I got up at exactly five am the next day. even though i had only had maybe 4 hours of sleep. i didnt want to give the brute father a reason to hate me. I dressed in one of my knee long sway skirt sun dresses, the strapes were med thick, it was U neck instead of v neck. It didnt show anything more then i wanted to show anyone. The color was purple my favorite. The material was cotton and swayed only when i moved or if there was a breeze. the top hugged my middle yes but only because my breasts were one size too big for my small frame. Sometimes i had to wear a corset but i wasnt going to wear one if i didnt have to. i put my long aburn hair up into a tight bun. The familier strands of hair falling next to my face on either side. For some odd reason those pieces of hair never grew with the rest of it or it seemed. I was ready by 5:30am and went out my room door witch was not far from Yories room. He wanted me as close to him as possable without being in the same room. I didnt go to bother him as I made my way down the steps and to the hall way in the first room. I sat on the edge of one of the chairs. the morning sun was playing its beautiful game through the curtains. I went over to look out. there was a wide span of garden in front of me. From fruit trees, to rose bushes, to dafadiles. I wondered if i was going to be shown that part of the mansion. This place seemed to go on forever.
    “I see your prompt and ready.” I jumped at the slight accent of Xander. I turned to him decending the steps. He wore black jeans and a t shirt instead of the formal business attire from yesterday.I tried to stand as straight as possable.
    “I try to be. Its not good business to be late.” He took a look at the roll ex at his wrist.
    “Early.” he stood a few feet from me. His green eyes watching me. I looked back out the window as he watched me. the feeling i got was so unconfortable.
    “Is this your garden?” he stepped closer and looked out the window as if he didnt know what i was talking about. He stood so close i could smell the combo of his after shave and stetson colonge. I tried to step back a step but my feet were glued to the floor. Someone should fix that.
    “Yes, I go out there and work every once in a while.”
    “Its.. very lovely.” he looked down at me. his eyes were cloudy with appreication. “I love gardens. But we couldnt grow anything in the dorms.” he slowly nodded.
    “What would you like to do?” his voise was low and husky that made me step back a few inches.
    “Well, i havent had breakfast. i’m not much of a morning eater but some juice sounds good.” He nodded.
    “I shall take you to the orange feilds.”
    “can you do that?” I was excited and over welmed by the being able to see an orcharde.
    “Ofcourse, i am Lord of this land. I can do whatever pleases me.”
    “Ok…” i put my hands in front of me folding them. his green eyes keeping on me as i looked else ware. “that would be lovely.”He nodded and headed out the door. I followed as a limo was parked outside. “Yorie said that the terrain can get rather ruff.”
    “It can but we arent going four wheeling today. Maybe some other time.” He stopped and looked over at me. “No purce?”
    “Well, i dont carry them around normally. I have a small pocket here,” i showed him the small pocket that help my passport and ID in it. “And Yorie said not to worry about money that everything will be paid for… I do have my bank card in my room.” He looked as if he didnt know rather to smile or be mad.
    “Alright.” His hand went to the small of my back ushering me to get into the car. ” Lets get going then.”

    As the limo took them further into his country he couldnt help but watch the Linton’s anthusasame at seeing so much green. Her back was to him as she watched the people and landscape go past them. She would smile or even giggle at something she saw. He had to fight the erdge to go over there, place his arm behind her, perr around to look at the outside with her. Knowing he was going to get a wif of her body spray that smelled like Jasmine and lavender together. Again today she wore no makeup, no jewlery, and no god awfule atire either. Her snadles were jsut that sandles and did not reach up to her knees or even past her anckles. Her dress was simple, not showing more then what she wanted anyone to see leaving more imagination to the mans admiring eyes. His eyes. He shifted his legs feeling the not so wanted attraction going to his loins. However, he still watched her. Why had Yorie brought her here? This women can mess up his safe, sacure, calm house world as they speak. just by being with her he felt…. something odd. She finally looked over at him.
    “Is it far? I see the orange trees.”
    “do you like oranges?”
