Summary: AU. Caught in the middle of Vladimir Master's evil plot to take over the Kingdom of Amity, Prince Daniel is turned into a half-ghost. Now he must flee for his life, hide in the company of two new allies, and fight his way back to the throne. DxS

Disclaimer: Butch and Nick own Danny and Co.

So sorry for not updating for so long, I know it's been months. This year's been killing me, however, since it is my senior year and I barely have time for kicking back and doing whatever I want, which would include this. I've gotten all my college apps out, however, so now I've got some breathing space on my hands. Before that there was just no way I could afford to update. Hopefully it was worth the wait. If not, tell me what I can do to make it better!

Chapter 9: Refugee

The kingdom of Casper, like all such kingdoms, had always been closely regarded by the Kingdom of Amity, one of the largest kingdoms in the seven lands. And as such, Queen Jazmine's chances of keeping her rule would soon run thin, which is exactly why she had long turned to magic for her solutions. It seemed like a weak thing to give into for someone like her but, then again, she had given into arranged marriage.

Her brilliant turquoise gown fell to the floor as she leaned over a balcony after an exhausting and heated debate with the council of Casper. Again her decisions were questioned and again she had to assure them that she had the ghosts' jeopardy under her protection from the kingdom of Amity and her father.

As much as she hated to admit it, however, she clearly agreed with their worry. Her method was highly dangerous, but Frederick had assured her, after all, again and again, that everything was at absolute ease as long as no other magician intervened. In other words, he said it was all "inevitably dramatic."

She sighed into the clear blue sky and knew she had to prepare to write her theoretical parchment on foreseeable debates as well as refresh her current study of medical herbs. She felt like a traitor to her parents' wishes but also reminded herself that her life was hers to deal with and should not be controlled by strained events. It was all too obvious to her that this was, indeed, what she was destined to do and, even though she did not believe in prophecies, she did believe in fate. She knew not of the turmoil in Amity, nor of her father's illness, but she had heard of informed travelers proclaiming the missing prince. She knew Daniel well and was certain he could take care of himself, but she also knew that something had to have gravely upset him to make him run away; she knew him better than anyone. If he had any common sense, she reminded herself, he would be on his way to consult her about his problems. She did not lie, however, she knew him better than that.

"Queen Jazmine!"

"K-King Elliot!" she replied, startled, as she suddenly ran into him and his travel party in the hall. "I had not heard of your return. The messenger must not have gotten to me."

"Than I shall see to it that he is prosecuted! What a lousy carry-out of a job -- "

"Oh, goodness, no!" exclaimed the Queen, shocked by the proclamation. "I must have been in my study. I asked for no one to disturb me."

"Ah!" exclaimed the king, though looking rather disappointed, "very well then." He placed his arms on his hips and observed the surroundings as if expecting something. He was young, barely in his thirties, but his hair was such a pale blonde that it appeared white as it fell beneath his gold crown. His mute green eyes seemed satisfied at what he saw while the queen stood humbly beside him with her hands intertwined in each other somewhat nervously.

"The castle looks lovely, doesn't it, Sir Kwan?"

"Indeed. The Queen has proven more than capable with the kingdom as well. She is quite the authority," replied the Asian knight.

"Do explain," said King Elliot as she took him by the arm and began to walk him to the Grand hall, "how was it that you managed a treaty with the Kingdom of Amity. We have such a lovely party now with all of those -- oh what are they again? -- ghosts. Ah, yes of course."

"You...have no objections, then?" asked the Queen. An air of alcohol protruded from his mouth and he and his men barely kept steady.

"Considering I merely skimmed over your letters I dare say I don't, but I do hate to bother myself with all the political nonsense and what not. You're doing such an excellent job of it already. Why bother and, I say, why not?"

"Oh," said the Queen, somewhat sadly. She smiled slightly at him and nodded. "Perhaps you are right. After all, you place trust in my decisions."

