A/N: Hey there, thanks for hanging on for me guys. I've been heck of busy here in Florida. So, for your patience I have a double update. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter VII: Over the O.Z.
"Start a battle?" DG asked as she and Azkadellia were pushed into her own room, followed closely by her mother, "You mean here in Finaqua?"
"Yes, my angel," Lavender nodded.
"Against who?"
"Against us- against the royal family," Azkadellia explained and looked toward the windows probably worried for her husband, "The resistance used this measure against the witch many times during the dark time."
"They either want me to do something for them, or they want something physical. And if they have to use force to convince me to do so, I doubt that I will do either," Lavender frowned.
"What about Raw? What do you need him up here for?"
"He will be my link to communicate to them," she turned to the door, "Usually we would be able to do it just fine, but we need the central room, and we are barricading ourselves in here."
Raw peeked in the door and closed it behind him. Just because everyone seemed to be on guard, DG used her powers to lock the door and solidify it so no one else could enter.
"Majesty call for Raw?" Raw asked with a small nod toward the queen and a smile at DG.
"Raw, I must ask for use of your viewer powers," Lavender asked and he nodded as he shifted to the large mirror to the side of DG's bed.
He touched the screen and looked at the queen, "What you wish to see?"
"I wish to see who plans to attack us," she said with her hands folded in front of her and she stood tall before it, "Those who have raised their colors."
DG and Azkadellia stood right beside their mother as the mirror fogged and then lifted for a clear vision of the group of soldiers and the man leading them. The group was larger than DG had originally thought. It looked more like a small army and could only think this is what the Longcoat forces must have looked like when they came down on Finaqua while she was on her search for the Ages. The mirror tightened on the man in front and DG gasped.
"That's Lord Soren!" she snarled and narrowed her eyes, "What is he doing back here?"
"Apparently he wasn't happy with your and mother's decision, dear sister," Azkadellia offered and took DG's hand from behind to help to comfort her, "You have to give him persistence."
Lavender took a deep breath and looked through the mirror, "Raw would you be so kind as to open a link with him? I wish to speak to the young lord."
"Link where, majesty?" he asked.
"There is a large silver shield toward the front of the palace. It should suffice for this," she mentioned and he nodded. DG and Azkadellia knew of the large shield. It was put toward the front of Finaqua to mark the downfall of the witch and to honor those who fought and lost their lives in the resistance. She was fond of it and knew that it would stay for many years to come, much like the old road had.
"Lord Soren," Lavender boomed from the link, "What do you hope to accomplish by raising your colors against the House of Gale?"
The lord looked at the shield and smirked at the queen's reflection, "Why do you think, your majesty? You and your daughter have taken something from me; I am only here to take it back. Take what is mine is all I want to accomplish."
"What you seek is not yours," she took a deep breath, "Turn around and return to your lands. You will not win this battle while my daughters and I are here."
"That is why I am taking Princess Dorothy with me," he laughed, "Where is my future bride? Is she hiding in the palace from me? Hiding in there with you?"
"You're future bride is no where to be found here," DG said and stepped up to the link, "And who ever that girl is, I pray very hard for her. I will never marry you. Take the hint and go back home."
"Not very good with negotiation skills, are you, princess?" he laughed again and shifted on his horse, "Nothing will deter me from taking what is mine. If I have to battle to get it, then I will."
"This palace has survived many battles and many wars," Lavender continued as she pushed DG gently toward Azkadellia, "Do not let your men die for an empty cause. You have your answer, now take your leave."
"Not very likely, your highness," he shouted to the shield.
"Very well," Lavender nodded, "But I am much more lenient than my advisor to those who threaten the throne."
Lord Soren turned his attention to Glitch who stood on the stairs leading into the foyer with the royal guard lining in front and around him. Glitch stood strong and tall when against opposition and it surprised DG. She was so used to her easy going friend that when battle came to the front, she never really saw him fight.
"So she sends her advisor to lead the royal guard? Where is DG's intended? The so called future King?" Lord Soren taunted.
"As if you didn't know already, he is on a mission to rebuild a part of the O.Z.," Glitch lowered his head and glared at the man. This is where DG was sure that Ambrose took over. He was no longer happy go lucky and he certainly wasn't smiling. He unsheathed a small sword that was on his hip and pointed the tip in Soren's direction, "Wyatt Cain will be pleased to carry out your sentence of death as it is the penalty for an attack on this palace. And I will be right there watching."
"Wyatt Cain will not be alive that much longer, so I doubt that," Lord Soren smirked up at the advisor, "And if you get in my way, neither will you."
DG heard the conversation through the link and rushed to see what was happening. Raw quickly took his hand away. The link was beginning to burn him and his hand. He shrank back and started to shake a little.
