• I opened my eyes and yawned. I had almost forgotten what had happened last night before it all came back to me in a rush. I got dressed fairly quickly, grabbed my stuff, and was heading for the door before an all too familiar voice stopped me.
    "And where do you think you're going?" he asked. I turned slowly to see Justin standing a couple of feet away grinning.
    "Home, I can't stay here." I replied stating the obvious.
    "Nonsence, you can stay forever, I know I wouldn't mind." he smiled deviously. He nearly closed the distance between us before another vioce startled us both.
    "Well, has Justin told you yet?" Justin's father asked smiling widely.
    "Uh, no father, she doesn't know, not yet at least." Justin answered quickly.
    "You're running out of time, my son, you must hurry, James won't wait long." his father informed Justin still leaving me clueless.
    "And might I ask what ya'll are talking about?" I asked looking to Justin.
    "I'll tell you later." he replied and he walked off leaving me and his father standing there. His father shook his head and turned to me.
    "He's planning to propose to a woman sometime soon." he explained. My whole life was like a fire that had sand poured over the top of it. But a little ember of hope burned brightly and refused to go out, the hope that I might be that woman.
    "Whom is this woman you speak of?" I asked, my curiousity getting the best of me.
    "Someone he cares for deeply." he said simply and left, leaving me and my thoughts all alone. I went home unsure of what else there was to do but I forgot how deep in Hell I was with my father.
    "Do you think you can just keep on going over to his kingdom and getting out of work?!" my father shouted. I didn't answer, instead I gathered all the hens together and was about to spread the feed across the ground when a stinging met my head and I fell to the ground. My father had hit me.
    "You ungrateful b-" he started and kicked me. A figure caught my eye. Justin was standing acouple of yards from the house, and me and my father. His look was of pure rage. I felt the tears streaming down me cheeks. I had been hit before, but never that hard. I quickly scrambled to my feet and ran past both of them heading to the only place that could give me comfort, the spot where Justin and I met. I ran faster than I wouldv'e thought possible. I stopped at the place I had sat so many years before and collapsed, balling myself up and crying. I felt someone wrap their arms around me and I knew that Justin was holding me close to his chest.
    "Yvany, calm down, it's alright, I'm here now." he said trying to soothe me. It worked, my tears stopped and so did my sobs. He held me there for the longest time before he pulled me back to look at him. But I looked down, he was to marry, I shouldn't be that close.
    "Yvany, look at me." he demanded placing a finger under my chin and lifting my head to look at him. I stared into his dark eyes and as twice before, there was nothing but us.
    "Yvany, I've been meaning to tell you," he started but he seemed to hesitate, trying to figure out how to put it, "I-I. . ."
    I squirmed and he stopped mid sentence. I tried to brake free of his grip but his arms tightened refusing to let me leave.
    "What's wrong?" he asked. I shook my head at his arrogance.
    "You're planning to get married, I can't be this close." I said still struggling. He laughed and I stopped trying to escape.
    "I guess my father can't keep a secret." he said his loving eyes boring down into mine. I caught sight of a horse with a cart trailing behind it and a girl my age sitting on the horse. It was another best friend, Sandra.
    "Sandra!" I called breaking free of Justin and scrambling to my feet. I ran to the dirt road as the horse stopped and Sandra hopped off it, her blonde hair bouncing behind her as she ran to me. We embraced each other and when I pulled back she gasped.
    "I swear your father needs his a** kicked." she growled. I guessed my father left a mark. She glanced behind me and her blue eyes widened. I knew she saw Justin when she curtsied and gave me a "Why didn't you tell me," look.
    "It's nice to see you Sandra." Justin mumbled walking up to us. Sandra laughed.
    "It doesn't seem like it's nice." she snickered. I smiled and walked over to Sandra's horse petting its neck.
    "This here is Buck." she grinned joining me.
    "What happened to Macy?" I asked glancing to the horse's face, it looked so much like Macy, a horse that Sandra and I had loved to ride together.
