Ella looked up at the king and tried to move upwards and out from under him
"But your majesty, wouldn't it be better to wait until we are married?"
she looked away quickly
"I was told its better to wait until he night of, it makes it all the more special"
she wanted to be anywhere at this moment but here

Valeria held the paper part of the bamboo umbrella. "Well...whatever we do, we should first get some rest, and," she looked at her damaged umbrella; "I need to get this thing fixed again." She sighed.

The king raised an eyebrow.
"For you. It makes it more special, for you."
He leaned in and stole a kiss.
"You seem uncomfortable," he said nastily, pressing himself against her. "Is there a problem?"

Mathuriel washed up in the river, his face like darkened stone.
"We need to attack him from more angles," he muttered. "And we need to attack him when he least expects it. That is to say, when he's at his most protected and powerful."
He cricked his neck, then sat down in the water completely, letting it wash over him so he could think.

Ella didn't hesitate to push him off. She knew if she did when would become suspicious of her. She looked up at him trying to find the words to say
"W-well..I am a bit uncomfortable...you see its because I'm still....."
she turned her head in embarrassment her body tensed
"Although I've sorta know you, I really don't....and I..."
she closed her eyes and took a deep breath
"I want my first time to be special"
she opened her eyes and looked up at him with a pleading look
"Since I'm going to be your future queen, I want it to be special"
somehow she got the courage to do this but she gave him the puppy look hoping that it would work
"For me?"


Allora walked over to the water and cupping the water in her hands washed the mudd off her face. she then splashed some water on her arms. She looked over at Mathuriel
"And what do w do about her?"
she raised a brow
"She will most likely be with him and another opponent to fight against, do you think everyone is powerful enough to go against the king as well as her?"
she looked at the group then back at Mathuriel, she settled down on the ground next to him placing her feet in the water, she looked up at the clouds
"It's strange how people can simply turn against one another"
she looked at Mathuriel
"Why do you think she betrayed everyone? Do you think she did it for power?...maybe money?"
she looked back up at the clouds
"Maybe she isnt who we thought she was, maybe deep down she is in fact evil like the king"

The king laughed for a short while.
Then he pondered.
Then he got off her.
"Very well, we get married tonight. And just so we're clear, tonight there will be no resistance from you. You will give yourself to me willingly." A dark smile was visible beneath the shadows on his face. "And I'll be thinking of the agonized screaming face of that boy you used to know. Ahh, betrayal. Perfect." Then he left the room.

Mathuriel's eyes were closed, Allora's words washing over him with the river.
"I don't know," he said simply. "I don't know any more. I don't think she's evil. Something about that doesn't sit true with me, but her betrayal was genuine. We can take her and the king if need be, I know we can."
He bowed his head. "I just don't know what to do anymore. And for someone whose whole life depends on knowing what to do..." He didn't say any more.

"T-tonight?"
she whispered to herself.
"Not tonight..."
she sat up just after the king had left pulling the blankets around her body covering herself and being thankful the king didnt decide to just take her then and there.
"what am I going to do?"
She was finally alone. With a sigh she climbing out of the bed wrapping the blankets around her and walked over to the window to look out across the land.
"They all probably hate me now. If only they knew the real reason I betrayed them"
she sat on the ledge of the window a tear rolled down her cheek
"What have you gotten yourself into Ella?"

Allora stood up
"Well sitting around here and moping wont get us anywhere, we need to decide what we are going to do"
she looked at the group
"I think we should rest up and try again. if at first you dont succeed try again right?"

Elyan washed himself off while he listened to the others. It seemed that some of the group was on the fence as to what they should do about Ella's betrayal. He spoke up with a calm, rational voice.
"If some of you are still having doubts, that has to end now. The cold truth of the matter is that we might need to fight Ella if she's serious about staying with the king. We may even need to kill her. Anyone who isn't willing to do that much...nobody will think less of you if you leave now."
He let out a heavy sigh.
"After seeing what the king can do, it looks our best chance-- maybe our only chance-- is to catch him off-guard. I say we storm the castle late at night, quietly take out any guards in the way and try to make it to the king's bedchambers before he even knows we're there. Of course, that's just my idea. If someone's got something better, I'd love to hear it.