"Only for the sake that they are yours alone," replied the King, placing an arm around her which she uncomfortably accepted. The servants had prepared a welcoming feast for the king and he and the queen took their head seats as his party settled themselves about the table.

"I do ask but when was it that we last held a grand celebration in your honor?"

"M-My honor?" asked the Queen, blushing lightly. "But what have I -- ?"

"Of course!" replied the king, draining the wine from his cup. "You have all the rights to be honored for such a brilliant job while I was away. I say a ball is an order, gentlemen!"

His voice roared through the hall and the queen scowled in disprovement as the knights responded in jeer; she knew this mood of his. It was waggish, it was perturbed and it was certainly sick. He was drunk.

"And celebrate the bridge, of course!"

"Bridge?"

"And to a stronger Casper!"

"To the King and Queen!"

"My King -- ?"

"And to the ball!"

"Yes, the ball!"

"We must invite all of Casper!"

"Why not? All of Manson! All of Amity!" He laughed.

"No, we should really make it a small ball -- "

"To the wine!"

"You're drunk!"

"To nobility!"

"To love!"

"YOU'RE DRUNK!" yelled the queen as she stood up from her chair and glowered over the company. "Relieve yourselves from my sight!"

Silence filled the hall as every watery eye turned to stare at the fuming queen. The knights silently placed down their goblets and began to raise themselves from the tables.

"No. Stay," said the king monotonously, staring at the queen.

"You let such disrespect into your company, your highness? That certainly isn't surprising, but I would appreciate it if you would keep such dishonor away from my house."

"Your house?" he laughed cruelly, wiping his mouth roughly, and adjusted the crown on his head as if in declaration. "Perhaps you have for gotten, Queen, but this house is mine! The only reason you live here is for treaty purposes. I've let you have your ways for too long. Sit down and don't distract me!"

Tears flooded the queen's eyes and she got up, walking away from the royal table which once again began to roar in laughter and drunken mirth.

--------------------------------

"Daniel? Danny, are you...alright?" A soft voice echoed somewhere above him in his state of sub-wakefulness. Am I alive is the better question, he heard another voice, quite like his own tell him.

He had been knocked unconscious, he was sure of that. How a ghost could become unconscious, he didn't want to think on it, but the drain of his spectral energy had done quite a number on him. He didn't recall much after he grabbed Tucker and Samantha in the free fall; it was all just as much of a blur as the falling rocks that accompanied them down to the bottom of the crevice. Perhaps he had phased through the ground or landed softly, as he planned to. Or maybe he had done neither at all and was in heaven, an angel calling him to wake up and face his judgement. That would definitely be interesting. That couldn't be, however, he noted, as he felt a discomforting twinge in his arm. It almost made him want to grab it and tear it off so that it would stop bothering him, but he barely had the strength to breathe. He felt little more than the discomfort and the ground below him, but knew someone was hovering over him and an earthly scent filled his lungs as he felt the silent breathing of a girl next to him.

He struggled to pull his eyes open, but found that to be much more difficult than he remembered. He felt a hand softly brush some of the hair away from his face, however, and the thought of someone touching him made his eyes snap wide open to see a shocked peasant girl looking down at him, clearly freezing, but not leaving his side. She gasped when she noticed that he had woken up and snapped her hand away from him.

"Y-You're okay?" she asked bashfully, looking away from him.

He didn't answer, possibly because he wasn't sure, but slowly propped himself up on his elbows, though doubting where he had gotten the energy to do so. He checked to make sure that he was still in his ghostly state, and found to either his disappointment or relief that he was.

His eyes suddenly traveled to a silver pendant hanging around her neck that had apparently slipped from her bosom. He reached out and grabbed it, observing the delicate letters S and P, intertwined with each other, engraved into it. He scowled and she snatched it from his fingers, tucking it back into her bodice."Where's that from?" he asked her, still barely awake.