    "She was sick, had to shoot her." Sandra replied mounting the horse. She held out her hand to help me up with her. I was about to hop on when I remembered something, or someone really. I turned to Justin who was watching me with sad eyes.
    "I'm sorry, what were you trying to tell me earlier?" I asked.
    "It's nothing that can't wait until later, I've got to get back anyways, later today my father and I are going to take a stroll through the town so I'll see you and tell you then." he said and walked off toward the kingdom. I climbed on Buck and we started trotting toward town.
    "Well, if you need either of us we'll be at my house!" Sandra called as Justin slowly went out of sight.
    "He seemed really upset." I mumbled to myself but Sandra heard.
    "He wanted to be alone with you." she said.
    "What makes you think that?" I asked.
    "They way he looked to you as if he was asking you to leave me and go to him." she replied simply. I did want to go to him, let him hold me close just as he had before.
    "I do want to go to him." I confessed not realizing I had said that aloud. Sandra grinned.
    "Then what are you doing with me, go to him, tell him how you feel." she said glancing back to me. I shook my head.
    "It's not that easy." I explained. We came upon an old shack looking house and I hopped off the horse as it slowed. I smiled as a rather large woman with green eyes and blonde hair came bounding out of the house. It was Sandra's mother, Celia.
    "Oh, darling, I'm never going to let you go back to your father." she said as she touched my cheek gently.


    . . . (I'm continuing the story in third person). . .

    Yvany smiled remembering how Celia was always a second mother, even when her real mother was alive. Celia dropped her hand and made her way to Buck and Sandra.
    "Henry's been asking about ya." Celia informed Sandra. Sandra flushed and Yvany got the picture.
    "Who's Henry?" Yvany asked raising her eyebrows. Sandra glared at her for going deeper into the conversation than needed.
    "He's just a man that I happen to like and happens to like me." she replied.
    "Or so we think, and what about you and Justin?" Celia asked turning to Yvany. Sandra smiled wickedly while Yvany flushed.
    "He's planning to get married." Yvany said in a hushed vioce. Sandra's smile faded and suddenly felt pity. She's known for years that Yvany loved him dearly.
    "To who?" Celia asked, digging for more information.
    "I don't know, but I hope he's happy with whom ever he chooses." Yvany replied tried to smile but it looked pained. Yvany quickly walked off before they could ask or say anything. Sandra glanced to her mother and followed Yvany to make sure she was okay but was stopped by a sudden hand. She turned around to her mother who pointed to a man walking up the hill they lived on. It was Justin.
    "Do you know where Yvany is?" he asked searching for her.
    "She just went inside." Sandra replied. He nodded and headed inside the house. Yvany was sitting on a pile of hay with tears silently streaming down her face. She looked up to Justin who rushed over to her and held her close to his chest.
    "What happened?" he asked rocking her back and forth like a small child.
    "Nothing." she whispered shaking her head.
    "If nothing happened then why are you in here crying?" he challenged while he wiped a tear away.
    "I just don't understand why every woman in the village is married or planning to get married while I haven't even had one offer." Yvany said trying to keep the tears from coming back. Justin smiled softly and pulled her closer.
    "I'm sure you have had offers, your father probably scared them away." he said light-heartedly, doing or saying anything to see her smile. It worked and she laughed but it was shakey and quiet.
    "No, my father would sell me in a heartbeat." she replied. He just shook his head and sighed. She constantly had to make things harder.
    "I won't let him give you away to just anyone, I'll make sure that he's a good man." Justin reassured her.
    "It doesn't matter, I'm never going back to that man, I'm going to stay with Celia. If she says it's alright."
    "Does Celia respect your decision?"
    "Absolutely."
    "Then everythings just fine, now isn't it?'
    "I guess." Yvany sighed looking up to Justin. He smiled and her heart stuttered.
    "How about you spend the night with me again tonight, just for fun?" he asked hoping to cheer her up.
    "I would like that." she smiled.Her smile made his heart melt and again he wanted to tell her of his undying love for her but was afraid of her reaction.
