ah yes, the next bit :D picking up the pace a bit, dont be scared by scene ahead! lol, nah its not to bad...i hope looks nervous anyways, always appreciate reviews, sorry about my spelling of 'swear' and on with the story!

Chapter 15: Speeding things up

"Did you put salt on the ice?"Mazid looked up from his book to give Arash an irritated glance, which only enraged the young man further.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't start with me! She's eight years old!"

"And you should have pushed her under, not pulled her out!"Mazid yelled."No, I didn't put salt on the ice. However I wont deny that I suggested it."

"You son of a-"

"Who do you think you are?"Mazid snarled."Standing up for that brat?"

"She's just a child!"

"She's a menace! I want one of them dead, Arash! Before the week is out!"

"You ask a lot from me, father."

"But you must pay a heavy price if you don't."he said in a terrifyingly quiet voice."I will give you to the end of the week, but I am getting impatient with your constant delaying. So I am going to speed things up a bit."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, when my plan is put into motion, you'll have to fight to keep that monster out of your bed."

"She is not-"

"Arash, be silent!" he screamed, standing and hitting the young man hard. Arash managed to stand his ground, ignoring the blood running from his nose."You will do as I say."Arash glared, then turned and stormed from the room.

Miniual had a strictly family birthday, and Elboron and Faramir soon appeared to say their farewells.

"Don't leave it so long for your next visit."Miniual said as she hugged Elboron. He grinned.

"I won't. I'd come more often but duty calls, I'm afraid."she smiled gently.

"I know."she said, glaring as her brother smirked at her.

"Farewell."he and Faramir said in unison, and headed for the stables.

"Elboron, wait a minute!"Miniual called, hurrying outside and tripping in the snow. Dúniel laughed and went to help but Elboron got there first, helping the giggling teenager to her feet.

"Thanks."she said breathlessly.

"What does my princess require?"he asked, completely unaware Dúniel and his father watched them with smug grins.

Miniual leaned forward and kissed him gently, then pulled back and hurried to her sister, who held her close. Elboron stood stunned for a moment, then smiled broadly. Nodding, he turned and almost floated to Faramir, who was laughing.

"I shall miss him."Miniual said, blushing.

"At least he is not far away."

"True."the rest of the day passed relatively quickly, interrupted only by Merenwen's sneezes.

The following morning, Dúniel and Eldarion were wandering towards the stables when Arash caught up to them.

"Dúniel!"he called, stopping just before colliding into them.

"Did you miss her so much?"Eldarion teased. Arash glared.

"I need to speak with you, urgently."he said quickly. Dúniel glanced at her brother.

"Why don't you go ahead?"She said."I'll be alright."

"Dúniel, I can't-"

"Well at least get out of earshot then."she said. When he'd sulked off, Dúniel pulled her cloak tighter and turned to Arash.

"Come to finish me off?"

"Don't even joke about that."he hissed."My father is going to do something to you."

"What do you mean?"

"He wouldn't say anything specific, but I had to warn you. Please, be careful."she smiled broadly.

"Are you sure this is not some trick?"he scowled furiously.

"It is up to you whether you want to take my word or not, but I am not lying!"

"Arash!"she said, looking shocked."I was just joking! If anything, I should be angry with you!"

"Then why aren't you?"

"I have no idea! But if you're going to keep biting my head off, I will be!"they glared at each other for a long minute, then Dúniel turned and started off again.

"Dúniel, wait."he sighed, hurrying after her. "I'm sorry, I'm just frightened for you."

"I'm terrified, Arash!"she whispered, stopping and turning to face him."I don't like to be afraid."

"I won't let anything happen to you."

"You don't even know what's going to happen!"

"You think I haven't been going mad trying to think of what he's up to?"Arash said angrily.

"Arash...I-I'm sorry."she said quietly."I'm just worried, not just about me."he smiled slightly.

"I know."

"Come on, we're going to the stables. Perhaps I can encourage Truenos to bite you."she teased.

"Dúniel, don't you want to tell someone about this?"he asked, stunned that she could so easily brush it aside.

"Arash, I've been through a lot, and when you're a princess, there is always someone trying to assassinate you. You were just considerate enough to tell me."she grinned."I will be on my guard, and I should tell Eldarion. Just say you overheard it."she reached up and gently touched the bruise on his cheek. He winced and pulled back."Does he hit you?"she whispered.

