A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the story so far. Read and review!
Thank you to bornfreeonekiss, WinterFairy7337 and Anne for beta help.
I do not own Austin and Ally.
When the day of the engagement ball finally rolled around, both Dez and Austin were being fitted into their tailored outfits. They had to admit that Trish had done quite a magnificent job working with the tailors in the end, despite her initial clash with them.
Both of them were also secretly elated to finally be able to announce their decision to spend the rest of their lives with the girls they loved so dearly.
"Sir Austin? Sir Dez?" A knock sounded on the door. It was their right-hand man, Duke Dallas.
"Come in!" Austin permitted entry.
Dallas came in and bowed, "Have the both of you seen the princesses by any chance? Their wash maids and serving ladies have been waiting for them for hours."
The two princes looked at each other in confusion. The girls had no reason to be elsewhere, unless they were dealing with another 'crisis', as Trish had put it.
Just then, a loud scream permeated the hustle of the room, causing everyone to freeze in fear.
'That was Ally!' Austin realized. The mere thought of his fiancée being in some sort of trouble was more than enough to drive him into a state of panic. He quickly dashed off to find her, with Dez and Dallas trailing closely behind him. Dez knew that Trish was probably with Ally, and therefore she might also be in the same trouble. Internally, the princes prayed that the scream was just Ally overreacting to the appearance of a rat or something equivalent.
The men barged into the bedchambers of the girls and looked around frantically.
What they saw, however, made their blood run cold.
"Hello, my princes."
Austin started to stir. He opened his eyes a fraction and blinked rapidly at the bright sunlight. Where was he? He heard many people speaking all at once around him and felt hands prodding at his body.
He groaned and forced himself to open his eyes wide. Peering blearily at his surroundings, he found that the ceiling that greeted him was his own. He was in his personal chambers.
"Prince Austin! You are finally awake! Your parents have been terribly worried," an elderly nurse spoke to him.
"Austin?" His parents entered the room and rushed to his side. The remaining staff excused themselves and left the family alone.
"Austin, we are so glad that you are alright. You had everybody frightened out of their wits, especially your mother here," Michael spoke up first.
"Oh hush, Michael. I had faith in my son," whispered Mimi.
"What happened?" asked Austin groggily.
"You and Dez were found unconscious in Ally and Trish's chambers," explained Mimi.
Ally…Ally! The memory of Ally's scream from the previous evening came flooding back and Austin sat up hurriedly. This was not a smart move however, for everything started spinning, and he felt his head throbbing with pain. He groaned.
The king pushed his son back down gently. "Easy there, son," he said comfortingly. I know you are anxious to get to your woman, but you need to rest first."
"Where is Ally?"
His parents looked at each other, a look of apprehension on their faces. A dull sensation of uneasiness grew in Austin's stomach.
"We have no idea where Ally and Trish are. Do you remember anything about how you and Dez fell unconscious?"
Austin tried to recall what happened, but his mind was a complete blank. He shook his head.
"Dez could not recall what had happened either. He is extremely devastated right now as well," explained Mimi. "Perhaps the two of you could get together sometime later, and one of you will eventually remember something. For now, my son, please rest well."
With that, his parents left Austin's room, leaving the young man to get some sleep. But he couldn't, not when his mind was wrapped up with worry for Ally and Trish.
"IT HAS BEEN ALMOST A MONTH!" Austin roared at his men. "WHERE ARE THEY?!"
"Your highness, a kingdom-wide search has been ongoing. Our fellow country allies as well as the princesses' families have also been notified and are aiding with the search. I am sure that news about them will surface soon," the general tried to pacify an angry Austin.
Austin let out a groan of frustration. Dez sat quietly in his chair and watched the whole scene. He had not been himself since Trish disappeared and Austin definitely felt the same way.
Just then, puffs of black clouds billowed into the room through the opened windows, bringing with it flashing lightning and tumultuous thunder. Shouts of surprise came from Austin's soldiers followed by a deafening crash as something was brutally knocked down. When the wisps cleared, all of the soldiers were found to be unconscious, and the gusts revealed a hooded black figure in the middle of the room.
A decidedly feminine voice spoke, "Do you want to find your lady loves?"
Austin and Dez both drew their swords and pointed them at the mysterious person.
"Do you want to find Princesses Allyson and Patricia?" the voice repeated emotionlessly.
"Who are you and what do you know about their whereabouts?" demanded Austin, his voice quivering slightly.
"I am nobody. And as for your second question, they are in a faraway place. If you wish to retrieve them, you may. However, be warned that once you are there, you might never return."
Austin and Dez hesitated, unsure if they should believe the words of this mysterious figure.
Sensing the princes' uncertainty, the voice let out a vicious cackle that echoed across the entire room. In another flash of lightning, it simply disappeared. In its place sat a portal, white and glowing – as if beckoning the princes to step through.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mimi asked her son once again as she adjusted his armour. "At least bring some men with you."
"We must do this ourselves, Mother. Somehow, we know we will find a way," Austin pulled his mother's hands into his own in an attempt to comfort her.
Dez nodded in affirmation, "Somewhere, we know that they are waiting for us. Do not worry, King and Queen. For I will protect Austin with my life, as I'm very certain he will do the same for me as well."
"Stay safe, the both of you," ordered King Michael.
The two young men bade farewell to the majesties, before turning around and stepping into the light.
"Hmm…" Dez hummed as he stared at their strange surroundings. There were a couple of odd-shaped structures and buildings that barely resembled the villages of Neilaz. Just by looking at the crowds of chattering people and their odd clothing, it was clear that Dez and Austin didn't belong in this realm. The two of them were starting to attract peculiar looks from individuals around them.
One of those individuals was a little girl about the age of eleven or twelve, gawking at Austin and Dez, her eyes as round as saucers.
"I beg your pardon, miss," Austin bowed to the little girl. She was startled at first, but she then giggled at his behaviour. "Could you possibly tell us where we are?" he asked.
"You're in Miami, silly!" the girl exclaimed.
-end-
A/N: And the plot thickens! I always wanted to say that, lol.
