Risa walked down the street towards where the Rosenbergs lived so she could catch a ride and see what was talking to them for so long. Everyone was there and Stella didn't feel right celebrating without them, which she found to be sweet.

She couldn't help but feel nervous with each step she took. She knew Nathan wasn't a fan of hers, even if he hadn't met her. It would always be stuck in his mind Vincent tried to pass her off as Clarissa. Even if he wasn't doing that, it didn't matter to him, he was stubborn as Stella had said.

Not only that, but she had everyone telling her she was Clarissa, even if there was no proof she was still weighed in the back of her mind. She didn't know quite what else to do. She was torn between not believing it and believing it. She hated the feeling of not knowing what to do and the more she tried not to think about it the more she thought about it.

She stopped in her tracks when she heard Loyal behind her barking. "Loyal, what is it . . ." She trailed off seeing a little serpent-type creature that Loyal was trying to bite. "What the -" She shook her head and didn't give it another thought. "Leave the firefly alone, Loyal. Come on." She commanded her dog, patting her side.

Loyal whined and looked over at Risa then back at the dragon minion. "I'm watching you." She growled, narrowing her eyes and trotting over to Risa, walking right beside her. "I don't like that thing." There was something off about it and as an animal, she could sense it.

Risa glanced back and noticed it had disappeared. How odd. She shrugged it off and rounded the corner, stopping in her tracks and almost stumbling when she came face to face with the dragon minion. "Ah -" She suddenly screamed in a surprised manner. "Leave me alone." She demanded, ducking and walking faster, Loyal at her heels.

The dragon minion let out a squeal. He was frustrated that things weren't working for him and he huffed. He began flying around in a circle and many other shapes before flying off in a direction. He hoped that this would make the girl follow him or else Medusa wouldn't be so happy.

Risa began to have a dreamy look in her eye as she began to follow the dragon minion. It was like her mind had gone blank and that there was an invisible force pulling her and she had no choice but to follow. She was solely focused on following this little creature and nothing else mattered. 

Loyal whined and pawed at her ankle, but when she didn't respond she followed with her tail between her legs. She didn't have a good feeling about this, something just didn't sit right. Could this be what Iggy and Hans had been talking about since it was obvious it was trying to get her to follow and it did seem devilish?

She entered the Bois De Boulogne gardens, following the little dragon minion. She shook her head and blinked a few times, snapping out of the trance she was in. "Weird." She mused looking around. "How did I get here?" She felt confused about how she made it to the gardens but didn't remember coming in this direction. 

She paused and realized that the feeling was familiar. "Oh, that was like the lucid dream I had on our way to Russia. Although I don't remember that creature - firefly being there?" She mumbled to herself, tapping her finger against her cheek. "No, that's too big to be a firefly."

She slowly walked down the path as she looked around. Nothing about this seemed familiar and she had to go and find out what took the Rosenbergs so long. She rounded the corner and saw the Rosenbergs all tied up, standing and facing the water edge, of course, they were at least six feet away. "Oh my goodness! What happened?" She gasped and attempted to go over and help them.

The dragon minions pulled her back, keeping her from going over. "Let me go." She tried to fight them, hoping that they would let her go. It was no use though, they wouldn't let their claws go from her coat. "Get your claws off me." She unbuttoned the coat and allowed them to take it off of her. She stepped back and watched as they dropped her coat.

Just then Draco swooped down and began to pace around Risa and the Rosenbergs. Risa let out a squeal with a wide deer in the headlight's eyes. The Rosenbergs didn't seem to be afraid only because he had been there previously guarding them.

She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself. "You can do this, just close your eyes and dart. This is only a dream, they can't hurt you." She reminded herself taking another deep breath. She tried to dart but the dragon minions held her back and Draco came closer hissing. "This has to be a dream. This is a dream." She tried to tell herself, feeling the panic of a sudden attack that never came.

Medusa walked through the fog, shaking her head. Finally, the lost princess had arrived. Later than she hoped, but now was better than never. "There is no point in trying, they only listen to me, and only I can communicate with them." She explained, a small smirk growing on her lips. 

Risa whipped around and faced the mysterious woman. "Who are you?" She asked, her eyes wide with fright. When she came from the fog she felt an ominous feeling wrap itself around her. She knew whoever she was, she had brought her here for a reason and the Rosenbergs as well.

