A/N: This took a little longer than anticipated, but not too terribly much longer. Next chapter should be up sometime next weekend.

Enjoy!

The trip back to the palace wasn't particularly pleasant, especially as the lightest flurries of snow began to fall, whipping around them and stinging their faces as their horses galloped toward the palace. But even with the snow and cold, Fitz was bursting with excitement. They didn't know exactly how to take on Maveth, but this was the closest anyone had ever gotten.

When they finally made it back to the castle, May instantly transforming back into her silent guard persona, they left their horses in the stables and hurried inside out of the cold.

Fitz took Jemma's hand and found that it was freezing, even through the mitten that covered it. He quickly pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her back and taking each of her hands in his, clutching them to her chest trying to warm them up as best he could. As the group stopped in the foyer to wait for Daisy to run off and find what rooms had been prepared for them, Jemma snuggled further into Fitz's embrace, tucking her head under his chin.

"You're so cold," Fitz said softly, his hands rubbing against hers.

"It's not so bad now," she replied, turning and grinning into his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"And now I feel horrible for making you all deal with me and Lincoln for months," Daisy's voice interrupted their quiet moment.

They both looked up to see their friend staring at them with a mix of revulsion and amusement.

"If Lincoln and I were even half as adorable as you two are being right now, then I'd be surprised if you all didn't want to murder us on a daily basis." Daisy shook her head, her wide smile betraying her true happiness for Fitz and Jemma.

"You says we didn't," Jemma fired back, grinning.

Daisy rolled her eyes and then asked the group to follow her, May having already slipped off to the soldier's quarters with a murmur of something that sounded like "just like old times."

Fitz had his own room while Jemma was to share with Bobbi, and they quickly put their things away before meeting up again in the hall.

Grant had finally come to greet them, seeming just as annoyed by the news that Fitz and the rest of the group would be accompanying him straight to King Coulson as he had been by the prospect of their visit to his palace. He looked over Fitz and Jemma, holding hands openly in the corridor, and eyed Bobbi, who was clearly their chaperone. Bobbi stared back at him imploringly, her eyebrows raised, but Grant said nothing and soon departed.

"Come on!" Daisy said, not the least bit disconcerted or deterred as she grabbed Jemma's free hand and pulled her along. "I've got to give you all the tour!"

Fitz found the palace nice and comfortable, though definitely draftier than his own, as Daisy had always been complaining about during the months she had stayed with them.

Daisy looked as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, which, she confided to Fitz and Jemma, was that of the usual women who followed her around at all hours of the day. The one who had been with Daisy before their group's arrival had lost track of her as she ran to greet Fitz and Jemma, and now that they were back, Bobbi had been deemed a suitable chaperone, as she was serving that role for Fitz and Jemma already. It was an ideal situation for Daisy, since she thought of Bobbi as a sister much like Fitz and Jemma did.

Daisy showed them all her favorite rooms and, more importantly, all her favorite secret passages and hideaways that she had been using her entire life.

Fitz and Jemma were extremely impressed, recalling similar practices from when they were particularly young, but Daisy had a much more elaborate system worked out which was a testament to the 9 years that Fitz and Jemma had been given free reign that had not been awarded to Daisy.

"I just can't wait until I can marry Lincoln," she said her face falling slightly.

The group had stopped in a small sitting room only accessible by a door behind a tapestry, as engineered by Daisy many years before.

"I feel trapped here," Daisy continued, sighing, "but when I'm Lincoln's wife I won't need to run from chaperones or hide in secret passages to try to hear about what's going on in the kingdom. I just want the freedom you both have." She offered Fitz and Jemma a sad smile.

"If it makes you feel better," Fitz said softly after a moment, "I'm pretty sure the only reason Jemma and I have been given so much freedom is that my parents felt so bad about the curse. You'd likely feel you have to give your son everything he wants if there's a good chance you might forget him one day." Fitz laughed genuinely, having come to terms with the curse to such an extent that joking about it was easy. "Plus I'm a boy."

Daisy grinned at that. "Of course it's because you're a boy. But then we have Jemma here…"

"Well that's all down to Fitz," Jemma answered for herself. "He never let us be separated, and the king and queen couldn't see the problem with it."

Fitz laughed again. "I suspect my father was trying to insulate me from other girls so I would avoid the whole true love curse thing for as long as possible. Jemma never even crossed his mind. He still doesn't even know."

Jemma stared at him. "The King doesn't know about you and me?"

Fitz shrugged. "My mother says he's got a lot on his plate. She knows though, of course. She's always been more observant than my father anyway."

Jemma shook her head. "I feel almost deceitful then, if my purpose was to keep you company until Maveth was dead when you could go off and find your princess."

"Well my father's daft if he thought that I could ever find a princess that would come close to measuring up to you," Fitz replied instantly. "When this is over and I finally get a chance to tell him, I promise you he'll hit himself for not having seen it before, and then he'll be incredibly pleased, just as my mother is."

