Minnie stared at Mickey, trying to absorb what she'd just heard. His sudden appearance had been a pleasant surprise at first, but once he turned back to his true form it was clear there were problems. Even so, what he told her had been an utter shock. She had barely thought about Mortimer, except to worry that he might stir up trouble, but she never thought he would go this far.

None of her concerns were for herself, however. Clearly, her stepmother hadn't expected Minnie to find out until Mortimer got the permission he needed from her father; writing a letter would fix all Minnie's issues. Her real fear was that Mortimer had messed up the alliance, and with Mickey arriving so suddenly and this upset, that fear was only reinforced.

"Oh no…" she whispered, dropping her gaze. "W-what has he done? I swear, I wanted nothing to do with him, and I never thought he could effect the alliance…"

"Whoa, hey…"

Gentle hands suddenly rested on her shoulders and when she looked up, Mickey was looking back at her with concern.

"It's okay, Minnie… nothin' like that happened."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, then Minnie let out a long sigh of relief as she sank onto the window seat.

"Oh… thank goodness."

Keeping a hand on her shoulder, Mickey sat down beside her.

"I'm really sorry… honest, I didn't mean t' scare ya."

Minnie shook her head.

"Oh no, it's all right. But why were you so upset?"

To her surprise, Mickey's face turned bright red. He coughed and looked away.

"W-well, I… see, I… thought maybe ya didn't tell me cause… well, cause ya don't trust me, and I, uh… d-don't want ya t' think that, cause… cause I… well, I…"

As she listened, Minnie realized her heart was starting to beat faster. She swallowed, then opened her mouth to speak…

Both jumped when the door swung open, and turned. Daisy stood there, her eyes wide with fear, as the huge, heavy cloaked figure behind her pushed the door shut.

"Daisy?" Minnie asked. "What…"

Suddenly the figure clenched a fist, and sharp spikes flashed on the knuckles. He shoved it against the doorknob and twisted it, producing a harsh creak. When he drew it back, the keyhole was twisted. Daisy whimpered, tears welling in her eyes.

"My lady, I-I'm so sorry… h-he said if I didn't let him in, he would hurt Donald…"

The hooded stranger snorted as he shoved her into the room.

"Ah, relax, lady… I'm jus' gettin' us all in so's we can have a lil' chat, all chum-like."

Minnie hurried over to Daisy as she stumbled to the floor, kneeling to help her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mickey step in front of them, holding out his arms like a shield.

"Wait just a minute! Who are you?" he demanded. "What do you want here?"

The stranger guffawed, his large stomach shaking.

"Hah! So you're one o' them big-talker runts, eh? Well, don' think I don't know how t' deal with them types."

Mickey stiffened, and even though Minnie couldn't see his face she could picture his furious glare.

"Now, look here…!"

A metallic shing cut off his words, and the stranger suddenly held a short, ugly sword in one hand.

"I think you'd better look here, shorty."

Mickey tensed, and another chuckle came from the stranger. In the folds of the hood, his teeth formed a sinister grin. Minnie heard Daisy whimper again, but all she could do was stare as her heart pounded.

"No worries, ladies…" the intruder said. "I'm jus' here t' make sure yer lil' pal gets on his way." He gestured toward the twisted door lock. "N' don't get any ideas about callin' yer guards, nobody's gonna be bargin' through that for a while. So f' he just heads off, we won't have no problem."

A chill ran down Minnie's back, but Mickey only stepped closer to her and Daisy. His voice was soft, but tight and controlled.

"Minnie, get back… both of ya stay back."

Minnie opened her mouth to protest but Daisy tugged her arm, pulling her toward the wall by the window. The stranger snorted, sounding more annoyed now.

"Ah, don' worry bout yer girl… I'll be leavin' right after ya."

Mickey narrowed his eyes as he inched sideways, toward the fireplace.

"I never said I was leavin'."

A faint creaking sound came from the black glove as the intruder tightened his fist around the sword hilt, then stepped forward and pointing the blade toward Mickey's chest. Minnie felt her heart freeze.

"I'd rethink that if I was you," the stranger growled.