    “I love all fruits.” She half turned to him her hazil eyes looking straight at him. “Are there other fruit orchardes?”
    “A few.” She stared at him for a moment before looking back out the window.

    I could feel his green content eyes on me. He had shifted a few times, his hand on his head, the elbow on the door as he sat on ther other side of the limo as far away from me as possible. Good! He didn’t need to be any closer to me. As soon as Yorie was able to convince his father that he wasn’t going to marry anytime soon the better. I wasn’t sure how long I could put up with this. Yorie knew I didn’t feel anything more then just friends and I knew that he wanted to be the one to show me this stuff. But it was hard to tell the Shiek that I couldn’t go because Yorie wanted to show me everything. Not his father. Definetly not his father. I shifted myself making it look as if I did it to look better out the window. The limo pulled up to a small house and stopped. I moved away from the door as the driver opened it. A smile on his tanned face as I smiled back at him.
    “Thank you! That was very kind.”   
    “Anything for a royal friend.” I got out as Xander followed behind me. I took a few steps and stopped. I breathed the smell of leaves, trees and citris in the air. It was the most wonderful smell I had ever smelled. I heard the door close behind me and the Sheik stand right behind me.
    “Are they making juice yet?” I asked turning around to face him. I could have sworn a smile had crossed his face then dropped as I had turned to look at him. He stepped around me and to the small house. He went to try the door and it opened. He turned and moved his hand to motion for me to follow him in. As he went in he was talking to the women behind the counter in their languge. I looked around looking at the different jars of jam, jelly, perserves and caned oranges. Bags of dried oranges, orange candies, gummie oranges and orange seeds sold only by twos. Baskets of oranges, lemons and even grape fruit lined the cash register area. Shelves of books, vases, and starter kits lined the walls. It was a very small shop but smelled like oranges. Xander turned to me with two baskets in his hands. He held one out to me. I took in a breath excited as what he was indicating. “We get to pick our own?” He did smile then.
    “You sound like a child at Christmas time.” I blushed then held my excitement back.
    “I am sorry. Did I offend you?” He laughed, taking both my hands and wrapping my fingers around the basket as he had placed his at his feet. His green eyes looked down at my still excited hazil ones.
    “No, Czarina. I am pleased, actually that you find this amusing.” He picked up his own basket, nodded his head at the women then continued out of the back door. I followed smiling to the women not knowing how else to thank her.
    “Are anyone allowed to pick oranges?”
    “No, but I pay them money to pick my own. Almost like market. The freshes is the best. That is why they have their produce in the shop. The oranges that don’t sell they make into jams, juices, jellies, candies, and seeds.” I followed him past a few orange trees. He stopped and turned as I looked up at the trees. “Do you know how to pick them?”
    “No.” I said simply and embarrassed that I didn’t know the simplest things but could tell you anything about business. Specailly resturants. He came back over to me, gently grasped my wrist, and lead me past the trees in front of us to a different path, going through a few more trees. He stopped at a well full tree. A few oranges on the ground. He knelt down bringing me down with him without taking his hand off my wrist.
    “The ones on the ground are for eating right away IF you don’t find a bug in it.” He picked one up, turned it around then started peeling it. I watched his tanned masive hands work on the skin of the orange. I was kneeling next to him. The cool wet grass around us against my knees. The sun was starting to come out from behind the moutains hitting the back of my neck. He pulled one half of the orange and handed it to me. “This one looks good. Try it.” I nodded taking the half from him. He jerked back as our hands met and stood as I stayed kneeling. I took a piece, pulled the seeds from it, pocketing the seeds, and took a piece into my mouth tasting the rush of orange juice.
    “Its very sweet. What about the ones on the tree?” I stood taking another piece in my mouth. They were all good sized oranges.
    “We will pick from the trees. They are just as sweet and as summer is almost over, the trees will be going into hibernation. So, these will all be falling soon anyways.” I nodded taking one from the tree as he moved on. I picked the most orange of oranges. He didn’t go very far but I kept at picking my share of oranges wanting to fill my basket.

