A/N:YO, people!! first of all: i'm sorry to have kept anybody waiting, and i hope you be happy with this, nonetheless.... wish that there would be some more reviewers, but i am SO glad for the ones i've got! this, and probably the 2 next chaps, might not be what you want to read, cus you're here to read about Cass and vlad's ship, but i am going to wait a little while for that... hope you don't mind, really! now i present to you:

Chapter VI

As we ate breakfast the next morning, I was as silent as the flowing dust in the room. I silently ate, not looking at Gabriel, or Vladislaus. Only Gabriel gave a few replies when he was asked whether he had slept well, but Vladislaus just kept sending me apologetic glances, like the ones he had sent his father the morning after our little trip to town. Amadae kept all attention away from the three of us, by talking loudly and happily about how she had slept, and other things.

I avoided the looks with an agitated feeling under my skin, as if someone were pulling at it in every direction, and I wanted to get up and scream at him to stop feeling sorry and start doing something about it. I felt bad about it enough as it was. Last night, I had thought that I was walking towards dignity when I walked away from him, but instead I walked straight into the arms of Gabriel! Now, I wasn't so sure if I had made the right decision, maybe I should have let him down softly, or maybe I should even have let him continue, I wasn't sure.

The more I thought about it, a thought suddenly came to mind: maybe he had just played nice, just so he could-... just so he could touch me. A lump came in my throat, but I sank it down. Maybe I was just a play toy for him to use, and he only used the nearest woman, because he had no other, considering that he was sworn to celibacy. - Until marriage, that is. I mentally slapped myself for that remark. He would never do that. He wouldn't try and woo me for 7 years without truly meaning what he had said, and he had also said, already last night, that he loved me.

A little smile curled around my lips. But it immediately disappeared as a sting of guilt sucked in my stomach: I had kissed Gabriel. I felt so unworthy of Vladislaus' love. I kissed his best friend: what was I thinking?! I kissed him twice; good, deep, long kisses, that reminded me of(the lump resurfaced) Vladislaus'. I pushed my bread away, putting a hand to my stomach.

"Excuse me, I want to go for a..." I trailed off, standing as I said this. I shot Vladislaus and Gabriel a glance telling them to 'sod off!'(A/N: yeah yeah, pirate-lingo, but I CAN'T help it, heehee!). I walked to the grand cathedral, where the confessing chair was.

As I walked inside the grand building, I was wondering why there was no chanting of monks, and an unholy silence rested in the huge hall. Looking around, I saw grand paintings of cherubs, archangels, a beautifully illustrated picture of Satan (A/N:!), among other things. There was also gilded, or golden, caledabras and chandeliers.

A huge organ, whose pipes were taking up a big piece of a wall, was cut in mahogany-wood, and its pipes were made of bronze. There was also comfortable benches, which had velvet-linden poufs, and looking ahead of the benches, three steps up, a very majestic altar stood in front of the them: it was a big table(without legs because there was cupboards instead) made out of green yellowish marble. The cupboards were snow-white, though the curves were gilded with golden paint.

On top of the marble-table there was a HUGE doily made of fine green, red, black, yellow, white, silver- and gold-threads. Walking up the three steps, which had a red carpet hammered into it, I let my fingers feel the doily's surface: silk-threads. On top of the doily, there were two statuettes of angels: whether it was archangels or not, I didn't know. They were of ruff, sand-blown crystal, but seemed, however, to be cut to perfection. Both angels held a three feet long, thick candle, which burned dimly. Behind the candles was a big wooden picture, probably made of mahogany, too.

I snorted, as a smile spread on my face; 'So much for modesty!' I thought. I walked over to the confessional department of the cathedral, and was stretching out my hand to take a grip on the knob, but a hand was catching my lower arm, and swung me around so that I was face to face with... Gabriel.

"You don't have time for that, you-"he started, still having his grip on my arm.

"I most certainly do, if I want to!" I retorted, beginning to turn for the confessional again. He pulled me closer to him and looked at me, something like urgency and need for obedience shone in his eyes.

"No, you don't," he said through clenched teeth. "The Order's under attack, and that means that you, and the Valerious' are going away, as quickly as possible," he said, taking my hand, starting to walk, dragging me along with him, and away from the confessional.

