*****wooo........ little woozy........ haha.... yah.... okay i just had this REALLY chocolately cake my brother made and i swear he put vodka or something in it cuz i cant see straight.... then how can i be typing this?? anyway. ahem. blah blah blah. i do not own any characters blah blah blah. except ataniea (she hasnt been in this story for a while. so whats the point) and the other dude... cant remember his name... starts with a C. pooter. oh well. the dude. and also hens, the elf. i couldnt think of a name, okay!!! ::sob:: and dneprov. thats mine. i kinda took it from a ukrainian name of a city... but i couldnt get it right and you dont really care so... read, and enjoy. I COMMAND YOU! tee hee. oh, and dont forget to review!********

I did as Mandy ordered and waited for her and her elf friend to find me. Lucky enough, it wasn't long. I was attempting to sleep when they arrived, although I wasn't very successful. Sleep seemed lost to me ever since I escaped Char once again.

I opened my eyes. Sigh, it was still dark and I hadn't slept at all. I had hoped that I had only dreamed of opening and closing my eyes several times, but to no avail. I rolled over onto my back and looked at the trees around me. Where would I go when Mandy reached me? Would we flee to a far-off place like Jenn? Or perhaps Bast?

The answer came soon enough, as Mandy arrived that instant, announcing that we would indeed be fleeing to a place just north of Bast.

"It's called Dneprov," Mandy said. Remembering her manners, she introduced me to her elf friend. "This is Hens, sweet. He will be taking us there."

Although I begged Mandy to let me get a good night's rest, she refused and insisted we make way as soon as possible. I put the fairy book back in the bag and said I was ready, and we were off.

The journey was relatively normal. We came upon no obstacles until we reached Bast. The moment we saw the line stretching forth from the entrance, we knew something was amiss.

"What's going on?" I asked the nearest person. She spoke in an Ayortha accent.

"It seems that someone has gone missing from Frell and the prince thinks that they will come here." She shook her head. "I don't know why, though."

"So why this long line?" Hens said.

"To find whoever went missing."

Hens, Mandy, and I looked at each other, worry in our eyes. They would find me, I would be forced to face Char, and explain. Of course I couldn't, and then I would be sent back to live with Mum Olga and her two evil daughters.

"Mandy, can't we go around Bast?" I asked in a whisper.

"I'm afraid not, Miss," Hens answered. "Around Bast, trolls and ogres roam. We can't risk being eaten for lunch. I don't know why you don't want to stay in Frell, and I won't ask, but can't you risk that a little?"

I swallowed hard, thought for a minute, then nodded. How would they know that I was Ella, anyway? Would they ask for names and residence? Or were they told what I looked like?

As the line shortened and we came nearer to the gate, I realized with a sinking feeling in my stomach how they would recognize me. I shook my head and looked again. It was them, I KNEW it was. I turned to Mandy.

"It's the ogre knights!" I exclaimed.

"What?" she asked, perplexed.

"The knights that helped Char get me out of the mess with the ogres a while back when I was travelling to the giant farm!" I looked at them again. "Yes, I'm sure it's them! They'll recognize me! what shall we do?"

Mandy sighed. "He wants to know the truth, sweet. He wants to find you. He loves you. Can you at least tell him the truth? He'll understand why you can't marry him!"

"I don't want to live that way," I said after a moment's silence.

We got close enough to the gate to hear the knights' conversation, although I couldn't tell who was saying what.

"Aye, it's late and I'm very tired. Can't we stop lookin' for her just for tonight?"

"No, you heard what the prince ordered. We have to find the ogre tamer."

"Why does he want to find her, again?"

"He loves her, you dope!"

"Does the whole kingdom have to know that?!"

The knights ceased talking immediately and turned around. Char was standing behind them, listening to their conversation.

"That, my friends, should not be used in normal conversation," he said sadly. "Please, stay up all night if you have to, but just find her. If I know her, which I thought I did," he added, "she would come here where she said Lady Lela was from."

The knights nodded, petrified at having Char listening to their conversation, and went back to searching.

"All, right, everyone!" one of them yelled. "Calm down!" Everyone was relatively calm, so I thought no point in that.

"We're just wanting to see your face, that's all!"

My face! How would I stop them from seeing that? "Mandy, you and Hens stay here. I'm going to go with another group!"

I ducked behind the lady in front of us without waiting for a reply from Mandy. We got to the gates and she stopped, along with five other people. They all revealed their faces as then stood in a line, their long cloaks hiding me from view.

"All right, move along," said one of the knights, and we were ushered through the gates. Before I could think, someone grabbed my shoulder.

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dun dun dun!

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