    He moved away from the girl’s scent. He smelled her lavender, jasmine smell and he wasn’t sure if it was body spray or not. She didn’t wear any other make ups so he didn’t think she would take time to spray. He watched her as she picked orange after orange inspecting each one before placing it in her basket. Her lightly tanned fingers moved gently around the round oject before taking it swiftly from the tree. For each orange she ate she slipped the seeds in her pocket. He wasn’t sure why. He knew not to place seeds around because they could grow into unwanted trees. She was so ingrossed in her picking she was unaware of him watching her. His eyes narrowing. The sun had moved from behind her to shine directly at the back of her neck making her dress almost see through. He wasn’t sure if she relized that or not but she seemed unaware of it. He grinned to himself as he saw her shapely legs through the dress. She placed her basket on the ground as she reached higher for even better oranges. She moved tree to tree getting more. He picked from a few around him but why was he enjoying the fact that she was enjoying herself? He had better things to do then cart her around his kingdom. Jennings had volunteered to go to the cousil meeting. Witch he was grateful for and damed him for being so respetive of what Yorie was making him do. His cell phone rang and he pulled it from his holster. He rolled his eyes but answered it.
    “Yes?” He said in his tonguge.
    “How is it going?” He heard his son’s voice on the other line.
    “As good as it can. The princess?”
    “Still sleeping.” He growled as he heard foot steps behind him. The hairs on his neck stuck up as he didn’t need to turn to know who was behind him.
    “Get her up!” He yelled through the phone. He was annoyed that the princess didn’t get up when he had instructed. What on God’s green earth was the girl doing that she had to sleep this late. He looked at the roll ex at his wrist seeing that it was already almost eight.
    “That would be rather rude don’t you think?” His son asked.
    “Not at all. Not when you are royalty and everyone is on a tight sceduale. Get one of the maids to get her up! She was to meet you on the balcony hours ago!”
    “As you wish father. I do not want to be rude but I will inform her it was your words.” Before he could snarl back a remark the line went dead.
    “Something wrong?” He jerked at the sound of her small, calm, lovely voice behind him. He closed his phone, placed it back in the holster, and turned to her. The slight morning breeze making the small pieces of her hair fly around her face as it tilted up at him. Her face was perfectly heart shapped as he didn’t relize that before.
    “Nothing that can’t be handled. It’s none of your concern.” He picked up his basket that had less oranges then hers did. He didn’t see it as a compatison but it did make it look like he did not do anything.
    “Why not?” She followed a few feet behind him. He did not answer her. It wasn’t her concern how disrespectful the princess was. How Czarina wasn’t and had been where he wanted her when he wanted her to be. How the princess had no inthuseasim to meeting his son while Czarina held excitement over the smallest things even if it wasn’t with the person she had promised to be with. She didn’t push the subject as they came to the shop. It had gotten a little busier. She stayed almost at his heels as he spoke to the women behind the counter.
    “Milda, we have our oranges. Is my cabin available?” The women smiled sweetly to him. Other people looked around at his voice. A few murrmers he could hear.
    “Ofcourse. It is always ready for you when ever you need.” Milda looked at the young Linton behind him. “A Linton? M’Lord, I thought you dispised them?” He laughed at the women’s comment.
    “Very complicated, Milda.”
    “She is very lovely. And she isn’t wearing anything revealing. Very unusual this time of year.” He nodded to the kind women.
    “My son’s friend. I am only entertaining.” She smiled as he handed her some money. He felt her hugging her basket as she stayed at his back. The side of her arm against it making his musceles tighten with the contact through the cloth. She must feel out of place since people were coming in. Some harvesters coming in with fresh oranges.

    As we came through the small house it had more people in it then I expected. I stayed by Xander as he spoke to the women behind the counter. I looked at each person in the room. The orphanage mother always told me to do so when I was in a unfamiliar place. There was a child with her father, A couple, an older gentleman and a older couple. I almost didn’t see the hooded man in the corner. He had his nose in one of the cook books but looked over the top of the book at us. I heard Xander give a friendly laugh and scooted closer to him. The man kept his eyes on his back, as I kept my side view on the man. His atire was completely black witch I found odd being it was hot. Why would someone be dressed all in black, at an orange field, looking at a cook book!? Xander finally turned making me off balance. I looked up at his green eyes as he moved his head once in the direction of the first door. I followed him keeping my eyes off the man but the basket firmly in my arms.
