Review if you are surprised that I am back so soon. I bet you all are. Read, Review and Enjoy! I cannot wait what you think about everyone and every thing that is going on.

…bluejay511…

By this point Natalie has pouring the tea. Ash sighs with his fingers rubbing his forehead, "Mother, you've angered her."

"My son, I haven't said a single word." She then smirked.

"Mother, please." Ash said.

"Why does Ash look stressed?" Drew said aloud from a couple feet away. Ash's mother looked up at him and smiled.

"Young General. I haven't seen you in… how long has it been?"

"Very long, Lady Ketchum." Drew responded. He nodded at her and Desiree, "Nice to see you again." Drew looked at the female next to her. He nodded then to Desiree while she winked.

"Oh, yes. Sir Drew have you met, Mistress Desiree?" Lady Ketchum immediately said when they made contact.

"Yes." Drew said aloud then quietly added, "Unfortunately…" This was followed by May's slight giggle.

There was a slight pause before Lady Ketchum cleared her throat. "Oh," Drew said aloud, "This is May… excuse me, Mistress May. She's staying as requested by the King."

"How do you do?" May curtsied.

"Ah… Very well thank you. Where are you from?"

"Cas-"

"England." Drew quickly said.

Ash's eyes rose especially since May did not correct him. "Really? what part of England are you from, May?"

"The Northern part?" Drew quickly said glaring at Ash who had a smirk in his eyes.

"Let the girl talk Drew. She may be a women but she can speak for herself." Drew nodded his head at what Lady Ketchum said. May looked at Drew a second and then back at Lady Ketchum.

"I'm from Covington. My father used to own an estate there. Now he prefers the life of a merchant."

"A Merchant?"

"Yes, my lady. He prefers the excitement and the much needed traveling."

"So your father must be very close to the king being that you are staying here." May smiled.

"I guess you could say so." May said.

"If I may ask, Where is Lady Michella?" Drew quickly responded before Lady ketchup could ask anymore questions. At this point Roger had pulled up some more chairs.

"Oh… She has graced us by leaving. Believe me, she wasn't acting very… lady-like."

"How so?" Drew responded. "She is usually very lady-like and everyone loves her."

"Almost everyone." Desiree added.

"Agreed." Lady Ketchum added, "It would best for you, young mistress," she said referring to May, "If you stay away from the likes of her."

"Why mother? You cannot ask a … hmmm…. guest… to avoid her hostess."

"She is not much of a hostess, now is she. Now, my son, I have been looking up various divorce options-"

"I shall not be getting a divorce anytime soon." Ash quickly added.

"Well, I know people if you ever change your mind." She added. "but anyways, as I was saying, my dear, avoid her."

"If I may be so bold," At that point, Ash's attention was completely focused on May's.

"May…" Drew said in a voice that suggested that she didn't say a word. May showed in her eyes that she could not stay silent. Ash watched this just as Lady Ketchum and Desiree.

"The lady of this estate has been very kind to me. She is a close friend of mine. I could not avoid a friend, Lady Ketchum."

"As you wish,, my dear. But this is fair warning. You seem to be a very smart and you are undeniably beautiful."

"Thank you, my lady," May quickly responded and she nodded to Natalie, who had been pouring her tea.

"But a rose withers in a pile of weeds just as any other flower does."

May nodded her head at the 'advice'. "If you'd please excuse me, I will go see if my friend is okay."

"I think I will join you." Ash said, standing with May. "I must speak with you privately."

May nodded and followed Ash. Before Drew could stand and follow them both, he was stopped by Desiree asking, "So what's the palace like, Sir Drew?"

"It's wonderful." Drew replied knowing he wouldn't be able to move from where he was. So he would have to hope he wouldn't say anything to hurt her.

..bluejay511…

"What did you… want to talk to me about, Sir Ketchum?" she stuttered.

"Please call me Ash."

"I don't think-"

"Please… Call me Ash…" There was a pause as she stood there. "How did you do that?"

"Do what Sir- I mean, Ash…"

"Say what you said to my mother. Defend Misty without seeming rude and without a second thought. Even when Drew tried to stop you, you still seemed to know exactly what to say."

"I just did what was right, Ash. I have a feeling that she would do the same. Even if she didn't, no one should be talked about the way she had been talked about or how I assume she has been."

"So… you mean to tell me, you've never made fun of someone before just for he fun of it… because you felt better or just didn't like the person."

May looked down, "Once… but never again."

"What happened? If I may ask…"

There was a pause as they walked. When she finally spoke, she said, "When I was younger, I teased a girl in my school. I did it because I wanted to fit in and do what everyone else was doing. But i was wrong. i was supposed to be an example to everyone else. I was the princess and I wasn't supposed to. Later I found out she killed herself. Then I found a note from her addressed to me, it said, 'I'm sorry I displeased you, princess.' I didn't sleep for weeks. From that moment, I swore from that day one I would never do the same or let anyone else do the same for that matter. People or people they shouldn't be teased for anything especially for things they can't change."

"I respect that." Ash said calmly. "There is something infatuating with you foreign women: you have a spirit and beliefs different from regular English women." May smirked.