Medusa smirked and introduced herself to Risa. "Ah, you don't remember? Medusa." She knew her name enough could strike fear into someone. "I have a long history with you and I'm sure by now you can connect the dots." She nonchalantly explained, tapping her nails on her arm.

Risa wracked her brain to see if Medusa rang a bell. Ding. It hit her. "You're the woman who tried to kill the Rosenbergs!" She exclaimed, being able to put some pieces together. "You were behind all those accidents," She pointed to Medusa. "You think I'm Clarissa?" It made sense now. That was why she was here.

Medusa ignored her question and turned to her dragon minions, knowing they would help her. "Tie her up my sweet Dragon Minions, hurry now, can't let her try and outwit you." She leaned against Draco, watching her dragon minions do their thing. "I'm so glad you could join us. I have been looking forward to this for months."

The dragon minions did as Medusa said, tieing her wrists and pushing her back to the line where the Rosenbergs were at. Of course, they had a little bit of trouble since Risa was trying to fight them off. They ended up successfully tieing her hands behind her back, even though she still tried to get loose.

Risa was not having it. She was not going to give up. "Let me go. I don't know what is going on but you have the wrong person. I'm not Clarissa!" She groaned trying to kick and shake. She didn't know what Medusa had in mind nor who she was, but she knew it wasn't going to end well.

Medusa raised an eyebrow and laughed at Risa and her words. "The wrong person? Oh dear, I believe I have the right person. It's clear as day, you're Clarissa. A family reunion you could say. Although the occasion is hardly happy." She found her adorable in a certain way that she tried to deny it.

Nathan rolled his eyes, obviously having no real emotion other than being irritated. "You are being ridiculous, Medusa. Just admit it, you have failed too many times and it is for a reason. Just give up now before you humiliate yourself again." He snapped, thinking he made a valid point.

Medusa placed her hand on her chest and smirked. "Humiliate me? Tsk, tsk. If you don't mind, I want to relish this moment. For eleven years I had basked in the idea I succeeded in eliminating you. Alas, it turned out to be wrong. You all escaped and didn't die, how sad." She mockingly spoke in a sad voice.

She then smirked again before continuing. "Now I am here to finish what I started. Sometimes you just have to handle things yourself if you want to get the job done. I am done relying on others, as we can see, Risa and her punny friends escaped each situation I created. From the boat to the train, all were failures because I trusted people who I thought could get the job done. I was wrong and now I am here having to deal with you.

"However it isn't a complete loss, I did find out you were alive and well, otherwise I wouldn't have known that you all escaped. This is like a birthday for me, a joyous occasion that deserves a little celebration." She cried, shaking her fists high in the air. She could taste the satisfaction that she would finally succeed!

She turned to Nathan and walked up to him, and roughly grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to meet her eyes. "How does Nathan feel? Does it finally ease your desire that your cowardly actions didn't cause your oldest daughter's death? If I was you I would be collapsing and sobbing, yet you seemed unmoved." She hardly pulled her hand away.

Nathan stayed silent. It was a mix of anger, embarrassment and so much more all swarming around in his head. He finally spoke up after seeing the worried look on Persia's face. "How are you so sure she is my daughter? She doesn't even believe it so why should we?" He asked, making a valid point.

Risa couldn't disagree there. That seemed the most logical idea she had heard yet and she realized there was no use in fighting anymore. "He does have a point. How do we truly know I am Clarissa? My pocket watch? Knowing Persia's locket? Having these memories that I can't truly confirm whether they are real or not." She listed off in a nonchalant voice.

Cyrene looked down at her feet then took a deep breath. "I believe it." She spoke looking over at her family and Risa, who were all quite shocked she decided to speak up. "I was close with Clarissa, and sisters just have that feeling when you know. From the first time I met you, I could tell she was her." Her voice was soft as she simply looked at Risa.

Nathan frowned, narrowing his eyebrows as he looked at his daughter. "Cyrene, you can't be serious? That is utterly ridiculous to fancy the idea that she could be Clarissa. You do not carry yourself as a descendant of royalty." He grumbled, disappointed in her.

