A/N: According to a fan site, the pineapple clip was cut out. You'd think they'd at least put it on YouTube if they're going to talk about it so much later :(

TheRanger'sDaughter: Oh, Mr. Joey's a bigger bastard than you know. You'll find out just how big later on.

AER: See above.

Aubrey: They did a good job making a bunch of people mad for sure.

Disclaimer: I'm not John Flanagan.

Men outside were trying to get into Lorelei's room.

How they found them, they didn't know. Why they chose to target them, they didn't know. No one in that room was an heir. Elizabet had a title, but it was more of an honorary thing. She wasn't an heir. Perhaps those outside didn't know that.

But if that were the case, how did they know she was here?

Anne shrank into a corner, terrified. She let out a fearful squeak each time the men outside pounded against the door. They'd already overturned two of the cabinets with their attempts. Kane and Elizabet struggled to brace what was left of their barricade. Gabby stayed by Lorelei's bed, administering dose after dose of warmweed. They hadn't been able to find the chloroform. All Gabby had was warmweed, which wouldn't safely knock her out. The dose that could do that would also have a good chance of killing her.

Then there was Alicia. Prim, proper, frightened Alicia. When the first cabinet fell she'd become paralyzed with fear. Kane and Elizabet both tried snapping her out of it, but she wouldn't go near the door. They tried enlisting her to help Gabby, but the pressure of the situation kept her against the wall sobbing harder than Anne.

Useless.

"We can't hold them much longer," Kane said through gritted teeth. Elizabet could only imagine the pain he was in as he continued bracing the door. Elizabet's mind raced.

"Gabby, is there anything in this room that would hurt them if we threw it on them?" she asked.

"Hurt them?" Gabby repeated. She'd broken a sweat trying to concentrate on Lorelei and block out whatever she heard outside.

"Blind them," Elizabet replied. "Scorch them…something a splash to the face would do some damage."

Gabby took her hand away from Lorelei and held it to her forehead, trying to think. The door pounded again. Anne yelped. Lorelei groaned with unimaginable pain.

"There's lye soap bars in the bottom right cabinet of the cleaning station. Boil it down into a liquid base."

Lye. Perfect. Elizabet remembered accidentally sticking her finger in a not-yet-cool vat while helping a maid when she was younger. It'd scorched her skin so badly she kept it bandaged for over a week. Getting a full dose to the face? That would slow them down.

"Go," Kane ordered her through gritted teeth as the door pounded again. "Now!"

Elizabet found the lye bars and put them into a pot. She quickly used flint and coals from the fireplace to start a small fire in the corner, thankful this room had a stone floor. The pot was designed to heat its contents quickly, as it was meant for medical purposes rather than cooking. While the lye bars melted, Elizabet found five smaller bowls to divide portions into.

"Alicia," Elizabet tried once more. "Go help Kane."

Nothing. The lady-in-waiting couldn't move. Elizabet sighed. She went to help Kane brace the door until she heard the satisfying bubbling of lye on the floor. She rushed over and went to work dividing the portions.

"Elizabet?" Kane signaled through gritted teeth. Elizabet looked up. The door was open. The men just had to power through the barricade and they'd be overtaken. Elizabet finished pouring in her corner and palmed two of the bowls just as they crashed through. Kane couldn't move out of the way fast enough. He managed to protect his head before the glass shattered against the floor, pinning him down. While he struggled to free himself, four men came rushing in.

Gabby, unable to see what was happening, put a protective arm over Lorelei, hovering it just high enough she wasn't actually touching her. One of the men grabbed Gabby and threw her to the ground.

With Gabby down, Elizabet had a clear shot. She rushed the first two, shoving the bowls of hot lye into each of their faces. They recoiled back, shouting in pain. They stumbled into their two friends, who shoved each aside. Elizabet didn't have time to carefully palm more bowls. She picked one up and flung it at the closest invader. Its contents splattered. Some spun sideways, meeting Anne's boot. The leather protected Anne from noticing. Some landed just an inch away from Lorelei's bandaged arm. Elizabet caught a bit of the splatter herself on her bare collarbone. She began to reach out to touch it, but it wasn't enough to do real damage and touching it would only make it worse. Elizabet forced her hand down and went to get the other two bowls. Kane was free of the cabinet now, but his own pain was overtaking him. He managed to get his sword. He used the fallen cabinet to get to his feet.

