Chapter One

I stand in the row behind Buttercup. This was my sister's wedding day or actually her wedding night. This should have been a happy occasion, but at last it wasn't. Buttercup was marrying evil Prince Humperdink instead of her true love. She had told me that Westley was alive. He had rescued her from the bandits that tried to kill her. Westley had been the Dread Pirate Roberts for some time too, but had came back to stop her from getting married. He had even been so brave as to take her through the fire swamp, just to be with her. Buttercup believes in true love, as do I. And she believes that her Westley would have rescued her days prior to her wedding. Yet, here it is her wedding day and he is not here. She looks calm and I stand here panicking for her.

"Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us togethaw today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam…" the Clergyman says. He has begun the service already.

There is a loud commotion going on outside. Prince Humperdink seems to be getting a little nervous. But as the noise grows louder the Clergyman has a hard time speaking up.

The man continues, "Then wove, twue wove, will follow you fowever. So tweasure youw-"

"Skip to the end!" demands Humperdink. Buttercup's eyes grow bigger in shock and despair.

"Have you the wing?" the clergyman asks, but Humperdink's reply is interrupted as we all hear another thump from outside.

"Here comes my Westley now." Buttercup says. Her eyes fill with delight. Could it really be Westley after all?

"Your Westley is dead. I killed him myself." declares the Prince.

"Then why is there fear behind your eyes."

"Do you Pwincess Buttecwup-"

"Man and wife! Say man and wife!" Prince Humperdink shouts.

"Man and Wife."

And now it is too late. My big sister was now married off to the biggest joke this side of Florin. Where was Westley? What had happened?

"Escort the bride to the honeymoon suite. I'll be there shortly."

And that's it. Her new father-in-law guides Buttercup to the honeymoon suite. At first she is in disbelief and doesn't say a word. Finally she says, "He didn't come."

Now what were we going to do? She would never be happy as Queen. She wanted Westley more than anything. But what could I do? I was only her little sister. I had no power and no plan. All I could do was simply watch as Buttercup walked away and pray that she would be all right.

After the wedding there was suppose to be some what off a small party. But would you believe that it was cancelled. Since the bride and groom hit the sack early no one saw a point in staying. That and also all of the guests were quickly thanked and sent home. I considered this very rude of Humperdink, but what else was there to be said.

So after the party I went up to my bed. Since my sister was Queen I had been staying in the palace for some time now. I've never lived so rich before and it felt so nice. But I couldn't help but feel that joy was possible because of my sister's misery. And that's not a good feeling.

I changed into my nightclothes and hit the hay. It was a lovely night calm, peaceful and so serene. I let the window up to let some of the fresh air in. It felt so relaxing. Such a sweet night should have easily put me to sleep and yet I couldn't I worried about Buttercup.

Not soon after I had tried to fall asleep there was aloud commotion just down the hall.

I got out of bed and picked outside the door. And I saw a Spaniard. He was acting like a maniac. He kept running up to this door trying to break it down. But it was no use. He was just too weak.

"Fezzik!" the Spaniard cries, "I need you!"

I was curious of what the man could possible need. Curiosity got the best of me and I ventured out to see the problem. I stopped just about half way when I stopped and ducked behind a suit of armor. It was a tall giant. He was coming to the Spaniard's aid I assume. He knocks down the door so easily. It didn't seem to hurt his hand or nothing. I was in complete shock.

When the giant man turns back and heads in the other direction I return to my room. I'm not ashamed to admit that I stayed in there. Who knows what the giant might have done to me. Seconds later the floor was back to it's quiet self. I had no idea what all the commotion before was all about. But then again I barely know what goes on in the castle. No one seems to tell me anything.

Sleep still doesn't come to me, even though I tried. So I give up and sit at the window. I watch the peaceful night. I could hardly see but I could just make out a figure at the castle's barn. The person had four horses. Four white ones. Someone was stealing my horses!

My immediate thought was to yell but I was just too far back. He wouldn't hear me. So I run down the hall, the endless hall, trying to find a closer window. I get closer and closer. Until, finally I look out a hall window to get a better look at the thieves. But to my surprise it was Buttercup. Buttercup was in the arms of the giant man. Seconds later out of a window falls Westley and the Spaniard. Westley had come to save her after all! And by the looks of it they were about to make their grand escape.

I run down the hall. I run faster than I ever have before. My heart was betting fast and I couldn't catch my breath. Finally I get to the last window. "Buttercup!" I scream, "Westley!" but they cannot hear me. I could see them settling up on my horses. Were they leaving without me? They wouldn't. I know they just wouldn't. With all my strength I run down the long spiral staircase. I just had to catch up with them. I burst through the back door and I run up the path to the stables.

When I get there I can't believe it. They were gone. They were completely out of sight. This couldn't be happening to me. It just couldn't.

I dash into the stables. I take my other black steed and I mount him. I gallop out of the castle gates and I follow their path.

