Okay guys, due to your requests, Darres makes a cameo in this scene! He is MIA no longer!! (guilty grin) I was trying to find a spot where he fits in... this will be basically his only appearance in the entire part two!

This chapter was sort of fun to write. Heh, I started crying just imagining it while I wrote it! (yep, I'm a sissy crybaby.) Enjoy, and review!

Broken Dreams: Part Two, Chapter Seven

The Next Day

The next day, Ishtar was determined to act normally. She wanted everyone to believe that she was fine, that she didn't need their pity or resentment. She donned a forest green dress and pulled her hair back into an elegant ponytail. She turned to her bed to collect her kitten, but stopped as she realized he wasn't there. She felt tears start to brim her eyes, but told herself stubbornly that she wouldn't cry. She took a deep breath and opened her door.

Darres looked up from where he was playing a card game with Jill and Krai. He saw her emerge and quickly looked down again. This hurt her more then he could have imagined, but the princess didn't let it show.

"I'd play that Jack of Spades if I were you," she said smoothly and started walking down the hall. Darres flushed at the veiled slight, but played his Jack anyways. I didn't know she knew how to play gambling games, he thought with curiosity. Hmm.

Ishtar tramped down the staircase and reached the foyer. She placed a hand on the double doors to steady herself. Snippets of conversations radiated through to her, overriding the soft murmur of noise. This is it, she thought. I'm ready. I think. With a slight shove, the doors opened and admitted her.

Every sound that was being made stopped as she entered the lobby area. Everyone stared at her, not even bothering to hide it. Ishtar sweated slightly under her relatives' looks, but she remained where she stood. Her gaze swept across the room, and when it met someone else's, they would quickly look away.

In five quick steps she had crossed the lobby to the continental buffet. She grabbed two muffins (blueberry and raisin). When the silence continued unabated, she lost her nerve and turned on her heel to leave. She stopped as she felt a hand grip her wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Keld hissed at her. She flinched and tried to pull away, but he held on. Everyone in the room suddenly had something they had to go do.

"I'm going back to my room," she stated coldly. "Why do you care?"

His eyes were pits of fiery anger. "The demon is in the dungeons. You will not go to see him. If I even hear so much as a whisper that you've been down there, there will be consequences. Is that understood?"

She glared at him and tried to wrench her wrist away. "I'll do whatever I damn well feel like!"

Evidently she had said the wrong thing, as his hand suddenly grew a lot tighter. She winced. "You. Will. Not. See. The. Vampire." She could feel his breath, hot against her cheek. It sent shivers up and down her spine. She gazed helplessly across the room. Most of the people had left in a hurry, and those that remained had their backs to her, talking about fabrics with their neighbor. No one came to her aid.

She dropped her shoulders in a defeated motion. "Yes, sir," she mumbled dejectedly.

"Good." He nodded and let go of her. She hurried out.

Naturally, she went to the dungeons anyways. She stealthily crept down the stairs, muffins on a plate in her left hand. Her slipper-like shoes scuffed softly against the cold stone. As she descended, the light became almost nonexistent, save for a few torches along the walls.

Geez, she thought. Nice place.

She noticed a fresco on one wall. It depicted the vampire king Duzell drinking the blood of one of his victims. Whoa, she thought to herself. Freaky.

While she was examining the piece of art, a shadow crept up behind her.

Ishtar suddenly felt a hand descend on her shoulder, and she whirled around with a screech. Laphiji stood there, giving her a smug look.

"Jesus Christ!" she gasped, holding a hand over her heart to still its rapid beating. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"You shouldn't be down here."

She looked up at him. "Laphiji... can't you understand? I have to see him. He's the only person who actually cares about me, and I care about him. I need to see him."

The magician didn't even blink. Ishtar decided to try another tactic.

"How would you feel, Laphiji? How would you feel if you could never see the most important person to you?"

she sighed and looked down at her feet.

"I know its not allowed, but I don't care. Nothing will change how I feel about him. But I don't want people to punish him because of me. It's all my fault he's down here, and the knowledge of that is killing me. Please, Laphiji. Let me see him."

Laphiji caught his breath. It's like Seiliez...it causes me pain. Yes, that terrible pain that is truth. The knowledge that you can never have what you want most... I do understand.

He unlocked the door that led to the dungeons, and stood aside to let her pass. "Be careful, your majesty."

She grinned at him. "I knew you'd understand," she laughed. She strode through the door into the darkness beyond.

The sight that greeted her was a pitiful one. Duzell was still in his vampire form, sitting hunched in a corner. Darkness shrouded his pale form. He had his knees drawn up to his chest and his hands locked around his shins. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled. His long silver hair was tangled, and his face was smudged with dirt. On one cheek was a dark bruise. At the sound of footsteps, he looked up. He caught sight of the princess walking towards him and grinned. The vampire slowly, painfully, heaved himself to his feet. He carefully walked over to the bars and reached out to her. "Ishtar..." he breathed. "I knew you'd come eventually. Ooh, are those muffins?"

Ishtar felt like crying. She looked at him, so wretched and pitiful and gazing hopefully at the muffins, and her breath hitched. She tried to put on a smile for him, but failed. "Oh, Duzie..." she whispered, and the tears started to flow. She pressed her body against the bars so she could hug the vampire. "I'm so sorry!"

"Shhh, it's alright." He soothed, rubbing her back. Her breathing was ragged. "I'm fine."

She looked at him. "No you're not. Look at you! What did you get that bruise from, anyway?"

He stopped in the middle of chewing a bite of muffin to run a hand down his cheek. "Oh, this? I think somebody rammed me into something when they were carrying me down here."

"What?!?!"

"Well, probably not on purpose."

She shook her head. "This isn't right, Duzie. I'm going to do something about this."

He bent down until his dirt-streaked face was inches from hers. "Listen, Ishtar," he pleaded. "Please don't worry yourself further on my account. I came back to kill Phelios, and this was the risk I took. It's my own fault I'm here."

No, Duzell..."

"Please, Ishtar, listen. I want you to forget about me, so that when I'm killed you can continue living."

She stared at him, aghast. "They're going to... execute you?" Her lips trembled.

"Yes. I overhead someone's conversation."

This frightened her more than anything. My kitty might die! Her resolve hardened. "Sorry, Duzie, but I won't forget about you. I'm going to get you out if it's the last thing I do." She strode away. Right before she opened the door that led to the staircase, she heard Duzell call after her, "Thanks for the muffins!"