"But suppose he isn't?" Jemma replied, clearly concerned.

Fitz took her hand in his. "He's my father; he'll understand. Anyone can see that you make me happier than anything in the entire world. And I'm hopelessly in love with you; that counts for something."

Jemma wrapped her arms around Fitz immediately, a wide smile on her face.

"Ugh, guys! What did I say about this?"

The pair moved apart, having momentarily forgotten that their conversation had been originally directed at Daisy.

"Sorry," Fitz mumbled.

Daisy merely laughed, effectively cheered up.

They left early the following morning, bundled up as warm as they could manage, all on horseback, though Fitz found himself longing for the days when every hour of his life wasn't spent astride his mount. He, Jemma, and Bobbi had done far more riding in the past few weeks than Fitz was really up for.

It was somewhere around six days to the king, according to Grant, so they settled in for the journey. Since they had a large number of soldiers traveling with them, inns were out and tents were in. Nights were spent huddled together around fires, Jemma, Fitz, and Daisy squeezed together to better keep each other warm. Bobbi, in contrast, was as hearty as any of the men, walking around with barely a shiver as she laughed with the one guard who was shorter than all the others.

"Is she just here to flirt with knights?" Grant grumbled angrily one night as he happened to pass their fire.

Fitz, Jemma, and Daisy waited until Grant was out of earshot to burst into laughter. Fitz wished Lance could have been there to hear that Grant thought Bobbi was flirting with May.

But as they tried to keep warm, they also tried to make a plan, with Bobbi and May's assistance.

"Arrows would be the best if we want to hit him from far away," Jemma said one evening, considering.

"But what about the wind?" Fitz asked, thinking through what had happened the last time he and Jemma had been faced with the sorcerer. "Won't the arrows just be directed away from him?"

"What if you shoot more than one?" Bobbi suggested. "Maybe you'd have more of a chance of taking him out that way."

"Or get above him," Daisy added.

Fitz stared at his friend appraisingly. "That's an idea. But either way, we can't do anything unless the monolith is right there."

"Let's hope Anne, that is Lady Weaver," May corrected quickly, "was able to work things out back at the palace."

Fitz heard what sounded like a twig snap behind him, but when he turned and looked, the grove of trees behind him was empty.

"Is something wrong, Fitz?" Jemma asked, concerned.

Fitz shook his head. "It's nothing. Just the wind."

As they drew closer to the king and the cavalry, the mood around the camp began to grow more excited. Rumors flew all around the soldiers, according to May, since Grant hadn't given them too much information about the situation. They knew they were to help King Coulson, but with what was anyone's guess. May told them the most outrageous rumors – a dragon's burned down half of King Coulson's kingdom, his wife was kidnapped by masked men, there's nothing actually wrong but Prince Leopold and Princess Daisy wanted an excuse to run away together. That last one Fitz found the most ludicrous, if only because he spent the majority of his time when they weren't riding holding hands with Jemma who was most certainly not Princess Daisy. But, the worst part, of course, was that the real reason for their journey was as outrageous as any of the most insane suggestions (except perhaps the one with the dragon).

Fitz and his friends, too, were happy to be getting close. Daisy was practically bouncing at the prospect of seeing Lincoln. Bobbi, much less obviously, was incredibly excited to see Lance, the enormous smile on her face when Fitz casually mentioned him giving her away. Jemma and Fitz were each excited to see their fathers, and everyone wanted to see Mack. It was going to be moment of truth soon, Fitz and Jemma's chance to live a normal life together, happily ever after.

And Fitz really needed to tell his father about Jemma. He knew that despite his reassurances at Daisy's palace, Jemma was still nervous, and Fitz wanted to reassure her. Fitz couldn't see his father being upset about him wanting to marry Jemma. It was true love, after all.

And even Grant seemed to be in a better mood now that they were closer.

"We'll be to your father tomorrow if we're quick, the day after for sure." Grant had joined Fitz looking out from the top of a hill as the group stopped for a midday meal.

"We really are incredibly grateful for your help," Fitz said after a moment. "I know you'd rather not have us with you, but thank you all the same."

Grant flashed him a smile that almost looked genuine. "We're allies, your father and I, and someday you and I will be too. I know I could count on your father if something like this were to happen to my kingdom, if there were to be a war, for example."

Fitz narrowed his eyes. "Hopefully nothing will come to that. My father's managed to keep us at peace for as long as I've been alive. We were hoping you would join us in our mission."

Grant raised his eyebrows. "You've become quite the political prince since I last saw you."

Fitz shrugged. "I'd have to learn it all eventually. Daisy would be a better ruler than I would, though."

