Man am I sorry this took so long! But at least it's something so you should be grateful for that! Once again I own no one and nothing you may read about in this story – unless that is the first time you heard of them than chances are I – me – sweetkissofdeath the great! Now on to our story and thanks to every one who read and reviewed! I love you guys so much for that! Also I do not own the Jolly Green Giant! Hey this is also going up to celebrate the fact that today – MAY 25 is my last day as a freshman its all over! And I know this chapter is crap. I've had to rewrite it about twenty times because my computer is also a piece of crap!

I looked into the mirror and had to bite back a yelp! MY HAIR! Now I'm not a vain person by any means. But when you mess with my hair YOU HAVE STEPPED OVER THE LINE MY FRIEND! OVER THE LINE! Way over! Like twenty feet over it.

What had once been black was now back to its original bright red and curly. It was like when a guy with curly hair gets a crew cut than lets it grow out. Other than that I was pretty much the same. Just a bit more bruised and a lot more male looking. I still had the same green eyes and the same smile. (Which I've been told makes me look like an imp or something.) And sadly the same tiny height, which was strange considering most of my family, was over six feet tall.

"Get out here!" The on my door and Alex's annoyed voice shocked me away from the mirror.

I walked to the door and opened it with a large cheesy smile. "Fine lets go dumb ass." I said and closing the door started down the hall.

"What you call me?" Alex asked glaring at me. He REALLY wanted to hit me right then, I could tell.

Wide eyed and with an innocent voice I looked at him and said. "Alex isn't that your name?"

He didn't reply just stared down the hallway

It was silent for a long time after that. Heading down hallway after twisting hallway I soon noticed Alex kept staring at me when he thought I wasn't looking. IT wasn't a look like he gave me before, when he was figuring out how he wanted to eat me, it was searching, observing. Sort of like he was seeing me for the first time.

"What the hell are you staring at?" I yelled finally getting sick and tired of being oogled at.

"Nothing Tiny." He said a blank look on his dark features.

"What ever"

"Now what do we have here?"

A blonde boy who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old stepped out from a shadowy part of the wall. He walked over and started to circle me like some sort of vulture.

Alex growled at him and the look he was giving me. "What do you want Ralon?" Alex hissed.

The way he was looking at me was giving me the creeps. It wasn't how Alex had looked at me – it wasn't even close. Ralon looked like he knew me secret and was planning to beat me than rape me than kill me. Needless to say – the look was not one I enjoyed seeing.

'Well, well, well. Is this the fresh meat?" The blond boy with the pimply face asked, salvia hitting me dead in the face. The guy was circling me like a vulture. Honestly I think the only difference between the two was the bird had feathers.

"Even scrawnier than the Trebond trash, that's pathetic"

Scrawny? SCRAWNY! Does this guy know how to use a mirror? He was skin and bones! A lot of bones but bones!

I looked over at Alex; I had felt him tense when he had mentioned Trebond. I think that's where Alan's from – yeah it is. He was pissed yeah but I didn't think he would be stepping in anytime soon.

"Scrawny Huh? You know I bet your pretty "scrawny" you're self." I said racking my eyes over him.

"What are you talking about?" Ralon said, saliva flying every where. "I'm taller than you!"

I rolled my eyes and glanced at Alex who had let out a stifled yelpy noise.

"I wasn't talking about your – height" I said, looking him over once again to be sure he got the point.

At the last word Ralon had seemed to have gotten the point. And seemed to have gotten just the slightest bit pissed. He also looked shocked that I could still talk back and wasn't afraid of him like he wanted. Yeah right it would take more than a gap tooth pimply blond to scare me – much more.

'Why you filthy WENCH!" Ralon yelled!

I felt my self go white. Did he know? Why did it seem every one seemed to say things that were uncomfortably close to the truth? I could hear my heart in my ears and feel Alex's eyes burning in to my back, wondering why I was hesitating.

"You did not – just call me a wench?" I scoffed, once again wondering if Alex was planning to help. Even though he was kind of skinny compared to me he was the Jolly Green Giant and if he wanted to he could inflect a lot of pain on me.

"Not so big now are you little man?" he said eyeing Alex and me carefully.

"No you've put me in my place all right." I said rolling my eyes and stepping on Alex's foot to wake him up.

"Now lets go Alex we don't want to keep Duke Garth waiting."

We started off down the hall again and when I was far enough away I glanced over my shoulder. Ralon was still there giving me the same look. Was it obvious to him my heart was in my ears and my pulse racing? He waved at me and it almost seemed like he dissolved back in the shadows.

"Why didn't you say some thing?" I asked Alex once we were farther down the hall.

"Should I have?" He asked, amused. Never slowing his step.

"You could have told him to go screw off or something!"

"Look Tiny, yes I could have said something. Than Ralon and his band of cowards would have cornered you and we would have found you three days later hanging in on of the towers." Alex said looking down at me, his tone signaling the conversation was over.

"OH"

"And there's the fact I just don't like you."

IT was silent until we reached a large oak door.

"Well here we are. Alex said with a smile. "The Dukes."

"So ah I have to go in there – alone?" I gulped

IT was like a trip to the principles after you and your best friend and partner in crime had a fight. Only dentations, heart ach and maybe a lashing would follow.

"Don't fret Tiny" Alex said an evil looking grin on his dark face. "The dukes' bark is worse than his bite."

"It's the part that does bite I'm afraid of." I muttered, grabbing the door knob and walking in. Knowing this was the last room I would ever come out of alive.

It wasn't so bad. It was just like any office I had been in and most likely the Duke was a quite man who didn't like to yell and was too old to throw things. But I was wrong.

Sitting in a chair behind a large oak desk was Duke Garth. He was tall and had brown eyes and hair. Sounds like nothing to be afraid of right? If you said yes you're really dumb. Go sit down before you hurt your self. There was just this aura about the duke that really scared the crap out of me.

"So you're Andrew of Angel Creek? Christopher's younger brother?"

"Yes sir."

"Now just because your brother was a hero doesn't mean you will be getting an easy ride here. Most likely it means you'll have to work harder. You'll have to earn everything you get here. And don't take the path your father did – but I suppose you know all about that?"

I just stood there and nodded. I thought it best not to say anything. After all it WAS my father we were talking about. How could I pretend to be this Andrew of Angel Creek if I don't know anything about him?

Duke Garth went on to talk about my duties that I would have here as a page and a squire and eventually a knight. And honestly I REALLY hope I'm not here long enough to try out the Chamber of Ordeals he was talking about. I really don't like pain. I was also assigned to wait on a Duke Rodger at dinner in three days.

"Now have you gotten your uniform yet? If you haven't I suggest you go do that."

I knew a dismissal when I heard one – I nodded and got the hell out of there!

Thanks for reading! Review and give me some ideas I'm running low! Flames will be used for marshmallows!