Chapter 23

They crept over to the building that Rose had pointed them to. Oscar led the way with Andrew in second. James followed behind watching out for any other members of the group. Just as Rose had said, the door was wide open.

They walked up the path, making sure to keep quiet. They had a clear view of the room, and the sight almost made Oscar, who was the first to see, gasp in fright.

Rose had never mentioned that they were hurting her.

Elizabeth Mason was cowering in the corner of the room, her hands tied together and her mouth gagged. All three men were shocked at the sight.

It was so clear now to Oscar that she was the princess. If only he had seen her in Grea, he could have stopped this from happening. Her features had changed dramatically since she was younger, but that was to be expected. Half of her face was covered with the cloth in her mouth. But her eyes were what he noticed. It was impossible to misplace those eyes.

The sight of his little sister, the girl that Andrew had missed so much, trapped in the corner of a room, defenceless and at the mercy of an evil man, was difficult to comprehend. Andrew could hardly keep the tears in. She didn't look like he remembered. Her face was dirty and her clothes ripped. He had never seen her in such a state. But he had to stay strong. For his sake just as much as hers.

James was last to see her. His heart broke in that moment. She looked so frightened and lifeless. It was his fault. He had done this to her. All he wanted to do was to run and give her a hug. To tell her he was sorry and beg for her forgiveness.

Slowly, they began to focus on the other people in the room. No one had noticed their arrival.

Along one wall stood two men. They looked young and strong. How could someone so young and innocent be dragged into such a dreadful scheme?

Closer to Elizabeth stood two men. 'It must be the leader and Zelroth' Oscar thought.

One had a knife drawn out and was holding it above Elizabeth. The other was smirking at her, but with no weapons on show.

"Now, Elizabeth, or should I say 'Elle'?" Zelroth asked, smirking at her.

The three men didn't miss the confusion that crossed through her eyes. There was no way that she knew who she really was.

"I think we will have a bit of fun with you before we get to the important stuff," he spat. "What do you think?"

Elizabeth coward further into the corner. She hadn't yet noticed the three men stood in the doorway.

Elle had no idea why she was there. None of it made sense. She had gone over in her head a million times what Rose had told her, but it just couldn't be true. She was so scared of what was going to happen to her. But there was no escape.

"Ah, little Elizabeth hasn't answered me!" he smirked down at her.

There was no way of Elle answering. Her mouth had been gagged when they had come in.

Before she knew what was happening, Elle felt a sharp pain in her cheek. She immediately tensed, her body turning to the side with the force of the hit. The man had slapped her, hard. There was no doubt in Elle's mind that she would have a large bruise the next day. But she couldn't bring herself to care.

Watching the hit was enough to make Andrew go crazy. How dare that man hit his little sister!

Andrew growled. "Get off her!" he yelled. All heads turned towards him.

Oscar and James seemed to vanish from the doorway, strategically hiding until the time was right.

"And what do we have here?" the man asked. "Another royal? We'll get paid double if we have you too, won't we?"

"Indeed, Zelroth." The other man said. Andrew knew that he must be the leader.

Andrew launched at him. He drew his sword out. The man was quick to follow.

Andrew blocked his hits, and then threw a few of his own. Zelroth did similar and for several minutes the fight went back and forth. They both couldn't concentrate on anything else but the fight.

The man was good, but Andrew knew that he was better. Zelroth was quick to throw hits of his own, but blocking the sword seemed to be his weakness.

Everyone was watching, engrossed in the fight. No one moved a muscle.

Elle was confused. Who was this man who had come to save her? Was he really royal?

The fight soon came to an end. Andrew began the end with several soft blows, which Zelroth easily blocked. He then went on to thrust the sword at Zelroth. The man's blocks became weaker and weaker, and by the sweat glistening on his forehead, you could see that he was growing tired. With on final blow from Andrew, the man landed in a crumpled heap on the dirt floor.

Zelroth was dead. One man down, and unknown number were left to fight.

Andrew withdrew his sword from the body. It was dripping with blood. He glared around the room, daring anyone to attack.

Elle was quite frightened. She was unsure as to whether this man was good, or bad. The murderous look in his eyes made him look slightly evil, but Elle could sense a softer, more frightened man.

The two younger men looked petrified.

"You think you've won!" The other man laughed. He was a tall man, well built, with dark hair and a clean shaven face. "But Zelroth was just a pawn in my game. I had no real use for him anyway!"

