"Prince Turandot…"

Summary: Can the courageous Princess Amy unfreeze the icy heart of the cruel Prince Sheldon Turandot? Well, she's giving it her all…In song as well as deed.

Disclaimer: What's Chuck's is Chuck's…No infringement intended…

Part LV…

Oh…Crap… Guardian Minister Ping sighed as the first reports reached him from frantic attendants in the left tunnel as he returned from his meeting with Pang. We've lost one? And not by the tried-and-true hack their heads at the Trials method?

Uh-boy…You know what this means. Investigations, hearings…Angry demands from foreign embassies… Assassins seeking vengeance sent from said foreign embassies.

Funny how it becomes a matter of honor, the deaths of these poor girls, only when we don't hack their heads off…

Gee, I guess it was Miss Isabella…She was pretty, that Castilian. And she kissed me, to have someone to remember her.

Course she may have arranged those assassin swordsmen who tried to kill me in the Law gardens but…

Besides, more than likely it was the ambassador…The royals usually want their hands kept clean.

Equally crap, still no word from Penny and Lilly…And they've had plenty of time to alert everybody as to the smoke problem and return.

My girl delayed while in the company and care of a skilled and ruthless imperial agent…

That can't be good.

Two more attendants, looking disheveled and wet, had come back to him from the tunnel…

"Well?" he eyed them…

"The tunnel's collapsed somehow, sir, just before the third portal, beyond the Black Pool." The female of the two noted hurriedly.

Hmmn…

She said I was sweet and she wanted someone sweet to remember her…

"No chance they're still stuck trying to figure out the Pool? It's a tough nut to crack…" he asked.

"Afraid not, Minister…We swam the Pool back." The male noted, indicating their wet garments.

"Terrific…" sigh. "Do we know yet…?"

"We left some of the guys with Ernst starting to try to dig, though the guards wanted to wait for you, sir, in case it might be too dangerous to dig further…Don't know about things on the other side as yet." The woman, sympathetic expression.

"We've got Rubio and Simon over there in charge, they're good, take charge guys…" the man nodded. "If anyone can help them from the other side, it's them."

"Ok, I'll head in with our other guys and try to get word from the other side…You two better get over to supply and change…Send word to Minister Pang in the central tunnel and see if Minister Pong can be reached in his 'Minotaur'." Ping, pausing… "No sign of Miss Penny or Miss Lilly in your travels, I suppose?"

"Not in our end of the tunnel, sir…" the male shook head. "Should we send out for additional help? Inform the Chief Ministers?"

Hmmn? Ping stared.

Oh triple crap…Mom…

I can just guess how she'll take this… "Lost one already, eh? To be expected…With you 'in charge'." Definite quotes around the 'in-charge".

Even if she had something to do with this, she'd manage that one. Sigh.

"Yeah…Send word out…Have them contact me at the digging site here. And tell the other Guardians we'd better meet at the dig site asap."

"Of course…" Hyman considered, shoving the torn mattress sections before him as he climbed, Mala now just behind him… "It would be better if we had had more water…Wetter, better here."

"Yeah, I would have preferred water…" Mala replied from just below.

"Sorry, Highness…Cruel necessities…"

"Well, thank goodness we'd had that tea…" she began as he pushed the wetted mattress pieces to the ring of flame…

"Be ready to hurry…The flames probably won't go out or out for long if they do." Hyman cautioned… "Now…"

Hmmn…He stared as the flame ring went out.

"Hyman? Did you put it out?" Mala called.

"No…" he shrugged. "It just went out…"

"Maybe we solved the problem and now they let us pass?" she suggested.

"Perhaps…" He pondered… "Well, best to press…" stopping as a rope ladder dropped to them.

"Highness?! Ambassador?!" Pang's voice… "Please come up by the ladder, we'll pull you. I'm afraid there's been an accident and we need to halt things a moment…Please come up at once!"

"Sounds like all went well…" Mala hissed, beaming.

"Deniability, Highness…" Hyman cautioned, holding the rope ladder steady for her to mount.

….

On seeing Turnadot taste dirt, Amy had suddenly galvanized…Though she was also alert enough to remember to cry "Donnie" rather than the "Sheldon" on her lips…

Would hardly do to save the love of my life only to be executed under suspicion of being favored by him in the Procession, she thought as she moved to free herself, lifting her legs in time to avoid the Minotaur's leg gears.