    “Sir?” He stopped and turned. I bumped into him as I was looking down away from the rising sun. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as a couple oranges fell to the ground. I bent to pick them up and place them back in my basket.
    “Please, call me Xander, hmm.”
    “If you want.” He stood close to me but soon broke the closeness walking towards another smaller cabin. “Do most of your people wear head garments?”
    “What do you mean?” He stepped up to the door and opened it. Inside it was dark until he turned on a light. No windows anywhere as he set his basket on a table. I followed suit placing my fuller one next to his. In the room were supplies to make anything with oranges. When all I really wanted was juice. He brought out a small juicer and placed it on the table along with a bowl and two cups. Sugar cam next along with a gallon of mineral water.
    “Umm… like hooded or covering the whole head and part of the face.” His eye brows arched as he looked at me sitting down with a knife. I sat across from him on my legs leaning forward. He watched my child like actions as I watched him cut into an orange, halving it. He placed the one half on the device then pushed a lever as it squished the juices out of the orange.
    “Normally on hot days as this one is going to turn out to be.”
    “Black?” He looked up at me as he did the other half of the orange. I sliced another orange and set it by the device. He took those as I cut another orange.
    “Not normally.” He added water, juice, and some sugar into a glass after the third orange. Slid it over to me. The glass was cold as I picked it up. I took a sip as his green eyes watched me.
    “This is very good.” I said taking another sip. I set it aside and sliced three more.
    “Arent you going to drink it?”
    “After you get a glass.” I helped him as neither one of us said anything as we made him a glass of orange juice. He turned and placed the orange machine in the sink, then the other oranges in a bigger basket. He took six oranges and put them in a smaller basket and handed it to me. His glass and mine were drank. I took the basket.
    “Take these with you so that you can have them in your room.” I smiled holding the basket with my hands.
    “Thank you.” I said small and timid. Exactly how I felt. With only the one lamp for light it made it hard to see. However, it gave a romantic glare around the room. I looked around then up at him. I couldn’t see his expression as I looked at him.

    Fight it! Don’t do it! He kept telling himself. The lighting was perfect for a romantic couple to sit in, making orange juice, helping each other do so, taking into consideration that the other person needed a glass also. He faught the erge to pull her to him. Take her full, pink, beautiful lips against his own. Take in her flowery scent. Her front pressed perfectly against his as he did the small math in his head. She would fit perfectly in the crook of his arm, his arm around her waist, her elegant legs wrapped around his as her head would rest on his shoulder, in his bed.
    He was glad the lighting wasn’t bright.
    “What are we going to do now?” He asked after he cleared his throat from the huskyness he knew would have been there if he didn’t. She placed her slender finger on her chin to think.
    “Yorie said you had farms. With sheep, goats, and cows. I want to see them.”
    “You sure?” He gave her a side ways glance. She really wasn’t dressed to go on their farms. “Think of something else. I am sure we can do that when your not wearing a dress and sandles, hm?”
    “True.” he noticed her cheeks turn pink as she relized her mistake. Her excitement must take the better of her. She needed a man that can keep her in check from getting into childish trouble. She seemed to be a little nieve at how other countries were.
    “How about fishing? Yorie said there were plenty of ponds and fish. I’ve been fishing but never caught anything or anyone I was with catch anything.”
    “Who took you fishing?” He wanted to know. Maybe an ex boyfriend. Maybe they didn’t catch anything because it wasn’t fishing they were going to go do. However, her cheeeks did not turn pink as he had expected them to. Witch made it hard to belive that she had even done that at all.
    “Yorie showed me.” For them being involved she didn’t blush. Didn’t take her eyes from his. He knew better then to belive his only son would go to Linton and be able to not have relations with their women. Let alone only one that was always blushing. “But, he claims there are more fish in the ponds here then there are in Linton, so I want to see.”
