Jaffar: …you hate me, don't you?

Swordchick: Nah. You're just easy to pick on.

Legault: And fun to pick on.

Jaffar: …

The next day Jaffar was woken by the sound of screaming. Tumbling from his tent, Jaffar was on his feet before he was even fully awake. Finally he blinked several times, he became in full control of his senses and looked around him. There was Matthew, scrambling to his feet from where he lay on the ground after falling in terror from his tent.

"He's back!" Matthew cried. "He's back! I know I saw him this time!"

Kent and Sain stepped warily into the tent, and once again came out empty-handed.

"At this rate you are going to be the least-liked person by sunset," Legault said, scratching his head sleepily.

"But I saw him! He had a hood on, and was sitting in the corner of my tent!" Matthew protested, once again finding refuge from the angry men behind Rath.

Without saying a word, Sain held up a cloak.

"We found it shoved in the corner," Kent said, raising an eyebrow.

"But I…that is…he…" Matthew stammered, but trailed off. He knew he was only making matters worse for himself by protesting, so just ducked farther behind Rath.

Princess Ive stepped out from her tent, rubbing her eyes drowsily. "What happened?" she asked. "I heard screaming."

Legault's lip curled. "Its just Matthew. He's trying to play a trick on us, and its growing old very fast."

"What! It's not a trick, I swear! I saw someone in there!"

"Well there was nobody in there when we looked," Sain said, walking off to get ready for departure.

Everyone else left, too, leaving Matthew to pout by himself.

Princess Ive walked up to Jaffar. He looked at her with expressionless eyes.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"They told you. Its just Matthew and his little pranks."

Princess Ive frowned thoughtfully. "What did he say happened?"

"Someone in his tent."

Frown deepening, Princess Ive walked over to Matthew, who was still pouting. "What did you see?" she asked.

Matthew looked up, taken aback. "I just saw a man in the corner of my tent," he explained, still a bit surprised. "He was wearing a cloak, but I leapt out of there before I could see more."

Princess Ive rubbed the back of her neck, thinking. "Next time you see that man," she said finally, "don't run away again. Catch him. I want to see him."

Matthew blinked. "You believe me?" he asked, stunned.

Princess Ive thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know," she said finally. "It seems a little far-fetched, but it's still possible. Next time, prove it."

Matthew looked at her for a moment, then grinned. "Sure thing," he said, then walked into his tent, getting ready to set off again.

Jaffar had a slight look of surprise on his face when Princess Ive walked back over to him.

"You handled that well," he said.

Princess Ive smiled. "You have to be when you are part of the royal family," she said. But Jaffar sensed a hint of grief in her voice, and said so. She smiled sadly.

"It's hard being a princess," she said quietly. "You have endless amounts of responsibilities, duties, and you don't get to decide what you want to do in life. Take this marriage for example." Suddenly Princess Ive clamped her mouth shut. "I shouldn't have said that," she said. "Excuse me." Then she hurried back to her own tent to get ready, leaving Jaffar standing alone. And after a moment, even he left.

Nobody saw the figure dart into the woods and out of sight.

--

They had only just started walking when it started when it began to rain. It was slow at first, but slowly became a heavy storm.

"Shouldn't we wait out the storm?" Sain asked.

"No. There's a city just a short distance away. We can find an inn there, but we'll have to make it, first," Kent said, shouting over the din of the wind and rain. "Jaffar, tell Princess Ive to hold on until we get there."

Jaffar's lips pressed together in annoyance, but walked back to the princess. "We're going to a small nearby city," he explained. "Will you be okay until then."

Princess Ive laughed. "I can withstand a small storm," she said, but she was shivering.

Jaffar made a slight face, looked around to make sure nobody was looking, then turned back to Princess Ive. "Do you need another cloak?"

Princess Ive looked surprised. "Are you offering?" she asked.

"…"

The princess laughed again. "I'll be fine. But thank you."

Jaffar's eyes returned to their usual emotionless state, and he walked away. He clenched his fists. What had just gone on over there? What the hell was he doing?

