Oh, my gosh. I was jumping up and down as I wrote this. I got so excited, anxious, and happy and I knew what was going to happen. Well, not really. The words just came to mind and I typed them down in a frenzy. It was sweetness. This is by far my favorite chapter! Just to give you a heads up. I was planning on posting this one tomorrow or Saterday, but I couldn't wait that long. So the next chapter will be in about a week.Oh, and Saphira, you are too wise. ;)

Chapter 31

"Treason!"

I looked away from Florian's and Enid's reunion to glower at the man who had spoken. It was Sir Mark. It was the same dork who had danced in the street with anger the day I confronted the soldiers. He was getting very annoying.

"There is nothing treason about it," I said calmly. "The girl didn't want you, and by the way you acted in the street the other day, allowing a poor kid to get beat up by grown men, I totally agree with her."

"You!" he shrieked. "Henry! This is the man who killed the soldiers!"

"I can see that!" shouted Henry. The evil son I had heard so much about was a wily bony man. He looked evil with glittering eyes that looked pink and yellow at the same time. A scar ran along one side of his face. It looked rather fresh, only a year old. "But he doesn't matter! The banished Florian is in the midst of us! Seize him!"

Immediately the minstrels' arrows were launched, swords were drawn, and Florian pushed Enid behind him as he pulled out his battle axe. This was no ordinary wedding, remember.

Henry's men stopped.

"Ha!" shouted Rose from below. "Whatever dude. There is no way you are getting close to that guy!"

Henry looked fit to kill. In fact he drew his own sword and rushed at Florian. In one swing Florian's battle axe snapped the steel in half. Henry flung it at him, but Florian dodged easily, and the broken blade found its target in the unfortunate clergyman. He gasped and doubled over in pain, staring at Henry in surprise. Henry didn't even notice.

What was wrong with this man! He had just killed one of his buddies, and he didn't even care?

He charged again, but not at Florian, but at me!

Hey! I'm innocent!

Ok not really...

I stopped his sword and easily pushed him back. But he wasn't ready to give up. I toyed with him as Florian's men were rooting out Henry's evil buddies and taking them captive. Florian had handed Enid to Madam Jellineck who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Watch it!" yelled Rose. I saw her hopping angrily away from under my feet. "You and that freakish Henry have got the biggest feet in Adelfos!"

I just laughed and switched the sword to my left hand. This way Henry backed me up the steps more, and we were farther away from the flimsy frog. My laugh made him very angry and he moved more quickly and also more madly.

"I don't care who you are, I just want you to die!" he cried.

"Why?" I asked innocently.

"You ruined everything! Everything! Before those rebels take me I shall end your life."

"Do you really think this was my entire fault?" I asked calmly stepping around the organ. "Don't you think Florian would have done this anyway without the help of a stranger?"

He just yelled angrily and struck harder.

"Sir Henry, I doubt you really want me to be dead. I am not who you think I am. But then again since I know everything you've done to this people, you would probably wish it even more. I, dog, am Prince Lance."

He tripped over the organ, and I slipped into my wonderful cloak.

Oh, the look on his face was priceless. Absolutely priceless. I laughed as I backed away from him. That was not a good choice.

He jumped with a raging yelling and swung his sword. It left his grasp and came flying at my head. This sudden action made me stumble and I twisted as I fell off the platform. My shoulder hit a table and my pain began. There were more stairs than I thought. I know. I felt each one as I tumbled head over heels. Eight hard sharp steps; each made me grunt or yelp.

When I landed flat on my back Henry was standing over me, eyes wild and glittering. His scar was redder than before, and I was afraid it would start bleeding. Oh, dear, my cloak had fallen off and was sitting too far. In his hands was aknife. I rolled as the knife came down, and embedded in the floor. Henry didn't bother to get it. He just pulled another one out and lunged for my throat.

Again I dodged and grabbed his armed hand instead. The guy might've been pitiful with the sword but, hehad astrong arm. I had to twist his arm to make him let go of the knife, then I flung it away.

But the guy pulled out another one! What, was he made up of war and weapons? This time he caught my neck, and once again in my adventures I felt very vulnerable. He held tight enough to keep me from loosening, but loose enough for me to breathe and understand him. I looked around for help but found that we had ended up on the other side of the platform and it was hiding us from everyone.

