S.U.R.V.I.V.E. by Shadowgirl416

Beta Reader: Avatarfan445 :D!

Chapter 7: Bite the Hand that Feeds

Crossing his arms on top of his chest, he finally took a deep breath. Anneliese's injury was being treated; they had one of the most experienced healers among them. He knew she was going to be alright. Yet, in front of him stood the woman who had hurt her with no reason, the same woman who had been pursuing him since she joined their group. With all that rush he hadn't had the opportunity to talk with her. So once again, he glared at her, "Why did you do that?"

Cherry tried to avoid his fierce look, but she couldn't help herself from looking into his eyes. She shrugged, if she said the things that were running through her mind right now he'd only resent her even more. And she really didn't want to talk about this.

Julian sighed, rolling his eyes. "What has she done to you?"

Still no answer. But the man was persistent. "Cherry, she's a very sweet and patient person." That made her roll her eyes, she was making him think she was an angel – as if she had nothing to do with whom they were fighting. "As a matter of fact, I know that she wouldn't—"

"She is one of them!" she cut him off, not being able to hold it in any longer. She glared at him. This time he was the one left without words – he couldn't deny that fact. Cherry was absolutely right. Her cheeks red with anger, and her brown eyes filled with rage. "I joined this group to destroy our rulers; and until now I thought that was the objective of this group, Julian."

He faintly nodded — understanding and recognizing that she was right once again. "I know that, Cherry. And you are completely right about everything." The woman almost smiled, "But that doesn't mean that you have the right to hurt her."

Her jaw slightly fell; he still didn't get what she was trying to explain. It was unbelievable how blind he was acting. "Resistthe rulers' orders and get rideof them all." She stated, walking closer to him. Julian rolled his eyes again when he recalled those words; Dominick always said that – it had almost become the group's motto. But Julian never thought of it the way Cherry was. "She's the Queen, Preminger's wife; our goal includes getting rid of her as well!"

"No!" he rapidly answered, but the look on the woman's face didn't change. "You don't understand—"

"Of course I do!"

"She doesn't have to do anything with all of this, Cherry."

"Of course she does!"

"She doesn't even know we'll attack her palace tonight, she doesn't know anything!"

He kept trying to make her think what he wanted, but she was smarter than that. That silly pampered Anneliese had probably just dazzled Julian; it wasn't hard to amaze a man who had been alone for such a long time. Still, she was sure the Queen's intentions weren't good. She had lots of reasons, and maybe speaking her mind would make him realize how wrong he really was. So she dared to walk even closer, drawing one of her hands to his face. He frowned at her, brushing her hand away before it even touched him.

Cherry's brown eyes found his blue ones, she knew how empathic Julian was – maybe making him feel sorry for her would make him listen. So her expression softened, she pushed her lower lip a little outward and her red eyebrows twisted. Trying to sound sad and pitiful, she started. "She's using you, Julian."

And even when that made him want to retort, she continued. "She doesn't deserve you."

"Cherry -" he tried to make her stop, but she cut him off.

"After everything you've done and being aware of what you feel for her… she's still married to that creep." Julian frowned harder, and even when it was atrocious of him to agree with what she was saying he had to say it was almost true. But it was her duty, he knew her love was sincere and pure and he understood that.

Cherry's breath was what brought him to realize how close she was, feeling dizzy by that fruity odor that emanated from her – and he had always thought that everyone called her Cherry because of the color of her hair. She started to stand on her tiptoes, hoping to finally make her lips meet with his – to finally kiss the man that had been her keen desire for almost a year now. "I would never choose anyone over you…"

Then, as she got closer, he felt suffocated by the strong smell of cherries. That odor pulled him from his thoughts and made him take in what was about to happen.

Julian abruptly recoiled, walking away from her. "She didn't make that choice, her mother forced her to."

Cherry scowled and rolled her eyes. "Has Anneliese showed you otherwise?" That made him think about that night… He had repressed that memory for so long that it made his knees grow weak just remembering what happened. "Because as far as I know, she's married. Even if she wanted to show you how she feels she wouldn't be able to show you properly."

Now, this he hated. She was talking like if she was an expert, like if she had records of all the things that had happened to him. But, lost in his own thoughts and memories, he couldn't measure what he was answering. She hadn't been able to runaway with him, she couldn't say no to her marriage to Preminger – but he was certain about something, she loved him and he loved her. "I don't see why she can't show me."

"She's married; she has a husband with whom she shares a bed every night." Her tone was slow and almost mocking.

"They don't even sleep in the same bed!" he rapidly replied, not noticing the things he was saying.

"Of course they do! They would be the talk of the town if they didn't. He would know if she's not there!"

In order to try to win the argument, he snapped the first evident reason he had to prove her wrong. "We spent a whole night together!" And it was the sudden enlargement of her eyes that made him realize what he had done.

Cherry froze, her mind processing the information. This was maybe Julian's biggest secret, but it was something she didn't want to know. The man she spent so many months loving, waiting for him to notice – trying to make him see what she felt—when this other woman had already stolen his heart. A blind illusion, that's what this had been. And it was all Anneliese's fault. Her hatred grew stronger; the scorn she felt for the Queen came from being a simple girl fight over a man to a grave situation that had almost broken her heart. This had just become personal.

