A/n: Forever ago was the last update, I know. But here's the thing. I had this chapter written up a while ago, but I just really hated how it sounded. I tried to edit it and it got worse so I just deleted it and started over. That was like two weeks ago. I left it for several days, thinking about what I wanted to happen and how. Finally, the other day I sat to work on it and the sentences and words come and flowed so much better than before. So, although I'm still not perfectly happy with this chapter, it's a far cry better than it was before. After all that, I hope you enjoy this and of course, don't forget to review. :D

Chapter 13

"There it is."

Westley pointed unnecessarily at the castle. They were close now. Close enough to see how many men guarded the only working castle gate, even in the dim torch light that attempted to light the surrounding area. Will mentally counted the guards. There were about thirty-five.

"How do we get in, now that we're here?" Will asked.

Westley smiled. He didn't answer and instead walked over to a large, thick hedge that shielded him from view of the gathered guards. He yanked some branches littering the ground, which Will had thought was a round bush, and revealed a small deep wheelbarrow. From the wheelbarrow, he produced a dark black cloak.

"Quite easily." He began putting the cloak on.

Will quirked an eyebrow. "A cloak, a wheelbarrow and a kerosene lamp?"

Westley smiled again. "Worked once before, didn't it love?"

"It did indeed." Buttercup reached around Westley into the wheelbarrow and produced a box of matches and a lantern full of kerosene.

"What – ?" Will started.

Buttercup giggled at the confused look on Will's face. "It's truly simple, Will." She said. "Westley dresses up in that cloak, a Holocaust Cloak, and stands in the wheelbarrow. We soak the cloak with the kerosene from the lamp, wheel him out towards the guards, and then light him on fire. Westley says some threatening ghostly words, the guards scatter, he sheds the burning cloak, we get the gate key, and we're in."

Will stared at her. "You honestly think that will work?"

Buttercup laughed again. "Well, guards are extremely superstitious, especially when I crazy, scary, on-fire legendary pirate is moving towards them."

"And I told you," Westley added. "It worked once before." He paused. "Though Fezzik's voice is deeper than mine…"

"Where is Fezzik, by the way, darling?" Buttercup asked as she began to soak Westley's cloak with the lantern's kerosene.

"Oh, Inigo said he was visiting his mother in Greenland."

After a few more moments of preparation, the trio moved the wheelbarrow to the fence and gate that came before the courtyard where the guards stood. Westley stood in the wheelbarrow, draped in the long, flowing cloak. Buttercup and Will began to push the wheelbarrow forwards.

In a booming, deep voice, Westley called out, "I'm the Dread Pirate Roberts! I am here, but soon… you will NOT BE HERE!"

Will looked at Buttercup incredulously. "Does this really work?"

Buttercup chuckled. "We told you, it did last time." She paused. "And he doesn't do it quite as well as Fezzik, I don't think." At that moment she struck a match on the side of the wheelbarrow. She used the flame to light the bottom of Westley's cloak, which immediately went up in flames.

"I am the Dread Pirate Roberts! And I'm here, for your SOUL!" Westley continued in that frighteningly deep voice.

Will couldn't help but laugh, as the guards trembled and began to run away.

"BEG for your soul from the Dread Pirate Roberts!" Westley pointed a menacing finger forward at the guards.

The guards continued to scatter in fear of the flaming "spirit". The head guard, Yellin, ran back and forth hollering for his men to stand their ground. He called them cowards and fools. He said he couldn't believe this was happening again and he screamed that no matter what, this time he refused to open the gate.

When the last of the guards had fled, all that was left was Yellin, flat against the gate, looking grimly determined. Westley threw off the flaming robe and stepped gracefully off the wheelbarrow.

"You're not getting through!" Yellin bellowed, his red moustache twitching. "I am NOT giving you the key! Not this time!"

Westley unsheathed his sword at the same instant that Will and Buttercup stepped around to either side of Westley, each with their own swords unsheathed as well. With three long sharp swords pointed at his throat, Yellin offered a quivery smile.

"On second thought," he yanked the gate key from the folds of his clothes. "I have dealt with you before and you seem like a decent fellow." He tossed the key into Westley's hands and bolted faster than his men had.

Westley jingled the key triumphantly. "And we're in."

In mere minutes, Westley, Buttercup and Will were dashing through the castle hallways. They hurriedly disposed of any guards they happened to encounter, and Buttercup lead the way, as she knew the castle's interior best.

"How do you know where they are keeping here?" Will asked, as the three of them made a sharp right turn down a well-lit corridor.

"Simple, really." Westley explained. "He'd start out by keeping her in the highest room of the tallest tower. Once Inigo tried and conveniently failed to rescue her, he will put Ingio in the dungeons, and Elisabeth will be in a room on the entirely opposite side of the castle."

Will half-smiled. "I see you have this all figured out."

Westley smiled back. "Quite."

Buttercup came to an abrupt halt and Westley nearly bumped into her. Will skidded to a stop behind them, narrowly stopping before crashing into them both.

Panting, she stated, "Elisabeth should be in one of the next two rooms, guarded by three guards each." She yanked Yellin's key ring from her pocket. "I'll fetch our Spaniard friend."

"Be careful." Said Westley seriously.

"No trouble at all, darling." Buttercup reassured. She and Westley shared a quick kiss before she dashed off down another hallway.

Westley flexed. "Well, time to get down to business. Ready Will?"

Will chuckled and tensed. "Ready as I'll ever be."

On three, the pair tore around the corner, and began fighting to the six guards standing before them. Two guards immediately threw themselves at Will, who blocked their first attacks with ease. He smiled at them, for he was extremely practiced with a sword and he had fought blood-thirsty pirates before. Small guards were no match for him.

