Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.

A/N: Hey, here's the second part to the story!!! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and special thanks to Virgo Writer for the first one!!! Many thanks and hoped you enjoyed the first part! This one's more exciting…LOL!

~~~~~~~ Kasagi Onaso ~~~~~~~

A/N: I completely changed the idea of the story, I think! So far, it's not what the summary said, sort of. It might turn out like that but so far, it's all screwed! Okay. Thanks! R n' R!

The Perfect Fairytale

Chapter two: One Pink Rose

Everyone in the town was uneasy after that night. Mostly everyone just lazed around, praying for some miracle that Daisy would be found.

Lessons are canceled, Misty thought, smiling slightly. It was true. But neither she, Lily or Violet had been permitted past the horses' stables in fear of another heir to the throne would be captured as well. The two pink roses had wilted in the blown glass jar that Misty kept in her room but no one had bothered to remove them.

"I'm going outside," said Misty, hoping no one would hear her. Lily looked up and nodded. "Just to get some air. I'll be back in a couple minutes, okay?" Another nod.

She walked slowly down the dirt path that lead to the stables and pulled out Suika. Taking a curry comb, she began stroking the horse's tawny fur. Suddenly, something pink caught the corner of her eye. Her eyes narrowed in thought and she walked out of the stall. Suika neighed in protest but all Misty could hear was a dull droning noise.

A pink rose lay on the worn cobblestones.

She leaned forward to pick it up and recoiled when a thud was heard from the rafters. Her heart thudded in her ears and she looked up.

"H-hello?" she near whispered, eyes widening. "Taylor? Is that you?" She turned away from Suika's stall to look in the stall across from it.

Complete silence.

She sighed and turned. A man in a black cloak stood in front of her. She screamed once, short and shrill, but it was cut off as another man came up behind her and clamped a musty glove full over her mouth.

"Two down," he said, his voice rumbling in her ears. "What about the other two?"

"This should be it," said the other. "We'll take the horse, too." They laughed and walked out of the stables.

Behind the old stable were two horses, frothing white at the mouth and stomping the ground impatiently. They threw her onto her horse's back and mounted their own steeds.

Misty thought to scream once the man's glove had been removed from her hand but fear kept her jaw shut.

"I see she's a silent one," said the tall man, chuckling.

"That should make it easy," commented the other, nodding. "It won't take long." He slowed his horse down and reached over and pulled a strip of black cloth over her eyes. "Can't have you seeing where we're going, aye?" The two laughed again and they picked up speed.

Black.

Rub rub. Shred of light.

Black again.

*

Misty jarred under the steady romp of her horse for what seemed like hours. Soon, the black was removed and the sun poured into her eyes. The two men removed their hoods and smiled.

"Welcome," said the taller one. "Welcome to the Mage Thieves."

"What?" she managed to choke out, her throat dry.

"We're mages, unlicensed mind you, and we use our wild magick to steal." The shorter one shook his head, chuckling. "Comes in handy, magick does." Misty's face screwed in anger as they placed the blindfold on again.

"That's sick!" she near yelled. "Mages are supposed to help people! Not steal from them!"

"Sorry milady," shrugged the taller one. "But that's what we do. Aye, couldn't make a living any other way."

"Nay!" agreed the other. "I think not."

"Put her with the other one," said the taller one. "I'm going to check in." The shorter one nodded as the sky began to darken.

It must be past midday, thought Misty, her eyes trailing the sky, searching for light through the black cloth. I left just before it.

"Did you leave the rose?" came a voice as she was set next to another living body. Misty felt the ice in her veins freeze her muscles. "No, she has it, curst thing. Some one will need to place it at the doorstep." Someone lifted the fold up a bit and she stared into the bright brown eyes of Ash.

"You!" she exclaimed.

"Evenin' milady," he said brightly. "Glad you could join us."

"But…you…?" Frustrated tears filled her eyes and she furiously blinked them back.

"Sorry if I lead you astray, milady," he said. "But it was only by chance we met in the wood. I had a chance to warn you with the rose but you decided to come out." She saw him shrug before he placed the blindfold over her eyes again. He slowly wound her wrists and ankles with a harsh hemp. "Let her sleep the day off. Wake her bright and early. We're moving again."

*

Someone shook her awake and yanked the blindfold off her head.

"Are you all right?"

"Ash?" she whispered, her eyes slowly opening. "How'd I…oh…" Last night came back to her in a flood of memories.

"I bought you breakfast," he said and she roughly took it from him.

"I can't…believe…you did this," she said in-between bites of Mikan. He sighed and sat on the ground cross-legged.

"I know…And I'm sorry…but it's your fault we're like this in the first place. We had to get revenge somehow but…They want to kill you…" Misty's eyes widened.

"What?"

"The people are too poor to pay the ransom," he explained. "And your sisters won't. So they're going to kill you if they don't get the money." He looked at her and she looked at the ground.

"What? Why?"

"I told them we shouldn't milady. But, as you must know, we're not exactly rich, milady. We have to make a living somehow."

"Why not honestly?" she shrilled, tugging at her newly-tied wrists as she set the Mikan down. Ash shrugged.