Mickey just glared back as he slowly reached out to the side, then snatched the fire iron from its holder. Minnie gasped as he swung it in an arc and knocked the sword aside with a loud clang. The strange intruder stumbled, off balance, then snarled.

"Huh! Tough guy, eh?" He shifted back on balance and lunged forward, but Mickey blocked the wild swing easily. Minnie heard Daisy gasping but she could only watch the weapons swing, the clanging metal ringing in her ears. Finally the stranger snarled in frustration.

"You're really startin' t' get on m' nerves, runt!"

He lunged, but Mickey leaped to the side and swung the iron again. The intruder howled when it connected with his leg and sent him crashing to the ground like a fallen tree, the sword flying from his hand. Without wasting a second, Mickey raced over and kicked it out of his reach.

"Stay down!" he ordered.

By now the guards could be heard on the other side of the door, pounding on it and shouting to be let in. Minnie glanced at Daisy, who was staring at Mickey with her mouth hanging open, then swallowed hard and managed to call out.

"I-it's stuck."

Her voice was hoarse, but they must have heard her because the many shouts turned to a single voice yelling orders and then something heavy slamming against the door. Minnie quickly looked back at Mickey to find him looking back at her, his eyes full of worry.

"Are ya all right?" he asked softly.

Her throat suddenly tightened, so that all she could do was nod. The worry was quickly replaced with a smile, and she could see the relief in his eyes. Minnie felt a smile form on her own face and her heart began to feel warm. Just then, there was a sudden movement and then the intruder was up again, yanking a small dagger from his belt.

The metal flashed, then Mickey let out a choked cry of pain. He stumbled back, the fire iron clattering to the floor, then collapsed.

Minnie barely heard her own scream.

"MICKEY!"

She yanked her arm away from Daisy and ran to him, not even thinking about the attacker. She didn't have much to worry about, however, as he had frozen where he stood the minute he heard the name. He stood there for a few moments, squinting at the mouse, then dropped the dagger.

"Uh oh…"

Minnie ignored him as she dropped to her knees beside her friend, lifting his head into her lap. His breathing was heavy and uneven and one hand weakly clutched his side, where a heavy red stain was spreading fast.

"Mickey! Mickey, open your eyes! Can you hear me?"

The door suddenly burst open and Minnie looked up. She dimly realized that the intruder was gone and heard Daisy stammering about the window, but a hoarse cough quickly returned her attention to Mickey. His eyes fluttered.

"M-… Min…"

"Shh," Minnie soothed, forcing back tears as she pressed a hand to his. "It's all right, it's gonna be all right…"

"Mick!"

Startled at the new voice, she looked up to see a rabbit hurrying in. As soon as he took in the scene, his eyes stretched wide with horror.

"No… no, no…"

He ran over, knelt and started to hoist Mickey upright.

"Wait…" Minnie started, and he looked up as if he'd first noticed her. The look on his face stopped the rest of her words. Behind the confusion was a suspicion and anger that stunned her. Just then, Mickey let out a faint groan. Without a word to Minnie, the rabbit turned back to him.

"Easy, Mick…"

He looked up.

"I need help here, now!"

One of the guards immediately ran over to help and Minnie snapped out of her trance as Mickey was lifted out of her arms. Frantic, she scrambled to her feet and ran after them, but another guard stopped her at the door.

"Milady, you need to stay here."

Minnie struggled to push past, craning her neck desperately.

"No, please! Please, I need…"

The guard's voice softened, but he stood firm.

"Sorry, Highness… it's for your own safety."

He stepped out in the hall and closed the door. Daisy hurried over to her and began asking anxious questions, but Minnie didn't hear them. She turned and ran to the window, clutching the sill as she looked out.

A horse galloped toward the forest, the rabbit urging it on as he held Mickey on the saddle. Her throat too dry to speak or cry out, Minnie stared after them until they disappeared into the trees. Tears streamed down her face as she slowly slid to the floor, feeling as if her heart was going to stop.

Mickey…

A/N: Let me just say, I am SO sorry for taking so long after my note on the last chapter. First I had to deal with finals, then a nasty case of writer's block. I hope the writing picks up a little now that summer break is finally here. Apologies if this is disappointing in any way after the wait, and rest assured I will finish this story. God Bless!