A/N: Oh, I forgot to mention that I finally read the prequel Tournament of Gorlan. Absolutely loved it! I must admit, there were a few times I thought, "Is this filler? Did he mean to go back and add more here?", but overall amazing story! I now must power through Graduation Day and Four...then I'll let you all know how I like the Brotherband Chronicles.

Hammy: Haha...love the guesses. Because you are one of my favorite people, here's a fast update :)

Disclaimer: I'm not John Flanagan.

Reese sat with Gabe and Hazen the morning of Gabe's wedding. Gabe had already enjoyed an early breakfast with his parents, cousins, and newly returned sister and brother-in-law and was now enjoying a moment of peace before he became swamped with people demanding his attention for day-of ceremony preparations. Lorelei had likely forgone a formal breakfast in favor of her own prep, which would take several more hours than that of the men. Gabe's other groomsmen included Neil, Joel (his Academy roommate), and because Lorelei insisted on Mara being a junior bridesmaid he invited Horace III to join as her escort. Lorelei thought it sweet the young Araluen prince would escort their young Hibernian princess, but really Gabe chose him to keep the peace with Carter and Max, both of whom gagged at the thought of walking down with Mara. Horace III didn't mind. If anything he was happy to have a job. Like Gabe, Horace III often got the shaft when it came to the dividing duties between heirs. That was the cost of being so far down the line.

But for now, Neil was settling into his new apartment with Elizabet and Noah. He'd join them in a couple of hours, once he'd had some time to rest and gather himself post-honeymoon. Joel was currently being trained in a special program that would eventually put him as a personal guard of the royal family. He was needed at a security meeting with Warden and Daniel before joining their party. Though he wouldn't have a rotation or post, Joel needed to be in the know of procedures in place for 'just in case' purposes. Gabe was confident that if Elizabet's wedding went off without a hitch his would too, but still protocol was protocol. Horace III would join much later, close to the last possible minute. His mother gladly took charge of his prep and promised to have him delivered to Gabe's rooms clean and ready at exactly one hour before the ceremony.

The three princes sat watching the sunrise with their feet hanging off the balcony in a most unprincelike fashion, however even Hazen was at ease for now.

"So, which of you will be next?" Gabe teased. The crown heirs both laughed uneasily. Neither was ready to settle down, something Gabe knew full and well. The three turned their attention to the long line of people waiting to get into the castle. Lorelei wasn't particularly vain, but she did want a show of a wedding. Gabe agreed to whatever would make her happy and things quickly spun out of control. No one could rein her in, something Gabe actually admired about her, even if it meant a large wedding for him. She'd poured herself into planning every detail to ensure their day was perfect.

"So many flowers," Reese commented. "I hope no one has allergies."

"Lorelei likes flowers," Gabe sighed with a grin on his face. "We're moving into a set of rooms with a large private garden when we return from the honeymoon. She chose the garden over a spacious master bedroom."

"She'll be a good addition to the family," Hazen assured him. "I think she'll be the only woman that thoroughly enjoys putting on grand balls and all that."

"Like Aunt Rosalina," Reese added. Gabe chuckled.

"She went to the Academy, you know. She's a trained agent."

"If she's an agent then why is she marrying you? Why is she not on some mission deeply undercover?" Reese asked. He kept his tone teasing, but really he was curious. It sounded as though she'd been on a path he may have taken if it weren't for his crown.

"I don't know," Gabe answered, honesty clear in his voice. "I'm glad she is though."

Then, they heard a scream.

Followed by another.

And another.

All belonging to young girls.

The three princes scrambled to their feet.

"Where did that come from?" Reese demanded. Though he had visited Roscrea regularly, he still didn't know the ins and outs of every passage in the castle. The screaming continued, giving the young men direction. All three drew knives, and all three wished they had their swords. Hazen pulled ahead and opened a hidden servant's door. They herded down the spiral staircase to the floor below, going for the screams.

They weren't the only ones in pursuit. Everywhere soldiers abandoned their posts as the screams grew greater in number. Reese's heart dropped when he saw Ranger Daniel and Captain Warden barking orders to every man and woman in a uniform. They surrounded a single door, each taking a running start and throwing their bodies against its solid frame to no avail.

"What's happening?" Reese demanded.

