Title: The Prince of Thieves and a Moon Maiden
Author: Marie J.W.
Chapter: Eleven
Rated: PG
Email: mariejwchan@yahoo.com
Yay! That took me a little while but I got it done! Another chapter
and more happens this time! It gets a little more serious until the end
but it needed to happen to further the story. The next story will have
more action and maybe a little more seriousness but we're getting closer
to where Endymion finally meets his bride officially! Yeah, I bet you're
looking forward to THAT! Sparks, love, romance, kisses in the dark… that
kind of thing. Don't worry; I'll get to that as soon as I can!
Please read and review! I need feed back!
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Serenity looked nervously around the group of men. Stephan and Tephan
sat close by the fire, staring at her curiously; Matthew kept his spot
against the wood log with a curious yet intense expression on his face
while Dark leaned over her arm, cleaning off the blood with wine and a
cloth. She winced as the burning liquid touched her open wound. 'He's not
trying to be gentle, is he?' She mused darkly before turning back to the
waiting group.
Taking a big slow intake of breath, Serenity opened her mouth,
"Well… I…" 'What can I say? I've seen lots of tournaments on the
moon and- of course! Only commoners see tournaments on the moon!
They can't suspect me to be the princess!' Light dawned in Serenity's
eyes before she smiled shyly, "This WILL sound kind of stupid… me being
a LADY and all… but… I have always had a fascination for sword fighting.
When I was little my… father would take me to the tournaments."
'Never mind that we had to sneak out of the palace and dress as
commoners.'
"Ahhh… but that still doesn't explain what in the heck ya were do'in IN
the tournament!" Stephan stared at her incredulously.
Serenity blushed, "Ah… yes, you see… on the Moon sword fighting
tournaments are much different. There is not shedding of blood and
killing for that matter. We take life very seriously. It's a gift,
my mother says, and I fully believe that. The tournament starts and
they battle against each other, who ever goes under the sword first
wins. If anyone draws blood, they're disqualified. So, when I joined
the tournament… I didn't quite expect the blood, otherwise, I might
not have joined."
"Ya didn't quite answer their question, girl." Dark mused as he wiped
some blood away from Serenity's arm with painful pressure,
"How'd ya get in?"
Serenity glared, "Would you PLEASE be a little gentler! Even Lita can
do better than you!"
"Who's Lita?" Tephan asked, "One of ya friends?"
"Yes," Serenity smiled wistfully. She really missed her as well as the
other scouts, "Lita is an Amazon warrior… she can be quite brutal but
she does have a soft side."
Their was a silence as they waited for her to continue her story.
Serenity shifted a little uncomfortably before going on, "Well, I was…
sort of… kidnapped by some mountain men. They planned to keep me there,
as their slave of sorts but it didn't quite end up that way. I challenged
their leader to an arm rustle. When I won the match, I gained some respect
from the leader as well as his group of men. Later, Jarick, the leader,
taught me how to use a sword. I more like begged him. We worked on it for
some weeks… then the tournament came up and I wanted to join in… see if I
was as good as I thought. So, I borrowed clothes from the men and signed
up under a boy's name!"
"I can't believe no one guessed ya wers a boy! Man, even we thought ya
wers a boy. Maybe a little tike but no wom'in!" Stephan shook his head
in amazement.
Matthew was thoughtful for a while, "These men let ya go then? Or did
ya escape?"
"I-they let me go. I became friends with Jarick and… well, he helped me
get into the clothes and everything. I just wish I knew where he was at
right now. He and his men are probably up in the mountains again…"
Serenity stared off into the distance. Already she dearly missed them
and their rough company.
Tephan suddenly moved closer to her, making Serenity direct her gaze to
him, "Uh…" He started to turn a lovely shade of red, "Well, do we still
call ya Drake… or what's ya'r… I mean…"
Serenity smiled brightly, "Serenity, you can call me Serenity."
Tephan brighted, "That's a real pretty name! Just like ya…" He turned
even redder
Blushing at the compliment, Serenity smiled, "Thank you, Tephan."
Matthew chuckled, "It looks like ya have a admire, Serenity." He tried her
name on his lips, "That's almost royal, that name is."
