Not likin' Avaleur so far...

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Grayson sat on a bench in the garden. He had violently snatched a flower out of it's vase and began snapping off the petals. "My papas in jail..? 'course he is... would figure the one time I wanna visit, he goes an' gets his ass caught in the cellar.. Well, whatever.. Who needs 'im?" he muttered to himself, but secretly, he felt a bit hurt. After all, he was excited to visit him again. He was just disappointed that he'd shown up at a bad time.

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Alice strolled through the gardens as she often did, admiring everything. Glancing around, she say a little boy sitting on a bench not too far away. He was ripping a beautiful flower to shreds. Gasping in horror, she ran over to the boy and grabbed the flower from his hand.

"You shouldn't do that!" She exclaimed. "Flowers have feelings too, you know!" She was extremely upset by this.

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Grayson raised an eyebrow. "You tryna tell me what ta do?! You sure got a lotta nerve, girl!" he exclaimed loudly, taking the flower back. "It ain't got no feelin' at all. It's jus a stupid flower."

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Taking the flower again, gently this time, she said, "How do you know? A flower starts off as a little tiny bud, and as time goes on, it grows and grows and grows. And then, after lots of water and sunlight, it's big and beautiful! Just like a human. So why wouldn't they have feelings?" She grinned at the boy and placed the flower on the ground.

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Grayson stood up and stomped the flower into the ground. "Don'tcha know how stupid humans are?! If flowers are jus' like people than I hate 'em even more!"

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"What's wrong with humans? We build beautiful things, and accomplish things that will help the world. I think humans are wonderful!"

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"Well that's 'cause yer jus' a lil' baby and don't know the difference!" Grayson growled. "Once you getta know people, you'll see what I mean! They're all jus' rotten!"

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Alice immediately though of Phillis. "That's not true! My Papa isn't rotten! And neither is Daddy! Or the kitchen staff. They're all good people. I think you just need to give people a chance. Someone may seem a certain way at first, but once you get to know them, they could be really nice!"

Just like him. she thought. He seemed rude and mean, but she thought that, underneath, he might be a very pleasant person.

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"That's bull!" Grayson huffed, he sat back down on the bench. "Who're you anyway? Look like you live a pretty easy an' ignorant life."

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"My name is Alice. I'm the king's new daughter. What's your name?" She replied with a cheeky grin. "And I haven't always had an easy life. Just after Papa adopted me. Before that, I was living on the streets because both my parents died in the war."

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"The names Grayson." He smirked, a bit cocky. "The king? As in, Phillis? Hah. Gotta be kiddin' me. That chump is jus awful with kids."

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Alice smiled. "Well, you clearly don't know my Papa at all. He's great! He's really kind to me, and tells me he loves me every single day. He looks out for me, and makes sure nothing bad ever happens to me." She beamed with pride while taking about Phillis. "He's really a great person. Not at all a 'chump'"

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Grayson rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Like I told ya before, yer jus' a lil' baby. Well, I guess bein' ignorant ain't so bad and my papa tol' me ta be nice ta lil' girls. Well, not that I care or nothin', but I don't wanna see you cryin' or nothin' annoyin' like that. So, anyway. What is there ta do for fun 'round here? I been bored outta my min' since I got here."

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Alice playfully scowled at him. "I am not a "little baby", first of all," she stuck out her tongue before continuing, "And there's plenty to do around here! There's a big library in the castle. And the town is really nice, too."

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"Libary? Sounds borin'. I mean, somethin' fun. Like dangerous places or somethin'. Ya know, where the action is at!" Grayson grinned.

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Alice gave him a funny look. "I don't see how possibly getting ourselves killed could be fun. And there's NO way Papa would let me do anything dangerous."

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"That's why ya don't tell 'im what you're doin'." Grayson crossed his arms, speaking casually as if it was just common knowledge.

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Alice's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Wha- I could never do that! Papa trusts me and I don't want to do anything that will ruin that!

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Grayson rolled his eyes. He had never come across some so strict about rules before. "Kid, ta be honest. You're borin'. You ain't gonna have anythin' good ta tell your grandkids."

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"What grandkids? I'm only 6!" She laughed. "Just because I don't want to do dangerous stuff - and disappoint my Papa - doesn't mean I'm boring!