Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is mentioned in the brilliant book, Ella Enchanted. All that wonderful stuff belongs to Gail Carson Levine.

A/N: hullo, lovely peoples. sorry it took soooooo long, but here is the next chappio. i have finally reunited two special characters, hopefully its not too confusing.

also, iv already updated this chappie, thanx to flammingirl.

Just to clear things up, Rory has GREEN eyes. Sorry for the confusion…

Special Thanx:

MIDNIGHT-PIXIE, watrfairie, fairybells4: thanx, you guys rock stella!

flammingirl: thanx, here he comes…

EbonyFirePhoenix: we shall see…sorry, not in this chappie though.

nellynell: luv yah! see yah friday!

Faeriegrl: its been a while, but…i used "countenance"! yay!

Lalalalala laaaaa…

Chapter 10: Connections

…Eric…

I came to in a dark, foreboding chamber. My whole body ached from what I didn't know. I tried to recall where I was and what happened, but my head pounded when I tried to think.

When I closed my eyes, all I could see was a beautiful maiden dressed in a long flowing white robe. Her face was delicate, but defined with misty green eyes. Her auburn hair flowed across her shoulders, cascading across her breasts. In this image, the wind tugged at her gown, hinting a full figure. I gulped, since when I had I started dreaming longingly about women?

The scurry of little feet jolted me from my obscene thoughts: I was not alone. I channeled my thoughts to the matter at hand - how to escape.

Voices and a bar of golden light flowed from a crack in the door. I crawled eagerly towards the light. When I was half way to my target, my foot jerked back sharply. I landed flat on my face on the hard-packed, dirt floor.

Flipping over onto my soar back, I massaged my ankle, finding myself bound to a thin cord leading into the darkness.

Gingerly I got up and followed the cable a short distance until I came to a wall. Running my hands along the stone, there was a long crack, outlining a tiny door. I tug at one corner of the thin ledge with all my might, finally heaving the stone slab until it twirled like a child's toy. It came to a grinding halt perpendicular to the wall, with one end facing me.

Interesting, I thought. The mechanics here are quite advanced. I sat on my father's Council For Further Development, so I knew this technology was superior to that in Kyrria and Ayorthia combined. I had never seen the likes of this door.

I scurried through the small opening in the rock like an animal, crouched low. My hand grasped the cord, which bit into my palm. Would it lead to my escape…or my death? I tried not to think about it.

…Still Eric…

I found myself in a torch-lit tunnel. After my eyes adjusted to the flickering light I was able to see at last.

Two burly men sat opposite each other at a small table. One cursed harshly in a language that was foreign to me. The other's face cracked into a wicked grin. The wavering light played across his meaty face, over bright eyes a wretched, crooked teeth. He pulled a pile of coins towards him and cackled something unknown.

I slunk into the shadows, away from the light that would reveal my presence to the inattentive guards. However, I was unlucky. As soon as I moved, the clank-clunk of metal on stone rang through the air as the cord's coils clattered at the guard's feet.

At the same instant they both looked up, now with identical barbaric grins on their faces. Without looking down, one gave a sharp tug on the cord and reeled me in from the shadows.

In the light, I noticed my chest was bare, gleaming golden in the pale yellow light. All I wore were my breaches.

The guard still holding the line that had indeed not led me to safety flicked the tail-end casually in my direction.

Suddenly, heat bloomed from me chest where the whip grazed my flesh. I felt warm blood flow down my skin into my waistband. Warmth seeped down my legs and a hot anger boiled in my chest, eager to burst out. However, my mind urged me to control myself, only with sense could I beat these huge men.

Quickly, I paced in a half circle around my guards, putting my extensive knowledge of fencing into practice. This action positioned the other guard in front of myself.

Both men rose and came at me levelly. With one quarter-turn, I maneuvered them away from the table. As one, they ran at me, but I dodged them, completing a full circle.

The cord, now wrapped around their bulky boots came to my use. I flicked it up so it circled their necks and heaved. Gasping, they crumpled to the ground as blooded sprayed the floor in a wide arc.

I rushed to the table, still keeping one eye on the bundle of limbs on the stone floor and found a knife. Finally, the metal chain broke under the blade and I was free!

But not for long.

…Rory…

Dammit. Shivering in my thin cotton breaches and tunic, I cursed to my self. I had still disguised as a boy, from when I questioned the soldier, and hadn't thought to change. Now what'll they think of me?

