Chapter 3: Stinky Goblins, zombies and the Emperor... again
Ally's POV:

I woke up in the darkness, hurray, and here I thought everything that happened was all just a very long dream... or my imagination. But no, my biggest wish just had to come true! Now when I realize I don't really want to be there I am there, with an idiotically-overprotective-of-the-emperor-blade! Not to mention that he really is a big softie that is still very upset with the idea that the emperor left him behind!

I didn't really know what we should do now. It was either turn back and plead for mercy or sit here and starve to death, or die of frustration/boredom… is that even possible?

"I FOUND ANOTHER LOCKPICK; I'M GOING TO RETRY USING IT AGAIN!" Baurus screamed.

"NOOOO!" clink… too late… he broke it… the very last one… I actually started crying at this. Then I stood up, walked over to him and punched him in the face. To my satisfaction, he fell to the ground limply! Ah… the good days… the good days!

Sadly, my joy was short-lived as he woke up an hour later! Geez, what was it with these guys? They just never seem to die! I mean I stabbed him while he was unconscious, but did that kill him? NO! It just woke him up! Life is unfair… no not unfair… it is a cruel, torturous thing that probably designed itself to ruin my life!

"I THINK I SEE A LOCKPICK! I'LL TRY IF IT WORKS!"

"NO! THIS TIME I WILL DO IT, IF YOU REFUSE I'LL… uh… I'll think of something and it isn't going to be pleasant!" I half-screamed half-ordered.

He reluctantly handed 1 lock pick to me muttering something about what his mother would think of him obeying orders given to him by an escaped prisoner. If I were his mother I would keep him locked in his room hidden from humanity to stop him from embarrassing himself… or me! Either that or I'd give him to the chapel with no one around knowing my identity…

I walked towards the door and began my work. Slowly twisting, pulling, turning, and checking… making sure it was all perfect… and that I didn't break the stupid lock pick.

"Are you done yet!" that voice was starting to annoy me! Click, the lock pick broke!

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT!"

"What did I do?" he whined.

"You made me break the lock pick! Now you search the pile of bones and then the corpse of the goblin, if you're lucky you'll find more lock picks or a thin piece of metal I could use as a lock pick, if you're unlucky… well… let's leave it at messy!" he gulped and ran in the direction of the bones.

"Nothing" he then ran to the goblin and checked it's pockets. "I found a key!"

"Give it to me knowing you, you'll break that as well!" once again he thankfully did as I asked and handed me the key. It worked! YAY! "You're going ahead" I shoved him in front of me as we walked through the door and a rat charged at us again, what was it with these rats, they're giant, honestly! And I complained about the ones that we sometimes saw at school!

So we ended up walking through the dark corridors in almost complete silence after I threatened him again. Suddenly we heard a moan and I looked in front of me to see a shaking Baurus. What was it now? A corpse, a walking corpse or was it another rat/goblin? I looked out from behind him and saw a corpse, go figure. A mutilated corpse actually, one without a head… or is that his head? I wouldn't know, but that wasn't the scary bit! The scary thing was that it was walking directly at us, at me and at Baurus!

"KILL IT, JUST KILL IT, IT'S EVIL!" I screamed at Baurus, alas, he didn't head my advice… instead he ran and hid behind me! Me of all people! I couldn't fight if my life depended on it… wait… my life does depend on it! It raised its hand to attack me so I instinctively raised my hands to shield my face.

Suddenly I heard a small zoom noise and then a noise of something being hit by… well, something. I also felt my hands suddenly heat up before cooling down a bit. I opened my eyes to see the mutilated corpse on fire!

"Did you do that?" I asked Baurus suspiciously.

"No" he winced.

"Cool, next time you bug me you'll end up like him, savvy?" The only reaction I got from him was a scared look and the fact that he took a step backwards. He also gave me a small nod looking from me to the corpse and then back to me. "Good, now go on, you're leading and next time you will fight, otherwise once again you'll end up like the zombie over there!" needless to say he almost literally ran out from behind me and unsheathed his sword.

