Yeah, alot has happened. I have had to do christmas shopping, and i have a new boyfriend, and all my sophomore research crap i have had, it's been hard. But its here, with out further adu....

Chapter Twenty Five

Banishment

When I woke up, Leo was gone. There was breakfast on the table next to the bed. I ate it while I walked around calling Leo's name all thought the house. He wasn't home, I found because Zenith wasn't in her little stale thing. It wasn't until I had finished my breakfast, washed the dishes and went to the bedroom to find a summer yellow under dress with an orange overdress and a note attached to it. This is what the note said:

Dear Gwen,

I hope you like the dress. I got it for you this morning seeing as you probably can't wear gypsy cloths into the Dove. No, I didn't steal it, I bought it. I wasn't in the mood this morning to deal with it. Don't worry about me, I'll be okay. I just… never mind.

Your acquaintance,

Leo

Hey, take care of yourself for me okay. And take care of that kid. He's quite the character and I think he can take care of himself, but I fear he will make the wrong move someday. Just help him, he has issues, I can tell. No one does the God's root without having issues behind it. Besides you're good at taking care of people. Watch over everybody while I'm gone. And watch that magic of yours. Don't poke an eye out with it or anything.

It was weird. I wonder where he went. Well, what ever, I have to find George. Yeah I woke up this morning, so I wrote all this down. Hope to write to you later. Bye.

It's so horrible! Everything has happened so quickly, and I don't know what they're talking about. You see, I went to the Dove to find George after a long ride ( I was writing for a long time this morning, and in the afternoon I took Ayden out for a ride and it was dark before I got to the inn) and when I walked in almost everyone was glaring at me. I didn't know what was happening. I found George with Anastasia in his usually chair. I walked up to him and started to ask him what was wrong with this night's crowd when he gave me a look of disgust. ME, he looked at ME that way.

" What are you doing here," He asked as he stood up, pushing Anastasia behind him.

" We were attacked by some barbarians in the wood a few days ago, Le- Atreyu, Doyle and I were unconscious until today and I wanted to tell you about it." I was interrupted by shouts in the crowd. Disturbing shout.

" Liar," A woman called out.

" Murderer," a man I recognized from the rogue hissed.

I looked down at the man who called me a murderer. " What are you talking…" He shot up and clasped one hand around my mouth and the other grabbed my arm behind me, pulling it up, hard.

" Shud'dup," he snapped. " Go ahead, Majesty." He said to George.

" How could you? I thought you where…" He looked around the room at the part of the crowd that wasn't part of the rogue. " In my room. You, you, you, you, and Anastasia, follow me up and join us."

As I was forced up the stairs, the last to come with the man still holding me tight, I felt like Marie Antoinette or one of them ascending the stair to the Guillotine. The one problem was that she had known why she was being sentenced to death. I didn't, and still don't.

A few of the lamps and candles were lit. My hands and feet were bound painfully tight, and my mouth gagged with a peace of cloth on command of George.

George dismissed a few men leaving me, the man who called me a murderer, Anastasia, and George in the semi-lit room.

George paced a few times back and forth, than stopped in front of me. " I thought you were my friend, my sister." I went to say that I was, but it came out as mumbles with the gag in my mouth. " Shut up. I don't want to hear the words of a traitor, even if they are gagged muffles." He started pacing again. " No, you were never my friend, were you? A spy sent from the dessert, perhaps. But you're worse than a spy. You were sent to kill my men and me, weren't you. Wanting my thrown, wanting…" He looked at my captor.

" Greg, friend, with all my respect, leave." He walked him out, then said to everyone at the door, " Leave, back downstairs and if I catch you listening to my conversation, I'll have your ears, both of them, in my collection so you may never hear a word ever again, your tongues so you may never utter a word you hear now, and your hands so you may never write it out. If I ever catch word that you heard, I'll kill you and who ever you told."

I saw the fear in the men's eyes at they heard this, then George shut the door. " As I was saying, your only hear to kill me and take my thrown. Than you would have killed Jon and Alanna. Your probably sided with the Duke, aren't you. Of course you are. The only way you could have pulled this off was to be a great sorceress, or have a mage behind you. You are nothing but a deceptive little rat." He brought out a very shinny, expensive looking blade.

