Black Rose

Chapter four: A Sad Kiss of Lovers

Etna blushed when Laharl came out of the shower wearing only a towel. Of course he left the room, but the image burnt brightly in Etna's mind and she couldn't stop thinking about it. 'Curse me and my dirty mind!' Etna cried in her mind.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at Etna's door. She answered it only to have a towel thrown in her face. She removed it to see a scowling Laharl standing in front of her.

"I ruined your other towel...so here's a new one." Laharl muttered. Etna looked at the Prince.

"His highness has never been so kind...is it possible he is softening up?" Etna said. That's when Laharl got mad. He stormed off to his room, leaving Etna alone.

"Oops...didn't mean to get him mad." Etna said. She was going to follow him to his room, but as soon as she left the room everything went dark...and she couldn't speak.

Laharl decided to go out hunting around 3 PM. He went to ask Etna to come along but she didn't answer her door.

"Etna? I'm coming in..." Laharl said to the shut door. He opened the door to see Etna's room a mess and Etna was no where to be seen.

"It can't be...! Is it possible someone kidnapped her?" Laharl wondered worriedly. He ran out of the castle to search.

When Etna awoke, she was bound and gagged. Her spear had been taken and she had been stripped of her few valuables – her choker and earrings. She let out an annoyed scream through the cloth covering her mouth.

"Ahh, awake, are we?" said a voice. Etna looked up to see a man a few years older than her with pale skin and dark brown hair. He had a sword. Etna growled at the man until there was a bursting noise near by – like something had blown up. Etna looked in the direction of the sound and that was her first bad mistake. The man took out his sword and sliced her cheek.

"Etna! Etna! Where are you?!" Laharl cried into the seemingly empty warehouse.

"I've been waiting for you, prince!" said a voice from above. The man who had attacked Etna fell from no where.

"Where's Etna?!" Laharl yelled fiercely to the man, taking out his sword.

"Impatient, aren't you? You'll see her eventually." The man said. Laharl growled and attacked. There was a huge battle. Laharl ended up slipping away before the battle was done however. He really wanted to find Etna – make sure she was alright.

"Etna! Etna!!" Etna heard her name being called and she tried to answer. But she had been drugged, her limbs wouldn't move and her eyes would not open. Plus the man had scratched her up a lot – she looked like there was a large fight and she had lost.

"Etna...I've found you!" Laharl cried, falling to his knees next to Etna. He grasped Etna in his arms and held her tight.

"Etna...I'm sorry I couldn't find you sooner..." Laharl said.

"L-Laharl..." Etna whispered, "I'm not dead yet..."

Laharl stopped holding her quite so tightly and looked down at her. She tried and managed to open her bright red eyes. Laharl couldn't stand this anymore. He pulled Etna into a strong kiss.