(I mean, look at my responses… XD you're good)
"You have?" Holly asked, surprised. She hadn't realized that her stupid, spur of the moment question would actually be true. She had expected it to hang into awkward silence. She recovered herself and shook her head, looking down for a moment in embarrassment. Why was she feeling so awkward?
She brushed her hand over her skirts and asked, "What happened? Is there a story to it? If you're willing to tell me?"
Sam felt his cheeks heat up more but he managed a small laugh, kicking up a sand as he walked. "There's definitely a story behind it, Alex always makes sure that there's a story behind it." He smiled wider as he finally looked over at Holly, a playful look in his eyes, "I'll only tell you if you promise not to tell anyone else. The last thing I want is see Alex dying on the floor laughing because the story of me in a dress is in every paper in the country."
Even if Holly didn't promise not to tell, he was sure he was going to tell her the story anyway. Some part of him wanted to tell her, if only to see her reaction. He was sure it would make her laugh and that's what he was looking forward to.
"Of course I won't," Holly said, a rare playful mood coming through her nervousness. "As long as you don't give me reason to." She sent him a swift smile so that he knew that she was joking… mostly, anyway. The girl she had met earlier, Lacey, seemed to like Alex, and if this had dirt on Alex too…
She was glad the prince couldn't read her mind.
He smiled back in her direction, playfully saying, "I'll tell you when we're heading back. It'll help the trip go by faster, how does that sound?" The guards that had accompanied them were visible, standing near the entrance of the beach while they waited for the two to finish. "I sadly think that it will be time for us to leave, if we want to get back before they send a search party out for us."
"Yeah, probably." She rolled her eyes at him, a grin making her already pink face seem to glow. "We should probably grab the picnic stuff, so we don't forget the leftovers that you worked so hard to make." Pulling her dress up around her ankles, she left the water.
This had been really fun. Yes, she had spent the entire time so awkward and unsure and hesitant it might not have been the same for him, but- well, she shouldn't think about that.
Sam nodded, walking alongside her as she stepped out of the water. Before he forgot, he turned to look at the guards, motioning that they would be just a minute before turning back to Holly.
"What do you think of the Selection so far?" He asked, mostly just making conversation while they walked to the picnic. Sam waited patiently, starting to pick up the leftovers from the picnick and gently setting them back into the picnic basket. He worked carefully but tried to go quick, not wanting Holly to be kept waiting for too long.
"It's, well… it's not quite what I expected," Holly confessed, packing up the sandwiches neatly and handing them to him. "Most of the girls are really nice, and you're really fun to talk with and get to know." She smiled at him. "And the library…" she trailed off, smiling wistfully at the thought of books.
She shook her head. "How are you liking it so far?" She asked him instead.
He chuckled lightly at her amazement at the library and shrugged, "It's alright so far. The girls, like you said, are nice, but sometimes I feel I need a way to figure out who is genuinely nice and who is simply acting so they are able to stay around." Sam closed the basket as they finished putting everything away and picked it up, offering out a hand to Holly, "I'm certain that you're one of the genuinely nice ones, if you're wondering."
"That's one of the hardest things to find out sometimes, though," Holly said sympathetically. She packed the sandwiches into the basket and, after barely a moment's hesitation, desperately fighting back a blush at both his comment and his proffered hand, she took his hand and let him help her to her feet. The skin of his hands were fairly tough, from his fighting, she assumed, not the softness of those who hadn't done a moment of work in their life.
"I- try. To be genuine, I mean," she said quietly, not wanting to let go of his hand but doing so anyway. It was only polite - besides, he probably didn't mean it. "It's easier to be a real friend than to try to constantly backstab someone."
(Should we do some sort of a timeskip here soon?)
"It definitely is, I'm not sure how some keep up the act and try to sabotage and hurt others," He agreed, hooking the basket in one arm while starting towards the guards. Sam wished he could continue to hold Holly's hand, but he let it drop, figuring that she probably wasn't comfortable with it. In contrast to his own tough hands, worn from training and constant use, Holly's hands were much softer. Not the kind of soft that came with laziness, but the kind of gentle, calm soft that fit her well.
The guards waited until the pair had gotten to them before leading the way back to the vehicle, one of the guards taking up the front and the other dropping behind to watch the back of the pair.
(Yeah, probably. Any ideas as to what that skip would be to?)
(hmmmm not really, maybe to a session of eliminations? Or some drama with the girls and sabotage? I don't think we should skip right to the main plot points, but if we had a jump or two forward in time before it was go time?)
