"He's dead," Jill proclaimed, as she walked back out into the waiting room, after the crash team tried to revive the fallen wizard.
"What happened?" Jimmy demanded.
"His heart stopped. The strain on it, by doing what he was doing," Jill trailed off, "He died, trying to bring them home," Jill continued.
"How are we going to get them home?" Carter asked, "Or even if they . . ."
"They aren't dead," Jimmy insisted, "They can't be. We'll find a way."
1111
Kenny pulled Max closer to him, as the guards grabbed them, "Don't you touch her!"
"We have our orders," the guard replied, as he grabbed them both, "Don't fight us!"
"Right," Max retorted, as her foot connected with the guards gut.
"Stupid move, Princess," another guard said, as they pried them apart, "This could have been easy!"
"Let go of me!" Max yelled, as she flailed her leg back at the second guard.
"You son of a bitch!" Kenny spat, as he shoved two more the ground.
"Kenny!" Max screamed, as she watch in horror as they knocked him unconcsious, "You bastards! Kenny! Can you hear me?"
"Come along, Princess," the guards said, "Your mate will be fine. We just have some preparations to make first."
She dug her heels into the cold floor in a vain attempt to stop them from dragging her down the hall, "Marbruk! If I ever see you again, I swear to god, I will rip your damn throat out!"
1111
"I can't do it!" Carter yelled, as he threw the book halfway across the Brock living room, "It wasn't me, it was him!"
"Try again," Jimmy insisted, "Marburk said you would have done it!"
"You're going to take the word of the wizard that sucked Kenny and Max into this in the first place?" Skeeter asked.
"There has to be a way to contact them," Jill said thoughtfully, "To get a message across, without actually opening a portal."
"And how would that be?" Littleton asked.
"ESP? Telepathy?" Jill offered lamely, "Is it any more insane than the rest of this?"
1111
Max stared at the locked door, and resisted the urge to go back and attempt to kick it again.
"You already hurt your foot, Princess," the Queen said, "This would be so much easier if you didn't resist."
"You've got to be kidding me," Max snapped, "First, Marbruk sucks us into this. Then we save the world from evil, and now you expect us to stay here? I'm not a Princess! Where is Kenny?"
"You'll see him soon enough," the Queen replied, as two servant girls came in, "Until then, we're going to clean you up."
1111
"Max," Kenny groaned, as he awakened on a bed, "What the hell?"
"Glad to see that you're awake," the King said.
"Where is Max?" Kenny demanded, as reality hit him, "What did you do to her?"
"You really love her," the King replied thoughtfully, "Good. That will make this easier."
"Make what easier?" Kenny asked.
"Soon."
1111
Max glared at the clothes on the bed after the other woman left. I'm not wearing that, she thought, although it does feel good to be clean. Turning toward the window, she gazed down at the kingdom before her. It looks like our world, she realized, just a different time. The days of royalty, dragons, and magic . . .
"What do they want with us?" she said aloud, as she studied the window again, "It's at least a 100 foot drop. . . Did they put me in a tower? How cliche is putting a princess in a tower. Wait . . . I'm not a princess."
I need to find Kenny, she thought, now way am I leaving without him.
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"You tell me now!" Kenny insisted, as he slammed the King up against the wall.
He squeezed the King's throat tighter, as the other man struggled against his grip.
"Please," the King wheezed.
"You take me to Max right now, or I swear to god, I'll kill you," Kenny continued, as he threw the other man to the ground, "And I want all our questions answered, now."
The King rubbed his neck, "That isn't an option. There is a certain protocal that needs to be followed, to ensure that this all works out."
"I don't care!"
"You don't have to care. It's already started," the King replied, as he stood.
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"Here is your dinner, Princess."
"I'm not hungry," Max grumbled, as she lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"The King and Queen will be upset if you don't eat," the servant girl tried.
"The King and Queen can kiss my ass. You can take that tray back to them, and tell them that I won't do anything they say until I get to see Kenny."
"They'll be upset."
Max gritted her teeth, as she turned to look at the servant, tray and open door, "Fine. Bring it over here."
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, as the girl set the tray down, "The food will make you feel so much better."
Max nodded, as she studied the array of items on the tray in front of her, "It smells good."