To cast the thoughts from his head and keep himself preoccupied, Jaffar walked ahead and tried to find the city. It took a while to find it, but a long while later they had finally reached the small town.

"Where's the inn?" Matthew asked. Legault stood beside him. Their expressions were too eager.

Kent didn't notice. "Just to the right there," he said, pointing. "We had better get out of the rain before Princess Ive becomes ill."

Princess Ive grumbled something about not needing any special care, but followed them through the town to the inn.

"How many to a room?" Kent asked the innkeeper.

"The most expensive can hold four, but the average is two. If you wouldn't mind being spread out, then it would cost lest to house all of your companions in a few of the small rooms than two big ones."

"Then we'll do that," Sain said.

The group was paired quickly. Sain and Kent to one room, Matthew and Legault to another, Rath was solitary, and for the last room…

"What?" Jaffar asked, stupefied.

"You are the princess' personal guard," Kent explained, "so you need to be near her at all times."

Matthew whispered something in Jaffar's ear so that he could only hear it. "Just go easy on her."

Jaffar clenched his teeth and did his best to hide his embarrassment. It was a difficult feat. But Jaffar walked into his room, Princess Ive trailing behind him, looking slightly confused.

---

Jaffar woke the next morning at dawn. He usually got up early, but didn't know why he had woken this early. Looking around cautiously, Jaffar stood. His first guess was the princess. But no, she was on the bed on the opposite side of the room, still asleep. Then he looked around for anything unusual in the room. Nothing. Everything was where it had been the night before, nothing was even slightly out of place.

Then Jaffar strode towards the door. Gingerly he gripped the handle. Then, slowly, gently, he pushed. Nothing happened. He pushed harder. Nothing. Shoving as hard as he could with his shoulder against the door, he tried his best to open the door. Still nothing. But he was sure he heard stifled laughter on the other side.

Clenching his fists and swearing mentally at Legault and Matthew, Jaffar turned to the window. But no, it was too high to jump, and there was nothing to climb down. So unless he wanted to hurt himself by jumping down, he would have to wait.

Sitting heavily on his bed, Jaffar waited for whatever would happen next.

That happened to be Princess Ive waking up.

Rubbing her eyes groggily, the princess sat up. She glanced around the room, first at Jaffar sitting gloomily on his bed, then at the door. She stood and tried to open it, but got as much success as Jaffar. Then she sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

"How did the door get jammed?" she asked, turning to Jaffar.

"…"

Princess Ive walked over and sat on the end of Jaffar's bed. Jaffar tensed, but the princess didn't notice.

"Matthew and Legault?"

Jaffar nodded. He moved to put his feet on the bed, and slid slightly to the side as he did so. Hopefully Princess Ive wouldn't notice.

She did.

Looking at Jaffar oddly, Princess Ive shifted to face him. She raised an eyebrow curiously, but said nothing.

Pretending like nothing had happened, Jaffar shrugged. "I didn't see anything, but I have a hunch."

Princess Ive smirked, glancing at the door. She shook her head in disgust, and then turned back to Jaffar. "Are they always like this, or are they implying something?"

Jaffar shrugged again, looking down the bed to avoid looking at her. Princess Ive didn't move for a long time, but finally stood. Jaffar looked up at her curiously, following her with his eyes. Princess Ive walked over to the door, tried it again, pounded on it, waited for a response, and after not receiving one turned and looked around the room. Then she strode towards the window. Looking over the edge, she came to a conclusion and climbed onto the windowsill.

"Princess?" Jaffar asked, growing slightly alarmed. He walked over towards her and looked at her curiously. "What are you doing?"

Princess Ive turned to face him, still not climbing down from the window. "I'm getting out of here. I have better things to do than wait in here until those two idiots decide to open the door."

"Princess, come down."

Still not obeying, Princess Ive sighed in disgust. "Don't call me princess. I'm human just like everybody else."

Jaffar hesitated. He wasn't usually on first name terms with anyone, much less a princess. When he was the Angel of Death, it was odd to call anyone by their names, especially when you are about to kill the man you are talking to. Soon it just became a habit not to.