Serenity wiggled uncomfortably.
"Stop mov'in, lady." Dark huffed, "I'm almost done."
"So… uh… where do we go from here?" Serenity asked as she ignored
Dark's comment, "I mean, I know you plan on going to Erica but… what about me?
I mean, you took off with me? I just… want to know where I stand…"
Matthew smiled softly and crossed his arms over his chest, "Ya may come
with us if ya like. But of course, ya'r free to go…"
Serenity smiled, "Thank you but I would like to go with you… at least until
I can figure out what my plans are. I mean, I haven't had a chance to figure
out what I want now… Before I was always under someone else's command…"
'Do I want to go home?'
"All done," Dark sat back and Serenity looked down to examine her shoulder.
It was cleaned and wrapped in cloth.
"Thank you," Serenity gave Dark a smile. He blinked then surprisingly
looked uncomfortable.
Serenity wondered why but shrugged it off, "Um… do you have something to
wrap my ribs… they're starting to ache…" She took a slow deep breath,
"really bad…"
Tephan was nearest to the bag so he turned and moved a few things
before pulling some cloth out and threw it to Serenity. Serena gave
him a thankful smile before turning to Dark, "I'll do it myself."
Dark held his hands up in defense, "Fine with me," He smiled and put his
hands down, "There are some trees over there. You can take care of
yourself."
Serenity stood up carefully and headed towards the woods, she looked back
once to make sure they weren't watching. Sighing in relief as she found
them talking amongst themselves with their backs to her,
Serenity went on.
'Finally! Privacy!'
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
It wasn't 'till late that night that Serenity got to have time to think
on her own. The group traveled all day until they reached the small town
called Erica. There, they got two rooms. One for the men and the other for
her. She was thankful for their respect. She hadn't really had complete
privacy for a 'long' time and it felt really good.
Listening to the crickets chirp outside, Serenity stared at the
ceiling, enjoying her nice soft bed that lay beneath her, 'Tephan and
Stephan are so nice and Matthew always has a sense of humor and a smile
for me… Dark is a little… well, dark, but I think there is more to him
that meets the eye…' She mused, 'I told Matthew that I would think on
what I wanted to do next. Do I want to go home?' Serenity bit her lip at
the mention of him. She hadn't been there in such a long time, 'I miss home.
I miss my bed, my clothes… I miss the girls… I miss their laughter and
their silly ways. I miss my mother. I miss her hugs, her sweet loving
smiles and… I just miss her love. I must worry her so much. I know right
now that she must miss me so… Did I make her cry when I disappeared?
I hoped not. She always looks so… broken when she cries… I can't stand to
hear or see her cry… Daddy made her cry when he died… I don't want to see
her go through the same thing again.'
Serenity felt tears pricking her eyes, "I miss everything too much. I even
miss being a princess but most of all I miss my mother and my friends.
Without them… I'm not me… not completely. Maybe that's why I ran out before.
I would have to live with a stranger… and be away from my family. I wouldn't
be free to go where ever I pleased, I wouldn't be able to hang out with Mina
and talk about gorgeous guys, I wouldn't be able to act immature with Ray,
I wouldn't be able to eat Lita's cakes and watch her make it… or talk to
her whenever I wanted… and I wouldn't be able to get advice from Amy and
hear her silly ramblings on knowledgeable stuff. What would I do… being
married to some prince? I would have to be mature, grown up,
sophisticated, responsible and not run off to watch tournaments."
Whispering to herself, "I just… I want to be me… and with a stranger…"
She shook her head, "That would be impossible. He wouldn't like me for me…
the only reason my friends love and put up with me is because they've known
me since I was a little kid… they can't help but love me… and I can't help
but love them…" Serenity rolled over, "Why does life have to change?
It's so beautiful just the way it is… I don't want to rule my own world…
rule people's lives and take things from them… I don't want to be
responsible for others… I don't want anything to change…"
Starting to drift off, Serenity blinked her eyes, trying to keep them
open, 'I'll go home… I've had enough adventure for now… and I should
trust Mother… I owe her that. I will go home.'
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Queen Serenity sat in her daughter's room, looking at her things,
her paintings, her clothes and the books on her shelf. The room still
smelled of her daughter, a warm sweet scent that always made you feel
like you were in heaven. That's what her daughter gave to people.
