Chapter 12

Joshua paced his office, his hands clenched by his side. Jonathan watched him with anxious eyes, reassured since his father had promised him that Diana would be okay, but scared nonetheless. He wanted to know what had happened to her, what could make someone disappear so fully that not even the magic mirror could find them. He rubbed Gareth's ears nervously, waiting for the verdict from his father as to how they would proceed.

Lizzie sat curled up on the couch, one hand resting on her son's shoulder while the other tapped restlessly at the armrest. She could guess her husband's thoughts at the moment and she doubted that they would be at all useful. Diana was their eldest and he looked at her as if she was truly his own daughter. And, like all fathers, he was fiercely overprotective of his little girl.

There was a knock on the door and Joshua jumped about a mile. Lizzie sighed. "Something tells me this isn't going to be good news," she muttered.

"How much worse can it get?" Joshua growled through clenched teeth.

Rose walked into the room, closely followed by her admirer. "Have you seen Harry anywhere?" she asked, before actually looking around the room at her aunt and uncle's expressions. "What happened? Is everyone all right?"

"I hope," Lizzie answered her shortly. "Joshua, could he possibly…" she trailed off. Joshua divined her thoughts and grabbed the mirror.

"Show me the Prince," Joshua hissed. The mirror remained blank, as Joshua had presumed it would. "Damn it," he swore, slamming the artifact down on to the table.

"Don't!" Lizzie started to yell, but it was too late. The mirror hit the wood with a resounding crash that made Joshua take a step back.

"You idiot!" Lizzie shouted, lunging to her feet. "What kind of moronic thing was that to do?"

"I'm sorry!" Joshua shouted back, "I'm just a little upset right now!"

"I am too, but I haven't gone off and snapped your wand over my knee yet, have I?"

"Lizzie, I said I was sorry! I wasn't thinking."

"That much was evident. Clean it up, Joshua, I'm going to need to remake it in case Diana appears in it again."

Joshua dropped to his knees, knowing better than to continue yelling at his wife. He hated to admit it, but she was right this time. Breaking the mirror was an absolutely imbecilic thing to do, more so because Rose, Anduin and above all Jonathan were still in the room. He shut his eyes for a moment, then began to carefully collect the sharp shards of glass that twinkled on the floor and seemed to mock him with their inconsistent sparkle.

Lizzie pushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes and tried not to say anything else to Joshua. He had wisely decided to keep quiet, leaving her with very little else to say.

"What happened?" Rose asked, watching her relatives out of frightened eyes. Anduin was speechless, something he had gotten used to by now, but even had he had his voice, he couldn't have said anything.

"Diana's missing," Jonathan said softly. Rose clapped her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide.

"What happened?" she breathed, reaching unconsciously to take Anduin's hand for comfort. He didn't even notice; his gaze was fixed on Jonathan as he waited for details.

"I don't know," Jonathan answered, looking like he was about to cry. "She said she was taking Gareth for a walk, but then Gareth came back alone and…and…"

"Hush," Rose murmured, stroking her little cousin's head. "Your Mama and Papa will make it better, don't worry."

Lizzie and Joshua looked up at one another right then, identical looks of horror on their faces. It was very disconcerting to realize that everyone assumed you could right all the wrongs and wonder yourself whether or not you really could.

Anduin saw the glance that passed between the couple and shivered. After living in Gilld Hall long enough, you became convinced that Joshua and Lizzie were utterly indomitable. If they appeared any other way, it was disturbing. Almost as disturbing as that disgusting Prince Harry abducting his Diana. He felt like someone had raised a hand to one of his little sisters and it was his duty to defend her. He would get that smug, snide bastard where it hurts. All he needed to do was figure out how. Anduin was struck by a sudden brain wave.

He went up to Lizzie and attempted to get her attention. After hopping up and down and waving for a few moments as she stared distractedly into space, he was finally able to attract her eye. He made the sign they had established was "King".

"Brilliant!" Lizzie exclaimed. "Joshua, did you hear what Anduin just said?" Joshua turned to her and raised one sarcastic eyebrow. "You know what I meant," she said with an apologetic grin towards Anduin, who was used to this sort of thing by now.

"Tell me, Lizzie, what did he just 'say'?"

"Why don't we ask the King concerning the whereabouts of our children.?" Lizzie retorted.

Joshua practically smacked his forehead. "How stupid of me not to have thought of that! Let's go!" And he raced out of the room.