Julian froze as well; Cherry had priceless information in her hands now. She could harm Anneliese with just telling someone what she had heard coming out of his own mouth. But as he stood there what he saw in the redhead's expression was not a sign of satisfaction. If he was correct, Cherry would have been glad to have something that would hurt them. She seemed to be more hurt than happy to hear what he had just told her. Sure, he knew Cherry had a crush on him. But was she really taking everything so seriously?

A stern look on her face, she tried to find words so he wouldn't notice how angry she really was. "Just like I said, she's using you." He sighed, now really wanting to leave. "That just confirms my theory, Julian." She continued, now feeling more relaxed. She was good at this 'twisting the truth' thingy. "If she really loves you, she would have runaway with you a long time ago." Forgetting about what they were just talking about, he decided to go with her flow. And then he recalled that moment, early today he had tried that and if it wasn't for that maid maybe Anneliese would have agreed to come with him. "She can't just leave, her kingdom needs her."

But Cherry also recalled a moment from today, "She said that she wasn't in charge of anything that had to do with the kingdom."

Julian was losing what was left of his patience, this woman was so stubborn. "Cherry, it's her duty."

She walked closer again, looking at him straight in the eye. "And what about your scar?" Cherry pointed at the long narrow mark on his face. That blemish had been on his face since she first met him; she had heard how and why he got it. "It was her fault."

"It was not!" he instantly said, but the girl kept speaking. If she wasn't able to make Julian see things her way, then she at least was going to make him feel bad.

"She never even did anything to make that buffoon pay."

"She didn't know!"

God was he mulish! Now that she was out of excuses, she was starting to give up. "Julian, I don't want to fight."

And he was just as tired as she was, "Go," The sudden change in his usual soft tone made her softly gasp. This was serious; she could tell. Julian had never spoken to anyone like this before. Anger can change a person, but Cherry was determined to make him see things her way.

"Julian," It sounded like if she was begging him to let her stay.

And now he glared at her, there was no other way to make her understand and she gasped. "I said go, don't you understand?"

"Oh, Nack." Nick sighed, "She's very pretty, and she has the most beautiful curly red hair I have ever seen…"

Nack opened the door in front of them, rolling his eyes. This happened every time they went to that place, Nick would return up on cloud nine if he saw that girl. "Nick, I already told you to stop talking about her. If you like her so much why don't you just go tell her?"

The blonde man dropped his head, "She wouldn't like me; she likes someone else…"

The brunet one chuckled as they started to walk up the staircase. "Well, you know that that someone else loves the Queen."

Nick chuckled too, "I knew that."

"Which means that you only have to flirt with her to make her like you,"

The man's eyes sparkled, "You really think she'd like me?"

"Sure!" assured his brother, "You're as good looking as I am, but now quiet you know how our Master gets when we talk too much."

"Yeah" Nick nodded, a warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach still making his smile. He was going to tell her how much he liked her the next time he saw her…

As Nack opened the door to their boss's office, they bowed. "Your majesty."

The King, obviously annoyed by their presence, sighed and rolled his eyes as he motioned them to come in. And after he pointed at the two chairs in front of his desk, he flung himself onto his huge seat. This had been a very busy day, and he just couldn't wait for tonight. He was going to get his revenge and Anneliese would surely suffer enough to make him feel accomplished. But first, he had to listen to these two buffoons. "What do you simpletons want?"

Nick smiled, "We saw Anneliese."

"She's with them," Nack added, "Just like you said she would be."

Preminger smirked; his chest got swollen with pride. "I am a genius, aren't I? And they haven't made any changes to their plan?"

Nack shook his head, "No, sire. Everything is still the same; they will attack when the celebration begins."

The amber-eyed man clapped with emotion, everything was going according to his plans. "Perfect!" He exclaimed.

"Master Preminger?" called Nick, "How are you going to throw this ball if the Queen is not here?"

The brown-haired man and the other wearing a white-powered wig sighed; Nick was just not the brightest.

"You idiot," muttered the King before he explained, "When the 'Resistance' comes to attack us, our troops will be prepared to fight back. I know that as a matter of fact Anneliese will be there, so we just have to snatch her from them and bring her here."

"See Nick? Our Master is a mastermind."

Preminger smirked once again, he was all brain – he knew that. If it weren't for his brilliance he wouldn't be where he was right now. He wouldn't be King; he would probably still be working as Queen Genevieve's advisor if he hadn't come up with that amazing plan. And taking the hand mirror from his desk he continued to admire himself.

He was so good looking; he wondered how Anneliese hadn't forgotten about that silly tutor while having him as a husband. He had it all; he was smart, rich and handsome – unlike that stupid teacher. Not that he wanted her to be interested in him, just that it would be good for his image if they acted like a married couple.

And as he took another glance at his face in the mirror, he noticed how the image suddenly faded away. His eyes fluttered, was his mind playing tricks on him? Maybe he was too smart and he was going insane!

