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role in the battle, parade, and medal ceremony.  Even so, this was the first time he had actually experienced being noticed outside the army.  He smiled to himself.  It was strange to feel so important, but he had to admit that part of him loved it.
    He continued cheerily and confidently across the palace grounds to one of the back garden areas where he was supposed to meet the princess.  Was it so strange that the High Princess of Kalia wanted to meet with him this morning?  He was, after all, the first to be crowned a hero of Kalia in over one hundred years.  He could command the elements and do things that everyone else could only dream of.  If the other young women in Candus were so anxious to see him, wouldn’t the princess be as well?

 
     
     
    4
     
     
    “Good morning, Traven,” the Princess Kalista said, greeting him as she walked towards the stone bench he had been waiting on.
    He stood quickly and bowed to her.  He had arrived early and had been enjoying the quiet garden full of late spring flowers in full bloom.  The sweet fragrance and vivid colors of the flowers were beautiful.  He had been excitedly waiting the coming of the princess.  However, the longer he had waited, the more his confidence had slipped and the more he had begun to feel increasingly nervous.  He had even begun to wonder if the princess would actually come.  Perhaps some more important matters had arisen that she needed to attend to.  He was relieved that his wait was finally over.
    “My Princess,” he said respectfully as he rose from his deep bow.
    “Call me Kalista,” she said with a smile.  “As I said before, we have been through enough together to be on a first name basis.”
    “As you wish, Kalista,” he replied.
    “That’s much better,” she stated as she sat down on the stone bench.  “Take your seat, and we will talk.”
    Traven sat back down on the opposite end of the bench.  There were several long moments of silence as the princess looked around the garden area.  She narrowed her eyes several times in thought as she gazed at the various flowers and finally made a sound of what appeared to be approval.  She then turned her attention from the flowers to him.
    “The gardens of the palace are beautiful, are they not?” Kalista observed.
    “Yes, they are,” he agreed.
    They both sat with their hands in their laps in silence for several more moments.  Traven began to feel very uncomfortable.  He wasn’t sure what he should say.  He had supposed the princess had questions for him and hadn’t planned on anything other than answering her questions.  Both looked from their hands to their surroundings but avoided eye contact.  Finally, Kalista broke the silence with her tinkling laugh.
    “What?” Traven asked as he looked around for what she found so amusing.
    “Oh, nothing,” she replied with a smile.  “I find it humorous that we are sitting here in uncomfortable silence.  We have been imprisoned together and you have saved my life multiple times, but we have never had a quiet, carefree moment to actually visit with one another.  I feel like I know you, but in reality I know very little about you.  There are many questions I have, yet I feel rude launching into them without getting to know you better first.”
    “Don’t worry.  Feel free to ask whatever you want,” he said encouragingly.
    “Tell me a little about yourself first.”
    “There’s not much to tell,” he began.  “I grew up in the small village of Oak Tree with my grandparents.  Last fall I traveled to Calyn to attend the merchant academy.  Things didn’t work out for me there, so I joined the army in the winter.  We met in the spring, and I guess you know what’s happened since.”
    “Well, I know some of what has happened since.  I plan on discovering the details in a few moments,” she promised with a smile.  “What did you do before going to the merchant academy?”
    “I was a