Persia whipped her head towards her husband and snapped. "Oh shut up." She chided, shaking her head. "Is that what you want to say to someone you've never met? Come on, do you have yourself?" She couldn't believe he was offending the poor girl who had been roped into this.

Risa could tell by the look on Cyrene's face that had hurt her a little, but what Nathan had said hurt her a little bit too. "How can I know when I have amnesia from the trauma I experienced as a child? Before I woke up in the hospital, I didn't know anything before, let alone my name." She snapped in a matter-of-factly tone, sticking her nose in the air.

Persia glared at her husband. She shook her head disappointedly hearing his words. "Nathan, be kinder, please?" She pleaded softly, turning her gaze towards Cyrene which softened. "Don't you think you are getting your hopes up if it turns out she isn't Clarissa and just an innocent bystander who got roped in?" 

Risa sighed heavily wanting to cross her arms but couldn't due to her hands being tied behind her back. "I only came because Stella wanted me to find you and see what was keeping you. Now I know why: you're being held by a crazy woman dead set on murdering you. So yeah, I am an innocent bystander." She commented, having a sarcastic undertone to her voice.

Medusa was quite surprised at Cyrene and her sudden speech. "I am having second thoughts and might spare you, Cyrene. You seem the only reasonable one here and not only that you agree and believe me when I say she is indeed Clarissa." She was honestly surprised at the young girl.

Cyrene rolled her eyes looking at Medusa before looking over at Risa. "Risa, just says one of your memories you recall and we can see if it matches ours. It is the only way we can truly know." She hoped that they would find someone that could confirm it.

Risa thought about it for a moment and shook her head, feeling hesitant about saying anything. "I am not sure." She began to say but then gave in and spilled some memories. "I recall this one time, I don't know how young I was but I was trying to make a cake and I ended up making a mess. I felt proud and I wanted to show it off, it ended up falling on the floor and I cried. I suppose my mother came in and told me it was alright but I don't know for sure, the image was blurry." She explained, looking down at her feet.

Perisa gave a soft look listening to that story as she tried to recall it. "Wasn't it a chocolate cake with strawberry icing? Clarissa used real strawberries whole instead of the flavoring and coloring and it did not turn out how she wanted." She slowly said, recalling it faintly.

Risa tried to recall what she said, to see if it matched. "I-I'm not sure what flavor any of it was. It is blurry." She then paused for a moment. "Wait, isn't this just like buying time? Should you have killed us by now instead of dilly-dallying with this small talk? What's your angle getting us to gush about your feelings?" She asked, looking straight at Medusa with narrowed eyes. 

Medusa laughed, waving her hand. She was perceptive but also wrong. "Oh, I don't want to kill you yet. I want you to know for sure you are Clarissa and they know it too. Or else I wouldn't be satisfied with killing an innocent person while the real Clarissa is still out there alive and well." She simply replied. She did not want to get the wrong girl, that would make her even madder.

Hans flew down focused solely on Medusa, waving his wings around. "Mistress, there you are, I was looking - oh no." He gasped resting on a stone bench beside her as he looked over to the Rosenbergs plus Risa who were tied up and their backs facing the pond. "You aren't going to follow through are you?"

Iggy swooped down and landed beside him, looking at the tied-up royals. "Medusa, just think about this. You are throwing your life away over a silly grudge. Right now you can just turn away and leave with no consequences." He remembered, it finally hit him that it was real.

Medusa pressed her fingers into her temples and groaned. "Shut up you two. You can not persuade me. I am dead set and you should have known by now I would have already planned it and was carrying through with it." She snapped at the two, jabbing her finger at them.

Risa blinked as she listened to animal sounds from Hans and Iggy. "I am beginning to think you have lost your mind. You are talking to them, a bat and a crow. You are seriously messed up in the head if you think you can understand them." She was beginning to convince herself this lady was losing her marbles. "Who are you? Doctor Dolittle?"

Medusa gasped, placing her hand on her chest. "I lost my mind? Oh no, I can communicate with animals. Ever since I was a child I could understand them, but I hid it because it would have landed me in a mental institution." She angrily yelled but realized soon they would be dead so no one would know.

Risa nodded her head and laughed at her next words. "Perhaps you should have gone and we wouldn't be here. You wouldn't have wanted to kill them and failed so many times. Perhaps Nathan wouldn't have accused you if you had just come to him first. Not that it is your fault or anything, I'm just saying," She explained with an innocent look on her face.