He put it to my throat. I could see the blood in his veins in his hand and neck pulse. His breathing quickened to an anger filled pant. " I should kill you. Everything about me tells me you should die right now, and that I should spill your blood right here and fill a jar with it, while your alive. Than, slowly watch the blood drain from your body, until the dark god takes you for all time. Well, every part, except Anastasia has persuaded me otherwise. She tells me she has seen this spell before. You are probably a puppet of Rodger. This seemed reasonable. But she told me the spell it irreversible by anything I could provide. Fortunately, she knows an herb that will drain the spell."

By now I was feeling better, I thought I was saved. Frankly by now, I didn't know what I did, but maybe it was Rodger who did this, what ever this was. But at least I would be cured.

But than this was said, " But she also tells me that the spell can't make you kill anyone as you did. No, killed wouldn't be the right word. It would be massacred." I looked at him in a very shocked, unknowing way. " Don't play stupid with me. You know what I'm talking about. Three nights ago, you and your gypsy gang," he spat at the thought of gypsies, " found a group of me and my men and massacred them all. I remember it all so clearly, every last detail. You came at me on that cursed horse with a sword. I was lucky to get away with my life. Were it not for Anastasia, who had figured out that you were in with the gypsies, if she hadn't hidden me, I would have fallen to the Black God's will. She watched the rest of the massacre while I was unconscious." He looked around for a moment, than realized he had forgotten something important.

" And where is Leo?!" He shouted

I tried to mumble ' I don't know' but the gag was in the way. Thankfully, he ripped it off my face.

" Where is he, you demon? What have you done to my best friend, you, you, you sorceress?"

" I don't know!" I shouted at him.

" Liar!" Anastasia screamed, voice venomous. She started advancing on me. " You snake in the grass. You conjurer of tricks. You deceiver! I saw you had him captive along with that boy. That poor boy. I hate to think of the sick, twisted tricks you practiced on those men. Rest their poor souls. You killed them, didn't you. Didn't you!" She started sobbing, and George comforted her momentarily.

Than he walked to me, his right hand with the blade. The blade shined a glint of light in my eye. I winced to keep the light from my eyes, and when I opened them, George's face was in mine. " So you think you can kill off the people I hold dearest to my heart? Who would have been next, my mother? Or did you already do it? You probably did it before you got here, didn't you. No, that's not your stile. She would be suffering still, by your hand. And what of Anastasia? Surly you would kill her, too, though all she has ever done was try to take you under her wing and teach you. But no. You would kill everyone close to my heart; am I right?"

He studied my eyes, and I his. His were saying that if I said a word, I would die now. " This be for those who died. They loved you as I once loved you. As one of us." The hand without the blade grabbed the hair on the back of my head and he placed a painfully firm kiss on my lips. It was so hard; I immediately tasted the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. He broke away, than said, " This is for them, also." The palm of his large hand swooped thought the air and he smacked me across the face with a loud crack.

He gave the smile of a mad man. He brought his mouth to my ear and whispered to me, his voice of venom now, " And this, my dear sister, is for me. For all the tricks and all the lies. For the brotherly love I thought I had for you."

A shriek of pain split the air, and held it. It was the most painful thing I ever felt, and the longest scream I had ever shrieked.

George held up the top portion of my ear. He examined it. " It wasn't quite your fault you had bad ideas. But it was you who killed my men, and for that I take part of you ear for my collection. And hear me now, if I ever see you again, I will kill you, slowly. I'll start with the rest of that ear, then the other. Slowly I'll work my way down. Down to your nose, your lips, your breasts and fingers, your toes. Than your innards. That will be the way you will die. Watching me tie them into knots. Hear me?"

I only sobbed. Sobbed for the loss of my ear and the pain, the friendship of George that was lost, the loss of the rogue. I sobbed because the life I thought that was perfect had crumpled to nothing, and less. I couldn't even go home and have my mother comfort me. I had lost her also.

I've lost two lives.

