THORNS FOUR

A/N: This is where I need to make a little confession. Although this is set in a fairy-story environment and I'll be using tropes from traditional tales, this is what you might call my 'Into The Woods'. Whereas Honey's Kingdom One was quite light-hearted, this will take on a much darker tone in parts. Will good ultimately triumph over evil? Possibly.

Prince Caleb panicked a little, expecting to drown, although he was glad for his heart rate that he'd been able to stop the frenzied dancing. Rusalka grabbed him and kissed his lips hard. It wasn't altogether unpleasant but Caleb just wanted to be back with Lily White.

"Now you can live by land and sea" grinned Rusalka.

"Well, Miss, now that you've made me into a bloody amphibian, perhaps you'll let me go home? I have a beautiful wife on land."

"Oh you can forget her! I specifically told Jezibaba that I wanted a partner for life."

"Not me, sweetheart. I'll find a way to swim back to the banks and then I'll crawl all the way back to my wife."

"You'll have to get past me first" said a deep voice.

Old Vlodnik, Rusalka's father and King of the Water Sprites, stood there holding a very nasty trident.

Cal was tempted to say "Oh just impale me" but he liked life as much as the next man, so he planned his escape instead. He just wished he could let Lily know he wasn't dead. Then he realised that he would have a horrible wedding night. He couldn't stop himself having a little man-sob.

Sophie hugged Lily.

"He might not be dead, darling."

"That river near those Springs is very deep."

"Princess" Lofty said gently.

"Yes, Count Benjamin?"

"Um..,I wonder if my friends could help. They did live as bandits for a long time. One of them might just be able to swim underwater."

"Don't bother opening your mouth, Ben, if that's all you can come up with." Dylan was irritable and didn't know why. Lofty looked at him, the hurt plain in his eyes.

"I know somebody who might well be able to help" Captain Max smiled.

"Of course. Your fiancée!"

"She knows all about folklore" Robyn beamed.

"Prisoner, can you tell me if you made those boots yourself?"

Mr Jacob nodded dolefully.

"Then, because Prince Caleb is very likely drowned, you can expect life imprisonment at the very least. So you'd better tell me more. Did you decide to give Prince Caleb a pair of enchanted boots?"

"No of course not! He's one of my best customers. All I know is that a tall dark-haired beautiful woman walked into my shop, and everything went a little woozy. The next thing, I was like a driven man making those boots."

"I shall send soldiers out to interrogate all such beautiful dark-haired women. If she is found, you will be released. If she is not found, you will stay in prison for the rest of your life."

"Now nobody's to eat any toadstools or mushrooms or any strange-looking plants" Zoe told them all. Max thought how gorgeous she was when she was being bossy.

Even though the annulment had been promised, Sophie and Ethan still felt uneasy about showing too much affection in public until everything was completed. Taylor had offered to join the party going to the river, but Ethan had advised her to stay in her room at the palace. She'd now been moved out of Sophie's room and had a much smaller bedroom but she was relieved that she hadn't been beheaded or anything like that.

As they neared the riverbank and P*ss Springs, Zoe suddenly lay down flat and made little squeaky noises under her breath. To her joy, a Pike put its head out of the water.

"Mike! How are you?" asked Zoe.

Mike the Pike bowed to the gentry, as he thought of them, and then said:

"How can I help?"

"Is Prince Caleb on the river bed?" asked Prince Ethan.

"Yes."

"Is he -is he dead?" Lily steeled herself.

"No but he's not happy."

Lily cried in sheer relief.

"What's keeping him there?"

"Rusalka the Water-Sprite's daughter. She was approached by a witch called Jezibaba-"

"JEZibaba?" Sophie was suspicious at once, "What does this JEZibaba look like?"

"Tall for a human woman, tanned complexion, nice-looking in a tomboy way…"

"Did this witch demand any payment?"

"Yes. She wanted a big diamond necklace at the very least. Rusalka gave her a whole box of jewels and her dad was really cross about it."

"Hmmm… did the witch go into the river to talk to Rusalka?"

"No. She said she couldn't live under water."

"Sophie, what are all these questions for, darling? The poor fish is doing his best."

"He's doing wonderfully" replied Sophie, "But I think a little trip to see JEZ the trickster might be useful."

"Ah!" Ethan had seen the light.

Sophie turned to Zoe.

"Is there anything we can give Mike here to reward him?"

"Sadly, not, but he's got everything he needs, haven't you, Mike?"

The pike nodded, bowed and swam away.

"A spy? Your plan's beneath us both, father."

Duke Archibald wanted to punch Sebastian for his weakness but said as patiently as he could:

"It's for the Grayling Dynasty."

" No it isn't. You just want to disrupt Prince Dylan's happiness because you – we – don't understand his kind of love."

He refrained from saying that if the Duke was able to start some kind of conflict with Cardiff, his biggest aim would be grabbing the wealth and enslaving the people. Apart from those who got in his way, that was. Those unfortunate souls would be eliminated.

"Now, LOOK, Sebastian. You will go to visit the Prince while he and his – creature – are staying in Passionara. You'll find a way to become friends with him and you'll discreetly ask as many questions about Cardiff as you can. You'll find out what their defences and army are like."

"And if I don't?"

"You're not too old for a beating, and I'll make your life a living hell every day until you do what you're told."

"I'll go there" Sebastian said coldly. Maybe, just maybe, he could find some way of warning Prince Dylan of the danger that awaited him and the man he loved.

Queen Constance smiled to herself. Why had she been so intent on killing Lily White when she could find ways to make her unhappy instead? That smart young Louis had already caused mayhem for dear Lily and her friends and it had only just begun.

Jez the Trickster was snoozing with his mouth wide open when he heard the frenzied knocking at his door.

He sat up and swaggered to the door.

"Who's there?" he asked.

"Rusalka" came a pretty little voice, "I need more help, Jezibaba."

"You… I don't know how you got on land but you're not supposed to contact me here."

Instantly the door was kicked open. He expected a large-built strong man to be standing there.

Not this serene-looking middle-aged lady with the honey-coloured hair and the gentle smile.

"My name's Mistress Duffin, but my friends call me Duffy. You may call me Mistress Duffin – and we need to talk. I hope you can endure physical pain, JEZIBABA."

Jez wailed.