The Adventures of the SOL

 It should be mentioned that Rei never thought very highly of any man beyond her father, her brother, and her best friend Charlie.  On a normal basis, though her head would turn, she found she didn’t worry too much about boys.  Her love life, sure, after all she needed someone to share her throne.  But men in general, she wasn’t all that crazy about.  To her they were simply objects that had nothing better to do than stare at every woman that their beady little eyes could reach.  A typical opinion for a girl with her personality.

 She started seeing things differently when he came along.  Well, maybe not directly when he showed up, but afterwards.

 Rais was different from anyone she had ever met.  She found her affection for him growing everytime she saw him.

 And what was worse, Charlie, unknown by either Rais or Rei, was stuck right in the middle.  He knew for a fact that Rais was deeply in love with Rei.  Only someone who cared for her as much as he did could save her life the way he did.  He had been able to transfer life energy when it had been put in his own body.  That was a difficult spell.  An unlearnable spell.  A spell that, to this moment, still had Rais unconscious in a bed.  It was what Charles Von Reese knew as an instinct spell.  It meant that it could only be done on instinct and never at any other time.  He knew that Rais had kissed Rei when he made the transfer.  But Charlie was wise and he knew a kiss could mean only so much in a world of lust.  It was the feeling behind the kiss.  It was the way he had kissed her.

 And Charlie had to admit; he was getting a bit jealous.  After all, he had been with Rei since they were small children.  That’s not to say that he, despite what various people around the castle had come to believe, was in that kind of love with her himself.  He was like her big brother, and seeing Rais move in like that… Well, it wasn’t easy to describe.

 Another thing he knew was that Rei loved Rais just as much.  She had kissed him too, and he knew the feeling behind it was the same.  He didn’t see the actual kiss, but he had a way of reading her that said she had.  He could see it in her eyes, in her step, and in her smile.

 Now, what left him in the middle were three things.  1) Neither of them actually knew the other had kissed them, because they both were unconscious, 2) no one else in the group knew about the affection between the two, and 3) Charlie knew everything but didn’t find it his place to tell either of them.  So he was torn between putting the two lovers anxieties to rest by telling them, or letting fate work itself out.  He knew that they wouldn’t tell each other for some time because neither Rei nor Rais thought the other shared their feelings.

 Also, Charlie wasn’t about to let that little group of girls, intentionally or not, turn what Rais and Rei had into a small crush, which is what they would think it was.

 Sometimes it was hard being the mature one but somebody had to do it.

It was another day at Lizerton castle.  The new newspaper was in.  Rei had been boredly flipping through it, trying to decide if she really needed to care about anything in it, when she stumbled across her own picture.

 She jumped and stared at the newspaper.  Mina, who had been going over a checklist, paused and stared at her for a moment.

 Rei read the article very quickly.  It was very close to the front and she saw little hearts lining the edges.  She made some strange face and Mina wasn't sure whether or not she should ask what it was she was looking at.

 "What?!" she cried suddenly and Mina walked over to her.

 "What’s up?"

 "This can’t be happening," Rei groaned, slumped in her throne, and handed the newspaper to Mina.  Mina grabbed it and opened it to the page with Rei’s picture on it.

 She read it, paused, and started laughing wildly.  Rei sat up and growled at her.  Mina covered her mouth but found the laughter wouldn’t stop.

 "Think that’s funny do you?" Rei said, snatching the newspaper away from her, "This is a disaster!  Who took this photo anyway?  Who wrote this?"

 "What’s going on?" Hotaru and Amy both asked, poking their heads into the room.  Mina took the paper back from Rei and opened it up to the second page.  Rei’s smiling face was still there, despite the wishes Rei had been making under her breath.

 "What’s that?" Amy asked.

"Looks like this month’s Continental Monthly has deemed her this years most eligible bachelorette," Mina laughed and Rei groaned even louder.

 Amy and Hotaru both looked at the article, reading over it.  They both started laughing and Rei sighed.

 "Look!" Hotaru pointed, "I says here that she likes sunsets and cute messengers!  And it also mentions the great Lizerton fortune.  What fortune?"

 "What a disaster," Rei repeated, "Now what?"

 "What’s the problem?" Amy asked, still laughing, "I mean, it’s just some goofy article.  What’s the worst that could happen?"

 "I’ll tell you," Rei said, grabbing the newspaper once again, "The responses to these bachelor articles are tremendous.  There will be fifty thousand knights, princes, and pretty boys lined up to get a chance to marry me!"

 They were quiet for a moment and then they all started laughing even louder than before.  Rei’s face fell and she glared at each of them.

 "I’m sorry!" Mina cried, "It’s just, the thought of a bunch of boys, lined up to marry you…"  She continued to laugh.

 "Hey, it’s not that I’m not worth it," Rei folded her arms, "The thing is I am not interested in finding a king right now."

 "Look, I doubt if the response will be that big," Hotaru told her, "I mean, exactly how many single guys out there are gonna want a piece of you?"

 About that time Serena poked her head in, a lollypop in her mouth.  They all looked at her and she said, "I just wanted to let you know, there’s a bunch of chariots outside the castle and some really overdressed men there."

 "What?" they all cried.

 "That was fast," Amy said looking at the paper again.

 "How many?" Rei asked.

 "Twenty, thirty," Serena shrugged, "One hundred.  Who’s counting?"  She walked off sucking her lollypop.  Rei smacked her forehead.