Elizabet palmed the last two bowls, determined not to waste them as she had the third. One of the untouched attackers went for Kane. The other went for Elizabet. Elizabet had no choice. She lunged at him with both bowls. He attempted to keep going, but the lye dribbled over his face, causing immense pain. Elizabet stepped out of his path and shoved him away from Gabby. Elizabet wasn't strong enough to slam him against the wall, but his unsteadiness helped her apply more force than she would have otherwise been able to do. He shouted out, causing Anne and Alicia to cry out as well.

Kane's sword cleanly impaled his own assailant. He stepped aside, let the body slide off his blade onto the ground, and doubled over in his own pain, unable to keep himself up. Blood spilled over the floor. Elizabet felt a bit dizzy but managed to keep herself together. She leapt over the body, caught Anne, and pulled the young girl to her feet before the spill could reach her.

Alicia shrieked in terror. Elizabet set Anne next to Kane, who had managed to hunch over on his knees. The sticky red soaked through his trousers. He held Anne's hand and instructed her to remain standing, where her boots would protect her from feeling the blood as they had the lye. The smell made Elizabet want to wretch. Anne needed to be removed, but they still had three very conscious invaders writhing on the ground with their hands to their faces. Lorelei was in immense pain, as was Kane. Gabby was moving, but had yet to get back to her feet. Her face twisted as though she were in pain herself. Elizabet retrieved Kane's sword from the ground and held it out towards their invaders.

Finally, help arrived. Warden led a group of soldiers into their room. He actually chuckled a bit when he saw Elizabet standing over three captives holding a sword bloodied with their fourth companion.

"This will be an interested report to write up," he mumbled. He motioned for his men to take the three living men into custody and to remove the fourth's body. He went over to Anne first, kneeling next to her so he wasn't in the blood. "Remember me, Anne?"

"Captain Warden," Anne replied quickly, as though he'd promised her some prize if she got it right. Elizabet knew that wasn't the case. Anne wanted to leave this bloody room. Warden could help her leave. Elizabet went to stamp out her fire while Kane told Anne he and Gabby would meet her later, and that the woman in Warden's unit would keep her safe until that time came.

"Take her to Carissa," Warden instructed the middle aged woman. "Then report back to me."

The woman nodded and carried Anne away, whispering soothing words to her as they walked. Warden turned to Kane next but Kane shook his head.

"Gabby," he ordered, his voice tight.

Elizabet glanced to Alicia while Warden went to Kane's wife. Her lady-in-waiting had reduced the shrieks to sobs. She went over to her and offered her hand. Alicia took it. Elizabet pulled her to her feet and searched her eyes, looking for some kind of sense left. There was none. Alicia was spent. She couldn't be expected to take orders in the aftermath.

"Go home," Elizabet whispered to her. "Find me when you're ready to return to duties."

Alicia didn't have to be told twice. She darted off, bumping her head on a low board they'd used in the barricade as she went. The bump didn't even faze her. Elizabet went to Warden's side. He supported Gabby's back as she sat up. She was trying to assess herself, but kept groaning when she tried to move her left arm. Warden motioned Elizabet to find supplies. Elizabet didn't have to ask what kind. Gabby's arm needed to be immobilized. Elizabet remembered watching her mother set Gabe's arm when he fell from a tree during a family picnic. Well…he'd jumped but they let their parents believe he'd fallen.

Elizabet returned with the splint and helped Warden set Gabby's arm in it.

"Best you let someone else treat this," Warden whispered to Gabby while he fashioned a sling from the scarf she'd used to tie up her hair when treating Lorelei. "It doesn't look good."

"Doesn't feel good either," Gabby mumbled.

"Can you stand?"

"Where's Kane?"

Of course. Kane and Gabby couldn't go long without worrying for one another.

"I'm right here," Kane assured her. He sounded more relaxed than earlier, like some of the pain was easing up. "I'll be fine, Gabs. Go get your arm looked at."

Warden helped Gabby to her feet. He kept an arm around her back to guide her through the rubble and held her head down when he led her through what was left of the barricade. He passed her off to a nurse outside and then returned to the room. Elizabet knelt next to Kane, not caring if more blood got on her dress. Now that the invaders had been removed medical staff went into full swing. A young assistant immediately put Lorelei back under with chloroform and two maids got to work cleaning up the remains of the squirmish. Warden and Elizabet each took one of Kane's arms over their shoulders and stood him up. Elizabet was two inches shorter than Warden, but her heeled boots made them even enough Kane could balance his weight between them.

"You need to get looked at too," Warden ordered.

"Well, it appears my usual physician isn't available."

"You're in luck. Hibernia has the best in the business."

