"What!?" Sadie gasped "You can't!"

"I'm not." Fiona shrugged "Hatchet and you four are." then she frowned "Are you objecting?"

"You can't send Hatchet on an abduction spree." Sadie growled "You know he has no self control. If the prince starts resisting, which he will. Hatchet will kill him and you know it!" her voice had raised several degrees and her brown eyes were flashing with anger.

"I can't help it if Hatchet gets a little excited." Fiona said smugly "And who knows, maybe we'll gain a higher price for the death of the prince than if he were to live."

Hatchet chuckled evilly, still playing with his dagger.

"Aw, come on, Sade." Trent drawled "It won't he that bad."

"No." Sadie said slowly and deliberately.

"You have to." Boris added.

"No."

"Sadie, quit arguing!" Jackson begged "It's just..."

"I said NO!" Sadie shouted as she slammed her glass of water to the floor.

Fiona's face contorted into an angry grimace "Sadie Russell, you will do as I say or suffer the consequences."

Sadie shook her head. Her teeth were gritted so hard it hurt "I refuse to do it. Robbing is one thing but kidnapping is a whole different matter and I will not take part in it." with that she turned and stormed from the room.

Fiona's face was the color of over ripe cherries. Her fists were clenched at her sides "Boys."

It only took the three five seconds to evacuate the room.

"I didn't expect her to resist." Hatchet said slowly "I didn't even think she knew what was going on around her."

"She could ruin everything. Fiona growled "Somehow she's gotten a heart back." then a slow smirk began to cross her face "Actually... this could work out well."

Hatchet raised an eyebrow "It worries me when you look like that but carry on."

Fiona laughed "Oh, don't worry. This will go better than I planned."

~*~*~*Sadie*~*~*~

Sadie paced back and forth in her room. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't even sit down!

She shook her head slightly. If Hatchet got Bryan, the prince would be dead.

"Why do you even care?" She whispered to herself "You used to not!" she ran her hands down her face and shook her head again. She'd never be able to live with herself or anyone else if something happened to Bryan.

She walked over to the small broken window and looked out towards the castle.

Two days. Two days and her family would strike the palace. Two days and Bryan would go missing. Two days, he'd be dead.

She gritted her teeth. There wasn't much she could do but warn him. How she was going to find him in that great big castle, she didn't know. But she knew she had to try.

She stood still for a moment. There wasn't a sound coming from the house.
"Everyone must be asleep." she concluded. Then slipped over to the window and looked down the five stories to the ground. With a slight shrug she slipped out onto the small ledge outside. She took a deep breath then leapt off the ledge and a moment later landed on the ground. She let out the breath then took off down the road as fast as she could go.

~*~*~*Sadie*~*~*~

Bryan leaned back into the chair and flipped a page of his book. Danielle was right across from him, but she didn't seem too intent on reading.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a slight smile "Did Romeo die again?"

She rolled her eyes "Again?"

"Yeah. Every time you read the book he dies in the end."

"Of course he... oh forget it!" she slumped back into her chair and raised the book over her face. A moment later she huffed "Bryan she..."

"Don't say it again!" Bryan begged "I know Sadie's a thief. I know that you warned me not to get involved with her. And I know that I've inevitably fallen for her." he closed his book and leaned forward in his seat "Just so you know, Danielle. I'm not the only one who's fallen for a thief."

Danielle was taken aback "What does that mean?"

"Jackson Russell."

"He is not thief!" she retorted "He's a notable gentleman!"

Bryan raised an eyebrow "Really?"

"Yes!"

"You honestly believe that?"

"Just because his sister's a thief doesn't mean he is!"

Bryan chuckled "Danielle, listen." he leaned his elbows against his knees "When Sadie robbed the carriage the day I came back, how many sidekicks did I say she had?"

"Three." Danielle answered slowly.

"And how many step-brothers does she have?"

"Th-ree." She let out an anguished sigh "I did fall for a thief!" then she sat straight up "But he's..."
"He's what?" Bryan interrupted "What good qualities could a thief possibly have?"

There was a looooong eerie silence before she sighed "I... see your point, Bryan."

The doors to the library swung open just then and a guard stepped in "Your Highness, where are your parents?"

"In the study." Bryan answered "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Sire. There's just someone here asking for them. Said it was urgent."

Bryan looked out the window "But it's nearly midnight."

"Yes, Sire. Good evening." then the guard closed the doors and left.

Danielle sighed "I think I'll go join the audience." then she got up to leave.

