Five years later, the main square of the largest city on the island was filled as never before, as everyone gather to hear the announcement of the great Prince Locke's bride-to-be.

As the trumpets blared, he emerged from his balcony alongside the king and queen (didn't decide who they'd be so just put anyone there) and his right hand man, Count Cooper. His hand raised brought silence.

"My people! A month from now, our country will have it's five hundredth anniversary. On that sundown, I shall marry a lady who was once a commoner like yourselves. However, I do not think you will find her to be common now. Would you like to meet her?"

The crowd's answer was a great cheer. The prince smiled as he held his hand again, silencing the square, then directed it towards an archway where a red carpet was placed before.

"My people…the princess…Claire!"

The people turned towards the archway to see the young woman emerge from inside. The trumpets played another fanfare as the entire crowd held it's breath. A young woman in a gorgeous white gown exited the archway and descended the stairway, as everyone before her, without even an order, kneeled.

Claire's emptiness consumed her. Although the law of the land gave the prince the right to choose his bride, she did not love him.

Despite Locke's reassurance that she would grow to love him, the only joy she found was in her daily ride.

As she was miles away from the city, close to the canal she stopped as three men stood before her. The smallest man had dark brown hair and wide open blue eyes. Next to him was a taller, scruffier man with long blonde hair and a sulking look on his face. While one hand was just hanging, the other was placed on his sheathed sword. The third was larger than the other two, dark skinned, and had a look that was just crossed. He carried a wooden staff.

It was the smaller man who spoke politely. "A word, my lady. We are but poor, lost circus performers. Tell us, is there a village nearby?"

Claire shook her head. "I'm sorry. But there's nothing nearby for miles."

The small man only smiled, which frightened Claire. "Good. Then no one will hear you scream."

He nodded at the dark man, who advanced towards the frightened girl. He reached for her neck, and she barely had time to scream as he simply touched a nerve and rendered her unconscious.

The large dark man, whose name was Eko, carried Claire to their boat, while the scruffy man, who went by Sawyer, leaned against the railing, smoking a cigarette and watching their boss, Ben, tying a red cloth to the horse's reins.

"Whatcha got there, Dracula?" he asked with a Southern accent.

Ben scoffed at Sawyer's annoying affinity for nicknames before answering. "This is fabric from an DHARMA officer."

"And who the hell is DHARMA?"

"The institution that the island opposes," Ben explained before slapping the horse, forcing it to go. "Let's get moving now. When the horse gets back to the castle, the fabric will convince the prince that DHARMA has taken his bride. And when he finds her body on their land, his suspicions will be confirmed."

Sawyer simply shook his head as Ben boarded. "Kidnap and kill a girl so we can get these suckers to start a war with these DHARMA people. Oh yeah. That's a brilliant plan."

Eko was looking at Ben with fury. "You said nothing about killing."

Ben wasn't phased in the least. "I hired you two to help me start a war. It's a prestigious line of work with a long and glorious tradition."

Eko was only madder. "I did not agree to killing an innocent."

Ben was now the one enraged. "I hired you for your Strength, not your morality."

"I hate to say it," Sawyer spoke up, "but I agree with Hulk here."

Ben turned to face him, a look of amusement on his face.

"So, the low-life has grown a CON scious? Neither of you need to worry about what happens to her, because I am going to kill her. And do not forget Sawyer. When I found you, you were nothing but a despicable drunk. You couldn't even buy brandy."

Then he looked at Eko. "And you…do you want me to send you back to where you were? Unemployed in Nigeria?"

As Ben stormed off to the ship's rear, Sawyer looked over at Eko and smiled.

"Ben…sure can…fuss."

Eko smiled back before replying. "Perhaps he likes to scream at…us."

Sawyer's smile grew wider. "Well…I'm sure he means no…harm."

"Very…very short on…charm."

"Jeez. Ya sure good with rhymes."

"Sometimes."

Ben was starting to get annoyed. "Stop it. Let's get going."

And with that, they set sail.

"Hey, Eko!" Sawyer called out. "Any rocks ahead?"

"If there are, we'll be dead."

"Enough rhymes!" Ben shouted. "I mean it!"

Sawyer smiled as he made a rhyme of his own. "Hey Ben, wanna peanut?"

"AARRRGH!"

A/N: Okay, so Eko won't be as goofy as Fezzik was, but I needed someone really strong for the part. Maybe I'll throw in a joke or two for him but that's about it.

Anyway, hope youenjoyed this. Keep reviewing, and I'll keep uploading