"It belongs to me, if that's what you mean. It's a family heirloom," she snapped. "I'm not a criminal," she added shortly.

He pondered slightly and she impatiently said, "Well? Aren't you going to say anything else?"

The girl looked at him, waiting for a response as images flashed before his eyes reminding him of the preceding events. There had been the ghost, Sir Skulker, and then he remembered losing his sword, Tucker, then Samantha...

The girl suddenly sneezed and rubbed her runny nose. She was obviously getting sick. And how could she not? She had just suffered hypothermia.

He looked at her with a puzzled look on his face.

"What were you doing?" he asked her.

She returned a questioning expression. "Er...I...w-what?" she stuttered, not quite sure what he meant. "I was...watching over you. Are you alright?"

"Clearly," he said in a snide tone. "Better than you should be. I thought you were dead."

She blinked at him, feeling a rather unpleasant lurch in her stomach. He had said those words so casually that it made her feel disgusted with him.

Her facial expression mirrored her feelings and he raised his eyebrows. "Something wrong?"

"You're a wretch," she said as she got up and began to walk away.

"Hey, wait! Where do you think you're going?" he said, snapping his head in her direction.

"Away from you! Clearly you're not worth any of my attention at all."

"Wait!" he said, shakily pulling himself to his feet, grabbing his sword which had been lying next to him, and struggling to shove it next to his belt.

Samantha stopped walking, though she wasn't sure why.

"Yes?" she demanded.

"Where's Tucker?" said Daniel simply as he slowly caught up with her.

"Urgh!" she screamed and stomped away from him furiously.

Daniel rolled his eyes and continued walking in her wake. After a while, he knew she was getting tired, especially since she had began to cough roughly into her fists from the cold, and she hadn't bothered to tell him to stop following her.

"You know, you're not getting very far," he told her.

"Maybe I would if you'd let me!" She sniffed. "Why can't you go away already, I don't want your stupid deal! For all I care, the prince could be dead already. So forget it! The deal's off!"

He snickered at her reddened face as she turned to snap at him and her expression fell.

"What are you laughing at!"

Daniel smiled, shaking his head. "You are certainly amusing."

"Amusing!" she yelped, taking a step toward him. "You drag me into your little game, I almost get killed, twice, and plus I've had to deal with your stupid attitude! And now -- " she sniffed again, " -- now I'm ill! Perhaps I'll die anyway. If that's amusing to you, then good luck to you, because I'm not part of this any longer and as soon as...as Tucker returns from the gates, I'm going to...we're gonna...What are you doing!"
As she was yelling, he had slowly walked toward her with a stern look on his face.

"Shut up," he whispered.

"What?" she snapped through a stuffy nose, searching the features in his face as his eyes wondered above her head. He had a pensive look on his face that was unreadable.

"Are you listening to me?" she told him, flustered.

"Can't you feel that?" he told her, looking down at her.

She shook her head. "Feel...what? Daniel what are you -- ?"

She sneezed and emitted a sound of surprise at the same as he forced her around by the arm and then let go of her, taking a step back so that she wouldn't freeze.

He hovered slightly above her instead and lowered his head toward her, however, and she blushed as he whispered in her ear, "Close your eyes."

She did not know what possessed her to obey him but for some reason she found herself in a position in which she could not disagree.
She felt her eyelids drooping slowly and attempted to ignore the numbing feeling in her nose and fingers. Why did he have to be so cold?

"Now...listen for it," he whispered. Samantha knew that, if he were human, she would have felt his hot breath on her neck and the thought made her shiver more than the cold.

She had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to be listening for, however, seeing as there was absolute silence. Then, however, she felt something. Rather, imagined. Or did she taste it? She couldn't tell, it was the most peculiar sensation, but it was running through her body and up her spine like a field of energy. It wasn't pleasant at all, though, or was it? It couldn't be that it was neither, could it? But then what was it?
She opened her mouth as if to say something and he regarded her closely until she sneezed again and he snickered.