 "Not a big response, eh?" she asked Hotaru, who could only shrug.  Rei walked out the front door and looked over the chariots out there.  She could see several Princes and Knights and other noble blooded young men waiting just for her.  Not only were they causing a scene in front of the castle, they were interfering with the regular hustle and bustle of Lizerton.

 Lita came up behind her.  Rei looked at her, then back at the men, then did a double take back to Lita.  If Rei didn’t know any better, Lita looked so happy that she might cry.  She was staring at all of the cute Princes and nobles with stars in her eyes.  Rei stared at her with disgust and turned around.  It might not be safe to stay out there…

 "My lady!" she heard and cringed.

 She turned around and saw a flock of pretty boys swarm towards her.  She gave a loud gasp and turned around.  She ran into the castle and shut the door.  She continued running and almost ran into Charlie.

 "Charlie!" she cried and hid behind him, "You have to help me!  There’s a bunch of boys chasing after me!"

 "And…?" Charlie asked, "You are the continents most eligible bachelorette aren’t you?" He held up a copy of the newspaper with a smirk on his face.

 "I never authorized that article!" Rei growled, grabbing it and crumpling it into a ball, "And I’m not quite sure who wrote it.  If you’ll notice there’s no byline."

 "Great use of journalistic vocabulary," Charlie smiled, "It doesn't matter who wrote it. Either way it’s there and you are the most eligible bachelorette."

 "But I’m already…" she shut her mouth and blushed, "I mean, I’m not ready to be courted, you know?  Can’t they wait until I’m eighteen?"

 "Sorry to inform you, but most of them aren’t here because of your good personality," Charlie replied frankly, "Most just want your princessly fortune."

 "And everyone else is after my personality?" Rei asked hopefully.

 "Or because your pretty," Charlie shrugged, "Either way, their intentions aren’t exactly noble are they?"

 "Exactly," Rei pointed out and then pointed right at him, "Which is why you should shoo them all away."

 Charlie shook his head.  "I don’t think even Lawrence could take on that mob, though I bet he’d try if he was here since it concerns you."

 "Okay, okay, fine!" Rei yelled, "They can croon all they want, but I’m not open for business.  Besides, I don’t think they’ll leave till they’ve had their shot."

 Charlie’s teasing expression switched to discomfort.  "Don’t make it sound so vulgar.  Go explain what you’ve just explained to me.  That you’re too young and not ready to make a commitment, especially to one out of many of those boys out there."

 Rei turned to him with a devious smile on her face.  It was her turn now.  "You aren’t jealous are you?"

 "Me?  No.  I mean, I’m just giving you the advice you asked for," he shrugged, "I mean, you did ask for some didn’t you?"

 "I thought I asked you to just take them out, but I don’t think that’s happening," Rei sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "I think I just have to let them have a chance then turn them all down.  As sad as it is for them…"

 She started back to the door when Charlie called after her.  "Not as disappointed as you’d like to think, Your Highness."

 Rei "humphed" him away and continued to the door.

 When she went outside she was shocked.  There were tons of them!  Nobles or stable boys, there were all kinds.  And Lita could be seen shaking a few hands.  Serena was sitting on the steps, licking her lollypop.  Rei looked at her and she smiled.

 "So why are they here?" she asked.

 "You haven’t heard yet?" Rei asked her.

 Serena shrugged indifferently and continued to dissolve the candy very messily, most of it sticking to the sides of her mouth.

 "I am the Continental Monthly’s choice for most eligible bachelorette," Rei told her and she choked on her candy.  She looked at Rei for a moment to see if she was serious, saw that she was, then burst out laughing.

 "Is that so hard to believe, French-fries for brains?" Rei asked her, hands on her hips.  She was tired of being laughed at that day.

 Serena didn’t answer.  She couldn’t talk and tears were starting to stream down her face.  She couldn’t seem to stop.  At about that moment Mina, Amy, Hotaru, all dragging Lita, walked towards her.  Lita was struggling against them, reaching towards the many men.

 "What are we suppose to do?" Amy asked, "There’s so many…"

 "It looks like we’ll have to welcome them in to get them to go away," Rei sighed, "As much as I hate it…"

 "Can I take your place!?" Lita fell on her knees in front of Rei, "They don’t have to know who the real Rei is!"

 "My picture was in the paper, Sweetheart," Rei told her dryly, "They already know what I look like.  Besides, why would a princess wear that?"

 Lita bristled.  She was wearing an orange halter-top dress.  She didn’t think there was something wrong with that.

 "I’m a princess, I’m wearing it," she reminded Rei.

 "Oh yeah," Rei shook her head and waved her away, "Well you’re a different kind.  The kind I am, wouldn’t wear that dress.  Anyway…"

 She stepped forward.  She saw Charlie come out of the castle behind her and watch carefully.  She took a deep breath.  "Excuse me?  Hello?  EVERYONE SHUT UP!"

 The crowd all focused their attention on her.  She cleared her throat.  "I’m… pleased… to see such a large turnout, but there’s not enough room in the castle.  If you could all line up, I’ll try and see each of you—"

 "Like heck you will!"

 Rei attention snapped down into the crowd.  So did everyone else’s.  She was ready to give a rude response to the rude person, but instead she smiled.

 "Luke!" she ran forward and gave the taller boy a hug.  He had black hair and eyes that were bright green.  Everyone looked into his face.  It was shaped a lot like Rei’s.  All of the girls looked at each other in confusion.

 "Luke?  Who's Luke?"

 "Luke," Charlie smirked and walked up next to them.  He knew exactly who this was and he was rather relieved to see him.  The boy was Charlie’s age and a little taller.  His straight black hair was in his eyes, but his smile was unwavering.