Than the back of George's hand came down and make another loud crack on my face. Harder this time. It drew blood from the rings on his face to make three large and long scratches down my cheek. George sent Anastasia to get someone. While she was gone, he sat on the bed, just staring at me. He wouldn't let me speak. He thought I would poison his mind. And I didn't care because, frankly, I was afraid of him. Afraid of what he would do next. So I cried.

There was a mirror across from me, not to far away. I looked at myself in it. I watched myself, watched the blood flow from my ear and face, the tears from my eyes, and the soul from my body all drip to the floor and through the creaky floor boards. Than Greg came up, all too happy.

" Come, my lovely little whore. Shall we go?" He had a maniac look about him. He didn't bother to cut the binding on my feet, he fancied carrying me, showing my butt to anyone who would look. We went out the back door, through the kitchen, so as not to scare the customers, and on the way out, Lili saw me, saw me bound, bruised, and bloodied. She went to help me, but one of the girls held her back. I looked strait at her, pleading for help, and at the same time wishing she wouldn't come to me. Wouldn't see me this way. Greg stopped in the middle of the kitchen, put me down and stood me up.

"Gaze upon the traitor. Upon the whore. Look at her in all her glory. And this is what she has to provide us." He grabbed the bottom of my dresses and lifted them past my breasts and over my head. He was fondling me in part that should not have been, and I felt the hands of others on my body. He turned me around and threw up his knee so he could bend me over and spank me. I think I might have had leather hit my flesh also, but I can't remember. All I remember is that all the men and women in the kitchen laughed at me. They laughed! I even heard the bellowing laugh of Misters Tyler. These people were once my friends, and now they turned on me.

But than I heard a crack, and Lili pulled my dress down. Greg was surprised at what she had done. He stood contemplating what happened for a moment. It was long enough for her to gently kiss me on the cheek that wasn't bleeding and give me that warm, sunny smile. ( At least I had one friend) Than Greg slapped her back, saying, " Watch it, wench, or you'll be next." She cradled her face and backed away.

Greg picked me up again and walked out the door. He had someone grab Ayden obviously, because we mounted him, and Anastasia mounted another. We rode for a long time. It was so long that I fell asleep in the saddle. I was woken up some time during the night by another painful slap in the face.

Greg turned my face to him. I got the best look at him now from the torch he was carrying. His face was pock marked, thought still young. Maybe twenty five or twenty seven. One of his teeth was missing and he had a scar running from his neck to past his shirt collar. He inspected me.

" Well you're a pretty little thing, aren't you puppet?" His breath reeked of onions, ale and bacteria. It was obvious he doesn't brush much. " Your so pretty I think I could eat you." He took his tongue and licked my cheek leaving this nasty wet trail of slime. (I can't even call it spit, it was thicker and nasty.) " Yummy, how's about a kiss for me, puppet?" Than he forced himself on me. What was I to do. I was bound and couldn't squirm. But I had an idea. As he started probing my mouth with tongue, I bit down, hard. ( Now that I think about it, I should have bit harder and made him bleed more.)

He jumped back in the saddle, than had a look of pleasure on his face. " Mmmm, I like a girl with a little bit of feistiness in her." He had a deranged look in his eyes, and I got scared.

Than he stopped Ayden and dismounted taking me down with him. He threw me on the ground and dropped to his knees in front of me. " Now, bitch, do what you do best. Be the whore that your reputation says you are." Than he grabbed my dress and tried to pull it up.

I know I kicked him in his gut, but I don't think he felt it at all. And than I got him in the face, and but that time he had backed away from me a little. He was relentless. I thought he backed away to got away from me, but he only backed away to get his pants down.

Than he said, " Now, I told you, whore, that your gunna give me what I want. And since you cost me a wee bit of pain, your not gunna get any money. But than again, you don't deserve it. You probably … what am I doing talking while your waiting to have me. Now move your dress out of the way like a good wench." When I didn't do what he wanted me to do, he got mad. " Now I told you, I'm gunna get my share of you one way or another. Now do what I say!" When I still refused, he stepped down on my feet with one foot and moved my dress up with his hand.

