Rilian left Estel alone that evening to keep from getting caught. He thought not being found in Estel's room the previous morning was a mysterious blessing and he didn't want to chance it again. Estel heard her door open, but didn't bother to open her eyes since she figured it was Rilian coming back to cuddle. She allowed herself to slip back into her peaceful slumber as a smile spread across her lips.

Dharmesh stared down at her with a stony expression of hate and desire. He caressed her face with a soft finger...as if his hands had never seen a day's worth of hard work. With a wave of his hand, his Calormene guards silently filed into the room through the door he left open. Dharmesh nodded as one of them covered Estel's mouth and nose with a damp cloth. Her eyes popped open as she began thrashing about, but her limbs were quickly restrained by the guards. The chemical that they used on the cloth covering her face began taking its toll, causing her to slowly fall unconscious. Dharmesh watched satisfactorily as she went limp. She was wrapped in a sheet and thrown over the shoulder of one of his guards as they rushed out quickly, trying to be as quiet as possible.
~~~~10 minutes later~~~~
Legolas awoke with a start. He had enjoyed many years of peace at Cair Paravel, so he didn't bother to open his ears for any signs of danger when he fell asleep...but something was certainly amiss tonight. He hopped out of bed and rushed down the hall to the adjoining wing. The first thing he saw was Estel's room door, slightly ajar. His tracking skills immediately alerted him that something was wrong. He rushed into the room and looked around, seeing her vacant and messy bed. A sheet was missing...

Legolas rushed out, yelling loudly, "Guards! Someone fetch my bow! Ready my horse! Wake Queen Susan! Get King Peter and King Edmund! Wake Prince Rilian! My daughter is missing!"


Five minutes later, Rilian, Susan, Peter, Edmund and Legolas were riding as fast as their horses would carry them. A servant had informed them that Dharmesh and his guards were nowhere to be found, so they deduced that he had kidnapped her.

Rilian couldn't think, he couldn't feel...he just had to save her. He had to see that she was alright. His well being no longer mattered...only getting to Estel before it was too late.

Edmund yelled over the thundering of their horses, "How do we know which way they've gone!"

"They won't risk attempting to pass through the desert with the prince and Estel. They have to take a ship past Archenland and land on the Western Calormene shores!" Peter yelled.

Susan didn't realize it, but tears were streaming down her face. Luckily, the wind that rushed by her as she rode dried them immediately. Legolas led the group with a determined look on his face that would frighten any man who crossed him. A few guards were far behind the monarchs, but they refused to slow down. They reached the docks and saw a dot on the horizon, which, they assumed, was the ship Estel was on.

Legolas and Rilian both jumped off their horses and ran to the end of the dock, screaming, "No!" repeatedly. Legolas put an arrow in his bow and aimed, but it was too far...even for an elf. He dropped to his knees as tears formed in his eyes. Rilian shook his head and continued whispering, "No...no...no...no...what now? What do we do now? We have to go get her!"

"We can't...we have to explore diplomatic options. If we rush into that country demanding they hand Estel over, we mine as well prepare for war now." Edmund said.

Peter turned to the guards who were just now arriving, "Send word to the castle...tell King Caspian and Queen Jasmina that the princess has been kidnapped..."


An hour later, the entire family had gathered in the great room at Cair Paravel. Caspian and Jasmina rushed in, hugging Legolas and Susan tightly, "I am so sorry..."

Jasmina fought back tears as she hugged Susan, "What would have possessed him to do such a thing?"

All in the room shrugged their shoulders except Rilian. The previous night, he could have sworn he heard someone at the door as they laid together, but dismissed it at the time. He now realized it was Dharmesh.

Rilian looked down as he spoke up, "It is my fault...he took her because of me."

He felt all eyes turn toward him as he heard his father speak, "What do you mean? This is not your fault."

Rilian kept his eyes to the floor as he nodded, "It is father...I owe the truth to you...to all of you." He finally felt brave enough to look up at the questioning faces before him, "Estel and I are in love."

Some mouths dropped open, some gasped, but the most noticeable response was Susan's. She nodded knowingly and fought back tears as she crossed her arms and turned away as everyone else directed all of their attention to the young man who had made the startling confession.

