God, I must have the weakest immune system in the galaxy. I'm sick yet again. Fricken hell. But, that's not why this has taken so long. I have just returned from our Band trip. It was loads of fun, but I only had time to type out this short chapter. I swear the next one will be longer. I already have it half-written.
panemonium: the Fates (ie: me) seem to favour them, much to their chagrin. They occasionally talk to the earl. Not overly much, though. The Earl has an ego the size of Antartica and doesn't have conversations with anyone under his station, really. Annabelle talks to him, because she basically keeps the castle running, but the others would rather not be patronized. Don't be fooled by his seeming 'generosity'. He only took in the daughters because then he could get his brother's title. His life goals are to get all the daughters out from under his roof and fill their places with gold.
livingdead2010: Thanks:cD
Tiger Lily21: Yes. The infamous Belinda. We'll find out more about her later. ((mysterious smile)) Fiona'svery tenacious, although Jarrod is prettystubborn himself. It's going to be a fierce battle, but I think they'll both be better off in the end.
littlelambug: Thank you!
Kimmy7: I enjoy making strong characters, mostly because then I can respect them. I'm glad you like the story.
PrincessofRain: Totally. He'll catch the bandits. He's very stubborn like that.
Dragonblade Goddess: Yay for fluff! Irritated fluff, to be sure.
Sirenic Griffin: My sister pointed out that I did model it after TDP, so the neices had to be doing something. I'm such a dork sometimes, which my sister never fails to point out.Ah... School. Sucks the life out of me. But I can't totally complain. There are so many fun things to do there. This is a very different story for me. It's strange. I hope I can keep it up. It's probably the influence of all those sisters. XcD
fell4adeadguy: Actually, I was saying that they aren't really princesses. They're the neices of an Earl. But other than that...
Phillipa of the Phoenix: I have to tell you this story. Everytime I type your name, I try to remember whether it's 'phee-OH-nix' or 'phoh-EE-nix' (just in relation of spelling). I'm always like, 'well, I think I thought it was 'pho-EE-nix' last time, so it must be 'phe-OH-nix'.' And I'm always wrong. Weird, huh? Jarrod's going to have to learn to let go. He has enough guilt to fill an ocean. I think Fiona might help him with that.
little miss tiny shoes: It'll happen. I don't know when, but it will.
Sorry about the half-cliffie, but it seemed the best way to end this chapter. I'll try and get the next one up real-soon like!
Lulai
Chapter Twelve: Found
"Is that everything?" Jarrod asked.
"I think so," Havara said, frowning. The servants placed the last bag of coins in the carriage bound for Castle Fer Drewery.
"Alright then, we're off," Jarrod pulled the hood of his cloak over his face and sat up on top, snapping the reins to get the horses moving.
"Wait!" he heard a voice cry. Jarrod halted the team and waited curiously as Josephine ran up to him.
"Your majesty, you're going?" she asked when she was within normal speaking range.
"Of course," he replied. "Is there a problem with that?"
Josephine nervously chewed her lower lip, but replied, "No, no problem. Just be safe is all." She bowed.
Jarrod thought the exchange strange but shrugged and cracked the reins again, and the horses continued down the road.
The rain had let up, but the sky was still overcast in such a way that it looked as if the sky itself was grey. It was very somber, but it allowed Jarrod to keep his hood up without suspicion from anyone.
As the horses walked along the trail, Jarrod lapsed into a deep thought. He hadn't seen Fiona all morning. Although that wasn't surprising, given her opinions on what he was doing, he did miss her company.
He gave a bit of a frown. He remembered what happened with the last woman he had these kinds of feelings for. Fiona had proven time and time again that she was different from Belinda, but nevertheless, he would be assured of her heart before he gave his away.
A little farther up the trail, three bandits crouched in a thick bush. One of the bandits was running his fingers over the feathers of his arrows in a nervous gesture, a long bow slung over his shoulder.
"I have the feeling that this is a trap," he muttered.
"How can it be a trap if they don't even know we're here?" asked another bandit, this one testing the edge of his dagger with his thumb.
"This is what road Fiona told us they would be taking," the third said, an axe resting on his knees.