He gasped and dropped the mirror; the face of a woman was appearing in the glass. And as it hit with the desk, he noticed how purple eyes glared at him through the mirror. Preminger only knew one person with that kind of eyes, and it was very possible for her to be inside his mirror.

Carefully making sure it really was who he thought, he took a glimpse at it – still shaken by the event.

"Preminger! Don't drop the stupid mirror!" He heard her shout from the object. Nick and Nack were baffled as well, so they decided to make a run for it and leave their boss alone with the freaky thing. "It's me, you fool!"

With a shaky hand he reached to take the mirror again, "Who?" he asked.

"Santa Claus, who do you think it is!" She scoffed, he finally sighed with relief when he saw her face.

"Lily… that's quite a scare you gave me!" She rolled her eyes at him, looking impatient. "How are you inside this mirror anyway?"

"Forget about that! I just wanted to know if you haven't seen a woman who looks exactly like your wife."

Preminger rapidly nodded, Lily's expression softened. "Really? Where is she?" She asked with a more soft and calmed tone of voice.

He slightly shrugged, "I really don't know," that made her frown a bit again, "She was here, she took Anneliese and they escaped."

The black-haired woman took a deep breath; this was no time to freak out. There was still hope; she just had to do everything by herself if she wanted things to be done correctly. She was surrounded by idiots. But maybe Preminger had sent someone to look for his wife – and if he did they would surely find Erika as well. "Did you send a search party to find your wife?"

Preminger calmly shook his head, "No." he simply replied.

Lily sighed, rubbing her temples to calm down. She had to explain this thing all over again to another mindless jerk.

The redheaded woman opened the door, taking a glimpse inside before she came in, making sure Nick wasn't mad at her. Just imagining what kind of sermon was waiting for her made her internally flinch – and yawn. But when she spotted him simply sitting behind his desk eyeing some papers, she softly sighed. "You wanted to see me?"

Her voice made Dominick place a hand on top of the papers he had; he didn't want anyone knowing he was actually considering playing again the dusty old piano he owned—at least not yet. Music was something that just made him purely happy, but he didn't have time for that. So he looked up, "Cherry, come in." The girl closed the door behind her as she walked inside, sitting in one of the chairs in front of the table.

Dominick hid the papers to give all of his attention to the matter at hand, this was a small place and rumors flew by rapidly. Someone came and told him what she had just done, and even when he didn't like Anneliese either he knew it was just wrong to allow Cherry to get away with what she did. But, he knew her. He knew that she would want to walk away if he started to scold and nag at her. So he decided to give her a change to explain everything. "What happened?"

She gave him a puzzled look, trying to act like if nothing had occurred. "Nothing happened, sir."

Nick leaned closer to speak more directly to her, "I know something happened, Cherry." She shrugged, shaking her head. "You almost stabbed Queen Anneliese."

"She started it!" She rapidly snapped back, almost whining. He was just making it sound so awful! She hadn't mean for her to get that hurt, she just wanted to scare her off.

Dominick raised one of his eyebrows, "You sound like a four year old, tell me what happened."

And the girl had to obey; this was her boss after all. "Fine…" She sighed, already thinking of how to make it sound more pleasing. "We argued and… I was mad and…" She paused, biting her lower lip as she tried to make her voice sound as convincing as possible. "We just fought and she tried to hurt me with a fork and I had to defend myself."

The brown-haired man couldn't help but to smile, "Really?" He chuckled, knowing this woman's over-reactive behavior. "That spoiled, naïve girl tried to hurt you with a fork and you tried to stab her?"

Cherry knew what he was probably thinking, so she instantly said something back. "It's called self-defense, Nick. My instinct kicked in, that's what I've been training for."

"Then you should learn how to control your instincts, that's what your mind is for." Trying to blame other things, he knew why she had done this – she couldn't fool anyone when it came to something involving Julian. "Besides, she'll be with us for a while – including tonight - so you better accept her as a member of this group and control yourself."

That made her drop her jaw, her breath caught up and eyes bulge. "What? Oh, you can't be serious Nick!" The brunet looked at her; his expression didn't change and he nodded. "She couldn't even hurt me. How is she supposed to fight with us tonight? You know, now I see that you are as soft and stupid as Julian is, for all you two care this mission will be our last!"

"She'll go with us, that's final." Now she was just being arrogant and she was prejudging. He was her leader; he was the one in charge. And Cherry was acting like if she was the one who knew everything around here. He had no choice, he knew it meant a lot to Julian to have Anneliese around and Cherry was simply jealous – he couldn't afford any mistakes tonight. After all, taking Anneliese with them was their goal as well as catching Frederick and Preminger was. "As for you, I'm prohibiting you from leaving this place for today."

"What?" Could this day get any worse for her? Or maybe she had heard something wrong?

Nick calmly repeated, "You aren't going on this mission."

The redhead blinked several times before taking in all in, this was unbelievable! Anger, disappointment, sadness, disbelief – all mixed together in her head. "But, Nick, I've been training for months – This will be our last mission, I'm one of your best archers."

"I don't care, you should have thought about that before you did this."

She sighed, and dropped her shoulders. "Are you really going to make this little slip that big?"