"So, this is the famous Prince of our land. My father talked so much about you, the fool. How ironic that it will be I who will kill you. Oh, and might I tell you, I have in my possession, someone you know."

My eyes thinned.

"What do you mean?" I gasped out.

"One of my good friends has brought with him to my castle, a girl."

Somehow, the way he said, made me know that it was Minerva. He had said it to invoke my anger so he could laugh at my helplessness.

My anger invoked, too much.

A sudden surge of adrenaline filled me and with a shout of rage I plunged my fist into his ugly face. He let go, and yelped and twisted in pain. I shot up and grabbed his collar, yanking him to my face.

"Where are they?"

I had a feeling this 'good friend' was the one who had been giving the girl torment.

"You love her, eh? What a weakness," he wheezed mockingly.

"I don't," I said firmly. "But I don't love cruelty either. Take me to where she is." I turned him around and put my sword at his back. "Don't try anything. You understand that I can and will cut you open if you do."

He understood.

We left the commotion in the wedding room and went through some rooms, down some halls and up some stairs. I didn't know what I was doing. Why was I going after the girl if I had told myself to forget about her and move along? She didn't want anything to do with me, so why was I forcing my way into her life?

"She's in there with her master and a servant," said Henry, stopping in front of a tall wooden door. I heard voices within. But I didn't recognize any of them.

"You go in first."

He frowned and reluctantly opened the door.

A blonde man looked up at him in surprise. "Henry, what are you..." he stopped.

My eyes swept the room in a full glance, past a still man standing in the corner, past the blonde guy and finally caught sight of Minerva. She was kneeling on the floor, head down, shoulders slumped. Her hands were tied and it looked she had been beaten. She was thin, oh so thin and the face that I could see was pale and wane. Anger surged through me and I turned to the man, her 'master.'

"What did you do to her?"

His face had recovered and he said coolly, "Prince Lance, how good of you to come here. As you can see Minerva is in my care."

"Care? Care!" I tried to control the volume in my voice and my temper was rising dangerously fast. "You don't care about anything. Only yourself, if even."

Minerva lifted her head slowly as if not daring to believe I was there. Her face was practically white and her blue eyes looked empty and deadly pale. She was almost dead, but she would still be the most beautiful corpse in all of Adelfos. Her breathing was haggard and shallow.

"Your majesty," said the man, who I supposed to be her wicked fiancé, Eric. "I will give you the girl if you give me something in return."

"The only thing I might consider giving you is a proper burial after a slow painful death," I seethed.

He laughed. A perfect, ringing, mocking laugh. "You forget, young Prince who has the upper hand. I have the person you want, magic, and two men. You have only a sword and blinded anger."

Minerva turned away, and fainted.

"Hey, blonde hottie!" yelled a very familiar voice.

Eric turned to the window in confusion.

"You forgot something. The Prince there has one mighty frog princess!"

I don't know how she got the string tied, but Rose came sailing through the air and hit the shocked man square in the face. What was the funny part, she didn't let go. She just clung on to his writhing face and...oh my goodness...started licking him.

The man that was standing in the corner came alive and so did Henry. Henry went to help Eric be free from Rose and the man came at me. He stopped however when his eyes met that of my drawn sword.

"Excuse me your majesty," he said hoarsely. "But there is someone behind you I must deal with."

"Eric! Oh, Eric darling!"

My ears screeched for mercy. I knew that high irritating voice. Oh, too well, much too well. I swung around and said, "For one last time, Princess Anastasia, shut up!"

She did when she saw me and but her jaw plopped to the floor. "You! Oh, my gosh! What are you doing here! What have you done to Eric. Oooh, I hate you! I hate you!"

"What's new?" I asked. "And what the heck are you doing here? I heard you were kidnapped."

"I most certainly was not!"

A yelp drew my attention away. Rose had just been flung against the wall and she fell to the floor, limp.

Oh, no, who ever did that was going to get it big time.

Eric was prepared with a sword when I clashed mine against his. I was slightly aware of Anastasia screaming at someone to get away from her and of Henry's encouraging and excited yippings. But mostly I just saw the two blades crash, swing, and lunge. I saw Eric's determined annoyed face and wild blue eyes. He was a helper of the demons and I could see his bosses dancing in those black pupils.