Hmmn…Snagged a bit better than I realized…Struggling to loosen the grip…She swung arms trying to get a decent hold…

"Donnie!" she cried. "Get up before that thing crushes you! Hey, you there!" she called to Ficho and Strabo, now trying to clamber/crawl over to her… "Get this thing stopped before it steps on my attendant!"

That's considerate…Strabo thought…Especially given he's just a temp.

These Princesses…Always that real class that comes with good breeding…

Clang…As something struck Amy's armor as she hung…Trying to get footing and break free without falling off…

Clang off the side of the Minotaur, now finally grinding to a halt…

"Darts!" Ficho called. "Beware, Highness! Treachery!" As one struck him, then hit Amy in the neck, she writhing in shock as Ficho tumbled past her, headed Turandotward.

…..

"De…Pays…" Isabella gasped in the darkness…Looking round the small area protected by the fallen beam…Stopped in part by the finest Castilian steel, she noted with no little pride, eyeing her sword on which the beam had landed, she having instinctively raised it and held it steady on falling.

Though the angle of the narrow tunnel had done most of the work, the sword at least had cushioned the blow, preventing the timber from killing her…Them?...outright. She looked about… "De Pays!"

"Highness…" groan to her right…

"The tunnel collapsed on us…"

"Yes…" faintly. "Are you hurt?"

"Nothing serious…What about you? Where are you?"

"Just down here…" he said, faintly. She crept over…

"I seem to be a bit less lucky…I believe my right leg is crushed…" De Pays noted, calmly as she reached his head.

"Whoever did this will die!" she fumed.

"It may have been…An accident…" he noted. "But…Judging from the way this timber seems to have come loose without others and…The freshness of the soil at top here…"

"De Pays? Lie still…" she commanded.

"It's important we…Observe…"

"Clearly this was the Borneans' doing…The other hasn't the funding to hire the right people to do this and know where to do it." She shook her head.

"Careful…High…" he groaned. "Wait for…Confirmation…Before…"

"De Pays…Lie still. I'll try to get help…"

"How, your Highness? Not to imply criticism…"

"I'll try to find an exit or an opening…Call to someone at least…"

"If you move about too much, it may bring more crashing down. I would urge…Caution…Oh…" he groaned.

"Certainly…" she said, soothingly…Patting him, then turning and creeping back.

Well, a time for caution and a time for…She moved as quickly as she dared back, peering to see any spaces or breaks. "Hello!" she called. "This is her Royal Highness of Castille! We need help here!"

And if you seek to finish us…Show yourselves and let a woman of the royal House of Castile show you the proper way to die…

"Ping is gonna be so freakin' out of his mind…" Penny, nervously. As she and Lilly made their way back to the access portal from which they'd left the Hall main tunnel.

"Less so than if the Dowager'd decided to have you killed for security reasons…" Lilly noted. "Be grateful. She doesn't cut everyone a break like this."

"She said she'd condemn me to a living death in the mines after a flogging and scarifying that would leave no man wanting me…" Penny eyed her, glaring.

"If things go wrong and Amy proves dishonest…" Lilly shrugged. "But you believe in your little Fowler princess, right? True love and all that?"

"Pang'd love to hear that…" Penny frowned.

"I'm putting my own life on the line for love…And sacrificing my career…What more can I do? Believe me If I thought Amy weren't the real deal, her head would be gracing the Halls right now." Lilly, annoyed. "If you go down, so do I…The Dowager just won't make it lingering, for past services rendered."

"Nice lady to work for…" Penny, curtly.

"What can she do? Trust us blindly? Would you trust in a fairy-tale with your and Ping's kid's life on the line? As it is, from a professional standpoint…If she'd asked my opinion here…And she probably avoided doing so out of kindness…I'd've advised arresting and torturing the lot of us for Sheldon's safety. She's taking a huge chance, letting Amy live and proceed with the Procession. Though it hangs right now on Meemaw. Better pray she's not deluded or senile regards things…And that the Dowager's satisfied with what she says when they meet."

"But Turandot's well-guarded…Isn't he? He's in seclusion with his monk philosophers now, right? And he'll have an army of guards to protect him at the Trials, right?"