Unconditional love. Despite her wild nature, she was simply sweet,
pure and giving. She was always playing with the servant's children,
caring for her horse, getting her friends to do things out of their
comfort zone and making people happy with trinkets, flowers and her
unique compliments.
Queen Serenity laughed softly as she remembered a time when Serenity
insisted on making her own birthday cake. The cook was feeling ill so
Serenity with her three-foot frame climbed up onto the stool and did her
best to make the cake. Flour, sugar and frosting ended up everywhere!
As soon as the sloppy cake was done they, as in all of Serenity's
friend including herself, spent the next hour cleaning it up. The whole
time Serenity had a big smile on her face.
The Queen shook her head. Her daughter was certainly a handful at that
age. Even now she is… always going to those tournaments… Oh, those
blasted tournaments that her husband once sneaked out to see… bringing
his daughter along with him. Queen Serenity was sure her husband thought
she didn't know but she did and she allowed it… but once he was gone…
Anyway, it made it hard on her to find out Serenity still kept up
the tradition. 'Maybe by going to those things it makes her feel closer to
her father…' Queen Serenity mused, 'It would be a way… of keeping him in
her heart. I have been so cruel to her… ignoring her… not talking about
her father… it still hurts but the memories were good… and she loved him
so much… I loved him so much… so much it nearly killed me as well to see
him gone… Serenity kept me alive and happy. It if weren't for Serenity's
joy of life and nature… I probably wouldn't have remembered my own. She is
my salvation. She is my daughter and my angel.'
A tear trickled down the Queen's face, "I miss her so much. Where could
she have gone? What happened to her? She has to be safe! I can feel her…
I just wish I knew where she was at." Queen Serenity whiped the tears from
her eyes, 'Those friends of hers! Her protectors and her court… they just
took off even when I told them to stay. I shouldn't be surprised though,
they love her so much and if they thought, they could do something they
would. They're probably out looking for her. I just hope they don't
put themselves in danger.'
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
"THIS isn't a horse!" Mina complained to her companion, "It's a monster!
I swear it is!"
Malachite rolled his eyes and trotted fast to get away from the
screaming woman, "It is a mere horse, Princess." He yelled back to
her.
"Hey! Where're you going? Get back here!" Mina yelled and quickly caught
up with him, "You know, you are a very rude man. I still haven't forgiven
you for the way you treated us the other day. AND this isn't a horse.
Horses are supposed to be thin, light on their feet and white… this
one is… a brownish color and it doesn't ride like a horse."
"You're talking about horses on the moon… THESE are earth's horses…
and they're just as good."
Mina glared at him, "Excuse me! They are not!"
Malachite rolled his eyes again, "I will not argue about this with you.
We are almost there so PLEASE be quite and ACT like a Princess for once."
"WHAT? What are you saying? Are you calling me a witch? Are you? I
can't believe this! I can't believe I actually thought this could work!
You are the most self-centered, unromantic, hardheaded man I've
even encountered! What am I doing with a man like you? I mean,
'I'… 'I'… the Goddess of Love and Beauty am with the most
unlovable man_on_earth!" Mina rambled on more to herself then to
the guy riding beside her.
Malachite frowned, 'Unlovable? Posh! She is such a… a blonde!
She knows nothing about me. And what is she talking about… goddess of
love and beauty? Well, she may look like a goddess… a very alluring
goddess but she certainly doesn't have a temperament of a goddess.'
"…why do I end up with all the dense men anyway? It's not fair! Mother
said things would be different on the moon but noooo… they're all stupid
and egocentric! I mean, what about the guy named Fredrick… NOW that was a
chance in a million to meet him and he was the most selfish guy I know and
then there was Edgone! What was with that accent? He sounded like he ruled
the world…" Mina continued to talk to herself, rave to herself the luck she
had with men these days.
'HOW could anyone even fall in love with a girl when she's raving about
the faults of men…' Malachite tried to block out the woman's high-pitched
voice, 'It's a big put off… that's for sure…' He glanced at her from the
corner of his eye as she continued to talk their heads off, 'This is going
to be a long day.'
