I grabbed my journal and followed the man on the horse for about two hours until he finally stopped outside a cabin in the woods. He didn't see me watching him as he walked inside. I dismounted the horse and creeped up to the cabin, I saw Clarisse inside smiling and sipping a glass of what looked like red wine. I didn't understand why she was smiling at the man that had supposedly kidnapped her, but I found out later what was really going on.

I couldn't call for backup, because they have yet to make phones that you can take with you to places, so I decided to enter alone. As far as I could see, there was only one other person in that cabin besides Clarisse and I thought I could take him, but it turned out I didn't even need to.

I sidled the wall and slowly made my way to the door, it wasn't locked. I drew my gun and kicked the door open much to the surprise of the two inside.

"Freeze!" I shouted.

Clarisse smiled and stood up, "Joseph! What are you doing here?"

I didn't know what to think, "I'm here to…save you…"

"Oh, how noble, but I don't need saving."

"What?"

"Thankyou, Chester, you can go home now."

He bowed and shuffled outside to mount his horse. Clarisse indicated for me to sit in the armchair opposite her, so I retracted my gun and sat down, staring at her, "What's going on?"

"I'm glad you're here, Joseph, I want to talk to you."

"Are you just going to let him get away?"

"He's not a kidnapper, we faked the whole thing. Chester is my old school friend…we used to date."

"You FAKED a kidnapping?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I was bored. It's so boring not being able to talk to you, I thought that if I somehow lured you up here we'd have a chance to get to know each other again, you know, away from the public eye."

"Why didn't you just speak to me at the palace?"

"There's no privacy there and you know how the maids talk. I wanted to be in a place where it could be just the two of us."

"What about the note?"

"What note?"

"Free the throne and your wife will be returned."

"Pfft! That was to show the so-called reason behind the "kidnapping". Normally I would have thought of something more plausible, but I just couldn't be bothered."

"Do you know how worried everyone is?"

She grinned, "Very?"

I made a wtf face at her, "Was that your intention? To make everybody worried about you?"

"Of course it was. I needed to feel as if I was still special."

"Well you certainly proved that. You know I spent two nights out in the cold waiting for the would-be kidnapper to return so I could follow him and find you?"

She walked towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder, "That is so sweet."

"No it isn't sweet, it's a nightmare."

She slid herself beside me and started walking her hands up and down my chest; I tensed.

"Now that we're alone…"

"NO!"

"No, what?"

"Just…don't. Don't touch me like that. What is wrong with you?"

She licked the buttons on my shirt, "Whatever do you mean?"

I pulled her head up so it was level with mine and stared into her eyes, "What have you taken this time?"

"Nothing."

"You said that last time, what have you taken?"

"Honestly nothing, I've just had a few glasses of wine, that's all."

She attempted to undo my belt, but I grabbed her wrist and held it in the air, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? A couple of months ago you would have been stoked to have me do this!"

"But things have changed since then."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I dunno…you!"

"Me?"

"Yes you!"

"How have I changed?"

"How haven't you changed? You totally refuse to acknowledge me as a human being, you sit around the palace all day just reading and sipping tea, you pull stunts like this just to get attention…"

"Doesn't that tell you something?"

"Like?"

"Like I'm a bored trophy wife who's in desperate need of companionship."

I looked her in the eye and saw a glimpse of the old Clarisse, it was only for a second though, because she disappeared and reappeared as the horrible monster that was before me. She fully removed my belt and started kissing her way down my chest. I wasn't aroused, I didn't feel anything, I just wanted her to stop, "Is sex all you ever wanted me for?"

She gasped, "Ha! How can you ask me that? You're the one who's been obsessed with me from the beginning…how did it go again? Oh yes; 'She was about ten times more beautiful in person than on the television. I became captivated by her…'"

"You read my journal."

"I skimmed it."

"When?"

"That night I was waiting for you to come back to bed, you remember the night they dropped the bomb?"

