Well then.

(whistles)

we're getting closer to the end by each chapter. This. Is. Crazy.

Song for this Chapter: Twice → Little Dragon. Couldn't write this chapter without this song. No doubt.

Chapter 55: Two Wills

In the last chapter...

Romeli and James train together, working on Romeli's ability to make her Gift senseless...which kind of failed. The two start bickering about how hard Romeli is working and panicking about the future. James convinces her to live every day like it was her last. From that point on, the two went on awesome adventure:

First, the jumped off of Balor's Needle. Definitely a fail, but Romeli transformed into a dragon just in time to save them both. They descended into a clearing in a forest and snogged a bit...

Then, they decided it would be a good idea to try every flavor of pie ever and determine which one was the best. The winner? Boysenberry. Oh yea. And Romeli fended off a mountain squirrel. Then more snogging.

Towards dusk, Romeli stood alone in the gazebo, admiring the gardens as the sun set behind her. Just when it turned dark, she was grabbed from behind. There was a click as a ring of metal wrapped around her neck. When she was turned around, she came face to face with Maggur.

"It is curious to look back and realize upon what trivial and apparently coincidental circumstance great events frequently turn as easily and naturally as a door on its hinges." - H. Rider Haggard

All this time, the future had been with fate, and the present was their own.

But the present had caught up and now fate held the reigns, mercilessly leading its victim to the ordeal of a lifetime.

She could imagine what cruel things her enemies had in store for her, but only one thought ran through her head, much like a mantra:

I will not let him die.

She repeated the words constantly until her trembling became numb. The sentence calmed her thoughts and willed her determination into position. She would not stop until she succeeded.

A creak of wood woke Romeli up once again to her surroundings. She was balled up in a wooden trunk, locked with both key and magic. The power of the enchantments encasing her made her eyes water. The metal slave collar wrapped around her neck weighed down on her heavily, reminding her of her past relationship with the accessory and how stupid she had been to get caught up in it again.

Romeli had tried everything to escape. She would have moved if she could, but whatever spells Maggur's mages had cast on her were powerful—she could not budge an inch. Obviously escape through brute force was out of the question. Her next idea landed on her Golden Magic. Since the only thing that held her back was the Gift, she could easily penetrate it with her newest power. However, when she dove into her internal hoard of magic, she found it barricaded. Something was stopping her from accessing her Golden Magic.

As she sat now, she realized what it was. Maggur had obviously blocked her Gift again. With her Gift unable to be reached, she could not bind her three powers.

She clenched her teeth in frustration. She was frustrated with herself for getting into this situation; she was frustrated with her inability to move; she was frustrated with the fact that she couldn't escape.

In conclusion, Romeli felt much like a cocoon. Only instead of escaping from the tight binds of metamorphoses, she was wound shut forever, unable to think let alone move.

And what was worse was that she virtually had no powers. With her Gift and Golden Magic gone, she was left with her plant and wild magic. Both seemed useless in the situation, her mind unable to think straight in the current predicament.

Time passed agonizingly slow. Her confines were pitch black save for a tiny keyhole that fed her a single ray of light. The ray cascaded down to the floor of the trunk, illuminating the thick dust that she had been inhaling for hours...or was it days? She was unbearably hungry, hinting at the fact that it had been a while since her last meal a few hours before her capture.

Not that hunger really mattered to her right now.

will not let him die...

She closed her eyes and exhaled, which was about the only thing she could do in the restrictive state besides the occasional facial expression.

Despite being immensely uncomfortable, she began the slow process of clearing her mind. Right now she felt like she was drowning in emotions. Anger, fear, anxiety, frustration, and sadness were washing through her in relentless waves with her thoughts skidding along. One second she would be thinking about James and another about her paralyzed state.

With effort, Romeli pushed it all away, narrowing her energy on one thing only: what to do.

Questions dominated. Where was she? Romeli groaned, tortured, realizing that she could even be in Scanra right now. How much time had passed? Was her family all right? Was James all right? Was Tortall all right? Where was Maggur now? And perhaps the most important one, why was he alive?