He took me all the way to the our sleeping quarters, letting go instantly as we were in sight of Amadae, the Elder, Vladislaus, the cardinal and a few heavily armed men, strapped in full armour. All three held their helmets under their left, or right, arm, and turned their heads, almost as if being in one mind, when we came closer.

They looked as if they were going to give an overly stiff, though polite greeting, but stopped dead in the search for words as they saw me. I saw Vladislaus smirk at their looks, and I couldn't help but blush myself, but then I remembered that the most of these men where sworn to celibacy, and the barely-contained smile, which had fought a brave, however short fight on my face, died away, and disappeared, as a slight intimidation seemed to seep into my heart. The two of them almost stumbled over each other to greet me.

"Good day, miss," one said, obviously not as courtly as he had wanted it to sound, and took my hand and kissed it. He was handsome. He had sea-blue eyes. ten inches long, blond hair was pulled into a little ponytail. He had a sand-coloured moustache and beard. The moustache was only two short lines on his upper lip, and the beard on his chin was 'fork'-shaped, liked the devil's fork, which He used to stick into the tender flesh of his prisoners, either in purgatory and/or hell. His body-shape, however, was not able to be seen, because of the heavy armour, and weapons.

"Thank you. Good day to you, too," I said, pulling, my hand slowly from his grip, the earlier intimidation gone, as dew in the morning sun.

"Good day, miss," the second said. He was handsome as well. He had a rather stiff manner about him, but his eyes rather betrayed the way he held him self, and behaved. He took my hand and kissed it as well. His eyes were chocolate-brown, and somehow they managed to shine, as if an internal fire burnt within them. His hair was as black as through-roughly burnt coal, but it glistened naturally, and not in the sense that it hadn't been washed for a week! His hair was going down over his ears, but the hair underneath the longer locks, were different lengths, albeit shorter. He also had a beard, one that glistened like the hair, and was not in a mess, like most beards, but as if he had actually combed it recently. He had a thin sliver of silver, the length of the average person's pinkie, which had green and blue sapphires embedded into it. It glistened, too, even when he didn't move his head.

"Thank you, as well," I replied, enjoying this man's hand kiss more then the first and probably also more than the third.

"Good day, miss," said the third, an older man, with many silver-grey streaks in his brown hair. His eyes were brown, and a bit dull to look at. They were hard an cold, and did not look so caring. He had a beard, too, though his went all the way down to his stomach, and was very white, despite the fact that the man had brown hair. His face also had serious face features, and quite a few scars around the face. My own manner changed, seeing that he was probably old enough to be a Lord.

"Good day to you, as well, my Lord," I said, lifting my dress a little, curtseying. He took my hand and kissed it chastely.

I looked at Vladislaus, and his smirk was gone, and replaced with something not unlike jealousy. I smirked at him, immediately regretting it, seeing as he had done nothing wrong last night. I was about to say sorry to him, but remembered who we were amongst. Instead I tried to catch his eye, to send him an apologetic glance. But he didn't look at me again. That moment, a man came running up to our little 'polite' gathering, panting hard while giving his message.

"Sire, Cardinal!! We need reinforcements, quickly. Heavy armoury, archers, even clergymen would be appreciated! Warrior priests, please, anything!! The demons are gaining!" he said, almost too quickly for anyone to pick any of what he had said up. But obviously the Cardinal didn't miss a word.

"Be at piece lieutenant!!! How many are there?!" he asked, turning around to face us, but spoke to the three soldiers, as he threw a little bottle of water into the lieutenant's hands.

"Lead The Valerious Family to the harbour of Rome, perhaps longer, if need be. Get a head start and go now. Return after completion of your mission! Now!" he shrieked, just catching what the lieutenant had answered.

'Demons?' I thought. 'Vladislaus had met these evil beings he had claimed to face. And Gabriel as well,' I continued, feeling the urge to flash Gabriel a smile of acknowledge, which Vladislaus caught sight of, looking even more incredulous than before. He looked hateful and avenging on Gabriel and before I even had the chance to say goodbye, lest the chance to explain, Vladislaus and Gabriel were ordered to the 'lines' and I was ushered with the three soldiers, along with Amadae and the Elder, though he looked like that he would choose to fight any day.