We dodged, twisted, and kept our gaze fixed. He was good, and the first man that was really a match for me. But my adrenaline was running fast and I was angry; and I made sure my anger was calm and calculated. I didn't let it get out of control, not yet.

He was backing up, slowly. I wondered if he was tiring. He didn't feel like it. Suddenly he jumped up on a bench behind him. He was above me now and had the upper hand. This sudden move caught me unawares and before I could move Eric's sword had lashed out and cut me, right above my eye. I didn't even glance at it or notice the throb. If I did I would have shown him a weakness.

I jumped nimbly onto the bench, and we continued to fight on the narrow board, back and forth. However, like I feared, the blood from my throbbing head poured over and came into my eye. I quickly closed it. I was now fighting only with my right eye and my arm was tiring. Eric suddenly turned into a blur, then became a clear fighting machine.

Now was the time to actually end the fight. I had to. Thinking quickly I did the easiest trick in the book. I feigned a lunge to the right and struck on the left. Eric wasn't expecting it because we had been fighting professionally and hadn't bothered with the basics. Blood stained his side.

"You fox!" he snarled.

"No, just Rashling," I smiled.

He suddenly flipped off the bench and landed squarely on his feet. I blinked my right eye. I had never seen anyone do such a thing. Why had he done a thing like that?

"Oh, Eric you're sooo wonderful!"

Ah, Anastasia was watching. Show off. I hated this guy even more. While he was was sending a small smile to Ana I gave him a powerful kick in the face. His rump hit the floor quite nicely.

"Great hit, Rashling!"

I looked up and my face lighted up; I even managed to open my left eye. Conrad was standing in the doorway grinning proudly. He was bloodstained and his bow was in his hands. He'd been fighting, too. Anastasia sat in a corner, tied and gagged, looking absolutely furious. It was satisfying to see.

The man who had wanted to 'deal' with her came swiftly forward with another length of rope and began work on the disoriented Eric. I hardly had time to give Conrad a smile before remembering Minerva and Rose.

I went to Minerva first. She was still unconscious, but I think she didn't look quite as pale. I picked her and laid her on the couch at the far end of the room.

Conrad was already bending over Rose. She looked bruised, but she was still breathing. I nudged her gently and she mumbled, "Hey, wanna be rich? Kiss me."

I was tempted to. She was so cool and she had saved my life. I looked at Conrad and he looked at me. I smiled.

"Don't you dare!" she suddenly shrieked as her eyes popped open. She tried to get up but her green legs were still weak and wobbly. "I read that silence! You really were going to kiss me! Ugh! Grosss! Don't ever consider it again! I don't want to be kissed that is sooo grooosss!"

"Calm down," I said. "You're not gonna get kissed anytime soon, even if you do deserve it. Thanks."

She stared at me then smiled and said sincerely, "You're welcome." Her sincerity didn't last long. "You are both bleeding! Where is Minerva? Did you check on her? Why are you spending time with me when she's practically dead? Oh, poor girl!"

"She's fine, she's on the couch," said Conrad, "L...Rashling put herthere before waking you up. Come on, the fighting is done downstairs."

Rose looked at me strangely and shook her head as if I had just done something very silly. She was always doing that.

"Excuse me, your majesty."

I turned to see the man who had tied Ana and Eric up. He was a grizzled man around forty with rough hands and greying hair.

"My name is Stanley. I am one of the men of Robina Hall. I came with the princess and have helped the wicked couple for a long time. I hate them and would like to dispose of them, with your permission."

I looked at the unfortunate two sitting on the floor, glaring. "No. We'll take them to Florian."

"Then may I return to my mistress?"

"No!" cried Rose suddenly. Her froggy face was strangely different. She stared at Stanley then said in a softer tone, "No, not yet. You should eat and celebrate with us. You've helped and deserve a place at the hero's table. Come one. I'm...I think I could eat."

Conrad and I glanced at her. She was acting so strangely. I shrugged. Rose was a girl and girls were strange. I picked Minerva up, and we went to celebrate the wedding feast.