"…My lady? You'll hurt yourself."

Princess Ive snorted. She looked like she was ready to comment on either Jaffar's refusal to call her by her first name or his lack of faith, when the door burst open. Jaffar whirled around, braced, when he saw Kent. He had probably finally found the door jammed shut and had forced it open.

But Princess Ive had been startled by the knight's sudden appearance and lost her balance. With a cry she toppled over and out of the open window. With lightning fast reflexes, Jaffar leapt to the window and grabbed her hand, keeping her from falling. Kent yelped in alarm and sprang to help. Soon they had Princess Ive back inside on her feet, while Legault and Matthew laughed hysterically from the door, having to lean against the wall to keep from falling over.

"Kent," Matthew said between laughs, "after we help Jaffar with his social problems, we're helping you with yours." Legault, shaking his head in amusement, agreed.

Blushing, Kent checked to make sure that Princess Ive was all right. After she said so, he coughed uncomfortably.

"I saw that Matthew and Legault had the door jammed shut," he said, scratching his head awkwardly. "I tried to open it but it was a lot harder than it looked."

"It's alright, Kent," Princess Ive reassured him, brushing off her pants. "Really, don't worry about it."

As Kent continued to stammer apologies, Jaffar silently slipped out of the room. In the hallway Matthew and Legault gave him mischievous glances. Jaffar ignored them as he headed down to the first floor.

On the first floor of the inn, there were a few merchants selling odds and ends, but what attracted the most attention was the tavern. It was popular for many reasons, of which were soon forgotten by being drunk from the amount of beer they sold there. Still, they all returned. Jaffar strode silently into the tavern and found a seat in the back corner of the room, out of the way of others. It was the perfect place to think and observe what was around.

What he saw first was Sain, surrounded by half a dozen women. Jaffar closed his eyes quickly. That was something he didn't need to see. Looking on the other side of the tavern he was slightly amused by seeing a few fistfights over the simplest things; not receiving a large enough drink, brushing arms with another man. It was sad how men could turn barbaric over such small things, and 3/4 of them happen in taverns.

But then his eyes fell upon something different. Two men in the opposite corner of the tavern. They were both conversing silently and conspicuously to each other, which was probably why Jaffar hadn't seen them sooner. They didn't attract a lot of attention, much unlike the shouting drunk men. One of the men had a cloak on that covered his eyes and shadowed his face, making it impossible to see any of his features. The other was hidden in the dim shadows of the room and was faced away the mayhem of the tavern, making it impossible to identify him.

The two men talked on for a while. Normally Jaffar would have looked away, uninterested. But something about these men made him curious. They seemed too secretive.

Then the second man did something interesting. Still facing away from the crowd, he placed a small bag on the table. The hooded man pulled it towards him and opened it. He pulled out a coin and examined it. Jaffar blinked in surprise. Was the man being bribed…? Hired…?

Making not a sound, although it wouldn't matter in the din of the tavern, Jaffar crept towards the two men. Making it look like he wasn't walking towards them, he looked from one end of the tavern to the other, as if looking for someone. But still he ducked behind men whenever he could take the chance. It was better not to be seen.

Finally he was close enough to hear the conversation, even over the noise of the drunk customers. Crouching behind two barrels, out of sight, he strained to hear what they were talking about. He came right in the middle of one of their sentences, but still heard enough.

"…is this enough?" the second man was saying.

"Depends. How soon do you want her gone?" the hooded man said, still fingering through the gold.

Jaffar's eyes widened. Did they mean Princess Ive? Was this man hiring the other to assassinate the princess?

"As soon as you can."

"Done."

"And you will not be seen?"

The hooded man laughed. "Don't blink, or you'll miss it."

There was the sound of chairs scraping against the wood floor. Jaffar's heart skipped a beat. They were coming that way. They would see him.