Grant stared at him sharply. "You don't mean to marry-"

"Oh no, no, no," Fitz interrupted hurriedly. "I was merely commenting on how comfortable Daisy is with politics. Though I love her like a sister, Daisy and I are not destined to wed."

Grant visibly relaxed. "Good."

Fitz raised his eyebrows.

"Not to say that you wouldn't be a good and worthy match for my sister," Grant quickly explained, "but I was just under the impression that you were engaged to Miss Simmons."

Fitz grinned to himself. "It's not as official as I'd like, but yes, we are rather engaged."

Grant smiled at him. "You seem very happy together."

Fitz nodded. "We are." He paused. "And what about you, Grant? Is there a queen for your castle?"

Grant threw him a half-smile. "Perhaps. There's a young maiden I met recently that I believe attended Daisy's farewell ball at your palace. Kara Palamas. She said she danced with you, but you found her wanting."

"I'm sure I meant no disrespect," Fitz quickly apologized. "I'm really not one for balls at the best of times, and if this Kara is the girl I'm thinking of, then our dance came at a particularly bad time. I do hope she will forgive me my rudeness."

"Oh it's nothing, Fitz."

Fitz glanced up at Grant, disconcerted, having never told Grant to call him by his middle name.

"I hope it's not impertinent," Grant said. "Your friends call you Fitz, I know. I hope that we can perhaps be friends."

Fitz nodded. "Gladly. My father will be grateful, and I'm sure your sister will be as well."

But before Grant could say anything else, their attention was captured by the figures of two knights riding toward them at a very fast clip. Fitz recognized them instantly as members of May's Cavalry.

"Please fetch Lady Hunter," Fitz called down to a soldier eating near where Fitz and Grant stood. "And ask her to bring her friend."

The man quickly ran off, leaving Fitz and Grant to await the arrivals of the knights.

"Do you know them?" Grant asked quietly.

Fitz nodded. "They were two of our guard. Hill and Romanov, I should think."

"Fitz, what is- Oh." Bobbi had joined them, May beside her. "What do you think they've come back for?"

"Hopefully nothing bad," Fitz replied as evenly as he could manage.

The knights (or ladies – Fitz wasn't really sure what he should call them besides the Cavalry) approached and bowed before the king and the prince before turning to May and Bobbi, clearly unsure whether to reveal themselves in front of Grant.

"It's okay," Fitz said quickly. "He's a friend; he can be trusted."

Both nodded and removed their helmets.

Grant took a step backward, clearly shocked.

"This is Lady Hill and Lady Romanov," Fitz introduced the women casually with a small smile at the confusion on the face of his fellow royal.

"But they're-"

"Women, yes," Fitz replied. "Members of my father's most elite Cavalry."

Grant raised his eyebrows, clearly unconvinced, but he said nothing more.

"What news?" Fitz asked the women.

"The King sent us to warn you, if we could find you," Lady Hill said, her expression grim. "Maveth has henchmen working for him, ordinary men scouting for him disguised as travelers and the like. Usually in black cloaks, especially at night."

Fitz was suddenly struck with an unpleasant thought. "You don't think he has spies among our armies, do you?"

"The King has expressed similar concerns," Lady Romanov replied stoically, "but as yet we have discovered no one."

Fitz let out a breath and nodded. "Thank you. We'll steer well clear of strangers and try to make it to the King as quickly as we can."

The pair nodded.

"How is everything at the village?" Fitz asked hesitantly.

"As well as can be expected when fighting a nearly-unbeatable sorcerer," Lady Hill replied with a sigh. "Everyone is safe, for the moment anyway."

"Well that's something," Fitz replied, glad to hear that his father and their friends were okay. "Will you stay with us or go back to my father?"

"We should return," Lady Romanov said quickly. "The king will want to know that we found you and that you're with Grant."

"He's not angry I left the castle, is he?" Fitz asked, worried for a moment.

"He was concerned, but I think he was more proud than anything," Lady Romanov replied with a sly smile.

Fitz offered a smile of his own.

"You left Princess Daisy and Miss Simmons at the palace though, of course?" Lady Hill checked.

"Er…"

"We need Jemma to help take down Maveth, and Daisy refused to be left behind," Bobbi interjected. "Jemma's just as capable as any soldier, and she's probably a better archer than anyone not part of the archer corps. And Daisy's very clever and tactical. It's perfectly safe."

Lady Hill nodded. "I agree with you; I'm just not sure the King will see it like that."

"That's our problem, not yours," Fitz said quickly. "Don't worry over it. If my father's upset, we'll be there not long after you, so he can be angry at me then."

The women bowed to Fitz and Grant, nodded at Bobbi and still-masked May, replaced their helmets, and rode away.

"Female soldiers," Grant said staring, awed, in their wake. "How many of those does your father have?'

Fitz glanced surreptitiously back at Bobbi and May. "Er, just a few."