 "Who’s Luke?" Serena asked.

 "I’m not sure," Mina scratched her chin and whipped out her clipboard, once again, from no visible place, "He’s not on the guest list for today."

 "Seems we have a lot of unexpected visitors," Hotaru informed her, "and I mean a lot.  I think for today the guest list is dead."

 The group of men, at least those close enough to see, were eyeing the boy and Rei with grumbles.  The boy seemed to reframe his attention at the crowd and stepped up on the stairs.

 "As I was saying," the boy was frowning down at all of them, "If you want to live you’ll all stay away from my baby sister."

 "Did he just say...?" Lita's mouth fell open.

 "Sister?!" Serena finished.

 "Luke, I wouldn’t..."

 "Not a word Rei, I know how to handle myself," the boy named Luke snapped, "Now all of you, go to where you came from.  Show’s over.  Go!"

 There was a small muttering in the crowd that eventually turned into a dull roar.  The crowd seemed outraged.

 "She was in the paper!  If she didn’t wanna be bachelorette she shouldn’t have applied!"  The crowd agreed with the faceless shouter.

 "And I will see about that!" Luke growled back, "But for now, go away.  Stay if you wish, but for now you aren’t to come anywhere near Rei!"

 Rei shook her head.  "Really now Luke."

 "You’re pushing it, baby sis," Luke told her and the group saw he was a little angry with her.  She frowned up at him.  He sounded like he was about to make another announcement to the crowd when Charlie very smoothly marched forward.

 "Hey Luke," Charlie said and he turned around.  His eyes widened, but he was smiling.  Charlie gave him a lopsided grin.

 "What is up my main magical man!" Luke said and locked fists with him, "Long time no see.  How goes it, bro?"

 "You can imagine with Rei," Charlie shrugged, "But I live."

 "Yes, I can see how dealing with Rei and her high authority here would be difficult," Luke said eyeing his younger sister.  If the girls didn't know any better, they would have said that Rei was in trouble.  That was a first.

 "Let’s go inside," Charlie said. Luke nodded and grabbed Rei by the back of the shirt, dragging her in the castle.  Charlie gave Rei a look that made her smile.  Charlie was just trying to get Luke away from the crowd.

 They walked inside and Luke turned on Rei.  "Fifteen years old?!  Fifteen and you have a most eligible bachelorette out?   I know you’re a princess, baby sis, but this is just a little ridiculous!"

 The girls watched between Luke and Rei.  She had her arms folded and was scowling up at him.  She looked amazingly young frowning up at her big brother like that. Charlie sighed.

 "What does this make this look like?" Luke kept on, "Most of these men could be your father!  Speaking of father, what would Dad think if he saw all this?!"

 Rei was staring at him.  They all recognized this expression.  It could be seen when Rei wasn’t sure how to answer because she was getting too angry to think of a response.  Then she did something that shocked everyone.

 She kicked Luke in the shin.

 He let out a cry and fell backwards, clutching his shin.

 "Listen you Hot head!" Rei started in, shoving a finger into his astonished face, "I didn’t put out an ad!  I didn’t even apply for that stupid article!  I was just as surprised as you probably are.  If you think for one second that I would just pop off and do something like that you are sorely mistaken, oh dear brother of mine!  So before you start in on 'shame on me, what would dad think,' get all the facts!"

 Luke blinked and his cheeks flushed.  He looked up at Charlie.  "Just like old times huh?  She always was a biter."

 Charlie nodded and Rei gave him an intense glare.  He edged away from the now steaming princess.

 "Sorry baby sis," Luke said, standing up, "Got a little carried away there."

 "Don’t call me baby sis," Rei grumbled.

 "If I called you plain sis we might confuse it with Lynda," Luke smiled, ruffling her hair, causing her to blush, "She’s my sis and you’re my baby sis."

 "How about Rei?" she insisted, still a little annoyed.

 "Fine," he shrugged, then changed the subject quickly, not wanting to annoy her after that first kick, "So how have you been baby… er… Rei?"

 "Fine, I guess," Rei sighed, "I wanna know who signed me up for that stupid article.  I’m telling you, when I get my hands on em…"

 "Down girl," Lita said, "Look at this as an opportunity.  So many cute guys…"  She seemed to fade off into a world of her own.

 "I think we may have to chain her up," Mina said with a grin, "Until temptation leaves."

 "There’s only one cute guy for me," Serena said and slid next to Charlie.  Charlie looked down at her and sighed.

 "Get serious," Amy told all of them, "We can’t keep all of these boys around the castle.  They have gotta go, and the sooner, the better.  It's going to cause a major problem in Lizerton if we don't get rid of them right now."

 "Now is that soon really necessary…?" Hotaru said a little quietly.

 "You have a boyfriend!" Lita burst out suddenly.

 "Yeah, well he isn’t here right now is he!" Hotaru answered.

 Luke stared at each girl.  Blinking he looked at Rei who smirked a little.  "Meet Lizerton’s guardians.  Girls, Luke, Luke, girls."

 "You're really Rei’s older brother?" Mina asked.

 "Yeah, and I’ve heard of you guys.  I hear you aren’t doing too bad of a job down here," he smiled, "Luke Wallace the Swordsman."

 "Funny," Amy said, "She’s never mentioned you."

 Luke blinked and turned to Rei.  "You didn’t tell them you had a brother?  How important is family to you?"

 "I might have said I had a brother and two sisters," Rei answered sheepishly, "And If I did I may have managed to… uh… skip the fact that they have names."

