If absolutely must read the disclaimer, it is in chapter 1 & 2

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Chapter 6

"My aunt, you must leave" Veronica realized that Danielle was not too far from the tower.

"We will confess our love, she will understand"

"Ned, I told you, we must say goodbye, right now"

"But" he protested.

"Goodbye, Ned" she lowered him to the ground.

"Goodbye, my love" he whispered.

"Veronica, Veronica, let down your hair" Danielle approached the tower.

"One moment, aunt" Veronica's voice seemed nervous and shaky as Danielle noticed movement in the bushes.

"What have you been doing?" Veronica seemed different.

"Just cleaning".

"Who was that man?" Danielle demanded.

"I was alone".

"Do not think that I was born yesterday, girl, I know there was a man here".

"Aunt, I swear, there was no man" Veronica kicked Ned's shirt under the bed.

"If you are lying to me, girl…"

"Aunt, I have been alone all day".

Knowing that Veronica was lying, but deciding that proof would be found later on, Danielle accepted the blond girl's response. Later that night after Veronica had gone to bed, Danielle looked for clues of Veronica's admirer.

"You will pay, my girl and so will he" Danielle discovered Ned's shirt lying crumbled on the floor.

Days later, Veronica woke up, her stomach in knots. Having enough knowledge of how a woman's body worked, she knew bad food was not the source of her stomach ache. Ned's child was growing within her. If her aunt were to find out, her life, the life of her child and Ned's life, when he returned, would all be in danger.

"Find him, tell him where I will be waiting" sending the bird out with a kiss, she watched it fly out.

Noticing the bird flying off, Danielle called it to her.

"Where are you going, my pretty?" she pulled the note from the birds leg.

Veronica knew that Danielle knew the truth; it was just a matter of time before she found out. Nervously, she gathered her belongings, knowing that she would have to leave the only home she had ever known.

"I wonder, my girl, why you would lie to me when you know that your powers are far from developed" Danielle emerged from the shadows, carrying the voodoo doll with a piece from Ned's shirt pinned to it.

"Aunt, please" without a moment's hesitation, Veronica's hand covered her abdomen.

"Not only did you lie with this man, you will bear his child".

"Aunt no!" Veronica screamed as the she saw the knife heading toward her.

"For your lies, my girl, you shall lose everything" Veronica felt the world growing dark around her.

"Veronica, where are you?" Ned called out.

"Right here" her voice carried.

"I don't see you".

"I'm right here" she finally appeared after several minutes.

"I was getting worried" she seemed different.

"I'm here".

Ned heard the voices telling him that something was wrong.

"Kiss me" she demanded.

Still ignoring the warning voices in his head, he kissed her.

"Ahh!" he screamed and fell to the floor, withering in pain.

"For your act of desecration, mortal man, you shall see neither day nor light, beauty or beast" as she pushed the pins into the dolls eyes, the world went dark around him.

In the castle, John paced. Though his physician and advisors recommended that he not attend the party, he knew he had to see her again.

"Majesty, please, the assassin may strike again".

"Then we will post more guards" with that, John entered the ballroom.

The crowd bowed as Marguerite entered from the side stairs. Motioning the orchestra to continue, he walked toward her, ignoring the glances from the revelers.

"There she is again, Mother, why does she entrance the king so?" Narnia demanded.

"I promised you the crown, you will get it" the face of the girl surfaced in her mind, stronger than ever.

"Highness" she greeted him.

"Maggie, I was wondering where you had disappeared to".

"You were wounded, sire, I felt it was best to let your men take care of you".

"I would rather let you take care of me" he led her away from the party.

"The ball…" she protested.

"Let them enjoy the ball, I prefer to spend my time with you".

"But sire" she protested.

"It is you, Maggie, that I want to spend my time with" he kissed her gently.

"Sire" he led her toward his private quarters.

"My name is John, Maggie and in here, I am just a man" he kissed her again and this time, she returned the kiss as furious as he.

"I'll be right back" her voice grew husky.

"Well?" Francois demanded.

"Come back at dawn, leave the horse by the tree with a parcel of clean clothes outside the gate" she told him.

"Just remember whom you're going home to" he kissed her before letting her go.

"Where were we?" she walked into John's quarters where he had two glasses of champagne waiting.

Within moments, the pins that held her hair in place had fallen and his jacket was about to hit the floor.

"Maggie" he murmured as he picked her up and carried her to the bed.

They made love numerous times that night, each time he was sated and yet he wanted more. This woman of contradictions, a woman had not known until two nights ago was the one woman he wanted to marry and if the entire kingdom objected, he didn't care.

"Marry me".

Marguerite's heart sank, these were the last words she wanted to hear and yet if she could, she would have said yes, without a doubt. But her life was with Francois, as the bandit Parsifal, not with him as his wife and Queen. Quietly she began to dress. Placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, she snuck out.

"Where are you going, my beauty?" Sir Pearson Rice, a decorated but isolated member of the court due to his rather suspicious reaction after William's death, asked.

