A/N: I'm going to be gone for the rest of Memorial Weekend, but I'm going to try and write one more quick chapter (note the quick!) before I leave, which is really soon!

***Back at the Palace...still***

King Jonathan and everyone in the room was shocked. How dare Tom refuse a royal command like that? Such a thing was unheard of... The king sighed tiredly, "Duke Baird, I need you to accompany Alanna's group when they ride out so you can bring Tom back here when you catch up with him, I'm sure he's long gone by now..."

The healer nodded and Numair said, "I would very much like to go to so I can help Tom..."

The king interrupted him with a wave and said, "No, you are needed here. I have heard that you almost have a spell ready to send the three back to their world?"

"Um...Yes, we were nearing a breakthrough..."

"Good. That is what you must work on then." Numair and Daine bowed and left the room, heading for Numair's study. "Meanwhile, I will be with Sir Myles trying to figure out what in Mithros's name the Scanrans have captured Phiona and Alexander for." Jonathan turned to leave and the knights turned to each other.

Alanna spoke up, "Okay, I want everyone who is going to be down at the stables in one hour, ready to leave. Bring supplies for the night, your armor, and any weapons you can spare. I don't know where the Scanrans are taking the children, but if they make it across our border, we are going to need all the extra supplies we can take." The group nodded and jogged off to get packed.

*One hour later*

Kel rushed down the stairs in full body armor with her sword in its sheath and her helmet under her arm. Tobe was running behind her with the supplies she would need to bring, two daggers, and an extra sword from the armory. She made it into the stables just as the clock struck seven and took the pile of stuff from Tobe and thanked him while he ran over and began to prepare Peachblossom for the ride.

She was soon followed by Owen and Esmond, Merric coming in last but thankfully a moment before Alanna and Duke Baird stepped into view. Kel grinned. The Lioness had always been her hero, and seeing her in full battle armor with her helmet under one arm and her shield on the other made Kel so happy and she decided right there that she would follow the first lady knight anywhere.

Alanna saddled up, and the rest of the knights followed her lead and together they thundered out of the Palace walls and pointed their horses towards the forest path. ***Tom's View***

Tom was getting really, really tired. His horse was still riding towards the forest, in fact they were almost there, but for some reason, everything seemed fuzzy to him, like he needed glasses or something. He shook his head to try and make the feeling go away but it only became worse and he grew dizzy.

He fell off the back of his horse just as they were entering the first clearing. The surprised stallion reared up and neighed loudly. When it saw that it's rider wasn't going to get back up for a while, the horse walked around the tree Tom had pulled himself over to and leaned his head against, and the horse lay down right beside him.

***Back to the Knight's View***

The duke squinted than shouted, "There is something propped up against that first tree along the path!" He rode ahead and dismounted, "It's Tom!"

They found him asleep with his head resting in his hands, probably out of pure exhaustion. Kel went up to him and gently tapped him on the shoulder, then stood back as the teen kind of spazzed out then looked up at them. He groaned and stretched out his legs, "Did you catch up with me all ready? I thought it would have taken you longer than this..."

Alanna grinned, "Did you now? To make a long story short, Duke Baird is taking you back to the palace."

Tom stood up, "No he's not..."

The duke sighed, already haven raised boys before, he knew how stubborn they could be, "Let's not start this again...You have already seen how hard it is for you to ride with out your supply of the Gift...there is no way you would be able to keep up with them."

"Yes I could! At least let me try!" Tom saw that they had no intention of letting him ride with them, so he decided to do what he did with his mother, soften them up a bit, although everything he was about to say was one hundred percent true, "Please! I must go save my friend and my baby sister! They need me, if not for physical support, then at least for mental support! They are probably cold and confused right now...who knows! They might even be delusional! You need someone with you who they would recognize, someone that they trust..."

Alanna shut him up with a sigh and a nod, "Fine...but if you faint or go unconscious once more, you are going straight back to the Palace..."

Tom grinned and his horse got up, he mounted up, and they all rode off towards the pages camp.

A/N: Ack! Sorry that was so short but my mother is yelling at me to get off the computer so we can go so this is all I can write for a few days so bye!