(Yeah, sure, works for me! Any ideas, or do you want me to just make something up?)
(making something up sounds quite good!)
(Alright! Give me a bit and I'll get something up!)
(Sorry it's so long lol)
The other girls of the Selection hadn't made things easy for Holly. No one had heard that she and the prince had gone out on a date, but they had somehow found out that she had had a long conversation with him, and had even gone walking with him. Some of the girls had wondered what it was like, but some of them had gotten incredibly jealous. The girl she had met originally, Sophie, and Lacey's twin sister Caseline, had been both incredibly rude to her, making some comments that hurt Holly more than she cared to show.
Several girls had been eliminated already, and so there were only about two-thirds of the original girls left.
Holly was spending her usual time in the library, engrossed in a novel, when she heard whispers. She glanced up, face wrinkling in confusion; very people came here. Even Lacey, her best friend in the Selection, didn't ever come. She looked around, trying to spot anyone there, but couldn't.
She was going to go back to reading, but curiosity and some sort of sixth sense made her stop. She set her book down, stood, smoothing her skirts, and made her way toward the sound. When she neared, she ducked behind the bookcase so she could listen without being noticed.
"We have to deal with her."
"Why her specifically, though? Don't you think Holly-"
"That whore? She's not a threat; they just went for a walk. Don't you think we would know if she went on a date with the prince? No, Aryssa was the first to have a date with His Highness. She's the one we need to get out."
"What do you propose?" The second voice asked. Holly's face was pale, and she felt rooted to the spot.
The first girl explained her plan, and after they left, Holly was there, standing stiff against the bookshelf, trembling. What she had just heard… that was sabotage. She had to tell someone, anyone. But would they believe her?
(No you're good!)
Sam had done his best to juggle everything on his plate. From the Selection, to his growing duties and even just finding time to spend time with Alex. He had cut out a fair amount of the girls, ones that he didn't get along with from the begining, or those who he just wasn't interesed in, which made his job easier…but he was still busy. Busy enough that his dates with the girls were limited, even though he tried his best to schedule as many in as he could.
Sam was taking a rare break from his work, pulling Alex away from his usual training to go spar with him. He had to work his frustration out somehow, and it was the easiest way. Plus, he wanted to use as much of the warm summer days as he could, as fall was only a few weeks away.
"What's got you in such a frazzle today, Sam?" Alex asked when they reached the sparring ring, a light smile on his face, "Girls got you going crazy?"
He shook his head, kicking off his shoes. "No, if anything, it's the fact that I haven't even spent time with most of the girls. I've gone on two dates so far. Yes, I have two more planned next week, and three the week after that, but still, it's bothering me."
"Ah, alright." Alex nodded, far from understanding the feeling, but ready to support his friend no matter what, even if it was with some light teasing as they entered the ring. "And to make you feel less frustrated, you're going to use your free time -which you could be spending learning more about the ladies- to try and beat me up? Makes sense." He grinned at the scowl he got in reply.
"You do have a point, but I need to relax right now, and speaking to the girls is not going to get me relaxed." Sam circled the ring, starting the controlled fighting. There was only one girl that he knew for sure speaking to would calm him down, but he hadn't done more than smile at Holly in a few days.
I need to tell someone, Holly said, sinking to the ground, legs trembling so hard they couldn't hold her up anymore. But who would believe her if she had no proof? The guards? The king? Probably not either of them, really. And she didn't know any of the palace staff well enough to trust them with this information.
She didn't know who she could trust.
No, that was a lie. There was Lacey, Alex, and… well, the Prince. She felt slightly safer just thinking about him, and she took a deep breath, pushing herself to her feet and straightening her shoulders. Just because she was a bookworm didn't mean she couldn't be brave, right? She would tell someone.
As she stepped into the hallway, she almost ran into Lacey. While that wasn't who she was looking for, she would do. Quickly and quietly Holly explained what she had heard.
Lacey just nodded, fiery hair bobbing with the movement. Her usual smirk was gone from her face. "We should tell the Prince."
"That was my idea, too." Holly let out a breath of relief, glad someone believed her. "Do you know where he is? I haven't seen him except at meals."
"You could talk to Holly," Alex suggested, dipping down to avoid a punch from Sam, countering with a light kick that the Prince caught in his chest.
Sam stumbled back from the hit, shaking his head as he caught his breath, "I don't want to bother her…I only see her at meals anyway." It was a sorry excuse, and they both knew it. He was too nervous that Holly would get annoyed if she had to spend too much time with him.
