I wasn't going to post this so soon, but I heard one of my readers was sick. If my little chapters can make people feel better, who would I be to withhold them? So this is dedicated to each and every person who is reading or has read my work!

Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!

I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling, but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this story to make it more interesting :)

Chapter Twenty-Three

There was a such thing as fashionably late, and then there was late as all hell. Judging by the fact that nobody was eating anymore and this was supposed to be a feast, I'd say Daisy and I were very much the latter.

Back at the inn, she and I had gotten a little carried away. She started putting her hands on me and I couldn't help myself, not with her. Thus, we had to put our clothes back to rights and resolve to finish what that girl started later on tonight. It wouldn't do to blow off my brother's festivities, even if it did mean having Daisy to myself for the evening.

Even if that's totally where I would rather be right now

Daisy squeezed her hand in mine nervously. She and I were two of many people populating the crowded ballroom, but everyone's eyes were on us. I figured, with her being a beautiful princess, she'd be used to the attention. But then I saw that it wasn't the people making her nervous, it was him. Ludwig. He was here.

Of course he is; if Peach would invite the late king, she'd definitely invite the blue-haired punk.

Now I really wished I could just take Daisy and leave.

"Weegie!"

"Lu!"

It was amazing how loud they were over the live orchestra and the steady hum of conversing people. In a second I stumbled and Daisy was smiling, her unease vanishing at the sight of the two little creatures that clung to my legs like parasitic leeches.

Fond way to describe two kids you used to baby-sit, a part of me criticized.

I looked down at the tops of their heads; one red and neatly done in a top-knot with a crown settled upon it, and the other wavy and multi-colored. Four large, excited eyes gazed back up at me. I couldn't help but smile.

"Weegie, I missed you so much!" Lemmy exclaimed.

"Me too, Lu," Bowser Junior chipped in, "I missed you so much! Where you been at?"

"Brooklyn," I said automatically, then clarified with, "Home. I had to go back home."

Junior mirrored Lemmy in both height and dress, as both wore clean silk pants, a cotton shirt, and a silk vest. They surprised me with the fact that they both were wearing shoes this time. I felt a wave of nostalgia flood my senses as I crouched to their height. They both wrapped their arms around me and when they pulled back, Junior had tears in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I had to ask.

"I missed you." Junior said softly, genuinely.

"I missed you, too," I told him, "but you don't have to cry."

"That's not why he's crying." Lemmy said slowly.

I glanced between the boys and frowned.

"Why are you crying then?" I asked Junior.

The smile had disappeared from his youthful little face. Now his jade eyes were ripe with sadness and instead of answering me, he stuck his thumb in his mouth. I glanced at Lemmy in question. The older child sighed.

"Weegie, um." He started. "B-Jun is always this sad. He misses his daddy."

"Oh." I said quietly.

I couldn't exactly say I felt the same way, but I could sympathize. I had one hand on Junior's shoulder and the other on Lemmy's. I rubbed Junior's arm affectionately and glanced behind me. Daisy was gone. I guess she must have gone mingling. Back at the boys I stared. I didn't know what to say.

Gee, kid, I'm sure you loved your old man, but the rest of us hated his guts and partied after he croaked. So. Yeah.

"It's okay, Lu." Junior suddenly said, "I can still talk to my daddy."

"You can?" I blinked.

"Uh-huh," He nodded, "but only in my head."

"I see." I spoke.

I'm no psychologist, but I think Junior's mind is screwed up. No surprise, considering what he's been through. Poor kid.

I held them to me once more, both of them, and felt the back of my eyes sting. Yeah, I guess these boys get to me, especially Junior.

"Luigi?"

Just as I caught sight of her from across the room, she said my name. Wendy, the one and only girl among her many brothers. She looked lovely and young in her plain, flowing white dress. It was loose and made her seem as if she was floating in her haste to get to me. Like the prince, she had tears in her eyes. I stood but Junior didn't want to let go, so he came up with me. While balancing him in one arm, I caught Wendy with the other as she crashed into me.

"Luigi, I'm so glad to see you!" She exclaimed.

The girl was holding me so tightly, like I was some kind of life-line. I stroked her back soothingly and then tried to calm her with words.

"It's good to see you, too." I said, "Why are you so upset? Did something happen?"

Wendy looked overwhelmed. Her light blue eyes were roiling with emotion, more than I'd ever felt at one time. She bit her lip and looked as if she didn't know how to speak for a second. Several seconds.

"Wen?"