    “In a dress?”
    “Why not? Yorie saw no problem with it.” Ofcourse his son wouldn’t see a problem with it. If she bent over, if the sun caught her dress again as it did earlier…
    “Alright then. There is a pond not far from here. The trees give shade and it is quiet. There should be no mud as it hasn’t rained for a while.” I nodded excited again.
    “Where are we going to get gear?”
    “I have a cabin at this lake with any gear we would need to catch fish.” She gave a nod holding her basket in her arms. He moved around her feeling the brush of her arm against his own. He took in a sharp breath before leaving the small cabin. As they walked he thought about her question of what kind of head garments his country had. Black on a sunny day like this. Sounded like someone was following them. As the driver opened the door for them he got in the car dialing his phone.
    “Yes, sir?” He heard Jennings voice on the other line.
    “How did the meeting go?” He asked. The girl looked over at him before looking out the window again seeing that she didn’t know what he was saying to begin with. He watched her as she looked out the window. She seemed easily amused. He heard half of what Jennings was saying as all he could do was watch the girl. He never knew picking oranges could amuse anyone. Or him enjoy it himself. He didn’t want to admit that. Even to himself.
    “…. Your son and Jazz-Mine went to the gardens this morning. I don’t think they are going to hit it off so well. He isn’t taking to her at all and she seems very bord with him.” He didn’t respond right away as the girls head was on the back of the seat, her eyes fluttering from open to close. He smiled to himself as she faught to stay awake. The time change must have been harsh on her.
    “Give it time.” He finally said. “Ofcourse they are both going to be reluctant to this idea. They both didn’t want to do this.”
    “I don’t give her even a day. By tonight she will leave. She has the will to do so.” He watched her breath. She was sleeping. Definetly not snoring. She must be a very sound sleeper. He chuckled to himself. “You find that amusing?”
    “No, No. Of course not.” He snarled irritated with his own reaction to Czarina. He looked out his own window so not to get distracted again even though the erge was there to look over at her. “Like I said yesterday, there are other princess’s to bring in. He will not marry this Linton. I swear to my dead father he won’t.”
    “Sir, I don’t think it matters how many princess’s you present there isn’t going to be any that will make him change his mind. He’s got his head and his heart set on marrying her. She would make a good queen. A great daughter-in….”
    “Don’t say that!” He exclaimed. He heard a laugh on the other side of the phone as the girl stired next to him. She crossed her arms over her chest not making it any better. As she did it only made her round perfections even more appealing. He groaned as he looked back out the window. “Why are you laughing?”
    “No dissrespect, Xander. It seems having her as a Daughter-in-law discusts you more then having her as a queen. What about a princess?”
    “She will never have that title.” Before he got all his sentence out Jennings laughed again. “This isn’t a laughing matter!”
    “I think it is.” He said over the line. He looked down at the phone. What had gotten into Jennings? “I think you fancy her your self. I mean spending the day with her is going to open your eyes a lot. She is a very elegant girl.” Yea, she was. She would make a perfect queen. Perfect wife, mother, leader, mistress. His lions tightened at the thought of that. He placed his anckle on his knee as he hoped the tightness would subside.
    “She’s very child like.” He said.
    “Is that bad?”
    “No.” he said the simple one sylable word. He could imagine the smirk on Jennings face. “It’s.. actually… rather cute.” The limo came to a stop. He motioned the driver. “Don’t open the door on her side. She’ll roll out.” The driver nodded, closed the window then stayed in his seat. “Look, just make sure the princess and Yorie get a equal chanse reguardless of what they think or feel.” He heard the sigh on the other end as he knew that ment Jennings did not agree with what he was saying but the man always obeyed. Very loyal.
    “Yes, Xander. Relax with her and have fun.” Like with his son before he got a chanse to say anything the line went dead. What was it with people doing that. He placed the phone in his holster. He looked over at the sleeping beauty next to him. He wondered if he kissed her if she would wake. He grined to himself and scooted across the seat.