Warnings: Don't run with scissors.

Chapter Eight: Running. Again.

Alban hustled me through the crowd and to the gates of the courtyard. A line had formed already to see the King in audience, so we took a place at the very end of it.

I was dirtier and in a fouler temper than ever while Alban looked purely nervous.

"Elensar," he whispered, "Are you sure that you can't use your position to get ahead in line?"

"Of course not! These people have been waiting her for longer than we have," I scolded him gleefully. "It wouldn't be nice to go in ahead of them just because you'll get money faster." I smiled, pleased with my logic.

"I hate crowds," he grumbled resentfully.

"Too bad," I grinned. Someone jostled me in line and I collided with Alban. "Hey!" I complained. "Watch it!"

"Oh, sorry miss. Didna see you there." A wrinkled face peered up from beneath the folds of a dark cloak.

"Elensar, are you alright?" Alban glared suspiciously at the old man.

"Yes, Alban, don't worry. I'm fine." I rolled my eyes and turned away from both of the men.

"Why are you standing in line, then?" The old man asked Alban.

"We're here becau-"

I interrupted him hurriedly. "We're here because we need to see King Adrian." I smiled and turned my back again.

"She is spicy, that one is," the old man whispered loudly. "Are you getting an annulment for an unplanned wedding?"

"Well, n-no, actually," Alban stuttered. "I'm here to return her to the King."

I heard the old man suck in a large breath. "Oh, so she claims that she is Elensar, Princess of Meridian?"

"Yes!" Alban cried relieved. I sagged, wishing that I were alone.

"Then you want that line over there." I looked where he pointed and saw a line filled with many girls standing around.

"Damn it! No I don't!" I spun around angrily. "I don't want to go back to that imprisonment!" I glowered at the old man. "We'll be staying in this line, thank you very much."

"Suit yourself," he mumbled and backed away.

"I will."

"Elensar, did you have to be quite so harsh with him?" Alban asked softly.

"Yes." I pulled the hood of the traveling cloak tighter around my face. "Stop saying my name, please. I don't want a direct route to the throne room."

"Fine," Alban crossed his arms and seemed to sink into himself.

The line moved slowly, but that was fine with me. I was set to happily wait out the hours with the cloak pulled tightly around my face and a smile on my lips. Unfortunately, it was not to be so.

"Miss?" Someone tapped my shoulder.

"Yes?" I turned around and hunched over a bit.

"This gentleman says that you claim to be Princess Elensar." The guardsman pointed at the little old cloaked man.

"I do not claim to be," I stated flatly.

"Please, Lady, move over to this line." The man gestured with a gauntleted hand toward the line of Elensars.

"No!" I stamped my foot angrily. "I will not be put in with those imposters." I felt Alban tapping my shoulder. "Not now Alban," I brushed him away. "I will stay in this line whether you like it or not. I outrank you by far, dear soldier; do not think to gainsay me."

The guard suppressed a derisive sneer. "I'm a guard for the Royal Family of Delran, how can a simple girl like you claim to be outrank me?"

I pasted a false smile on my face. "I believe that Princesses outrank men-at-arms, don't you?"

"Elensar?" Alban tapped my shoulder again.

"What?" I yelled. Many pairs of eyes turned to look at us.

"If you were trying to pretend that you weren't yourself, you failed. Miserably." He smiled and patted my shoulder as I blanched. "Just thought you'd like to know."

"Damn it!" I kicked him angrily in the shins. I swore loudly, and then ran.

"After her!" Someone yelled.

I dodged through the crowd, stepping on feet and elbowing people aside. Darting down side streets, I worked my way through the capital city. Soon, I left the heavy cloak behind on the ground in a dusty heap.

"Gotcha!" A man crashed into me, and I screamed.

"Over there!"

"I heard her!"

I gasped for breath, lying curled tightly in ball on the ground. I opened my eyes and saw myriad pairs of feet clustered around me. "No." I whispered.

"Up you go." Strong pairs of hands lifted me up off the ground, intending for me to take to my feet. I just hung there, limp in their hands.

"Come on, stand up." I didn't respond.

"Is she alive?" Someone asked.

I chuckled to myself. Numbskulls. Of course I was alive.

"Someone'll have to carry her if she won't walk."

"I will." Alban grunted out as he scooped me up into his arms. "Elensar, you might want to wake up sometime soon."

I coughed to make my plight seem worse. "I am awake, Alban. I just choose not to act it."

"Ah," he responded in understanding. "Well, then, you might want to act alive for King Adrian."

"Right then," I cleared my throat and declared loudly, "I think I'll walk from here." Alban set me down on my feet and I strode forward as if I hadn't just been lying face first on the street.

My entourage and I came to the gates of the palace and waited to be admitted. Soon, we were in the courtyard and I was shielded from the malevolent glares of the Elensar-hopefuls.

"I'll take you right up to the King," a helmeted guard informed me. "The rest of you may go." He directed his gaze to Alban. "Except for you. You are the one who found her?"

"Yes." Alban nodded serenely. "I am."

"This way, both of you." He led us up through the great hall and into the great ballroom that doubled as an audience chamber. I stalked along behind him, but in front of Alban fuming that I was back here quite so quickly.