"What did he mean?!" DG asked and looked back at Azkadellia and her mother, "What did he mean by that about Wyatt?"
"I don't know," Azkadellia shook her head.
"Raw, please bring it back up," DG asked and Raw shook his head.
"Can't touch. Burns to read through much hate… arrogance," Raw frowned and held his hand that he had touched the mirror with, "Sorry DG."
DG ran to the nearest window and tried to watch as the first line of Soren's men ran forward toward the awaiting royal guard.
Cain and Ahamo were on the road again. They had left the first settlement a day prior and were on to the next one. Jeb had already separated from their party a few miles back with his platoon and Kelly. It was a nice way for Cain to know more about Kelly and how she became so entrapped in the resistance. He got her background about her and her family. By the end of the first day he was patting Jeb on the back and congratulating him for not losing her.
Cain looked around him and Ahamo and thought that they looked infinitely smaller without Jeb and his troops. It was just the two of them with five royal guards in casual clothing.
"We do seem like a rag-tag team, don't we?" Ahamo asked with a smile over to Cain.
"Just a bit," he nodded and then looked at the road ahead, "Do you think we'll reach the next town by sundowns?"
"I doubt it. We'll camp on the side of the road in a few minutes. The ground is starting to level out," Ahamo looked at the road and then ahead of them, "I was a bit weary of this next settlement."
"Why's that?"
"In the very beginning we were sure that the town was abandoned, but then we heard of people flowing into it. They weren't in favor of the queen allowing Azkadellia to step back in as princess and didn't want any help from us," Ahamo took a pause and thought for a moment, "And then just out of nowhere a few days before we left they agreed. It's on our way to the third settlement so we agreed to help them."
"The roads seem familiar to me," Cain looked around, "We're near the old road aren't we?"
Ahamo nodded, "About half a mile off."
"Hm," Cain grunted to himself. From what Ahamo had just said and how he knew the road didn't set well with Cain either.
"Seeker!" one of the end guards shouted up, "Horseman approaching."
Both Cain and Ahamo turned on their horses to the small boy on horseback. Cain recognized him as the young boy he sent off with the letters for DG and the queen.
Ahamo turned his horse around, "Let him come to us. He is friend, not foe."
"I have answers for you," he handed the two men the letters and then leaned toward Cain with his, "She told me that this was to land only in yours hands, Mister Cain."
"Did she?" he could feel the edge of his mouth tilt up in a small smile, but pushed it back to keep his appearance up in front of the guard and the young man. He could see Ahamo smile and laugh into his hand from the corner of his eye.
"Yes sir," the boy nodded, "Just before the dignitaries showed up."
"The dignitaries?" Ahamo asked and looked at him.
"I assumed that's what they were, sire," the boy looked at the other man, "There was a small group when I left and the advisor Ambrose was heading to greet them."
"Were there any meetings that were scheduled while we are gone?" Cain asked.
"Not that I'm aware of," Ahamo shook his head, "But then again a lot of these families drop by to talk an issue with Lavender without contacting her first."
"How big was this group?" Cain asked the messenger.
"I saw ten men enter as I left through the maze."
"That's too small to be any uprising," Cain thought out loud.
"I doubt it's anything too big. But I do think this would be a good place to camp for the night. We will enter their settlement in the morning," Ahamo announced and turned back to the boy, "Go ahead and get something to eat and rest."
"Thank you, sire."
The group unpacked and tied their horses as they made camp. Two hours later the small, makeshift camp was set and ready a few dozen feet from the road. Men were gathered around the campfire telling stories of the resistance or rumors that have gathered around the palace about certain maids, or they discussed other rumors that were started by the maids in question. As soon as the smaller tents were all up Cain settled into his and Ahamo's to open DG's letter.
"Couldn't wait to read yours either huh?" Ahamo sat down on his cot next to Cain's in the tent.
"It's been a while since we've been apart for any length of time," Cain nodded and looked at her handwriting first. He ran his finger along the curls and dips in her letters and noticed that she was writing a little faster than normal. Probably didn't want to keep the messenger waiting.
"So what does my lovely second born have to say? If you don't mind me asking."
"Just saying that she's keeping out of trouble, the wedding plans are almost done and that it is boring as hell- her words not mine," Cain laughed loudly along with Ahamo, "And-"
"And?"
"And some things that are probably better kept between two people," Cain could feel the tops of his ears burning and was glad he was still wearing his fedora. No wonder she wanted the messenger to deliver it to him. Only DG would write 'improper' things in a letter that crossed the span of the O.Z.
"No need to say more," Ahamo nodded and tucked his own letter into a small breast pocket, "I agree whole heartedly. Lavender was telling me that DG had been feeling low since we had left, but seemed much happier with a letter from you. You may be far apart, but you still brighten her day."