Andrew didn't say anything. He just held up his sword higher, and gripped the handle tighter.

"You're outnumbered!" the man continued. "You might as well give up."

"Never!" Andrew growled, his eyes narrow slits.

"We've already won!" the man shouted.

"No you haven't!" Oscar and James appeared at the door, their swords drawn.

The shock on the man's face was clear. He was now paying little attention to Andrew, which gave Andrew the perfect opportunity.

He launched straight at the man. The man noticed a last minute, and jumped to the side. But it was too late, and the sword stabbed his arm.

A string of curses could be heard from the man, before he repositioned his sword and began to fight back.

James and Oscar approached the other two men, who were just stood watching, their weapons held high.

They were poorly trained, so the fights didn't last long. James was less skilled, so it was a lucky hit that killed his opponent.

Elle sat, forgotten, in the corner.

It seemed that the fight had drawn outside attention. A couple of men walked in, only to be pulled into fights with Oscar and James.

Andrew was still fighting the leader. Both of them were breathing heavily. They had several wounds each. But they were unstoppable.

More and more men came in, and Oscar, James and Andrew were quickly outnumbered.

**

Noah, Matthew and the rest of the family were sat at home. The younger children were in bed, but the older ones couldn't sleep. Something didn't seem right.

It was an unusual occurrence to have visitors. Especially visitors from the royal family. It wasn't an official visit, as the mayor was not aware.

"Something's not right," their mother said. They all nodded in agreement.

Just at that moment, before they had a chance to decide what to do, there was noise outside.

Matthew jumped up from his chair and ran to the window.

"They are soldiers! I'm sure of it!" he said, excitedly.

The other members of the family shared looks with each other. They were now certain that something was wrong.

"Noah, go and see what they want!" his mother instructed.

Noah didn't need to be told twice. He ran to the door and hurried outside.

For several minutes he waked with them, trying to get some ones attention. But he was small and they thought that he was just begging for money, so he was ignored.

"What do you want, child?" One of them finally asked.

"What are you doing here? Are you here with the prince?"

"What do you know of the prince?" The soldier asked. Up close, Noah could see the uniform of the royal guards. The man he was speaking to had more badges than the other men, and he looked to be in charge.

"Only that he is here. He came to us for help." Noah told him.

"Where is he?" the guard asked, more kindly now.

"I'll show you! But you have to hurry, I fear that something is wrong." Noah said, and he began leading the way.

Matthew was quick to catch up, and together they lead the small army of soldiers and guards. They had never felt so important in their lives.

As they neared the area, they could hear some loud noises. It sounded almost like a battle. The closer they got, the more prominent the noises were.

The guard looked down at the boys. "I need you to stay out of the way. Hide behind that bush," he pointed to a bush to their right. "And don't come out until one of us comes to get you."

The boys nodded their heads, and the soldiers marched off towards the ongoing battle.

**

It was by chance that at this exact moment the backup arrive. At the moment that they were about to give up hope.

At first it seemed that there were only a few guards, but by the battle noises that could be heard from outside, there were more than just a few. James and Oscar had defeated several men each, but Andrew was still fighting the leader. He was a very skilled man, just as good at fighting as Andrew was.

By the time that all of the other men had been killed or tied up, the guards had all gathered around to watch the ongoing battle. It seemed like it would never end.

There had been several casualties to the royal guards and soldiers, but only one had died. It was a huge difference to the other side.

At last the fight ended, and Andrew held up his sword in triumph. The guards all cheered, and began to leave the cramped building.

Only then was their attention drawn to the girl in the corner.

They all expected her to look terrified, and her calm expression shocked them. She was shaking only slightly. Inwardly, she was frightened beyond belief. But she had to admit that seeing James had been a huge relief.

She recognised one of the other men as Mr Pavey, who had been planning the party in Grea. It was odd that he was here, and it didn't help Elle understand what was happening.

The third man wore the royal symbol. She still had no idea who he was or why he had helped her, but by the way that he was looking at her he seemed to know her.

A/N- They've found her!!! I'm so excited :)

Next chapter might get a little emotional...

Thanks to my friend Katie577 for helping me look through this chap! I've told her that she isn't allowed to read the rest of the story though (If I let her read it, I have to let all of my friends know ;)) She's writing her own story- it isn't yet published but I have read the first chapter and it is really good ;) I'll keep you all updated on it!!!