"Are you sure I'm allowed to go in?" Jaxon asked quietly as Acia waved him into the mansion.

She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Oh, c'mon! I'm the only one in the house, and I'm as lonely as the Ugly Duckling. Left out, too..." Acia quickly closed the door behind Jax, for it was still Spring, and quite chilly.

Jaxon scrunched up his forehead in concern and looked around the hall curiously. "Wow...Marvelous. This, this...how could you ever get bored? Running down the stairs, sliding down the railing, slipping through the halls...this is my dream!" he exclaimed throwing his arms into the air in exaggeration.

"Thank you," Acia flushed, unsure what to say. She had been taken aback by the newly discovered childish and immaturity of the new messenger. "Of course, when you're the only one, it gets lonely real quick. Would you like me to hang up your jacket?"

Jaxon shrugged his thin jacket off, and handed it to Acia. "So...you're saying you live by yourself. Like, alone? Just you? No parents?" he asked, his voice becoming higher and higher pitched as his shock ascended.

Acia chuckled and nodded her head, hanging up his jacket. "Of course, I do have my two maids. Chelsea is old enough to be my guardian, but she's rarely here. I just let her go off on her own, 'cause I don't need her, anyway. My parents just needed someone to look after me. Then, there's Emlynn. She's around my age, and we're best friends. She's probably upstairs right now."

"Wow! The freedom you have---" Jaxon stopped mid sentence, and blanched. "Aren't you a princess? Her Majesty and His Majesty are your parents, right?"

Acia nodded her head dumbly, and clapped her hands three times.

Immediately, Emlynn came scurrying down, freezing in her steps when she saw a boy in the house. "Umm...Good afternoon. I'm Acia's maid...how may I help you?"

When Jaxon just stood there, dumbfounded, Emlynn listed a few snacks and drinks.

"...orange tea, red tea, white tea, chai tea...biscuits...lots of different biscuits. So...what would you like?"

Acia and Emlynn traded looks when Jaxon continued to be speechless. "I think we'll have some chai tea, and whatever biscuits there are," Acia said quickly, hurrying after the maid.

"Who is he?" Emylnn whispered immediately when they were out of earshot.

Acia glanced back and leaned forward closer to Emylnn's ear. "The new messenger. Doesn't look like it? Does he?"

Emlynn shook her head and smiled wryly. "Time will do."

"Where are you from?" Acia asked, taking a sip of her tea.

Jaxon was quiet for a long time, stirring his tea slowly with a spoon. Finally he shrugged and looked up to meet Acia's anxious gaze. "It's not something I talk about often, and I'm not really sure about it. My family's really poor, and I just came here to find a job, that's all," he muttered uncomfortably.

Acia nodded, and drained her drink. She popped the rest of her buttermilk scone into her mouth, and stood up. "Would you like to walk around the garden? Kick a ball, perhaps?" she asked, wiping her mouth clean.

Jaxon hesitated, and nodded. "But not for long. I'll have to return early for dinner," he mumbled, finishing his tea, and joining her by the garden door.

Jaxon had gone from childish to shy in just an hour. She wondered what an afternoon would do to him.

"You're good at soccer," Jaxon said, struggling to block a ball from entering the goal.

A blush crept up Acia's neck as she received the ball. She scratched her forehead, and shrugged. "I mean, there's nothing else for me to do. As you said, I have my life pretty easy..." she sighed, and dribbled the ball between her feet. "I think we should get going. Maybe you can come back tomorrow?"

"I don't know...I mean, I only came today 'cuz I had a message." Seeing the disappointed look on Acia's face, he immediately added. "Well, I'm sure I can, but I'll just have to ask."

Acia lightened up, and said, "Of course! Ask your parents, I'm sure they'll let you."

Pain crossed Jaxon's face as they left the garden.