Nick thought for a moment, he truly wanted her there. She wasn't one of the persons who were there when everything started, but she had supported them like nobody had. She had trained like crazy; she had risked her life at times to get information. But right now, she was turned into another person – a crazy, risky and impulsive person.

"Is not about that, Cherry." He started, running a hand through his hair. "You have just showed me that you don't know how to control your emotions; you are mixing personal matters with your job. I can't afford to have someone as unstable as you around tonight." For what he had seen, they could have been fighting off guards to get to Frederick and she would have suddenly burst into tears just because Julian was protecting the woman he loved. That woman, the one he lived to love and Cherry had hurt her – she just hurt Julian as well. "You just bit the hand that feeds you, Julian may not show it but he cares a lot about everyone here including you."

She rapidly uttered, "Yeah right." Not wanting to hear any more of this nonsense. Everyone was on their side, they had turned their backs on her – fine, she could do that too. And damn well she could.

Standing up and walking away, she already had in mind where she was going to.

Nick told her she had bitten the hand that fed her… Good! Now that she had done that then she was going to chew it until it bled.

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt anymore? Because we can go back and -"

Anneliese's laughter cut him off, "I'm fine!" She assured, she could swear it was the seventh time he'd ask that same question. She liked that he was worrying, but he was exaggerating.

Julian slightly chuckled, opening the door of his room and closing it behind him after she walked in – this time making sure it was locked. He couldn't stop feeling guilty about this, it had been his fault. He shouldn't have left her alone in the first place; she wasn't exactly an adored person around the people that lived there.

After sitting on his bedside, Anneliese couldn't help but to keep staring at the spears that lay on top of his bed. She knew Julian, and she knew he wouldn't use those to hurt anyone. But if Cherry had brought them then they did have a purpose. Perhaps a dangerous one.

Before Julian made it to her side, "What are those for?" she unconsciously asked.

And the man gulped, and his pace slowed down a bit. He couldn't tell her just like that, he wasn't sure how she would respond. But maybe he could evade the real question if he made her think about something else. "For tonight's attack."

Her eyes met his, worry and surprise filled her blue depths. "Attack?" She repeated with wonder.

He nodded, sitting beside her. "Dominick will go after Frederick."

"Dominick will," She remarked, her expression full of worry. "Why do you need these? Why will you even go?"

Julian tried to think of a reasonable answer, Anneliese was smart. It was very hard to fool her; she always found a way to doubt anyone's word. Honestly, he didn't need those– at least not for now. "I… I-I'm just going to help."

The corner of her lips curved a bit, it was funny to watch him trying to lie to her. "What a horrible liar you are, Mr. Mills."

And he had to chuckle too, just like he had expected – she sensed his lie. But that soft smile on her face disappeared in a matter of seconds. The worried and distressed look returned.

Julian sighed and dropped his gaze; if he told her the truth then he would have to tell her everything else so she would understand. If he only told her the reason he had to go with Dominick tonight she would think he was a jerk. Killing someone without a reason.

"I have to go; even when the tactic has changed I still want to." Question and uncertainty added to all of the feelings in her eyes as she waited for him to finish. "The original plan was to catch both Preminger and Frederick during the ball, and then I would take the chance to take you with me." Anneliese smiled, Julian gently took her unharmed hand in his. "But now that you are here, I'll just go to catch Preminger… and make him pay."

Even when she thought it was stupid and unreasonable for her to say, she didn't think it was alright if Julian killed Preminger. Sure, he was an idiot and he had hurt him – but to kill him?

"No," She pleaded, placing her bandaged hand against his cheek. "You don't have to do that, Julian. There's no need to look for more trouble." And she wasn't pleading for Preminger's life, she was pleading for Julian to stay here so Preminger wouldn't try to hurt him again. He nudged his face against her palm, he expected her to say that. She didn't know anything about what Preminger had done. And taking a glimpse of his scar made her realize that he did have reason to hurt the King. So, chuckling a bit, she added: "Maybe you can scare him a bit so he learns his lesson."

But Julian shook his head, closing his eyes to reassure himself – he had to let her know the truth. There were so many things Preminger had done other than hurting him. He had hurt both her and her family. Sadly, even when he was one of the few people that knew the truth, he had not done anything to avenge anyone.

"If I ever get the chance to get my hands on him, I won't hurt him for my sake. I will hurt him for what he has done to everyone, especially to you."

Anneliese looked confusedly at him, "Julian, he hasn't done anything to me."

The blue eyed man nodded, "That's what you think…" And then he softly took the hand she had on his cheek and covered them both with his own hands. This was going to hit her hard.

"Preminger is the most depraved human being you will ever know." She raised an eyebrow, thinking that Julian was just joking. Like she said before, Preminger was an egocentric maniac and all, but she just couldn't get into her head the picture of her beloved tutor murdering her mother's ex-adviser. So Julian took a deep breath, "He was the one who sent those two men to kidnap you," The expression on her face – shock, anger and disappointment all mixed together in a sudden realization. She even looked paler, her heart pounded on her head – some things that had been a mystery and often called coincidences were now clearly obvious.