"That's Lorelei's door," Gabe whispered. The screams clearly came from inside. Gabe stormed over to Warden. "You have to get in!"

"We're working on it, Your Grace," Warden replied through gritted teeth. Reese stepped away from the commotion. He had to think. Even going three at a time, the men's weight wasn't enough to sway the door. The screams were growing louder inside. Smoke was seeping from underneath. Daniel gave the order for some of the soldiers to fetch water and sand buckets while the others continued trying to break down the door. Its lock was designed to be difficult to pick, and while Ranger Daniel at the very least was capable of doing just that, they didn't have the time. The door needed to come down. Now.

Reese turned his back on the scene. He searched the hallway for something that could be of use. A tool. An axe would be good. His eyes settled on a solid iron statue of some old king holding his sharp sword up in the air.

That'll do, he thought. He rushed over and attempted to lift it, only to find it was too heavy for one man. Hazen must have been watching, because he rushed over and took the other side.

"Together," Hazen said.

"Together," Reese agreed. "One, two…"

The young men lifted the statue.

"Make way!" Hazen shouted. The mostly Hibernian force was used to hearing Hazen's voice give commands. They parted like water as the crown heirs rushed the door. The pointed tip made contact with the wood beautifully. It split and splintered, but did not give way. They backed up and rammed again. This time the door split clear through to the other side. They pulled the statue back and set it aside. Warden kicked at the weakened area until the hole was big enough for a small child to come through. They needed to make it bigger, but small children were already taking advantage of the hole that was just their size.

The first one through was Jasmine. Warden caught his daughter and pulled her away from the smoke. She was covered head to toe in ash and she hacked with great heaves.

"Jasmine," Warden whispered. "What happened?"

As Jasmine struggled to answer, Mara came through next. Warden pulled her into his safe embrace as well. He held the two girls tightly while Reese and Hazen lifted the statue for one more show of force. This time, they swung and released the statue point first into the weakened area. The heavy statue crashed through to the other side, creating enough space for the rest of the women to get free. Maids, Lady Carissa and Lady Alicia, Lorelei's mother and both her sisters poured out. The moment they were clear Ranger Daniel forced his way in. The moment he was clear of the door the flames engulfed the door. Ranger Daniel ran further in. The heat forced everyone around to retreat. Just in time, because those went for water were coming back in a line. They began passing their buckets in a rhythm, sending the emptied vessels back down the line to a garden well down the hallway.

"Where's Lorelei?" Gabe demanded of each woman who came out. His panic and the smoke were doing him in. His lungs had been bad as a child and not much better as an adult. If he didn't get away from the smoke he could find himself in danger. Reese grabbed Hazen's shoulder, pulling him away from Warden and the girls.

"Mara's fine," Reese told him. "Gabe won't be if he stays near the smoke."

Hazen nodded understanding and rushed his cousin. He strong-armed Gabe back down the hallway. Gabe attempted to fight, but he'd never been much of a fighter. His weakened lungs had always made sure of that. Hazen almost too easily subdued him to safety. Reese, however, had no such problems with his lungs. He took a deep breath and stormed the remains of the door before the fire could swell again.

"Daniel?" he shouted. "Lorelei?"

"Here!" a voice replied. It was male. Ranger Daniel.

Reese made his way over to the Ranger Commandant. He knelt next to an unconscious Lorelei. Whether she passed out due to smoke or the gash on her head they couldn't know, but either way she needed medical attention. Now.

"Can you carry her?" Daniel asked. Reese nodded. "Good. Get her to the medical wing. Now."

"What about you?" Reese asked as he scooped Lorelei up in his arms.

"I'm going to make sure no one else is in this room. I'll meet up with you outside. Go!"

Reese wanted to stay to help, but knew Lorelei wouldn't make it if she remained here. Already his own lungs screamed for oxygen. Reese hurried back towards the door. The water buckets were coming systematically now, and as Reese carried Lorelei towards the Hibernian medical wing he saw even more people were coming out to join the line.

"Reese!"

Reese turned to see Mason and Scout running towards him. They were both clearly in a panic. His head spun. He felt Lorelei's weight taken from him. Mason. Another set of arms came under his, bracing his weight. He refocused. Scout pulled his arm over her shoulders and led him to the wall.

"Where is Mara?" she demanded once he was sitting on a bench. "And Hazen?"

