- The disclaimer is in chapter one, blah, blah, blah, blah, etc.
- To my reviewers, thank you so much. You make my writing a pleasure.
Chapter 10
Grabbing Veronica, he held his knife inches from her throat as Finn did the same with her opponent.
"Tell her to throw her weapon or you die".
"No way" Finn protested.
"Finn, please".
"Alright" Finn released her opponent.
With a sly grin, her opponent attacked one last time, but he was too slow. He hit the ground with a thud. Finn turned her crossbow on Danubis.
"Let her go".
"I want what is rightfully mine".
"You deserve nothing, except the hell I'm sending you back to".
Seeing her chance, Veronica knocked Danubis back with an elbow to his stomach. Finn fired on him, the arrow heading straight for his heart. Danubis laughed cruelly as he turned the arrow around in midair and hit Finn in the shoulder.
"Finn!!!".
"I will rule the plateau, one way or another" his laugh was pure evil.
"Not if I can help it" Abigail started chanting as a storm descended on Daubis.
"No, no" he screamed as the storm carried away.
"Vee" blood trickled from Finn's mouth.
"Don't move".
"I'm sorry" Finn felt her life force draining from her.
"You did the right thing" Challenger gingerly placed his jacket under his head.
"I can heal her" Abigail offered, but it was too late.
Marguerite turned to Roxton, away from the body of their companion.
"She saved my life" Veronica chocked back tears.
"She deserves a proper burial".
"I can bring her back" Abigail said quietly.
"Mother no, you'll kill yourself".
"My dear child, I am the past, you are the future, as is Finn. If this is my time, then I know that my life has been useful".
They stepped back as Abigail began to chant. The yellow light filled both Finn and Abigail. Abigail collapsed as Finn started breathing heavily.
"Mother!!!" Abigail collapsed into her daughter's arms.
"Get medical care, quickly!"
"My lady, you must eat" the maid pushed the plate towards Veronica.
"No".
"I'm sorry, sir" the maid curtsied to Marguerite and Roxton anxiously waiting outside.
"Veronica, your mother would want me to eat" Roxton said.
"She would want to be protector" Veronica knocked the plate onto the floor. He held her as she cried.
"You have a destiny, but right now, your mother and Finn would want you to rest. If you can't take care of yourself, you will not be able to take care of Finn and your mother" Marguerite gently counseled.
Veronica allowed her friends to lead her to bed. The next morning, Veronica watched as her mother and Finn were being attended to.
"Hey, Abby, thanks" Finn felt the pain soar through her body as the maid helped her sit up.
"Your welcome" the pain was felt equally by Abigail.
"How are you feeling?" Challenger asked, relieved to see that both women were awake.
"Other than the fact that there was an arrow sticking out of my shoulder, everything's peachy" Veronica had to laugh, despite her pain; Finn had hung onto her odd sense of humor
"Professor, Veronica and I have something to discuss…"Abigail started to say.
"Understood" Begrudgingly, Finn allowed Challenger to carry her out of the room.
"What's wrong, mother?".
"I never finished the story of Danubis and the Morkinds. The gods decreed that the competitors were banned from using magic, but the Morkinds cheated. The line of the Protector was declared the winner and since then, there has always been a protector of the Plateau".
"Mother, what if I don't want to be the Protector?" Veronica asked, her thoughts returning to Ned and the vision Danubis had shown her.
"My darling, I am not dead yet. Go to London, return with Ned and in due time, you shall be Protector".
"But…"
"No buts, my daughter. Every Protector since the beginning has had a mate. I have seen you two together; there is no doubt in my mind that you are meant for one another. This woman who has enslaved his mind, she has nothing on you and will never have anything on you. Now go, the portal can only be opened for so long".
In a flash, they were in London, in front of the Whitehall Chapel.
In front of the chapel doors stood two burly guards.
"I'm sorry, sir, you're not on the list" the guards stepped in front of the door.
"Are we on now?" the guards fell knocked into one another before falling to the floor.
Inside the chapel, Gladys felt victory was at hand. The jungle princess was back where she belonged and Ned had no idea.
"Do you, Gladys Avigdon, take this man Ned Malone for your husband?" the preacher asked.
"I do".
"Do you, Ned Malone, take this woman, Gladys Avigdon for your wife?".
"He'd better not" Veronica's voice bounded through the chapel.
"Miss, please".
"Excuse me" Veronica pulled the amulet off Gladys neck before giving her a shiner she would never forget. Stomping on the amulet, light shimmered beneath her boot as the glassy look in Ned's eyes disappeared as Veronica's kiss stirred something in him.
"Veronica, what are we doing here? And why I am wearing this?".
"Young man?" the preacher asked.