"That's why he was the one who found me…" She said, her voice barely audible.

"He was planning this all along; he hid you so Dominick would go -"

"And then he pretended to rescue me so he could marry me." She finished for him, how hadn't she figured this out before? It was so predictable!

Julian decided to continue, just to get this over with right now. "He forced you to be his wife, he has exploited your kingdom, he tried to kill me and -" He stopped; he couldn't just tell her that Preminger was responsible for her mother's death. What if this whole plan went downfall? And Preminger actually took Anneliese back, it would be worse for her to be living by force by the side of her mother's murderer.

"And?"

His eyes pierced hers again; a stern and firm look upon his face. "Those reasons are enough for me to at least beat the light out of him."

And the Queen had nothing else to say. She wasn't going to plead for mercy, this wasn't really her problem. Preminger was a fully-grown man; he had to take responsibility for his actions. Yet, as she thought about what was about to happen that night, tears already started to fill her eyes.

The group would attack the palace, and this was the night of the celebration of her first wedding anniversary – the only thing loading the castle aside from guests were going to be guards. It was a fact that people were going to get hurt and she dreaded the thought of having Julian there. If everything he had just said to her was true, Preminger was not going to feel pleased with his presence at all. If her husband had tried to kill Julian before, like he said, she was absolutely sure that if he had to chance he would try again – only that this time Preminger's whole guard unit would be willing to help and obey his every order.

This night had to be perfect, faultless in every single way. He had to make all of his guests think that he and Anneliese were the perfect couple. Their King and Queen, happily celebrating their first year together as husband and wife. The most expensive decorations, the finest cuisines and of course the highest level of security available in their kingdom – things that were on top of Preminger's list.

"I want at least five guards at every corner of the place," The captain of his guards nodded as his King started to point some areas around him "Next to the windows, guarding the doors, watching every guest," Again, the tall man nodded, "And if you see the evil brunette replica of my wife do not hesitate to arrest her, I want this night to be perfect, I can't afford any slips. Have I made myself clear?"

The captain nodded once again, "Sir, yes, sir." He replied.

Preminger then gestured him to leave. "Carry on, then."

But just as he started to look around the ballroom that was being prepared for the occasion, he felt a finger prodding his shoulder. Turning back he found his page, a thin fragile boy who received the guests that came to the castle.

"Your majesty," He bowed, "There's a woman who wants to speak with you."

Preminger frowned, since when do women come to visit him? It couldn't be Anneliese because the page would have recognized her right away. And he honestly didn't know any other girl who would be interested in seeing him. "A woman?" He asked.

And the boy rapidly answered him, "Yes, a peasant sir. She said it was very urgent."

And just before Preminger could reply, some fast gasps and complains traveled from the hallway and through the ballroom until they reached his ears. Almost every servant decorating was staring at the woman who had entered without any permission, they knew how angry Preminger could get when someone managed to break the rules – and he hated unexpected visitors. Judging by the way she was dressed, she wasn't a royal – not even close to what they called a lady either. A dirty, ragged, frayed and discolored dress, an old looking bag hanging on her hip and the voluminous red mane on her head that made them see her as a down-and-out person. The ones that usually came to the palace to argue with the King.

"Oh, my goodness." The page freaked when he saw that young redhead walking closer to Preminger, he flew to her side and instantly tried to grab her arm. "I'm very sorry sir," But the girl dodged his attempt, easily darting away from the servant.

Preminger gazed at her; he knew her. He had seen her a lot of times before. The red from her hair making him remember that almost all of those times she had enraged him somehow…

She was one of the girls that worked for that alliance against him! Yes, she was probably here to tell him to take care of himself or something like that.

Preminger surely wanted to hear what she had to say, but the page still hadn't noticed that so he insisted. "Ma'am I told you to wait outside."

But something looked different in her. If she was here to make fun of him, or threat him, she would've had a smirk or at least a smile on her face. But she was frowning, her lips twisted, reddish cheeks and her brown eyes glassy – she had been crying. This was weird, and it felt right to allow her to speak to him.

The page tried to grab her arm again, but he was stopped by his boss. "No, no." Said the amber eyed man, his servant took some steps back to leave his King to what he wanted to do. Preminger looked at the girl, "Please, fair maiden, follow me." And with that, they left the ballroom.

Dust, dust everywhere. After removing the blanket that the long-forgotten object for almost a year, the thick layer of dirt was now flying around him. Nick coughed, placing his palm against his nose and mouth as he squinted his eyes.

He honestly didn't even want the damn thing; it reminded him of his old life. Back when he had it all, back when he lost it all… But it was the harpsichord that his father gave him for his 18th birthday; they shared the same passion for music. So Dominick knew that even when his father was not there anymore, it would mean a lot to him to know that he kept it after everything that happened.

His eyes traveled around the musical instrument, his finger instinctively went straight to touch the black and white keys. He didn't even had to force his mind to remember a song to play, his fingers jumped from key to key without any of his effort – he played it like if he had just been practicing a couple of minutes ago.

Dominick smiled to himself, getting lost in the moment and sitting in front of the harpsichord as the song's rhythm grew. A piece of cake, for him it was as easy and involuntary as breathing.