"I can still feel that this is a trap," the first said indignantly.
"Whatever you say," the third responded.
Another bandit with a sword strapped to his back came creeping up behind them.
"They're about five minutes down the road," he reported. "Three guards and a driver, nothing we can't handle."
"Right then," the first responded. "Take half the money and meet at the clearing."
"Right," the others said and silently slid into position.
Jarrod shifted in his seat. They had been travelling for almost an hour and nothing had happened. Perhaps he had been wrong, and the bandits weren't going to take the bait.
An arrow shot out of the clearing right in front of one of the horses, cause it to rear.
"Whoa," Jarrod called, pulling back on the reins to prevent the horses from bolting. The bandits rushed out, one of them pinning a guard to the carraige with a dagger.
This was the chance Jarrod was looking for. He grabbed his bow and quiver and knocked on the wall behind him. Linden slid out from under the seat and took Jarrod's position, allowing Jarrod to slip into the trees unseen.
A rain of arrows stopped the horses from moving anywhere. A bandit with a broadsword was battling one two of his guards while a bandit with a rather large axe chopped the two back wheels in half. The carraige fell onto its back axle with a loud crunch of splintering wood. The arrows stopped as the fourth bandit rushed onto the road.
While Axe and Sword (as Jarrod was coming to think of them) kept his guards at bay, Dagger and Bow were cleaning out the carraige. Axe thunked one of the men over the head and he dropped like a stone. Sword knocked another one unconscious. Jarrod was hard pressed not to go out and help his men, but he couldn't give away his position. He gritted his teeth and stayed where he was.
The other two guards were disposed of almost as rapidly, until they all lay on the ground unconscious.
Sword seemed to be counting, but made a satisfied gesture to the others. The bandits disappeared back into the forest, with only the swaying of the bushes showing where they had gone.
Jarrod slipped silently into the forests behind them. Luckily, the rain made the ground soft.
"What a haul!" Axe exclaimed excitedly. "There's enough money here to feed the village for nearly a month."
Bow frowned. "That felt too easy."
Dagger gave Bow a little punch in the arm. "Stop being so paranoid. We are just getting better at this; that's why it felt easy."
Bow frowned again, but said nothing.
They reached the clearing and put down the money.
"That's far enough," said a voice from the shadows. All the bandits instantly drew their weapons and stood in a circle, facing outwards.
"Put your weapons down," the voice commanded. "I have an arrow pointed straight at the heart of the bandit with the big axe there."
Axe faltered slightly, but raised the axe again. "Show yourself," he snarled.
"Not until you lower your weapons," the voice said.
"What do you want?" Bow asked.
"Right now, I want you to lower your weapons," the voice insisted.
Sword grunted and thrust his sword tip first into the ground. "They have the advantage. We might as well do as they say."
Bow lowered his knocked arrow, and set the bow away from him. Dagger threw his blades into the ground and Axe set his great weapon down.
Jarrod stepped into view, his arrow still knocked and pointed at one of the bandits. The bandits backed into a line, facing him.
"We've laid down our weapons," Dagger said menacingly. "Anything else?"
"Actually, I have a few requests," Jarrod said.
Bow moved his hand in a gesture of continuance. "Name them."
"First, you must return this money you stole."
"We did not steal it," Axe argued.
"And I'm a Faerie King," Jarrod replied sarcastically.
"You look good for your age, your majesty," Bow replied with wry humour, "but I assure you, the money will be returned to its rightful owners."
"Meaning you?"
Bow stiffened. "Meaning whoever needs it the most."
Jarrod wasn't about to buy that, but he wasn't going to waste time quibbling. He would get all the information out of these bandits before he had them arrested.
"Fine," he said. "Secondly, I would like to know why you are trying to kill me."
"But we aren't trying to kill you," Dagger replied.
"Who else would it be?" Jarrod asked darkly.
"I assure you, I have no idea, but I can tell you for a fact that it is not us."
"Why should I trust you?"
The bandits paused, looking at each other. Finally, Bow stepped forward. Jarrod's arrow swung to him and he paused, but then continued forward and pulled back his hood.
"Because we are the Havara Bandits," Fiona explained.