Reese tried to answer but found his dry throat was beyond speech. He pointed down the hall. He felt Scout's fingers run through his sweaty hair.

"Reese?" her voice demanded. Reese tried to focus on her. It was a struggle to focus on anything. Her hand pressed something into his. A…flask? "It's ginger tea," she told him. "It will hold you over until you can get water. Stay here, understood?"

She didn't wait for an answer. She was off before he could even get the cap off. The moment liquid touched his lips he began coughing. He barely got a swallow in before he felt his stomach wretch. He put his head between his knees, hoping to get his sense straight. He felt a hand on the back of his neck.

"Reese?"

Robin.

"Reese, are you alright?"

It took over an hour to get the flames under control. Twenty-two people, including Lorelei, were sent to the medical wing for long term recovery while everyone else would be fine with simple patch jobs. Needless to say, the wedding was off.

Still, the castle chef had prepared an elaborate feast. Kitchen servants plated the food and set them out to be collected by anyone who felt able to eat it. The entire Araluen and Hibernian families gathered in a courtroom, the only space large enough to hold all of them safely. Empress Sun joined them with Kaito, Kaito's father Hiro, and four of her own personal guards. The fire had been declared an arson, prompting many of their special guests to leave with haste. The only ones missing were Gabby and Prince Ace, both of whom volunteered their services to the overcrowded medical wing, and Gabe who refused to leave Lorelei's side.

"Who would do this?" Anamaria sighed.

"We all have enemies. Take your pick," Kineta snapped. Though she'd calmed down in her old age, she took attacks to her family personally. "They attacked Lorelei."

"We don't know that," Warden pointed out calmly. "Several important women were in that room. We are still waiting to see if all are accounted for."

"Then why are you not out there counting?" Kineta demanded. "Aren't you supposed to be in charge of security these past two weeks?"

"Kineta, that's not fair," Sean pulled his wife back gently.

"I don't care!" Kineta shouted.

"Kineta," Liam whispered. He and Talia both joined Sean in his attempts to calm her.

"Mama?" Mara whispered. Scout crossed over to her daughter, putting the spat between her cousin and trusted friend behind her. She sat next to her daughter and cooed over her, whispering words of comfort.

Reese crossed to Hazen. "Three princes were sitting in the open on a balcony," he said. "Two of which were crown heirs."

"Yes," Hazen said absently. His focus had been on his little sister since she came out of the burning bridal suite. "So?"

"So why were the girls attacked? Why not us? Why were they special today?"

"If Lorelei was the target then…"

"Several other important women were in that room."

"Sure, but why choose that room to attack? Lorelei has been staying in it over a month."

"So if Lorelei was the target, why choose her wedding day to attack, when so many others were coming and going? It would have made the mission more dangerous."

"Or easier. The arsonist could have posed as anything from a dressmaker to kitchen boy. No one would have questioned them."

"I give Captain Warden and Ranger Daniel more credit than that."

"Who do you think the target was?"

The door opened. An Araluen Ranger dressed in his usual mottled uniform stepped in. "I believe I can answer that," he said. Daniel met him halfway. He put his hood down. The blonde curls and blue eyes were unmistakable.

"Russ?" Robin asked as she stood. "What are you doing here?"

"I asked him to come undercover," Daniel explained. "I kept only those who needed to know in the loop."

"You've been here this whole time?" Elizabet asked. Russ nodded.

"You were beautiful, by the way. Neil, you'd best take good care of her."

"Uh…of course," Neil stammered. He still wasn't used to Araluen Rangers coming and going as they pleased unescorted, even in Hibernia.

"Mara's accounted for," Scout stepped in, pulling her daughter forward. "She's safe."

"That's because they took the wrong girl," Russ said sadly.

"Who did they take?" Scout asked, surveying each of the little girls. Everyone else mentally began their roll call. Jasmine huddled in her mother's lap, as did Halle. Mara held her mother's hand. Iris and Lily were both latched onto their father's sides. He kept his hands on each of them, ready to strike the poor soul who tried to take either away. Anne curled up next to her father. "Where's Maggie?"

"With her mother," Daniel answered. The doors opened again.

"No she's not," Julia shouted. Her temper rivaled that of Kineta. "I followed those bastards as far as I could. Daniel, they have our little girl."

