Chapter 22

"Hmm?"

I slowly opened my eyes.

The first thing I noticed was that I was tied to a chair, my arms bound behind me and my feet secure to the legs of the chair.

I was in a dark room, the only light coming from various candles.

A sudden hissing to my right startles me, I snap my head in the direction that it came from. On a desk, a small, green snake is winding it's way through the empty eye sockets of a skull.

I shrieked; the snake went back inside the skull as I furiously tried to escape my bonds. The chair was tilted back and forth violently, if I didn't stop, I'd tip myself over.

I sighed in defeat, letting my struggles come to a rest. There was no way I could escape these bonds.

Peering down at my feet, I noted that the rope was an unusual color; black with sparkles.

Since I couldn't escape by force, then I'd have to use magic.

"This rope is too tight for me,

I need to escape, so set me free!"

Nothing happened.

I tried again, but with no luck.

I groaned, leaning my head back. "Ugh, where am I, anyway?"

"I'm glad you asked!" A male voice that I knew all too well cut in.

I narrowed my eyes, "Nick."

He was wearing a black cloak over his body, but otherwise he looked normal.

He smirked, "Rose, or should I say," he paused to bow, then regarded me with a sneer as he straightened, "your Majesty."

I rolled my eyes, "enough with the sarcasm. Where am I? What are you? Why am I here?"

"Easy, easy. I'll answer your questions soon enough. After all," he grinned mockingly, "we have a long time."

I stayed silent, willing him to continue.

"I'll start off by saying that you're in the Dark Realm-that's in the Magic Realm, sweetheart-it is an area in which dark witches and wizards like myself live in. You see, we practice black magic, an art that is just recently gaining in popularity. And why shouldn't it; it is a thousand times more powerful than your regular magic, or light magic, as we call it. In fact, it is so powerful that we are able to create a boundary around the Dark Realm to keep you light magic followers out. And, if by some chance one of you did make it through, you would not be able to use your powers. That is why you could not escape from your bonds earlier. Don't give me that surprised look; should you really be so surprised that we keep an eye on you?"

All the while he was slithering around the room, twice around my chair, leering down at me. The green in his eyes I once thought to be beautiful now reminded me of the deadliest poison...the venom of a cobra. A cobra who calculated each move and was always in control.

I could only hope that Darren would be my mongoose.

"Now, what was your second question?" He stared off into space, tapping a finger on his chin. "Oh, that's right, what I am! Well, since I already answered that in my previous monologue-and I do hope you were listening, sweetheart, because I hate to repeat myself-I'll just move on to the next question. Why you are here," he snickered, "my, what an inquiry, indeed."

"Tell me," I growled.

"Now, now. You may be able to make demands anywhere else, but here you rule over no one," he clicked his tongue, wagging a finger in front of me as if I were a disobedient child.

"First, let me just say that you are very stubborn," he fixed me with a hard look, "we've tried to kidnap you multiple times, but every time that bastard ended up saving you," he growled at the end.

I gasped, "the haunted house, the fun house-"

"All attempts to take you. Like I said, you're stubborn. Anyway, you are here because as you know, you are very valuable. I honestly do not understand why you would ask that."

"What do you mean 'I'm valuable?'" I asked. "I don't understand why I'm here!"

"Stop playing dumb," he glared. "It's not becoming of you, sweetheart."

"I'm not playing dumb! Just tell me why you kidnapped me!"

"You honestly don't know?" Nick asked, incredulous.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking, now would I?" I questioned through clenched teeth.

Nick stared at me with wide eyes, looking to see a trace of dishonesty.

I hope he didn't find any, because I was telling the truth.

The corners of his mouth lifted into a grin, until it spread into a smile. His lips pulled back to reveal a row of white teeth, then a sound escaped. A choked sound, until a few snickers trickled from his mouth. The snickers turned into a mad frenzy, until at last his mouth erupted with laughter.

He was hunched over, holding his stomach while tears slipped down his cheeks. I didn't understand what was so hilarious.

"Oh God," he finally rasped. "This is too precious!" He resumed his laughing fit.

"What's so funny?!" I snapped, irritated.

"I just-you-he-" he stopped talking and laughed once more.

"Tell me why you're laughing already!" I screamed.

Finally he sobered, wiping a tear from his eye. "What is so funny, sweetheart, is that you have no clue about anything! How could you not know that Darren Blaze, yes, your Darren Blaze, is the Chosen One, and more importantly, the King of the Magic Realm?"

King of the Magic Realm? My throat and tongue went dry. No, Darren's not a king, and he certainly isn't the Chosen One.

I swallowed. "No. That's impossible."

He snickered, "sorry to break it to you, but he's the King." He perked up like an excited little boy, "ooh, now we get to your role in all of this!"

I gulped nervously, "and what exactly is my role in all of this?"

He mocked a bow, "you are simply to rule by his side, Queen Rosalyn."

A/N: "Rikki was afraid for a minute, but then he remembered that all a mongoose's business in life was to fight and kill snakes."

-From the Chuck Jones cartoon 'Rikki-Tikki-Tavi'

lovethatignites: I think everyone was surprised when Jalex happened XD Lol, yeah, Daniel Horatio Miller being intimate is pretty funny ;) Yep, he is! I'm honestly a bit surprised that no one figured it out, although I'm glad no one did ;) Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I honestly feel that the dialogue for Nick is one of the best I've ever written :)

delightisadream: I'm glad you like the pairing! Lol, yes, lucky for him he doesn't take after his father all that much XD And yes, it would be cute ;) Ooh, you should!

Guest: Thank you ;D

Guest: Sorry, but Darren is the Chosen One!

alli211: I'm glad I was able to surprise you :D Thank you!

Guest: Thank you! And you're welcome :)

angelcreature13: I like to think of it as a new Chosen One is born every new generation, as Emma was the new Chosen One even though the principal was still alive. Thank you :)

CelestialTitania: The Council and Darren kept it to themselves, that is until Darren told Jimmy and Alex, and the Dark Realm found out.

jisela: Glad you like Jalex! Thank you! :D And in case you didn't get my PM, the character links are on my profile!

harmonizergirl1202: I'm writing it so that it changes every generation :)

shadowhunter167: Thanks! I'm glad to keep you on the edge of your seat ;)