 Luke huffed and turned back to the girls.  "I’m Luke, her older sister is Lynda, and her younger is Lacy.  And you are…?"

 Charlie stepped forward.  "This is Mina.  She’s an animist.  Serena here is a scout, Amy is a Dragon Trainer.  Wait long enough and you might meet Sady.  Lita is an Amazon, from the village in the forest, and Hotaru is a shapeshifter."

 "Wow," Luke smiled, "I’ve never seen so many cute girls in one little group before."  They all stared and all of them blushed a little.

 "Luke!" Rei cried and hit him on the arm.  He smiled and held up his hands  in defense.
 "You’re one of them Baby sis," he told her, ruffling her hair again.  She gave a growl deep in her throat and he quickly retracted his hand.

 "Not good enough!" Rei snapped, "Now what are we going to do with those men out there, dying to meet me?"

 "Give them to me!" Lita cried.

 "Besides that!" everyone but Luke yelled.  Lita sat on the ground and folded her arms pouting.

 "I guess we need to see them," Luke rubbed the back of his head, "I mean, they aren’t going away until  they’ve had their chance.  Let’s just hope Rei doesn’t fall for any of them."  He elbowed her with a wink.

 "Oh, that was funny," Rei said but a smile was slowly edging on her face.

 "And if she doesn’t want them—" Lita started, but Amy put a hand over her mouth..

 "I guess," Rei sighed, "Send them into the throne room.  I’ll see them, but that doesn’t mean I’ll like what I see."

 This has to be the worst thing ever!  The day I get pursued by fifty thousand boys is the day that the guy I like happens to be lying unconscious in his bedroom.

 "Next!" Rei called as another man tried to plea his case.  She waved him away and he left with disappointment.  Rei couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for them.

 She had seen each one as they came and sent them all away.  She wondered exactly how many people responded to that stupid newspaper.  Didn’t they know that their chances were very slim?  As a matter of fact, they were zero in Rei’s case.

 "Your majesty," the next man said and bowed very low.  She looked at him and suddenly felt very odd.  "You are even more beautiful than the picture.  I couldn’t resist the face in that newspaper anymore than I could go a day without breathing.  Your features are so…"

 "Yes, yes, that’s all very romantic, but..." she took a breath and yelled, "Next!"

 He looked a little surprised, then heartbroken.  He walked out of the room with his head hanging low to the ground.

 "If you change your mind, my name is…"

 But she wasn’t even listening.  Actually, she looked very worried.  Worried that none of these men are perfect enough, he thought.  He walked out, very disappointed.

 What was a single guy to do?  After all, his mother wanted him to marry the right woman.  Not just any woman.  The perfect woman.  She wanted her to be rich, pretty, and independent.  How many girls out there were all three?  Not many, that’s for sure.  But Princess Rei had to be, after all, she was rich, she was pretty, and she had to be independent to be a ruler of an entire kingdom, but his luck didn’t seem to be with him today.

 He sighed.  Not that there wasn’t a special somebody in his life.  Maybell was poor, and she was still living with her father in a small cottage outside of town, but she was the best girl he had ever met and the prettiest.  But if Mother should ever find out that he was in love with a girl like Maybell, there was no telling what she would say or do.  After all, Maybell was poor.

 Rei was young anyway; Mother may not have liked her.  And she was a little feisty.  Mother didn’t like anyone feistier than herself, though that wasn’t usually a problem.  She also didn’t like anyone who was homely, who was poor or too rich, anyone with strange colored eyes, anyone that wasn’t human, anyone who was too pale, anyone who was too fat, anyone who was too skinny, anyone who was too rude, anyone who was too nice, anyone who smiled a lot, or any one with shifty eyes.

 As a matter of fact, he wasn’t sure Mother liked anyone.

 His name was Howard DuWah, and he was a noble blooded member of the town of Sirocco.  He had come a long way to meet Princess Rei, just to be turned down.  He sighed as he walked out of the town.  He picked up the round locket around his neck and opened it.  Inside was a picture of Maybell.  She had given it to him a couple of days before he left for Lizerton, when he told her what Mother wanted him to do.

 "Oh Howie, are you going to get married?" she asked.

 "If the Princess will have me," he told her, "I’m going to have to go through with it.  Mother said.  Please don’t be angry."

 "She’ll see how handsome and perfect you are," she said, "And I’ll lose you forever, Howie!  Why do you have to do what that witch of a mother tells you?"

 "Because she is a witch," Howard reminded her, "Though if I could choose any one bride, it would be you, Maybell.  It really would."

 "Well, here, take my locket," she said, "so you won’t forget me when you become Prince of Lizerton."

 "Maybell, I can’t…"

 "No take it," she said, put it in his hands and closed them around it, "And promise, that even if we can’t be together, that you’ll never forget me."

 "How could I Maybell?" he asked, taking both of her hands.

 "Oh Howie."

 "Oh Maybell."

 "Howie."

 "Maybell."

 "Howie."

 "Maybell."

 "Howie."

 "Maybell."

Now Howard thought about her as he walked away from Lizerton and found his carriage.  He was glad he didn’t have to marry Rei, but he still couldn’t be with Maybell.  What was a poor boy in love to do?

 "Maybe I could help."

 He looked around and saw a blue haired young man smiling at him, leaned against a tree.  He held a rose in one hand and was inhaling the scent of it.  It was a black rose of Evilopolis.  The kind whose thorns poisoned whoever it touched.

 "Who are you?" Howard asked, a little suspicious.

 "I am Danny the Hypnotist," he said, taking a deep bow, "I am here to help you win over your lover."

