The Rogue and The Prince

Chapter 8- Searching and Answers

Hey you guys, sorry for the long wait but I have been very busy lately. Plus I have good 'ole writers block.

Sorry again and ENJOY!!

The Rogue and the Prince

Chapter 8-  Searching and Answers

Archer's POV

We kept moving gracefully across the floor as the noble guests watched us with beady eyes. I kept my head facing forward, also causing my eyes to follow this action. My mind was racing with thoughts of Ranger and how our plan was basically ruined now that I was dancing with him. How on earth do I get myself into these crazy situations lately? First it was at the rogue prison, the at the square and now here! What was wrong with me? Then with a jolt I realized that all of these situations involved Ian.

I always knew he was bad news.

The body I was dancing with stopped making me stop as well. I didn't hear music at the moment so I assumed that our dance had ended. I internally smiled as I took a step away from Ian and politely clapped for the orchestra like everyone else. I curtsied and walked away from Ian before he could say anything. I weaved my way out of the room and into the hall, and making my way to the study. After getting there thanks to the help from the servants and from my own fuzzy memories, I looked through the slightly opened door. I made my way into the room and watched the figure ruffle through the mounds of papers and drawers looking for something.

"You should be more careful," the figure spun around holding a silver dagger. "Someone could have caught you."

"Archer, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that," he dropped the hand with the dagger to his side and continued to rummage through all of the clutter. I walked over to him and took the dagger out of his hand and put it in the folds of my dress, so he won't lose control like that again. He scowled at me but continued to work anyway.  

"You shouldn't put yourself in a position to be sneaked up on," I countered while making my way over to a pile of papers myself after shutting the study's door. I picked up a letter that was in the waste bin and let my eyes run over the parchment.

"So I take it that the King didn't ask you to dance with him?" Ranger questioned and i only nodded keeping my eyes glued onto the paper. I smiled and turned to ranger who looked up at me. I gave him the letter and he read it putting whatever he was reading down.

"So, what does this mean?" Ranger whispered.

"It means that we have found the perfect opportunity to strike," I smiled. Ranger cocked his head to the side as if to say 'what do you mean', and I explained. "This letter states that Zander is going to attack the Chilton kingdom in two month's time. In those two months we will ally with the Chilton kingdom and offer our help and knowledge in exchange for the chance for the rogues to help them defeat Zander. It is the perfect opportunity we have waiting for."

"You thought up that whole plan in the span of a few seconds?" I only shrugged and grabbed Rangers wrist dragging him out of the room. I took the letter from his grasp and put it in the folds of my dress next to the dagger to keep it safe from discovery. I took Ranger in the direction of the castle entrance, for I did not want to stay another second and that's when we ran into Ian.

I knew this boy was going to be trouble.

Ian's POV

I watched as the mystery girl, as I have come to call her, disappeared in the crowd, leaving me behind. After standing there shocked, I shook myself out of the daze I was in and began to make my way out of the exit she used. Without knowing which way she went I couldn't be sure which way to follow so I just stared walking around aimlessly. Some who my feet dragged me to the hallway the you turned onto after leaving my father's study, when I saw her and her companion. Her masked face showed no emotion as I stared at her, completely ignoring her friend.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned eying a piece of paper slightly poking out of the folds of her dress. She saw this and angled her body to hide it, making the movement almost unnoticeable.

Almost.

"My friend got lost and I had to go find him. That is why I left so quickly I had seen him leave while we were dancing but I didn't leave so I wouldn't seem rude." The lie rolled off her tongue, making me question what she was hiding, but a bigger part me of me wondered how I could tell she was lying. I only nodded as I kept my eyes glued onto hers.

"Well we must be going," she curtsied while the man bowed. They moved passed me and when the did I saw the glint of a dagger in the folds of her dress next to the mysterious paper. Then it all seemed to click.

I ran to my father's study as they turned the next corner. He didn't really know what he was looking for considering, he was ordered from his father to never come here. But he knew a searched room when he came across one.

He held onto his head as all of the puzzle pieces fit together. All of the questions he had been wondering; answered. Like: Who was the gypsy girl and why was she at the ball? Why does all of this involve me? and Why is she everywhere I turn?

All of these were answered with a plain and simple silver dagger.

The gypsy girl was Mouse. The rogue from the prison; the one I interrogated that one day. The one that got all of the rogues out of there. After all I had thought I had seen her before.

My last two were simple to answer. Firstly it was because I was the prince and secondly it was because I just kept getting in her way.

I turned to go and warn the guards not to let them leave the castle but something caught my eye. Be it fate or this cruel world's thought of a joke, I didn't know. All I knew was that the paper I found sticking out of my mother's portrait in my father's study, changed everything.

Archer's POV

We ran. After we turned the corner and lost sight of the prince we made a bee-line to the exit. My dress proved to be a difficult part in the 'running away' plan, but still we trudged forward. Then it got complicated.

"Hey you!"

We slowed down our run right outside of the big doors. So close, I thought. Ranger and I turned to the lone guard who was coming towards us with a lit up torch.

"Yes?" I said in my sweetest voice, trying not to show how tired I really was.

"Excuse me Sir, but where are you and this young Miss going. The ball is in the other room." He asked suspiciously replied completely ignoring me. What was with men not taking women seriously these days?

"Oh, well we had to leave. A young page gave us a letter informing us on my mother's illness. It cannot wait." Ranger quickly made up an excuse. A bad excuse if you ask me but the guard still let us go. We briskly made our way to our horses and mounted. Riding through the night we made it to the abandoned hut we used to change in. After packing our things back up and changing we left and made our way to our crew's meeting place.

The whole way there we never noticed our follower.

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Sorry for the cliff hangers in both Ian's and Archer's POVs, but I had to make it interesting.

I will upload as fast as I can,

love you all,

Wildthang