The first thing Jia noticed when she regained consciousness was the blinding pain in her head. The second thing was that she was lying on something very soft. She wrenched open her eyes. A man was standing above her. He had a sword strapped to his side and was sitting on a chair. When he saw her eyes open he stood. She jumped up and grabbed the sword. She got him from behind and put the sword to his throat before she noticed something horribly wrong. She couldn't see through the dizziness, and her legs didn't seem to want to work right. He wasn't fighting her but she knocked him out with the handle of the sword because she knew she wouldn't be able to control him.

She pulled herself out from under him, as he had fallen on her, and sat for a minute for the dizziness to go away. When it did a little she carefully stood and made her way to the door by hanging on the walls. She carefully opened it and peaked outside. No one in the hall. She made her way along the wall until she heard a scream. She turned too quickly and fell back, again unconscious.

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When next she woke she opened her eyes to an entirely different sight. A large foreboding woman was sitting on the bed glaring at her.

"They'll be none of that nonsense like last time miss. You lay there all quiet like."

"Where am I? Where is Marguerite?"

The woman sighed. "Me name is Esme. Kind of ye ta ask."

Jia tried to sit up. Esme pushed her back down. Jia was stunned by how weak she was.

"Said no foolishness didn't I? Your Lady is just fine. Being taken care of quite well."

"I'll judge that for myself thank you."

Esme stood up and left the room. Jia again tried to sit up. However, the dizziness was worse then before. She lay back and tried not to throw up.

The door opened and Jia was elated to see Marguerite walk in. Marguerite was smiling and wearing a strange gown.

"Thank God you're awake."

"What's happening here Marguerite?"

"You've been out for about twelve days now. The healer said you may never wake up."

"Where are we?"

Marguerite sighed, "The jungle version of Camelot."

Jia raised one eyebrow, "How did we get here?"

"Remember that girl in the cage with us?"

Jia nodded and her head ached from the effort.

"She was a very important person here. The camp is six days from here. They tracked her and brought us all back here when we were both injured."

"Where are the others?"

"Gawain sent a group of his men to find them. You are not in any condition to travel. They should be back any day now."

Jia sat back. "I think I remember waking up before."

A voice came from the doorway, "Indeed, Sir Richard was quite impressed."

She looked around Marguerite and saw a boy of maybe eighteen. "And you would be?"

He stepped into the room, "King Gawain. I understand you are Lady Mason."

Jia narrowed her eyes at him. Marguerite interrupted, "Jia is fine. No Lady Mason please."

Gawain nodded, "Very well. I am happy to see you are better."

Jia wasn't giving off a warm vibe, "When are our friends getting here?"

"My men shall return soon. You must rest for the return journey."

He turned and left. Jia turned to Marguerite, "You trust that popinjay?"

Marguerite smiled, "He may seem a little, well, arrogant, but he is honest."

Jia sighed, "If you say so. Wake me up when the others get here will you?"

"Not a problem."

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Marguerite didn't have to wait long. Within the hour, three men came stumbling into the king's throne room.

"I sent ten men, where are the others?"

The men hung their heads.

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Gawain knocked on Jia's door and was called in. Marguerite was sitting on the bed and talking to an again awake Jia.

He walked a short ways into the room and shut the door. "My men have returned."

Marguerite didn't like his pale complection or the look on his face. "What happened?"

"Only three returned. They ran into the slavers again. They had your friends hostage..." Gawain did not seem to want to continue. "There was a struggle. I am so sorry. When the slavers were losing, they set fire to the cages. No one survived."

The girls sat in shock. Marguerite was the first to recover, and to everyone's surprise, burst into tears. She buried her face in Jia's shoulder and sobbed. Jia sat there with a stunned look on her face. She never moved.

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The walk back to the tree house had been a longer one than the way there. They had nothing to rush for. They all ascended in the elevator to an expectant trio. Their faces all fell when they saw the three men and only one woman.

Challenger was the first to recover, "Please tell me they are on the jungle floor waiting to come up."

Mal walked past them all and went to what had been Jia's room. Roxton went to his own room. A still crying Veronica hobbled over to the couch. Ned hung his head.

River screamed, "No, they can't be. I would have felt it."

Simon tried to comfort his distraught sister, "River, they were just too far away."

But River couldn't hear him, she was drowning on the vivid sadness that surrounded her.