    "I guess I'll see you tonight." Yvany said breaking free of Justin's hold and standing up to walk away but he stopped her.
    "Come to dinner with me and my family tonight." Justin insisted. Yvany smiled and nodded once. He watched her walk off, dismay filling his empty heart. She was his heart and she had no idea that every time she just walked off without giving him a hint to show him of her love, he felt like dying, for his own heart had rejected him. Dramatic, yes, but true.
    "How do you feel?" Sandra asked looking to Justin who was still sitting on the floor.
    "Suicidal, depressed, like my whole world has come crumbling on top of me." he sighed.
    "Did Yvany tell you that she hated you and wished you would die?" Sandra asked casualy.
    "No, but it feels like it, and besides, what else would there be to say, she's made it clear that she doesn't love me."
    "Poppycock! Almost every day I have to sit through her whining on how she can't tell you how she feels and you won't tell her!"
    "Then why don't you tell her how I feel?" Justin questioned.
    "Because thats not the same as hearing it from your own love." Sandra replied standing up. She walked away and left it at that.
    Yvany sighed as she looked to the harp that she loved to play and so often peddlars would come and try to buy it for its value and beauty. She strummed the strings softly, letting her heart play it's sad melody that soon was heard throughout the whole house. Justin lifted his head to the wonderful music that had filled the air. The song was of an undying love that could barely hold itself any longer. But every time the notes got high as if the love was to be told the notes went low, clearly stating that this person was too afraid to say anything. The music sang to Justin and captured his heart like a helpless butterfly in a net. It had roped him, and he had to follow it's wonderful sound to see who was playing it. There has been many tales that if you play your true heart's song, your true love will follow the noise. They believe that the one you find is the one that has the heart that beats with your's and therefore, is your true love. Justin walked silently hoping not to scare off whomever was playing this wonderful melody. He believed the tales of the heart's true music and how it brought love, and he has heard music played many times but nothing had called his name so sweetly. While listening to the music he was thinking of Yvany, whom was the only one he wanted to see playing. The image brought him hope and joy. He could almost hear her singing with the music as if to lure him, and it was working. Her voice was in perfect harmony, though she was not singing, Justin heard it and was nearly hypnotized by it. The music had slowed, coming to its ending and Jutin started running to find the music's player. Yvany had gotten off the stool that was placed in front of the harp and left the room as the echoing of the music faded slowly, not wanting to go. Justin turned a sharp corner and dashed into the room. He looked around but couldn't find anything but a harp and its stool. He sighed, his heart breaking. I have to find the music and its player, he thought determined. He walked out of the room with his head down in dismay, for he had lost what he was looking for.
    "Did you hear that wonderful music?" Sandra asked coming up to him once again with questions.
    "Yes, I've never heard anything so sweet yet sad, and it called out to me, as if begging me to come find the player of the harp." he sighed spilling his thoughts to her as if he was talking to his own mother.
    "You mean, it caught your heart, and you feel as if you have to find the one who has played the melody?" Sandra asked, her eyebrows raising in surprise. Justin nodded and Sandra smiled widely.
    "I have never heard someone feel so lured by the music of his or her true love, for I thought it was a myth." she confessed.
    "It isn't, whomever was playing I need to find, so I can see if it is love or they just really have good taste in music." Jsutin replied. Sandra nodded in agreement and thought for a minute until her face lit up.
    "What if you ask all harp players to come to the dinner tonight and play and when the music plays again you'll know who it is?" she asked excitedly.
    "That could work, I'll get a messanger to give the news while I head off to the castle." Justin agreed and hurried off.
    "Yvany was walking through the crowd off people in the village when there was the sound of a horn and everybody stopped and looked to its direction. A man stood on a bench and pulled out a sheet of parchment that had nice writing on it.
    "The prince has declared he wishes all harp players to attend to dinner tonight at the palace. The one who plays the most beautiful melody is to be rewarded in any way possible. That is all."
    Everyone started whispering but Yvany ignored them. She decided she was going to play her song at the dinner tonight, wether it should win her anything, she wanted everyone to hear her melody.