Story of A Princess Unknown – Chapter 18

This whole story, especially Chapter 15, is dedicated to Matt, Vanessa and their family. Matt, rest in peace.

Thanks once again for all the reviews. You guys wouldn't believe it – I have over 1000 hits on this story, and yet ONLY 187 people review. GRR! YES, I can TELL if you read and DON'T review! AND I will personally BITE YOU if you DON'T review. Please check out our profile page – seriously funny! See my quotes! Ahem. Anyway: Ummm I got told off for the last chapter. squeals. Ducks as reviewers throw heavy objects I said in the last AN that I HAVE NOT read the book for years – just wanted to do a story based on it. So I can't remember much. Also – I had to change Lucinda's attitude to fit in with the story. Lets just say she forgot being a squirrel! BTW Lady Cythera and co don't really care where she is as they know she's a spy – they support Callum. Just remember that no-one outside the inner circle of the rebel group knew that he wanted to just take over, not take down the unrightful guy. Also some confusion over whether Jared is dead or not- nope, he's alive and kicking. In her dream he was just unconscious, then woke up! Sorry if this chappie is a bit short – it's kinda just a filler, the next chapter's gonna be full of action. BTW – anyone from the UK – I hope you're all okay and your family and mates after the bombings. xoxox.

Tami – Vinny's cool, Roxy's having fun in her paddock as Pippa is away at the moment. I'm all alone. sobs Frankie's cool though – I had the best jumping lesson today. My teacher kept raising the jumps and he did this huge spread – I haven't really jumped more than 75 cm before and this was at least 85 cm. Frankie LOVED it! He loves jumping – isn't quite so keen on dressage but he has really nice paces so I like it! Hope you have fun on the trails! At my old riding school we used to ride the horses bareback out to the paddocks with just a halter – it took about an hour to walk out there - and gallop all around the hills! I shudder now thinking how dangerous it was!

breathless74 – HEY! Lucky you! I LOVED PC camp. Best thing that ever happened to me. But our gymkhana on the last day got canceled 'cause it rained – after beautiful weather all week! I have to wait another 6 months until summer to go back. Sad. Hope you had fun! Tell me ALL about it in your review! I had a great jumping lesson today – no bucking at all from Frankie – yay!

Galelasa – Yeah NZ is cool most of the time. I love my horse and my school and mates. But it REALLY sucks sometimes – like my cousin moving to Australia cause of her dad's job. And sucky stuff like that! Plus magazines like Dolly advertise stuff that you can only get in Oz. Sucks. But it's pretty cool!

Okay – now story!

Jared. Please. Come back – I couldn't help it! Eve's thoughts ran frantically in her mind. Then she saw it through Jared's eyes. He'd fought to get the throne for her – and now she was just giving it away. If only I could just tell him!

Eve's thoughts ran frantically in her mind. Then she saw it through Jared's eyes. He'd fought to get the throne for her – and now she was just giving it away.

The crowd buzzed with excitement – a new king! And what had happened – the lost princess? Back from where? The dead? With a wave of his hand, Callum signalled for them to leave the square.

Her job done, Eve felt that electric charge go through her again – but this time it was different. It felt opposite. And she realised that it was the curse being lifted. She could still see Jared's back, if only she could get him to listen ...

"Jared! Find me! Please!" She called, hoping he would hear. This was her last chance to make things right with him. And it was more than that too – she had no idea what the rebels were going to do to her. She needed him. And if Jared realised that – she was sure he could find her. But he gave no sign of hearing as he left.

Eve slumped in defeat. There was an ominous silence behind her. She turned slowly. Callum smiled nastily at her. "So, Evangeline. I'm king. And you – you are nothing. Nothing more than the peasant girl you were when you came to me."

Eve felt something snap inside her. She'd been freed from the curse – she'd had enough of Callum pushing her around. "I'm nothing!" She screamed, fists raised. "YOU'RE nothing! You couldn't even win the throne by yourself – I still had to help you! I'm more than you will ever be!" Breathing hard, her angry energy spent, Eve's eyes flashed.

