Chapter 2: Danny

The next week was the best of my life. I felt happy, an emotion I hadn't felt in a long time. Not since the battle. Everyone thinks that becoming a war hero and getting noticed by the princess would make life great. It doesn't. I hadn't had a moment to myself since the war. Not until I took the job of searching for an outlaw rumored to be in our area.

Taking that job was the best decision of my life. I finally have some one who actually listens to what I say. Some one who cares what I think. My whole life, everyone just told me what to think.

I spent the whole week in the jail, talking with Liz. I wanted to know why she was wanted, but she still won't tell me. She just says "Crimes against the Queen," then changes the subject. She is very cryptic about her life, and while I feel I know more about her than anyone else, I know almost nothing about her life.

"What are you thinking about?" Liz asked me. She was staring at me with a quizzical smile.

"I'm thinking about how you won't tell me anything about your life when I have told you almost everything about mine." Her smile disappeared instantly.

Luckily for her, Mason walked in before I could push for more answers. "Daniel, a representative from the Queen is here to see the girl." When he said this, I thought that Liz looked scared, but it could have just been my imagination.

"Which Queen?" She asked shakily.

"Yours," Mason said with disgust. "And you must refer to me as 'sir.'" Liz's face turned fire red, and I could have sworn that I saw smoke coming off of her bright red hair. It looked like her head was on fire, but that wasn't possible. No one could actually create fire just from anger.

"It's okay, Mason. Thank you, but please return to your post." Mason sulked from the room. I knew I was going to hear about this later.

"I have to get out of here," Liz said, her voice shaking. I suddenly felt bad for her, and I wanted to let her out so that she wouldn't look that scared.

"I really wish I could let you go, but it's just not possible with out a trial, which we can't hold with out your Queen." I knew that I was just making matters worse, but I felt like I had to say something. I would have rambled on if I hadn't seen the look on her face. It was the look of defeat and lost hope.

"I'm going to stay until the representative is through with me, but then I'm breaking out. I'm sorry Danny, but there is no other way" She sounded like this pained her, like her breaking out would inconvenience me, not her.

"Well, good luck with that," I said sarcastically. She looked at me like I was crazy.

"You don't think that I can do it, do you?" I was spared having to answer that question, because right then a young man who was probably Liz's age walked in. He had ink black hair with eyes like coals. He looked like the perfect soldier, except for the foolish look on his face as he said "Hello, Elizabeth. How are you?"

That's when I heard Liz say what I least expected to hear. "Very well, and you, Nathanial?"

"You're the prince?" I exclaimed with shock. Nathanial just looked at me.

"So you told him who I was? How very unlike you, Elizabeth. You never tell anyone anything, but you tell a stranger who your prince and betrothed is."

I thought that Liz was going to explode then. I could see blood dripping from her clenched hands. Her voice was like steel when she replied, "You are neither my prince nor betrothed. And Danny is less of a stranger to me than you are."

"We shall see about that. I came just to make sure that it was actually you. We have had many fakes because people want the reward. The Queen will be here in a few days, with the proper guards to take you home."

"Well, then I should get ready. You may leave now, Nathanial."

I thought that Nathanial was going to hit her. "I am in charge of your fate. You should try showing me a bit of kindness."

Liz didn't reply, she just curled into her corner and looked him defiantly. Nathanial huffed and said, "I will be back for you in two days time. Try to enjoy your last forty eight hours of freedom."

Then he just walked away. If I hadn't known that Mason would kill me if I attacked the guest, I would have charged after him. Instead, I just stared and said, "He really thinks he's the center of the universe, doesn't he?"

Liz smiled at me as she said, "He's about to get a taste of reality. You can't always get what you want,"

"So you're really leaving soon?" I wanted her to say no, that she would stay for me. But I knew the answer before she said it.

"I have to. There is no way in hell I am going anywhere with Nathanial."

"So what's your plan for escape?" I asked, thinking there was no way she would tell me.

"If you can light a torch in here, I'll show you," She said. She sounded resigned, like she hadn't wanted to do this, but circumstances had forced her to.

"Well, that is a reasonable request. I will be right back." I smiled to myself as I walked away. What did she think she could do with a torch? It's not like I was going to give it to her.

I returned a few minutes later with a lit torch to find Liz standing outside of her cell. The door didn't look like it had been forced, but I wasn't an expert on that subject. "How did you get out?" I asked.

"A magician never reveals her secrets. I'm not a magician, but the same rules apply here," She responded quickly. "Now are you going to give me that torch, or will I have to fight you for it?" She sounded agitated, like she really didn't want to do this.

"I'll give it to you on one condition," I said, a plan forming in my mind. "I get to come with you."

"You really want to be a wanted fugitive? " I nodded and muttered a quick yes. "Well, then I really don't see the harm," She took the torch from my grasp and through it into her cell.

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

"I'm covering my tracks."

"By starting a fire?" I said quizzically.

"By leaving a torch in the cell."

This made no sense to me, but I decided to go with it. "So where are we going? I'll go anywhere, as long as it's away from this place."

"Why do you hate this place so much? I would kill to have a place to call home. Not literally, though," Her voice had filled with longing until she made the joke at the end.

"Everyone thinks that I have everything that I could want here, when the truth is I never wanted an of it."

"So your treated like a prince but don't want to be? Poor excuse to leave,"

"Not just treated. In a few weeks I would have been a prince. But I can't stand the princess or even the way they do politics here. The princess only wanted me because I was a good warrior and she thought I looked the part,"

"So you're leaving to escape a marriage? That's just pathetic," Liz said with contempt.

"Isn't that what you did? Left to avoid being wed to the prince?" I countered.

"M position was different, but touché anyway. And I'm just trying to convince you to go back, but I can see that it is not working," She sighed, excepting defeat.

"So, like I asked before, where are we going?"

"Just away. I'm biding my time until I'm ready to take the Queen down," She said, her voice riddled with sadness.

"You think you can take your Queen down alone?"

"No, but I don't plan on being alone, either," She said mischievously.