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Over the next month, things gradually returned to normal for most of the tree house inhabitants. Veronica's knee got better, Challenger's head no longer hurt.

Mal went through the motions of living, but never felt a thing. He felt like he had in Serenity Valley, just more so. He didn't think he could ever hurt worse then he had there.

Roxton was much the same. They both spent a lot of time away from the tree house. The only difference is that Roxton allowed himself to morn, and Mal never did.

It was on one of Mal's emotionless walks when he came upon a river. He stood there for a while before he noticed something on the river bank. It was a man dressed in strange clothing. Mal pulled him from the river. The man was dead, but had something clutched in his hand. He pried the hand open and noticed the object immediately. It was a ring he had seen Roxton wear, but not recently. He pulled the man into the bushes and memorized everything he could about him. He then ran to the tree house.

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The ring lay on the table with seven people staring at it.

Ned was still confused, "How could he possibly have gotten it?"

"He must have seen Marguerite."

Veronica looked at Roxton, "Why did she have your ring?"

Roxton didn't answer. Mal leaned over and grabbed the ring. "I don't care how he got it. I want to know what the hell happened out there. I want to see where this guy came from."

Everyone else nodded.

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Four days after the news about Mal and the others, Jia still sat in bed. She was getting stronger, and the dizziness had gone away, except for a few spells. There was a knock on her door. She told them to come in.

She recognized the man immediately. She had put a sword to his throat six days ago. He was smiling. She waited for him to speak.

"Is it safe to come in?"

Jia slightly smiled, "I promise nothing."

The man came in and left the door open. "I will take my chances."

She noticed he came no closer than the doorway. "Afraid I'll knock you out again?"

He laughed, "Just protecting your reputation."

Jia thought to herself that it had to be the first time a man had ever done that for her besides her brother. "I am told you are Sir Richard."

He nodded his head slightly, "At your service my Lady."

Jia cringed at the 'Lady', "I apologize for our first meeting."

"It was not our first meeting my Lady."

Jia thought back and recognized he was the man who had saved them from the cage. She flinched, "I bet you were expecting a better reception."

"Unexpected yes, understandable, yes. You were not exactly in control of all your faculties at the time. No apology necessary."

She smiled slightly, "Thank you."

He looked suddenly slightly embarrassed, "I just came to see how you were faring."

"Actually, I was wondering when dragon lady was going to let me out of here."

Richard smiled, "You speak of Esme."

Jia nodded.

"What would you wish to do?"

"Just a simple walk or something."

"If you would permit me to escort you, she may allow it."

Jia sighed, "Accepted. Now get me out of here."

Richard strode out the door. He returned shortly with an unhappy Esme. "Bloody charmer. Just around the gardens and you take a maid with ye. I'll not have anything happening on me watch."

She shut the door in his face.

"Let's see what we can find for ye to wear."

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An hour later Jia slowly strode about the gardens with a very attentive Sir Richard and a maid trailing behind. She wore a beautiful dark green Renaissance gown.

Marguerite watched from a third story window. She didn't notice Esme walk in.

"Does the glass upset ye Milady?"

Marguerite turned, "What?"

"I be thinking by the way ye were glaring at it the glass must have offended ye in some way."

Marguerite rolled her eyes and turned and sat on the window seat. Esme joined her after a quick look out the glass.

"Perhaps it be Sir Richard ye disapprove of?"

"Why would I?"

Esme sighed, "Ye seem to be overly protective of the girl. She ain't some twelve year old so I be wonderin why."

"I am not protective. Whatever she does is her business."

Marguerite looked over at Esme. She was giving her a look that gave no doubt as to her opinion.

"Oh all right," Marguerite thought to herself as to why she was telling this woman when she hadn't even told Roxton. Esme must have been a damn fine nanny. She made you tell you the truth without words at all. "Jia is exactly how I was when I left the orphanage. She has the same innocence. I just don't want hers to be trampled by some man like mine was."

Esme sighed, "She isna the same person, and these isna the same place or circumstances."

"I know," Marguerite emphasized, "She just is so similar. I guess I just want her to have the fairy tale I never had."

Esme smiled, "Sir Richard is a fine man. A decent man. Perhaps he is her 'fairy tale.'"

Marguerite shrugged. She wished she had her fairy tale, but that wasn't to be. He had died trying to save her. She willed herself not to cry again. Crying didn't help. Crying wouldn't bring Roxton back.