Disclaimer: I have returned from the Caribbean! And I bought cheap little trinket souvenirs for all. throws key chains in every direction I also have come to say that The Maiden of Light does not own any of the Johnny the Homicidal Maniac property.

The Maiden of Light: You went to the Caribbean and never took me with you! Sic 'em Schedule!

Schedule: Arf! Arf! Arf! breaks off his chain leash and chases the disclaimer around

Disclaimer: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Ned swept through the corridors, leaving silence behind him. Even rats skittering across the cold stone floors were tided in fear by his brief presence. His eyes smoothly shifted from room to room as his passed their thresholds, his ears pricked for the sound of unwanted guests lurking in the shadows of the dark rooms. But his smell was intrigued. Ned could smell the blood of the intruder. It smelt of fear.

Johnny and Squee were desperately searching for a flight of stairs. They had been through every room, every hall, and every corridor of the first level. Squee was always the one to jump whenever a rodent dashed across his feet. Johnny had to practically strangle Squee when he covered his mouth. Every time he thought he saw a ghost, he would give his famous squeal. The last thing they needed was for Ned to know where they were. Johnny had the feeling that he already knew they were in the castle.

They slowly crept into what seemed to be a cluttered storage room. Scraps of damaged armor and dulled weapons and shields were piled high on the wooden floor.

Squee tugged lightly on Johnny's sleeve, "Johnny, I don't like this room. What if the floor falls underneath us?"

Johnny hushed him, "If it has lasted this long with all this garbage, then I think it will survive us for a few seconds."

Squee brought his little fists to cover his mouth. He didn't see how Johnny could stay so calm in here. Every time he felt a wave of cold air whoosh by him, he was overwhelmed in fear. He remembered seeing pale transparent shadows move about the corridors and sending chills all throughout his body. Suddenly, all gravity pulled Squee down. The floor had dropped beneath him and all he saw was the darkness of wherever he was. It happened so fast, he didn't even get the chance to scream. But apparently he was sliding down some ramp as the trapdoor above closed up. Johnny looked behind him. Where Squee had been standing was now empty space. No noise had been made. He simply vanished.

"Squee?" Johnny looked around, "Where'd you go?"

No response. Only the chill and creeks within the castle could be heard. Johnny looked down to the rickety floor.

Great, now I have to rescue him too…

Ned's eyes were fixed upon a tall mount of hay. He looked about the little room. It was barren with the exception of the straw floor and the heap in the center. He tapped his foot on the muffled ground as his patience slowly slipped away. He never liked this particular room. The lost souls of prisoners would gather here every once in a while in their recreation and hold matches of wrestling skill. They would make loud obnoxious noise, knock things over, and the room reeked of their ectoplasmic sweat.

Ned heard a rattling noise above. A high-pitched squealing noise was quickly becoming louder and louder. He watched as a small child which extremely big eyes fell from the chute in the ceiling and sunk into the tall pile of straw. His lips curved into a one sided smile of amusement. This kid was obviously a chicken. But he had enough guts to even come here. By the looks of things, he was alone. As two small hands slowly emerged and clambered through the mountain of hay, he could identify his intruder. Ned knew right off the bat just who this child was.

"So, how are you doing, little Squee?" he spoke in his accented purr.

Squee abruptly tumbled out of the straw rolled onto the floor. His eyes wobbled around unsteadily with dizziness as though he had just fallen off a very fast Merry-Go-Round. His blurry vision slowly but surely narrowed back to normal and he saw one of the last things he ever wanted to see. Ned was standing there before him, looking strangle amused. His face seemed slightly shadowed as his head eclipsed the light glowing from the torch behind him. It looked almost devious, just like his smile.

It felt like hours passed as time slowly whittled away. The silence was almost becoming like company to her as she longed for each passing minute to have Ned absent from it. Rose sat stilly in her chamber. Surprisingly, it wasn't a dungeon like the one she was dressed in. It was more like a bed room. The four-poster bed she sat upon the edge of was massive and yet the satin crimson colored sheets still covered it completely. Intricate carvings of thin thorny vines trailed all the way up the tall posts that held up the smooth sloping canopy. The large blood red cushions were trimmed and tasseled in gold. A grand towering wardrobe of cherry wood stood in the corner as it overshadowed the rest of the dressing furniture in the room. A dim amount of light was shining from the spectacular crystals of the chandelier. Rose's eyes fell upon the west wall. There was a long velvet curtain of shadowy red along it. It must have been some sort of a window. She thought she'd never see one again. As soon as it caught her eye, Rose tugged hastily on a golden rope linked to the top of the curtain pull. The heavy veil slid aside to reveal what it hid.