"Hm." Grant frowned but then shrugged. "I ought to warn my men about watching out for suspicious figures and suspicious activity." He bowed to Fitz and strode away.

"I didn't know you guys were so close," Bobbi said, eyebrows raised.

Fitz shrugged. "I may have misjudged him. He wants us to be friends. I think he can be trusted, with this at least."

"I do see that you didn't give Bobbi and I away," May said, her expression similar to Bobbi's.

"I don't know how much I can trust him," Fitz replied.

Fitz hurried back to find Jemma and Daisy and tell them the news before the horn sounded for them to move out.

The entire group of soldiers closed ranks as they traveled the rest of the day, keeping closer together than they had at any point during the journey. Fitz looked out for Grant, wanting to ask about ways of protecting themselves, but the king was apparently elsewhere in the battalion.

Grant finally reemerged as the sun set to order the troops to make camp for the night.

"Do you mind if I join your circle for dinner?" Grant asked, smiling slightly.

Daisy beamed at him. "We'd be glad to have you."

The group sat staring into the flames as they ate their rations, trying to keep warm.

The sky darkened quickly, turning to black almost before they could notice it. No one wanted to speak about Maveth or fighting, so they told stories, trying to keep everyone's spirits up. Jemma, colder than anyone, as usual, slipped away to grab her extra blanket as the chatter in the camp died down around them.

"Do you still think we'll make it by tomorrow?" Fitz asked Grant quietly.

Grant shrugged. "It depends how early a start we make, how tired everyone is, and exactly how far away your father's men are. I know where they are roughly, but I don't know the exact spot." He frowned slightly. "I should have asked the, uh, ladies earlier."

Fitz and Daisy exchanged grins.

No one spoke for a few minutes, the air filled with the sounds of crackling fires and horses stirring slightly.

"Fitz," Daisy said suddenly. "What happened to Jemma?"

"She went to get another blanket…" Fitz trailed off, standing up immediately. "That was ages ago. She should have been back long before now." Lady Hill's words from earlier about Maveth's henchmen were ringing in his ears.

"I'm sure she just got sidetracked by something on the way back," Bobbi said, standing up beside him and not sounding nearly as sure as her words.

Fitz shook his head and started over to where the horses were tied up on the other side of the wood. They had left a pile of their provisions next to them, Jemma's extra blanket among them.

He found her saddlebag quickly. It was on top and had been opened, but the blanket was still inside.

"Jemma would never leave her bag open," Fitz said trying to keep his voice even. "And she would never disappear like this."

"She must be around somewhere," Daisy said, having followed him with Bobbi, Grant, and May.

Fitz took a deep breath, trying to wrap his head around what was going on. Suddenly he turned back to the wood. "JEMMA!" he yelled, his voice desperate. "JEMMA!"

"We should ask the soldiers on guard duty if they've seen anything," Grant said quickly, turning on his heels as the rest of the group trailed after him.

Fitz stared around wildly, feeling lost without Jemma at his side.

"Sir Barnard, Sir Geoffrey, have you seen anything?" Grant asked a pair of knights evenly as they approached them.

"Nothing, Your Majesty," replied the taller of the two.

"Well, nothing except a couple figures and a cart in the distance," the other amended. "They were quite far off though, not near enough to camp to be of concern."

"Did you see what they looked like at all?" Fitz asked, fear growing inside of him as he stepped forward.

The man shook his head. "Not really, Your Highness, no. One was smaller and the other was larger I'd think. And they got onto the back of a cart. We just assumed it was some lost travelers making their way home."

"The bigger one looked as though he might be wearing a cloak though, from the shape he made," the first guard added.

"That's true," the other agreed. "One large in a cloak and the other small. But huddled together the whole time."

Fitz turned to his friends. He saw reflected back at him nothing but fear and worry.

"Maveth's got Jemma," Fitz said finally, his voice hollow. "We've got to find her. We have to save her."

"We don't know that," Bobbi said quickly. "It could be anything. But it's much too late, Fitz. You're exhausted; we all are. We'll head out first thing in the morning."

Fitz stared at her. "Don't you understand? Jemma Simmons, my best friend, the love of my life, has been kidnapped by henchmen of an evil sorcerer, and you say we'll just 'head out first thing'? You of all people Bobbi-"

"It's not safe, Fitz!" Bobbi interrupted. "You have to understand that!"

"NO!" Fitz took a step toward Bobbi. "I am Prince Leopold Fitz Coulson. The woman I intend to spend the rest of my life with has in all likelihood been kidnapped, and there is not a single thing you can say or do that will stop me from going after her."

Fitz didn't wait for a response as he ran back toward the horses.

"Fitz, wait!"

He stopped and turned to see Grant racing after him.

"Don't you dare lecture me," Fitz snarled.

Grant shook his head. "Of course not. I just wanted to say I'm coming with you."

Fitz stared at him for a moment and then nodded. "We have to go."