Chapter 19

Oh, he even has a cool name, thought Anastasia with a slight smile. Then she remembered what Robina said and she blinked.

"Your brother?" said Anastasia in complete surprise. She looked at the stunned young man who was rubbing his jaw with an unsettling feeling of dislike and attraction. He was definately handsome, but his reputation had been ruined, being related to Robina, whom Anastasia disliked very much.

"Let me correct that. He's my step brother or should I say, the one who came from my father's..."

"Robina, what in the world are you doing here?" asked Eric sending her an irritated and surprised glower.

"Helping Princess Ana here find some guy that decided she was a pain in the neck. I'm beginning to see why he disappeared." Her tone was seething as she fiercely glared at both her brother and her boss. She had had enough of them both. They were both jerks and had only been pain to her.

Anastasia with her snobby high and mighty ways had infuriated her. When she was younger she had always been the low down dog of her step brother, Eric, and she had learned to hate and fear his presence.

Princess Ana flushed, but Eric swept into an elegant bow, simply ignoring his sister. He took her white hand and kissed it gently.

"The princess, I should have known. Excuse me for not recognizing you before your highness. Your beauty must have dazzled my eyes for a moment. Now, how may I help you?"

The flattered princess opened her mouth to reply but Robina suddenly broke in. "By the way, Eric. Perceval is gone. I think he ran off with Lance."

That jerked Eric's head in his sister's direction. His mood changed abruptly. His eyes flashed a cold warning and he said in a low voice, "Where is he?"

"Oh, the prince got rid of that boy," said Ana waving her hand. "He instead decided to travel with prettier company. A pheasant girl to be exact. Isn't that right, tavern keeper?"

The man glowered at her.

Eric again changed into a charming gentlemen and said with a smile. "Of course. Now as you were saying when I happened to eaves drop, you were looking for someone."

"Yes. I was engaged to be married to the Prince of Adelfos. But apparently the Prince took a disliking to me and ran away. Thinking it was my duty, my father forced me to go on this hunt for him. Though I absolutely hate him."

"How rude of him," said Eric blinking, while Robina rolled her eyes at Anastasia's lies. "I didn't know the Prince of my land was rude and arrogant enough to refuse a jewel like you. I myself would run a sword through the coward, if it was not an order of your father to bring him back alive. If your father says we must then we must, though, we can wait until morning. It is evening and practically night. Princess, I would escort you to your hotel, but I really must talk to my dear, sweet sister alone. After all, it has been three years since we last saw each other."

His voice dripped with sarcasim and menace, but Anastasia didn't notice as she curtsied and pattered out, her chin high, and her heart pounding.

As soon as the princess was gone Eric grabbed Robina's arm tightly. She yelped as he dragged her out the door. Her old fear of her coarse big brother returned, but she fought to keep courage. He took her to the side of the tavern and faced her, his eyes flashing.

"Robina, what happened to Minerva?"

"Oh, so that's my little brother's name," said Robina. "I thought it was Perceval."

"Don't play smart with me," he growled, twisting her arm. "You know she's a girl in disguise, now tell me what happened to her."

Robina tried a different tactic instead. "Why is she so important, Eric. If I know why she's so important, then maybe I'll be more willing to tell you and my help can be more helpful."

Eric mulled this over then leaned over and whispered something in her ear.

She gasped and she felt her knees weaken. Then she immediately lifted her head in defiance and said, "I don't know, Eric. All I know is that the Prince of Adelfos disappeared from my camp the same night Perceval, or your precious Minerva was found missing. So if you can put two and two together, maybe you'll figure something out. I helped Princess Airhead up to this point and learned from the tavern keeper that the Prince was traveling with a girl in disguise as a boy. Though, he seemed to be able to see right through it."

"That's enough," said Eric, loosening his grip. "It is good that the Prince of Adelfos has her. She is such a pretty girl that he shall surely fall for her and then he too will be in my grip. And with the ruler of Adelfos in my grip, I can have the whole world. I must catch up with the two, kidnap Minerva, and hold her for ransom. The Prince will sell his life to me like Minerva did, in order to get her back. Of course I'll keep them both and the rest will be easy."

"What if your plan fails?" asked Robina, who had no intentions of helping her stepbrother.

"The country of Kuran is just as powerful as the kingdom of Adelfos. I can and will easily win the princess's heart. Then I will be controling both countries of Kuran and Adelfos. I'm so glad you decided to hang out with the princess and find the prince and Minerva."

"Oh, I'd do anything to help you find your precious sweetheart that you dumped on me," said Robina rolling her eyes.

"The girl is not precious to me. She's just a tool in my large shed of sources. So are you and soon that Princess 'Airhead' will be too."

"Oh, so that's what you do with all the girls you flirt with," said Robina. "You play with them a while then store them up in your shed. How cunning. Well, guess what. I've decided to ditch your little house of tools."

She jerked her wrist from his hand and took a step back.

"I'm finished with you, Eric, my kind older brother. If I could I would disclaim you and send you to the pigs. Now, say good bye to the longest tool you've ever owned."

She turned and began walking swiftly away. But Eric wasn't finished with his machine. He grabbed her shoulder and slammed her against the brick wall.

"You can't go, Robina," said Eric. "Princess Ana will suspect something. I still need you to play reluctant guide."

"I don't want to!" yelled Robina. "I have my free agency and I'm not going to do anything for you."