Rose backed away from the splendid masterpiece so she could view the entire thing. It practically lit the room by itself. It was a tall and realistic painting of a woman Rose almost mistook for herself. This must be Ned's true love, Xiao. The painting looked so real, as if you could reach through the canvas and feel the smooth skin of her face. Her eyes were so soft and understanding as though they weren't painted at all, but a true face that could see you back. The creamy white silk her dress was made of looked so much more smooth and angelic than that the true dress was sewn from. Rose's fingertips yearned to stroke the soft white material but her head kept reminding her that it was merely a painting. She still couldn't hold a complete grasp on the fact that this Xiao looked so much like her.

Evening the golden frame was perfect, or was it. The left side of the picture seemed ever so slightly tilted outwards. Rose's eyes scanned up and down along the edge of the frame. Twice, she came upon a tiny metal plate that prevented the painting from completely touching the wall. They were hinges. Ever so carefully, Rose slowly pulled the right side of the painting towards her. The hinges squeaked liked mice as the beautiful portrait doubled as a secret door.

Rose was quite surprised at what she found. It wasn't a secret passage way or an exit, but a small compartment containing a very, very thick book. It was bound in black leather with neat golden letters printing Nedisire G. Silverstell. Rose's hand shivered slightly as they reached for the massive book. Coldness seemed to be practically radiating from it. It sent chills up her fingers as she touched the cover, and it only chilled her more as she opened it. Several time-yellowed pages had been torn out before a tidy scrawl had graced the first page.

I have never been so excited in my entire life. I still cannot grip that today is my wedding day. By what I have heard, Xiao feels the same way, only with so much more guilt. After all, her father would rather her to marry someone else and not I. I keep sweating like mad, I'm probably just a little nervous. But why should I be? I am the luckiest creature of darkest ever to drink the blood of random people like cattle! Oh well, off to the chapel…

Rose turned the page. This book must be some sort of journal for Ned. But the next page wasn't a journal entry; it was a black and white photograph. The slightly curled portrait appeared to be of Ned and a different woman in the same wedding dress Rose was wearing. But it wasn't her nor Xiao, her nose was much thinner, but still looked like her. She flipped to the next page, another photo. Once again, it was a wedding memory of Ned and another bride with shorter presumably chestnut colored hair and the hand-me-down wedding dress. Rose scanned through the pages as she flipped through them all. Every single one was a wedding photo of Ned and another woman that resembled his beloved Xiao. All of them were frowned, except for a few smiles every so on. Ned has been pulling this scheme for quite a long time.

"It has been working for a long time as well," an all-too-familiar English purr slithered to Rose's ears and sent chills down her neck. Ned's voice seemed very cold when no one else could hear him.

"It seems strange how you can respond to my thought without me even speaking," Rose snapped the book shut loudly and tossed it back into the little safe compartment without any regards as to how fragile time has made it.

He smirked as he leaned against the threshold of the doorway, "They all tend to think the same thoughts when they figure out the past. Xiao was very observant after all."

Rose glared at him, giving a look her kind face normally wouldn't allow, "Dream all you like, I nor the other women you have tricked are the one you love. You should free me, now."

He snickered, amused by her attitude at this. He found her to be much more polite about this and yet just as hateful, "Not gonna happen."

All froze when the sound of a long bong from a church bell echoed throughout the castle. One after another rang down each corridor, into every room, and probably rattled in every dungeon.

Ned pulled a silver pocket watch from the left side of his coat and flipped the shiny lid up to observe what the timepiece read. He casually clicked it shut and slid it back in his pocket. He gave a slick smirk, "Are you ready, my beautiful bride?"

The Maiden of Light: Yeah! The schedule ran away and I have much more time now for writing the story. I know it has been a while, but the new chapter is up! Read, Review, and rejoice! pops the cork off a Champaign bottle

Some guy: Ah! My eye!