Her brows furrowed. Why was he alive? Unless her eyes had deceived her, she had come face to face with him before blacking out. It made no sense. She had checked his pulse herself the night she poisoned him...

She bit her lip, realizing that she had strayed from the current goal. What to do. But what was there to do? She was stuck, and until someone opened the trunk, she would remain so.

Well until that happens, sort everything out, she told herself. What will you do once someone opens the trunk?

Not die.

She would have laughed if her throat was not so constricted with nerves and dust. The combination was uncomfortable.

Rebooting her determination, she asked herself the question again. What will you do once someone opens the trunk?

Wing it.

Her heart fluttered as the words hit her. Slowly, a grin began to grow, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

This was it wasn't it. This was the last ordeal.

It was then that Romeli came to one single conclusion. She could not fail. This time, she would do all it took to survive; this time, she would be the guardian.

With her mind reeling, she waited. When the trunk opened, she would be ready.

OOO

The day was like any other. Perhaps it was sunnier than usual, and King Jonathan found himself opening the window to let in the fresh Autumn air. He had been working at his desk for what felt like hours and his joints were beginning to grow stiff. The palms of his hands itched to hold something other than a quill and he looked at his sword leaning against the wall in longing.

Despite the temptation to prolong his duties until later, he knew that sidestepping obligation for fulfillment was out of the question. With a weary sigh he sat back down in his large chair and slid another stack of papers towards him.

Ah yes. Merchant taxes. An absolute favorite.

He drummed his fingers on his desk as he stared at the top paper of the stack, bored.

There was a rap at the door and he called for the knocker to enter, unsurprised. He was very used to visitors.

A palace worker walked in shakily, slightly flustered. Noticing the peculiar atmosphere around him, Jonathan looked up his brows raised patiently. "Yes?"

"And urgent letter, Sire." started the man with a slight stutter.

The worker held out an envelope with a shaky hand and Jonathan took it curiously. The king was unsure whether the man was shaken from the message or from his presence. When he saw the seal stamped on the envelope, he realized it was the former.

Eyes slightly wider, Jonathan tore open the envelope and began to read it. Just when the palace worker was about to leave, the king motioned for him to stay, his eyes growing more serious with each line he read.

Jonathan cursed, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He couldn't believe it, but from the authenticity of the letter, he knew it was true. Fingers shaking, he set down the letter on his desk and looked at the worker urgently.

"I need for you to fetch...everyone." His voice was slightly trembling as the beginnings of comprehension began to sweep through him.

The worker's brows furrowed, not understanding. "Everyone, Highness?"

Jonathan's fist slammed down on his desk, making the worker jump. He closed his eyes, immediately regretting his aggressive action, but opened them again. "Knock on all the doors. Everyone in the palace. Every person you talk to, tell them to do the same thing. I need everyone in the ball room in three hours."

The man nodded quickly and ran out, sensing the seriousness in the king's words.

Meanwhile, the king slumped back into his chair, shaking his head slowly in disbelief.

He had no idea who this was from or what it entailed But it was blackmail—very dangerous blackmail.

And he would be ignorant to ignore it.

OOO

Romeli had been missing for two days. James sat down at the foot of his bed running his hands through his hair in worry. Ever since they had made their deal, Romeli and him had become inseparable, spending every meal and even training together. Then suddenly, she was gone.

The last time he saw her was their feast of pies in the mountains. They decided to jog down the mountain as a part of Romeli's training. When they took a break, they dueled at their resting stops, working on sword, dagger, and hand-to-hand combat. Romeli had beaten him with the daggers and hand-to-hand, but he was still superior at the sword—a weapon she had never really favored.

By the time they had reached the bottom, the sun was beginning to set, lighting the clouds on fire. Romeli mentioned something about working on her Golden Magic and jogged off towards the gardens.

She had been gone since.

Wanting to work alone, especially with her Golden Magic, was not unusual, and he found nothing peculiar in her departure. Normally she spent the remainder of her day training and went to bed at night for more training with her Guardians in the Divine Realms. Though he would have loved to stay with her while she 'slept', he never did except for the one night—rumors were a dangerous thing in the court.