Cyrene wanted to facepalm at the bickering she was having to endure. "Risa!" She exclaimed. She couldn't believe at a time like this Risa was throwing offensive words around and being sarcastic. Was it some sort of defense mechanism or something Risa had growing up? She didn't know.

Medusa walked up to Risa and hummed, realizing this girl had spunk. "You don't know Nathan as I did. He had always been a stubborn man who didn't like listening to anyone, other than Persia on occasion. He was only hard-headed that if you bashed his head into a wall the wall could start crying but he'd be fine!" She glared at Nathan as she walked past him. 

Nathan scoffed. He felt offended that she would dare call him stubborn. "Oh, I was stubborn? Must I remind you the only reason you were given your position was that Persia insisted on it since you were her best friend? Now looking back I probably shouldn't have and none of this would have happened!" He angrily yelled. 

Persia frowned, narrowing her eyes at her husband. "Oh, so this is all my fault? You have taken everything out on me ever since that night. You blamed me for what happened to Clarissa, even though it was you. You were too much of a coward to go back and stand up for your kingdom." She yelled, tears forming in her eyes.

Nathan glared back at her, his blood boiling at her words. "I wasn't a coward! Don't you dare call me that! I was focused on getting you to safety and then I would go back. Yes, it didn't happen like that but I would be positive if I had gone back you would be without a husband." He yelled right back, truly believing that when he was a flat-out lie.

Perisa threw her head back and had a look on her face that showed she couldn't believe what he was saying. "I would rather have been a widow to a hero rather than a wife of a coward. I have been polite and have let it go all this time but I can't keep doing this anymore. This isn't a blame game, we all - but the children - had a hand in what went down. I chose not to listen to Medusa when she had never lied and yes she should have come but we all know you would have never listened." She yelled back, her fists shaking with anger.

Medusa motioned for them to keep ongoing. "Keep getting it out, leave nothing behind. This type of closure is good for a person who is about to die. You are right though, I had never lied. Perhaps I should have attempted to come to you, but I would probably still be in this place, but I knew you wouldn't believe me which was why I was trying to gather proof." She told them, looking at her nails.

If she could, Risa would be rubbing her temples. "Goodness! I thought I had problems. It seems a lot went on, but can't you guys just put it behind you and move on? Isn't that the better option than letting it all fester?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. She did not understand how they could have lived so civilly before now.

Cyrene kept close to her siblings, leaning down to them and whispering. "Just try and think about something happy. No more crying, everything will be okay, just focus on the good, okay?" She asked as Gideon, Marilla, and Ariel all nodded sniffling a little. She looked back up at her parents who were still arguing. "That is enough for both of you. You are acting like children! Grow up and own up to your mistakes. All of you. You all had a hand, yes, but can't you just put it past you."

Hans covered his head with his wings. This was not what he expected to happen. "I think I have a headache now from listening to them. I never fought this much with my own family." He groaned, knowing that said a lot. Some of his family argued a lot but that was beside the point.

Iggy nodded, covering his head with his little hands. "They do have a lot of animosity towards each other, don't they? I am not all that surprised, however, I am interested in what they were saying." He mused, scratching the top of his head.

Hans slowly removed his wings and rubbed his neck with one wing. "This could be a book on 101 things not to fight about. I am sure it would be a best seller for married couples on the dos and don'ts of marriage." Although it wasn't a time for joking, he couldn't help but say it.

Medusa looked over at the bat and crow who were speaking to each other. "Hans, Iggy shut up. I don't want to ask you again." She looked up at Cyrene. "How courageous. Dear Cyrene, alas that is something that isn't possible. I know I won't let it go until each one of you is dead then I can finally be free and start over."

Risa thought about what she had said. 'This lady was truly messed up in the head.' She thought to herself, shaking her head. "But you would be a murderer? How on earth could that be closer for you? Didn't you always say that second chances are a given?" It was odd how she wanted the murderer to be her closer.

Medusa paused for a moment. Did she hear her right? "How did you - that is one thing I hadn't heard in a while. I am surprised you remembered. No, it doesn't change because that was a silly thing to say. Do you know you believe you could be her?" She asked about switching the subject.

