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Editor Note: The images used for this story were purchased and used under royalty-free license* from iStockphoto.com . ~Sephrena
Author Note: Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited.

Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

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Sarah Carerra Book 3: Concerto in A-

Chapter 3.15 - The Princess of the Castle

Sunday afternoon brought me down from the high of the concert when I listened to the Countdown. 'You Can't Hurt Me' fell in the rankings once again, this time to #3. Even though it was still in the Top 10, in my heart I again believed that it had reached the end of its time on top of the charts. It had a great run, and with the release of 'Ever After' occurring on Tuesday, I knew that I'd still have a reason to listen to the countdown.

But that was only the beginning of my funk when I awoke Monday morning. Despite the fact that I was releasing a new single on Tuesday and singing at Katy's birthday party on Wednesday, I still had to face the reality that my concert tour was coming to a close on Saturday. It had only been two months since the concert tour started, but I already couldn't imagine my weekends without a concert to perform.

There would still be plenty of performances. I would be performing at the VMA's in a couple of weeks, I still had the concert at school, and it wouldn't be long before we started to put a big effort into narrowing down what we were going to do for the Christmas concert with the Chorus.

I moped through the day waiting for it to end. I had to dodge through Chorus once again, trying to keep anyone from finding out my secret. Mr. Benson had kept his word and hadn't put me in a position where people would be able to recognize me yet, but I didn't know how long it would be because we hadn’t spoken since last week.

After school I went to my new office for a staff meeting. It was nice to have such good people backing me up off the stage, and soon we finished what we needed to do. Most of the meeting was spent making sure that we were ready for the release of 'Ever After' and for the conclusion of the concert tour. We would meet again later in the week to talk about what we would be doing at the VMA performance.

Tuesday was somewhat better. I was surprised to find that there was a small fervor among some of my fellow students about the release of my single. Apparently, I had a sizable fan following at the school, and I smiled and chuckled to myself as they tried to guess what song it would be. We had been keeping the song a secret and the debut of the music video this evening was supposed to be a big event. I had only seen a rough cut of the video, so it would be my first time to see the final product tonight when it debuted.

"What do you think it will be?" I heard one of the girls sitting near me in Chorus ask her friends.

"I think it will be a brand new song," her friend replied.

"No," one of the guys sitting near them said. "I don't think she'd be releasing a brand new song so early. She's still promoting her first album.”

"What about you, Megan?" the first girl, Allison I thought her name was, turned and asked me.

"Oh!" I said, slightly surprised at my inclusion in the conversation. But I already had an answer. "I think that whatever it is, it will be a great song."

Allison rolled her eyes at me.

"You can't ask Megan," Jane piped up a moment later. "She already knows the answer and she won't tell."

"You know the answer?" Allison shot back at me, surprised! I must have had a guilty look pass across my face because her eyes opened wide as she continued. "You DO know! What is it?"

"I can't tell," I replied calmly and slowly shook my head. There was a reason we were keeping it a secret, and I wasn't going to break that just because she wanted to know now.

She growled in frustration for a minute before she realized that she wasn't going to get the answer out of me. I smiled back, and she turned back to her friends.

* * *

The hiss of the airbrakes announced that we had arrived at our destination. With a large smile, I looked out the window of my tour bus at the busy walkway outside of LAX.

"How long until they land?" I asked Amy, who was also looking out the window. Ethan and Emily, dressed as Xander and Chloe, were also watching the people walk by. Our other two passengers were already stepping off the bus and making their way into the terminal. Both of them were in charge of meeting the people we were waiting for, and both were glowing at the thought of what was going to happen next. Mason was following them and Cole was already working to stem the crowd that was already starting to form.

"They should be landing any minute," Amy finally answered after looking something up on her smart phone.

I sat and looked out the window for a few minutes. The longer we waited, the trickier this was going to be. My tour bus couldn't go anywhere without garnering attention and this time attention was not what I was looking for. We were at the airport for a specific purpose, and I didn't want to interact with the crowd if it took my attention away from the individuals whom we were waiting for.

"Darrin just texted me," Amy said, breaking the silence. "They're at the baggage claim and have almost all of their bags."

"Okay," I replied and stood up. Amy did the same, and then she stepped down and out of the bus to tell Cole we were ready. I waited out of sight until Cole gave me the signal, and then I too stepped down and off of the bus.

The small crowd that had formed started to cheer like they always did and I waved back at them, but I wasn't going to get the chance to interact with them. Instead I hurried over to the area that Cole had cordoned off. Amy was right behind me with the props we would need. Then, it became a waiting game again.