So he went to breakfast, expecting her to be there, but she never showed. He had shrugged it off, thinking that her Guardians were keeping her overtime. Besides, he was meeting with Alanna soon, and though her disappearance seemed awry, he had to focus on his knighthood as well.

Now he wished he had followed his instinct.

That day was a busy one for him. Alanna had taken him on a ride to a nearby city to cure a contagious sickness spreading throughout the town. James worked hard, burning out the illness, knowing that it was his duty as both a healer and a knight-in-training. By the time the two had arrived back in Corus, it was nightfall, and he rushed through un-tacking his horse in order to see Romeli.

Her bedroom was empty, the library vacant, and he even searched through the sparring courts. Romeli was an easy person to spot, her green hair noticeable from a long distance, and it did not take long for him to come to the conclusion that she was not there either. He went to the gardens, scrutinizing every orchard and fountain, but she was nowhere. Even the gazebo, perhaps the most obvious place that she would be, was uninhabited.

With no where else to search, he returned to the castle for dinner, a bubble of fear beginning to form at his throat. When he entered the dining hall he half-expected her to be sitting at the usual table laughing with the rest of his friends. His heart fell when he did not see her face.

With one person missing, the world had become depopulated. Despite sitting with his group of friends, he felt alone. When he asked if they had seen her today, they all said no.

Now he was really worried.

The second day was worse. After she didn't come to breakfast the next day either, he knew something was terribly wrong. Ryoku, Ethan, Sereem, and Whave were on edge as well.

Training with Alanna was a disaster. He couldn't focus, his thoughts kept on leading him back to Romeli. He found himself thinking of excuses as to why she was gone. She made an emergency run to Scanra, she was with her Guardians, her family went on vacation...none of them even made sense.

Unable to focus, he lost every sparring duel against Alanna...not like that was much of a surprise. His attacks were clumsy, his defenses weak. Alanna looked at him irritated but with a hint of concern in her eyes. He was never like this unless something was on his mind.

When she asked him what was bothering him, he answered truthfully. Alanna too became worried, adding to the growing list. They cut off their training early, both of them unable to focus. The two left quickly, Alanna swearing under her breath and James swearing he would search every room until he found her.

Of course, he knew all along that her disappearance was not just a game of hide and seek.

It was not long until others began to notice her great exodus. With Romeli's rigorous schedule of training, she was subject to see many different people daily. Her parents were one of the first to notice. When James went to the Salmalin Suite to ask if they had seen her, they replied that she had not been in her room since three nights ago.

Numair and Daine had suspected something unusual since yesterday. Numair had spent the majority of his day searching and asking around just likes James had. Daine approached the situation with a different route—traveling the planes mentally and inquiring her daughter's location to any forest creature and bird that she saw.

Still, there was no outcome.

The rest of James' friends found it equally hard to concentrate. Ryoku paid no attention in any of her classes. Whave, Sereem, and Ethan searched when they had the time, but their knight-masters kept them busy. Still, even their trainers suspected that something was wrong.

Amongst the castle, there was a storm brewing, and a silence before it that muffled every footstep and every whisper to inaudibility.

Overwhelmed, James collapsed on his bed. Unable to move, much less focus, he remained there for what felt like hours, though in reality it was probably only minutes. He let out a weakening breath, his usually solid foundation shaken to the core.

This must be it then. This was the ordeal that Romeli had been preparing for for months. And if she were to fail now...

His thoughts were interrupted with a knock at his door. His heart jolted, half-expecting Romeli to be standing at the other side. With a heave of effort, he got off of his bed and opened the door. His shoulders drooped when it was not Romeli in the hallway, but a flustered palace worker.

"Sorry to bother you, Sir," started the man, shaken. It looked like he had been running down hallways for a long time, his breathing heavy. "The King has ordered for all palace inhabitants to go to the ballroom immediately. It is very urgent."

James' brows furrowed in confusion. He peeked outside the door to see others coming out of their rooms. Alanna was standing outside of her room, which was conjoined with his own, looking just as puzzled as he was. Further down the hallway, James saw mobs of denizens making their way towards the staircase.