Westley held his own quite comfortably with another two guards, while there were two left to nervously stand watch over each room, hoping their counterparts would prove victorious. Westley blocked and parried, waiting for the opportune moment to strike back. Like when one or the other grew tired, of course.

Will twirled this way and that, surprised by the one guard's expert defense. The other guard really was just waving his sword around dangerously trying to score a hit. Will quickly put that guard out of his way so that he could focus all his energy and skills on the other guard, with the more advanced sword training.

Westley had scarcely disposed of one of the two guards attacking when both of the guards who'd stayed back thus far jumped forward to join in. Westley was unable to see how Will was fairing, though he guessed quite well judging by the fallen guard not far away.

Will parried and blocked repeatedly, just waiting for any moment to strike through a hole in the guard's attacks. He could make out Westley on the other end of the hall, surrounded by no less than three guards. Will intensified his sword strokes in a hope to get to Westley.

Sweat broke out in small beads on Westley's forehead as his sword was one silver blur whipping and weaving in and around three other swords in self defense. He had no openings to attack as the other three swords converged on him and he was continually forced to take several steps backwards to gain some breathing room.

Will aggressively pushed on, and finally in the same instant Will employed Bonetti's defense, the guard tried to attack with an arcing swing. Will found his opening and thrust through. The large and rather skilled guard crumbled with a startled groan to the stone floor. Will took a quick breath and dashed off instantly to Westley's aid.

Westley let his breath out in relief when one, then two guards fell away from him, both shocked when Will was suddenly at their side attacking. The last remaining guard let out a terrified yelp before Westley finished him off. He and Will looked at each other panting.

"Good form." Westley said and wiped his forehead on his sleeve.

"Couldn't let you have them all, now could I?" Will joked with a half-smile.

Westley chuckled.

They took another ten seconds or so to regain their breath before Will looked at the two doors that the set of guards had been blocking entry to. He raised a questioning eyebrow to Westley.

Westley shrugged. "At this point, your guess is as good as mine."

"Right then." Will put his hand on one knob, and Westley did the same on the other door. "One…" he counted.

"Two…" Westley counted.

"Three!" They said in unison and smashed their bodies against the doors they assumed would be locked.

Will's flung open far too easily and he went careening off-balance into a rather shoddy looking store room. Dust coated everything in the darkened room. There were several old trunks, busted torch holders, faded drapes and stained tablecloths, chairs that needed re-upholstering, scratched and broken and a number of other similar things.

"It's a junk room." Will mumbled and wrinkled his nose at the dust he'd kicked up.

At the same moment that Will had burst through his door, Westley had bruised his shoulder on the very solid and locked door before him. He groaned loudly and rubbed his shoulder in the second it took Will to observe the contents of the dingy junk room.

"She's in here… I'm pretty sure." Westley moaned.

Will dashed over to the door. "Elisabeth?" he shouted hopefully through the door.

"Will!" her voice called from the other side. "I didn't know what was going on! Oh, Will!" It was not even slightly difficult to miss the happiness and relief in her voice.

"Elisabeth!" Will had both of his hands flat on the door, as if willing himself to melt through the wood to the other side. His heart swelled – finally, finally he had found her.

Westley smiled through the throbbing pain in his shoulder. "Sorry to break this up, Will, my friend, but your reunion I'm sure will be better spent in each other's arms rather than on opposite sides of a door." he gestured to the door unnecessarily. "And time is running short."

Will nodded and reluctantly moved away from the door. He somehow had the feeling that if he moved too far away, Elisabeth was going to be snatched away from him again.

"Do you have a plan for getting into her room?" Will asked.

Westley shrugged and surveyed the door critically with one eye. "Break it down?"

Will snorted.

"You have a better idea?" Westley challenged.

Will chuckled and readied himself as a reply. "On three, I assume?"

Westley half-smiled. "On three."

"One, two – THREE!" they counted at the same time, and then rushed to the door, ramming their shoulders into the thick wood.

The door shuddered uncomfortably, but that was the extent of the damage to the door. Westley and Will hit the door and fell tumbling backwards from the impact, gasping and clutching their shoulders.

"It didn't work!" Elisabeth shouted from inside her room.

"Really?" Westley gasped sarcastically.

Will squeezed his shoulder in pain. "Brilliant idea." He choked out.

"I asked you if you had a better one." Westley retorted through grit teeth and tried rubbing his shoulder to make it feel better.

"I've got an idea!" Elisabeth called.

There was thumping, the sound of something being banged against metal, and then a loud clank. There were footsteps, followed by several loud, echoing bangs and clanks that rattled the door hard. Suddenly, the loudest clank was followed by a thud, and the doorknob fell off. Elisabeth's fingers poked through the hole where the locked knob had been. The door creaked open and Elisabeth stepped triumphantly through, to gaze down at the two stunned and sore men.

"What'd you do?" Westley asked.

"Those metal bedposts were really only good for one thing anyways." Elisabeth replied matter-of-factly and waved her hand towards the interior of the room. The iron bedpost from her bed had been removed, and Elisabeth had used it to slam down and knock off the doorknob. It had worked better than she had expected, which only made the shock on the mens' faces all the more pleasing.

It was Will who stood first and regained his composure.

"Elisabeth." He breathed, and forgot all about the blunt pain in his shoulder and arm.

She smiled smally. "I knew you would come." She whispered.

They embraced and kissed lovingly before Westley cleared his throat. He was on his feet, dusting himself off. He pointed down the hall in the opposite way in which they had come.

"Let's be off, then." He smirked. "And let's finish off the scumbag who started all this."

A/n: Sounds like Saradon is in trouble now... or is he? I guess you'll just have to wait and see...! Anyways, gimme a review and let me know what you thought, as I am glutton for reviews and they make me very, very happy. :D