Callum flinched at her words. But as she fell silent, Eve knew that she'd made a mistake, screaming at a man who could snuff out her life as easily as anything now. She waited for the blow that was going to come.

He slapped her hard. Just once, leaving a stinging pain behind. Then he grabbed her arm tightly, and hissed "Maybe you should remember who is in charge here. For that I will have to think of a better fate for you. Now move! Get back to the HQ!"

Eve stood defiantly in place. The curse was gone – she didn't know how or why, but it was gone.

"Move! What's with this damn curse?" Callum was getting frustrated now.

Eve smiled sweetly at him. "It's gone."

"What? LUCINDA!" Callum roared.

The fairy appeared, fiddling with her nails nervously. "Er – yes, Callum? I - I mean, your highness?"

Callum appeared to preen for a moment, revelling in his new title. The his face turned angry and harsh once more. "Your curse isn't working! EXPLAIN, WOMAN!"

Lucinda fiddled more. "Well ... your highness, while I was working the curse on the wench, I remembered a little promise I made. You see, I thought Ella's gift was wonderful, but she didn't. And she made me promise not to do big magic. Now I knew that I owe you a favour, so I couldn't back out. But I couldn't exactly break the promise, could I? You never know what that Mandy might do to me ..."

Callum was looking dangerously angry, as if guessing where this might lead.

Lucinda said hurriedly, "So I just placed the curse on her temporarily, so that it would come off once she had abdicated. See? No harm's done!" She attempted a cheery smile – and failed miserably.

"NO HARM? I could have controlled her forever! Put the curse back on! NOW!" Callum hissed, spit flying from his mouth with every incensed word.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. No big magic. I promised, remember?" Lucinda smiled weakly.

"I don't care! You'll do what I want, or I'll, I'll.." But Callum was too late.

"Can't let you be doing anything to me, can I? Goodbye, dear!" Lucinda was fading out of view.

"Come BACK! NOW!" But Lucinda had disappeared completely.

Callum looked as though he was going to burst with anger. He began muttering crazily to himself. Eve caught the words, "Bloody fairies ... never trust 'em ... make her pay..."

Eve would have liked to get as far away from Callum as she could – but unfortunately he was gripping her arm so tightly that he was cutting off the blood circulation.

Suddenly he stopped muttering, and peered down into Eve's face. A manical smile spread across his face. "You should have thanked her for your curse while you had the chance, wench. You could have been my servant – but now, I know you are capable of betraying me. There is only one other option – but I need reasons ..."

He dragged Eve back down the street towards the rebel HQ, the rest of the company following.

"Jared! Find me! Please!"

Eve's words ran through Jared's head. He was a turbulent maelstrom of feelings. Betrayal. Guilt. Anxiety.

How could she? I killed my own father for her throne! And she gives it away – because she's "not ready" to assume the throne.

But he couldn't get the look in her eyes out of his head.

When he'd first met Eve, then Enna, he knew that she'd had something to hide. She was edgy and always had a sharp edge of fear in her eyes. Gradually, as they'd come to know and trust each other more, that edge had disappeared. She'd stopped being scared. She'd opened up and trusted him.

And when Jared had stood in front of the dais where Eve was standing, he'd seen that same edge of fear back in her eyes. She looked like she hadn't eaten or slept in days. And she looked terrified, although strangely defiant, of the men standing behind her.

Jared felt a shiver run through his body. I wouldn't want to know those men. He'd recognised one of them – that Luke that Eve had known from her village. Jared felt a tremor of anger run through him. The boy who'd betrayed her.

But what if I'm betraying her too? She wanted me to find her. She's scared. Eve needs me.

Jared made his decision. He got up off his bed at the inn and set off. He thought he knew where she was.

Several minutes later, Jared was standing at the house he'd seen her come out of several times. The place Eve had acted so shifty about visiting. He was sure it was the rebels' headquarters.