Caspian stepped forward, "Son...of course you love her-"

Rilian interrupted softly, "No father...we are in love. I've always loved her. She is the love of my life."

Legolas stepped forward, "Did you...did my daughter...did you and my daughter..."

Rilian shook his head fervently, "No! Goodness no! I love her too much to dishonor her! We simply spent time together...we talked quite a lot. We talked last night...and I'm afraid Dharmesh may have heard us. He took her because he felt threatened by what we share."

Legolas clenched his fist as Caspian eyed his son warily, "And why should we believe that you didn't take advantage of her?"

Susan finally spoke up, "Because he didn't! I've seen the way they look at each other...I know they are in love."

Legolas walked over and took his wife's hands, "Why did you not say anything?"

"I did not want to believe it. If I let myself realize that her true love was here, then sending her away to that god awful land would have been even more difficult...and trust me, as her mother, it was already nearly impossible!" Susan's voice shook as tears formed in her eyes again.

Peter stood, "What do we do?"

Caspian looked at his wife, who nodded and smiled softly. He took a deep breath and looked back at his son, "We must send word to King Casimir and Queen Lucy...tell them of Estel's kidnapping. Let them know that if diplomacy fails, we will need them as our allies in a war against the Calormene Empire."


Estel woke up, feeling horribly groggy. At first, she thought the rocking she felt was all in her head, but when her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she immediately realized she was in the under belly of a ship. She sat up quickly, which caused her to feel woozy. She held her head as she heard a voice from the corner of the room, "For a moment there, I thought you would sleep through the whole journey."

Estel attempted to stand, but plopped back down onto the bed, "Dharmesh? Where am I? What is the meaning of this?"

He stood and sauntered over to her with his hands behind his back, "You, my darling, are on my ship and we are taking you to your new home. You failed to inform me that I would need to compete for a hand I already won."

She glared, "What are you talking about?"

Dharmesh's patience was running out. He gritted his teeth, "That vile prince...Rilian. I heard you two in your room last night...whispering like lovers in the moonlight. Sickening! You belong to me! Your hand was promised to me!"

Estel clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes, "I belong to no one! Especially a pampered little princeling like yourself! I love Rilian and there's nothing you can do to change that."

Dharmesh quickly delivered a stinging slap to the side of her face, causing her head to fling sideways. She could tell there would be a bruise there the next day.

She glared at him and held her face as he straightened his robe and cleared his throat, "My darling...you really mustn't say such terrible things. Do you see what you've made me do?"

Estel snatched away from him when he tried to touch her and delivered a swift kick to his shin before pushing him out of her way with all of her might. She rushed up the stairs and burst through the door that led to the ship deck, but was greeted by a group of Calormene guards and crew members.

Dharmesh rushed on deck holding his shin and muttering curses under his breath, "Bind her hands and put her back below!"

A few minutes later, Estel sat on the bed below deck trying to figure out how to get out of the rope that kept her hands bound together.

Dharmesh arrived back down below deck, breathing out and smiling brightly, "Well...I knew you were a bit uncouth, but I didn't realize I had a little fireball on my hands. Do not worry, darling. I will teach you how to behave soon enough."

She said nothing and turned away from him as he continued speaking and walking toward her, "Do you know why I chose you of all women, Estel? I have seen and been with several women, but none were as breathtakingly beautiful as you...your eyes...those odd little freckles...your full lips...your body." She eyed him cautiously as he quickly bent down, forcing his way between her legs. He grabbed her bound hands and pinned them above her head as he ran his tongue up her neck, causing her to close her eyes and cringe, "We can have just a bit of fun before our wedding night, yes?"

He began greedily running his hands over her body as she whimpered softly. He smirked as he started to reach a hand underneath her skirt, but his ministrations were stopped when they both heard someone call, "Land ho!" from the ship deck.

Dharmesh growled in frustration as he looked down at her, "We will definitely continue this later..."

Estel closed her eyes and prayed to Aslan that Dharmesh would never have the chance to finish what he attempted to start.


Enjoy!