I think I liked Lizzie's response better, Anduin thought as he allowed himself to be left in charge of Rose and Jonathan. He sat next to Rose, rubbing her back gently, though his mind was elsewhere. Diana hadn't seemed happy recently and he had registered that time and time again, yet he had simply never bothered to try and help her. He had never liked the attention she was getting from Harry, but he had never actually done anything about it.

Idiot, he thought miserably. I could have done something and I didn't. I had been so busy chasing Rose… He looked down at the girl by his side. She was still the most exquisite human being he had ever met, but lately he had been wondering if there was something missing. He remembered the feeling that stirred his soul when he had first seen her, the raw passion and vitality that shone through as she faced his uncle that day on the boat. That was gone now; he had waited and waited for it, but it had disappeared as if it had never been. He sighed and caressed her hair, letting her relax next to him. He began to wonder if what he had told Joshua was true; what would happen if he never fell in love at all? Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. There were worse things, after all, than being a mute in the household of Duke Gilld.

Joshua had been racing down the halls of his castle for a good three minutes before his wife finally convinced him that running like a hellion was not going to make their case any better. They stormed down the corridors side by side, looking like not even Satan himself could stop their advance. They were a formidable couple, Joshua mused, sparing an appreciative glance at his lovely wife. He just hoped they were formidable enough.

Joshua rapped on the door to the King's chambers. "Open up!" he demanded.

"Who goes there?" called one of the guards from inside.

"The Duke and Duchess Gilld," Joshua answered and used the magic in the castle to cause the doors to swing open. The guards stepped back in surprise. "Please tell his majesty that he has visitors," Joshua said pleasantly, though the underlying tone was anything but.

A few minutes later, by which time Joshua had nearly chewed off all his fingernails and Lizzie had practically written a sonata for finger-tapping, his majesty finally emerged. He looked tired and disheveled, not at all like his usual immaculate self. But then, the king had been behaving very oddly ever since the beginning of the summer, so perhaps this latest wasn't so odd after all.

"Where is my daughter?" Joshua demanded. He was half an inch away from grabbing his sovereign lord by the man's lapels and only his wife's restraining hand kept him from actually doing so.

"I can't tell you," said the King softly, refusing to meet Joshua's eyes.

"Can't tell me?" Joshua asked icily.

The King nodded. "Believe me Joshua, if I could I would. But he swore me to secrecy."
"Who?" Joshua barked.

"My son," the King answered, the words seeming to stick in his throat.

"So he did kidnap Diana," Lizzie murmured. The King kept quiet, though it was a silence that spoke volumes.

"You foul, treacherous-" Joshua began, his hands aching to wrap around a certain regal neck. The King stood still, just staring at his vassal. Joshua stopped, quelled by the thought of what hurting the king could do to his Diana.

"Where is she?" Lizzie asked, her voice quiet, yet dangerous.

"I can't tell you," the King answered, once again, his eyes downcast. Joshua watched him in contempt. One of the traits that seemed to permeate the Gilld line was an absolute distaste for weakness and King Henry was truly acting like a cowed lord and not like the ruler that he had so often shown himself to be. Something was definitely rotten in the state of England.

"Why not?" Lizzie continued, determined to milk this interview for all it was worth, because if the King was truly answerable to his son, he would undoubtedly close his mouth after today. Unless he was merely misleading them into thinking he was being used, in which case he was a far better actor than Lizzie would ever have given him credit for.

"I swore an oath," he answered, swallowing a few times before the words came out. Joshua and Lizzie looked at one another. The tone he used implied a wizard's oath and that would be pretty much unbreakable, unless they had three months to spare, which they didn't.

"Can you take us to my daughter and your son?" Joshua hissed. The King shook his head, though he gazed at Joshua with pleading eyes as he said so. Joshua caught Lizzie's eye and jerked his head towards the door. She nodded and Joshua excused the two of them for a moment.

"That's not the King," was the first thing Joshua said.

"I know, I've never seen him act like this before," Lizzie agreed.

"That's not what I meant," Joshua answered shortly. And he quickly told his wife of the suspicions that had been forming in his mind. By the time he was finished, her hand was clapped over her mouth and she was staring at Joshua in utter shock.

"Is that possible?" she murmured softly.

"Think of it," he answered. "He pays a wizard to make a simulacrum of his self, leaves it here, and disappears with our daughter."

"But why?" Lizzie asked, the fear and misery beginning to emerge in her voice as Joshua drew her into his arms. "Why Diana?"

