I'm sorry for the incredibly long wait. I'll try to get a few chappies up this weekend. I have been sick and school has been quite busy. I don't think I can revise this story w/out rewriting the whole thing....so I guess I'll just post the original one for now and maybe revisit it later when I'm done with my main project at the moment, Choice.

firanza: Here is the update.
ladyraebef : Well...I'm glad you liked this story, though I can't say the same myself. This is my very first work and now I look back there are so many things that need improving...I just don't want to let my readers down at the end, ya know.
KittenRebecca : heehee, I think you are right about DD.
Night-Owl123 : Here is the update.
Shea Loner: Well, he is...sort of
Igonia : Thank you. I really tried to improve this story, make it work...but when I look at it I see so many shortcomings that I almost want to give up... I'll try to edit it to the best of my abilities...but I don't think I'll revise it in a great detail until....say much later when I'm done with my main project, Choice.

Chapter 10:

Lavender hugged her mother, quite lost in words. The ominous news was in her trembling hands, a black envelope with the blood-red mark just like the previous ones. Three brothers and a sister, how many more would they take? But soon this would be all over; she would meet with them again. She knew the defense of the village would not hold much longer, and that ruthless invaders would soon come.

It was not long until she heard the screams of village people and saw the dark figures advancing. She picked up the small sword Dag made her; hopeless though the situation may be, she was not about to give up without a fight.

Even so she almost dropped the sword when she beheld the image of the giant of man that was advancing towards them. Yet somehow she managed to fend his first blow. Her hands shook from the force, and her arms felt numb. Her opponent raised his sword again. Lavender knew then that she could not block the blow, and she prepared for its coming. But it never did; instead, when she looked up she saw a young man on a brown horse standing before her, and her attacker was no where to be seen. Lavender stared at her rescuer; he was rather slander and pale, not someone you would expect to be a fighter. Their eyes met for a moment, and before she could say "thanks" the man and the horse had leaped outside the house.

Lavender ran to the door in excitement and saw in awe as the boy rode towards the black stream of Dark soldiers. The fierce invaders seemed to be greatly disturbed by the sight of him and were shouting things in their own foul tongue. Then, to Lavender's uttermost amazement, the man dropped his sword and raised both of his hands. Lavender felt an invisible force swept through her, making her fall backwards to the ground, though she sensed no hostility in the magic, mere indifference. It, however, was not the case with the Dark creatures; they gave out a cry of hopelessness, and the next second they were gone.

The village survivors ran up to their savior as soon as they recovered from their initial shock, and he jumped down from his horse. After making sure Mother was alright, Lavender ran to outside, too. She scowled as she saw people looking up at the young man timidly, not daring to speak. "Hey," she called.

Harry turned and saw a small girl with ginger hair.

"That thing you did…it was very cool…"

"It was only a small group of them, no more than one hundred."

"Is that how Prince Kerr fights, too? I mean the force and all that…"Lavender's eyes shone.

"Lavender Brown, let us thank our savior first," the village head snapped in.

Lavender rolled her eyes; where were you before now?

Harry shook his head, "I did but a small thing, no need for thanks." The villagers offered to have his stay the night, and Harry thought it best to accept it. At the small party held after dinner, Harry saw the ginger hair girl make way towards him

"Hey I'm Lavender."

"I'm…Harry."

"Oh you know the thing I was about to ask you before the Head cut me off, the Prince…"

"Oh," Harry scratched his head, "Well I would think he'd work that way too, since it's the same kind of power."

"But he will be much more powerful, right? They say he can defy an army of ten thousand! And that he is as strong as the mountain and as radiate as the sun!" Lavender's eyes grew dreamy.

Harry smiled a wry smile, "Er, I supposed so. Why? Do you fancy that Prince of yours?"

Lavender stuck out her tongue, "Bah…it's not that! But everybody here fancies him anyways. They say he is just and brave, but also loving and gentle. They say he treat his soldiers like brothers."

Harry looked thoughtful; softly he probed the girl on.

Lavender hardly needed any encouragement as she continued with great enthusiasm, "Well and the tidings are turning for the better now. We've managed to win back a few cities and that cursed Masked Rider had disappeared!"

"Indeed?"

"Yeah at first we didn't know what was going on, but they stopped fighting us for a whole five days! The Prince then took the initiative and forced them to fight – he won, of course – and the word got out that the Masked Rider was gone!"

"The Masked Rider…is he really that bad?"

"Bad? He was horrible! You don't know him; he rides on a terrible black warhorse with blood-red eyes and wears a mask of black fire. Worse, he kills men like stepping ants: some say he leaves no survivor and a whole army turns into dust at the wave of his hand."

"But that's not true! I mean…how can that be…"

Lavender nodded importantly and gravely; in her excitement she never saw the tightening of the jaw or the pain in Harry's eyes, "That is the truth…but of course he's no match for the Prince, and I think he probably got the wind of his coming and fled. Lucky him…because I bet anyone here would have loved to tear him up alive!"