It only made sense that he was here, too: Roy. I predicted then that the whole lot of them would be in attendance. The eldest of Ludwig's siblings came over to me and once he saw who was holding his sister, he stopped scowling and smirked.

"Yo, Luigi! You came back," He smiled, but his smile didn't last long.

"Wen," He began, addressing his sister. "Can we-"

"Excuse me," Wendy said softly.

She slipped out of my arms and didn't even look back as she headed over to a table with ice and punch. I saw Daisy over there as well, then saw them start talking. I turned to Roy and watched the seventeen-year-old sigh.

"Something wrong?" I asked him, "What was that about?"

"Wen's been kinda' messed up lately," He admitted quietly.

"Why?" I asked the pink-hair teenager.

Roy said, "It's got a lot to do with Ludwig."

"He did something to hurt her?" I frowned.

"No. Yes. I mean not really." Roy frowned and said, "It's complicated, yo."

"I see." I responded. "Have you talked to her about it?"

"I'm tryin, yo. I really am." Roy replied, "She just won't let me help her. You know how she is."

"Yeah, I understand." I agreed.

The girl had been moody when I last saw her, but this was a little different. Something was seriously bothering her. Depressing her. Roy was not completely unaffected either, I could see it in his conflicted features. He glanced over at the punch table but didn't go there. Instead, he shook his head and walked in the direction of a group of giggling young women. Along the way, his gait became a confident swagger and he held out his hand to one of the girls, who was only too willing to oblige him in a walk away from her companions.

"Everybody is sad or mad," Lemmy said, making me look down at him. "Lu is always yelling at us and being mean."

"He is so cruel, to me for specially." Junior said next to my head.

I looked at him and saw, from this close, his tears were drying. I wiped the boy's face and thought of how troubling it was that all of the siblings seemed to be, well, not themselves. It didn't help my resentment for the sorcerer at all.

"Luigi! Baby brother, c'mere!"

If mortification was a disease, I'd catch my death from it in the next few seconds. I couldn't believe Mario had not only loud-capped me, but called me his...geez, even in my mind I was embarrassed. I glanced up at the front of the room and saw him standing on a raised stage with Peach on his arm. They were beside a table with a white tablecloth and two plates of food. I felt my stomach give an anticipatory twist at the sight of it. Out of nowhere Daisy came up behind me and took my hand.

"Come on," She whispered, "Everybody's staring at us Luigi."

I laced my fingers in hers and sighed. Mario loved putting me on the spot. By the time Daisy and I began making our way to the front of the ballroom, everyone had gone silent. I could see them giving Daisy more attention than me. I mean, how could they not: the girl was gorgeous. I reached my brother, in his red and blue and white uniform, and couldn't fight back a reluctant smile in the face of his big, goofy one. He just seemed so happy that I couldn't be mad at him, not really.

"My little brother," He chuckled, "All cleaned up."

"You act like you haven't seen it before," I quipped.

Peach hugged both me and Daisy and was looking her usual best. She smelled like the flower that was the same color as her bright red layered dress. It was a daring color for her, but it looked good on her.

"I know you didn't get a chance to eat," Mario said, "So Peach and I reserved this spot for you."

I looked at the table, set with silver and porcelain, and then gazed at the crowd. Eating in front of a bunch of people. Fantastic.

"Don't worry about them," Peach said gently. "We're about to start the dancing so they won't be watching you."

"Thank you," Daisy told her.

So my girl and I sat down and it wasn't until that food hit my stomach did I realize how hungry I was. When was the last time I'd eaten? Before the train ride I think. It's been hours. From the looks of it, Daisy wasn't so famished. Maybe she'd eaten at her house beyond the market when she was with her cousins.

"This is really good," She told me.

Daisy had to raise her voice a little to be heard over the loud waltz music. The people were dancing, like Peach said they would be. The lights were dimmed and it all looked very movie-ish.

"Oh look, it's Peasley," Daisy suddenly beamed. "He's coming this way."

I looked past our table on the stage and saw my friend doing just that. He had a girl on each arm and was donning a charming smile. He whispered something to them, made them flake off and head in the opposite way while he continued towards us. While he walked, I noticed his pants were a little tight but they were black so you couldn't really see anything, and his boots were black as well. Hanging from his belt loop to his pocket was a gold chain much like the one he wore around his neck. His hair was neatly combed and hung like corn silk around his handsome face. As usual, his green eyes danced with amusement. He bowed to me and Daisy.

"My friends," He spoke, "It's so good to see you again."