We slipped from the Vatican without being noticed by the ugly demons flying around the place, like a horde of birds; at least we thought that, for now. Just as we were outside the harbour city, in the woods, a pack of demons on about 5 or six pieces came flying at us. Amadae, the Elder and I were sent along the road, while Laurén, the older man, Ronan, the raven haired, and Nico, the blond (A/N: (snickers) It's not like he's living up to his hair-colour-reputation, heehee!), stayed behind to fend off the demons. Others might have had their heart in their throats, but I just rode my horse, urging it to go a little faster. We had just gotten out of the woods, as a heartbreaking shout soared through the tree tops. I turned my horse, whipping past the Elder, grabbing his sword, and galloping back into the woods, towards the scream.

Ronan had fallen off of his horse, a bad wound on his left forearm. I cringed at it, as the armour on his arm was bent in, so that metal stuck into the wound. He was writhing in pain on the forest floor, his raven hair shining in the light from above and the earring glistened as well, but he only lay there for moment, since there still were four demons left to fight.

I jumped off of my horse and sped for the demons, and the three men immediately got over to me, encircling me, facing outwards. An agitated feeling quickly rose within me, and I wanted to push them all away. When a demon came soaring forward, I jumped forwards, making a 'show-off ' kind of twirl and chopped off the demons head. The last three were killed, almost too easy, by the men. At that moment Amadae and the Elder came galloping into the forest clearing. Amadae looked fervently at me: I had black material all over me, from severing the demons head from its body.

"Are you o.k.? Are all of you o.k.?" she asked, addressing me first, and then looking around at the others until her look fell on Ronan's cut. Her expression changed to pity, and she jumped off of her horse, only stopping to get bandages and doctor-like tools from her saddle bag, and then ran to him.

"Uuu, ouch! Maybe we should get to the harbour, maybe they can-"Amadae started.

"No, just... just get the metal out, and," he sank, "sow it back together, please?" he said, a little trace of tears in his eyes from the pain. She nodded and said that I should ease off the armour on his lower arm, before trying to ease the upper arm's armour off.

"Of course," I said, nodding.

As I did this I imagined it being Vladislaus instead of Ronan. Vladislaus had just come home from his last war, and wanted me assisting him in taking his battered armour off of him. Following up my fantasy, I had pulled off all of Vladislaus armour, and he took my hand as I put the last piece down. He pulled me to him, and kissed me ever-so deep. He held me by my hands, entwining his fingers with mine, holding them down our sides. His hands leave mine to hug me, and one hand glides down and squeezes my bump.

My eyes shot open and the person I was kissing in my imagination wasn't Vladislaus, anymore, but Ronan! I jutted back into reality as Ronan gives off a miniscule cry of pain, as I was not being careful enough. A second he sends me an angry glare but it quickly melted away as he saw the 'in love'-smile I wore on my face, realising too late, that he could see it. He smiled back, his canines very peaky and surprisingly white.

"Oh, sorry!" I said, a little panicky as though they could read my mind, the smile gone.

I strap it off of his arm, carefully, and as it breaks contact with his flesh and skin, he held his breath, then made a whimpering sigh as I pulled it fully off. More blood came out, because the metal must have been a kind of stopper for the blood flow.

"Thank you," he said tensely, Amadae taking over. In the mean time, Nico had lidded a fire, which was made to flame a big, nasty-looking hunting-knife to press against the wound, after cleaning it as good as possible, without much more water than what we carried in animal-skin bags.

In the evening, we went out of the woods, again. We rode towards the town to get some supplies for our trip over the Adriatic Sea towards Transylvania. As we went into the local inn, Traveller's Request, we booked us in. Ronan went up to the bar and drummed the table a few seconds before leaning over asking,

"When's the next ship for Transylvania?"

The host turned and answered, shooting a look in our direction,

"For Transylvania? Tomorrow, around noon, I should think. Not many go there, what are your business?" he looked mischievously at the armour Ronan, and the three others wore, and shot me a worried glance as well, as my rather large shirt was ruined by black and dirty spots here and there; it was even a little torn.

"None of yours, anyway," he answered, giving the bar man some money. "Is there any room for... six people?" he continued.

