"We go this way." Tetalia piped up. "My mother showed me the way to a wall and said that there were only two people that knew how to open it. I'm assuming she meant herself and Ben." She led the way through the halls until they came up to a wall. Ben had seen the wall before but he'd never gotten to it that way. With Riley and Abigail next to him he hesitated before he unlocked it. He was in no condition to escape. He could barely walk around let alone run away. As he'd never seen what was on the other side, he didn't know if it would lead them to another clue or the treasure itself. If it was another clue, he wasn't sure he had the strength to decipher it. If it was the treasure, he knew he didn't have the energy to stop Elton from stealing it and leaving them there to die.

Elton was growing impatient. He pushed Riley aside and stood in his place. "Well, what are you waiting for?" He said angrily. Ben didn't answer. He simply opened up the door.

The ornate marble walls were blank. Too, there was nothing covering the granite floors. All that stood in the room was a single table. Approaching the table, Elton picked up the old fashioned brass key. Setting it down he handed Tetalia the note. She read it aloud.

"Now comes the challenge.

Though miles apart you must work together.

Logic claims this note while intelligence must be used on a lock.

Leading you, and no one else, to the greatest treasure man has ever known.

What does she mean?" Tetalia asked Ben.

"She wants the logical one of us to take the note and the intelligent one to take the key. But this means we have to split up."

"What? But… I can't solve riddles like you can. What if there's a riddle or what if I can't find the lock? Or what if I'm supposed to take the note and we get it mixed up?"

"Jasmine, you'll be fine. Your mother designed this with both of us in mind. I'll take the note and you take the key. I'll send Abigail with you, if that's alright." He glanced at Abigail.

"Of course it is. We can figure this out."

"You really think so?"

"Trust me, I've had some experience."

"Where do we go next?" Elton barked.

"Where else do you take a key? The royal locksmith. He should be able to tell you what it goes to at least."

"And the note?" Ben stared into space, lost in thought.

"Where my mom used to write them?" Tetalia suggested. "She had a container of dust sitting on the desk next to her. I saw her use it a couple of times."

"That secret room connected to hers?"

"Yeah."

"I'd almost forgotten about that. Yes, that's where we take the note."

"Then what are we waiting for? Elton divided up his men. Sending his second in command with Tetalia, while he stayed with Ben.

Finding the Alexandria's old writing room wasn't a challenge. And since most areas that she'd frequented weren't well guarded getting in was no problem at all.

"Do you remember how to open the door?" Elton half ordered.

"Yes, but the lock was complex. Give me some time. When she wanted to write she wanted to be alone. It took her twenty minutes just to get in. This was her safe haven and her alone time."

"If you could all stand back and give the Princess some room please." The locksmith ordered the men. "Thank you." He turned to Tetalia. "The key can be a little hard to turn. You must do it firmly but with the touch of a lady."

"You can do it Jas." Abigail used her new pet name. Now came the moment of truth. All at once, Tetalia heard the click of the lock while a noise behind her grabbed her attention. She looked behind her and was shocked to find all of her captors trapped behind ten inch thick, bullet proof glass.

"What?" On seeing what happened, Abigail hugged her.

"You did it!" She cheered.

"My mom was smart!"

"Why do you think I asked them to step back?" The locksmith smiled. "Not only are they trapped, but an alert has been sent to the palace informing them that the trap has been sprung, AND there's a radio scrambler keeping them from communicating with the rest of the group. The queen had me keep it up to date."

"No way! Now, if only Ben could have such luck." Tetalia smiled.

"I'm sure your mother has something similar planned for them. Now, how about finding out what's in the room. Those men aren't going anywhere." Tetalia, followed by Will and Abigail, walked into the room. Much like the room in the palace, it contained only a small table. On it, was half a map and a pair of earrings. Abigail picked up the map while Tetalia read the note from her mother.

"She says these are for me. They were a gift to her from her mother who got them from hers. She's not sure how many generations back it goes. But that legend has it that they have been passed from queen to queen since this country was first founded."

"If that's true, your family may not have been the only ones to have worn them." Abigail smiled as she watched Tetalia's eyes light up. Ben must have passed his love of history onto her in the short time they knew each other.

"Are you finished yet?" Elton almost yelled. He was growing impatient. Not to mention he'd heard nothing from the other group. Though, as long as he had Ben, he knew he had the upper hand. Ben's friends would come running to him and he wouldn't even have to lift a finger. And, with any luck, the amount of time Tetalia had spent with Ben would add her to his list of loyal followers.

"I've almost got it." Ben wanted to add that perhaps he could move faster if he was feeling better, but thought better of it. His whole body ached from the fever he was running. The only good thing about moving around was that the exercise had cleared his sinuses some.

Once he heard the click of the door unlocking he felt a gust of wind and heard a loud crash. When he turned he saw all the men but Elton trapped under a heavy net. It was heavy enough that it would need machinery to lift it but light enough so as to not suffocate anyone.

"Just like her, safety without injury. She was prepared for something like this happening. But she hated to see people hurt."

"Well, she obviously didn't plan for me." He pushed Ben inside. "If she was as smart as you say, we have two minutes to get in and out." He looked at his watch. "The clock is ticking, where do we go from here?"

Ben glanced around the room. Stalling for time he said "And what happens if I can't figure it out in two minutes?"

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you."

"But you haven't heard from them. How do you know my friends are still trapped? I doubt she'd booby-trap only one clue."

"Fine." He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Riley.

"Easy with that thing." Riley said nervously.

"Don't. I don't know what's next. I know we're here and I know I'm supposed to decode something, but I don't know where to look."

"Better figure it out." Ben paced the room looking for any sign, any clue.

"Ben?" Riley tried.

"Not now, I'm thinking." He took a few steps more. "Sorry, what?"

"Try sprinkling the powder on her desk on the paper. I watched a documentary on different types of paper and how they react to different substances." Following Riley's advice, he pulled out the note from his pocket and sprinkled on some of the powder.

"Riley, you're a genius!" After reading the next clue, he followed the instructions and revealed a secret compartment in the chair. "This is what we're looking for. The others must have the second half." He said as he held up one half of a map for Elton to see. As Elton took the paper, two of his men came up from out of nowhere and guarded the exit.

"I'm always prepared. Now, we wait for the others back at my mansion."

Shout out to pupulegirl, who reminded me that I hadn't posted anything for this story in a while. I think the break did me good though. I thought of them separating whereas before they would've found the treasure in this chapter. And them finding it that soon just didn't feel right for the story.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I've gotten a lot better response to this story than I thought I would.