Realization hit him. Romeli had not come at his door, but the next best thing had. There was no doubt in his mind now that this massive "palace meeting" involved Romeli. Perhaps she was notified of danger during her disappearance and returned to warn everyone.

He nodded at the man and grabbed his sheathed sword as he exited, never going anywhere without it. He met up with Alanna down the hallway, and the two made their way towards the ballroom.

A sudden ripple of nervousness burnt through him.

OOO

After what seemed like hours of waiting, immobile and mute, their was the click of a lock above her and the trunk door creaked open. Romeli squinted, blinded by the light, her eyes watering as she adapted to the brightness diffusing around her.

A pair of strong hands grabbed her under the arms and pulled her out roughly. She blinked profusely, trying to get a look at her captor while also adjusting her dilated pupils. The man, who looked to be some sort of soldier or guard held her tightly, with no signs of letting go. It was then that she realized her limbs felt like jello. The culprit must have been a combination of the spells paralyzing her and the compact containment she had been hoarded in.

It became evidently clear that she had been in that trunk for a while.

A dripping sensation began to ooze down her neck as some sort of spell began to peel away from her. When the feeling subsided, she began to feel the muscles in her body again. With a stiff wince, she clenched and unclenched her hands, pushing the blood into circulation.

Just when she was beginning to regain all feeling in her body, the guard pinned her hands behind her back. Romeli would have smirked if keeping her face placid was not so essential in her slightly constructed plan. Despite her Gift being unreachable, and her hands tied, there were countless tricks she could execute to get out of his hold.

Instead of an immediate escape, Romeli gave into the restraint. Fleeing now wouldn't do much good anyways. She had no idea where she was, or what was going on. Understanding the situation before conquering it was the first goal on her list. Besides, she could distinctly sense a suffocation spell wrapped around her neck—if she ran, she was toast.

When Romeli got a chance to look at her surroundings, she noticed that her location, wherever it was, was definitely not in the Tortallan or Scanran Palace. It was a shabby room, constructed of rotting wood and half-broken windows. There was a single rug on the floor, though it seemed to blend in with the dust. The only furnishings in the room were a broken rocking chair in the corner and the trunk she had been confined in. The room had two doors—one most likely led to an exit, while the other to a closet or secondary room.

Romeli assessed this all silently, her eyes wandering carefully, taking in every detail. The house seemed completely abandoned, which probably meant they were in Tortall. Maggur, an ex-dead king of an enemy country, would not be spotted in an inn for nobility. Instead, he seemed to have found the perfect hiding place. The slums of Corus would not recognize the face of a King.

The sound of a creaking door ambushed her judgments and she whipped her head to the right, playing a bit of fear up in her eyes. King Maggur walked in, looking more alive than ever. His expression was bright, there was a burn of driven excitement in his eyes.

"Hello, Romeli."

She stared at him composed, but inside she was fuming. Maggot was alive after all. Her pulse was racing, a pinch of dread beginning to soak in her stomach. She refused to wear her emotions. Instead, she stared at him with level eyes—allowing only a hint of fear and confusion through.

The corner of his lip curled in a small smirk. "You can stop the act. You and I both know you aren't afraid of me."

She swore internally, cursing her inability to lie adequately. Despite the breach, she continued, her face smooth. "I may not be afraid of you," she countered cleanly. "but I do fear for the world. Even the Black God has rejected you from death. Impressive."

"You are as fiery as ever," he mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear.

"I thought I killed you," she told him with narrowed eyes. There was a hint of disapproval in her voice.

He shrugged. "It's your fault for choosing a poison with an antidote." The last words were emphasized with amusement as he laughed.

She glared. Well one of her questions was answered. That was something at least. Though internally she was kicking herself. Maryann never mentioned anything about a cure to the poison they used for the murder. This added to the growing list of failures accomplished during the escape night. First the slave enchantment didn't work, then she died, and now the deceased Maggur was not exactly deceased anymore

Romeli put two and two together immediately. The scars on her neck marked her as a slave of Scanra. The fact that Maggur was still alive marked her as his property.

You're out of control, Maggur. You really are. Her words were mute, but her eyes narrowed as she thought them. Her palmed tingled—she wanted to hit something.