Swallowing me pride, I tucked my arms across my chest. The cold had penetrated through the corset I had on under my disguise and bit sharply at my breasts. My teeth chattered as a wind whipped my tunic around my frame, pulling it in all directions. With a loud shredding sound, it ripped in two, exposing tender skin to the fridged air.

"Great, just great,"I said aloud, and wrapped the ends around me tightly.

Finally, the manor came into view. With numb fingers, I wrapped on the door.

A portly doorman stuck his nose into the cold and squeaked. It would have been extremely funny had I not been an iceberg.

"Quick, come in laddie!" He hollered in a high-pitched voice, over the wind.

Warmth rushed over me as I was pushed, to cold to move myself, into the grand entryway.

"William, who is it?" A low voice called from another room.

"Some freezing lad. All be, the wind be summit stokey, sir!" He called. He stood, back arched, saluting the door from which Taylor, I believe his name was, had called. Marching in place, he rasped, "Shall I let the poor bloke in near'ta'da fire?"

Taylor appeared, took one look at the doorman and snorted. By this time I had unfrozen enough to feel, and I had to work hard to muffle my laughter.

His stormy grey eyes met mine, and connected. We both doubled over again. Funny thing is it wasn't that funny. A/N: (hint hint.)

When the moment was gone, I tucked my arms around myself again. To my embarrassment, the corner of my tunic had slid down during our laughing fit. The edge pf my pink corset was exposed, with a considerable amount of skin.

Taylor looked confused for a second at the sight of my under-garment, then, seeing my red face, looked away. Grinning, he said to the servant in a playful voice, "William, I'll take this boy into the sitting room to warm up."

…Still Rory…

He led my into a cozy room, furnished with plush celadon armchairs and couch, paneled cream-colored walls and a big white-brick fireplace set into the wall.

"Please, make yourself comfortable." He said kindly, the laugh still present in his voice. As I settled into the cushioned chair closest to the fire, he poured me a steaming cup of tea from the tea set on the oak table. Handing me the cup, Taylor sat across from me on the couch.

"There you go. Now, tell me, why back so soon? I see you just couldn't stay away." He said, smiling.

I sipped from the brimming cup then answered, "I'm truly sorry for the intrusion. I came to thank you, Eric, and the Lord and Lady for such wonderful hospitality, sir." I cringed inwardly at my sickly sweet manners. I hated nobles and their marble hallways. Yet, hadn't I just laughed with one a second ago? Maybe Taylor was different.

At my mention of Eric, Taylor's face fell. "Our pleasure," he said drearily, eyes looking into the distance.

His sorrowful countenance alarmed me. "Is there something wrong?"

Taylor took a ragged breath, eyes welling up with tears. "Eric was kidnapped four days ago in Frell. He was my cousin, my only friend. And now…" He ranted.

…Taylor…

"He was my cousin and my only friend. And now some barbaric nation has dragged him away! Who knows what their doing to him, torture, burning at the stake, poisoning…" I ranted. All my pent-up feelings broke the thought barrier I had erected. Everything I had refused to think about gushed forth as I found myself telling everything to a total stranger.

Okay, maybe not a total stranger. We had laughed like old friends in the hall, just like Eric and I do. Or used to.

Sorrow filled me once again. Suddenly, there were warm arms around me. I looked up into clear emerald eyes, the clearest I had ever seen.

"There now. Everything will be alright." She whispered close to my ear. Sitting down next to me on the couch, she patted my back reassuringly. I leaned into her, head resting on a shoulder padded with muscle.

After a minute, I was composed and she removed her arm from my shoulders. Sitting up, my shoulder accidentally grazed her breast. "Sorry." I whispered, blushing.

"No, please go on." She prompted.

I took a long breath, then explained, "Soldiers attacked Frell four days ago at noon. They killed 13 of Kyrria's finest knights, Eric's escort, and took Eric. No ransom note has come by way of dove, pigeon or any other means. No one knows the nation the kidnappers represent." I told her.

She turned pale. "You said they attacked three days ago? Which would be exactly three days after I left this manor… " She said, calculating, then gasped. "Their emblem, was it-"

"Magenta with an eye, a sword and arrow crossed behind, bordered by a golden snake." We said together.

A/N: hope you liked it…lets see the romance flourish! yah baby! my lips are sealed, wont say no more here …except:

REVIEW! Come on guys, lets get to 45 by the time I update! ITS UP TO YOU ALL! (could be tomorrow or never, haha cackle cackle, im so evil)

This is kinda embarrassing, but how do you spell "dammit"? Is that correct? Also, how do you spell "fridged" (you know, cold)? I have spell-checked, dictionaryized and everything. Plz help, my lovely readers!