Daisy said, "You as well."

I nodded. He had gloves on and gold bands on his wrists as well. When he held his hand out for Daisy's so that he could lay a kiss on the back of it, I saw a tattoo of a thorny rose on his inner forearm.

Sometimes I wondered about the choices he made.

"Are you finished here?" Peasley asked me.

I said, "Just about."

"Good." He grinned. "So how 'bout a dance?"

"...You're joking, right?" I deadpanned.

"You would deny me?" Peasley asked, feigning offense. "Luigi, you wound me."

"Peasley, you tease him too much." Daisy spoke from across from me.

Her tone was severe but her expression was clearly tickled.

She told Bean Kingdom's prince, "You know Luigi's shy. I'm sure he would love to dance."

"Oh, is that so?" Peasley grinned even harder.

I shook my head at Daisy and mouthed, 'traitor' . She laughed at me and I smiled at the sound. Daisy stood and circled the table over to Peasley.

"I'm sorry Luigi," She said, dropping a kiss on my cheek. "You just make it so easy."

"He does, doesn't he?" Peasley smiled fondly.

And just like that my best friend led my girlfriend onto the dance floor. I wasn't alone for long, though. A distressed fifteen-year-old came to my table with a request to dance, though I hardly thought that was what she intended to do. I was there for her once before when she needed to talk, though, so I would be there for her now.

Past the throng of people moving in sync Wendy led me until she'd found a suitable spot. Once there, she put her slim arms around my neck and we shuffled awkwardly from side to side for about a minute. I gazed at her in wait. She hadn't changed much. I was glad to see she wore no makeup this time, just some gloss on her powder-pink mouth. Her features were girlish and young, only made that much more juvenile by her white dress and by the way she glanced around nervously.

"Wendy, you got something on your mind?" I prompted.

She nodded and said, "I just don't know where to start."

"This has to do with Ludwig?" I asked.

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes. He's being a prick."

"He's always been that way," I told her before I could censor myself.

Wendy swayed absently on her feet and said, "This is different, Luigi. Back at the bunker, he was controlling, but not like this. He's locked me in the palace and he's forcing me to train 24/7."

"Forcing you to-"

"But that's not the real reason he keeps me locked up," Wendy interrupted me. "It's because of Munson."

I didn't bother asking who that was, I knew that once Wendy got started, she would keep going from there. This was no longer a two-sided conversation.

"Munson is, well, he's my..." Wendy blushed and whispered, "He's my boyfriend."

Interesting, I thought. It was only a matter of time before that would happen, what with her being so mature and attractive for her age.

"Munson is great and wonderful," She spoke passionately, "And he cares for me, no matter what Ludwig thinks. Ludwig doesn't know anything about Munson but he judges him so harshly."

What a hypocrite, I thought, as if he's got room to judge anyone.

But I knew if Wendy were my little sister, I'd be a little wary, too. Wendy was getting angrier.

"Ludwig keeps me in the palace because he hates Munson," She claimed. "Hates him for no reason. He's done nothing wrong. Ludwig is just a foul, cruel, unfair tyrant. He doesn't want me to be with Munson but he just can't see that if I was with Munson, I'd at least get to be...well, normal. Somewhat."

"I see," I chanced to interject. "And none of this is normal behavior for Ludwig?"

Wendy shook her head. "He's changed, Luigi. He's become colder, crueler. He makes me train until I shake and vomit. He wants me and the others to use our powers as weapons to hurt people, to kill."

The girl shuddered. "I don't want to do the things that he asks, but every time I try and go against him, he threatens to hurt Munson."

"That's sick," I frowned. "He's acting just like..."

"Like what?" Wendy implored.

"Like a tyrant."

What I wanted to say and almost said was that he was acting just like the abusive, psychotic Dark King. He was well on his way to being just as bad if what I was hearing was true. Bowser used to make Junior train like a grown man and threatening to hurt Wendy's boyfriend? That's the kind of sociopathic, manipulative bullshit that was right up old Bowser's alley.

"What he's doing is wrong," I told Wendy, "It's sick and wrong. Don't blame yourself."

"I think I'll run away." Wendy told me quietly.

I looked at the girl and didn't know what to say. If living there, being forced to do evil things and feeling trapped was making her depressed, who was I to tell her not to try and get herself out of the situation, especially if I couldn't help her in any way.

Our dance ended and the girl was prepared to leave me. Before she could, I held the tops of her shoulders and leveled her with a serious expression.

"Wendy, whatever you decide to do, promise me you'll be careful, okay?" I entreated.