It was another five minutes before I saw Darrin Scofield walk out of the airport. The others with him were excitedly talking with one another until they saw my bus. The two young girls broke out into screams of excitement at seeing it and started chattering immediately. It wasn't until the younger girl turned and looked at her mother that she caught a glimpse of me at their side. That was when she really started to scream.

And jump around and start to hyperventilate.

I really had to smile at their reactions. I had been told that they were big fans, and the younger girl was only confirming that fact. The other girl turned, saw me, and joined her sister. Their mother also seemed to be quite shocked, though she wasn't screaming like her daughters. The little boy, however, looked bored.

"Hi!" I greeted them excitedly, though I wasn’t sure the girls were able to hear me. They were still having what appeared to be panic attacks, and I hoped that they would be okay.

Darrin Scofield was laughing at his family's reaction, but he stepped toward me to bridge the gap. Darrin was the owner of the castle house where I had filmed the 'Ever After' video.

"Sarah," Darrin said to me before motioning to the girls' mother. "This is my princess, Marion."

I reached my hand out, and Marion shook it. She still seemed a little rattled to meet me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I told her. "Darrin has told me so much about you, and I'm honored to meet the Princess of the Castle."

She choked for a moment, probably at the realization that I was on a first name basis with her father. It was obvious that she had been unaware of what was waiting for her and her family once they got off the plane.

"I'm sorry," Marion was able to say. "I wasn't expecting this. My girls are really big fans."

"I know," I told her. "I'd like to meet your two princesses and your prince."

She turned to her two daughters, who were starting to settle down, though they still had a lot of energy. While she did, I took the item that Amy was holding out for me.

"My oldest is Kimberly," Marion told me. "She's ten."

"Hi Princess Kimberly," I greeted her and then held the item out so she could see it. She smiled and I stepped forward and placed the tiara on her head. Then I gave her a hug.

"I can't believe you are really here!" Kimberly screamed, but squeezed me back tight.

"Well, I had to meet all of the fair princesses who were flying into Los Angeles today," I told her, like it was a common thing that I did.

"I'm Ariel!" the other girl interrupted, obviously wanting her own time with me.

"It's nice to meet you, Princess Ariel," I said while taking another tiara from Amy and placing it on the eight-year-old's head. "I feel so special to be in the presence of two such beautiful princesses."

She giggled, but she didn't waste any time in hugging me like her sister had. I turned back to Amy and took the last item from her before turning to the young boy who was hiding behind his mother's legs.

"And you must be Prince David," I said while shaking the crown toward him to entice him to come out. He looked up at his mom for a moment, and when she nodded he rushed around her legs and over to me. I placed the crown on his head and then kissed him on the cheek. He started wiping at it immediately like it was disgusting to get kissed, but he continued to smile.

"Well," I told them while gesturing to my bus. "I brought your carriage, if you would like to join me for a ride to the castle."

Their excitement grew when they realized this wasn't a chance meeting, and that we were going to be spending at least the 30 minute drive together.

We started toward the bus. "Wave to your loyal subjects," I told the 'Royalty' and started waving to show them how. All three of the kids started to wave excitedly at all the people who had gathered, and a small cheer ran through the crowd as they started to wave back.

Soon we climbed aboard my bus and it wasn't much longer afterward that we were rolling down the highway toward our destination. On the way I got to know Marion and her kids fairly well. Marion's husband was still back east working, but her children seemed very excited for the vacation that I had helped pay for. I had asked Darrin to invite them to come out for tonight, and I was glad that they had accepted, even if they hadn't known why.

When the bus turned onto the road where Darrin's castle was, I saw a light start shining in his daughter's eyes. Darrin had confessed to me that it had been a while since she had come out to visit her childhood home, but I now knew that she had missed it. I completely understood - I would have loved to grow up in a castle like she had.

When the bus came to a stop outside of the castle, I had a smile as big as each of the kids. I was directed off the bus first where I was intercepted by Elisa Sanchez, who was a correspondent for the music video channel where the 'Ever After' video was going to premiere. I had to talk with her for a while, and then I introduced her to my royal entourage. I knew that part of this was going to be edited into the presentation that would run on TV later this evening, but the children still loved being introduced. Eventually we made our way inside the home and to the great room that had been transformed into a mini theater; it had a number of couches facing a very large television. Waiting for us were the band, the two actors who had been playing my parents in the video, and even Andrew, with whom I had shared my first on-screen kiss when he came to rescue me.