"I'll leave you to rest, Princess," The girl said.
Max watched as she turned, before upturning the tray and knocking her to the ground, "Sorry! You're very nice, but I've got to get out of here."
Hitting her over the head with the tray again, she dashed out into the dark hallway.
1111
"What has started?" Kenny asked, as he threw the King back to the ground again, "You aren't leaving until I get some answers!"
"If I yell, the guards will be here in an instant."
"Somehow I don't think that you want anything to happen to me and Max. And if she gets hurt in any way, you're a dead man."
"Your destinies," the King sighed, "It wasn't a fluke that Marbruk brought you here. You were right for the quest and the transformation afterward."
"What else does this place want to turn us into?"
The King smiled, "You can throw me around all you like, but I won't tell you. Not yet."
1111
Max took a deep breath to steady herself, as she moved silently down the staircase that lead her down from the tower. Would it be too much for them to put the blueprints on the wall, she mused, as she came to the door at the bottom of the staircase. How the hell am I going to find Kenny? And get the hell out of here? Hearing the footsteps approaching again, she smushed herself up against the wall, and behind the door. Please, oh please.
"The Princess is very resistent," the Queen said, as she and another servant paused in the doorway, "We have to make her understand."
"Of course."
Max gulped, as she sunk farther into the corner as the Queen continued, "If we could just get through the ceremony tomorrow . . . We must keep them separate until then. Come."
"They're in oppisate towers," the girl said, "My Queen, they won't be getting out."
Bullshit, Max thought, as she watched them disapear behind the bend in the staircase. Letting out a deep breath, she peared out into the hallway. Empty, thank god. The other tower . . . this place is huge. Eyeing the crossed swords on the wall, she removed one as she heard a scream erupt from the tower.
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"That is an interesting story," Ginny Wheedon said, as the foursome on her step filled them in, "Ital . . . Come inside, and we'll see what we can do."
"Do you think that you can contact them?" Jimmy asked, "Is it even possible?"
"Anything is possible. Now shush, I need to get my things together."
1111
"Guards!" The King yelled, as Kenny threw him up against the door again, "Guards!"
They appeared in an instant, and pried him off of the King.
"This will not be tolerated!" the King proclaimed, as he dusted himself off, "You will remain here, until it is time. Your Princess on the other hand . . . we'll go see to her now. Come."
Max paused in the hall, was she watched the guards rush up toward the other tower. Oh, what is Kenny up to, she thought, and how much time do I have before they figure out how to unlock the tower door again? Sinking back behind the curtain, she tightened her grip on sword, as she watched the gaggle of guards escort the bruise King down the hallway.
Taking a deep breath, as they turned the corner, she caught the tower door before it shut. Please, oh, please, she begged, let this be the right place. Keeping the sword in front of her, she sprinted up the steps.
"Son of a bitch!" Kenny spat, as he heard the key rattle in the lock again.
Looking around for anything that he could use to defend himself, he settled for an oil lamp by the bed. Come and get it, guys, he thought.
Max shoved the door open, "Hello? What the hell?"
"Max! Shit! Did I . . .are you okay?" Kenny asked, as she dropped the sword on the floor, amid the broken glass.
"You got my shoulder," she said, as she rolled it slowly, "You missed my head. Thanks."
"Were you planning on stabbing me with this?" Kenny asked, as he picked up the sword, "Who'd you kill to get it?"
"I took it off a wall," Max replied, overjoyed to see him, "Come on, we have to get out of here. They already know I'm gone, I don't know how much time we have."
"Lets get the hell out of here, Princess."
"I'm not a Princess."
"No," Kenny agreed, as they ran back down the steps, "You'd fit in better as a knight anyway. Which way?"
"Down," Max decided, "At least until we find a window and door to the outside."
"Fine by me," he agreed, as they continued to run down the stairs, "How did you get out?"
"Hit a servant girl with a tray. What did you do to get all those guards running up there?"
"Tossed the King around a bit. Think we pissed them off?"
"Oh yeah," she agreed, as she stopped, "Look. Think we can make it?"
"Someone is coming," he replied, as he looked at the ten foot drop, "I say go. On three?"
Max nodded, "One."
"Two."
"Three."