"Ghosts," he said simply. "Many of them. You feel it, don't you? Alternative energy, or that's what they call it. I know you can sense it this time, just like me. Casper...it's a kingdom for refugee ghosts."

She looked at him and saw that his mouth had turned a bluish hue. "You knew this?" she said, tearing her eyes from his lips and toward his cold, green eyes.

He smirked and she finally came to and blushed furiously, jumping away from him.

"Is this a game to you?" she said. "Do you think it wise to use people as puppets to play a part of your little scheme?"

He continued to grimace as she fumed, not saying a word, and slowly landed back onto his feet.

"So this is it, isn't it? You planned this all along! You were going to have us bring you here so you could be safe from the Ghost Zone in Amity and have your way in Casper! There was no warlok that killed you. – " there came another sniff, "– There is no sister! You weren't even a knight, I bet! You...You must have stolen that sword or something and...and I bet you were a thief when you were alive. Hell, you're still a thief! You stole our trust! You don't even know where the prince is! I guess ghosts really are evil! And I thought I actually...that you...just...urgh!"

She panted heavily, unsure of what to do at this point. Her face was so puffy and red now, both from the cold and the anger that she looked extremely adorable to the prince, even if she was a danger to herself.

"Are you quite done?" he asked her, cocking up an eyebrow.

She looked at him dispicably, but nodded.

"Good. Because I was honestly starting to get a heacache from your stupidity, however clever you think it was."

Her eyes widened in rage and she was about to protest when he continued, "I'm not a knight, but this is my sword and I was killed by a warlock. I do have a sister and she does live in Casper. And that's the honest truth."

He passed her as he walked on, then turned around and added. "Oh, and...I do know where the prince is. Just so you know."

"Why should I believe that?" she said.

"You shouldn't," he said. "But it sure would be nice for you if it were, now, wouldn't it? Besides, you're sick. I need to get you somewhere where you'll be taken care of."

Samantha huffed and folded her arms gruffly, but walked on after him.

"I'm suprised you care. Why do you still need me anyway? Can't you just tell me where he is?"

"Of course not," said Daniel, laughing slightly. "We haven't reached the gates yet. And without an Amitytian escort who will pay witness to my doomed matrimony, for instance, to you, which you will so gladly recite for me, I can't get in."

That was a lie, of course. Even if he didn't have a witness to papers he would find a way in if it meant death. He still planned to heed Desiree's words, however. Besides, the girl did amuse him.

Samantha smirked as she walked beside him. "You've got yourself a problem, then."

He looked at her, scowling. "How's that?"

"I'm not Amitytian," she told him smugly as she folded her arms as if in foolish victory.

Daniel stopped short in his stroll and looked deep in though as she kept walking. He suddenly stuck a hand under his collar and pulled out a pendant, quite similar to the one that had seen on Samantha earlier except that it bore the letters D and P for Prince Daniel, ran a finger over it, and shook his head in humorous disbelief. It had belonged to his father and had been engraved for Daniel when it was passed down to him. There were only so many people that could get their hands on a piece as rare as that and as particularly branded. She turned around to look at what he was doing, but by then he had already tucked it back into his collar and she looked at him questioningly.

"You're not? Huh...interesting. Well you certainly aren't Caspirian either. Where are you from? Not Manson, I suppose, eh?" he asked her.
She paled and did not respond. He stocked his chin thoughtfully and looked at her sparingly, but it was enough to pull the clues together. So much of it made sense to him now and for obvious reasons: her running away, the engagement, the bold attitude, the reason she hated the king so much...

A smirk appeared on his lips that Samantha did not notice. She kept her head bowed and walked on stubbornly.

"What is the deal with you anyway? As far as you're concerned, I'm just a peasant girl with strange ambitions. I'm not questioning your secret, am I?"