"He'll be expecting it."
Mathuriel's voice was dulled, yet hard. Emotionless.
"He's not stupid. He exploited our every single weakness without preamble. He knows when he's at his most vulnerable is when we'll attack. We need to do the exact opposite. First off, we need to find a way to fight outside of his turf, where he lacks the ability to call in reinforcements or hem us in. I could transport him and us to somewhere like that, but I'd need not only time, but a distraction. And as for Ella -"
His voice choked a little, and he tried again.
"Ella's dangerous, but she's fragile. You hit her first, she won't get up again."

Ella looked around the room, it must have been the kings bedchambers judging by the set up. Tears stained her cheeks. It pained her to have to betray everyone but she did it for them
"I wonder how long before they decide to come and attack?"
she looked back out the window
"And now he expects me to marry him tonight, he is probably getting everything set up now"
she sighed
"I was hoping to have more time then this"


Allora tilted her head
"So do we go after her first and then the king, eliminate one and then the other tactic?"

"Word is the king's planning a wedding tonight. His bride entered the castle undercover with a band of rebels."
The guard aimed a kick at the bars of the cage.
"And why do you want to know, anyways?"

The king's voice whispered in her ear.
"Answer the door, my queen."
A terrified looking servant knocked quickly, dropped a dress that was basically the closest thing one could come to getting nude and still claim to be clothed, then scampered off as though he feared a kicking.

"We use the element of surprise to hit Ella down, then I'll teleport him to somewhere he can't call in reinforcements. Sound good?"

Ella quickly stood up when she heard the kings voice. she looked around but he was no where to be found.
"H-how did...."
she held the blanket tightly around her and walked over to the door and slowly opened it. First cracking it open to peek out. when she noticed no one there she pulled it the rest of the way noticing the dress, she picked it up then quickly closed the door. She walked into the room placing the blanket on the bed and slipped the dress on. she walked over to the mirror looking at the dress and how it fit her she was shocked to see how little it covered
"Not much to it but at least it covers what needs to be covered"
she sighed. She decided to walk around the castle some wondering how much he had the place locked down. She exited the room and started wandering

"I'm sure the king has his reasons," the guard said stiffly as a few more walked by.
Then he lowered his voice. "Truth be told, no-one knows what the hell the king's doing anymore. He's been sending everyone after these rebels, ignoring every other possible threat to this kingdom. Almost like he was waiting for them or something."

Guards stood rigidly outside every door, and only a few stepped aside at her approach, guiding Ella towards the throne room again. The guards looked sullen, fearful and afraid. They didn't say anything.

Ella notice the guards started to block her off in a way to where she can only go in one direction
"Whats going on here"
she looked at the guards
"let me pass"
she demanded

The guards looked at each other, fear and apprehension mingling on their faces.
Then they parted, leaving her way clear.

"Recently got moved onto prison duty. Guard shortage. Those rebels don't take prisoners." The guard shuddered. "Again, what's it to you?"

Ella walked between the guards
"thank you"
she paused for a moment
"could any of you tell me where the kitchen is?"

Valeria nodded her head. "We shouldn't under estimate him." She said. "When we separate Ella from him, we should hit him hard, and with everything we've got."

The guard promptly stepped away.
"All I know is, I'm not to let you anywhere near me at all. I have a family. I'm not taking any chances."

The guards wordlessly all pointed down a corridor to her left.

"Well said. We all pick an angle, then drop him. Don't give him a chance to react."

Ella started making her way down the corridor. she looked back at the guards
"thank you"
she smiled then continued walking. After walking a short distance she discovered the kitchen and entered it
"Hello? is there anyone here?"

A few servants looked up as Ella walked in, and they all bowed instantly, not looking up at her without her permission.

"I wish you had," the guard muttered. "Let me guess, you're one of those magic types? Always preferred a sword, myself."