"Yes Miss" Geez, I was really starting to like this place!

Not long later we had to fight more goblins; no more like he had to fight more goblins and I fought the goblin sorcerer guy! I mean honestly, don't trust a Baurus to do a girls work, it won't work out well! Unless you give him orders but that doesn't always work as we figured out with the zombie incident!

"I think that was all of them. Let me take a look around" I think Glenroy said as I looked down from a hole in the wall.

"Have you seen the prisoner?" Creepy, stalker, mad, deaf, genius, emperor guy said.

"Do you think she followed us? How could she?" Glenroy asked while I barred Baurus from jumping down, I had also gagged him so he wouldn't alert them to our presence.

"I know she did" the creepy, stalker, mad, deaf, genius, emperor guy said. Wow... I might have to ad intelligent to his list soon!

"Please, sire. We can't stay here. We have to go." Glenroy said in... Exasperation... yes that's the word!

"Not yet, let me rest a moment longer"

"Hi ya'll" I screamed jumping down from the platform thing I was on, Baurus jumped down behind me, still gagged.

"I'll be dammed, it's that prisoner again! Kill her; she might be working with the assassins."

"No she is not one of them. She can help us, she must help us" C.S.M.D.G.E.G said.

"As you wish, Sire" Glenroy said.

"Thanks a lot! I'd rather prefer to stay in one piece and I rather like being alive!"

"They cannot understand why I trust you. They've not seen what I've seen. How can I explain? Listen. You know the Nine? How they guide our fates with an invisible hand?"

"I don't really understand it either, but I'm happy to live! Just don't take of Baurus' gag!"

"I've served the Nine all my days, and I chart my course by the cycles of the heavens. The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire, and every one a sign. I know these stars well, and I wonder... which sign marked your birth?

"The lover" I replied without hesitation.

"The signs I read show the end of my path. My death, a necessary end, will come when it will come."

"Yes, do you want me to help you with that?" once again I was ignored!

"Your stars are not mine. Today the Lover shall sweeten your journey as you confront your fate" wow, great information! Did you notice the sarcasm?

"Can you see my fate? I mean will I die with you or will I live a long life and return back home rather happily. I probably won't but do tell me!"

"My dreams grant me no opinions of success. Their compass ventures not beyond the doors of death. But in your face, I behold the sun's companion. The dawn of Akatosh's bright glory may banish the coming darkness. With such hope, and with the promise of your aid, my heart must be satisfied."

"Aren't you afraid to die?"

"No trophies of my triumphs precede me. But I have lived well, and my ghost shall rest easy. Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour. In this I am blessed to see the hour of my death... to face my apportioned fate, and then fall" he has a wonderful insight on life now, doesn't he?

"Wonderful" I muttered and so we were back to walking... and walking... and walking... that's all we did for a while! Walk... have I mentioned I don't like walking?

And so the emperor died and said he'd defend the emperor's dead body while I took the amulet to Jauffre. Good luck with that happening! I doubted that I really would do it... probably only if I saw Baurus again and mentioned that I hadn't done it yet... even then I have the right to refuse don't I? Apparently not, as everyone around here ignores me!

Anyway after at least an hour I was out in the open air again! The sun was bright and immediately warmed my cold skin, heightened my spirits and filled me with a rush of joy. Now, how to find Weynon Priory? I really didn't know so, instead of heading in a random direction in a ill-fated attempt to find the place, I walked to the water and began swimming in the direction of the giant city in front of me! And who knows, maybe someone there has a map!

Hey guys, hope you like the chapter! Let's just say that there will be a bit more action and I'm actually thinking that Baurus came over a lot more annoying than I expected him to so that's good as I'm trying to make him annoying. Thanks to Lost and Kat who helped me a bit with this chapter and who helped me edit it as well

FaelwenofLothlorien