idea how to talk to girls and these guys in these books seem to know!" Sawyer then turned and stormed off.

"My bad," Stevie yelled after her brother, "I'm sorry," she half heartedly apologized.

"Uh huh... Sure you are!" he yelled back still storming off, "I'm sure you'll use this to embarrass me in some way!"

"Oh come on when have I ever done that?"

"Too many times to recall!"

"Oh come on!"

"Stevie, he's right..." Henry pointed out.

"Oh come on... not you too?"

"Well he's right... you do use things such as this against him... you are part of the reason he struggles talking to girls."

"How?"

"Well you have your own struggles bonding with other girls so you often use Sawyer as your scapegoat," Henry explained.

"No I do not!" Stevie shouted as she stormed off after her twin brother.

"Is this a daily occurrence?" Rory asked Henry while they walked toward Rory's bag.

"Yes," he sighed as they walked.

Henry got to the bag first and picked the bag and the two books on top and handed the top book figuring she would be bored while accompanying him to find the Princess. Usually wherever Sawyer is Stevie usually also is. Henry lead the way to Sawyers room in the west wing of the palace. He knocked on the door and announced their presence.

"I'm sorry!" was heard from inside the room. The door was slightly parted enough for Rory and Henry to hear the conversation being had inside the room.

"Stephanie, are you truly sorry?"

"Yes! you're my best friend... I just don't know why you felt you had to hide this from me! We never keep secrets!"

"Uhhh... we should just let them work it out... it seems as though they are seconds from a break through." Henry said to Rory.

Henry turned from the door and pointed to the bench across the hallway. Rory sat down and Henry next to her. She dug through her bag and grabbed the adventure book, Huckleberry Finn, and handed it to him. Henry smiled at her gesture and quickly flipped through the pages to find his place. Rory opened her book to the page she left off on straight away, thanks to her grass bookmark. She was reading Emma by Jane Austen.

"Well what's this book about?" Stevie asked about her brothers interest to try and make amends.

"The story of Wuthering Heights is about..." Sawyers started and his sister quickly lost interest and pretended to be listening.

"Sounds very interesting!" Stevie smiled as her brother finished his explanation of the parts he's read so far, "you know, you and Rory would get along quite well!"

"I'm sure... would you like to properly introduce me to her?" Sawyer asked.

Stevie smiled as she ran to the door. She smiled when she saw her Knight and best friend reading side by side.

"Hey you two?" Stevie said getting their attention, "Would you mind joining Sawyer and I?"

Henry and Rory plucked their heads from their perspective books and set them down. The two followed Stevie inside.

"Saywer you've met Rory, my new head maid."

"How did you two meet?"

"I'll let you," Stevie said as she plopped down on Sawyers bed next to him. Henry sat down on the bench in front of the bed and Rory followed to be apart of the group.

"Well I was working at my mother's flower stall at the market and your sister insisted that she paid more for the flowers than she was supposed to and then the week following that she came again and once again paid more which lead to me having an emotional moment and explaining my entire life story to her because she was helping my family and she didn't even know about it... then she apologized to me which wasn't necessary... and then your sister told me about this job opportunity to help my family out," Rory sighed after the last sentence.

Saywer wasn't going to press Rory for all the gory details of her families struggles, he knew Stevie would spill all the info he needed later.

"Saywer!" Stevie said suddenly.

"Yes?"

"I have a great idea!" She announced and Saywer let out a loud sigh, "Oh come on my ideas aren't always bad... this one will be good, trust me."

"Fine," he huffed.

"So since you have a hard time talking to pretty much any girl other than me, how about you train yourself by talking to Rory?" Stevie smiled as she excitedly clasped her hands together.

Rory's eyes widened. She had no idea how to act around a boy, much less a Prince!

"S-Stevie!" She stuttered.

"What?" her happy attitude still evident on her face.

"I can't! I don't know how to act around a Prince?"

"Just act like he's me... I mean he pretty much is... I can put a wig on him if that will help... plus this will be beneficial for you as well... you can't live your life through books forever!"

Rory and Saywer exchanged nervous glances. They had no idea what the Princess was planning, but they knew to have their guards up.

"Fine, when do we start?" Saywer sighed.

"How about afternoon tea?" Stevie hates the idea of tea, but she knows her brother will be meeting many suitress in this manner, "That way you will be familiar with the structure."

"Alright, I have to go off to my lessons... Grandfather and I will meet you by the Gazebo," Saywer said as he pushed the three out of his room.

"Wait he doesn't have any lessons today?" Stevie thought out loud.

Truth was that Saywer wanted a moment of peace to read. Rory wished she had the opportunity.

"Alright let's go get you ready!" Stevie smiled as she pulled her friend down the hall a few doors down to her room.

Once inside Stevie disappeared into the closet in search for the perfect dress for Rory. Stevie found a green dress that would compliment her fire red hair perfectly. It had a few gems around the collar that she thought would suit her. Stevie instructed Rory to go next door to her other maids chambers and call for Annie.

"Alright, Annie I'm going to need you help dressing Rory!"

Before Rory knew it, she was being squeezed into a corset and a dress was thrown over her body. Annie and Stevie stood back and admired their work.

"What if we took her hair out of the braid?" Annie suggested.

"Good idea!" Stevie said as she went to take a Rory's hair down.

After un-weaving the braid she returned to her spot next to Annie.

"Perfect!" Stevie grinned, "Annie you're dismissed...want to see yourself?" Stevie asked Rory.

Rory nodded as a response. Stevie guided Rory to a mirror and when Rory saw herself in the mirror she barely recognized herself. Yes the changes that were made were small, but they made significant differences in how she saw herself. It definitely gave her more confidence being in such a beautiful dress.

"Are you sure about me borrowing this dress?" Rory seemed unsure.

"You can keep it," Stevie dismissed her worry.

"What?" Rory asked as if she heard the Princess wrong.

"You know I hate those things! The less I have the better... in fact feel free to take any from my closet."

"You must be joking."

"Not at all. The outfit I'm wearing now is what I prefer to wear and if I need new dresses for outings then I can ask my father," Stevie smiled to her friend as she placed her hands on Rory's shoulders, "Don't worry."

Rory hadn't realized she had been holding in a breath until she let it out. The one on one afternoon tea with Sawyer was making her nervous.

"Don't stress about it, it's just my brother."

"You're right," Rory smiled to her friend as she turned around to admire her work in the mirror again.

"I think it's still missing something!" Stevie said leaving her friends side to grab her jewelry box, "Here."

Stevie held up a pair of dangly earrings that had a pink gem at the bottom held in by some silver plating.

"Stevie, no..."

"Yes!" Stevie said as she moved Rory's hair behind her ears and placed the earrings in her ear lobes. Stevie then took two strands from each side of her face and tied it back so they wouldn't hide the earrings, "Look!"

"Stevie... it looks so good... but what if I lose them?"

"I don't care," She shrugged.

"Fine... just remember that you said that," Rory sighed as she kept looking at herself in the mirror.

'Don't worry Rory... you'll have this life one day' Stevie smiled.

"What are smiling like that for?" Rory asked.

"Nothing... just admiring a job well done," Stevie said, "We better get going!"

Rory followed Stevie out of her room. She was still unfamiliar with the palace layout. Just as she was about to turn out of Stevie's room they bumped into someone. Once regaining any lost balance they realized it was Sawyer.

"What are you doing here?" Stevie asked.

"I figured I should come escort Rory to the gazebo," Sawyer said as he held his arm out for Rory to take it.

"Well I guess you're in good hands," She smirked, "learn lots you two!"