Kane chuckled. Warden and Elizabet walked him out slowly, taking time to readjust the rubble so he wouldn't have to duck under the low board. They took him to an empty room and helped him sit on the bed. A nurse followed them in, did a quick assessment, and assured them he'd be taken care of. Warden and Elizabet went back to the hallway. As they walked towards the entrance of the medical wing Warden filled her in on the attack.

"Twelve so far. All are accounted for," he told her. "Your aunt has confirmed their mark is the same one the man who took Maggie had."

"Tammy?" Elizabet asked. She'd been so caught up in what was happening she realized she didn't know how any of her family was. "Is she safe?"

"Yes. She and your father were in the Scribe offices handling her divorce. They actually didn't know we were under attack until it was almost over."

"My mother?" Elizabet demanded next.

"Your mother used to have my job before marrying King Sean. She's fine. She was in Scout's office alone when three came in."

"And? Is she hurt?"

"Are you kidding? She killed all three and then sat to finish her stack of reports before she lost her place."

Elizabet chuckled at that. It sounded like her mother, who was as fierce with her enemies as she was gentle with those she loved. Her father said that came from her red hair. "What about Neil?" she went on. "And Noah?"

"Unaccounted for so far," Warden told her. "Do you know what their plans were for today? None of my units have reported seeing them."

"Um…" Elizabet searched her mind for what Neil had said he'd do that morning. Waking up next to him seemed like a lifetime ago. "Neil was going to try his hand at finding Alicia a new post. Noah had lessons."

Warden nodded. "I'll go check out the tutoring rooms for Noah. If Neil was job hunting for Alicia he could be anywhere. He's probably safe. I doubt the twelve were checking the job postings in ladies' parlors."

Elizabet laughed nervously as she realized that Alicia's actions in that room were grounds for dismissal. She'd failed to follow direct orders. Yes the situation had been a stressful one, but a lady-in-waiting should be prepared for anything. Carissa was.

No, Elizabet thought to herself. Alicia was probably sobbing in her room trying to scrub the blood from her clothing worrying over just that. Alicia wasn't a good fit for Elizabet's service, but she didn't deserve to be thrown out over this.

"Are you alright, Caterpillar?" Warden asked seriously, using the childhood nickname he'd given her when he took her and Scout into hiding during a similar attack. His concern for her always felt so…genuine. It was like he truly made her family's safety his top priority, as though they didn't pay him. She knew he'd once felt something for her cousin, but those feelings went away a long time ago. The same could be said for Ranger Commandant Daniel and Professor Tucker back at the Academy. The three had all gone for her while Mason, whom Scout ultimately chose, waited quietly in the background. He hadn't fought for her the way the others had, yet all were close friends now. Tucker had even married Scout's sister, while Daniel fell for her Academy roommate and Warden went for someone who was like her cousin…and Daniel's little sister. Elizabet wondered how they'd all remained such good friends. Perhaps it came from facing too many situations like the one she'd just been in together.

"I'm fine," Elizabet assured him.

"None of that is yours?"

Elizabet followed his gaze down to the blood on her dress. "No."

"Good."

They exited the medical wing and Warden escorted her to the courtroom her parents and Tammy were regrouping in. Her mother saw her first and looked her over. She asked who the blood belonged to and, once Elizabet assured her it wasn't hers, embraced her tightly along with Tammy.

"I'm going to the tutoring rooms to search for Noah," Warden told Sean while the women hugged. "The prisoners should be ready to talk by the time I find and return him to Elizabet."

Sean nodded. "Prisoners, Captain?"

"I don't know the whole story, but when I found your daughter there she was standing over three living assailants holding a bloody sword."

Everyone turned to stare at Elizabet. She shifted her weight uneasily. "Uh…"

"Write up a report," her father ordered her. He ran his fingers through his hair as he shook his head. "Not the child I expected that from."

Elizabet went to a desk in the corner, usually meant for a secretary, and helped herself to a pen, ink, and paper. Tammy hovered near her while her parents went back to directing staff and soldiers.

"Are you hurt?" Tammy whispered to her.

"No," Elizabet assured her. "But Kane and Gabby were. Do you think you could go stay with them? Anne was taken to Carissa, but Gabby hurt her arm and I'm sure the medical wing will turn into a circus soon if it isn't already. I'd feel better if she had someone with her. Kane had to go to a different room for his back."

Tammy nodded, glad to have something to do. She stroked Elizabet's hair one more time before heading for the medical wing. Elizabet took a deep breath and began writing, retelling the story of what happened in Lorelei's recovery room.