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
To Be Continued…
Author: Marie J.W.
Chapter: Eleven
Rated: PG
Email: mariejwchan@yahoo.com
Yay! That took me a little while but I got it done! Another chapter
and more happens this time! It gets a little more serious until the end
but it needed to happen to further the story. The next story will have
more action and maybe a little more seriousness but we're getting closer
to where Endymion finally meets his bride officially! Yeah, I bet you're
looking forward to THAT! Sparks, love, romance, kisses in the dark… that
kind of thing. Don't worry; I'll get to that as soon as I can!
Please read and review! I need feed back!
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Serenity looked nervously around the group of men. Stephan and Tephan
sat close by the fire, staring at her curiously; Matthew kept his spot
against the wood log with a curious yet intense expression on his face
while Dark leaned over her arm, cleaning off the blood with wine and a
cloth. She winced as the burning liquid touched her open wound. 'He's not
trying to be gentle, is he?' She mused darkly before turning back to the
waiting group.
Taking a big slow intake of breath, Serenity opened her mouth,
"Well… I…" 'What can I say? I've seen lots of tournaments on the
moon and- of course! Only commoners see tournaments on the moon!
They can't suspect me to be the princess!' Light dawned in Serenity's
eyes before she smiled shyly, "This WILL sound kind of stupid… me being
a LADY and all… but… I have always had a fascination for sword fighting.
When I was little my… father would take me to the tournaments."
'Never mind that we had to sneak out of the palace and dress as
commoners.'
"Ahhh… but that still doesn't explain what in the heck ya were do'in IN
the tournament!" Stephan stared at her incredulously.
Serenity blushed, "Ah… yes, you see… on the Moon sword fighting
tournaments are much different. There is not shedding of blood and
killing for that matter. We take life very seriously. It's a gift,
my mother says, and I fully believe that. The tournament starts and
they battle against each other, who ever goes under the sword first
wins. If anyone draws blood, they're disqualified. So, when I joined
the tournament… I didn't quite expect the blood, otherwise, I might
not have joined."
"Ya didn't quite answer their question, girl." Dark mused as he wiped
some blood away from Serenity's arm with painful pressure,
"How'd ya get in?"
Serenity glared, "Would you PLEASE be a little gentler! Even Lita can
do better than you!"
"Who's Lita?" Tephan asked, "One of ya friends?"
"Yes," Serenity smiled wistfully. She really missed her as well as the
other scouts, "Lita is an Amazon warrior… she can be quite brutal but
she does have a soft side."
Their was a silence as they waited for her to continue her story.
Serenity shifted a little uncomfortably before going on, "Well, I was…
sort of… kidnapped by some mountain men. They planned to keep me there,
as their slave of sorts but it didn't quite end up that way. I challenged
their leader to an arm rustle. When I won the match, I gained some respect
from the leader as well as his group of men. Later, Jarick, the leader,
taught me how to use a sword. I more like begged him. We worked on it for
some weeks… then the tournament came up and I wanted to join in… see if I
was as good as I thought. So, I borrowed clothes from the men and signed
up under a boy's name!"
"I can't believe no one guessed ya wers a boy! Man, even we thought ya
wers a boy. Maybe a little tike but no wom'in!" Stephan shook his head
in amazement.
Matthew was thoughtful for a while, "These men let ya go then? Or did
ya escape?"
"I-they let me go. I became friends with Jarick and… well, he helped me
get into the clothes and everything. I just wish I knew where he was at
right now. He and his men are probably up in the mountains again…"
Serenity stared off into the distance. Already she dearly missed them
and their rough company.
Tephan suddenly moved closer to her, making Serenity direct her gaze to
him, "Uh…" He started to turn a lovely shade of red, "Well, do we still
call ya Drake… or what's ya'r… I mean…"
Serenity smiled brightly, "Serenity, you can call me Serenity."
Tephan brighted, "That's a real pretty name! Just like ya…" He turned
even redder
Blushing at the compliment, Serenity smiled, "Thank you, Tephan."
Matthew chuckled, "It looks like ya have a admire, Serenity." He tried her
name on his lips, "That's almost royal, that name is."
Serenity wiggled uncomfortably.