Maggur took the glare easily, shrugging it off nonchalantly. "Aren't you going to ask me what I'm doing here? I can tell you're dying to know."

She smirked. "Not really."

He chuckled. "You might change your mind later."

"Don't count on it."

"You assume too much." His words were flat and blunt.

"I assume that if you're here for a reason I'll find out what it is eventually."

Maggur's eyes burned. "Because me telling you what I'm going to do right away is too easy."

"I want a challenge this time." Romeli's adrenaline began to kick in as she said the words. If ever there was a challenge, it was slavery in Scanra. But he didn't know that.

"You touch the limit, Romeli."

"Thank you."

He clenched his jaw, visibly frustrated. "You have no idea what you're getting into."

It was ironic how much Romeli agreed with his words. Never before had she been so anxious for what lay ahead. She had one theory—one tiny theory out of thousands of possibilities. If she fought and thought and pulled together every ounce of energy and power she had, than maybe she would win. Maybe.

She refused to let her agreement show, and despite the lurch in her stomach when Maggur motioned for the guards to escort her outside, her face remained like stone.

Maggur, Romeli, and her escorts of guards and mages made their way out of the abandoned building and into the broad daylight of Lower Corus.

OOO

By the time James had reached the ballroom, with Alanna close behind him, it was packed. The two had to push and shove to the front, occasionally running into a friend along the way. The room was stuffed with every noble occupant, from knights-in-training to diplomats, mages to dukes. There were soldiers, knights, warriors, and other countless men and women dispersed throughout the room. Despite the high population, the only sounds that could be heard were the quiet murmurs of confusion and the scuffling of feet.

James wasn't the only one who knew something seemed awry.

Alanna and James halted their trek across the floor when they came across Numair and Daine. Both were pale in the face, suspecting ideas similar to James'. There was a feeling in the atmosphere that this was no community meeting—this was an emergency that undoubtedly involved Romeli.

The four of them stood together silently, thoughts drifting. They stood in a line, much like a small unit amongst the growing crowd, though all of them felt alone. Each mage, for all four of them held some sort of power beyond the norm, sensed an air of unease and the rising pressure of a storm.

Their separate reveries dissipated when Jonathan walked out from the draping curtains behind the thrones and down the handful of steps to the main floor. In his hand was a letter that was crushed tightly in his white-knuckled grasp. His skin was pale and he looked aged with stress. His usually calm stature was tense, shoulders higher than usual.

He bound across the small distance of ballroom floor to Thayet. The queen looked equally as confused as the people surrounding her, and when Jonathan murmured something into her ear, the worried look she returned him did not look any clearer.

James watched this all wearily, not exactly computing what was going on around him. The crowd seemed to press on him, surrounding him until he stood out no more than any other occupant. Despite the room's density, he felt completely alone. The only two things in the expansive room were him and whatever would soon be on the stage in front of him.

He knew that in mere minutes his fate would be proclaimed. By the end of the week he would be either dead or alive.

Unconscious of his actions, he clenched and unclenched his jaw, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Whatever situation Romeli was in, and whatever that meant for him, they would overcome this. Their training and determination would see them through.

Wouldn't it?

He held his sword tighter.

OOO

As the party walked up the road to the palace gate, Romeli wondered how obvious their parade was. Two guards held her tightly as she walked, her hands bound together with magic and rope. Maggur walked in front of her with his henchmen while a few mages brought up the rear, their magic stirring and ready to pounce at any given moment.

She would have smirked had her anxiousness not consumed her. Expelling of the two guards holding her and dismembering the mages seemed teasingly easy. It would take only minutes. If she got her Gift back, it would take seconds. But she knew she could not—there was more to this march towards the palace than a kidnapping. Maggur was sharp and witty, this she knew more than most. Whatever he had up his sleeve was just as personal as it was political—and she needed a firm understanding of both before she went on with annihilation.

When they rounded a corner they came face to face with the main gates, shouldered by two guards holding their weapons tightly.

The guards assessed the group in front of them quickly and immediately came to the conclusion that this was not a normal palace visitor.

"What do you think you're doing here?" The guard asked the question like stone, holding up his weapon higher. The other guard did the same.