"Nowhere".

"I saw you with our good king these past three nights and I now see why he ignored every other woman but you".

"I warn you sir, do not touch me" she had seen that same look in a man's eye's before.

"Come now, if his highness now knows the power of your beauty, why not the rest of us" before he could touch her, she had knocked him to the ground.

"I thank you, my beauty, for giving the king the last night of please he shall ever have" Sir Rice started to get up.

"He tried to kill the king" Marguerite called out before running down the stairs.

"Maggie?" John woke up to an empty bed and a commotion outside.

"Sire, we found the assassin".

"She attacked me"

"Take him to the dungeon and find her" John ordered. Returning to his room, he saw her ride away.

"Who, highness?" the captain asked.

"Maggie" hearing the softness in the king's voice the captain understood everything.

Riding away from the castle, Marguerite felt her heart breaking. John was the one man, since her father that she truly loved. Against her better judgment she turned around to look one more time, she caught his glance at the window.

"Milady, please" she heard the king's guards and the horses behind her.

Seeing the meadow ending and the waterfall ahead of her, she knew there was only one way out. She dove into the water, just as the king's men stopped at the edge. Noticing the glittering object on the ground, the captain picked up the gold necklace. Figuring that this was a clue to the mysterious woman that the king loved, the captain made sure to take special care of it.

"Are you cold?" Francois asked jokingly as he rode up to the lake's edge.

She gave him a dirty look as she climbed onto the horse behind him.

"I'm sorry, sire, she dove into the water before we could catch up to her. We found these" he handed John the bundle of clothes and the locket.

"Thank you, Captain".

Examining the locket, the inscription tore at his heart "To our daughter, Marguerite, forever in our thoughts" Maggie had mentioned the loss of her parents as a child and though Maggie and Marguerite were not the same name, the similarities were there.

"You wished to see us, highness" George and Arthur walked in.

"Yes, I have found my bride, but she has disappeared. I need you two to find her".

"Majesty, is it that woman, Maggie?" John noticed the look on their faces.

"I believe you gentlemen; know more about this woman than I".

"Do you love her?" George asked.

"Yes" John replied quietly.

"Her name is Marguerite; she is of the house of Krux. Her father is, was the late Viscount. I believed her to be dead; her relationship with her stepmother was difficult at best. After her father died, I lost contact with her; I was surprised to see her with you at the ball".

George continued the story. "With your brother away, and the threat of the assassin, I feared, sire that with the ball and the crowd that extra security would seem obvious to the assassin. I felt that she would provide the best protection and not stand out. The lady, under less social circumstances is known as Parsifal, and has been the companion of the bandit Locke for some years now. In return for her efforts, I agreed to return to her the rights and monies of her father and redeem her name and the bandit Locke".

"Tell me where to find her"

"Sire, in the short time I spent with them, I found Locke to be possessive of the lady. If you were to find her alone, it might be safer for everyone involved" George cautiously advised.

Over the next few weeks, John sent his men to watch the small house, noting the times that Locke and his men left.

"Come, the fresh air will do you good, you've spent too much time inside" Francois encouraged.

"I'm not feeling to well, you go ahead; steal some poor aristocrat's money so we can eat" she watched them ride off. She was not her normal self, her body was changing. She was with child and not by Francois.

"Your highness, we have been watching the house as you commanded. The lady keeps to the home; the men ride away and return hours later with bags of money and jewels" the captain reported.

"Thank you captain".

But the guard's presence was not going unnoticed.

"Sir, we are being watched" Bloom pointed out.

Locke knew exactly who was watching them.

"What happened at the castle?" he asked Marguerite.

"I did my job" she replied.

"I suspect, my dear that it became more than a job".

"François, it was a job. We were asked to find the assassin and protect the king, nothing more".

"I have always been a believer in trust and loyalty. We have been together for a long time; I would not want to believe that everything we have worked for would disappear because of your change of heart. We are being watched; if go out, take extra bullets and use the forest for protection".

"I will" kissing him, she watched them ride off.

"There is it, sire" the captain pointed out the small wooden cabin.

"Is she alone?".

"Locke and his men are gone".

"Remember, we must use caution, do not use your weapons unless you must" John silently approached the house.

Entering the house, he was surprised. For a man of his reputation, Locke did not rely on fancy furnishing.

"Francois?" Marguerite heard footsteps.

Even without the finery she wore at the ball, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her unbound hair and simple peasant clothes seemed to make her even more beautiful.

"Close your eyes" his breath on her neck sent shivers throughout her body as he latched the necklace together.

"My necklace, you found it".

"Marry me".

"Yes" without hesitation, she kissed him.

"Marguerite!" Francois's voice broke through.

"You!" she backed away from John and ran to Francois who was surrounded by the king's guards.

Don't you love when you end a chapter at a certain point, just to hear pleading and begging for next chapter? I do. I know its wrong, but I like to make my audience squirm just a little ;). Anyway, you know the drill, send some love and the next chapter will be on its way ASAP.