"Stop mov'in, lady." Dark huffed, "I'm almost done."
"So… uh… where do we go from here?" Serenity asked as she ignored
Dark's comment, "I mean, I know you plan on going to Erica but… what about me?
I mean, you took off with me? I just… want to know where I stand…"
Matthew smiled softly and crossed his arms over his chest, "Ya may come
with us if ya like. But of course, ya'r free to go…"
Serenity smiled, "Thank you but I would like to go with you… at least until
I can figure out what my plans are. I mean, I haven't had a chance to figure
out what I want now… Before I was always under someone else's command…"
'Do I want to go home?'
"All done," Dark sat back and Serenity looked down to examine her shoulder.
It was cleaned and wrapped in cloth.
"Thank you," Serenity gave Dark a smile. He blinked then surprisingly
looked uncomfortable.
Serenity wondered why but shrugged it off, "Um… do you have something to
wrap my ribs… they're starting to ache…" She took a slow deep breath,
"really bad…"
Tephan was nearest to the bag so he turned and moved a few things
before pulling some cloth out and threw it to Serenity. Serena gave
him a thankful smile before turning to Dark, "I'll do it myself."
Dark held his hands up in defense, "Fine with me," He smiled and put his
hands down, "There are some trees over there. You can take care of
yourself."
Serenity stood up carefully and headed towards the woods, she looked back
once to make sure they weren't watching. Sighing in relief as she found
them talking amongst themselves with their backs to her,
Serenity went on.
'Finally! Privacy!'
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
It wasn't 'till late that night that Serenity got to have time to think
on her own. The group traveled all day until they reached the small town
called Erica. There, they got two rooms. One for the men and the other for
her. She was thankful for their respect. She hadn't really had complete
privacy for a 'long' time and it felt really good.
Listening to the crickets chirp outside, Serenity stared at the
ceiling, enjoying her nice soft bed that lay beneath her, 'Tephan and
Stephan are so nice and Matthew always has a sense of humor and a smile
for me… Dark is a little… well, dark, but I think there is more to him
that meets the eye…' She mused, 'I told Matthew that I would think on
what I wanted to do next. Do I want to go home?' Serenity bit her lip at
the mention of him. She hadn't been there in such a long time, 'I miss home.
I miss my bed, my clothes… I miss the girls… I miss their laughter and
their silly ways. I miss my mother. I miss her hugs, her sweet loving
smiles and… I just miss her love. I must worry her so much. I know right
now that she must miss me so… Did I make her cry when I disappeared?
I hoped not. She always looks so… broken when she cries… I can't stand to
hear or see her cry… Daddy made her cry when he died… I don't want to see
her go through the same thing again.'
Serenity felt tears pricking her eyes, "I miss everything too much. I even
miss being a princess but most of all I miss my mother and my friends.
Without them… I'm not me… not completely. Maybe that's why I ran out before.
I would have to live with a stranger… and be away from my family. I wouldn't
be free to go where ever I pleased, I wouldn't be able to hang out with Mina
and talk about gorgeous guys, I wouldn't be able to act immature with Ray,
I wouldn't be able to eat Lita's cakes and watch her make it… or talk to
her whenever I wanted… and I wouldn't be able to get advice from Amy and
hear her silly ramblings on knowledgeable stuff. What would I do… being
married to some prince? I would have to be mature, grown up,
sophisticated, responsible and not run off to watch tournaments."
Whispering to herself, "I just… I want to be me… and with a stranger…"
She shook her head, "That would be impossible. He wouldn't like me for me…
the only reason my friends love and put up with me is because they've known
me since I was a little kid… they can't help but love me… and I can't help
but love them…" Serenity rolled over, "Why does life have to change?
It's so beautiful just the way it is… I don't want to rule my own world…
rule people's lives and take things from them… I don't want to be
responsible for others… I don't want anything to change…"
Starting to drift off, Serenity blinked her eyes, trying to keep them
open, 'I'll go home… I've had enough adventure for now… and I should
trust Mother… I owe her that. I will go home.'
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Queen Serenity sat in her daughter's room, looking at her things,
her paintings, her clothes and the books on her shelf. The room still
smelled of her daughter, a warm sweet scent that always made you feel
like you were in heaven. That's what her daughter gave to people.