All the citizens of Frell were too busy gossiping about the last few days' events to notice a tall young man slipping into a dark, murky house in the centre of the city.

Jared breathed a sigh of relief as he closed the surprisingly unlocked door behind him.

Then he felt cold steel pressed against his neck.

"Don't – don't hurt me," he heard his voice trembling.

"Why?" A curt, cool voice demanded.

"I need to see your leader – his highness," Jared gritted his teeth. "The King."

The person who was holding him spun him around, surveying him as if hoping to leech his intentions just by looking at him. Jared saw a young man his own age with blonde hair and cold blue eyes. Eyes that had ceased to feel any emotion. Eyes that had given up.

"You!" Jared gasped.

"Me," Luke confirmed.

Jared was angry. This boy who'd hurt Eve so badly looking at him coolly as if he didn't matter at all.

"Do you know how much you hurt her?" He whispered, somehow sensing the need for secrecy and urgency.

"I'm a spy. I don't have personal relations to anyone," but Jared hadn't missed the flash of sorrow and emotion in the eyes that were otherwise dead.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked levelly, staring straight at Luke's eyes. The other boy dropped his cool gaze first.

"I'm not here to argue with you," Jared continued. "Take me to the ... king."

Luke nodded curtly, and turned on his heel, beckoning for Jared to follow.

He led him into a dark room, where people with distrustful eyes milled about the ruler. Callum himself was sitting on a crude wooden throne at the back of the room. When he saw Luke he called him over, then ran his eyes over Jared.

"So. Your highness. You're finally here, to rescue your damsel in distress," the man said mockingly, yet looking at Jared with a straight face, and eyes like Luke's. Eyes like Mordred's. Dead eyes.

Jared ignored the mocking tone of Callum's voice. "Give her back. I'm prepared to fight for her."

Callum's voice turned harsh and cruel. "And how, precisely, would you rescue her by fighting? You'd be outnumbered anyway." He gestured to the room full of spies.

"But I'd try. And Eve would know that I'd tried." Jared said fiercely. Callum smirked.

Without Jared noticing, Luke had left the room. Now he returned, bringing a girl with him who Jared had not seen in days. She looked sullen and unwilling to come – in fact Luke was dragging her – but when she saw Jared, she gasped, then ran to him.

Eve threw herself into Jared's arms. He held her tight, loving her more after her absence. He pressed his face into her soft black hair, trying to hide his emotion.

She lessened her hold a little bit and stared into his face gratefully, trying to absorb all the guilt and emotion he felt. "I'm sorry. It was a curse. But you came. You heard me," she whispered.

"I'm sorry it took me so long," he whispered back, stroking her face with his hand. She buried her face in his shoulder. Then shock set in. "A curse?" he asked.

Luke seethed behind them.

Callum laughed. "Ahh, young love. But not for long," he added ominously.

Jared let go of Eve. She stood beside him, holding his hand. "What do you mean?"

Callum got up and paced in front of his throne.

"Well, I have a tiny problem. You see, Eve was under a curse of obedience to me. But a ... let us say, stupid fairy made sure that the curse was only temporary. So Eve can speak her mind."

Jared looked at him incredulously. "You wanted the throne that badly?"

"Be quiet. You wanted answers – you're getting them. Anyway, as I was saying, I have the problem of Eve not being obedient anymore. And now you too. I can't just let you two go – who knows what you'd do? Spread horrible rumours about me?" Callum smirked again.

"We wouldn't want that, would we? So, I have one choice left."

Jared felt Eve shiver. He looked at her anxiously. She had a look of dread on her face.

"I have to find a way to ... get rid of you. Forever."

"You can't do that! You can't just kill someone, two people, for NO reason at all!" Jared's temper got the better of him.

"No, I couldn't, could I? But have you ever heard of a reason called treason? Plotting against, or possibly even killing the ruler of one's country?"

Ohh freeky cliffie I know! Hope you guys like this chapter better!

Love Amy