A/N: Thanks for putting up with my terribly annoying rewrites and even more annoying AN's. This one is kind of short, but it's better than nothing, ey? Reviews would be lovely. Annie

"All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost..." -J.R.R. Tolkein

"Tell me more about Ayortha." Alex begged, still curious. "It sounds absolutely perfect there."

For well over an hour now, Char had been randomly recalling every fact about Kyrria that he had ever studied, and had moved on to Ayorthaian culture, which had Alex absolutely fascinated. Char grinned at her enthusiasm to learn more about his world, and yet he remained clueless as to what her life was really like. This strange little creature seemed to guard her secrets with her life.

"Well, I already told you about the sings, those are fascinating. Unless of course you are and antsy 6-year old who would rather be running out in the fields getting all muddied up. I don't think my father ever forgave me for all the times I escaped without his notice." Char said, chuckling. Alex laughed along with him, glad that she was feeling more comfortable with Char. The ride had hardly been boring, and Char put her at ease without even intending to. His smooth voice, his steady nature, and his collected air all gave her a sense of calm that was unachievable at home. Thoughts of school in England and of the houses in America, of Fiona and of her father and of her stepmother and half siblings, all began rushing back to her again. They weren't the best memories, but the thought of her never seeing any of it again made her stomach sink. She looked at the perfectly setting sun, at the thousands of colours emitting from the horizon. She felt the warm breeze fly through her, and the contented sigh of the night falling upon the world.

Suddenly she felt like a stain in the perfect tapestry of this beautiful serene world. A world that was never meant for her. She breathed heavily and tried to concentrate on anything she could direct her focus towards. The first thing was the constant thumps of Char's heartbeat, which she found helped steady her, enough to speak her feelings to him.

"This doesn't feel right Char." She said quietly. Char looked at her, bewildered.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked incredulously. Had he done something to offend her? What had made her mood changed so quickly?

She shrugged her shoulders softly and bent her head fixing her attention on the insistent wringing of her hands. A terrible habit she never broke, which always gave her away when she was at her most nervous or anxious moments.

"Everything here is so perfect, so peaceful and amazing. I don't think that there's any space for a girl like me here especially when I know that I was meant for somewhere else. I was never meant for this." She said, wiping the betraying tears from her eyes.

Char brought one of her hands to his lips and whispered gently, "If you were not meant for this world, then you would not be here now. Something brought you to Kyrria, something brought you to me, and it wasn't just an accident. Everything in every world has its place and time, Alex. You need to learn to trust that. Trust what you feel, not just what you see." He concluded. His words provided more comfort to Alex than he could understand. She still doubted herself and what her purpose truly was. She felt Char rustling through the saddlebag, and turned to see him pull out a dark blue woollen blanket just before he draped it in front of her, covering everything from her neck to her knees.

"Aren't you going to get cold?" She asked him, as she leaned further into his chest, making herself comfortable and making his nerves light on fire. He shook his head nervously and steadied his now twitchy hands, one of which was resting on her hip, barely covered by her thin chemise. He swallowed hard and prayed that she could not feel the increased pace of his pumping heart, and that he would not be given away so easily.

The night had closed in about them, and the stars shone brilliantly in the heavens.

"They're beautiful." Alex whispered, her eyes focused intently on their shimmering and twinkling beauty, their light reflecting in her clear blue eyes.

Char's attention, however, was drawn to her sparkling eyes.

"Very beautiful." He murmured softly, distractedly. Her dazzling blue clashed with his endless dark, and Char found himself inching towards her slowly. She eagerly inclined her head further to meet his lips.

Suddenly, the horse tensed and stopped quickly. Char's reaction mimicked Teller's, and he quickly stiffened, fixating his eyes on one spot of trees to the side of the pair. Alex furrowed her eyebrows and brushed it off as overreacting, when the sound of a twig broken by footfall sent her head whipping towards the same group of trees. Char dismounted Teller, and Alex took a hold of the reins. He unsheathed his sword from the band around his waist and gripped the hilt tightly.

Looking back at Alex, he said, "If anything happens, ride hard and fast for as long as you can stand. You may hit Bast. Tell them there that you are a companion of Charmont, Prince of Kyrria."

