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I'm baaaack! After one heck of an evil month, I've come back with another chapter for this little story. I'm quite upset to see there are no new stories in this section. Is really that hard to write for this great series? There is not enough Mendanbar and Cimorene as it is! If you're worried about plot and subtleties, write smut. Ain't nothing wrong with that. (I did mention that I'm possessed by the Sordid Novela Romanticus demon, right?)

Anyways, here's chapter five. I would love many, many, more reviews, but if you use that time instead to write another fic for this section, it's fine. Otherwise, I want to see LOTS of reviews. Good, bad, or ugly, I don't care *^_^*! (Though I'm still surprised no one made a comment on the picture for chapter 3. Ah well)

Chapter 5: Cuddly thoughts, duels, and study doors -or- everybody thinks.

Cimorene sat in front of the mirror in the study, trying to calm herself down. Although she couldn't hear him, she knew that Mendanbar stood just outside the door, his ear pressed against the hard oak door, waiting to catch what the King of Eldanberg had to say.

She smiled at the image. Mendanbar worried for her, not because it was his duty, or some silly notion of chivalry, but because he loved her. Despite two months of being married to him, she had to admit she was still amazed at his capacity to love her for being her, not a princess or a comodity. And she loved him all the more for it. Even now, when she had helped bring the troubled wizards after him.

Wizards. Her nose crinkled at the thought of them. Antorell alone was annoying enough, and just the thought of wizards trying to start a war over the Enchanted Forest made her bristle. Unfortunately, if they were behind the King of Eldanberg, it would be even harder to dislodge him from the idea of attacking the Forest.

Cimorene tried to distinguish him from the various other princes that had once come to "rescue" her from Kazul. She frowned in distaste as she remembered his inability to grasp the idea that Cimorene wouldn't even let him fight Kazul, and the she herself had beaten him in personal combat. He almost had Cimorene worried that he might resort to unprincely methods to take her. The more she thought of him, the more she realized that he was an almost opposite of Mendanbar. While Mendanbar was tall, ravened haired and very good natured, Humpbert was shorter than she was, blonde, and nearly always had a scowl on his face. Although she was not one to judge a book by it's cover, the mere sight of Humpbert was horrible to remember. Hair greased flat against his skull, and make-up running down his face with the sweat of midday sun, he had demanded to see Kazul in 'mortal combat'. Never even bothered to ask Cimorene if Kazul was even in. She should have just made everyone's life easier and whacked off his head (or some other piece of his anatomy...) when she had the chance.

But she was putting this off. She had to find out why he was invading The Enchanted Forest. She owed Mendanbar at least that. She sighed, steeled herself for the worst, and looked at the mirror on the wall.

"Mirror, Mirror on the wall, I would like to make a call."

Mendanbar sat outside the door of the study, trying to justify why he was sitting there. Cimorene would tell him everything about the conversation, so there was no real reason to listen in. But something compelled him to sit as close as he could to the door. Although unfounded, his heaart still ached with worry at the idea of Cimorene facing Humpert without being able to be there with her. He sighed sloftly and once again pressed his ear against the oak door.

Morwen and Telemain watched Mendanbar from their seat on the bench, not too far down the hall.

"He looks awful. He really is smitten with her, don't you think, Telemain?" Morwen took her eyes off the young king to look at her friend.

Telemain looked up. "Hmm? Oh, yes. I was just thinking about that message. Cimorene's right. He did declare war on just Mendanbar. But how can that help? If anything, it makes the situation worse, Mendanbar gets to fight an entire army by himself. I don't see an easy way out of this. Why to most people have to be so silly, as Cimorene would say?" He rested his chin on his knuckles and went back to working the problem over in his head.

Morwen, too, mulled over the problem of the King of Eldanberg. What could she do? What could any of them do? She worried that if they didn't come up with something soon, Mendanbar would get something silly his head, like sacrificing himself to protect the Forest and Cimorene. He was a very sensible person most of the time, but when it came to Cimorene, he turned into a lovesick puppy.

Wait. The King of Eldanberg declared war on Mendanbar, but not the kingom of Eldanberg. So in all technicalities, it was a duel. And if history was any template, those were much easier to work around than wars.

There was hope yet.

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