"That's not important-"

"Yes it is."she said, looking worried.

"Come on, before your brother freezes."groaning with frustration, she hurried after him.

Eldarion was visibly relieved when he saw them heading towards him, but he suddenly paled.

"Look out!"he yelled, drawing his sword and running forward.

As he did this, the men who'd been discreetly following them attacked. One hit Arash over the head, sending him crashing to the ground, crying out in pain. The other two grabbed Dúniel, who screamed and tried desperately to escape as they dragged her into the nearest alleyway. Arash pulled himself to his elbows, eyes blurring slightly, as Eldarion reached him, yelling for help.

"Where are the guards?"he yelled, grabbing Arash by the back of the coat and pulling him to his feet.

In the young Harad's mind, a horrible recollection was replaying itself in his mind. He could hear the screams again, the pain, watch in terror and know he couldn't help...

"Not again."he snarled, and pulled from Eldarion's grip and raced heedlessly into the alley.

"Arash you idiot, wait!"Eldarion yelled, and raced after him.

Dúniel, meanwhile, was not making her captors jobs easy. She'd managed to free an arm, and her elbow was flying along with her feet, and she screamed at the top of her voice for help until a gag was dragged around her mouth. They grabbed her flailing arm, but she slid out of her coat, leaving them temporarily confused as she kicked the shins of the man blocking her path. One of the men from behind her grabbed her hair and dragged her back, hitting her hard. She returned the punch but he hit her twice more, so hard she was almost senseless in their grip. She kicked out, but could feel them tearing at her dress. She managed to grab the hilt of one of their swords and slashed at the nearest man, but he dodged her weak blow.

Dúniel's cry of pain was muffled by the gag when a sword slashed her dress, her shoulder and the curve of her breast becoming revealed as the cloth was torn. There was a sudden hunger in their eyes as she tried to cover herself, and they backed her into a corner. She shook, tears of fear in her eyes, ignoring the blood running from the wound on her shoulder. They halted at a furious cry and suddenly Arash appeared from nowhere, bowling two of them down, a terrifyingly angry fire burning in his eyes. Eldarion appeared a moment later. While the young men fought two of the attackers, the one who seemed to be the leader continued forward, licking his lips nastily.

"Hold still, wench."he hissed.

She kicked furiously, catching his groin. His eyes crossed and he collapsed in the snow, groaning painfully. Eldarion disarmed his opponent, grabbed his arm and slammed him into the wall angrily, while Arash had managed to trip his up, and was pulling his arm over his back quite painfully, yelling in furious Haradric. He must have been swearing a lot because neither of the siblings could understand the majority.

"Dúniel, are you alright?"Eldarion asked, his eyes on her gash.

She nodded, sobbing silently, no longer aware of her bare shoulder or the cold, and pulled the gag off her mouth. Eldarion pulled his opponents jacket to his elbows then twisted the material around his hands, trapping them securely, and pushed him into the snow harshly. Nodding for Arash to do the same, he grabbed the groaning man who'd suffered the blow of Dúniel's Boot and secured him. He then moved forward and held her sister tightly, who sobbed hard into his jacket, holding him tightly and shaking.

"Let me look at that."he said, pulling away and inspecting the cut on her right shoulder.

Arash, moving over in concern, then saw her other scar. Arash could recognise which type of strike could cause wounds, and they were usually either the slash, or the stab. The scar on Dúniel's face was a slash, and luckily not deep enough that her eye had been lost. The scar on her shoulder, however, was a stab, and had clearly been inflicted with the same weapon. Whoever had marred her beautiful face had tried to finish her off. He picked up her coat and walked over as Eldarion used the remains of her sleeve to stop the bleeding.

"Here."he said gently, handling it to the princess, who blushed and tried to hide her shoulder.

Arash blinked hard, struggling to keep his focus. The adrenalin rush had saved him from unconsciousness, but now the princess was safe, he could feel it creeping up on him.

"I'll...go get help."he muttered, swaying slightly, and headed out of the alley.

"Eldarion, he's not well."she whispered, holding her brother tightly."He looks ready to collapse."

