Chapter Twenty-One: Kayla

I was really beginning to regret my rash decision. The long plane ride to Norway with my father had been extremely uncomfortable, and then we had taken a small boat over rough water to get to Gulbrania where I almost threw up, and then I practically froze my butt off while we waited in a small cave embedded along the cliffs by the frigid ocean. I felt terrible about lying to my mother - I had told her that I was chosen to attend a special week-long leadership conference for student government, and I really didn't know what I had gotten myself into. My father had talked and bargained with some pretty seedy people along the way, and I was honestly beginning to wonder if I was going to make it out of Gulbrania alive.

In the cave my dad had mapped out the whole plan for me, which actually turned out to be in my favor. The prince was about to be crowned king, and they were holding the coronation at the castle. His plan was for us to pose as members of the press. After we gained entrance to the castle, he wanted me to go find the prince and somehow tranquilize him so that my dad could come after and smuggle him out of the castle.

"Be very careful with this sedative," my dad had said as he handed the dart to me. "All you have to do is place it anywhere into his skin and it will take effect immediately."

I had put it in my pocket without protest, but I knew there was no way I was sticking that into the prince, even if I did manage to find him alone.

I was full of anxiety and anticipation as we approached the castle. On one hand, I'd never been in a castle before, I'd never met a prince, and the prospect of that, even though I was putting myself in a dangerous position, was undeniably exciting.

"May I see your passes?" A guard asked at the entrance.

We handed him our fake certificates, and I held my breath as the guard inspected and scanned them.

"There's a designated area for the press at the back of the hall," the guard explained, waving us through.

I followed my father into the castle, awed by its size and grandeur and the feeling of centuries of history hidden within its walls. We dutifully took some pictures with the large cameras we were hefting to play our parts, and as we reached the hall, my dad leaned over and whispered to me.

"The prince is probably in one of the upper rooms," he divulged. "We have one hour until the coronation begins." He squeezed my arm. "I know you can do this, honey," he said, giving me a warm smile. It might have been a tender moment, except for the fact that he was expecting me to do something highly illegal. "Send me a text when you've done it," he added.

I swallowed hard as I walked out of the hall and asked a guard for directions to the nearest restroom. The guard watched me as I started off in the direction that he had indicated, but then someone else came to ask him a question, and while he was distracted, I darted up a staircase to my left. I marveled at the intricate woodwork all around me. I peered into a dining room and a huge library before I found another staircase and followed it up.

As I reached the top of the stairs, I heard footsteps, and quickly stepped into an alcove until the steps faded away. I gave myself a moment to collect myself, and then ventured into the hallway, which had a large window on one side that overlooked the ocean. At the end of the hallway were two doors. The first one opened into an office, with maps covering the walls. I opened the second door and found a bedroom, and I gasped when I saw a guy standing there, staring out the window. He turned to me, and his eyes widened.

The first thing that struck me was how absolutely gorgeous this guy was. Tall and muscular with a chiseled face and large hazel eyes, and dressed in a regal, high-collared blue suit. This had to be the prince. The second thought I had was that I'd seen him before, but I couldn't place where, and I didn't have time to figure it out.

"I'm so sorry to intrude, but I have an urgent message," I said, stepping forward. The prince just stared at me like he couldn't believe his eyes. I figured it probably was weird for some random girl to wander into his room, but the way he was looking at me was making me nervous. "You're in danger, and I know you're about to have your coronation, but you need to get as far away from here as possible."

The prince blinked a few times and then stepped toward me.

"Kayla?"

I stepped back. This was a little alarming. How did he know my name?

"What in the world are you doing here?" He asked. "How did you get here?"

His tone wasn't accusatory, it was excited and warm. He took another step forward, and suddenly I remembered where I had seen him before. He had been at the school a month or two ago, in the hallway. He had approached me and I had freaked out and flipped him to the floor.

"Kayla, it's me."

I shook my head. "What do you mean? How do you know me?"

"It's me," he repeated. "It's Frog."

I almost laughed. "That's impossible."

He ran a hand through his perfect hair. "Believe me, I know it's crazy, but it is me, Frederick Vonnegan. Look."

He handed me a half sheet of paper, and I gingerly took it. It appeared to be a program for the coronation, and at the top, in bold letters it read: "Official Coronation of Frederick Vonnegan, Crown Prince of Gulbrania."

My mouth went dry. This was too much. I dropped the paper and put my hands up. "Okay, I don't know what kind of mind game you're trying to play with me, but please stop. I just came here to warn you-"

My babbling was cut short as he took my arm and pulled me to him. Then he kissed me.

And wow, what a kiss.

It was intense and passionate and strangely familiar. I'd kissed these lips before. I'd felt these feelings before. I pulled back slightly and looked into his huge hazel eyes. Frog's hazel eyes.

"It is you," I said breathlessly. "But how…?" I ran my hands across his chest and shoulders. "How did this happen?" I asked, immediately blushing, embarrassed by the way I had just touched him.

He smiled, which somehow made him even more handsome. "That is a long story," he chuckled. "Basically, I was taking these high tech pills that were disguising me for my own safety, even though I didn't know it, and I didn't even know I was a prince. So, one night I forgot to take my pills, and I woke up to this," he said, gesturing to himself.

"It's not a bad thing to wake up to," I murmured before I could stop myself.

Frog smiled and ducked his head, as if he didn't know how good looking he was. Maybe he doesn't know, I thought.

"Anyway," Frog continued, "I went to the school that day to try and explain to you what happened - it was the day of our world cultures presentation - but you kind of grounded me before I could say anything.

I gasped. Everything was starting to make sense. "I am so sorry!" I exclaimed. "I didn't know! I couldn't have known!"

He laughed. "It's okay, it was my fault. I should have said something instead of just staring creepily at you."

I smiled. It felt so good to be talking with him, to be with him again. "So, wait, you're a prince?"

Frog sighed. "Yeah, turns out I am. It's been kind of a wild ride." His expression darkened a bit. "By the way, the other day, when you called, and you said… well, you know… I'm so sorry about that. I was so shocked about what you said that I fell out of bed and broke my phone."

I laughed, partly from relief, and partly from the image of him falling out of bed. It seemed as if Frog's life was full of unlikely scenarios. "This is so crazy and amazing!" I said, stepping forward, unable to resist the urge to be near him. "It's you! It's really you!" I leaned in, about to kiss him again, but then I remembered why I had come there in the first place. I jerked back. "Oh crap, it's you!" I exclaimed. "You're the one they want to kidnap!"

Frog frowned. "Kidnap?"

"Yes, my dad-"

But I was interrupted by someone bursting through the door.