 "My lover?" Howard asked, then got excited, "You mean Maybell?"

 Danny nearly fell over.  "Maybell?  Whose Maybell?  Don’t you want to get together with Rei?  Isn't that why you’re here?"

 "Oh," Howard shrugged, "Well, kind of.  My mother wants me to.  But I’m really in love with Maybell."

 "Ah," Danny said, and smiled, "Well, I promised to help you.  What’s keeping you from getting this Maybell?"

"My mother won’t approve of anyone who is poor," Howard sighed dramatically.

 "Hmm, a very tough case indeed," Danny said, rubbing his chin, "You know what you have to do right?’

 "No, what?" Howard asked eagerly.

 "You have to make Maybell rich," Danny shrugged, "And I can help you.  But you have to do exactly what I say."

 "Anything!" Howard said.

 "The answer is quite simple.  I’m going to assume your mother wanted you to marry the Princess for her fortune?" without waiting for an answer, the hypnotist continued, "What if you could, say, take Rei’s fortune and make it Maybell’s?"

 "How?" Howard asked.

 "It’s a simple procedure," Danny said, "First I’d have to have Maybell and Rei in the same room.  It’s a hypnotist spell known as the Soul Switcher."

 "I’ve—I’ve heard of it," Howard said, "But what about--?  I mean, what if..?  We shouldn’t do something like that to a Princess.  Especially one like Rei, who had a father like Lawrence the Good.  It would be wrong and probably dangerous."

 "This coming from the young man who was just rejected off the bat by that little snob?  It’s an act of justice.  Who do you think deserves to be a Princess more, that brat or your dear Maybell?" Danny asked.

 "Well, Maybell, I suppose, but..."

 "But nothing," Danny put his arm around Howie's shoulder, "We shall bring Maybell here and place them in the same room.  Don’t tell her what is going to happen.  She will protest, but not once she’s a Princess."

 "Still, isn’t this…"

 "Whatever you’re about to say, the answer is no," Danny shushed him immediately, "And the best part is, is that your dear mother need not know that the woman you are seeing is really your precious Maybell."

 Howard thought about it for a moment.  It seemed wrong, but when Danny said it was an act of justice…  Well, it just sounded better.

 "Okay," Howard agreed and Danny smiled.

 "Excellent," he said, "I knew you’d see it my way.  Come on, we must get to work."

 "How are we going to get Maybell here?  I can’t go all the way back to Sirocco to get her.  And I’m sure I couldn’t get her away from her father that long," he said.

 "Do you doubt the power of a hypnotist?  I think I can handle it quite easily," he said and held up two fingers.  A small circle appeared in front of them, swirling black and green.  "Stand in front of the vortex and picture Maybell.  It should call her forth."

 Howard nodded and pictured Maybell’s beautiful long hair and pretty face.  He could see the way she sometime braided her hair and the way her lips moved when she talked or laughed…

 Then suddenly something was coming out of the vortex.  It was the shaped of a girl.  Maybell then stood in front of Howard looking confused.

 "Howie?"

 "Hello, Maybell."

 She blinked then fainted.  With a gasp, Howard caught her just before she hit the ground.  "Maybell?"

 "She’s fine," Danny said indifferently, "Now, I will go and prepare the Princess.  Stay here and wait for me to return.  And be ready."

 Howard could not say anything before the hypnotist disappeared.  He looked down at his love Maybell and waited.

 "I think he’s waking up."

 "Try tapping him in the head, that will work."

 Rais gave a small groan.  He opened one eye and said, "Why do you guys have to be hovering over me whenever I’m unconscious?"

 "Well, because… um… well, you should just stop being unconscious so there…"  Rais recognized the voice as Lita’s and looked up to see her, Amy, and Hotaru hovering over him.

 "And if you must know, her highness the royal pain in the butt asked us to be sure and tell her when you woke up," Hotaru added.

 "How long was I out?" Rais asked, realizing he felt like he hadn’t stood in days.  He slowly sat up and stretched.

 "A couple of days," Amy counted on her fingers for a moment, looking into the air thoughtfully, "Three actually if you include today."

 "Three days?" Rais gaped, "Jeez, I need to get up.  Just think how much practice I’m losing her in bed."

 He stood up carefully.  He felt a bit precarious but he felt okay so he managed to walk a little.  He tried to take a step forward but faltered a little.

 "Ten smisses says he falls," Lita whispered.

 "You’re on," Amy smirked at Lita and elbowed her a little, pointing at Rais, "Fifteen says he falls on his face."

 "I don’t think he’ll fall," Hotaru said to them.

 "Thanks," Rais said sincerely, as he concentrated on putting strength back into his legs.  They felt so weak after three days...

 "Yep, my money says he passes out," Hotaru nodded.

 "You guys are real encouraging, you know that?" Rais snapped, annoyed.  He turned on them and folded his arms.

 "It could be worse," Lita shrugged, "We could be betting on how long it takes you to realize you're in your underwear."

 "What?" Rais looked down and blushed furiously, "Agh!"  He ran back to the bed and pulled the covers over his head.  They could hear him muffled from under the covers.  "Get out you guys!"

 "He acts like he’s got something to hide," Hotaru said, walking out.

 "Well, wouldn’t you if you were him?" Amy asked, following her out and grinning like a Cheshire cat in Rais's direction.

 "I would hide the red trim on my underwear.  It’s simply a fashion crime," Lita said and shut the door behind her.

 Rais sighed as they left.

