She clutched the lamp handle in her hand with a death grip, 'not afraid, not afraid, not afraid' she thought to herself. She tried to use the memory of their kiss to calm herself down, yeah that didn't help. The building was filled with menacing shadows, her mind drifted to the memory:

"Come on Chloe, let's play Princess." A young Lois shouted as she led her cousin into the abandoned building.

"LLLoiss? Can I get the Prince this time?" Chloe whined as she followed her relative into the building.

"Wait let me think….Nope, sorry, you are too short and I'm just way to pretty" she declared. So after an hour of being Lois' hand maiden, again, they got bored and were swinging on a rope that was hanging from the loft.

"I'm bored" Chloe spoke.

"Wanna play hide and seek?" Lois asked.

"Sure"

"Good cover your eyes and start counting." Lois ordered. Chloe rolled her eyes, 'brat' she thought. She covered her eyes and counted to 50. She then began to look around. She went in and out of rooms and stalls, shouting for Lois to come out. She even went outside to look around. The sun was setting and the shadows were getting bigger. Making her way back into the old building she kept shouting for Lois. Hearing a noise further into the barn she took small steps inching her way into the shadows. She felt something tap her shoulder and she turned and came face to chest with a skeleton and screamed, and screamed and began to cry. Lois hopped out from the rafters laughing. Chloe turned and slapped her in the face and ran home crying.

** Chloe didn't speak to Lois for a year after that and swore she would never step foot in the old building again.

--

The wind was raging outside and the shutters were slamming at the walls. Chloe was trembling, and rapidly loosing control of her nerve. Finally after what seemed like forever she couldn't take it any more. She turned to run out when she was caught by the waist and spun around. She screamed as she was pulled body to body with … "Green Arrow" she gasped. The heat from her body caught him by surprise, he was again stupefied by this woman, and oh how she fit perfectly against him.

"Uh, aside from the fact that you nearly killed me with fright, do you think you might want to let me go." Her mouth was at the wheel while her brain was raging with protest. He chuckled, and it was arrogant.

"Certainly flower, tis that what you want? Fer me to let ye go?" he again chuckled as her face flushed. "And what of the name ye called me?" he asked releasing her and stepping back to gain his composure.

"G-G-Green Arrow, I think it fits better than the Bandit"

He turned his back to her and smiled. "Very well, flower." He spoke going to light the lantern he brought. "I'm glad ye conquered yer fear o' this place."

"H-h-how did you know?"

"It didn't take much to see it all over yer face." He turned as the Lantern came to life making the rest of the shadows disappear.

"Who are you?" she asked her fear gone once more light was added.

"Again, flower, tis no' the time fer ye to know" he stepped to a small stool that he had set in the middle of the room for her. He directed her to sit and then joined her sitting across from her on a similar stool.

"I need yer help lass." He spoke quietly.

"I don't understand why me?'

"Why not lass? Ye are strong, determined, bright,…" she blushed furiously.

"But I'm just a woman?"

"Ye are no' just anything, ever," he was angry? "Look, lass ye think it's bad now? The troubles of Metropolis are about to get much worse if the King actually marries Lady Lana."

"What? I don't understand. She has nothing really that she's bringing to the marriage, not a big dowry, no lands…"

"She will bare him a son." He paused a moment to gather his thoughts. "What do ye know of the story of Prince Oliver?"

"I only know what the King proclaimed."

"Ahh yes the proclamations, then ye know that after Prince Oliver went missing he was presumed dead"

"Presumed?"

"Aye… I can tell ye with great certainty that he is very much alive."

"What? How? Where's he been, doesn't he know that his people need him?" She stood and began pacing, she was fuming. "Is he a coward? All this time, allowing his people to be treated like nothing!!"

"Easy flower" he purred.

"And why do you keep calling me that!" she shouted. Turning to face him and she bit her lip as she watched him move with almost regal grace.

He sighed and stretched his long legs in front of himself and crossed his arms over his chest. "The Prince has been in hiding, he admitted one night over a flask or three of ale, that he was a fool. He told stories of his brother and the darkness he chose to ignore. He said that after he was hijacked he lived in the forest, became of the forest, surviving in its deepest and darkest shadows, learning many things, fighting, hunting, and mostly learning purpose. He shed his ideals and the useless separatist ideas he got at University. He said he had come across some of the villagers that fled Metropolis…it was then he knew it was time to come back… to save them. He's been watching…waiting and apparently flower he says he's been waiting fer you" he spoke she looked shocked. "I'm his friend lass and he has a plan."