"Fair answer, mate. Just checking; you never know. About the rooms, I've got plenty. But, ehm, how's it going to be? I mean, the lovely women," he waved at Amadae and me, and we smiled in return, "for them selves, and you four men by your self?" he asked.

"Uhm, just the best rooms you've got... and how much, do you think, that will cost...?" he said, but I stopped listening, just staring fixedly at him.

He might seem like a show-off at first, and maybe a little stiff as well, but that couldn't be true, that couldn't be right! He seemed so gentle in my eyes. Maybe he was. 'Oh, STOP rambling!' I thought, 'STOP IT! But then again, he is rather handsome and... oh God!' I continued to think. He walked back to us and said.

"Well, the good rooms the Inn has are 2-persons. Valerious, you and your wife share a room-"he was cut off by Valerious.

"Amadae, you and Cassandra will be sharing a room, Laurén and Nico share one, and Ronan and I share one as well, yes? Good! Now let us get upstairs. We still got a journey ahead of us before reaching Vaseria. Now, Ronan, would you be so kind as to show us to our rooms?" Valerious asked, looking hard at Ronan, perhaps harder than intended, and Ronan looked back, indignation was momentarily in his eyes, but it disappeared as he went upstairs, and the rest of us followed.

After a few hours of trying to fall asleep, I finally succeeded, only to wake up three, or more, hours later. Guilt burnt so evilly in my stomach. I've betrayed three men in two days! 'I must be jinxed!' I thought. Vladislaus for kissing his best friend, Gabriel... twice! Gabriel, by letting him on, or letting him misunderstand my signals, and Ronan: for not telling him that I was thinking of Vladislaus when I sat and smiled earlier. 'I've let him on as well,' I thought, miserably.

"Femme fatal," I concluded in a whisper, letting out a frustrated growl.

'The worst part about letting Ronan on, is that you do feel something for him, don't you?' an annoying voice in the back of my head said. I got up and went for the toilet downstairs: male and female toilet. I closed the door silently and went down the steps and opened the door to the toilet.

I spotted a tap and walked towards it, as the sound of a water-splash sounded from the other side of a door labelled 'men'. I pushed it open and looked in, not really expecting what I would see: Ronan getting up from a wooden bath-tub in the corner, naked.

His back was turned towards me and his hair hung over his head like a helmet. His shoulders were sunburned; apparently, he didn't quite abide the laws of the Order... or the laws of celibacy, I saw, as my eyes travelled down his trained and muscled back, and stopped at his bump: it was equally tanned as his shoulders were.

I took myself in gaping at his figure for second, before he turned left, reaching for a bath towel, and I made a sharp intake of breath, making him drew the towel around his waist, and whip around starring at the door. He probably came out to see who it had been, but I had already run out the door, up the stairs, into the room, closing the door as silently as possible, and jumped into the bed, the water, I had hungrily gone after earlier, long forgotten.

The next day we went down to the ships in the harbour. The one we were going to sail on was called 'Water Beast', which were written in golden letters on the front, on both sides. We boarded with the amount of clothes, money, horses and people we had, and sailed for a week, as a little storm had risen. I had thought about what I had seen that night at 'Traveller's Request' and I couldn't stop thinking about him. And this delay on our journey, by this wretched weather, I was beginning to think that maybe we, Ronan and I, were meant to figure something out.

He had been wonderfully sweet towards me since we left the Inn, and I revelled in his attention, a bit too much, maybe. Valerious didn't like what he saw. Either, it was because he had thought that me and Vladislaus were meant to be together, or maybe he didn't like Ronan breaking his oath to celibacy. And the more time I spent with Ronan, down in the warm cabins, the more I liked him, and started to, slightly, love him.

I had taken him in looking at me, weirdly, but sometimes with a lustful expression, which I wasn't sure whether I liked or not. On the sixth day, the night before we would arrive in Romania, I woke, bathed in sweat, a sting of guilt gnawing devilishly in my stomach. I got up, swaggering over to a side-cabin, where fresh water was stationed. I took up the drinking spoon which was rattling around the bucket edges. I took a few mouthfuls, enjoying the taste of the water, greatly.

I looked at the wall behind the bucket, and leant my head against it, thinking of the dream, or nightmare I had just had.