"Move aside," demanded Maggur, his Scanran accent thick as he spoke to them. "This does not concern you."

"It obviously concerns her," the other guard voiced, motioning towards Romeli with a tilt of his head. "We serve to protect every Tortallan."

Maggur smirked at his words, finding them oddly humorous. "If you want to protect her, then step aside and let us through. We have a meeting with your king."

"I can not let you do that."

Before the guards could comprehend Maggur's actions, the Scanran King unsheathed a dagger from his belt and slashed it at Romeli cleanly, leaving a narrow gash on her cheek before resting coldly at the small exposure of flesh between her slave collar and jaw.

Maggur's words were dangerous as he spoke. "Do not underestimate my actions. I will hurt her."

Romeli closed her eyes in dread, knowing from experience that Maggur always followed through with his threats.

The guards glanced at each other uneasily before stepping aside, a hint of worry and fear in their faces. The gate slid open and the group walked up the path to the palace doors.

OOO

Maryann barreled over the palace-man who was just about to knock on her door. Cursing, she sped down the hallway, leaving the worker in the dust and turning the corner before he had a chance to catch his breath.

Taking the stairs two at a time, she descended towards the ballroom, mouth set in a tight line.

Romeli had been missing for two days. She had known this since the morning that she did not show for dagger practice. She never missed a practice, ever. When she went to her room to see if she had perhaps overslept, she wasn't there. Romeli was too consistent with her routine to sleep in anyways.

That's when the feeling of unease settled in her stomach, and it hadn't left since.

Maryann slid down another flight of stairs, nearing the ballroom door with every long stride. While she walked the cogs in her brain were reeling. Romeli didn't just leave without some sort of notification. She was kidnapped. This meant one thing:

The games had just begun.

This was the ordeal. This was the moment when Romeli would face her biggest challenge yet. This was when her fate and the fate of others would be decided.

The only problem was that no one knew what was going on and what would happen. Maryann felt incredibly unsettled by this. As a spy, she was expected to know the outcome of any situation under any circumstance. This time she wasn't so sure. The feeling of apprehension was torturous, and she couldn't even imagine what Romeli was feeling at this moment.

Maryann gripped the large door and swung it open with a little more force than necessary. The whole floor was already packed, and she was one of the last to arrive. This was all for the better, however. Standing and waiting around for disaster was hardly a favorite pastime of hers.

The ex-spy wove through the crowd, scanning the faces in front of her sharply. She was looking for one person only. No one else mattered at this point in time.

Three people in the entire palace knew what was going on. Only three. A fraction of the king's court knew the politics. A larger portion knew the rumors. The majority of Corus' noble men and women probably thought this was some sort of surprise party. But only three knew the true facts—only three knew what Romeli's scars meant, and in turn what Romeli meant to the world. Three people out of thousands. Maryann shook her head as she tried to wrap her head around the thought. She simply couldn't grasp it.

After a couple minutes of weaving and working her way to the front, Maryann spotted who she was looking for. James' back was to her as he stared out at the stage in front of him, aloof. Maryann placed a hand on his shoulder and he spun around quickly. When his green eyes met her own, understanding seemed to wash through him.

To say the least, Maryann was impressed. For someone who knew that his life was now in the hands of someone else's, he looked incredibly calm. His eyes were smooth like water and his expression warm, almost accepting. The look he gave her now seemed to jolt her own courage.

Maryann's lip turned up into a grin. She gripped the young man's shoulder tightly and brought her lips to his ear. "Ready?"

Their conversation was audible to all those around them, but only James and Maryann knew the true meaning of their heavy words. "I've always been ready."

She shook her head, letting out a black and uneasy laugh. "You are so absurd, Lad."

He shrugged. "I've got my sword." He put his hand on the hilt of his blade. "And I've got my heart. I don't need anything more."

Maryann's brow rose. "What's coming for you now can not be fought off with a sword, I believe."

His mouth broke into a half-smile, eyes sparkling with an incomparable wit. "I suppose that's all for the best. I like fighting with my heart."

"You've lost it."

His expression grew considerably darker, making Maryann feel slightly more at ease. He was beginning to react like anyone else would. What he said however made her reconsider her reassurance.