"We're what you would call exotic:attractive and out of the ordinary. That's probably what made you fall in love with Misty. We're completely different."

"And how, pray tell, are you different?" Ash asked in a more mischievous rather than in an angered tone.

"Well… Our values are different. No offense, but those two women out there are more into getting you remarried than your own happiness. Of course, they want whats best for you but they think Misty is bad for you. And I think you know that they are wrong. But they won't know until you tell them."

"But I have… more than once." Ash said more seriously.

"You were acting like a child. You've got to be a man and tell them before you lose her."

"Sometimes I feel that I have already lost her."

"Don't worry." May touched his shoulder. "You haven't. She's still here isn't she?" May smiled and curtsied "I'll see if I can convince her to come downstairs."

May ascended the staircase but when she reached the top he called out to her. "May, just one question." She looked down at him and he asked, "Why did you let Drew say you were from Covington when you are the princess of Castile? Why are you changing into a society that doesn't accept you?"

At this she stopped and sighed. She knew Ash was watching her so she refused to lie to him again, "It's one thing I've had to deal with my entire life: change. If I could I would change a lot of things in my life except meeting Drew. I really do love him and I couldn't tell them where I was from knowing the rejection he might receive. I didn't want to be rejected by him or anyone close to them. I don't know what I'd do if I was." May eyes almost started to swell. She quickly wiped the tear that strolled down her eye and turned away from him. "I'll be back hopefully successful." May quickly added and disappeared into the hallway from Ash's view. May hid in the hallway watching Ash leave.

"You aren't as bad as I thought you were," she heard Ash whispered to her. With that May smiled and went to Misty's room. Before knocking she heard cries. She opened the door and the first thing she saw was the ripped dress: the whole top was ripped in half. Then she saw Misty crying in the corner. It looked as if she didn't notice May was there.

"Please leave me to my misery," she said in a small whimper.

"Come on, Misty. You could talk to me." She continued to cry.

"Please. Just leave," she said in a voice that was barely audible.

"Come on, Misty. You told me girls like us should stick together."

"Girls like us?" Misty laughed as if it sounded like she had self pity on herself.

"Girls like us have to stick together. Girls who

What if I just sit here and not say a word… please Michella. Let me stay." Misty didn't say a word but instead just cried louder. May took this moment to sit and rub Michella's back while she cried.

"Why does he hate me?" Misty cried aloud.

"He doesn't hate you."

"Well he doesn't love me either." Misty shouted, "Not like he used to. We used to be so much in love: holding hands while walking in circles around the courtyard and if it started to rain, we'd kiss in it. Once when I was sick, he stayed home and took care of me. From the moment we were married, it was marvelous."

"Tell me about it: your wedding day."

"You don't want to hear about that."

"Yes, you do." May said. "What was it like?"

"He took me to the countryside to a little chapel by the lake. It was just the two of us and the minister and a couple of Ash's closest friends as witnesses. Drew was there. We were married immediately the next day. Ash took me to a dress shop and told me to pick any dress I wanted. I picked out this white dress. No one usually wore white but it was to dies for. I'll never forget the way he looked at me when I walked down that isle. He looked at me, I seen love. True love. I knew from that moment, I could never love anyone as much as I love him. I still love him but I don't know if I can say the same for him."

"He does love you." May quickly responded, "Drew told me about the day you met Ash: when he told you he was falling in love with you, when he told you he was leaving the day after and wanted you to come with him, when he said even if you didn't come with him, he'd remember you always. What about those times?"

"Those times are history."

"And history always repeat itself."

Misty laughed to show the stupidness of the idea. "If history always repeats itself does that mean, he'll hurt me again. I don't want to be hurt again. Never. Especially not by him. I love him too much."

"Misty, why can't you give him another chance like you've done before? He doesn't want to hurt you."

"AND YET HE DOES!" Misty shouted. Then she cried again and softly spoke, "He didn't even look at me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I wore the dress." Misty said in slow breaths. "The dress I wore when we met. Every time I wear that dress, he can't keep his eyes off me. And today… toady he didn't even look at me."

"Misty It's just a dress." May calmly explained.

"No it's not just a dress. That dress represented our whole relationship. The dress is torn and so is our relationship. He tore the heart out of my chest and threw it to the ground… and I don't think I could take it."

"What if I fix the dress?" Misty looked at May with a slight bit of hope in her eyes, along with a trace of fear and happiness.

"I couldn't ask you to do that-"

"But I must. You've been so kind to me. It's the very least I could do. Just give him another chance. Everyone deserves a second chance."

Misty shook her head. "I can't. I'm too vulnerable."

"Then give me 3 days. In three days time I can fix the dress and Ash will fix what's wrong between you too but You've got to give him the chance to."

"Why do you care about me?" Misty asked.

"Because I know you love him and he loves you. Plus girls like us have to stick together remember and you're the only one that gives me hope about Drew. You show me everyday that you can marry a man completely different than you out of true love and everything will work out. Please… let me do this for you…"

Misty nodded her head with tears still coming out of her eyes.

…bluejay511…

Hey I feel sooooo accomplished. This is my second update for this story in two months. Yay! Review and tell me what you think.