Yes, I think I see Buttercup's hair flying in the wind. I'm sure of it. I gallop faster as I travel up a steep hill. But by the time I reach the top of the hill I could see anyone. Not Buttercup, not Westley, heck not even the big giant. They were all gone. Buttercup had left me.

All of a sudden my head was spinning out of control. I had this over whelming feeling of being homeless. I sit on my horse with my head in my hands. I seemed to shake all over.

Buttercup was my family. Our parents had died and we had no relatives. When Prince Humperdink proposed to Buttercup we were on the brink of starvation. We had to sell most of everything we had for food. We could have easily have died. But when she promised to marry the Prince, we moved into the palace and were taken care of.

Now Buttercup has run away. Why would she leave me behind? There is no chance that Humperdink would let me stay in the palace now. He would surely kick me out. But where was I to go. I had no place to go.

I sat there on the horse and sobbed. "I'm all alone."

I woke up with the sun's rays warming my face. I had overslept. I had spent the night in the barn just in case Humperdink went looking for me. I had never meant to sleep. I was hoping to creep out at night. But my chances of that were over now. It was probably breakfast time and everyone would be awake figuring out yesterday's events.

I had no choice. I was just going to have to sneak back into the castle.

I crept out of the barn and through the back door to my wing of the castle. There were no guards around at all. I assumed that Westley had defeated most of them last night. My wing was nowhere near Humperdink's room or study so I was in good shape. And I got to my room quite safely.

When I reached my room I looked around. "I honestly can't take anything." I said to myself, "None of this is actually mine. The belong to the royal family." So I didn't take much. I didn't want to be pasted as a thief. I took some clothes, but not the elegant ones. I only took the dresses that I used in the barn, since I was going to have to blend in.

There were some things that actually were mine. Like some books, my mother's silver hand mirror, and a gold locket with my initial and a heart on the front. Those things were mine and I was taking them.

I had packed everything when I heard a knock on the door. My first thought was to hide under the bed or in the closet. But that would be the first place anyone would look. I thought about jumping out the window briefly but I soon came to me senses. I was up five stories the cactus garden.

Knock, knock, knock.

There it goes again and I'm starting to get nervous.

"Miss?" a voice says, "Miss are you in there?"

To my relief it was only Nettie, my maid. At least that was her job. But she had become my friend and also Buttercup's. She was just about my age if not older and yet she still insisted on calling me "miss".

"Nettie, is that you?" I say in a whisper.

"Yes. Unlock the door."

I unlock the door and I let her in. "Oh, Nettie it's terrible. She left me. She actually left me."

"I see. Do you have any idea why?"

"Of course not. How could she do this to me? What kind of a big sister is she?"

"Maybe the went off to be alone together?" Nettie suggested full heartedly. She was trying her best to cheer me up. But I'm afraid that nothing would ever do that.

"To be alone together? And leave me with evil Humperdink? How selfish would that be? Besides I saw them ride off together with a Spaniard and a huge giant. They certainly did not mind their company."

"Did you ever think that maybe she just…forgot."

"That's impossible. I mean how to do forget a whole person. You can forget a lot of things; like money, chores, and heck even taking baths. But you can't forget people. Not when you are leaving forever."

Nettie sits on the bed beside me and rubs my back. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm getting out of here."

"And go where?"

"Somewhere. Anywhere. It doesn't matter just as long as Humperdink can't find me. Or…" I thought was coming into my head. My light bulb was on.

"Or what?"

"Or I could just find the ship of the Dread Pirate Roberts."

"What! Are you crazy!" I cover Nettie's mouth with my hand.

"Are you crazy? Someone could easily hear you."

"I'm sorry but what you are thinking is crazy."

"How so? From what Buttercup told me, Westley is the Dread Pirate Roberts. So it will be his ship I'll be going on."

"And what if what Buttercup also said is true. What if Westley gets another man to be the pirate? Then what? You'll be killed for sure!"

I put my hand over Nettie's mouth again. "Stop being so loud. Now listen. I have no choice. And I have to go right now."

"Right at this moment?"

"Yes while the guards are still out do to injuries. It's the perfect time. I've already packed too."

Nettie looks at my small bundle. It wasn't much but it would get me where I needed to go. "Maybe I should come with you?'

"No way your mother would flip. Besides I would want you to get in danger on my account."

"No 'buts'." I give my friend a big hug, "I'll be fine and as soon as I'm safe I'll try to give you word. Alright?"

"Alright, but take care of yourself."

"I will."

And then it was time for me to go. I had already thought up my game plan. First, Nettie would go outside and check to see if the coast was clear. We would go down the spiral stairs. I would go around the back of the stables instead of taking the path. Nettie would go into the stable to get the black mare for me since the barn workers would be inside.

She rode the horse out of the palaces walls, far out so we could be seen. That's when I took my place on my horse and I galloped off into the woods. For inside the woods was someone that I desperately needed help from.