But as he forgot about the world around him and concentrated only on the keyboard in front of him he didn't notice the brunette girl enjoying the play.

Erika had been wandering around the place, trying to think how she was going to tell him everything. But when she heard the beautiful music, she ran – because she knew it had to be him. And as much as she wished to just come in and try to set things right it was impossible to interrupt him when he was like this. She remembered that it was the same when he played at their home, he didn't liked to be disturbed. Not that anyone would want to, who would want to make him stop making that enchanting music?

And as she stood there, reclining on his doorframe, the short song ended – and he finally looked up. Light blue eyes bulged, and his cheeks became red. For a moment, when he was playing the harpsichord, he was Dominick; but when he finished and saw the reality around him he was Nick again. Revengeful, plotting and cold Nick. So the redness on his face was only momentarily, soon his eyebrows wrinkled and he stood up.

He glared at the girl on his door, even though he knew that people that passed near his room heard him playing nobody would have dared to stop and stare. Still, this outsider did.

Nick cleared his throat, walking away from the harpsichord. "May I help you?"

Erika didn't even know if it was safe to walk inside, he looked mad and that wasn't a good thing in the situation they were in. So she gulped, trying to think of a thing to say – but no words came out of her mouth. He crossed his arms on his chest, remembering this was the same girl that had been here not even an hour ago. He sighed, "You again…"

Erika's eyes found the harpsichord once more, and she pointed at it. It took some seconds for her to find her voice but she finally took some steps into the room and spoke to him. "I didn't know you play so beautifully."

"Well, now you know." His response dry and emotionless.

Despite his attitude she still walked in, and closed the room that was behind her. Her eyes tried to find his, but where drawn back by that scowl on his face.

Erika found herself lost in her own thoughts as she considered what to say next. She had no time, yet so much to lose if she didn't make this work. Her kingdom, the real Dominick, her children, her life – all vanished if she failed.

But how was she supposed to tell him that?

She couldn't just mention that she actually came from another universe where they were married and had kids together – he would think she was insane and then she would have even less chances of convincing him.

"Look," She was dragged from her thoughts by his voice. "You should be getting prepared; polishing spears getting some rest -"

Erika shook her head, "I think I can help you while you're here. You're the leader; you need help."

He chuckled, "That's why I have Julian -"

"Then where is he?"

Twisting one of his eyebrows, he shrugged. She was probably the first person that was able to prove him wrong. The doubt of why this woman insisted in joining him was overwhelming his being. He had been here for approximately a year and no one, except for Julian, had ever showed so much interest.

"And you could help me with…" He started, motioning her to finish his statement.

Erika saw her chance; thank goodness she was a decent liar. As she walked closer to the harpsichord, she started. "I could help you with… strategy, and your… organization. Things that need to be adjusted."

His head moving along as she walked, "Nothing needs adjustments, everything is set."

Erika smiled, "Good," She said, finally sitting in front of the musical instrument. "That means you have some time to relax."

And before he could answer, Erika started playing—a soft and calm melody that made Dominick glare at her. A cold wave seemed to run all the blood from his body, just like if he had seen a ghost. He froze, his fists clenched and his jaw slightly dropped. It just couldn't be. And of course he wanted to ask her why she had chosen that song to play right now, but he even found it hard to breathe and speak.

Erika softly grinned as she started to sing, "Once a lass met a lad. 'You're a gentle one,' said she."

Trying to stop her just became harder when he heard her sing, after his heart skipped a beat it started to pound furiously – but his body was still frozen by the shock.

"In my heart I'd be glad, if you loved me for me."

The song his mother used to play almost every day when he was a little child. A very rare song; he had only heard it several times in his whole life. His favorite piece of music. And this stranger, for some unknown reason, had decided to play it.

"You say your love is true, and I hope that it will be."

Finally, Nick felt his feet again and he walked closer to her. He examined her, still wondering if she was real.

And that's when everything made sense to him.

A beautiful woman, who looked exactly like the princess he was once supposed to marry, who wished to spend most of her time pursuing him, who knew a lot of things about him and that loved music… it was simply too good to be true. It seemed more like a joke, more like a setup. If this girl wasn't real and she was there to foil everything, then there was one person who could have been behind this…

"Stop." He said, interrupting her. Erika stopped playing and looked at him, but his expression was not the one she had been expecting. His blue eyes traveled from her head to her toes as she sat there.

That witch had done a remarkable job, he almost fell for it – she almost seemed real. But he was smarter, it was better to prevent than to lament. He wasn't letting his heart get in the way of things. Tonight everything would be fixed, he would be King like his father wanted and his dear cousin would pay – he couldn't let a beautiful illusion distract him.

But first, he was letting Lily know that he had figured what she was trying to do with this girl. He'd make her realize that he was not that naïve boy that she had once fooled.

He brusquely grasped her wrist. Erika gasped; she'd never felt Dominick holding her with so brute force. He pulled her closer, almost making her trip. Blue fury surging from those pale eyes, fear threatening to spill from her own.

"Did Lily send you here?"