"Ned, she hit me" Gladys was helped to her feet by her father.
"She put you under a spell, so you would forget me and marry her. Apparently she hasn't learned that you can't get everything in life you want".
"Young man, I will ask you one last time, will you take this woman, Gladys Avigdon for your wife?".
"Ned, you can't marry her".
"I do," he said quietly.
Gladys smirked as Veronica threw the engagement ring at him and walked out.
What she didn't see was the police arresting Gladys and her father.
Days later, Veronica sat in her room, unable to do anything, but remember the two words that had forever broken her heart. Downstairs, Marguerite and Roxton tried everything to coax her out of the room, but nothing worked.
"We've tried everything, John. She doesn't eat, she barely sleeps, I don't know what to do anymore".
"If you or I had gone through the same thing, we would probably be in the same state she's in. We both know that Veronica is and has always been very strong, she'll get through this" he stroked her hair as they enjoyed time alone together.
"Promise that you'll never do to me what Ned did to Veronica".
"Never, love".
Veronica emerged from her bedroom several days later looking pale and thin. Marguerite encouraged her to eat, but she still refused.
"I have an idea. My afternoon appointment just cancelled on me, why don't you and I do some shopping? Or why not take a ride around the park?" Marguerite offered.
"No" sensing that her friend was close to tears, Marguerite shooed the servants out of the room.
"He promised me, he asked me to marry him. Why would he turn his back on me?".
"There are many men in this world, Veronica, much more worthy of your time and love than Ned Malone. If not here in London, then on the Plateau".
Just then, Daniel quietly knocked.
"Pardon me, Miss Krux, Mr. Malone is here to Miss Layton".
"Tell him I'm not home".
"Miss, he is insistent on seeing you".
"Go upstairs and clean yourself up, I'll keep Ned entertained".
"Good morning, Marguerite" Ned said warily. He had seen her at her most dangerous and had no intention of provoking that side of her
"Good morning, Marguerite, these are for you and of course for Veronica" he thrust the bouquet at her.
"Thank you" she put the flowers aside, watching him sweat. After what he did to Veronica, he deserved much worse, but she would let Veronica handle that.
"I know what I did and said. I wish I could take it all back, but I know I can't. The only thing I can hope for is that she'll listen. Can I please see her?".
"That's not my decision".
Quietly walking downstairs, Veronica closed her eyes, preparing to face Ned. No matter what he said or did, it was over. Marguerite was right; there were many more men out there, whether here in London, or on the Plateau. She would find another and move with her life.
"Veronica" Ned said quietly, giving her the flowers.
"I'll leave you two alone. You know where to find me" Marguerite gently squeezed her friend's hand and left the room.
"Veronica, I…" he started to say.
"I'm going home, Ned".
"What? When?".
"After the wedding".
"You can't, I mean….".
"I can do anything I want, Ned Malone. You forget, I survived eleven years on my own".
"Will you please listen to me?".
"You didn't listen to me when I told you that Gladys was trouble. Where were you when I needed you, when we all needed you? Where were you when Danubis threatened to kill my mother and our friends if I didn't agree to marry him? Where were you when my mother put her own life in danger to save Finn's?".
"You're not going to listen to me, so I'm going to tell you, short and sweet. I was never under Glady's spell. It was a trick. Glady's father has been using mob money to finance his paper for years, the only way I could get close enough to make them believe that I was under her spell. I thought of you every day. You have every right not to believe me, so I'm going to leave the paper right here. You know where to find me".
After several minutes, Veronica finally collapsed onto the chair. Picking up the paper, she read the headline "Newspaper editor hand in hand with mob boss".
Running outside, Veronica called out "Ned, wait!".
But it was too late; his car had already disappeared onto the street.
"You called?" he stepped from behind the bushes.
A month later, wedding bells rang as Marguerite stood next to George as she waited to walk down the aisle.
"See you up front" Veronica, walked in front of them as the wedding march began.
As Marguerite and Roxton repeated their vows, Veronica mouthed, "I love you" to Ned. They had two wedding, one a small, private ceremony in London and another before her mother and the residents of Avalon.
"Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you Lord and Lady Roxton". They were showered with rose petals as they took their first steps as husband and wife.
"Have you decided on any names for the child?" Jessie asked.
"I've always liked the name Edward" Ned teased.
"What if it's a girl?" Veronica teasingly jabbed him in the stomach.
"All right, Edwina".
Veronica rolled her eyes, but she knew that whatever the child was, Ned would love it, no matter what, as would she love Ned, until eternity.
The End
I apologize, I know it's not my best, but I'm leaving for Israel next week and I just wanted to finish it. Make me happy and hit the blue button. Please?