"I don't understand," Diana said to the Prince. "Why have you brought me here? Is this place real?" She waved her arms at the underwater wonderland unfolding before her eyes. They were far beneath the waves, surrounded by clear blue waters and myriads of brightly colored fish. In the distance stood a coral reef that almost seemed to be a castle; the numerous turrets and ramparts made up of all the tiny little animals.

"It's real," Harry answered, "And it pales compared to your beauty."

Diana rolled her eyes. "Look," she said, turning to face him. "I know you don't adore me and I loathe you with every fiber of my being. So please forget the flatteries and speak to me like a human being."

"But you're a woman," Harry protested, smiling lazily.

"I think I'll turn you into a flea," Diana mused. "A harmless little flea. And I'll stuff you inside that little box in the corner and smash you with a mallet."

"Quite creative, aren't we?" he said with a laugh. "Tell me, do you get that from your mother, father or both?"

"Both," Diana answered, upset that he had brought up her parents, for she was suddenly very homesick. What would they think when they found her missing? Of course they would come and look for her, but would they even know where to look. She tried not cry; she had been so strong up until this point, it would be terrible to break down now.

"Yes, your father always did have some very inventive tortures," Harry murmured.

Diana laughed outright. "My father? Torture? Have you lost your mind?"

Harry laughed. "No, I haven't. Poor Diana, it must be hard having been lied to all your life."

"What are you talking about?" Diana demanded, her pulse quickening.

"No, I'm not here to answer your questions," said Harry. "But I know someone else who is." He pointed out of the little air bubble they were in and Diana's jaw dropped as she saw the most magnificent creature in the world approach. He was massively tall, with a broad chest and arms like clubs. His face was not classically beautiful, but that only served to make it all the more striking. His long, white beard hung under two startlingly pale eyes that seemed utterly devoid of color. His human body ended at the navel and, from there on, a marvelous set of fins grew, iridescent green and shining like emeralds. He wore a crown of pearls on his head and held a trident in his left hand.

"May I introduce King Triton, Lord of the Seven Seas, Prince of all the Oceans and Lord Regent of all Water." Harry grinned wolfishly as Diana could not take her eyes off the approaching figure. "He will have the answers that you seek."

T.B.C.

A/N – Yeah, yeah, I'm mean. I know it. But the time has come for Diana to find out about her heritage. And the royal family is going to get exactly what they each deserve, I promise. The plot twists begin here and the revealment of nefarious plots has only begun. The good guys may seem bad and nothing about sides has been settled on yet. SO stay tuned. This chapter is dedicated to two new reviewers FutureFamousMovieDirector and Anonymous, since I love new reviews almost as much as old ones. Once again, I would love to thank you all personally for your reviews, they are utterly wonderful, but I'm in my camp computer room…you know what, I'll do this quickly. Hang on!

Anarea Rose – I am not trying to make anyone lose their mind. Well, not really. But cliffhangers make me more anxious to write the next bit, so I get things out faster. Plus I get more reviews. So it's a win win situation and only a few days of torture for you.

Short stef – BASTIAN KISS? Oh, I want one! And Harry is a confusing character. You'll find out more though, never fear. There was more Anduin in this one, so I hope it makes you feel better. Every so often, I have to remind myself that the story really isn't just about Joshua and Lizzie anymore. Oh well. And I want more Bastian (totally irrelevant, but needed to be articulated).

Lynandreth – Aww, how sweet. Thank you for appreciating the chapters. And here's an update, although I'm not sure if it's moved you closer to the middle of the seat or just shifted to a different edge.

FutureFamousMovieDirector – Hi! Welcome to the review club. I have some serious plans for these guys, so hang on. I just love nasty evil plans (it's some sort of displacement for what I would like to torture my campers with).

Soofija – It was short, but this one should be back to normal length. I was trying to tell the falling from Diana's perspective, at the expense of clarity, but their destination was revealed in this chapter, so that might have helped. Glad you got it in the end though…glad you liked the whole thing, come to think of it.

Anonymous – Three days? Holy cow, how did you survive? I'm glad you liked them so much and, don't worry, the cliffhangers won't stop. Nor will the stories at this rate, since the idea to do a fairy tale for each member of the Gilld family is becoming more and more appealing.

So that's all for tonight, my friends. Thank you all for your kind words, but I have to go now because I'm still sitting in a wet bathing suit (occupational hazard of lifeguarding) and I accidentally fell asleep in the sun so my stomach is a lovely shade of tomato red. On to the aloe cream and more updates soon!

Levana (Damian)