FLASHBACK

I was looking at myself, but not from my body, but just beside it. Vladislaus went over to me and tapped my shoulder and kissed me, without a warning. Then he disappeared, and Gabriel came running up to me, kissing me very chastely. I turned away, and suddenly a man was in my arms, though I wasn't quite sure who it was. I drew away, look backwards only to find Gabriel with an shocked expression, and then I looked at Vladislaus, who first looked horrified, then disgusted, and finally angry.

I looked at the man, who held me so possessively, and saw Ronan. I tried to pull fully away from him, but he put me behind him and screamed heartbreakingly, as Vladislaus' angry sword entered through Ronan's stomach, and exited through his spine.

To add assault to injury, Vladislaus forced Ronan on his knees, the sword still in his gut, and shouted something in his face, which I got too deaf to hear, and as Ronan shook his head, Vladislaus' eyes became... it was indescribable! His eyes turned colour, from deep, dark brown, to icy crystal-blue, and he twisted the sword in Ronan's gut, making him gasp and scream in agony.

In the mean time, my perspective was no longer from the sidelines, but from my own eyes. I wanted to do something for Ronan, but nothing happened; I couldn't move. It was as though I didn't care! He just died slowly, Vladislaus' red blade sticking through him.

Then it all disappeared, and I had something heavy in my hands, and I wore something heavy as well, though I couldn't see what it was. Suddenly, as if out of thin air, Gabriel came charging at me with a rage so despaired, I was frozen to the spot. He lifted something and swung. I prepared for the blow, but I could feel nothing. My sight just when white, as if I had looked at the sun for too long. I felt a sting of loss, and I awoke.

END FLASHBACK

I heaved a deep sigh, as I took another mouthful of water. I didn't want to sleep now. I felt like I had lost Ronan. 'Lost Ronan?!' I thought furiously. I wasn't supposed to be thinking of Ronan's well-being. I wasn't supposed to feel anything for him, but then again, I had fallen in love with Vladislaus, and that hadn't been allowed, either.

I took on my leather coat, and walked up on deck, surveying, the sea, as I saw that it was lulling the ship to Romania. My eyes looked the whole way around the ship, seeing sailors on duty, but it stopped as my eyes fell on Ronan, who had exchanged his armour for a pair of black sailors breeches, a green shirt, and a black cape, which hung over his shoulders. His muscles were rather visible in the tight shirts curves. I walked over to him.

"Lovely night, isn't it?" I asked, looking up at him, and then looking over the Adriatic Sea.

"Might be. What are you doing out of bed, Miss Cassandra?" he asked, as though he was here to keep the rules.

"The same as you, I should think. I couldn't sleep. And it's 'Cassandra' to you," he drew a big smile at this and turned to face me, and I turned as well, looking into those pools of fluid chocolate.

I wanted to kiss him, right there, but I felt that I couldn't. I had done enough damaged already and there was no reason to-... he had put his hand to my cheek, caressing it a second, before cupping my whole face and pulling me close to his own, drawing my eyes into his. His lips brushed over mine, and they stayed there. He kissed me gently, many times. He pulled my body a little closer to himself, enveloping me in his cape.

He parted his lips a little, licking my lips a few seconds before he smiled into the kiss, because I had taken a hold on his hips, gliding my hands up his sides, and onto his back, and held a grip on his shoulders. I kissed back, and parted my lips.

He hungrily lounged into the kiss, feeling every curve, hole and piece of flesh in my mouth, though being a little more interested in letting the tip of his tongue slide up the sides of mine, and massaging and lashing the tip of my tongue, as well.

My hands sought down to his bump, gripping it firmly, pressing my nails into the material, trying to dig into his skin; to feel him out. He certainly wasn't shy either, because he went down to my pants' line, and pulled it slightly out, letting a few fingers go down to touch the skin on my bump. I shivered, not being able to help it: I enjoyed his touch. He kept kissing me as well. Doing this over and over again, till my tongue felt soar.

He seemed to have read my mind, or maybe he just had a soar tongue as well, anyway he went from my mouth to my neck, nuzzling it, and flickered his tongue over the skin... just like Vladislaus had done. He went up to my mouth again, and I whimpered into the kiss and he drew away, at first looking around, probably expecting to see Valerious, or one of his own comrades, then he looked wonderingly down at me. I looked down, and away from his eyes. I felt guilty, because by kissing him, like this, I had stopped any development between Vladislaus and myself. 'It's his own fault, never visiting me in his homeland. In his own birthplace,' I thought. He shouldn't, couldn't, expect me to wait for him, for ever, could he?