Liaping around the barrels Jaffar threw himself under another table. He held his breath and glanced towards the two men. The hooded man had already disappeared, and the second was now getting ready to go. Curiosity overcame him, and Jaffar glanced up at his face. Leaning down to get a better look at him, Jaffar's blood ran cold.

Rath.

Ducking out of view, Jaffar tried to gather his thoughts as the nomad disappeared from the tavern. Rath? The quiet, mysterious Rath? He paying the other man to kill Princess Ive? Was that even who they were talking about? No. It couldn't be. That was too far fetched. But still…. Probably he should get back to the others.

Jaffar tried to climb out from under the table, but someone grabbed him from the back of the cloak. Jaffar tried to whirl around to see who was there, but he was jerked back violently and painfully into a chair.

"What's this?" someone said. His voice was cold and intimidating. "Did you stick your nose where you shouldn't have?"

Leaping to his feet, Jaffar looked for the first time into the face of who was attacking him. Damn it.

The hooded man stood menacingly before him, his long, jagged sword in hand. "I'll teach you not to listen in on other's conversations," he said, and lunged.

In an instant Jaffar's daggers were in his hands and he had leapt to the side of the man's blow. He was aware of the tavern suddenly being silent, and felt all eyes on him and his opponent. But he concentrated on the man before him.

The two circled each other for a moment like dogs, daring the other to move first. Finally, plainly growing bored of the long pause, the man lunged. Jaffar leapt back and struck forwards in a counterattack, but missed. Jaffar was startled for a moment but soon regained his composure. His opponent was fast and obviously skilled. He would have to be careful.

But no sooner had these words been thought did he mess up. The man leapt forwards again. Jaffar sprang back, but wasn't ready when the man lunged forwards again. The next thing Jaffar knew he was on his back a few feet from a table that was upturned when he had been thrown against it. He tried to get up but was dazed and couldn't see straight. The world spun dangerously. The man picked Jaffar up by his collar. He said something but Jaffar didn't hear. Darkness was taking over his senses as he slipped into unconsciousness. But Jaffar fought it bitterly. He couldn't lose.

The man struck Jaffar hard in the gut. Jaffar lashed out with his fist but the man caught it and threw him harshly against another table. Jaffar stumbled to his feet and staggered back, trying to keep from falling. But his opponent kicked him hard on the chest, shoving him through the backdoor and out to the alley. The man followed.

Jaffar fell back against the opposite wall, breathing hard. The hooded man took long strides and walked right up to him. Jaffar tried to strike out at him, but the man grabbed his wrist and twisted it harshly, forcing Jaffar to his knees to keep his wrist from breaking.

"It looks like you've met your match," the man said, and drew his sword.

Suddenly a voice rang out through the alleyway. "Jaffar!" Princess Ive cried. Jaffar looked up weakly and saw her looking out of the window, a look of horror on her face.

The man looked up too. "What the-?"

Jaffar saw this as an opportunity to turn the tables. With a sudden vicious movement, he swung his foot across and swept the man off of his feet. With a strangled cry the man fell hard on his back. Jaffar threw himself against the man even before he had hit the ground, striking him across the face with a harsh fist. Then with a final blow the man was dead.

Jaffar was breathing hard, his face turned towards the ground when the others finally arrived.

"What the hell was that about?" Legault demanded, startled.

"Who is that?" Princess Ive asked, gesturing towards the unconscious man.

Matthew cried out in alarm, making all of the others jerk violently in alarm.

"What the hell was that about?" Legault demanded, startled as well as furious.

"That's the man who keeps on waking me up!" Matthew cried, pointing at the man. "I told you there really was someone there! See? That's him! I swear!"

Kent blinked. "Really? How did he get out of the tent so fast without us seeing him then?"

Jaffar grimaced bitterly. "He's fast," he said. "Fast and sneaky. He must have climbed out under the back."

Matthew cheered and laughed at Legault and Kent for doubting him while Princess Ive helped Jaffar to his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "I saw you down there with him right there and…"

Jaffar shrugged off her gentle grip, shaking his head. "I'm fine. It was nothing."