"Maybe. But it's too late now. No one would ever hire one of us." A heated silence followed that and Misty gulped her fear down. "Now," Ash said, standing. "I'll awaken the others. We need to get a move on." He stood up and headed into the nearest tent. Suddenly, he let out a strangle cry and stormed out of the tent.

"There's no one," he said softly and rushed to another tent. "No one…they all left…and look." He twiddled the petals of a full pink rose.

"What? Why'd they leave?" she asked as Ash began angrily pulling the soft pink petals off, one by one, eyes shut tight with anger and grief.

"They didn't feel they could trust me when I said we shouldn't kill Queen Daisy and you, milady, for ransom. So they left with the Queen. I guess they thought they could get more for just her." With a flick of the wrist, the tainted rose was on the dirty ground and the metal from a pocketknife glinted in the newly risen sun. Misty winced as he sawed at the hemp binding her ankles and wrists.

"What're we going to do?" she said.

"Me?, milady?" questioned Ash, his eyes on the hemp. "There will be no 'we'. I will return you to the castle and you will say that you merely wondered into the woods and smelt some mint wood, which caused you to swoon and sleep." Misty stood and placed her freed hands on her hips.

"She's my sister," she said, eyes narrowing.

"I know that, milady," called Ash over his shoulder and mounted his horse. "Now mount your steed and let's be off."

"I'll tell," she said, not moving as he turned his horse. Pulling stiffly on the reins, he turned his horse so it was squarely facing her.

"Stop being daft milady," he said crossly. "I don't want to put you in any danger."

"She's my sister and I'll tell where you are if you don't let me come."

"You won't know where I'm going," he pointed out, a smug look flashing over his face. Misty flushed slightly, realizing that he was right.

"Please," she pleaded. "I'm not moving until you say yes."

"Milady," he started and then sighed when he saw that she was not moving. "Don't make me come over there and pick you up," he threatened. "Fine," he said bluntly, dismounting. A huge smile broke over Misty's face and she wrapped her arms around his waist. "All's well," he said, pushing her away and holding her at arm's length. "But we must get rid of that dress." Misty looked down.

"But this is one of my best blue taffeta dresses," she protested as Ash bent and pulled his knife through the fabric right above the knees. "A lady isn't allowed to show her legs like this," mused Misty, both delighted and horrified by her new look. The dress was cut clean across the top of her knees and swished as she turned. Ash rolled his eyes and took her arm.

"Come on."

"But you don't know where they went," Misty protested, mounting her horse. Ash rolled his eyes again.

"Sit straddling the horse, milady." Misty's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"Of course not! You'll be able to see up my dress." Ash shook his head and bent to scoop some wet earth into his head. Dabbing his index and middle fingers in the earth, he streaked her cheeks with it.

"Use this to pull your hair back," he said, handing her a woven hair tie. "We'll have to get you some boots in the next town," he murmured to himself but Misty heard him.

"Boots?"

"Yes, milady. Boots. We can't go walking around with you looking like yourself, now can we?" Misty, baffled, blinked and Ash laughed. "What I mean is, we can't go walking around with you looking like the princess or I'll sure as hell get in trouble. Now straddle the saddle, mil…Misty." She jerked her head up but his back was turned to her and he was already on his horse.

"Fine," she said curtly and swung her leg around so she was straddling the saddle. "This feels funny," she said quietly after a minute of riding.

"Don't worry," said he, looking straight ahead.

"Are all of you this emotionless?" she snapped and looked away. Ash regretted what he had said but said nothing in return. "Where are we going, anyway?" she said softly when he said nothing. He shrugged one shoulder.

"Who knows. I think I might have an idea to where they might be, but there's someone who'll know more than I. He lives in the next town--just a mile ahead and over the river."

"Oh," said Misty, touching her now-grimy face.

"Having second thoughts?" asked Ash, watching her try and scrape the coated dirt with her fingernails.

"Of course not," she scoffed, putting her hand down and staring him straight in the eye. "I'm ready to save my sister." He held up his hand, glancing around. "What's wro--"

"Sh-h-h," he warned, black magick glinting on his extended hand, now coiled into a fist. "Something's coming."

"What?"

"White Flash," he whispered. "Ride!" he yelled as a white flash blazed from behind them.

"What are they?" yelled Misty, covering her brow with her arm.

"They live in the first rays of the sun and feed on human energy," he yelled back. "They will kill you. We must get to the next town before they see us." They rode on until the roar of water filled Misty's ears. "The river," she heard Ash mumble beside her. "Cross the bridge!" he instructed her as her horse shakily stepped onto the rickety bridge. She looked back and saw him hurl a black ball of magic at flashes of white. She halted her horse.

"Ash!" she called and he looked at her over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" he yelled and then screamed as a white creature bit him on the arm. It exploded in a rush of black lightning. "GO!"

"No!" she yelled back and Suika whinnied and reared as the rickety bridge began to creak.

"The bridge!" she heard Ash yell as the boards of wood underneath Suika gave and they plunged into the river below.

Duh-duh-duh-duh-h-h-h-h! Cliffhanger…literally…well anyway, what'll happen next? Who knows…except for me, of course! Want to read some of my original manga? Check it out at FictionPress.net under Fire-Eyed Aries. PLEASE REVIEW!

~ Kasagi Onaso