Wendy smiled faintly and nodded. "I promise."

She gave me a peck on the cheek and said, "Thank you, Luigi."

As she was walking away, I saw Roy approach her and get snubbed once more. Irritated, he came over to me.

"I don't get it, yo." He complained, "Why'd she talk to you and not me?"

"Try listening." I suggested.

"I do listen." Roy insisted.

"Without interrupting?" I challenged. "The key is to not say a word. Nod if you must, but just look at her and let her do all the talking."

Roy nodded, taking my words to heart. He then turned and I grabbed his arm.

"Not now." I told him, "Give her some space, just for tonight."

"Alright." Roy nodded at last, then added, "Thanks, man."

"No problem." I told him, then asked. "Roy, is Ludwig making you...that is, does he ever ask you to use your powers in a way that would-"

"Kill someone?" Roy asked knowingly, then said, "Yeah. All the time. That's what bothers Wen the most."

"And it doesn't bother you?" I asked carefully.

"Not really." Roy shrugged, "I mean, I ain't never killed nobody, not really. Just some Koopas. But they don't count."

"Why not?" I tried to keep my voice free of judgement.

Roy said, " 'Cause they always come back to life; they don't ever really die, so it doesn't count. I wouldn't do these moves on real people, yo."

And this time, when he made to leave I let him. I didn't know how to react to that. I felt kind of shocked, but not surprised. Not really. This was just sad. And twisted.

"Hey Luigi."

I turned round and saw Iggy behind me. I hadn't even heard him come up, just turned and he was there. He was still the lanky, withdrawn child from...wait. No, something had definitely changed. It was in his luminescent lime eyes; he looked like he was holding cold emotions at bay. He was dressed just as nicely as his brothers but he really looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"I assume Ludwig's been getting to you, too?" I guessed.

"And I assume you know this from my siblings' testimonies?" Iggy countered.

I nodded.

"Disturbing, isn't it?" Iggy said casually, "To hear what he's become."

"Is it true?" I asked, though Roy's words had been answer enough.

"If you're referring to the part about Ludwig coercing us to conform to his image, to train so that we may be 'of use to him', then yes." Iggy stated boredly.

"And do you agree with what he wants for you?" I asked next.

Now Iggy's eyes flared with emotion when he hissed, "Of course not! I thought you knew me better, Lu."

"I do," I assured him, "I just had to ask because Roy seemed pretty okay with what Ludwig's doing."

"Well I'm not Roy." Iggy said plainly, back to his monotonous drawl.

I said, "Will you run away like Wendy, then?"

"Would if I could." Iggy said enigmatically. "I'm sorry, but I need to go find a dark corner to stand in and think."

"You alright?" I asked, concerned.

Iggy smirked faintly and said, "Yes, and it's not you. I just don't feel like being around people right now."

"I completely understand." I told him.

I was feeling that way myself, but it would seem my attempt at finding Daisy and making an exit would be yet impeded, this time in the form of a dark-haired sixteen year old.

He was dressed in fine clothes but looked exceedingly uncomfortable in them; from what I knew of him, Morton Junior would much rather be wearing a t-shirt and sweats, pumping iron in the room he shared with his brother than stand here holding a cup of punch that, if the look on his face was anything to go by, didn't even taste good. I locked eyes with the boy and he came right over with a grin. People moved out of his way. In his black pants, black boots and black silk shirt, paired with his clean-cut black hair and star-shaped scar, he looked pretty menacing. Not to mention he was built like an ox.

It was no wonder people moved out his way.

"Hey Luigi!" He greeted. "I haven't seen your face in ages, haven't heard your voice in eons!"

"Yeah, it's been a while," I cut in before he could get started.

But the big-mouth was already unleashed.

He said, "It's been days! Weeks! Months! Tell me, where'd you go? How have you been? Whatcha' been up to? How long are you staying?"

Mercifully enough, someone shoved into his left side, making him spill his drink in the process but also cutting him off in his speech. He turned to glower at the younger boy who'd plowed into him. Larry glared back up at him, unrepentant.

"Move out of the way, Bigfoot!" Larry yelled, "I'm trying to go get some punch!"

"I'll give you a punch, alright," MJ shot back, "I'll give you a one-two, hullabaloo! I'll give you a good old-fashioned beat-down! I'll whomp you so hard-"

"Shut up, already!" Larry groaned, "I can't even...Weegie?"

Larry blinked up at me in surprise, then grinned and launched himself towards me. He wrapped his skinny arms around my middle and beamed excitedly up at me.