He continued to smile and replied, "No. But you have put me in certain uncomfortable circumstances in which I dare say you could have considered doing otherwise."

"Oh and I suppose I'm to blame for all of them? Face it, Daniel, everything we've been through, everything we've faced has been your responsibility! Whenever you've had the chance you could have changed back and -- "

He stopped dead before her with a scowl on his face that shut her up and said, "You are what you are and I am what I am. How about we leave it at that?"

She brushed the question away quickly as she paid attention to her running nose and he smiled.

What a peculiar girl, he noted, contemplating. Intriguing, almost. His mind swam with confusion, thoughts, and notes about everything that he'd heard about her. It took him a while to figure her out, of course, but not much longer that it took for her to do so of him.

She finally replied. "You know, it isn't not enough, Danny. Because what you are...you're dangerous. And you don't want to admit it," she said quietly.

He gritted his teeth in frustration and swung his cape around, walking away from her.

"That's alright then. Forget it. I'll find a way in myself," he snapped and left her behind.

"W-What? But..but you need me! And...and I'm sick! You can't just leave me here!" she exclaimed as she ran after him.

He laughed to himself, unsure if she appeared more hilarious or pathetic.

"Ha! If you're gonna be that big a nuisance, I could just find a way in myself. Sure, it'll cost me, but rather that than listen to your mild annoyance and foolish accusations. Also, you aren't that sick. Tucker will be back any moment, you'll be just fine!"

She ran after him in his wake. "You're a real bastard, you know! I've honestly lost all positive opinion of you -- "

"As I thought you did long ago," he added smugly.

" -- But there's one thing I just don't understand. Tell me, why make a deal at all?" she said and he turned around to face her, his face without expression.

He didn't answer, but smiled at her. "Why is the prince so important to you?"

His tone was low and demanding and she turned a slight shade of pink, knowing that he had evaded the question, but answered him anyway, "To get the king do tear down the Ghost Zone and stop capturing innocent spirits, of course."

His smile turned into a vicious smirk which scared her slightly. He considered keeping it to himself, the fact that he knew everything about her, but she was in the wrong territory; she should have walked away while she had the chance. "No one is that insane, to risk everything just for ghost rights. You could do that anyway. It's called a kingdom accord. If one ruler highly disagrees with the policies of a neighboring kingdom, they could declare a compromise for a treaty or war. That's what Capser did, anyway."

"And just how would I manage that?" asked Samantha, her face how burning bright red, wishing she hadn't asked. He couldn't possibly...
"Interesting," he whispered, searching her panicked eyes and both his anger and respect growing toward her with every realization, "...this has deeper meaning to you, doesn't it? To prove yourself to your parents, to everyone, that you're not just a pretty little face, that you won't just settle for a marriage to the Prince of Amity. To show the son of an arrogant king who had caused you so much dismay, of all people, off as a prize. Why, your highness, Princes Samantha of Manson, that shouldn't be difficult for you at all," he said with one last defining grin.
Her jaw dropped slightly and she felt herself weaken at the knees.

"You..Y-You...kn...knew?"

"Beg pardon," he said spitefully, "I wasn't aware there was another run-away princess stumbling about. You think I hadn't heard of you? Your name was marked on every parchment in the continent! You know, you should really watch what you say before it finally clicks."

She didn't have the mind to make entire sense of what he said, she was too panicked. "Then you...then you planned all this? To...to stall?"

"What comes around goes around, princess," he sneered.

She began to breathe heavily as she stepped back and nearly fell over while he continued to smirk. She heard voiced in the distance and looked to her right to see the gates to the city come into view.

"You...you wouldn't turn me it!" she begged, looking miserably at him.

"No," he said in a hushed tone, "that would be too easy a leverage."