"And she brightens mine," Cain folded his letter and decided to read the rest of the letter later, under low lantern light.
"Cain," Ahamo gained the man's attention. Cain looked up and noticed the amused smile on Ahamo's face. Ahamo pointed to his own chest and then nodded toward him, "Your, um, locket's open."
Cain looked down and sure enough, DG's silver lock hung out from underneath his shirt and had opened. He shook his head and took hold of it.
"DG?" Ahamo guessed.
"DG," he nodded.
"It better have been. If it was another lady's locket around your neck, I may have been pretty upset," Ahamo laughed and leaned back on his cot.
Cain opened the locket and instead of finding DG's picture right next to a picture of her robot parents, he found the picture of DG right next to a picture of him. He wondered when she had done it, but gave the locket a small smile. She was always with him.
"Seeker! Cain!" a few of the guards yelled from the fire.
Cain grabbed his duster and threw it on over his holster as Ahamo ran right after him, a pistol in his hand. Outside the tent the men stood at attention and looked down the road toward the settlement. Lights were moving down from the settlement and toward their camp.
"What do you make of it, sir?" one of the guards turned to Cain. He shook his head a little and then looked at Ahamo.
Ahamo watched and noticed that the light wasn't trying to conceal itself and that it was only a few people, "Maybe the town people wanted to make sure that it was us and not marauders?"
"This feels more off than that," Cain shook his head and then spun around, pulling out his revolver on a few dozen men on horses just to the front of them, "Who are you?"
"Who do you think, Tin Man?" a voice carried from the back. A horse came forward and stopped in front of Cain. The man on the horse had something pretty big draped over the back of his horse and covered with a large blanket, "Remember me?"
"Soren," Cain growled, "What do you want?"
"Only him," he pointed behind Cain to Ahamo, "I have a favor to ask you, your majesty."
"What ever it is I doubt that I will want to do it," Ahamo walked next to Cain, his hand gripped at the handle of his pistol.
"I didn't say that you'd want to do it, what I said is that I have a favor to ask of you. And it better be a positive response," Soren moved the blanket to the side and revealed a sleeping DG, knocked out cold, "Otherwise certain people may be… injured."
"DG!" Cain took a step forward when Soren took out a large knife with a black blade and tilted it toward DG's throat.
"I wouldn't act too fast there, Cain," Soren looked at Ahamo, "I'm waiting for you to join us, sire. I believe that it would be in DG's best interest."
Cain heard the people carrying the light file into the camp. He shifted his eyes briefly toward them and noticed that they were all in the same uniform as Soren and his riders. They were all his men. No wonder the town had agreed. They were all under the order of one man whose goal was to capture them all.
"You set us up," Cain narrowed his eyes.
"I needed to have audience with the King-consort seeing as his wife was a bit too disagreeable," Soren explained.
"What did you do to Lavender?" Ahamo asked as fear sparked through him.
"She and the others are fine. The advisor has a little scratch or two, but I had to get the princess to come out of her barricaded room one way or another," Soren explained, "Really without magic your forces are so feeble at the palace. My men over took the front gates and swarmed the palace with little to no trouble at all. The queen and the princesses have all the power and they were sealed in one room. I heard DG yelling to go and fight, but was probably unable to leave her sister and mother. Ambrose fought admirably, but he really can't stand up to twenty soldiers at once. DG gave herself over without much of a fight if we promised that her friend was left unharmed."
"Dammit, DG," Cain cursed and looked at the unconscious DG on the back of the horse.
"I'll go," Ahamo nodded, "Leave DG here with Cain and I will go with you."
"You don't understand, do you, my lord?" Soren began to laugh and a butt of a gun came down behind Ahamo's head, knocking him out, "Get him on the horse."
"Ahamo!" Cain ran forward again and was shot easily in the right side by one of Soren's men standing by.
"I told you it wouldn't be so good to try something, Tin Man," Soren turned and looked over his shoulder, "Kill the guards. Leave Cain. I want him to explain to the queen how he lost her daughter and husband in the matter of a few days. Either that or bleed out."
"NO!" Cain yelled as he heard the guards behind him scream from gun wounds or stabbing. He stared hard at DG and tried to will her awake for her to run. To get far enough away from him and what he had planned for her and her father.
"Take a good long look at her, Wyatt Cain," Soren sneered, "It's the last time that you're going to see her. Say goodbye and goodnight."
Another butt of a weapon landed in the back of his head and he toppled to the ground. The only thing that he tried to hang on to was the vision of DG's face smiling at him before he left. And even that faded to black as he heard the horse's hoof beats die away.