Princess Ive looked like she wanted to say more and looked very concerned, but sensed a hint of something in Jaffar's voice that made her hold her tongue. Jaffar turned towards Rath, a dark glare on his face. It was obviously a threat. Rath looked at Jaffar with cool, emotionless eyes. After a moment of staring at each other, Jaffar turned and walked away.

"We should go," Legault said. "We still have a long way to go to Bern."

"But what about him?" Matthew asked, gesturing towards the body.

"What about him?"

"Shouldn't we do anything about its?"

"No. Why?"

Matthew sighed. "Fine. Let's just go."

Kent nodded, but then looked around and frowned. "Where's Sain?"

Jaffar glanced towards the inn. "Look inside the tavern."

Kent hesitantly looked through the tavern door, and nearly fell over in shock. "SAIN!" he cried, and scrambled into the tavern after his companion. The others laughed.

---

During the day, the journey was quiet and slow. The ground was still wet from the other day's shower, so soon the companions were muddy and wet. It made the trip even more miserable.

"Are we almost there?" Matthew groaned, still wiping mud off of his face from when he tripped over a root and fell. Legault had found much pleasure making fun of that, but it soon died down.

"We're only a few days from Bern, Matthew," Kent said, looking over his shoulder at the grumbling thief. "You can last that long."

"Easy for you to say. You're on a horse!" Matthew retorted.

"Well if you could ride a horse, maybe you could get one. But you don't, so you can't."

"What do you expect me to do? Ride through the city on a loud, noticeable horse while I spy on someone? I don't think so!"

"Wait, spy? Matthew, what are you talking about?" Princess Ive asked, looking at him questioningly.

"Gah!"

Jaffar sighed. The wet and uncomfortable weather was making everyone testy, which made the trip even more unbearable. He was on the brink of turning on his heels and running away right there, and in this muddy weather he could probably get away this time.

"Hey! Why does the princess get to ride on the back of Sain's horse!"

Jaffar was jerked from his thoughts as Matthew shouted this at the top of his voice.

"Because the fair Princess Ive shouldn't have to walk in this dreadful weather! That would be uncourteous!" Sain said, looking fondly over at the princess.

"…Sain? That isn't even a word," Princess Ive murmured, looking at him curiously.

"Of course, lovely princess! You are bright, as well as beauteous!"

Princess Ive closed her eyes in disgust, muttering something that sounded a lot like, "…pathetic…"

"I want to ride on Rath's horse!" Matthew was shouting. "I don't see why I should have to walk! I'm just as important as everyone else here!"

Legault laughed. "Only in your mind, Matthew."

Matthew glared. "I'm more important that you think."

Legault just laughed harder, shaking his head in amusement.

Jaffar was feeling very alone in all the din. Was he the only sane one in the group? Probably. Actually, it was just a bit amusing. Rath stared, straight ahead, trying to ignore the two thieves fighting over who gets to ride on his horse. Kent tried to calm Sain down who was bombarding Princess Ive with a string of compliments. And he stood in the middle of it all, pretending like nothing was going on.

Suddenly Jaffar heard something behind them. It was faint, but there was definitely a sound. Jaffar stopped short and whirled around, braced. There was nothing in view, but he was sure there was something there. He felt it.

He was aware of the sudden silence as the others noticed his vigilance.

"Jaffar? What are you doing?"

"What's going on?"

Jaffar ignored the questions, straining to hear anything that might provide a clue. But for several moments, nothing happened. Soon the others grew anxious, then annoyed.

"You're worse than Matthew," Legault said, shaking his head in disapproval. "It's nothing. There's nobody there."

"Come on, Jaffar. We're moving on."

Jaffar didn't move for another few moments, but finally he, too, turned and reluctantly headed off after them. But less then a second later, he heard something again. It was close. Very close. So close that…

With a sudden vicious speed, Jaffar whirled around and slashed out with his daggers. A fighter gave a strangled cry and fell, dead. In an instant the others were ready to fight, seeing and hearing the fighter's death.

"That was supposed to be your job!" Kent shouted at Matthew, Legault and Rath. The three winced and pretended to be preoccupied with their weapons.