After everyone had found a seat, with Elisa and me in the middle, I was interviewed for about 10 minutes about the making of the video. Eventually I noticed that some of the guests, especially the children, were becoming bored, but fortunately it was time for the debut.

With great anticipation the lights in the room dimmed, and we all turned our attention to the TV. Then, when I felt I couldn't wait any longer, the soft notes from my guitar wafted throughout the room as the scene on the TV faded in to an aerial shot of the castle, focusing ever closer to the sad looking young princess who was standing on top of the large tower. She looked radiant in the white dress with a scoop neck, empire waist, and a full, flowing skirt. I had fallen in love with that dress when Julia had shown it to me for the first time, and seeing myself wearing it on screen almost took my breath away.

The princess sang softly about how unfair her life was. About how unfair her father was being because he kept her from attending her prom. Intermixed were scenes of her in a very ornate room arguing with a king who was sitting on a throne. Eventually, as Jason's guitar added a second mix and more tempo into the first chorus, the video returned to her as she stared off into the distance, hoping to see her prince coming to rescue her.

The song dropped back into the simple melody that started the song, as the young princess turned her eyes away from the road that approached the castle. The scene faded into her bedroom where she was holding an invitation to the prom. A tear rolled down her cheek as she continued to sing about how she was going to be saved by her knight in shining armor.

Just before the second verse she looked out the window of her room high in the tower, searching for the knight once more. He was nowhere to be seen, but her smile told everyone that she knew he was coming.

The song fell back into the simple melody a third time as she turned away from the window. But a sound caught her attention. The roar of an engine could be heard as she ran back to the window, seeing dust coming up the driveway. Her face lit up at the sight and she took off toward the door to her room, exiting onto an archway connecting the tower to the main castle.

There she watched, continuing to sing, as a white Ford Mustang came roaring up the drive and stopping at the staircase leading up to the front door of the castle.

She watched, nearly breathless, as the door opened, and her knight stepped out in full armor. Immediately the door to the castle flew open and a foul beast came barreling out toward the advancing prince. He drew his sword, and with a deft move deflected the foul beast to the side with his shield. Before the black beast could correct its course the knight continued up the stairs toward the king and queen, who had appeared in the doorway.

He lunged for the king with his sword, the tip just missing the king as it headed straight for the heart of the queen. Then a flash of light spread across the screen, and as it dissipated the entire scene had changed. The queen was unharmed as she took the single white rose that the knight, now smiling and wearing a stylish tuxedo, was handing to her, and she lifted the rose to her nose. No longer wearing the regal gown of the queen, she turned to her husband. Gone was the evil king, replaced instead by a caring man wearing a nice polo shirt and slacks. He smiled and nodded as a black Labrador barreled back up the steps wanting attention from the visitor to the house.

The song ramped up once more as the prince turned his eye to the arch, smiling at the young princess, still attired in her beautiful dress. Immediately she turned and started running for the stairs, and the camera cut back and forth between the two of them as she ran down the stairs and into his arms. They embraced for a moment before the prince pulled back, looking deep into the young woman’s eyes. Then my heart started pounding in my chest as I watched the princess lose her breath when the prince leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

The camera cut once more to the princess’s face, my face, as the two separated and the pure happiness found there was the last thing the audience saw as the song came to a close and the screen faded to black.

* * *

After the filming of the music video debut, I spent several hours with the family playing songs for them and even just playing games before we watched the actual debut together. The kids loved seeing themselves on the TV as I met them at the airport and introduced them to the country here in the comfort of their grandfather's home. Marion and her family were wonderful, and even Theresa, who hadn't been very happy with us filming in her home, had been grateful to me for flying her daughter out to visit.

I waved back at the children as the bus started to pull away. Even though I was leaving, they still had large smiles on their faces, and I knew I was going to have to do something else for them in the future.

As the castle slipped from view I smiled at how the evening had turned out. Earlier today I thought that the highlight of this evening was going to be the video debut, but in reality spending time with Kimberly, Ariel, and Davie had been the best part. They were so full of energy and excitement that they managed to spread it to everyone else around them.

I chuckled once more as I walked to my bedroom at the back of the bus and straight to the big board full of pictures. As I pinned a picture of the kids and me, all wearing crowns, to the board, I felt a tear streak down my face, surprising me.

I knew that I really enjoyed performing for people, but I normally didn't get to spend any time with them. My new royal court would forever be in my mind.

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