"Chloe," Victor spoke, coming out of the shadows, "Timing is crucial, the Prince has to stop the wedding. If Lady Lana marries the King the Prince has no options. A marriage seals the fate of the people, the Law States that the first male heir born to the King will guaranty succession of his Lineage. In that case the Prince becomes obsolete."

"I'm confused?" she spoke.

"Okay.. the race? Having an heir for succession of the line; the front runner right now? The King. As soon as he has a son, the Prince is out; he can have no claim to the crown or the Kingdom for that matter." Victor hoped she understood that time.

"So Lex just has to wait for Lana to have a son, that could take years. What's the rush now?"

"The King knows for a fact that Lana will give him a son."

"What? And how on earth can he possibly know that?" she looked at Victor disgusted.

"His highness hasn't just been increasing his wealth. The last few years he's been studying people, he's purchased doctors from lands that would blow your mind. They tested people; some of it could be construed as torture. They searched and searched and were able to find the perfect woman. Lana is the perfect puppet and she will conceive a son." Victor continued. "And soon."

"So he has to marry or the child will be a..." She spoke thinking out loud.

"A giant waist of time," Arthur spoke entering the room. "The other problem," Arthur continued. "Is that security will be unlike anything Metropolis has ever seen" Arthur began to draw a schematic in the dirt. "The King suspects the Bandit will try something at the wedding."

"How do you know this?" Chloe asked pointing at the diagram he had just drawn.

"The Prince showed me." He spoke with a knowing grin.

"Wow." She gasped. "You guys are in serious trouble though. The wedding is in less than 3 days. How do you possibly expect to do this?"

"I'm glad ye asked." Green Arrow spoke. "Ye can help the Prince get into the castle, by sneaking him in with yer produce delivery."

"No way, uh, uh, if security is going to be as tight as you think, then the carts will certainly be searched."

"True, but the King has a weakness." Arrow spoke standing up finally.

"And that it is?"

They all spoke in unison…"You". She laughed and laughed.. . .

--

After Chloe left the boys went back into the forest for one more meeting. In the meadow they had found an out cropping of rocks that gave a slight perch over the field itself. A fairly large crowd had gathered. Torch light illuminated the field. The crowd parted to let the three through. They hopped up onto the rocks.

"Good people, the time to end Alexander's tyranny is here" Arrow spoke.

"Why now? What's changed?" someone shouted.

"Look, we asked you here to help us fight. To stand with us…" Victor spoke.

"We're just farm folk!"

"We'll be hanged?"

"How many have you lost already to his insanity? The numbers will continue to grow." Arthur spoke.

A large war horse carrying a rider thundered up to the group, there was a collective gasp, it was the General, he dismounted his horse and approached the three men on the perch and he drew his sword. "On your knees bandits" he ordered. He then looked at the crowd.

"What is the meaning of this meeting?"

"It's a trap!"

"He set us up!" the people began to scramble.

"Be still people." The General spoke. "I was on my way back to the castle," he turned to the men. "Now I won't say it again… on your knees" he hissed. Victor and Arthur looked as if they were going to comply. Arrow just shook his head. He sighed then flipped back his hood. The crowd and the General gasped and he and the crowd at once dropped to there knees.

"No General." Arrow spoke. "You don't kneel before me" his voice was quiet, barely audible. "Good people, my friends, you don't kneel before me either. I'm here not as a Prince but a man in need of help" he spoke then sat at the edge of the precipice. The people slowly rose to their feet. "I need your help" looking up at the General he then turned to the crowd "… to stop my brother."

"B-b-but you are dead?"

"I can assure you I'm not." he smiled.

"Y-y-you didn't forsake us?"

"No, I didn't forsake you. We" Gesturing to Victor and Arthur who had also sat down, "Helped all of you as much as we could. Now I ask that you help us to put an end to this once and for all. I promise that I will make right all the wrong that I can." The people seemed to mull it over and then replied in the positive. "And what about you General, are you in to help me stop Alexander?"

"My Lord, I'm an old man" he sighed "and as much as I love the Army, I would someday like to retire and God willing, my daughter gives me grand children. I would love to see them grow. The King has been a Royal Pain for far too long." He nodded his assent "Count me in." He spoke with a look of hope. The general sheathed his sword and went and stood with the people.

Oliver smiled, "Then this is what needs to be done." Oliver spoke.