Kent, the one with the most leadership in the group, started shouting commands. "Matthew, Legault, go out and try to find the enemy. Rath, pick off as many enemies as you can without getting yourself into trouble. Sain, put Princess Ive down and come with me."

"What? But Princess Ive needs protection!" Sain protested.

"That is what Jaffar was hired for. Now come on, we need to go help Rath!" Kent said and rode off, waving his sword in the air. Sain looked reluctant, but followed.

Jaffar had to stay behind with the defenseless Princess Ive. Battles were Jaffar's favorite thing about the Black Fang. Of course, he had left them, and never would return. But still, to get lost in the thrill of war, to forget your troubles and pains, just worrying about the guy before you trying to cut your throat out.

But now it was different. The goal now was to find a way to get Princess Ive out of the action and to safety.

Looking around for a secretive place to hide, Jaffar grabbed Princess Ive's arm and pulled her away from the path. Out in the open was the worst place they could be right then. They needed shelter.

But the best place Jaffar could find on short notice was a large, thick clump of thorny bushes, off to the side and against a dense bunch of trees. They were tall, taller than he was. They wound around the tree trunk so thickly he could not see the tree behind it. There was no way into them; the branches were too thick. It was perfect, at least, for the time being. It wouldn't defend them against attacks, but if they could not be seen there would be no attacks they would need defending from. Now the only problem was how he was going to get Princess Ive into them.

Then he had a thought. "Wait here," he said in his dark voice, now emphasized by urgency. Princess Ive, looking a little startled at the sudden attack, nodded obediently.

Tucking his still bloody daggers into his belt, Jaffar sprang into one of the trees next to the clump of thorn bushes. He climbed swiftly up, and positioned himself right above a small opening in the middle of the tall bushes. Then he pulled a thin rope from his belt. Tying it securely to one of the thicker branches, he made sure it could land just in the middle of the small clearing. Then, with the rope in his hand, he leapt gracefully back down to where Princess Ive stood, confused.

"Put your arms around my neck," Jaffar said, gripping the rope with both arms.

Princess Ive complied, and once she was securely on Jaffar climbed up the rope. It swung over the clearing, and Jaffar helped the princess down safely. Then he climbed back up and hid the rope in the tree's leaves. He kept it tied so he could help Princess Ive get back out again.

Once Jaffar had leapt down to the clearing again, he told Princess Ive to kneel down, to keep from being seen. But Jaffar winced. The princess' bright clothes stood out against the brown branches, making her visible. Her bright red hair didn't help much, either.

"Get down lower," Jaffar commanded, and shielded her as well as she could. His clothes were made to camouflage, so he was practically invisible in the thick bushes.

Jaffar did not mean for this to happen, and he didn't like it at all. In the cramped clearing, the two had to press against each other to keep from getting scratched by the cruel thorns. It was not one of Jaffar's most pleasurable moments.

Jaffar seemed very tense, not only because he was uncomfortable. He was feeling very vulnerable here, being cramped and caught of guard. If there was someone nearby, they would not be able to get out of the way of an attack before it hit them. At the slightest sound Jaffar jerked to attention, ready to attack if he needed to. Princess Ive noticed his uneasiness.

"You don't have to be so tense," she said. "Sir Kent and Sir Sain will fight off the warriors, and we are well hidden here. It will-"

But suddenly Jaffar cut her off, clamping a hand over her mouth. Peering through the bushes, he saw something move. Jaffar wished with all of his cold, bitter heart that the movement was just the wind moving a bush. But no, they were not so lucky. There was a man, dressed in the garb of a thief, prowling through the undergrowth. Jaffar prayed that he had not heard Princess Ive and knew where they were. But again, lady luck was not shining upon them.

The enemy thief looked in their direction, hidden behind a fern. He thought he was safely out of view, but Jaffar's keen eyesight could see him clearly. The thief's gaze slowly looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. But, unfortunately, he soon found it. The thief's eyes grew wide as he saw Jaffar and the princess, hiding behind the thorn bushes. He leapt to his feet and scrambled away. It took Jaffar a moment to realize that he was going to tell his companions where they were.