Bryan shook his head "You don't have to be mad, Danny. I was just proving a point."

She whirled around to face him "Don't call me Danny!" then she threw her book at him and stormed from the room.

Bryan chuckled as he dodged the flying object. Then he leaned back into his chair and continued reading the book.

~*~*~*Sadie*~*~*~

Sadie looked up the tall walls of the castle. There was a window open on the third floor. Then she turned her attention to the guards. There were a couple standing up on the large wall surrounding the castle and then two standing at the castle walls.

She'd gotten through the gate easily but there was no way she'd make into the castle without them seeing her.

She sighed then picked up a couple of large stones "Good thing they have on helmets." she mumbled then she threw one as hard as she could.

The stone soared through the air and slammed into the side of one of the guard's helmets, knocking him off balance and causing him to fall off the wall to the ground. All the other guards rushed to help him.

With a smile, Sadie shot across the yard and grabbed at the crack in between the large bricks and began to pull herself up.

"Must just have dozed off." She heard a guard say as he resumed his post right beneath her.

"Whatever." the victim of the stone grumbled "I just wish I didn't have night shift. I'm getting a headache."

Sadie was soon hidden in the shadows that some tall trees were casting on the walls. What seemed like nearly an eternity later, she grabbed onto the sill of the open window and pulled herself through.

But her feet hadn't even touched the ground yet before someone suddenly grabbed her arms and viciously pinned them behind her back.

"Hey!" She cried as she tried to yank loose.

"Sadie, Sadie, Sadie." a familiar voice said mockingly.

Just then, the candles in the hall were lit. And standing in front of her was the king and queen, Danielle, Fiona and the three boys.

Sadie froze "What is this?"

"Oh, Sadie." Fiona said with false hurt "I'm afraid I discovered your plan and... I had no choice but to stop you." she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her dry eyes "Your father is... devastated."

"My... what!?" Sadie lurched forward so fast, the three guards holding her almost lost their grip.

"Your mother came to me a little over an hour ago." Queen Maria answered "Told me you were planning on sneaking in here and doing something to my son, tonight."

Sadie's eyes widened. That's why the house had been so quiet! No one was there! She looked back at her three stepbrothers. They all were looking away from her, regret written on their faces.

"I wish it didn't come down to this." Fiona sighed "But I had no choice."

"What's going on?" Bryan asked as he walked around the corner. Then his eyes flicked to Sadie then to his parents.
"Sadie was planning on... killing you." King Charmont answered quietly.

"What!?" Sadie shook her head "I've never killed anyone in my life!"

"Let her go!" Bryan ordered.

"We can't do that." Queen Maria said firmly "We caught her comeing in. All evidence is against her."

"She wouldn't hurt anyone!" Bryan insisted "Not permanently anyways! She's not like that!"

"I'm afraid she's not who you think she is." His mother rebutted.

Fiona shook her head "I've put up with the stealing and humiliation of trying to be your mother all this time." she said around fake sobs "But this..."

"Liar!" Sadie growled, once again fighting to free herself "You never cared about me! And hurting Bryan wasn't my plan it was yours!" the guards held onto her as hard as they could but were having a hard time keeping a hold "You were going to send Hatchet Craddock up here! Knowing full well that he'd kill Bryan in the process! I'm not the criminal, Fiona! You are!"

"How dare you!" Fiona snapped, then in one moment her hand flew out and struck Sadie across the face. The sound echoed through the hallway then everything was quiet, save the sound of Sadie's heavy breathing.

Bryan stared in horror at the woman. Jackson, Trent and Boris had similar expressions.

Sadie slowly looked back up at Fiona through locks of tousled hair that had long since fallen from the ponytale with all the struggling. Her head shaking ever so slightly.

"Take her to the dungeon." Queen Maria ordered, the confidence seemed gone from her voice.

"No." Bryan shook his head "Mother, please!" when he didn't get a response he turned to the king "Dad?" but once again, he was given nothing. All he could do was helplessly watch as the guards drug Sadie away.

Right before we went around a corner, she looked back at him. A tear slid down her cheek and to the floor, then she was gone.

Bryan slowly shook his head as he backed up against the wall then slid to the floor. His hands slid to the back of his head as he brought his elbows to his knees.

Jackson looked at his two brothers. They still seemed to be in the state of shock. As was everyone else standing in the hall.

Fiona, on the other hand turned to face the window, a smile creeping across her face. Her plan had worked perfectly. Now there was no one to stand in her way.