 He changed into a pair of pants and headed out of the room.  He walked down the hall, hands in his pockets.  Just where was Rei anyway?  He passed her room and saw the door shut.  He looked at the door for a moment, wondering if maybe he should…

 "Hey you!"

 Rais turned and saw a boy he had never seen before coming towards him.  He took two steps back, startled.  He had black hair and looked amazingly like Rei.

 "If you’re here about the bachelorette ad, you have to wait out front," he said, pointing towards the throne room.

 "What?  Excuse me but I live here.  Now who are you?" Rais frowned at the taller but less graceful boy.

 "Me?  I’m the Princess’s older brother, that’s who!" he leaned in real close to Rais's face, "And I don’t remember seeing you before, are you sure you live here?"

 "Pretty sure," Rais said, "the name is Rais Bluesword."  He held out his hand for Luke to shake but Luke disregarded it completely.

 Luke frowned harder.  "Wait are you the one that Lita has told me so much about?  The one that has the hots for my sister?"

 "I really wouldn’t listen to Lita, she says a lot of things," Rais blushed, "Rei and I are just friends and that’s all."

 "Either way, if you lay one hand on my sister, that I don’t like…" he said, glaring.  Rais wondered if Luke was going to fight him.

 "Luke, don’t make threats you won’t carry out."

 "Charlie," they both said.

"Calm down, Luke, Rais is a very decent young man," Charlie walked up beside Rais and put a hand on his shoulder, "Besides if I suspected his intentions for Rei were anything close to beyond friends, I would be very sure and let you know, wouldn’t I?"

 Luke seemed unsure for a moment.

 He then looked at Rais.  "One hand on her, I’m warning you."  He then walked away.  Rais watched him.  This was the second oldest child and only son of Lawrence the Good?  Hard to believe.

 "What’s his deal?" Rais asked Charlie.

 Charlie sighed.  "He’s very much a hot head and he's got a lot of bravado.  He thinks that Rei should marry when she’s thirty.  Speaking of Rei…"

 "Yeah, thanks for saving me," Rais smiled.

 "I hope you will soon prove me wrong about you liking her as only a friend," Charlie told him, "I do remember what happened."

 Rais looked up at him and let his head drop.  He had prayed Charlie didn't remember, but he didn't come out so lucky.  "Does anyone else?" Rais asked.

 "Not even Rei," Charlie shook his head, smiling at Rais, "And I didn’t tell her.  I was hoping that you might."

 "Why would I?" Rais said with mock indifference, "We’re just friends."  The way he stared at the floor suggested otherwise.

 "I happen to know better," Charlie told him.

 "There’s nothing to know better about!" Rais snapped.  They both paused.  Rais didn't lose his temper very often. "I’m going to go and say hi to everyone now."

 He walked down the hall away from Charlie a little fast.

 "Next," Rei almost groaned.

 She had been through hundreds of them, she was sure.  And everytime she felt worse.  Poor guys, some really did seem sincere.  Like that one guy who had started in sounding like he was reciting poetry.

 Rei saw a man with blue hair enter.  He gave a very deep bow and walked right up to the throne, handing her a rose.  It was red, a rare color of rose in Dania.  She caught a whiff of it.  He stepped back and bowed again.

 "Princess," he said, "I’m here to win your heart."

 Rei didn’t quite know what was going on.  She wanted to say 'next.'  To go on to the next poor guy who was going to be rejected, but she found that she couldn’t.  Why, she was not sure, but she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth.

 Instead, she said, "Come with me to the garden, let’s get to know each other."  And she was smiling.  The guards seemed to think this strange but made no move to stop them.  After all, if that's what the princess wanted...

 "Let’s," he smiled and guided her out to the garden.  And she went.

 She tried to stop but she couldn’t.  What was going on?  She had no control over herself.  Her heart started to pound nervously.  She looked at the man next to her and felt something abnormal about him.  He seemed ready to get this over with, and that’s not what she would expect from someone who was courting a Princess.

 On their way down the hall, Rei heard, "Bachelorette?  Rei?  Are you kidding?"

 It was Rais’s voice.  He was awake.  Finally Rei snapped out of it and tore away from the man next to her.

 "Strong willed I see," he smiled, "No matter."

 Suddenly he was behind her and he put his hand over her mouth.  She tried to pull him away, but he was stronger than he looked.  They disappeared together and were suddenly in the most secluded part of the garden.  He let go of her and pushed her against the wall.  Strange yellow bands of energy wrapped around her wrists, legs, and waist, pinning her to the wall.  She was about to scream but a thicker band went over her mouth.  Instead she yelled angry muffled sounds at him.

 "There."

 He then created a vortex.  Out of it came a boy holding a girl in his arms.  She was unconscious.  Rei stopped and watched.  She couldn’t figure out exactly what was going on.  Wasn’t that one of the men she had rejected from her little fan club?

 "Are you ready Howard?" he asked.

 Howard saw Princess Rei trapped on the wall.

 "Is that really necessary?  I’m not so sure about this," he shook his head, "I’ve decided, Danny, and this isn’t going to happen.  I can’t go through with it."

 When was somebody going to notice that Rei was here and not there?  She hoped Luke would decide to check in soon.  She kept trying to move but the bands didn’t give.  How did she get herself into these things?

 "Oh lord," Danny rolled his eyes, "Well, with your consent or not, this will happen.  Memory!"  A small gray orb hit Howard and he went blank.  Then he disappeared.  That left him, Rei, and the other girl.

 Danny smiled.  "Let me explain Princess," he said, "I’m here to make sure you are gotten rid of.  Creton asked me so himself."

 Rei’s eyes widened.