Cursing loudly, Jaffar leapt to his feet. He started to go after the thief, but he was already too far ahead. He would never make it to him in time. Now the most important thing was to get the princess out of there. Climbing up the tree and lowering the rope, he ordered for the princess to climb up. Then he helped her back down, untied the rope to hide the evidence of ever being there, and pulled Princess Ive through a clump of trees, looking for anywhere else to hide.

The din of battle haunted their every step. Jaffar was worried that he would turn a corner and run right into a skirmish. But that wasn't what made him so uneasy. He had fought worse than anything they could dish out many times. But if they got involved in a large battle, he could not insure Princess Ive's safety.

But fortunately, Jaffar's luck was not completely gone. They ran on for a long while, untroubled by warriors. There was nowhere safe to hide, so they could only run on and hope to find something. Once they ran into ran into Rath. Princess Ive asked how the fight was going, but the only answer they got was, "bad." Then he rode off before they could ask anything more, his path marked by the twang of a bow.

Finally Jaffar stopped to let Princess Ive catch her breath. She protested that she was fine, but Jaffar ignored her. She was gasping so loud that the enemy on the other edge of the forest could hear her. If she continued, all she would only hurt herself. While Princess Ive caught her breath, Jaffar looked anxiously around, alert.

There was a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. Whirling around, he faced the enemy, braced to attack.

"Jaffar!" Princess Ive cried, pointing to his right.

Jaffar's daggers where immediately in his hands as he followed her gaze and saw a mercenary ready to attack. It wasn't until then that he realized that all around him was mercenaries and fighters. Either this was a coincidence, or that thief had been smarter than he had looked. Dammit, he couldn't believe that he had fallen for that.

"Get behind me," Jaffar commanded, bracing himself, shielding Princess Ive. "Can you use a weapon?"

Princess Ive nodded, pulling a dagger from her boot. Jaffar didn't know if she was afraid, but if she was she was doing a good job hiding it.

Jaffar turned back to the enemy that was now surrounding them, bracing to strike. He waited for them to make the first move. He could easily dodge any attack, so there was no threat there. Now he was just stalling for time, hoping that Sain or Kent would find them before the enemy decided to stop waiting and attack.

But before either of the cavilers arrived, the enemy lost their patience and lunged. With a cry, one of the mercenaries lashed out with his large sword, but Jaffar leapt to the side and lunged forwards in a counter attack. In two quick strikes the mercenary was dead even before he hit the ground. Seeing this the enemy was unnerved, but only for a moment. A second later they were angered over their fallen comrade, and attacked as one. Teeth clenched in bitter determination, Jaffar waited until the enemy was close before he struck back.

The clearing suddenly burst into the sound and sight of battle, with the clanking of weapons and the cries of the dying. Blood stained the once peaceful forest as men fell, dead or wounded. Jaffar did his best to attack whoever got near, but soon the number of men was overwhelming, and it was impossible to protect both Princess Ive and himself, although he did his best.

Princess Ive seemed to be doing well on her own. Not once did she cry out in pain, but in triumph and victory. She wasn't as talented in killing strikes, but could fend off the warriors for long enough to get out of the way.

But soon, the enemy's numbers were too much for only the two of them to fight off. Jaffar lost Princess Ive in the mass of warriors, both dead and alive, although he desperately tried to find her.

Finally the enemies started to disappear. The number of fighting warriors was slowly decreasing, and Jaffar looked anxiously around for Princess Ive, and, finally seeing her, felt a chill crawl up his spine.

She was lying on the ground, motionless.

Swordchick: Wow…the tragedy…it's bugging the crap out of me.

Jaffar: Does that mean the story's over?

Swordchick: No. If Princess Ive is dead, you are the one who has to tell Prince Zephiel.

Jaffar: Hmm…..have a girlfriend, or be tortured for life by an angry prince……I chose the prince.

Swordchick: R&R