"What?" Daniel demanded flatly. He turned to Mara and then Jasmine. Both were shaking with fear, their eyes overflowing with tears.

"What happened?" Warden asked gently, leading Jasmine away from Carissa to Mara's side. He knelt down in front of both, holding each of their hands while everyone else stared. "It's alright. You girls can tell me."

"Th-th-the man came. He w-w-w-wan-t-ed M-m-ara," Jasmine stuttered through her fearful weeping. "H-he said he w-wou-ld k-kill us if sh-she didn't go."

"Mara," Scout said, kneeling next to Warden so she faced her daughter. "Why didn't you run for a guard?"

"I did," Mara whispered. Her words were clearly than Jasmine's, though her volume rivaled that of Elizabet's when she struggled to speak. "That's when he jammed the door and started the fire."

"Then he demanded Mara go with him over the balcony," Jasmine continued, having collected herself just long enough to get that bit out.

"No one else saw this?" Warden asked, glancing over to Carissa. She'd been in the bridal suite the entire time the girls had been there. It'd been her who brought them over.

Both girls shook their heads. "He brought chocolates and hid in the corner so we could have the first ones," Mara whispered. She stared at the ground, clearly ashamed of falling for such a simple trick. "Then he asked for me…I didn't give him my name though. I went for a guard after he said he wanted me or he'd kill all of us."

"But…Jasmine, what did you and Maggie do?" Warden pressed. Daniel and Julia now hovered behind Warden and Scout, both fuming for answers.

"I was too scared," Jasmine whimpered. "But Maggie…"

"What did Maggie do?" Julia demanded when Jasmine faltered. Carissa touched her arm but she jerked it away.

"Maggie put on Mara's crown. It was laying on a table waiting to be polished," Jasmine whispered. "That's when they took her."

"She pretended to be Mara," Warden sighed. He looked back at Daniel and Julia. "She did what she knew she'd be trained to do once they were of age and Mara took her as a lady-in-waiting."

"Maggie wasn't going to be Mara's lady-in-waiting," Julia argued.

"The girls have been talking about it at their sleepovers," Carissa explained further, putting her face in her hands. "Maggie missed Hibernia. She and Mara were asking me about lady-in-waiting training and how old Mara would have to be before she got one."

"She didn't say a word to us," Daniel said, his anger building.

For the first time in her entire life, Anne spoke up without being prompted. "She didn't want to make you mad."

Julia turned to Daniel. "We are getting our little girl back," she growled.

"We will," he promised her. "Russ, start following them. Mark your trail so we can follow."

Julia went to Scout, tears finally falling one at a time from the corners of her eyes. "I want you with me in this," she whispered.

"Julia…"

"Please," Julia said, though her tone made it more of an order than a request. "Please," she repeated in a softer voice. "This is what you were good at when we were younger. Just…please, Scout."

Scout nodded. She turned to her husband. Without missing a beat, Mason turned to Sean and Kineta.

"Will you two resume your former duties until we have Maggie back?"

"You plan to join the search as well?" Sean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was trained as a Ranger. I can be of use."

"Of course we will take over until you return," Kineta snapped. She wanted to go looking for Maggie too, but knew her age had caught up with her. She looked over to Hazen. "I suppose Hazen will be joining us for the learning experience?"

"No," Scout said. "He's joining the search."

"Me?" Hazen repeated.

"Yes. You," Mason agreed. "You and Reese."

"Me?" It was Reese's turn to be surprised.

"Yes. You," William nodded. "You and Hazen rush to catch up with Russ. He will be your team leader."

"But…"

"Go!" Scout, Mason, William, Anamaria, and Daniel all shouted at once.

Reese and Hazen both knew they needed to act fast now that their orders had processed in their minds. Each rushed to their rooms, quickly packed, and then went down to the stables. They saddled their horses and tore off in the direction Russ had gone in hopes of catching up to him. They'd just almost closed the gap when a fourth rider joined them.

"Robin?" Reese asked. "Your parents ask you to come too?"

"No," Robin answered. "I'm here on my own."

"Why?"

"Because if whatever started this warranted Ranger Daniel to send my brother undercover to a family gathering, we will need someone well connected by the end."

"You consider yourself well connected?" Hazen asked.

"Yes," Robin answered plainly. "I do."