"Weegie, I can't believe you're here!" He cried happily.

I said dryly, "Well I couldn't exactly miss my own brother's wedding, now could I?"

Larry shot MJ a look and muttered, "I wouldn't go to MJ or Roy's wedding if you paid me; but then again, who'd marry a couple of sorry, pig-breath-"

"Why you!" MJ made a grab for his little brother.

Like he'd done with Wendy, Larry darted behind me and grabbed the back of my shirt, peeking around my body to stick his tongue out. Ah, brothers.

"Seriously, though," Larry told me from behind. "I'm glad you came back. I missed you. Are you coming to visit us at the palace?"

"Yeah, are ya'?" MJ chimed in curiously.

I said, "Well uh, I don't um..."

Hell no. Never in a thousand years...yeah, that wouldn't sound right.

"You have to come!" Larry whined, "We never get to have any fun because Ludwig's always making us train every second of every day. It's torture!"

Those words were pretty exaggerated, but, given what I'd heard this night, they didn't help ease my mind.

"You gotta come," Larry besought me, "It'll be so much more funner if you were around."

"I doubt it." I told him frankly.

Especially if Ludwig would be there

Being a royal herself, Daisy knew all about deceptive behavior and convincing facades. She'd dabbled in both before the age of twenty. She knew that, when Bean Kingdom's Prince had asked for a dance, it was really correspondence he was after. So she'd obliged, making sure not to let on to her boyfriend that she was dreading her time with the prince with each step they took towards the dance floor. Peasley led her away from the crowd, to a corner of the ballroom near a dark corridor. By the hand he escorted her to the mouth of the hall and then made sure the two of them were out of sight.

"I would hate for us to be overheard," He said softly.

Daisy worried her bottom lip and then schooled the dread from her face. She faced the young prince and leveled her head.

"Okay." She stated with a bit of authority. "What's the news?"

"I believe 'the news' is standing before me." Peasley quipped wittily, then said, "Alert the papers and tell them the search is over: the world's most beautiful woman has been found."

"Peasley," Daisy said in a sigh.

Peasley's smile died a slow death.

"Sorry." He said quietly. "Nervous habit."

He'd grown quite accustomed to resorting to humor when he was particularly stressed or frustrated or angry. He ran a hand through his hair and sobered.

"I'm not sure if you know this, which is why I've called you out," He began. "The new King of the Badlands left quite an impression on your country."

"What do you mean?" Daisy frowned.

"I mean to say there are those in Sarasaland, especially in Chai Kingdom, who remain convinced that he should be in power." Peasley divulged.

Daisy said, "That's crazy. He was only there for a few months."

"He was there long enough to start an uprising." Peasley told her. "The generals who were instated have been facing opposition from an unknown force that are believed to be supporters of Ludwig. They want to oust the generals and put Ludwig in power."

"What?"

"Shhh!"

"But Ludwig's got the Badlands to rule," Daisy argued, "How is he supposed to rule two countries?"

"He'd most likely choose to rule just one." Peasley answered simply.

"Right." Daisy nodded, "The Badlands. It's a bigger territory after all."

"That's not what I was trying to say," Peasley stated. "Chai Kingdom alone has a set of resources so invaluable, territory size need hardly be considered. Not to mention the other kingdoms would make fine assets as well."

"So what are you saying?" Daisy asked.

Peasley said carefully, "Intelligence tells me that Ludwig's agents, the ones who helped fell the late Dark King, have been behind the attacks on the ruling generals."

"I thought you said it was an unknown force." Daisy accused.

Peasley told her, "I am not completely sure it's the agents."

"But you're sure enough to mention that little detail." Daisy stated, "Peasley, what are you trying to tell me?"

"I think." Peasley faltered. "Don't let this alarm you."

"Just tell me."

"Am I interrupting something?"

The voice, cool and low, was unmistakably his. It unnerved her. It was too convenient that he should turn up right when he was being discussed. Peasley glanced beyond her, undoubtedly at him, and then shook his head and left. As the fair-haired prince left, giving the newcomer an unreadable glance, Daisy stared hard at the dark hall ahead of her.