Risa still was torn. She was starting to realize it had to be more than one thing that was keeping her from getting the closure she needed. "I truly want to believe I have found my family, but something just doesn't sit right with me yet. It seems like it isn't complete and I can't die like this. I know it sounds silly but something is keeping me from having that closer and it isn't family related." She spoke, feeling confused.

Loyal crept around the bushes and up behind Hans and Iggy. "Should I go get help now? If it is obvious you guys can't reason with her and it will only get worse." She asked, knowing she could slip away undetected and it was obvious Medusa couldn't hear her.

Hans hung his head down and nodded, trying to speak in a hushed tone. "Yes, go get help. It was silly of me to think I could change her mind. Sometimes no matter what you do, people are just too stubborn to change." He sadly replied, looking back up at Medusa.

Loyal nudged him with a soft look. He wasn't so bad and he did have a good heart. "You tried, which is more than most people did. Just try and hold off Medusa and the dragon minions hurting them, I know one person who can help. I hope he hasn't caught the train yet." She darted off, knowing he was the only one who was closest to them.

Iggy watched her go and began to speak. "What exactly are we doing? They are just talking for now, unless Medusa wants to let them try to escape and hunts them down like ducks during hunting season." He asked a little louder than he should have.

Hans tried to cover his mouth with his wing trying to keep Medusa from hearing. "Medusa wouldn't do that, would she? Uh oh." He realized Iggy had spoken a little louder than he wanted and saw that Medusa had heard him. This was not good and he glared at his friend who gave a sheepish look.

A smirk came upon Medusa's lips and looked at the vast area that they were in. "Excellent idea Iggy, you're not a complete idiot. I think there has been enough of the bickering. How about you have this whole area try and battle the dragon minions, Draco or me, whichever you choose. Unless you choose to sit out which I am sure Gideon, Ariel, and Marilla would love to do." She explained pacing a little.

Risa was unimpressed and sighed heavily. Oh, how things had turned in a direction she never thought would. "Great, a game of life or death. How exciting! I wonder who is going to win if there is a way to win." She mumbled in a monotone with a mono expression on her face. 

Cyrene glared over at Risa and frowned. She couldn't believe that Risa could be her sister when her sister was an optimist. "Are you always this pessimistic? You know, don't answer that. I have a feeling you are since you were raised in an orphanage and never knew where you truly came from." She mumbled the last part to herself.

Risa sighed, rolling her eyes. There was no way she could be related to this messed-up family. "Did you have to bring that up? If you are so optimistic why don't you go ahead and play her little game? There is no winning, it is obvious it is rigged." She glared at Medusa.

Medusa just smiled evilly as she laughed at what Risa had said. "Rigged? Oh dear no. I would never rig a game. It needs to be fair. However, I doubt even playing fair you are no match for my plethora of dragon minions. My babies are highly trained to do whatever it takes to stop you." A devious glint was in her eyes.

She turned around and walked a few steps away from them. "My sweet babies, guard every exit in this proximity, twenty of you at each place. The rest of you try to keep them from leaving. I will give you fifteen minutes and if no one escapes by then, well, the final battle will begin." She cooed, glad her plan so far was working. 

Risa took a deep breath, she needed to at least try. She had no clue how anyone would succeed but she would try nonetheless. She just hoped that someone would notice she was gone and come looking for her. It never crossed her mind where Loyal was since she was too focused on her impending death. 

❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅

A/N: 
I actually got this one done in a timely manner, shockingly. It was so easy to write I was just plowing through as many ideas just flowed through my brain. I am pretty happy though with this chapter.

I have been dedicated on writing to ending to this battle, meaning we have two chapters left before the epilogue. I have been updating really close together, I would say ever four days so far? I am just focused on getting it finished and editing later.

Chapter Talk:
I know this might be a little messy but bare with me. I need feedback on how to clear things up a bit and I know I have things to polish and edit which I will do. I will add more and include others, I just have to figure out where to add Hans, Iggy and Loyal in other than their small parts.

And lastly, anything else I forgot to ask my pals. I am happy to answer anything!

In closing, all rude, impolite and mean comments will be replied to in a diplomatic way, reported or deleted if I feel like it is attacking me personally.

Thanks for reading!