She wasn't surprised when he slapped her, hard. But she was surprised, and disappointed when tears pricked her eyes and her strength and courage drained away. It was as if Eric's bright blue eyes, in which Ana was so fasinated with, had injured Robina's lively spirit, and she was absolutely crestfallen.

She gulped in a breath of air, ready to start bawling, when something happened that she least expected.

There was a whirr, and then a thud right behind Eric. His eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the ground. She gasped, and her eyes flew to a figure immerging from the shadows. The solemn faced young man looked at the unconcious Eric, then sympethetically at Robina.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She nodded, trying despertly to gain her strength. She had always been independent and did not like to look weak, especially in front of this handsome stranger. Despite her tries to look 'all right' the stranger came over and steadied her back with a gentle hand. She stepped away, feeling some of her old feelings of being a leader over men come over her.

"Who are you?" she asked, and was glad her voice did not shake.

He hesitated and looked at her intently with dark almost black eyes. He sighed and said, "I am Thian of the T clan."

For a moment Robina didn't think anything of the name, it was not important to her. But then she remembered listening to men at the fancy hotel talk about how the T brothers chased after wild men. Her eyes brightened, perhaps this man would know where Lance and Eric's tool, Minerva was. She smiled, she could hardly wait to foil her brother's plans for the two.

Something was tickling my ear. I guessed it was a fly and irritably brushed it away, and tried to go back to my dreams. But then it came back and I grunted, rolling over on my side.

"Go awayness," I said. It was a habit of mine to add 'ness' at the end of random things.

The tickler came again, and I reluctantly opened an eye after brushing it off. It wasn't even morning yet, the sky was still dark, but I could hear a few birds twittering good morning.

Ugh. I hated waking up early twice in a row.

Again my ear was tickled and this time I pretended to be asleep still. I suspected it to be one of the little kids that had talked my ear off the night before, someone like Tabitha. I realized it was a grass stem, and when I saw it was close enough, I suddenly jerked my hand forward and caught the wrist.

A yelp sounded, and I grinned as I sat up. But I was surprised to see Minerva trying to squirm away.

"Oh, so you're the annoying little mouse that woke me up," I said.

"Shh... be quiet, Lance," she said with a smile. "Everyone's asleep."

"Aye, and I should be too. Why'd you wake me up so early?" I asked shaking the debri from my hair and beginning to stretch.

"We need to be going," she said simply. She saw my annoyed glare that said 'Is that all?' and added quickly, "We need to look for Conrad before he get's too far."

That got me up on my feet. "Right. Just let me put my boots and cloak on, then we'll have to saddle the horses and..."

My face was covered by a heavy cloth before I could finish. I pulled it off and recognized it as my cloak. Just then my boots landed on my head, and I stumbled in surprise.

"Hey, that hurt!" I pouted rubbing my sore head. I never realized my boots could be so heavy and hard.

"Hurry up," said Minerva. "I've already saddled both the horses, slow poke."

I grumbled into my boots and cloak, while Minerva swung into her saddle. Reluctantly I climbed onto Ares and we rode silently out of the T clan. I felt rather rude leaving the clan without really saying good bye and thank-you but, I suppose I couldn't wait to find Conrad.

"Going already are you?"

Ares jumped and skittered. I looked down to see the puzzled face of Tabitha.

"Yes, I am. But will you please tell your mother and brothers thank-you for me?"

She nodded and said, "Before you go, Jesse, I want to ask you a question."

I gulped. "Ok. I'm all ears."

She sighed and looked down timidly, very different from the fiery spirit she had shown last night. "My family, the T clan, is highly respected in our community, everyone wants to join it, and there are always marriages taking place. But my father doesn't really like to take in so many strangers, you see he is the leader over us all, being the oldest and the eldest. And it is true that the strangers that my young relatives fall in love with sometimes do harm. But the lovers do not want to part. They are in love for Pete's Sake! So there is much contention between my father and the young people. What in the world are we to do about this?"

I blinked. Why in the world did she think I could answer that? What was I to say? I sighed, searched my mind and said, "I think your father is very wise to only let certain ones into the clan, Tabitha. Strangers can prove to be very dangerous indeed. Sometimes, I think, the newly wedded T's are not really in love with your cousin or brother, or whatever. They only pretend to be in love."

She scrunched up her eyebrows and nodded in agreement. Apparently she had seen this first hand.

"If I was your father I would make sure the couples court...er...wait for a year before getting married. If they can love each other for that long, then your newest clan member is probably safe."

I hoped that was good enough. 'Cause if the clan took my advice and it failed miserably I would get some sour looks and complaints. Besides the clan was really cool and I didn't want anything bad to happen to them. But more importantly, I decided, they were my people, and it was my duty to see that they were cared for and happy.

Wow. That sounded weird. My people.

That couldn't be true. But it was true.

I mean. I was Prince Lancelot Rufus de Bericon of Adelfos, eldest son of King Augustine Lawrance de Ingref.

Royalty have incredibly long names, don't they?

You see Prince was my station. Lancelot was what my father named me(But please don't ever call me that. I'm not a great knight.). Rufus is what my mother named me. De means from or of. Bericon is the name of the lands I own. Apparently I'm supposed to build my castle on it, or raise my kids, or...

"Thanks, Jesse. I'll tell my father that."

Tabitha's relieved voice broke my kingly thoughts. I half smiled and waved.

"No problem. So long, Tabitha."

"Bye, Jesse."

She watched us with happy wistful eyes as we entered the woods.