She shook her head in disbelief. He was going to turn her in. It had suddenly turned extremely cold, or at least she suddenly felt the cold, as if it was there before, but not to this extreme, and she began to cough severely. Her head began to ache painfully and she felt everything begin to fall apart around her as he stepped toward her and she attempted to hold herself up, but black patches appeared before her eyes and she fainted. The last thing she saw was the brutal glare of a vengeful phantom hovering over her.

Daniel glanced at her form with pity. He bent down on his knees and observed her. It was a shame that she fell apart so easily despite having such a strong will. His opinion of her swayed between admiration and trying desperately not to hate her. He brought his hand to her face and ran the back of his fingers across her soft face and she moaned as his cold tips slowly transformed into human touch. He sighed. She was a princess, she had meant to be married to him by her parents, but did he want to marry her, now knowing the truth about her? He had to admit, he was being extremely hypocritical, not that he admired his own secrecy entirely at this point. He remembered kissing the ghost that had taken her shape and wondered if she felt anything like that. He barely remembered it, though, being highly intoxicated by her song. His eyes did not leave her and he bent down tentatively, but then drew back. No, he couldn't touch her any more than he had already done so. He sighed and looked toward the gates. This would be too easy now. He lifted her limp form up into his arms tenderly and felt himself slowly begin to transform. If only there was another way...

It was the first time that he allowed himself to turn entirely human and he felt the sensation nostalgic. And while he felt incredibly weak from lack of food and sleep, he focused more on so many of the missed emotions that came with his human body and he looked sadly at the frail form of the girl in his arms, her chest rising and falling slightly to slow breathing patterns. She bore a scowl on her face and Daniel suddenly felt extremely guilty for everything he had put her through, including his taunts, the danger, the miserable interrogation, and now a heavy illness. How could he have been so cruel? He shook his head in shame and walked toward the guards, who had been talking to each other out of boredom and snapped to their formal positions as soon as they saw him approach, carrying the unconscious girl in his arms. It only took them a few moments to identify him as the prince, at which they stuttered and both bowed on their knees.

"Y-Your majesty! The Queen had ordered that we be on the look out for you at all costs, yet by no means did we expect to be honored by -- we mean -- you hadn't -- we thought -- "

"You will immediately escort me to the Queen, it is urgent that I see her. It is also necessary that you find care for this young lady, she isn't well at all, and I should like to know the whereabouts of a certain friend of mine who passed by here earlier. His name is Tucker."

The guards looked uneasily at each other, as if fighting between who should be the one to inform him of the circumstances. Finally, one of the guards spoke up and said, "I'm afraid not all of that can be done, your majesty."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped, getting rather annoyed.

"The King had just returned today and he specifically said that the neither he nor the Queen be disturbed before he is ready to leave again."

"That's ridiculous, this is extremely important! I demand to see her at once!" said the prince.

"We will see what we can do, your majesty," said the guard. "In the mean time, we will provide you with the finest quarters in the kingdom.

The young lady shall be taken into care and, as for the man called Tucker, he was arrested for possessions of illegal weapons."

"Arrested?" said Daniel, who stifled a laugh. "Well then, unarrest him."

"Er...yes, your majesty," said the other guard quite bashfully.

Meanwhile, Samantha had heard the muffle of voices and wondered if she was dreaming. She opened her eyes ever slightly, as far as she felt she could, and realized that she was no longer on the ground but being carried by a man with raven hair and blue eyes. It couldn't be, but it was the prince, she knew. She was definitely dreaming.

Suddenly, he had stopped the conversation he was having with someone or other and looked down at her with a slight fear yet composure in his eyes.

Samantha attempted to stay awake long enough to ask him something, but felt herself being pulled into unconsciousness once more. Part of her wanted to feel disgusted at the thought of dreaming of being held by the prince, but another part of her had to admit...it was rather comforting.

Daniel had stopped talking to the guards when he heard Samantha moan slightly once more and looked down to see her eyes open slightly. His heart leap and he wondered if she would wake to find his true identity carrying her, but he reminded himself that she was extremely exhausted after hypothermia and then intense stress. The guilt in his heart rose once more and he saw her eyelids fall and her eyes close once more.