"So did Emperor George…Praise him, etc…"

Penny blinked.

"But everyone knows…George…The panegyric stuff, etc…Died of a heart attack after a carouse…"

"Does 'everyone'?" Lilly, archly.

"Say what?" Penny stared.

….

A sweating runner, an attendant, her robes wet with perspiration, hustled up on to the Newsreader's box on the Pavilion outside the First Hall…All eyes on her, the crowd silent…She paused to see such and gave nervous bow as she handed one of the Newsreader's assistants a scroll…

Hades! The assistant stared at the open scroll…The Newsreader helped over, as two attendants hurriedly dressed him. Tycho taking the scroll with quick swipe, scanning the contents feverishly.

"True? What more…?" he hissed to the tall woman, bending over as she whispered in his ear.

The crowd eyeing each other…

This is it…

"First blood…" one man hissed to his comrade. "Fifty on it's the Bornean."

"Citizens…" the Newsreader stood up on his box…His swaying bulk held in place by his attendants.

A true journalist lives for moments like this…

"We interrupt the proceedings for a special news bulletin…Tragedy in the first cavern! Yes, Her Royal Highness of Castile, Princess Isabella has met with a terrible disaster in the leftmost tunnel. According to our on-the-scene reporter, Mistress Cassandra…" He indicated the tall woman who gave nervous wave… "The leftmost tunnel has collapsed just after the Suitor successfully resolved the Black Pool. Mistress Cassandra?" he waved her forward.

"Uh…Well, Master Tycho…Reports are spotty but yes, the tunnel appears to have collapsed just as Her Royal Highness and her Ambassador entered that segment. Crews are on their way, but it doesn't look good. A massive collapse…"

The crowd looking anxious…

"Terrible…Well, our thoughts and prayers go with Her Highness of Castile. Tell us, Cassy…Is it unusual to have such a structural failure during a Procession?"

"Well…Master Ty…This has happened before, most notably during the 103rd Procession…But that was a minor collapse ruled as largely due to a rotted beam, with no injuries. This occurred on a segment recently refurbished and upgraded."

I always say we need more money put on infrastructure repair…One woman in the crowd noted to a friend.

"Which does lead us to ask…Is the possibility of foul play being considered?" Tycho, eyeing Cassandra carefully.

"Well…I wouldn't want to make false prophesy, Ty…" Cassandra noted. "But naturally in these cases all possibilities will have to be considered and for the moment the Procession is suspended and held at this point until the fate of Her Highness is determined."

Oh…The crowd sighed.

Heck there are still two, why not go ahead? One man groused.

"I am told here the Guardian Ministers will make a joint statement as soon as more is known." Tycho noted.

"Yes, they'll speak as soon as they can." Cassandra nodded.

"And what of the other candidates?" Tycho eyed her.

"Well, our reporter with the central tunnel attendants told me by runner that Minister Pang has broken the news to Princess Mala and she has expressed her deepest sympathy and willingness to extend any and all aid that her country can offer in the crisis."

"To finish the other one off, ya mean!" a cry from the crowd.

"Citizens? Let us deal strictly with the facts here." Tycho insisted. "The media is not the place to carry out a trial, especially with so little fact and so much heresay…Cassandra? Any word of the right tunnel and Princess Anonymous?"

"Well, Ty…" she brushed blonde hair back… "It does seem the Princess Anonymous has problems of her own in the course of the Procession…We're awaiting an on-the-spot report from our person in the field."

"An incredible turn of events…Well, citizens…" he turned to the crowd. "We all join in praying or meditating as you will with the people of Castile for the safe recovery of Princess Isabella… And we wait in anxious anticipation for the latest of the Princess Anonymous, here at this processional station…Your plaee to hear the latest, up-to-the-minute news, brought to you by Fang's Bricks and Bricklayers…Bricklayers par excellence…If you have need of building or repair of your home, castle, wall, or Great Wall…Look no further than Fang's Bricks and Bricklayers…They will make your own personal fortress secure for a thousand years. (Fang's Bricks and Bricklayers makes no claim to be able to resist firearms, cannon, or undermining…) For the best in construction experts, choose Fang's Bricks and Bricklayers, of Pasadena."