Unconditional love. Despite her wild nature, she was simply sweet,
pure and giving. She was always playing with the servant's children,
caring for her horse, getting her friends to do things out of their
comfort zone and making people happy with trinkets, flowers and her
unique compliments.
Queen Serenity laughed softly as she remembered a time when Serenity
insisted on making her own birthday cake. The cook was feeling ill so
Serenity with her three-foot frame climbed up onto the stool and did her
best to make the cake. Flour, sugar and frosting ended up everywhere!
As soon as the sloppy cake was done they, as in all of Serenity's
friend including herself, spent the next hour cleaning it up. The whole
time Serenity had a big smile on her face.
The Queen shook her head. Her daughter was certainly a handful at that
age. Even now she is… always going to those tournaments… Oh, those
blasted tournaments that her husband once sneaked out to see… bringing
his daughter along with him. Queen Serenity was sure her husband thought
she didn't know but she did and she allowed it… but once he was gone…
Anyway, it made it hard on her to find out Serenity still kept up
the tradition. 'Maybe by going to those things it makes her feel closer to
her father…' Queen Serenity mused, 'It would be a way… of keeping him in
her heart. I have been so cruel to her… ignoring her… not talking about
her father… it still hurts but the memories were good… and she loved him
so much… I loved him so much… so much it nearly killed me as well to see
him gone… Serenity kept me alive and happy. It if weren't for Serenity's
joy of life and nature… I probably wouldn't have remembered my own. She is
my salvation. She is my daughter and my angel.'
A tear trickled down the Queen's face, "I miss her so much. Where could
she have gone? What happened to her? She has to be safe! I can feel her…
I just wish I knew where she was at." Queen Serenity whiped the tears from
her eyes, 'Those friends of hers! Her protectors and her court… they just
took off even when I told them to stay. I shouldn't be surprised though,
they love her so much and if they thought, they could do something they
would. They're probably out looking for her. I just hope they don't
put themselves in danger.'
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
"THIS isn't a horse!" Mina complained to her companion, "It's a monster!
I swear it is!"
Malachite rolled his eyes and trotted fast to get away from the
screaming woman, "It is a mere horse, Princess." He yelled back to
her.
"Hey! Where're you going? Get back here!" Mina yelled and quickly caught
up with him, "You know, you are a very rude man. I still haven't forgiven
you for the way you treated us the other day. AND this isn't a horse.
Horses are supposed to be thin, light on their feet and white… this
one is… a brownish color and it doesn't ride like a horse."
"You're talking about horses on the moon… THESE are earth's horses…
and they're just as good."
Mina glared at him, "Excuse me! They are not!"
Malachite rolled his eyes again, "I will not argue about this with you.
We are almost there so PLEASE be quite and ACT like a Princess for once."
"WHAT? What are you saying? Are you calling me a witch? Are you? I
can't believe this! I can't believe I actually thought this could work!
You are the most self-centered, unromantic, hardheaded man I've
even encountered! What am I doing with a man like you? I mean,
'I'… 'I'… the Goddess of Love and Beauty am with the most
unlovable man_on_earth!" Mina rambled on more to herself then to
the guy riding beside her.
Malachite frowned, 'Unlovable? Posh! She is such a… a blonde!
She knows nothing about me. And what is she talking about… goddess of
love and beauty? Well, she may look like a goddess… a very alluring
goddess but she certainly doesn't have a temperament of a goddess.'
"…why do I end up with all the dense men anyway? It's not fair! Mother
said things would be different on the moon but noooo… they're all stupid
and egocentric! I mean, what about the guy named Fredrick… NOW that was a
chance in a million to meet him and he was the most selfish guy I know and
then there was Edgone! What was with that accent? He sounded like he ruled
the world…" Mina continued to talk to herself, rave to herself the luck she
had with men these days.
'HOW could anyone even fall in love with a girl when she's raving about
the faults of men…' Malachite tried to block out the woman's high-pitched
voice, 'It's a big put off… that's for sure…' He glanced at her from the
corner of his eye as she continued to talk their heads off, 'This is going
to be a long day.'
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
To Be Continued…