He carried her the entire time and protested against the guards when they offered him a hand, knowing very well that he would transform back into his ghostly half as soon as he let go. It was tempting, however, seeing as he was even weaker than he thought possible; his breathing had gotten heavy and he felt himself sweat as the ground began to spin beneath him. He needed to seek proper nourishment and rest soon, but first he had to make certain that the girl was taken into care. He warned the guards that no one else other than the queen was to know of the prince's arrival in a oath to the death, and they both swore their alliance to him.

The town was simple but lively, with an orderly market place that was busy in its trade and the first thing that Daniel noticed was that the things that he had identified as birds before, while they were flying over the mountains, were actually ghosts. In fact, as he hardly believed anything before he saw it for himself, the entire town was bustling half with ghosts and half with humans. It was an uncanny site and Daniel scowled at the foolish humans who allowed themselves to be in such close contact with beings that could easily deceive and destroy them. But would they really? It certainly didn't seem that way. There must have been some secret spell placed upon them, he concluded. He had remembered to wear his cloak over his head to hide his features, yet still received several stares himself as people responded to a hooded figure carrying an unconscious girl with two guards in the lead.

A kindly old woman noticed the travelers enter the marketplace and immediately came up to them, placing souvenir tokens around each of their necks. Daniel was about to object when he noticed that practically each of the inhabitants of the kingdom wore the same emerald gem around their necks, as if it were a symbol. He accepted it when he suddenly felt a severe numbness flee from him that he had been completely unaware of and the temperature of his surrounding seemed to rise by several degrees.

"What is this?" he inquired of the guards.

They laughed and one of them answered, "Ectoplasm, your majesty. Generates alternative energy. Repels the cold for us. Would have died out a while back if it weren't for it."

Daniel scowled and replied, "Strange, I've never heard of humans using it."

"No? Suggested by a ghost, Lady Penelope. Genius."

"You would trust a ghost with something like this?"

"Not like we have a choice, eh? Doesn't hurt, though. You don't seem to hold much of an opinion of ghosts."

"No, I don't," Daniel said quietly.

"Well," the guards laughed again, "you've got yourself a bit of a problem, then. This place has been crawling with them for months."

"So I've heard."

Once they had arrived at the tavern, however, he stopped his contemplations and knew that he couldn't hold Samantha forever and cursed himself once more that he did not know how to keep his human half stable. "Let me take her to her room and don't disturb her until she wakes. Also reserve a room for myself and Tucker. No one, I repeat, is to know of my arrival here other than the queen. Tell them what you must." The guards nodded, dumbfounded, and he disappeared behind the bedroom door. Daniel shut the door behind him quietly with his foot and carried her over to a sunlit bed with snow-white sheets. The room was extravagant, of course, and a the royal crest of Casper hung on the wall. He placed her gently onto the mattress and she sighed softly, her raven hair stark black against the sheets and the dirt on her face clearly obvious. He removed the hair from her face and smirked slightly to himself, placing the covers over her as he felt himself morph back into the solid shadow of a corpse. He shook his head in disgust and cursed silently. He thought of the guards outside, he would need to figure out a way to leave without showing them his alter ego; and he had not told them of Samantha's status either, of course. He felt no sense to betray her, considering all the horrible things he had already done to her, but felt that once this was over, she would have to find a way to explain for herself once more. He wondered if it was because he was back in his ghostly form that he felt less misery for her, but somehow failed to care. He secured the hood over his head and walked out of the room with his back to the guards. They witnessed him walk out but, before they had time to address his majesty once more, he had already vanished from sight.