That's when Anastasia came and saved me. She told Greg to get off of me, and that she would see to it that I never hurt anyone again. He said he understood and that she was right, but when he mounted me and himself again, he mumbled to me, " Don't worry puppet, you'll have yourself me as a customer sooner or later. I'll find you, puppet," he took my chin in his fingers, holding hard. Painfully hard, and continued. "And when I have you, we'll have us plenty of bloody fun, now wont we."

For the rest of the ride, he kept fondling my breasts, and when I elbowed him, it only seemed to promote his pleasures, so I stopped. Unfortunately, he didn't. He got angry that I wasn't playing along, and gave me a great thump on the head. I blacked out from there. For how long, I don't know, but when I woke up I was in the middle of a dessert with the sun beating down on me, and I was thrown on the ground with a painful thud.

Anastasia started to gather roots and herbs out of her pouch and mix them with water. I remember watching that stone necklase she had. It was so beautiful, simple and beautiful at the same time. It almost looked like it was lighter in the center, like a pupil to an eye, watching the world around it. When she was done she asked Greg to leave. When he told her he wasn't going to leave her alone, and defenseless, she didn't argue. Instead, she gave me the drink and told me to drink up. I didn't want to, but she held a knife to my throat and threatened me, so I drank the mix. I was surprised at how much I drank, even though I told my self not to. I must have been out for a long time, because not only was I thirsty, but I was hungry, too.

She asked Greg if she could ' speak with the sorceress who killed all our men alone for only a moment.' I hate how she said that, She said 'our men' like she was part of our…of George's rogue.

He didn't argue this time, and he walked twenty or so paces away from us. Anastasia turned to me and took her dagger out again and started playing with it, rolling in around in her hand. She sat down in front of me. " Was that good?" She asked in a malice filled voice.

I felt like crying, had the yearning to do it again, but I couldn't do that. Not here, not in front of her. But I guess I couldn't hide the glint in my eye because she smiled a wide smile. " Your not going to cry again, are you? Your such a baby." She looked at me and laughed. " In many was than one."

I finally had calmed my self down and had to ask. " What is that supposed to mean?"

" Your funny. You really are good for a laugh. But I must admit, you almost had me tricked. Almost.

" It's funny how you just happened to be in the woods the other day, now wasn't it. It went like pie. First you were fine, and I thought you hadn't had that drink of wine. I thought you might have been conscious for the whole thing and got me, but it finally worked."

" What worked?" I asked suspiciously. And how did she know that I had drunken the rest of that wine?

" Why, you haven't figured it out? You really are stupid. And, here, I thought you where going to be a threat." She gave a little laugh and sat down ignoring the hot ground, pulling one knee up and letting her arm balance on it. She took out a water cantine and took a long, heavy swig off it. When she was done, she wiped the water that had missed her mouth and started down her chin off with her arm.

"Child, your wine was drugged. It was a pretty simple potion really. All I had to do was grind a few herbs and put a spell that would make you feel only one emotion extremely at one time. All of your wines were drugged. Yours and Atreyu's, and that boy,… what was his name, Duge or something? The one with black hair. He's kind of cute don't you think? I might take him as a play mate after I get tired of George."

What!?! What was going on? I had to go through everything right then. She had drugged my wine,; so that's why the guys where laughing, and why I was so scared. And that's why we all blacked out. But why did George attack us. And what was she talking about being 'tired of George'?

I was trying to figure those questions out, but I just couldn't concentrate on it. But than Anastasia told me the most horrible thing of all. She had drugged me again. And not what she told George she was going to do. Now that I'm remembering, she confessed that that wasn't what happened at all. But I can't remember what she said about it or what she was talking about at all. All I remember her saying was good-bye.

Than I woke up in the middle of nowhere. That's where I am now. Nowhere. I have no food, no money. All I have is Ayden, you, and the shade that the only tree out here is giving me. And it's noon, so there isn't much anyway.

Hey, I think I see someone way off in the distance. I'm going to go and ask them where I am and where I am going to go. I can't go back home. I'm banished from there. I don't know what to do.

I've lost two lives. I don't think I'm gunna get another chance again.

I hope you can understand how hard it was to get through this chapter. Did you cry, because i think i did while i was writing this. But than again, this charator is based off of me and the thought of this all hapeneing to me, well, i think its all my worst fears.