[b]Although she was a bit miffed that he was teasing her, Ella gave Marken a small smile as he led her to the dining hall, admittedly a bit amused by this excitement. He seemed almost like a kid sometimes, barely able to contain his excitement. And honestly, she didn't mind it. Most royalty was filled with stiffs and overly proper fools that only wanted to impress others. But as a prince, Marken probably didn't have to impress many people.

On the way tithe dining hall, Ella wondered what kind of person Marken's mother was like, greatly hoping that she was as kind as Marken believed her to be. She'd met far too many "kind mothers" to blindly hope that everything would be as Marken said. Some mothers could just be downright nasty.[/b]