/I don't own anything you recognize in this story. /

Chapter Nineteen

"Restore me to the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." –Psalm 51:12

Standing just under the window, Balian looked up at Sibylla. He couldn't say how much of a relief it was to see her again, but now wasn't the time to lament over his feelings. All he cared about was getting her out safely.

"Balian! I'm so glad to see you…you don't know how much I've gone through, wondering where you were," Sibylla exclaimed.

"Well, we'll have time for the stories later, I just want you out safely right now," Balian stated.

Eamon nudged Balian and the man looked down upon the boy. There seemed to be fear in the boy's eyes yet Balian couldn't know about what.

"Surely you don't expect to go inside and try to save her? You really are too weak. And you can't expect her to jump out the window, she'd hurt herself without help and you wouldn't be able to grab her safely," Eamon said in a low voice, his eyes showing the fear in his voice.

"I will do what I must, Eamon. I can't allow her to be in there for a moment longer," Balian exclaimed angrily.

"Then let me go in there…I'm strong enough," Eamon stated, "just lift me up in there and I'll be able to help her."

"I—" Balian began but looking at Eamon and then looking back up at Sibylla's desperate face, wondering what they were doing, he shut his mouth and nodded. "As you wish. I don't know what good that would do."

"Well, you can go around to get inside and then while you and the guard are fighting, Sibylla and I can get out," Eamon said logically.

Balian sighed and nodded in agreement. That was the only good plan they had so far and they couldn't delay another moment. Creeping over to the window, Balian hoisted the boy up as Eamon scrambled through the window with the help of Sibylla.

"Now what?" Sibylla asked the boy as he caught his breath.

"Balian's going to do a bit of distracting," Eamon commented.

Just then, Sibylla noticed a shadow outside moving stealthily and it certainly wasn't Balian. Realizing who it was, Sibylla screamed.

"Balian, watch out!" Sibylla yelled, fighting towards the window with Eamon's desperate attempts to stop her.

Balian, hearing Sibylla scream, turned quickly around to see what she was screaming about. Seeing a figure creeping towards him, Balian suddenly recognized who it was. It was Saladin.

"You evil traitor!" Balian screamed and pulling a sword out ran towards the Moslem king, not caring about what happened to him. All that mattered was killing the man who made him weak and imprisoned Sibylla.

Just before Balian reached the man, Saladin stepped aside and watched with grim satisfaction as Balian stumbled and fell to the ground. He had given Balian the chance once to be free and a man who continuously provoked being attacked deserved no better.

Struggling to his knees, Balian glared up at Saladin. "Traitor."

"I am no traitor. Just your enemy," Saladin exclaimed.

Two pairs of hands seized Balian from behind. Balian struggled helplessly. It didn't help that he was weak and his captors had a stronger advantage than he at the moment.

"What shall we do with him, sire?" one of the captors asked.

"Take him to the walls. His people should see the traitor that for so long they had so long looked up to. Hopefully it will stop the fighting for a while. One does get tired of fighting after a while," Saladin said grinning and the three of them left, with Balian struggling to be free along with them—to no avail.

Watching them leave, Sibylla turned to Eamon angrily. "Now what do we do? We can't just let them kill Balian in front of millions while we sit here not doing anything."

Eamon sat on the narrow bed, his head in his hands. Everything that they had planned was all to waste. Raising his face, Eamon looked deep into Sibylla's eyes, his face showing defeat.

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do, my lady Sibylla," Eamon murmured. "We're stuck here with our fate."

Sibylla growled and grabbed Eamon by the collar. "Don't preach to me about fate, damnit. Some of us aren't that hopeless yet. Get me out of here, now, or face the consequences if we ever do get out."

Eamon scrambled to his feet, completely surprised at Sibylla's reaction. "As you wish, my lady, but I don't know what to do. Balian had all the ideas."

"Ever heard of jumping out the window?" Sibylla asked saucily, putting her hands to her hips.

"But, my lady, surely—" Eamon began.

"Just get down there and help me when I jump out," Sibylla growled, pointing angrily to the window.

Eamon sighed and nodded. Well, if one were desperate enough, they'd do anything. And now it looked like it was going to be the only way to survive.

"As you wish, my lady Sibylla," Eamon exclaimed and soon he was scrambling down the window, hoping that both of them would get out alive.