"There are enemies in this realm," returned the squire. "Who claim to know me and Romeli, and who do their deeds of hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness while forgetting our name. We are strangers to them, as if we have never lived. Remember that, and charge their doings on them and their foolishness, for they have no idea who they're messing with."

Maryann's brows rose. "I envy your confidence, Queenscove," she admitted with the duck of her head. "But surely you realize that we are just at the beginning, and you speak of the end. We still have the middle to defeat, and the middle is the most torturous part of all."

His eyes narrowed. "I'm not afraid of dying if that's what you're implying."

"Oh good. No worries then." Her grin was wicked as she slapped James on the back and ducked into the crowd just as quickly as she had come out of it.

Instead of finding her own place amongst the palace inhabitants, she slid over to King Jonathan and stood right behind his left shoulder, her lips inches away from his ears.

Jonathan, noticing her presence, was the first to speak. "I see you've found the ballroom."

"I see you've gotten blackmailed."

He turned his head, looking at her with level eyes as he held out the crushed letter for her to read. She took it quickly, scanning over it before nodding in confirmation. "Just as I thought."

"And what are your thoughts?"

She met his gaze seriously, mouth set in a grim line. "That you should let me do the talking in this happy get-together."

"So you know what's going to happen then?"

She clenched her jaw, chewing over the question before spitting out a half-fabricated answer. "Not a clue."

Before Jonathan had a chance to reply, the sound of collective gasps erupted through the hall. Maryann and the king turned their attention to the main stage.

When Maryann's eyes landed on her previous boss, they widened. She stood silently as she stared, suffocating her emotions before they had time to escape.

On second thought...no. I really don't know what's going to happen.

Hmmm. Well I didn't really plan on ending it here, but I need to split the chapter in two. It's far too big and epic. :)

BA HA HA CLIFFHANGER!!!

Replies:

Alliekat1996: Yes. Maggur should die. I don't know why he didn't die before. I'm glad you liked the chapter! As for the unclear fluff, no lol. James and Romeli most definitely did not have sex. I don't think they're exactly ready for that. ...until the sequel.

Grace: Glad you liked it!!! :)

dares to dream: busy week? Alas, that seems to be the story of my life. I find myself updating chapters by writing one paragraph at a time. lol. Haha...well I'm glad I built up the suspense! sort of! I wanted to have some more funny bits in before things start to crash down to the end. As for the action scenes...they're definitely coming up soon! Glitter cloud attacking Maggur? lmfao.

LittleMissGiggles'94': I am a bad bad person. very bad. :) mwa ha ha. MAGGUR IS BACK!

inktounge: where are you from? (gasp) don't tell me you're from the land of tall men!! Haha. You're pretty right about the whole picture of James and Romeli. James is fairly tall and slim, but also well built. With muscles. :) cuz I like muscles. And Romeli is pretty much spot on. She's fairly tall, but pretty thin too. Hope you like the chapter!

doveofdreams: haha. update = miracle? lmfao My auditions went well. I finally finished them!! So now I can relax...well sort of. Now I have to wait. I'm glad you like the fluff...it's kind of rough. I'm not as good as other people, but I think it's good enough. Alas, the end is coming, but the sequel is just beginning!!! :D haha. It's funny...I should be studying for midterms right now, but instead I'm doing this. I believe we operate on the same plane.

Aly-Of-Tortall13: LMFAO tropical fish pie!!!! I'm glad you loved the chapter! Comedic relief is amazing. And it's fun to write. Well...I have been imagining this part for years...but the part that I have been imagining wont happen until next chapter unfortunately. :/ ah well...it's coming!

natsumi456: haha! I'm continuing! I'm going! I wont stop! Don't worry...spring break is coming up next week, so I should be able to update pretty soon here.

domitan'slovebug: Yes. I am back on the story after some nice comedic relief. :) I really do want to try and publish it...it would be a little different though, since it can't have anything to do with TP. It should be an exciting second read if everything works out. haha...Maggot is back indeed. I hate him so much I want to kill him a second time.

KEEP MOOSIN'

Moose