I don't have much to say, but I hope I got the POVs alright, it's been a while since I've written either Tani or Kono. There's also two fights in this chapter, and I hope they turned out OK.

-owl

Ziva

After leaving the old war room with the others, Ziva led Lady Kono and Lady Tani towards the door in the kitchens, as it let out right by the stables. Meanwhile, Abby and Ellie led Kate, Nell, and Lady Quinn out the front entrance of the castle to meet up with the Operacje delegation.

"Lady Kono," Ziva said, once they were in the empty-of-people stables. "Remember that you will meet up with the delegation in Eareg. You will likely get there first. Good luck." Then she turned to Lady Tani. "You will simply be driving the wagon for as long as you need, until you can get rid of anyone following you. I look forward to seeing you both back here tonight."

All three women hopped into their carriages and waited. They couldn't leave until the Operacje delegation left.

There was a sudden, sharp, whistle, then Eric yelled. "We gotta get moving, We've got a long way to travel today!"

Ziva could hear the clattering of horses' hooves on the cobblestones and waited as it faded. "In five minutes, Lady Kono, you'll leave."

When it was time, Lady Kono left the stables and Ziva settled in to wait for her turn. Once she had waited long enough, she turned to Lady Tani. "Wait at least five minutes, then you are good to go."

It was odd being in a carriage, as normally Ziva chose to ride on horseback whenever she and Tony went anywhere. And, if for whatever reason, she was in a carriage, it was one of the bigger ones, not the single person carriage she was in currently.

The carriage driver stopped at the army gate when the guard called for him to do so.

"Who is in the carriage, and what is your purpose for leaving the city?"

Ziva responded. "I am Duchess Kensi of Bly. I am leaving to return home."

The gate guard came to the door of the carriage and peered in. "Alright, then, My Lady, I wish you safe travels."

They rode in peace for a while, nearly until mid afternoon, actually. Ziva was beginning to think that there wasn't anyone following her. Of course, speak of the devil and he shall appear. The horse screamed as there was a squelching sound followed by a horse gargle.

Pulling her sword from where she had hidden it under the seat of the carriage, Ziva burst out from the carriage ready to attack. There was a man in sturdy riding attire and a scarf around his face carrying a sword as he approached the carriage after stabbing the carriage driver. The man didn't seem to be expecting to see Ziva standing there with a sword, but was quick to rise to the challenge.

Ziva was ready, and didn't let him get the first move. Instead she launched herself at him, her blade aimed towards his arm. He managed to parry the blow, and they fell into a series of lunging, dodging, and blocking.

After a few minutes, though, the man was getting tired, and Ziva was able to get the advantage. With a final lunge, Ziva unbalanced the man, making him fall to the ground. Of course, it was just her luck that he managed to fall on his sword that he had dropped, impaling himself.

That was annoying as Ziva had been hoping to integrate him. She quickly buried both the bodies of the would-be assassin and the carriage driver. The horse, while spooked, was still harnessed, and Ziva took the driver's seat and aimed for home.

Kono

Kono sighed as the carriage rattled its way out of the courtyard of DiNozzo castle. How this had become her life, she would never know. Duchess Kensi of Bly was a very kind lady, and Kono was glad to be helping her. It was odd to be in a carriage on her own.

When she was growing up, her parents were too paranoid to let her go anywhere without being in sight of a guard at all times. Of course, that paranoia was well-based, as they were killed when Kono was only eleven. Her brother, Chin Ho of the Kelly Dominion had then continued the practice.

Once she had married her husband, there was the problem of her safety because of him. Adam's father had been on the wrong side of one of the prominent rings of bandits, and, until they were taken care of two years after their wedding, she was in danger because of her connection to Adam. After that had all been dealt with, Kono preferred to travel with Adam.

The carriage rattled to a halt as a voice spoke.

"Who is in the carriage, and what is your purpose for leaving the city?"

The carriage driver responded to the gate guard. "I am driving Duchess Kensi of Bly to the Duchy of Bly."

"I'll need to take a look inside, just to make sure you're not lying."

"By all means."

There was silence then the door of the carriage was opened and a man in the uniform of the DiNozzo guards peered in. "I'm ever so sorry for the intrusion, M'Lady, But protocol is what it is. Anyone leaving the city in an enclosed carriage, wagon, or similar must be inspected."