 "Yes, it’s true.  He’s stronger than ever.  And he still wants your blood, more than ever.  I’m to give it to him,"  Danny smiled, "It was a shame he couldn't be here in person but he has certain needs to attend to, I hope you understand."

 Rei growled and started to struggle again.

 "It won’t help, because my plan is ingenious," Danny went on, "And it’s time to put it into action."

 "Rei?" they heard and Rei recognized Luke’s voice.  She tried to tell him where she was, but to no avail.  Danny glared at the wall, having heard the person on the other side of it.

 "Better work fast," Danny smiled and cracked his knuckles.  He shut his eyes and a blue aura surrounded him.  "Soul Switcher!"

 Rei wasn’t sure what happened.  She felt very lightheaded for a moment, then nothing, then she felt very different.  Things about herself didn’t feel right.  She sat up.  She looked to her right and she was very surprised to see herself strung onto a wall unconscious.

 "What?" she looked at her hands, and they definitely weren’t her hands.

 She was wearing a dress.  She had a lot more hair than she had before.  She was in the girl’s body!  She looked at her hands again.  So who was in her body?

 "Princess?" Danny asked with a smile.  "Of course.  Good bye."

 He cast a spell and she disappeared.  Danny smiled until he heard Luke call for her again.  Now he frowned and looked at Rei on the wall.  Maybell was now inside of the girl.  She looked very wide-eyed at Danny.

 He released her from the wall and disappeared from the garden.  She landed on the ground, then stood up.  Just then, Luke came out from behind one of the walls.

 "There you are," he frowned and walked over, standing in front of her, "We’ve been looking for you.  Where were you?"

 "Excuse me?" she asked, very confused.

 "Yeah Rei, the attitude thing is very cute with your friends, but big brother knows best," Luke said, "Come on, you have suitors to see."

 "Rei?" she asked as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her away, "I’m not sure what you’re…"  Just then she noticed her feet and the clothes she was wearing.  What was going on?

 "Don’t play games, Rei," Luke muttered, "You've tried to whole amnesia thing when you were eight to get out of school, remember?  I’ve already had enough trouble with that little boyfriend of yours.  Are you two really an item?  He’s so scrawny and stocky."

 "But…"

 "No buts Rei, I don’t think that’s the kind of guy you should set your sites for.  I think you deserve someone better than that."

 "You don’t understand…"

 "I understand more than you Little Sis," Luke replied, nodding to himself, "No more argument.  Now be a good girl and greet your loyal subjects."

 They were walking towards the throne room when Rais stepped out of a room.  He looked at the two of them and said, "Can I please talk to Rei alone?"

 Luke paused and looked at Rei.  "Okay," he said coolly, then whispered to Rei, "Remember what we talked about."

 She looked at him very confused.  "Can we go in here?" Rais asked, "I think we’ll get more privacy."

 "Um, okay," she said timidly.  Maybell didn't know what else to do.  Where was she anyway?  Wasn't Rei the name of the girl Howie had gone to see?  Was this a dream?

 They went into the empty room.  Rais sat on the bed and Maybell/Rei went to sit next to him.  He sighed and fidgeted for a second.

 "I have something to tell you," they both started.

 "You first," Rais smiled feebly.

 "I’m… I’m not who you think I am," she said, "I’m someone else… My name is Maybell and…"

 "What?" Rais asked, "Rei stop messing around."  He took a deep breath.  "Rei, I… I’m not sure how to say this, but…"

 Maybell was about to say something when suddenly he leaned over and kissed her.  Her eyes went very wide and the kiss stopped very abruptly.  Rais leaned back and seemed confused for a moment.

 Rais looked at her a little wide eyed.  "Oh my God."

 Maybell understood.  "I tried to tell you…"

 "Who are you!?" Rais said and stood up, pulling out a sword.  He aimed it at her and she gasped, scooting away from it.

 "Please don’t hurt me!" she cried, shielding herself, "I didn’t have anything to do with this, I swear!"

 Rais lowered the sword and decided she wasn’t lying.  "Who are you?"

 "My name is Maybell, and I don’t know how I got here.  All I remember is waking up in this body and seeing a man with blue hair…"

 "You don’t remember seeing anyone else?" Rais asked, putting his sword back.

 "No… Well, someone but I can’t remember… but… it’ll sound crazy but I think I saw me… except she wasn't me.  I think... If I'm in this body that means this Rei person must be in mine," she said.

 "A soul switcher…" Rais blinked, "How bizarre.  Who did this?"

 "I think the man with the blue hair," Maybell replied, "Will you help me?  I think that Howard might be in trouble.  I remember seeing him…"

 "Who’s Howard?" Rais asked.

 "He’s my boyfriend," she said sadly, "He left recently though to… see if he could wed the Princess Rei… Am I… Am I that Rei?"

 Rais nodded.  "Afraid so.  Whoo boy, what a mess.  So if you’re here, where’s Rei?  Or rather where's you.  I mean... Where is Rei in your body?"

 "I don’t know.  The man made me… I mean her… well, somebody… disappear," she shrugged helplessly.

 "I’ll make up an excuse," Rais looked around nervously, "I’m not sure how much everyone will believe us so let’s keep it to ourselves, okay?"

 "Okay," she nodded.

 "Let’s go find the real Rei."

 "Maybell?   Maybell?"

 "What?  Who’s Maybell?"

 Rei sat up feeling a little tired.  She looked around and suddenly remembered.  She looked beside her and saw the boy she had sent away looking at her.  She was still in this girl’s body.  And she was lying in this other boy's lap.