She didn't have to be a genius to know what Peasley was getting at. She'd had a bad feeling from the start about sending Ludwig into her country, about letting him put his hands into Sarasaland politics and affairs, and now he was inextricably tied to her kingdom, her home. Her mind was connecting the dots; it was certainly no coincidence that loyalists of his remained in Chai, a place that normally didn't place value on outsiders. Nativist to the core, the only thing Chai valued over their own culture and proud heritage was order. Order and control. Ludwig had both. He'd executed in a few months what even Chai's elite government couldn't accomplish in years. He'd taken down an impossibly clever and ruthless foe. They would no doubt be impressed, the members of the higher echelons that existed within Chai. They would be impressed no doubt, and she had a feeling that the loyalists would only foster that impression until the way was paved and all were in favor of Ludwig parking his arrogant hide upon the throne. And once he had Chai, he had them all, all the kingdoms that is. She knew what Peasley was going to tell her.

Ludwig was taking over her country.

Daisy turned to face and her anger was whetted.

In the sight of her anger, Ludwig felt something stir within himself as well. He tried to contain it, he would not be controlled by the desire that was not his but he knew he was failing. He didn't know what had possessed him to follow her into this corridor. He knew this would be the inevitable outcome. He'd been watching her all night. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Staring was one thing, but to follow her, to get up and follow her was another thing. He knew it was not wise. Knew it would only lead to confrontation. He couldn't help himself, though. The desire was too strong for him, the alien emotion compelled him to come closer and closer to her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She demanded.

Daisy could feel her anger ebbing away and desperately she tried to cling to it because the anger emboldened her. She thought of what she'd just learned of him attempting to snatch her kingdom and felt her blood boil. Good. She needed to hold onto that anger because if she didn't the fear would come. He was gazing at her like a starving man would a loaf of freshly baked bread.

"Are you trying to take my country?" She blurted.

She figured he was in much too questionable a mood to beat around the bush. She needed to get his attention because it looked like his mind was somewhere else, somewhere a million miles away.

It was actually much closer.

Ludwig's mind had been seized and now all he could process were the basest ocular stimulation: her cool white skin, soft red lips, and curvy body. He felt that foreign desire pushing at the confines of his mind, daring him to move closer, closer, closer.

"What's the matter with you?" Daisy asked him. "Why aren't you answering me?"

Now she was getting mad again. She was beginning to think he was ignoring her, that he was avoiding her question because he was no doubt guilty. She felt indignation arise that he would dare take her home for his own, knowing that she'd trusted him. She balled her fists and did the worst thing she could have done in that situation.

"Now look," She growled, stalking towards him, "I don't know what you're plotting, but you leave my country out of it!"

She was right next to him now, her height forcing her to look up at him. He gazed down at her from between that curtain of long, black-streaked navy hair and his emerald eyes were unsettled. She felt a bit of victory, thinking she'd gotten through to him in some way. But then he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"This was a mistake." He muttered, then turned to leave.

Daisy frowned and grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?"

That was all it took. He was so unhinged that her fingers on his body, even with the barrier of his dress shirt, spurred a reaction within him that was violent in its manifestation. He didn't know how, but he had her against the wall in an instant.

"What are you doing?" Daisy breathed through her shock.

The shock left her for anger. She was in an uncomfortable position, her back against the stone wall with his hard body against hers, holding her there. He had his hand wrapped around her thigh, the one her split exposed, with the other gripping her hip.

"Ludwig, let me go." She demanded firmly.

He ignored her. He was beyond words. The look in his emerald eyes was unholy in its raw thirst. He was scaring her. Her heart was thundering in her chest and Ludwig was aware of each time her swollen chest heaved up and down against his own. She was aware of him, too, aware of his apparent desire for her but she was not going to let a boy younger than her push her around. She gave a jerk and tried to shove him off of her but he only rolled his hips into hers and sucked in a sharp breath as if it had hurt him to do so. She was bewildered.

"Ludwig, get off me." She commanded. "Get off me!"

She felt his mouth on hers but only for a second. In the next he was off of her, but not of his own volition. No, he'd been yanked off of her by someone in possession of immense strength.

"What the hell, yo?"

"Roy?" Daisy frowned.

She wasn't sure that was the boy's name, but she didn't care. Ludwig was off of her and she had the boy to thank, which she did, briefly, before getting out of the hall as fast as she could. Roy, left in the dark hall with his brother, shook his head in disgust. Ludwig was barely aware of him. All he knew was that his body was painfully aroused and that the girl was gone. His senses returned to him after several moments, but by then he was completely alone in the corridor.

A/N: Another chapter, as promised :) I hope everybody enjoys this and I'll try and get an even longer chapter out soon.

Oh, and I hope you guys haven't forgotten that I LOVE reviews!

Until next time...

~DymondGold~