"Come on, we'd better go with him. They can't go anywhere."wrapping her coat around his sister, he helped her out of the alley, where they found Arash leaning heavily on the wall.

"Arash!"Dúniel cried, taking his shoulder. He somehow managed to straighten.

"Getting help."he mumbled, stumbling away. Eldarion sighed with relief when a patrol walked past.

"You men! Come over here, quickly!"

The eight men had soon been sent into the alley and had the three attackers on their knees before their prince, who glowered furiously at them. What enraged him more was that they were Gondorian.

"You would attack my sister in broad daylight? Who sent you?"the leader spat on his feet. While Eldarion vented at the traitors, Dúniel had sat Arash on the step of a house and was inspecting the cut on the back of his head, sniffing as she did so.

"You came to rescue me."she whispered. He grinned vaguely.

"I told you I'd take care of you."he said in a dull voice.

"How do you feel?"

"A bit woozy, but not too bad."this was quite true. The chill of the winter morning was keeping him relatively alert, and his blurred vision was started to sharpen again.

"I think it just looks and feels worse than it is, but we may as well go to see Glíriel again. Come on, up you get."she pulled him to his feet, wincing as her wound was stretched.
"Are you alright?"he mumbled as they walked over to Eldarion.

"I'm fine. Just a scratch."

"Dúniel, they tried to..."a small sob escaped her mouth, and she looked away."Sorry."

They watched as the guards pulled the jackets off the men to cuff them. Suddenly, the leader leapt to his feet, throwing back the guards that held him, drew his dagger and leapt straight for Dúniel. Paralysed with fear, she could only watch as the dagger was aimed at her stomach. Arash threw himself between them, and cried out as the dagger pierced his side.

"NO!"Dúniel shrieked as Arash grabbed the mans wrist, preventing more than the tip of the blade entering his body. Dúniel immediately threw a punch, catching the leaders nose and sending him reeling back into the guards hold. Arash let the dagger fall to the snow, his blood leaving red dots.

"Arash."she whispered, reaching for him as he held his cut.

"Just a scratch."he grimaced.

"We need to get you two to the Houses, come on."Eldarion said, pulling Arash's arm around his shoulder and taking Dúniel's hand.

"Can a week not go by without you two getting into trouble?"Glíriel exclaimed, but Arash's head injury clearly worried her. She gasped when she saw Dúniel 's shoulder.

"They were attacked."Eldarion explained, sitting Arash on the nearest bed."He's got a nasty knock to the head and a cut on the ribs."

"Neliel, come here!"she called, and told the young woman to look after the princess. Eldarion took Dúniel to the next room and pulled off her coat carefully, and grinned as she sat.

"Where did you learn to hit like that?"he asked. She half-smiled.

"My brother taught me well."Neliel inspected the bruises and cuts on her face, then started to clean the wound.

"Is it bad?"Eldarion asked.

"No, my lord."she answered shyly."It won't even need stitches. It should heal up nicely, and you'll barely be able to see the scar..."she trailed off, thinking she'd put her foot in her mouth, but Dúniel smiled.

"It's alright."she said quietly."It will be nice to have one scar that doesn't shame me."Eldarion sighed heavily.

Neliel wrapped the wound quickly then took her leave, saying she was going to help Glíriel. Eldarion sat beside his sister, who he saw was shaking furiously.

"He-he told me that was going to happen."she whispered shakily.

"Arash? He knew!"

"Don't be angry with him!"Dúniel begged."He overheard some men, plotting, and warned me. We were going to tell you when..."she started to sob uncontrollably, the whole horrible ordeal reliving itself. Eldarion hugged her tightly once more, and kissed her hair.

"I've never seen anyone get up so quickly after a blow like that."he said quietly.

"His eyes were burning."Dúniel whispered."He looked so angry."

"I know what you mean. I heard him say 'Not again', then he raced in after you, not even worrying that they might have been waiting to kill him. He saved you, Dúniel. Two sisters in one week. Ada won't know what to do with himself."

"I wonder what happened before, to make him say that."she said quietly.

"I don't know."Dúniel could feel a warm glow growing in her, pushing aside the fear of the attack. Arash had come for her, unheedingly ran into danger to protect her! Her! The monster! Eldarion smiled slightly.

"He really likes you."he said. Dúniel said nothing, but buried her face in his shirt.