Alex nodded, before his words actually hit her. 'A PRINCE?' Her mind screamed. She rolled her eyes at Char's lack of proper introduction skills. She leaned forward and tried to soothe the spooked Teller, watching Char's back disappear. She waited a moment, as she listened to his footsteps getting further away.

Then, a loud grunt and the clashing of metal caused Teller to tense once again, though now Alex's response equalled the mare's. She dismounted quickly, and grabbed a hold of the lead. As she stepped closer to the grove of trees that Char had vanished into, she felt a cold hand suddenly grabbed her over the mouth, causing her to drop Teller's lead in shock. She attempted to scream but the grip held her tight, and the gloved hand muffled her voice. She closed her eyes instinctively as she was dragged through the brush, yet to come face to face with her attacker. When her eyes opened, she found Char in the midst of an attack from 3 different sides. He seemed to have been holding his own for the time, but when his eyes met Alex's for a painfully long moment, he hesitated, resulting in a rough blow from one of the men. He bent at the waist and fell to his knees. She screamed his name against the hand, then decided to act, digging her fingernails into the arm of her captor, causing him to yelp in pain and release her. Once free, she darted to Char's side and knelt beside him checking for any sign of a stab wound. She then thanked whatever deity happened to be watching over them, as he had been dealt a blow from the butt of the sword, and not the blade. She heard him groan under his breath, then reach for his sword, which now lay only a few steps ahead of them.

As Char's hand grasped the hilt, a large black boot stomped the blade flat. He and Alex looked up to see a dark figure hovering over them ominously, and Char withdrew his hand.

With a deep, dark chuckle and a booming voice, the man spoke.

"Why...if it isn't the prince of our noble land." The sarcasm dripped from his words. The man's attention turned to Alex and he smiled wickedly. "And what's this? The little prince has his own whore to travel with him." At those words, Char stood and looked the other man straight in the eye. Alex followed suit, but chose to keep her head to the ground.

"What business do you have with me and the company I travel in, sir?" The malice fell freely from Char's tight mouth, the last word cutting into the air.

The man merely smiled, Char's words bouncing off him.

"What my business entails is hardly any of yours, little prince." He growled. Char's eyes never left the stranger's.

"It is entirely mine, as is any business that passes through the lands of my father." He spoke fiercely. "And I would like to know why your business concerns me and my companion."

It was obvious that the man was growing tired of Char, and aggravated by his bold nature.

"I was sent for you, little prince. It has nothing to do with my personal opinions, but I was sent to get you and getting paid is really the only thing on my mind." The man spat out. His eyes turned, evilly, towards Alex. "Though business may mix with pleasure, this time around." At that, the men around him all laughed deeply and Alex shuddered, realising that her previous predicament had only worsened.

She looked deep into Char's dark eyes, which betrayed the emotions stirring inside him. His sombre, yet determined face gave her hope, and she smiled briefly at him.

He felt his heart pump a little faster as she smiled at him. But his attention was quickly diverted when the other man spoke again.

"You will travel with us now. You will wear your cloaks during the day as to hide your face." He stated.

"Where are we going? If we are to come quietly we must have our own terms agreed upon." Char said diplomatically. The man rolled his eyes, exaggeratedly.

"You are most certainly the son of a politician. But these terms must be discussed immediately. We are to be headed to Deremis, the capital city of Salyria. Your terms, little prince?" The man said sarcastically. Char once again stared him down.

"My name is Prince Charmont. If you do not agree to that, then Char will fit just as well. But I will not be belittled or degraded by a bounty hunter. Another condition, my companion must be with me at all times. She is not to be harmed or dishonoured in any way as she is in my care. In return, we will follow you to Deremis without protest and find our fate from there. Are we understood?" He offered with a sense of finality in his tone.

The man nodded once then signalled to his men to find their horses. Char moved to help Alex onto Teller then climbed behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. His hand clasped hers almost immediately and his thumb absently stroked hers. She leaned further into him and sighed as she watched the backs of the men in front of her begin moving forward through the night.

Their journey had begun.