"Cherry, right?" Asked the white-haired man as he walked behind his desk and sat on his chair.

The girl, looking at her surroundings, replied. "Yes."

Preminger relaxed on the chair, moving his short and skinny legs to rest them on top of the desk in front of him. This was no lady, so there was no need to be good mannered. "I wonder, is that your real name or just a nickname?"

The redhead took a seat, still staring at the gigantic book cases that covered almost every wall on this room. It's no wonder why Julian enjoyed working here - Gosh! Why did everything seem to remind her of him? She shook her head, erasing the thought from her mind. "That's none of your business," she answered. And sitting more comfortably, she even relaxed on her chair as well. "How do you know my name anyway?"

Preminger chuckled, "I think I would remember someone who has tried to kill me several times." He kept chuckling but Cherry didn't even smiled, he could see that there was still some scorn in the way she looked at him. And if she did hate him so much, why did she come here? "What can I do for you then? I hope you're not here to attack me personally or something like that -"

Cherry almost frowned, he must have been thinking she was there to joke around – or he was trying to make fun of her. And she didn't have time to play his silly games. "Quite a nice sense of humor, your majesty, but I'm actually here to help you." She wanted to be straight and clear, there was no need to waste time.

The King raised an eyebrow, his expression reflected doubt and surprise. "Help me?"

She nodded, "Precisely," And even with her confirmation he still didn't believe a single word of what she was saying. "But you have to promise you won't hurt my any of my friends."

Not hesitating to agree with her condition, he rapidly replied, "I promise, young lady."

The serious look on her face faded and was replaced with a worried and remorseful one for a moment. This was the tyrannical King they all hated, the man who had made their lives miserable. And she was literary putting everyone's faith in his hands. "You have to swear," She added, her voice cracking a bit as she continued, "Give me your word."

Why, this was getting interesting, Preminger thought. This girl was severely hurt. And he was intrigue to know what she was going to tell him, so he agreed to any of her terms. Not hurt her friends? He could do that, if locking them up didn't meant hurting them. Because after all, he was the King – he could do whatever he wanted.

"As King, I give you my word."

She sighed with relief, despite everything she knew about this man somehow she felt calmed when she heard him say those words. "I will help you win tonight."

Preminger straightened in his chair, "Pardon…"

"Don't try to play crazy with me; I know you know about tonight's attack."

The King stopped for a moment to take in what she said and then slowly nodded, this girl was well informed. He had to be careful with her. But still that just fed his doubt, he really didn't know what to expect from her. As a matter of fact he knew that he would defeat those uncivilized rejects; he had his whole army. Plus, when Frederick arrived he'd have even more men to fight back – more than double the man Dominick had by his side. Still, this girl that – for all he knew - still was a part of 'The Resistance'- was implying that he needed her help to win tonight. "Indeed I do," he said, leaning closer. "That's why I'll have the castle surrounded with guards."

"We changed the plan;" She interrupted before he kept talking, before she regretted what she was about to do. "I want you to take our group by surprise," She continued, "We'll trap Frederick in the woods before he gets here and then we'll be coming for you."

Preminger's eyes doubled in size; that was indeed something he had not been expecting. "My, my…" He muttered, placing a fist on his chin as he thought about this new information. He was truly underestimating this group. And perhaps he was doing it in an exaggerated way. "Wait… how do I know you're not lying to me?"

Cherry rolled her eyes, "Oh please, what would I win by doing such thing?"

"Make your friends get away with everything."

"I would if they hadn't turned their backs on me."

"Oh…" Preminger muttered, things were starting to make sense. "That's how it is then…" And he couldn't help but to wonder, "May I ask what have they done to you?"

Cherry sighed, and she crossed her arms. Just to remember the incident made her shudder inside, her eyes starting to burn again. "It's your wife's fault."

"Really?" He wasn't sure if he had sounded sarcastic when he said that last thing, but that was kind of shocking for him. Anneliese was upsetting somebody else? That was certainly new to him. He had known her since she was a toddler; she was habitually nice to everyone around her. Yet, this girl seemed to have something against her… This rebellious, vengeful, ruthless and law-breaking woman didn't like Anneliese. For whatever reason she had. And perhaps he could take advantage of this situation. In order to coincide with her remark, he just acted like if he knew what she was talking about. "Well… she can be a pain in the behind if she wants to."

Cherry looked at him and nodded, finally someone agreed with her! "She hasn't even been there for a day and she has torn my life apart… She made everyone think I'm the bad guy."

"I see…" The King nodded, making up more lies in his mind so he could get more information from her. "Anneliese is like that, acting all nice so everyone will believe she's the good one around." And just like a spider building a web to capture insects, this false anecdote kept on growing. A devious idea surging from the darkest place in his mind, his most evil plan until now. "But nobody knows what she really is; she can get away with anything with that pretty face you know." Cherry's expression was now similar to a child listening to a story; she was buying every single word that came from that man's mouth. And that was exactly what Preminger wanted. "She has even planned getting rid of Nick and Julian; she hates their guts for not obeying her rules."

The redhead gasped, she was right! Anneliese was evil! "But I thought you were the one who gave the orders around here."

