Mreow! This fic is moving faster than I excepted, so this is great. I wanna thank everyone for their reviews and I'm sorry for not putting you sanji in chapter three's thank yous... because I just uploaded the chapter when you put you're review up. So please forgive me, mreow!
So remember the questions at the bottom of chapter three...? Some of them might be answered in this single chapter... or will they? Meow!
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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE IS MISSING!" the red-haired duke was now the red-faced duke as he hollered in anger, "ARE YOU NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HIS KNIGHT! AND NOW YOU ARE TELLING ME THAT JEMMY IS GONE!"
"Sir..." Captain Rose has no words to say. What am I going to do...? What the hell can I say to him that wont get him even more upset...? Well as long as the king doesn't find out... that's all that matters.
"You should be hanged for you stupidity..." Ted frowned, "You are supposed to make sure that Prince Jemmy is safe at all times... but you failed!"
Diana listened from her hiding place, she watched quietly as Berkie was taking all the blame for letting the Prince get away. What is going on here...? Why would the prince leave, unless he's been kidnapped? Is that why you keep lying, Berkie...? Poor, poor Jemmy... he must be terrified!
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Drake pulled JJ into another room of the cabin they were in, "This is the feeding room..."
"Feeding room...?" JJ looked at Drake again with the same confused look as all the other times, "What do you mean by the 'Feeding Room'...?"
"It's where we have supper and meals and shit..." Drake placed a hand on JJ's head and ruffled his hair, "I say shit because the food around here is shit..."
"I heard that!" Drake was soon hit with a wooden spoon, "My cooking isn't all that bad!"
"Oww... why did you have to hit me? I was only saying the truth..." Drake rubbed his head as he turned to the lady behind them, "I didn't wanna lie to him..."
JJ looked at the lady... she wore a plain red dress, front covered by an apron as she held a wooden spoon with her hair under a bandana. She looked and smiled at JJ, giving him a wink, "Hey there cutie... are you the newbie that I heard the boss talking about?"
Newbie...? What on earth is a 'newbie'? Should I say yes or maybe that is a bad thing, and I should say no...? Once again that cute innocence was upon JJ's face as he looked up at the woman. She looked down at him, then back at Drake, "Is he a mute or something...?"
"No..." Drake placed a comforting hand on JJ's shoulder, "He's just not used to things around here, Janet."
Janet, the woman's name was Janet...Wow, she reminds me of Lady Diana...JJ soon found a strange homesick feeling filling him from the inside as more and more thoughts about the palace filled his mind. I think I want to go home...but it is too late for that now, I am stuck here with Mister Drake...
"Well okay... See you two at dinner and if you see Marty around here tell him he's a dead man!" Janet winked once again and walked away. Once she was gone JJ tears silently fell down his cheeks.
Drake turned to him and he didn't know what to do... I've never been good with helping people... but why when I'm with JJ I feel like I have to try. With anyone else I've only ever turned away...Maybe Dee's right, maybe I am feeling head over heels for this strange kid...
"Hey how about finish showing you around? There is one more place that I have to take you..." Drake turned JJ to face him and carefully wiped away the tears. Maybe that can help get whatever off his mind and maybe he can help out a good friend... JJ nodded and he followed Drake out of the 'feeding room' toward a closed door...
Drake stood at the door, hesitating as he placed a hand on the doorknob. He turned back to JJ, "In this room is someone very important to us... he fell into one of our traps that we have set up for intruders and the wolves. He had no where to go and he and Dee were falling madly in love so he deiced to stay here with us..."
JJ watch closely as Drake sighed and his puppy dog eyes became sadder as he opened the door and pulled JJ inside the dark room... JJ looked around and in the dark he could make out that there wasn't really anything in here, but a chair, table, bedside table and a bed... He slowly and carefully took a few steps in and noticed there was a window boarded up. Through the crack within the boards the sunlight shone through, following the sunlight with his eyes toward the bed JJ could make out the figure of a person lying there...
Light soon filled the room as Drake lit the lantern on the bedside table. JJ slowly walked up to the sandy brown-haired man lying in the bed. He cheeks wore a light red flush, sweat was falling from his face and his breathing was heavy... JJ looked up at Drake with a worried expression on his face, "Is he...?"
"Dying... yeah. But there's nothing we can do about it." Drake clenched his fists, "No of us meant for this to happen... Ryo was just in the wrong place at the wrong time... But we don't have enough money no matter how much we steal to get him to a doctor and no of us have any idea on herbs and stuff! Ryo's gonna die and there's nothing any of us can do about it..."
JJ looked over and picked up a cloth that was in a bowl of water beside the bed. He carefully dabbed Ryo's forehead with the cold cloth, "I think I can help him... I think I can help your friend..."
Drake's eyes lit up, "Can you really...? How, how can you help him...?"
"I study different forms of poison and medicine with my tutor. I even had to help with curing some of the wounded soldiers from a war they fought and won..." JJ looked up at Drake and smiled, "First you have to tell me what happened to him..."
A soon as Drake seen that smile spread across JJ's face he know that he could trust him... Oh my god... that smile, it's so beautiful. That cheerful smile suits him much better than that pout that I've only seen on him before.
"Well it was just Dee, Ryo and I who was there. We were heading down the forest path toward the village to pick up some supplies, when we see that the wolf pack found themselves a meal. We couldn't tell if the person was still alive sop we Dee and I decided to check." Drake looked down at Ryo, "Ryo warned us not to get to close, for it was the wolves territory that we were trespassing on. Of course Dee and I didn't listen and De slipped and the wolves soon came after us..."
JJ looked up at Drake and then back at Ryo, "What happened once the wolves were chasing you...?"