Samantha stirred slightly in a very comfortable place that she identified as a bed. Hazy images of the raven-haired prince swam in her head and she wondered if it really only had been just a dream or reality. He reminded her so much of someone she knew, but she couldn't recall who it was. She remembered the phantom finding out her true identity and how angry he had been with her. Wait a minute, had he turned her in? Was she perhaps back in the quarters of her own palace, her parents anxiously awaiting her wake so that they could scold her for eternity? Or had the prince saved her from the phantom and brought her someplace safe? No, that couldn't be. She didn't even know where the prince was, nor did she really care.

"Are you awake, miss?" said a gentle voice and she opened her eyes to see a bright light coming from a beautiful window pane and a young maid standing over her. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes and wore a maroon dress. Samantha smiled and her and nodded.
"Where...Where am I?" she said as she yawned, stretching as she rose slightly from bed.

"You're at the Royal Inn of Casper Kingdom, miss. You were brought there by a couple of palace guards on orders that we take the finest care of you -- "

"Who gave the orders?" said Samantha, scowling.

The maid froze as she was straightening the quilt and looked rather frightened to speak as she looked Samantha in the eyes. She then shrugged and said, looking away, "I am told not to question the monarchy, miss. By the way, miss, it seems your cold has died down, but not completely, so you'll need to stay in bed for a day or two and not wonder. Your fiance came here looking for you, however, and is waiting for you outside, by the way, miss. Tsk, such a shame really. Awful sorry he passed away. My name is Starlyn, by the way, miss. If you need anything, just let me know."

Samantha's eyes widened. Fiance? She didn't have a -- Wait a minute, Daniel? Had the guards saved her from him, or had he told her to bring here there? He could have just left her there. Or did he really plan to keep his promise? Oh how she wished she hadn't fainted! She hated not knowing what was happening around her.

"Shall I tell him to see you, miss?"

Samantha looked at her and pondered on it. "Er...of course, please do."

She was still baffled by the whole situation, and knowing he would walk in any second, she wasn't sure what she was going to say to him. Would he apologize? Would he explain at all? Would she? Decidedly not. She knew she had to get out of there as soon as possible before he could hold her secret over her head.

When Starlyn walked out, she quickly brushed her hair with her fingers, straightened her nightgown, and rubbed her eyes, sinking her back into the pillows and trying to look awake. Unaware of her own anxiety, she held her breath and waited for him to appear.

When the door opened, however, her eyes snapped toward it to see Starlyn walk back in, her head slightly bowed, and carrying a cup of tea. "Begging your pardon, miss," she said somberly, "but he just left."

Samantha attempted to neglect the fall of an unpleasant emptiness to the pit of her stomach, but failed miserably. Starlyn offered her the cup and she took it gratefully, however, and slowly sipped at the hot water.

"Did...he say anything? Where he was going? Will he be back?"

"I'm sorry, no," said the girl.

"What about a dark-skinned young man by the name of Tucker? Had you heard anything of him?"

"No, miss," she replied.

Samantha bore a sad expression and, as if knowing just how alone she was in her time of need, the maid took pity on her and added, "You should probably know, however, that your stay here is fully accounted for as long as you like."

Samantha's eyes looked to her in confusion. "Who would care for such a price?" she asked, astounded.

The maid looked at her tentatively, sighed heavily, and then said, "According to the palace guards, miss, and I'm not supposed to say, but that would be the Prince of Amity."

Samantha nearly dropped her cup.

No one keeps their word these days, I tell you. And isn't Daniel just the arrogant little creep? I'm hoping I got the line between his human and ghost self across this time, though. In the next chapter, the trio is split up for the first time in the story and they each have their own bit of adventure, so expect at least 3 POVs next time. There's still so much to write to the story, though, that I honestly don't know when I'll find the time to do it all, but it is just so much fun that I'm glad I don't have to worry about ending it anytime soon yet. As a matter of fact, I've rewritten this chapter so many times and added so much to the story in my head that I can only imagine it's getting bigger and better. If not, then just bigger.

Please review, I'd really like to know if I should keep going with this!