Preminger was concentrating so much on keeping his face as serious as he could that he forgot to shake his head and he just continued to lie, "That's what she wants everybody to think. She's the royal one – I'm just as worthless as any other servant around here." The girl's face had a mixture of worry and shock, "This whole chaos is her own fault; she's the mindless and selfish person who has designed this mess. But of course, she leaves me to take the blame." Preminger sighed, placing a hand on his forehead and dropping his gaze. "If this kingdom was in my hands I would surely set everything right."

Cherry dropped her eyes as well; this was a lot to absorb in just a couple of minutes. She was right about Anneliese, she was evil and she was going to hurt Julian and everyone in 'The Resistance'. She was probably going to wait for them to capture Frederick in the forest and then when they came here to attack Preminger she would trick them so her guards could trap them. There was a traitor among them and the only one who knew it was her! Preminger had confirmed it, but who would believe her?

She couldn't let them be fooled like that; she wanted everyone to be fine – to return to their glory days in the kingdom. If Queen Genevieve was still alive she would surely make things go the way they should again. But she wasn't there anymore, and her daughter was a merciless and lying ruler – the only one who could at least try to help the kingdom was Preminger. Who, like he just mentioned, had been a witness of the horrors this brat had done with her kingdom. And he said that if he had the chance he would set things right, he wasn't the best candidate, but he was the best option in her eyes. "You really would?"

The man looked up; a smile flickered on his face. "I would be the best ruler in the history of this empire."

The girl nodded, "Life is unfair for those who wish to do right."

"It sure is…" The man with the powdered wig agreed.

Cherry felt like if she had been given a task; the desperate King was trying to help his kingdom but his Queen wouldn't allow it – and she was the one who was going to help him now. "What would it take for you to become the one in absolute control?"

Preminger smirked internally; he had been waiting for her to ask this since she arrived.

"Anneliese is the only heir to the throne, she has no siblings and we have no children. She's the one in control no matter what we do…"

"What if she died? Who would be left to take the throne?"

God! His stomach suddenly got filled with butterflies from all the excitement he was feeling.

"Well, Cherry, I would be the one in charge then." An idea – similar to Preminger's – started to surge in her head as he spoke. "But she's young and healthy, and who would kill her when everyone sees her as a victim? It's just too heartless to think about that."

"Yes, but what if there was an accident?"

He remembered he had to act a bit, just so this girl really believed he was goodhearted. "You're talking about my wife; I would never do anything to hurt her."

She decided to ignore the evident sarcasm in what he said. She had an idea, but she wasn't sure he would like it as much. So she started giving him some clues, just to see if he was the one who finally said it out loud. "You wouldn't, but if you paid someone to do the job… maybe you wouldn't feel so guilty about it."

But Preminger was as anxious as her, he wanted to accept that fact – it was an excellent idea. He stood up from his chair, a grin on his face. "I would free the kingdom from their horrible and merciless Queen; I would help everyone – including your people!"

Cherry smiled, "Exactly!"

"I would be praised by all!"

"Yes!"

He then walked to where she was sitting, and offered a hand to her to help her stand up as well. He was such a good actor; he must have been a famous performer in his past life. God, was he perfect! But back to the matter at hand, Cherry was grinning like him – without saying a word, she had agreed.

"I only need someone with the skill and the nerve to make that accident happen."

She almost gasped; No, no, no, no! She never meant that she was going to do it! She didn't want to kill the Queen; she had never killed anyone in her life. Yes, she almost killed her a couple of hours ago – but that was an accident! Just imagine how Julian would feel… He would hate her even more. Her face paled, her jaw dropped a bit, and her fists clenched.

Preminger noticed, and looked at her straight in the eye. "You'd be our savior. Just think of all the things she has done to you."

Gosh, it was true… Anneliese had taken Julian away from her, she had made everyone think she was wrong, she had destroyed this kingdom and it served her right to suffer. She'd be doing good… even if it meant having blood on her hands.

"What's in it for me?"

Preminger smirked, "Honor," She'd be praised by the whole kingdom, she thought. "All the gold you can carry," She'd be one of the richest women! "And of course, your man." She'd have Julian for her own, he didn't have to know the truth – she'd be there to comfort him. She'd be the person the spoiled brat could never be.

She nodded, and Preminger stretched his hand. "Have we got a deal?" With an almost trembling hand, she shook his. And the deal was sealed.

Author's Note:

I deeply apologize for the delay. But better late than never, right?

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The title was inspired by Nine Inch Nails's song "The Hand That Feeds", I think it really describes Cherry's situation in all of this, and NIN is one of my favorite bands.

And many thanks to everyone who has reviewed and has added this story to their favorites, I'm so pleased to know you guys are enjoying this! Oh, and to Ruxi, if you are reading this, thanks for your review too! Yes, my chapter are usually very long, that's just my way of writing. I like to explain pretty much everything, and thanks to my beta-reader I can do it! :D

Many thanks to my wonderful beta-reader too! You're the best!

I promise I'll update sooner, and I hope that this chapter was of your liking!

Thanks for reading and please review!