South of SomeWhere (-Editing-)

|Death Bites Me in the Butt...Again|

I'm hoisted from the ground, and dragged out of the dark into blinding light. I blink and hear Avexx gently plodding along beside me. Left turn, right turn, up, down, three steps that way, seven this way. Avexx follows silently not saying a word. I'm getting dizzy counting. I bump into the second guards back as he hauls me down a last flight of stairs and into what appears like some sort of waiting room.

"Stay here," the she-warrior commands, and the guards back up. I roll my eyes. In a few minutes, I'm expecting them to sit like well-trained puppies.

"Will you let go of me?" I snarl at the offensive guard jerking on my arm, and I so desperately want to ram it in his gut.

"Shut up," he says, and I want kick him very forcibly.

"I hate you." His face looms in, and I shudder away from the stench of his breath.

"Well princess," he says huskily looping a single strand of my duty hair around his index finger,"you might hate me, but I certainly wouldn't mind getting to know you better. With a body like yours I don't think I could ever get bored." The finger trails down my cheek, I flinch away.

"Get your hands off me!" I snarl at him.

"Aw, don't be like that sweetheart," he grabs my wrist and pulls me in close. I struggle.

"LET GO!!!" I scream in terror. This douche bag is going to seriously take advantage of me in front of the royal throne room. Or at least what that was what it appeared like. Avexx takes a step forward, hands clenched. At least someone here is ready to defend my honor in both ways.

"If you don't let go, I drop kick you!" I screech. Avexx's arm whips outward, hand reaching for the guard's collar.

"Like I really believe that. Very inventive girl." His lips are inches from mine now. My heel connects with his foot as a yell echoes in the empty hall.

"MATTHEWS!!!" The name echoes harshly. "Leave her alone, or I will personally see you put in the dungeon with no food or water. I swear." While the she-warrior is making her speech, Matthews has been hoping around on one leg, and Avexx's hand grabs thin air. I'm trembling thinking what would have happened if the she-warrior hadn't come, and I suck in a great, choking sob of air. Adbruptly, a well placed fist connects with my stomach, and my breath whooshes out.

"Crap," I choke, and I try to gain my breath back.

"How dare you disregard my orders!" she shrieks and her fist connects with his face. She sneers down at him, and sends me a half sympathetic look which I'm shocked to think contains jealousy. "Pick her up Matthews and get your stupid self together," she spits down at him and turns her back to us. After a few steps, she turns back to a degraded Matthews who has just picked himself up from the ground. "Oh, and if I were you I'd control the blood," she says indifferently referring to the stream of blood coming from his nose. "You know how the Queen hates the site of it. Makes her nausous." Reaching in her pocket, she throws him her handkerchief, and with a haughty glare she slams open the throne room doors. With the cloth pressed to his nose, the other hand finds its annoying way into my hair where he grabs a fistful and pulls.

"Come along bitch," he spits venomously, and leading me by the hair, I enter what I would learn was the throne room.

When the door is thrown open I'm amazed by how staggeringly beautiful the room is. It appears immensely large which is mostly because the ceiling is highly elevated. I'm somewhat shocked that it does not contain more furniture than it posses, but the only fixture that looks permanent is the large oaken chair that sits at the far end. I have no doubt that it's the throne. Made out of rich polished wood and sanded to a supple smoothness that in some way beckons me to sit in it. We advance down the hall and I take note of the plush carpet under our feet. Being as short as I am, I've developed a weird habit of staring at the ground. This has proved very useful because I found an hundred dollars once. I took it with no questions asked. Placed sporadically around the ceiling is