Christina woke to winter's pale sunshine streaming through her bedroom window. Her head was pounding. It was all a dream, a bizarre dream. With a pained groan, she yanked her covers over her head. There was no use in getting up anyway.
...
"I'm sorry, I just don't feel that way about you"
"Of course you do," Drew seized her, backing her up to the bedroom wall, "Don't deny it"
"Drew, please stop, you're hurting me!"
"I've waited a long, long time for this moment, Princess"
"Please..stop..."
"Well, well, what have we here?"
"Cadfael! Help"
"I'll thank you to leave my Princess and I alone," Drew snarled savagely.
"Your Princess?" Cadfael sneered, "I think not, Christina is Mine!"
...
Shaggy quietly eased open the bedroom door to find Christina's shaking form hiding under the covers. Wait...she was crying again, softly, mournfully. Carefully, he neared her, peeling back the covers to discover she was still fast asleep.
"Christina, wake up, it's only a dream, wake up,"
Christina startled awake, breath catching as she sat, body growing stiff at the sight of him, "It-you-oh-oh my..."
"No," Shaggy spoke softly, keeping his distance despite how badly he wanted to comfort her, "I'm sorry, I pressed you last night the last thing I wanted to do was upset you"
"What are you still doing here? Don't you want to go home? The barrier won't stop you"
"I can't just leave you all alone, Christina"
"Why not? Everyone else has"
"Well, I'm like, not going to leave you alone"
"You'll change your mind, it's rather boring here"
"No, I don't think I will," Shaggy insisted, "Do you feel well enough to get out of bed? You like, haven't eaten anything since dinner lst night"
"I suppose..."
Slowly, on trembling legs, Christina made her way to the kitchen finding the fireplace crackling away. The wolves were lying around the table gnawing on bones picked clean from their hunt.
"I made soup," Shaggy motioned to the burbling pot in the fireplace, "Tomato, that's like, your favorite, isn't it?"
"Yes," Christina dropped into her seat, "Thank you"
"You're welcome"
...
Meanwhile:
"She's broken his curse," Alissa reported when Maleficent came to pull her away from the mirror.
"So she has" Maleficent smiled slightly.
In the glass Shaggy filled a bowl of soup for Christina, softly urging her to eat. It hurt Alissa to see how dejected and tired Christina seemed. The spark of hope had extinguished in her eyes. She moved through the day without a smile now.
"Do you think she knows?" Alissa asked, waving the image away.
"No but she'll figure it out"
"Mother-"
"No"
"But-"
"No"
"And we haven't had any luck with the peace talks," Alissa's shoulders slumped.
"Well, what do you expect from hard-headed princes?"
"Have you had any luck reaching Titania?"
"None, it's like she and Oberon dropped off the face of the earth"
"Do you suppose Cadfael's done something?"
"Oh, I don't doubt it, the question is how?"
...
"You can run and hide my dear, Christina but I will FIND you, I'll find you before Drew does" Cadfael stalked through his stolen chambers, "Now how do I cripple his kingdom? I'm quite tired of these games"
...
Christina sat numbly on the sofa with a quilt spread over her legs staring out the front window at the sleet. Shaggy watched her worriedly but said nothing.
"You don't have to just stand there"
"But I like, don't want to make you uncomfortable or-"
"Come here," she patted the seat next to her, "There are blankets in that chest there, you must be cold"
Shaggy was all too happy to sit beside her, grabbing a thick woven blanket from the open chest. He was cold. His clothing was made for a warm, tropical climate and here he was in a snow-covered forest.
"I would conjure you something warmer but my magic is limited here, I'm sure you'll want to go soon anyway"
"Like, I'm not going anywhere without you, Christina, I'll stay here as long as you do"
"But, why, why would you subject yourself to a prision sentance?"
"There was a reason you were able to break my curse'
"I still don't understand how I did it, I only...oh...oh...my," Christina was ready to faint.
"Yes and I understand you don't feel that way, I understand you don't know me but I care about you, I love you and I won't leave you alone, I've watched you cry so many times, I can't do that to you"
"You don't want me, Shaggy, trust me, you don't, you're only setting yourself up for trouble, I-I told you I caused a war, a war on my kingdom by two others. I had friends, two wonderful friends but I had no idea that they saw me as anything but a friend and-and it just became a mess, a dangerous mess and it's my fault because I was stupid and-and naive. Now, I have to hide here so I don't put my family or my people in danger"
"There is nothing you or anyone else could say or do to change my mind. No matter how long you have to be here I'll be right by your side"
"You really don't-"
"There's no changing my mind"
Christina wasn't convinced.
...
"WHERE IS SHE YOU FOOLS? I HAVE TO GET HER BEFORE CADFAEL!" Drew roared nailing the scout to the wall.
"We-we-we-don't know-"
Drew pressed the shaking vampire harder into the stone, causing it to crack.
"You're a disappointment"
he flung the vampire away, spinning sharply on his heel to face the army general, "Attack the villages, burn them to the ground and leave no one alive"
"But-but their armies far outnumber-"
"I. Don't. Care! It'll draw Christina out and send a message to that insufferable fae idiot"
"Fae idiot, I'm no idiot you pompous sun-fearing leech"
Drew jumped back startled to find Cadfael seated in his seat at the war table.
"How did you?"
"Oh please, your wards are so weak a child could break through"
"Get out"
"Now, now, I come with a proposition"
"Not interested"
"I think you might be," Cadfael smirked, "It's less messy but it requires skill"
"What?"
"If you want to draw my future queen out-"
"SHE'S MINE!"
"Not yet, if you, if we want to draw her out we have to go for the juggular"
"I like the sound of that-"
"Her cousins, they're easier to reach than her siblings"
"You want another kingdom on your back?"
"I want Christina," Cadfael smirked before disappearing, "Think about it"
But, unknown to Drew Cadfael was far ahead.