"You were wrong to read it."

"Really…"

"That journal is filled with personal thoughts and feelings. Things I wanted to keep private."

"I know it's filled with things about me! I saw my name at least three times on every page, am I all you ever think about?"

"Can we end this conversation?"

"Are you embarrassed?"

"Of course I am!"

"So tell me…is this one of those situations where you just want to rip my clothes off and make love to me?"

"Definitely not."

"Want it to be?"

I looked at her in disgust, "You need help!"

I got up to leave, but she grabbed my arms and pushed me back down on the armchair. I struggled to get up, but she jumped on top of me and started ripping off my clothes.

"What are you doing, you psycho?"

She raised her voice, "Oh so when my mother does it it's alright, but when I do it I'm a psycho?"

"Wha? You said you only read up to the night the bomb hit."

"I didn't need your journal to find out about you two, she couldn't help but brag to me about the younger security man she messed around with."

"Oh god…"

"So why?"

"Why what?"

"Why her and not me?"

"Because she isn't married to a king!"

I silenced myself and watched the expression forming on her face – the face of pure evil, "Oh so this is what it's about? The fact that I'm married! What difference does it make?"

She got up and walked over to the door, I followed her, "It makes plenty of difference!"

"So you won't make love to me because a piece of paper told you not to?"

"Not just that. Look, Clarisse…your majesty…Clarisse, I made a promise to myself that I'd never take advantage of an intoxicated woman."

"And I'm asking you to break that promise."

"I'm sorry, I can't."

She paused and fiddled with the doorknob, "Well Joseph, your nobility has just cost you your job…and your freedom."

It took a moment to register. She opened the door slightly, but I slammed it shut, "You're firing me just because I won't sleep with you!"

"Oh that's not why I'm firing you, I'm firing you for abducting the queen."

"But that's not true and you know it."

"It would make sense though, the deputy head of security conveniently takes a vacation just before the queen disappears…"

"Oh god…you're going to frame me?"

"That all depends…are you still against spending the night with me?"

I walked up to her so that I was just inches away from her face, "What makes you think the police will fall for your little plan?"

"Let me think…oh! Because you're the strong security man and I'm the helpless and fragile old woman…"

"You are anything but helpless."

"I know that, you know that, but they…don't know that."

"You have no evidence that I kidnapped you."

"Perhaps not, but what about the evidence of abuse?"

She backed away from me.

"What abuse?"

She ripped her skirt and tore her blouse open, "What are they going to think when they find the queen in tattered rags with…," she punched herself in the stomach, "bruises all over her body?"

"I would NEVER hit you!"

"Don't be so sure, Joseph."

I stepped towards her, "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because it's fun."

"You're willing to risk my reputation just for the fun of it?"

She pretended to think for a moment, "Yes."

"Well, I guess I'll see you in court then."

I backed towards the door and opened it, she raced up to me and put her hands around my neck, squeezing with all her might. She had such weak hands it wasn't funny.

I stood calmly with my arms folded across my chest, "What are doing?"

"I'm strangling the life out of you!"

"Nice try, but if you really wanted to cause effect, you'd do this."

Quick as lightning I groped her neck with one hand, pinning her against the wall with a firm grasp on her windpipe.

She scratched at my wrists in attempts to make me drop her, but I was enjoying it too much to let go. I loved watching her squirm, though god knows why.

Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she grabbed the gun from my belt, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. I dropped her immediately and grasped my knee, the pain was unbearable and the blood was running everywhere. I looked to the side of me and watched as Clarisse fell to her knees beside me with her hands on her throat, gasping for air. She crawled over to the sink and filled a glass with water, guzzling it down soon after. She refilled it and drank it down, then wet a towel and threw it at me. I appreciated the gesture, but didn't allow my gratitude to show. She got up and stumbled into the bathroom, carefully making sure I wasn't following her. I heard her turn on the tap and she walked back into the room. Suddenly I felt myself being dragged along the floor – I thought she was planning to drown me, but no, she wasn't.

