The three of them walked in silence, not wanting to talk to each other. Their stomachs, on the other hand, were starting to get quite vocal. Neither princess had had much to eat recently, except for some saddle bag carrots, and the prince had had nothing to eat. They continued walking though, determined to find Morning and ride him back to Castle Armarlda. None of the three of them wondered how they would all fit on the one horse.

Suddenly, Arianna tripped on a root, falling to the forest floor. "Ari!" Winter started screaming, and then turned it into a whisper. She and Jasper rushed to her sisters aid, helping her up. Putting her left arm over his right shoulder, the concerned prince asked, "Are you ok, Arianna?" Arianna manage a nod. "Yes, from the fall, but I'm extremely hungry..." At that, she fainted, almost taking Jasper to the ground with her. Struggling back up, Jasper took control of the situation.

"Winter, find a berry bush, quick. The tavern is nearby, and I'm sure some of those drinks are home brewed. I'll keep Arianna here." Winter looked at him, reading his eyes, seeing if she could trust him. He didn't break eye contact, or try to convince her to leave now. She decided to trust him.

"Ok, I'll be back within 10 minutes, berries or not." Winter took off running.

Jasper quickly scraped leaves and petals together, again, with his foot, then gently laid Arianna down, sighing in relief. He had acted strong for Winter, but he needed to take a break as well. Holding his breath, Jasper closed his eyes and listened. He heard birds chirping, but no footsteps or shouting. Letting his breath out, he chose a spot out of sight from Arianna behind a bush and lay down, hoping to just catch some winks, but soon ending up fast asleep.

Winter ran through the forest, scanning every tree and bush for any signs of yummy somethings. Soon she found some grapes and raspberries. Ripping off one of her petticoats, she used it as a sort of basket to hold as many grapes and berries as she could. She then retraced her steps to get back to Arianna; and Jasper, of course.

Reaching the 'rest area', she saw Arianna, but not Jasper. She would have screamed to the heavens, had Arianna not chosen that moment to stir. Winter quickly placed the food down and got on her hands and knees, helping her sit up. ''Here Ari, have some grapes; you love those." Arianna quickly inhaled the grapes, grateful to having something in her stomach, finally.

''Here Ari, have some grapes; you love those." Jasper awoke to the sound of Winters voice, and sat up. He leaned up against a tree, eyes still closed, when he remembered the girls, and Arianna. He quickly rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up, and then went around the bush to see the girls eating.

"Jasper!" Winter's face lit up and calmed down at the same time. She got up and hugged him; he had no idea why, so he just hugged her back and then they both sat down. "Mind if I have some?" he asked Winter politely. "Oh! Yes, sorry, it appears I've forgotten my manners." She quickly gave him some grapes and raspberries.

Lunch over, they continued walking, with a new found spring in their step.

Half an hour later, Winter's keen ears heard a horse whinny. "Morning!" she screams, before she takes off running. Jasper and Arianna looked at each other, then also started running, hoping at best to keep up with Winter.

Turning a bend in the path of crushed petals and broken branches Jasper and Arianna see Winter by Morning, stroking his muzzle, speaking soothing words to him. Arianna put her hands on her knees, trying in vain to catch her breath. She could see Jasper, right in front of her, not even breathing hard. She couldn't believe it. Really.

Breathing a bit better, though not much, Arianna spoke. "Jasper, please, don't try to impress me; take a minute, rest. You're going to need it." The princesses laughed as Jasper slowly turned to look at her, cheeks darkening in a familiar deep red shade. He stared at her, then promptly crashed to the floor, panting like a dog. "Oh, thank goodness I didn't have to try to impress her. I would have died of not enough oxygen." He grinned as Arianna started to turn red.

Arianna, annoyed that her idea got fired right back at her, straightened up and went over to Winter. Winter wore the expression, 'Ooooh! Arianna's got a lover, Arianna's got a lover!' clearly. Arianna, red before, felt her checks light on fire. She pushed her sister over, and Winter fell, bursting into a fit of giggles.

Jasper had no idea why Winter thought it so funny when your sister pushed you over, but he did know one thing. He was tired. "Ladies, I think we should rest. Then, in an hour or two, when it gets cooler, we'll head out. Sound good?" the sisters glanced at each other, then nodded their heads yes. They got the saddle blankets set up, and comfortably lay on the ground, content with their position in life for the time being.

Hey guys! Thanks soooo much for 100 reads! I'm really enjoying writing this book; are you enjoying reading it? I sure hope so!

PS If you ever have any ideas you want me to use in this book, please let me know. If I use your idea, I'll make sure to thank you personally in my book :)

Have a great week guys, and God bless!

SkyBrid