Kono gave him a smile, doing her best to mirror Duchess Kensi. "I'm sure your queen and king would be happy to know that you follow protocol even if the person you're stopping is nobility."

The guard preened and backed away, pulling the door closed. "Move along!" he called out.

With a rattle of the carriage and clatter of cobblestones, Kono was on her way. Her carriage would be meeting up with the Operacje delegation in the city of Eareg, where Quinn would join her. Now she just had to settle in and wait. Oh, right. And think of a way to convince Adam that they needed to go to Operacje.

The bigger problem would be to get Steve to 'sign off' on it. Then again, Steve was normally pretty 'gung-ho' about making sure that only the guilty were prosecuted. And, on top of that, Chin would be very worried about her when she and Adam didn't return with the delegation. That was not going to be a fun conversation.

Eventually the carriage rolled into Eareg. It was a sweet-looking city. There was no sign of the Operacje delegation. That was expected, though. And, although there was a group of children that seemed interested in the carriage, none of them messed with it.

Rather than waiting in the carriage, Kono figured that she might as well go into the tavern. She took off the scarf that Abby had wrapped around her, as well as the high collar. The make-up was wiped off her face, and her hair let down.

Once she was only recognizable as herself, Kono hopped out of the carriage. "When the Operacje delegation arrives," she said, taking no time to comment on the driver's stunned expression, "Let them know that I am in the tavern."

The driver nodded. "Yes, My Lady."

Kono walked into the tavern and sat at the bar, ordering a drink. Inwardly, she laughed. Chin would not be impressed to see her in this setting. Not that he was no fun, but more so overprotective.

It was only a half hour later that the door to the tavern opened and Quinn walked in, looking like herself. The knight took a seat next to Kono.

"Operacje gives you their thanks for your help in this scheme. They had to continue on their way, though, quickly."

Kono nodded. "I didn't expect them to linger. Was there a reason that they needed to be quick about it, though?"

Quinn shrugged. "A messenger reached the delegation only ten minutes before we entered Eareg. Sounds like it was a missive from King Tony."

"You'll have to tell me all about it, but first, we should get going."

And, throwing a silver and a copper piece on the bar as she got up, Kono led them out and to the carriage.

The carriage was a tight fit with the two of them, but it worked out. Once they were settled, the carriage driver urged the horses into movement and they were off, back to the DiNozzo castle

"So, what else interesting happened?" Kono asked. "I've been bored to tears on my own."

Quinn smirked. "It seems that Sir Callen has a lover of some sort. He and the Earl of Hanna were discussing it. Rather, the earl was trying to convince Sir Callen to tell him who he's been seeing."

Kono couldn't help but laugh. "That sounds intriguing. I wonder who it is?"

Tani

Tani waited until the five minutes were up before she took the reins of the wagon and urged the horses forwards. Her path was to start from the secondary gate. Once she was there, the guard stopped her.

"Who are you and what is your purpose for leaving the city?" the guard asked.

Tani gave him a glittering smile. "I am Kensi, the Duchess of the Bly Duchy. I'm on my way home."

The guard gave her an odd look. "In a wagon? Don't you nobles always travel in carriages?"

Giving him a scathing look, Tani repiled, trying not to let her annoyance show in her tone of voice. "That is neither here nor there. Now, can I continue on my way?"

The guard nodded and stepped back, signaling the others to allow her through the gate itself.

The entire time she drove through the forest, Tani had that weird feeling one got when someone was watching them. No matter how fast she went, or if she was in a clearing or not, it never went away. It all came to a head when a thump came from behind her.

Turning around Kensi saw a man in dark riding attire, holding a large dagger.

"You'll be coming with me, Duchess. I'm supposed to bring you in alive, but if you struggle I make no promises."

"Well," Tani said in a huff as she let go of the reins and stood, grabbing her sword from where it had been stashed, "I can't really say I'm a duchess, nor that I am going to just lay down and let you kidnap me."

And with that, Tani launched herself at the man.

He was a good fighter, Tani would admit that. She was also a good fighter, and so it was a fairly even match. The whole thing had the additional air of chaos, due to the fact that the horses hadn't stopped, and were just following the trail in front of them.

At one point, Tani got a good hit and he lost his grip on the dagger. Without his weapon, he wasn't much of a problem for Tani, and the man was able to be knocked out without a fuss. Then Tani used some rope that had been left in the wagon to tie the man's wrists and ankles together.