Clarisse started pulling off my pants and I grew weary of her intentions (fortunately she left my underwear on, so I knew I was safe). She helped me into the bathtub and walked off to the lounge. The water fiercely stung my wound; it felt tremendously painful. I inspected the wound closely – it was disgusting, I could actually see the bullet. I knew it would have to come out, so I closed my eyes, reached inside and felt around for it trying desperately not to cry out in pain. It was lodged in my kneecap – ouch!

I couldn't help but scream when I pulled it out. Clarisse came running in and watched as I placed the bullet on the side of the tub, "Is there anything I can do?"

That was it! That was all she said! Not, 'oh, sorry for shooting you', just, 'is there anything I can do?'

I said slyly, "Well, you could run to the nearest phone booth, dial 666 and ask the police to come and arrest you."

"Don't be stupid…there aren't any phone booths for miles."

I bit my lip, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, "Are you alright?"

"Getting there, you?"

She gave me a faint smile and nodded again before retreating to the lounge. I looked at the water; I couldn't even see my legs because the blood had completely fogged the water. I needed to seal the wound, so I pulled out the plug and then pulled myself out of the bath. I dried myself off and carefully hopped to the cabinet, luckily for me there were bandages. I pulled them out and sat on a nearby stool. Clarisse came in again and watched me bandage up my knee. I was unable to walk, so she helped me to the couch and sat me down. She carefully elevated my leg and rested it on the arm of the couch, it made me feel slightly better.

I thought it strange that I hadn't been in the cabin for five minutes before my life had changed forever. I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to walk again…yeah, most likely I will.

Clarisse sat in the opposite chair and watched me cringe at the sudden shocks of pain that went through me. She was resting her head on her arm observing my every move, her face was adorable. It was the kind of face that says, 'I didn't want to do it, yet I had to.'

She asked me if I wanted some liquor, so naturally I accepted and she poured me a very large whiskey. I gulped it down fast in hope that the effect would bring some relief to my pain. It did, so I had a few more and passed out.

The next morning, I woke up and found her lying in the bedroom. I had to hop around, which was very painful, but I managed to make it to the bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched her chest rise and fall, the marks on her neck became visible when I pulled back the covers slightly. They were beautiful marks; reds, pinks, whites. I studied them carefully, moved a strand of hair away and kissed her neck. She was warm, tired and…oh so beautiful. I think it strange that even though she tried to kill me, I still love her.

After allowing her to lie in bed for half the day, I asked her to take the horse and ride it back to the palace or anywhere else that help was available. She apologized (finally) for shooting me and I apologized for strangling her. We made a truce and things have been pleasant ever since. She didn't go slandering off to the police, she just told them that the "kidnapper" had shot me and then ran away – they bought it.

The king wasn't as happy as I thought he'd be when he and Clarisse were reunited, but I think he felt more than satisfied later on that night. I honestly don't understand that woman – if she was so desperate for sex, then why didn't she just go to him in the first place?

When I arrived at the hospital, the doctor gave my knee a thorough inspection…I gave her a thorough inspection too, but that's not important. She said that I need to get a knee replacement, so I'm going to get that done while I'm in here. I have been given a whole year off (with pay) to recover and also as a thankyou for "taking a bullet for the queen". I think of it more as, "taking a bullet FROM the queen".

Sammy and Lauren came to visit me a few times. Apparently they're getting along well, which is a good thing. Sammy thinks it's brave that I "took a bullet" for the queen and he admires me for it. If only he knew the real truth.

Sorry if youse didn't like the blood and stuff, I just wanted them to have a physical fight where she shot him. I thought about it for DAYS how I was going put it in an argument. I thought it would be funny to hold Clarisse responsible for his knee-replacement. IMPORTANT: Unless I've forgotten something, I will be probably be advancing another year or so in the next chapter. Happy reading. Thanks for the reviews – keep em coming.