Alex rolled his eyes and gave Sam a moment to recover, sliding away from his next attack. "How about this. If I win, you go talk to her…if you somehow win, I'll go with what you want and we'll spar for a few more rounds. Good?"
He nodded, shaking out his hands and stepping closer to Alex, going for another punch. "Deal."
The two girls asked a guard where the Prince was. The man was very polite, but he seemed to think that they shouldn't be trying to bother His Highness. Finally, after Lacey started to get mad - a sight that Holly wanted to laugh at but didn't - he told them that Prince Sam and Sir Alex were sparring in the ring.
Holly took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself. "Is this really a good idea?" She asked doubtfully.
Lacey just raised an eyebrow. The blonde girl laughed shakily, and they made their way outside, where they soon heard the playful verbal sparring of two very familiar young men. Holly straightened her shoulders as much as she could, trying to prepare, when a horrible doubt accosted her. What if he thought she was overreacting? What if she was bothering him? There was no time to back down, though; Lacey had pulled her into view of the sparring ring.
Compared to the sparring that the girls had seen Sam and Alex do before, this round seemed much more intense. They were almost equal in skill and speed, but they were clearly using their own tricks to try to gain an edge. Alex was banking on his strength, going for hard hits while sacrificing some analysis of the situation. Sam, on the other hand, was simply evading, going for any weak spots he could see when he watched Alex go for a hit even if they were slightly weaker blows. Every time that Alex landed a blow, Sam would counter with one moments later, evening out the score. Both were working hard, still joking and teasing with one another even in their deep concentration.
Sam grit his teeth as Alex got a kick to the back of his knees, making him crumple like a paper before he could stop it. Before he could land anything else though, the prince rolled out of Alex's path and jumped to his feet, swinging a mostly successful punch to his side. "Are you feeling alright Alex? Usually, I can't beat you by this much," He taunted, a playful grin on his face.
"I'm feeling better than ever, Sammy. Just want to give you a little head start before I get back to winning." Alex wiped a bead of sweat off of his forehead, watching as Sam did the same before he went for another hit.
Holly was mesmerized for the moment, watching the skill and speed in which the two fought. It was incredible, the way that they moved gracefully around each other, or the way that they hit each other… she hadn't realized that it was possible to fight in such a way.
She glanced over at the girl who had accompanied her, and Holly had to hide a smile. Lacey was watching the two - or maybe just one of them? - with a coy look on her face, acting unimpressed.
She giggled lightly at the expression and Lacey turned to send her a little smirk. "You have to admit," she said, "they're not bad looking."
Alex was oblivious to the girls as they came over to watch, though Sam caught a glimpse of them out of the very corner of his eye. The slightest grin appeared on his face as he saw, them, and without thinking much longer, he used them as a distraction to get a win over his friend. "You've got an audience Alex," He teased, watching as Alex's eyes instinctively went to the girls. Using the moment, he swept out a leg, sweeping his best friend off his feet and causing him to land hard on his butt.
"I think they came to watch you, Sammy," Alex grunted, scowling as he fell, accepting defeat. Before he was seen disappointed though, he pulled an infectious grin onto his face and waved to the girls, "We should probably dry off before they get too close and are scared off by our smell."
"N-no…" Holly said, her cheeks pink at the other girl's comment. "They're not." She was suddenly wondering why on earth she was there. It had been to tell the prince something, but with the sheer violence and grace the two were fighting with, it was hard to think of anything else. Lacey had a coy look on her face, one that Holly felt was a little bit of an overkill… but would probably melt lesser men.
When one of the two - Alex, the blonde girl assumed - waved to them, she waved shyly back, then glanced at the prince. He was still shirtless, and her cheeks reddened even further before she tore her gaze away, clearing her throat uncomfortably.
Sam rolled his eyes, "I think you're already scaring them off by watching them." He walked to the side of the ring, smiling at them before reaching down to grab his shirt. As warm as he was from the intense fighting, the girls probably didn't want to see him shirtless, and so he politely put it back on.
Alex didn't respond, just snorted and stood up, following Sam's lead to grab his shirt. Instead of putting it on though, he used it as a towel, drying off his face before slinging it over his shoulder. He looked once more at the ladies as he and Sam walked over, a playboy smile appearing when he saw that Lacey was there.
"What are you ladies doing around here?" He asked, forcing himself to sound intimidating even though he looked the complete opposite.
Sam shook his head and ignored Alex, smiling brightly at the two of them, "Holly, Lacey, it's nice seeing you two around. Did you two need something?"