"Ronan, I-"I paused a second, and then gazed into his eyes again. "It's nothing, you just... stepped over my toes," I said, giving him a small smile.

"Oh, sorry!" he said, moving his feet, grinning at me.

Before I started kissing him again, I had to make one thing sure: did I care if he really loved me, at this very moment? I kissed him, showing my heart my decision. A little while passed, as he had started on his gentle, brushing kisses, again. He broke it, took my hand and went for the cabins below. Walking around down there a few minutes he lightly pushed me inside his own cabin, closing the door behind him. He took hold of me and kissed me again, biting my lower-lip lightly.

"Are you... alright... with... this?" he whispered huskily, in between kisses.

I nodded, and he smiled in return, kissing me again. He took off his cloak and my coat, going down on his knees. He bent down to the travel-boots I was wearing, and pulled of my left-foot shoe, kissing the back of my feet. He did the same to my other foot.

It struck me as an incredibly dumb thing, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless. He kissed up the front of my legs, starting at my calves, while his hands slid up, as his mouth progressed in the same direction. He started lifting up my night-shirt, kissing my thighs, and I got nervous, and I felt like backing out. His hands slid to my bump, again, and his lips went from my thigh, to my belly, which let the burden of nervousness off my shoulders, again.

There he sat, on his knees, pushing up my shirt, to flicker his tongue over my skin. He circled my bellybutton in a spiral-form, and then stuck his experienced tongue into it, so abruptly, and hard, that I nearly choked as I made a sharp intake of breath, and placed my hands on his shoulders, squeezing them. I moaned silently as he intensified his bellybutton-'rub'. I could feel that he stopped to smile, and then he bit my skin, nibbled it, changing between hard and soft bites, and I could feel his fangs pricking my skin, lightly.

I smiled, enjoying it all. I was surprised by how smooth and gentle he was, contradicting the way my father had used me to pleasure him, but all the fear I had held for Vladislaus when he just 'touched' me, was gone, when Ronan played over my body, and with each pleasure he gave to me, he extracted low moans from my lips. His hands slid over my body, except my breasts, and my crotch, which I was thankful for. I shivered, which led him on to believe that I liked it, which was entirely true.

He lifted the shirt even more, just below my breasts, and kissed the skin below my arms' pit. He got up, kissing my neck, so gently, soft and feather-like. He let the shirt folds stretch out and fall down over my body, again. He pushed me over to his bunk, and made me sit down. He got back up, and started pulling off his own shirt, and breeches, and his muscles were rippling slightly, when he got over to the bed, kneed down, and kissed my lips softly, suckling the lower lip a second before he bit it, and let go.

He pushed me back on the bed, pulling my shirt over my head, and the exposure of my bosom didn't bother me at all, once he started kissing me again. He obviously enjoyed the kisses, too, because he seemed to put so much into it, trying to make me feel alright, and loved. I think he figured it was my first time, though I have no idea how. We got under the sheets, and we pulled each other's pants off, caught up in the intensifying lust we shared and had for each other. My muscles in the "private area" contracted as he ran his hand from my belly, down the middle, and drove his hand gently over on to my left thigh.

I sank in my throat as he rolled on top of me, kissing, nuzzling, nibbling, biting my neck, making me moan. He spread my legs, and entered me, moaning lustful. The first few times he thrust slowly, I didn't like it, but as I began feeling the pleasure through the pain, I submitted, fully.

I woke, at dawn, in panic, afraid I might have been missed during the night. I got out of Ronan's bunk, and got on my night-shirt and walked out, taking my coat on, and my shoes with me, leaving a kiss on Ronan's forehead before I left. I sneaked all the way back to my cabin, where Amadae slept heavily, according to the heavy breathing she had, which is similar to the kind a sleeping person has. I took the coat off and went under the covers to get a few hours sleep before we had to get up, and off of the ship.

A/N: hope you like it, and all.... any tips or advise, or anything, is appreciated... i've got a path to follow, so i hope it works out for me!! now, R&R, PWEASE?