"We ran of course..." Drake walked closer behind JJ almost touching, "But Dee slipped and Ryo went back for him... the wolves weren't chasing us anymore, they knew to stop before the flower field. They knew what lives in those flowers, we on the other hand had no clue."
JJ was frozen... Just knowing that Drake was so close to touching him made his body stop moving and he was barely breathing... Drake moved in closer wrapping one arm around JJ's shoulders and then bringing the other around holding JJ closer to him as he whispered, "The bugs just came out of no where, I was already out of the field but Dee and Ryo weren't. They ran as fast as they could... Ryo all ways keeping Dee in front of him..."
JJ could feel himself trembling but Drake just kept holding on to him... JJ's back presses tightly against Drake's front. He could feel Drake's warm breath against his neck as Drake whispered every word, "Ryo soon got stung... just before they both made it out... he soon feel very ill and this is how he ended up..."
Please let go of me...do not touch... JJ tried so hard to speak but the words just didn't come out as Drake's touch was taking over him. What is happening to me? Why do I feel like this? I cannot feel like this over Mister Drake! I belong to the duke; yes I belong to Duke Ted...I must go home...
Drake held the trembling boy... he leaned his head into JJ's shoulder and soon he carefully kissed the pale neck. JJ gasped and was startled at this sudden act of affection... Please stop! I do not belong to you; I belong back at the castle... Yes, the castle I must go home! I have to go home!
"I will save your friend..." JJ pulled away from Drake's embrace, "After I save him, you must help me..."
"Of course..." Drake sighed he didn't want to end everything so fast, "I owe you for a lot..."
"Then we have another deal...?" JJ took Drake's head between his hands and stared into the brown eyes.
"Yes..." Drake looked into sky blue eyes as he placed his hands on the pale hands holding his face, "What do you want me to do...?"
JJ leaned his head in so that they were touch forehead to forehead, "I need certain things that I can use... can you get them for me...?"
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"So you believe that the thief has the prince...?" Diana reached up to put a book back on the library shelf, which was too high for her.
"Of course..." Rose took the book and placed in its place, "The hooded man with him was obviously Jemmy, no one else in the castle is that small besides you but you are here with me now..."
Diana's cheeks flushed light pink as she looked up at her knight, "So if the prince has been kidnapped how are you going to get him back? Isn't that man a part of the infamous guild...?"
"Yes..." Rose clenched his fist, "Those damned thieves are going to pay for all of this. No one will take the Prince and live to tell the tale... beside if I do not don't do something about this Ted is going to have my head..."
The lady looked down at her feet, Something just isn't right...I feel as if maybe Jemmy wasn't kidnapped after all, maybe he... but no, the prince would never disobey his father! Or would he...?
"My lady..." Rose took her hands and got down on one to meet her worried eyes, "You're hiding something from me are you not?"
"Berkie... I was just thinking that..." Diana eyes began to water as she looked into his, "Maybe the Prince..."
"CAPTIAN!" one of Berkeley's soldiers came running in, "Captain! There's something wrong!"
"What? What is it man!?" Rose stood up one arm around Lady Diana's waist as he held her closely.
"The king! It is the king!"
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Drake carefully watched JJ as he sat in the chair a sharpening the knife as he was told. JJ was mixing some things together as he did the smell of something sweet filled the air. Drake stood up and handed JJ the knife, "What are you going to do with this...?"
"Watch..." JJ took the knife and walked up to Ryo. He pulled the blankets back and lifted Ryo's arm with the mark. Drake watched as JJ cut Ryo's skin, "What re you doing!?"
"Calm down Drake... now hand me that cloth." JJ placed the knife down and took the cloth that Drake handed to him. With the cloth in hand he pressed it against the opened cut and then nodded at Drake. Drake picked up the sweet smelling goop that JJ had been mixing earlier.
"This stuff is going to sting..." JJ carefully took two fingers into the goop, taking away the cloth he lightly wiped into in the cut, "As soon as he walks up... he's going to be in a lot of pain."
"Is that good...?" Drake ripped another cloth and handed it to JJ. JJ nodded and wrapped the cloth around the wound, "Yes, if he feels the pain that means he on his way to a quick recovery."
Drake laughed and could help but think about how ironic that was. JJ wiped his fingers and turned to him, their eyes meeting... brown on blue... Drake slowly walked up to JJ, JJ didn't move. He took the young man's head between his hands and never took his eyes away. If you don't kiss me right now, I'll be forced to kiss you...JJ, I can't stop feeling so strange around you.
Why is this happening to me...? I have done my part and I know that I have to go back to the palace... by why do I not want to move from this spot. Mister Drake...
Slowly, ever so slowly the two moved closer, eyes closing... until they both felt shy, soft lips against their own. Drake's arms found their way around JJ's slender waist as JJ's made their way around Drake's neck. Both of them were so still, not knowing what to do in this predicament that they got themselves into. Both of them wanting to make this moment deeper but neither of the two knowing how...
Oh my god! Omigod! What the hell is going on here?! I'm kissing him; no he's kissing me! What do I do?! I sure wish this wasn't my first kiss... at least that way I'd know what the hell to do! But hey look on the bright side at least I'm sharing it with JJ...I love you, JJ! That's right, I thought it! I love you JJ!
I...I cannot believe I am letting this happen... why do I feel like this is so right? No, this is not right! I belong to the Duke... I belong to... D... I belong to Drake...
JJ pushed away from him and looked up at him, "Drake, please don't..." I do not what you closer than you already are... "Remember my part of the deal... now you have to help me..."
Drake frowned and asked, "What do you need me to help you with...?" Please... don't let it be anything like going somewhere, where I'll never see him again! Please don't let him say that he has someone else waiting for him...please! JJ, I love you! Why the hell can't I say it!
"I need you to help me go back to the palace..."