New update when I should be working. Hooray for being lazy. Hope you enjoy! Onwards!

"Tomorrow is the day that you will join the harem," the advisor to Brittany's fiancé told her as he bowed to bestow the newest gift to her. She rolled her eyes, unable to believe that the date had finally been set. She was usually pretty good at wiggling out of it, and she had done so without fail for the past two months. "He hopes that this will please you."

Brittany opened the lid to the ivory box and looked at her reflection in the many fractals of the giant ruby set as the center of a headpiece. He had finally learned that she valued gold and jewels, but the gifts that she had received over the years were nothing compared to what she truly wanted.

She looked away, refusing to speak to the advisor as he exited the room, making sure to lock it tight. Jeanette and Eleanor moved in closer to her, peering at the delicate treasure. "He's becoming more extravagant," Eleanor muttered, tracing the shape of the ruby.

"It's just to distract us from our cage." Brittany rose from her seat and paced the room, the chain dragging along the floor. "I refuse to marry that man. There can be no way that he can legally force me into this!"

"I don't think he can," Jeanette murmured thoughtfully. "If I have overheard the servants correctly, however, there is a lot of pressure to return us to the states. He must really love you to want to keep you here."

Brittany stopped and stared at Jeanette as if she didn't hear her right. "No," she chided Jeanette calmly but firmly. "He just wants an exotic bird for his collection."

"Then what do we do?"

Brittany shrugged her shoulders, wondering that herself. The past few days had been slow, but fast at the same time. They had spent their time as normally as they could, taking their lessons on learning the language and becoming women fit for the culture. Brittany was learning how to be a proper bride while her sisters were ladies in waiting. They ate their meals, were given time to walk the garden, and slept at night.

The only difference was the occasional thought or glance that they spared each other when they were reminded of something about their lost friends. They had been mourning as quietly as they could, still unable to believe that the boys had died, but starting to accept it. Since hope died with Dave, it was starting to die within them.

With a little huff, Brittany grasped the rusted metal bars of the window and stared out past the city and into the desert for as far as she could see. "I always thought that I would have married him."

"Before or after you two killed each other?" Eleanor asked. Jeanette smiled while Eleanor giggled. Brittany appeared offended but soon smiled too. It was laughter that was going to get them through their troubles.

The girls were interrupted by the sounds of the guards stirring outside the door and a warning whistle screeching out into the night. Something was going on inside the palace walls that had every person in a state of panic. Eleanor, the closet, threw herself at the window and peered out of it, searching the sea of people for any clue as to the commotion. But nothing was presenting itself.

"All of the palace guards are mobilized," Jeanette observed, stationing herself next to Eleanor.

"Quick," Brittany ordered, pointing to a corner of the room. Eleanor nodded and ran to it, pulling aside a short, wooden panel to expose a very small, metal saw. The girls had only just acquired it from a servant they were able to fool. Jeanette doubted that it would be good enough to get through the chains, but at this point, the girls were willing to try anything.

Once the saw was out, Brittany and Jeanette joined Eleanor on the floor and watched as Eleanor quickly moved to remove the shackle from her leg. Brittany nudged Jeanette and jerked her head to the window, silently telling Jeanette to keep watch. Jeanette nodded and shifted to the window, also keeping her eyes on the door. All the while, Eleanor kept on attempting to saw.

The minutes rolled by, Eleanor and Brittany taking turns on the chain that was attached to Eleanor's shackle. Jeanette continued to keep watch, amazed that whatever had happened hadn't escalated or dissipated in any way. Things were the same from the time the girls were woken up to now. The guards hadn't even bothered to check in on them. They were definitely busy.

It was at that time that a large boom resounded over the entire palace. The girls made eye contact with each other with wide eyes, all curious as to what the sound was and were it came from. But the movement of the guards now made sense. It seemed there was some sort of attack on the palace that was taken place.

'Maybe it's the UN forces coming to take us back?' Jeanette hoped while she gazed out the window. She was now able to spot smoke rising from the far South. She turned her head to notify her sisters of her suspicion of a bomb. Brittany and Eleanor seemed a little more nervous as they began to work quicker.

"You're starting to make a dent in it!" Brittany exclaimed. "Keep going."

Biting her lip and focusing her eyes, Eleanor moved with more vigor. Brittany cheered on, hoping to inspire her. Eleanor was deep in her concentration, and Jeanette couldn't figure out why Eleanor and Brittany were so excited. There was still a lot of metal to cut through, and they still had Brittany's chain and her own to cut through.

A small ting sound came to Jeanette's ears. She turned around to see Eleanor holding up the saw, the blade broken. Her face was one of disbelief. Brittany seemed stunned or shocked as to the turn of events. It just didn't seem real that the saw, which seemed to have been working, was now out of the picture. They had to think up a new plan and wait for the right moment. Again.

The door flew open at that moment. The girls all whipped their heads around to see who was entering. It was a tall man wearing a turban on his head and covering himself with the normal garb. His eyes went wide behind a pair of thin framed glasses at seeing the girls. He shouted something over his shoulder, but was drowned out by another boom.

Another man entered, being shorter than the first. The two men were dressed nearly identical and seemed to be close. In an instant, they both went to the girls and knelt down, pulling the chains closer and wedging a key in the shackles.

The girls had been scared at first, seeing the men. With the bombs going off and the guards flocking, strange men seemed like a bad idea. Yet seeing the keys that were being used to unlock the shackles made the girls trust them a little better.

In a whirlwind of motion and noise, the girls were whisked out of the room and, dodging the guards on the stairs, were soon outside the walls of the palace. Soon enough, they were joined by a third man.

Brittany could feel that they might want to move away from the men, but something about them just told her to stay. Perhaps it was their movements or maybe their heights, but she and her sisters decided to just follow. These men surely were going to help them. She just knew it.

Oh yes...Forgot to mention...it is multi-chapter.