 "Your okay," he sighed with relief, "How did you get here?"

 "You don’t remember?" she asked, "The Soul Switch?"  She sat up quickly and moved away from him.

 No of course not because a memory spell had been cast on him before that happened.  She sighed.  This might take a little while.

 "What are you talking about?  You must have dreamed," he tucked her hair gently behind her ear.  She looked at him a little fearfully.  He leaned in and Rei saw the beginnings of a kiss.  She gasped and stood up and pushed his head back.  Howard kissed air.

 "Look mister, I’m not who you think I am!  Now we need to get down to Lizerton Castle and talk to someone…"

 "Maybell, what are you talking about?  Here, give me a hug, I’ve missed you," he said and reached for her.  She ducked and his arms wrapped around nothing.

 "I said...!"

 "Maybell, just calm down.  What’s wrong?  Is it because I went to see Princess Rei?  Look, Mother said I had to.  I would gladly marry you if only Mother… Well, it’s okay because Rei just dismissed me.  And she was so cold about it.  I think she’s just a little egotistical spoiled snobbish brat."

 Rei blinked.  "Or maybe she wasn’t looking for a husband.  Maybe someone entered her into that stupid newspaper without her permission, and maybe she’s not as spoiled as you think!  Did you ever think of that, smart guy?"

 "What’s the matter with you?" Howard asked, "I didn’t realize how much you cared about Princess Rei."  He smiled a little feebly.

 "I think she’s a very respectable girl," Rei answered through clenched teeth.

 "Well, let’s go home," Howard said, "I wouldn’t want your father to worry about you.  You really shouldn't have come out here."

 "We can’t do that!" Rei cried.

 "Why not?" Howard asked.

 "Because…" Rei said, then, "Sleep!"  She held out her had near his chest and nothing happened.  She groaned and fell to her knees.  "This can’t be happening!"

 "What’s wrong, Love?" he asked.

 "Call me Love again and you’ll find out…"

 They both heard laughter and looked into the trees.  Rei stood up quickly and looked around.  Who was laughing?

 "Well, well, well, enjoying yourself Princess?"  Rei looked towards the forest very seriously.  She knew who it was.  "This will be a lot easier without those psychic powers of yours getting in the way," Danny said and appeared in front of them.

 "Typical, you’d attack a girl unarmed," Rei smirked.  How the heck was she supposed to fight without her powers?  Or in a dress for that matter?

 "It’s also easier," Danny said, "Are you ready to face your doom?"

 Rei said nothing.  Without her powers she didn’t stand a chance.  In fact, with this body alone, her skills were lessened 95%.  What was she supposed to do?

 Suddenly, Danny was beside her.  She cried out and jumped to one side.  He missed.  "You’re still pretty agile, but it won’t help you."

 He appeared behind her and she couldn’t turn around fast enough.  He laughed as he shoved her from behind, and she landed on the ground.

 "This is too easy," he said, "With this body you’ll wilt like a flower."  He held up a hand and a light gray orb appeared in it.  It was aimed at Rei in Maybell’s body.

 "No!"

 As Danny fired, Howard jumped in front of the blast.  He flew back behind Rei and she gasped.  They both watched and Danny frowned.  "Stupid boy…"  He looked at Rei again.

 "Howie!" Maybell in Rei’s body cried.

 The voice was behind Danny and he turned around.  He didn’t even see anything before the blade was shoved into his stomach.  Then he saw Rais’s face as he breathed his last breath.  Then he turned to a black pile of dust.

 Rais sighed and wiped sweat away from his forehead.

 "Rais?  You saved me."

 "Rei?" he looked at Rei in Maybell’s body.  "Is that really you?"  The corner of his mouth twitched a little.  She nodded and stood up.  They faced each other for a moment.  Then they turned to Maybell, still in Rei’s body.

 She was next to Howard, sobbing.

 "If only…" she sobbed, "If only…"

 Rei walked over to her and Maybell stared at her for a long time.  Suddenly, as they locked eyes, they both got that light-headed feeling.  Rei felt herself leave then come back immediately.  But now she was in her own body.

 "Yes!" Rei cried and hugged herself, "it never felt so good to be me!"

 Maybell went back to Howard and kneeled next to him.  She built a white light in her hands and used it to mend Howard’s body.  Rei watched astonished.  But her body wasn't capable of magic when Rei had been in it...

 "So she’s a white mage," Rais muttered, awed.

 "I see," Rei watched.  That explained it.  Rei had tried black magic, not white magic.  Howard opened his eyes.

 "Oh Maybell!  I thought I’d lost you!"  he hugged her and she hugged him back.

 "I thought I lost you!"

 "I don’t care what mother says, we’re getting married as soon as we get back to Sirocco!"  He held her tighter.

 "Oh Howie."

 "Oh Maybell."

 "Howie."

 "Maybell."

 "Howie."

 "Maybell."

 "Howie."

 "Maybell."

 "Yuck!" Rei and Rais both said at the same time.  They looked at each other and laughed.  Rei sighed and kept pinching herself to make sure she was in the right body.

"Come on, you have a lot of men to reject," Rais told her, "And if we don't get back soon the others are going to wonder what happened.

 "Oh yeah," Rei nodded, and they left the two lovers alone.

 And as strange as it was, Rei started to feel a little jealous of Maybell and Howard.  But she knew there was nothing she could do about it and walked behind Rais.

 Like he said, she had men to reject, and brothers to yell at and friends to chew out.

And a man to reject her.

So she thought.

 Wouldn’t that be fun?

Chapter 15