The guard whispered something in the herald's ear, and then the herald bellowed out, "King Adrian, announcing Elen-"

I cut him off with a wave. "Shove it," I snapped. "He'll know who I am." I stormed the rest of the way to the throne.

"Elensar, so you decided to join us." Adrian's cool voice sliced through the air like a knife.

"Are you happy to have me back, Adrian dearest?" I asked, planting my hands on my hips and glaring at him.

"I do believe that you've forgotten the proper protocol for an audience with the King," He said flatly.

"Oh, would you like me to kiss your hand? Is it all that important?" I sneered as I sauntered towards him.

"It is protocol." His grey gaze bore through mine, faltering only slightly.

"Since when have you cared for protocol, Adrian?" I asked, using the power of suggestion heavily.

"Since the day that my subjects are watching you disrespect their King." He extended his hand as I soon as I was close enough. "Behave, Elensar," he mocked me, treating me like a spoiled child.

"Oh I'm sorry, Adrian, but I wouldn't want to get dirt all over your nice royal hand. Do you mind if I stay back here?" I smiled sweetly. This was a game that I knew how to play.

"Not at all, if it keeps me from being contaminated by filth like yours." Adrian stood and descended from his throne.

I spun around so I was facing away from him. "So what happened to the proper protocol and etiquette?" I threw the words over my shoulder, watching the horrified expressions of the observers around us.

"What happened to you, Elensar?" His hands weighed heavily on my shoulders. I saw Alban giving me a disparaging look and I smiled at him.

"What happened?" I asked, whipped around to face him. "What happened?" I asked again, my voice getting dangerously soft. "What happened was that you kidnapped me from my bedroom and took me prisoner! All because my spoiled sister told you to! Everything for Evadne! And then, your own daring advances toward me were just oh so welcome." I smirked as his face took on a little color. "So guess what? I decided that I wasn't all that happy with my situation so I took it into my own hands. I ran away." I glared at him. "You weren't exactly the best host, you know."

"Why did you run, Elensar?" Adrian asked me, his grey gaze pinning me.

"I ran because I was sick of living this lie. It may be what you want me to do, but I won't, not anymore." I looked at the startled faces that were all around me; guardsmen and petitioners alike were staring in shock.

"You think that this is all a lie?" Adrian gestured around him in a wide circle. "This is my life, and it is now part of yours as well. This is my court." With each word he leaned a little closer to me.

"It won't be a part of my life any longer," I declared fiercely.

"Is that all you have to say now, Elensar?" Adrian challenged me.

"Yes, yes it is. I'm sorry for interrupting you precious court just for that, but it is all I have to say." I turned and walked toward the doors.

"Oh Elensar," Adrian's voice held a light, lilting note that frightened me. "You wouldn't happen to know what the penalty for interrupting my court is, would you?"

My steps faltered and I turned around slowly. "No." the word came out shaking and slow.

"Whosoever interrupts the Council while it is holding Audience shall be locked in solitary confinement and surrounded by stone until the Council has debated that individual's actions and chosen consequences." He smiled coolly at me and crossed his arms. "I think you'll become reacquainted with that lovely little cell you were in before."

"No." I told him, my voice flat and eyes hard. "I won't."

"It's the law, dear child, and not even you are above it." He smiled again, in that infuriating way and took slow, deliberate stapes toward me.

Not waiting for him to come to me and suffused with anger at the injustice of things, I stalked the remaining distance to him and slapped him. Once more, my handprint was left in flaming red on the Delran King's cheek. "I won't," I reiterated firmly.

His hands never moved to touch his cheek, nor did his eyes waver from mine. The only thing that moved was his mouth. "Guardsmen, please escort Princess Elensar to her new quarters." 

I blanched and then launched myself into a headlong sprint for the doorway.

"This," Adrian proclaimed loudly, "This is what happens to those who resist the law."

Two soldiers grabbed my arms as I was nearing my destination and my knees collided forcefully with the floor. I gasped for breath and stared down at the marbled floor, trying to block out the pain. I failed at that, just as I appeared to have failed at everything else as well.

"I hope you enjoyed that little cell, milady." I looked up at Adrian. He was standing in front of his throne, with a sardonic smile on his lips.

"You owe me money," Alban offered words into the ensuing silence.

"Traitor," I coughed out as the guardsmen dragged me away like a common criminal.

Author's Note Thing: One last post before they drag me off to New Mexico to visit my family…they shall coo over me, tell me how much I've grown since last year (less than an inch, I measured) and ask me about my schoolwork. Oh. Joy. Leave me reviews for when I get back pretty please!

To my Reviewers:

Glistening Dewdrop: No problem! Glad you liked it!

Flummoxed: S'mores! Yay! I feel rather bad about dragging her back to the castle and putting her in that stupid little cell again, but it must be done! That sounds positively evil. Hah!

Miss Piratess: Yeah, Europe was fun, and a lot of had to do with the 33 other kids on the trip, not just the fact that I got to go to Europe. loves being able to say that As for Alban, well, he kind of walked up, introduced himself, handed me his resume and jumped right it. I guess he created himself…sort of.