Chapter Six

It was late at night. the moon cut through the kingdom of Al-Karhad like a silver knife. High on top of a tower, in a beautiful room, the princess figeted in her sleep.
She was standing under a lovely, white arch, but the sun had given up shining and the ground was bare, save a few dead flowers. She felt her mouth open on marrionette strings and say "I do" of its own accord. The bleak wind blew and she looked down at the sash on her dress as it grew longer and wrapped itself around her, tighter, tighter... Bong bong bong ba-bong
Princess Elizibeth woke up shivering to the sound of bells ringing in the clock tower. She realized she had fallen asleep on the floor. Mentally kicking herself for dozing off, she cheacked the hands of the clock, shining silver in the moonlight. It was eleven forty-five. Elizabeth pulled out the simple bag she had compleated last night. she seached her jewlery box for the simplest items and dropped them on top of her plainest dresses. When she dropped her sewing bag on top of it, something made her look toward her closet. A beautiful dress was practicly glowing in the moonlight, illuminating more than ever the stiches in the side. Elizebeth ran her fingers gently over the small ridge and tingles ran along her spine. The small imperfection seemed like it wanted to tell her something, show her a secret. If t could have spoken to her, it would have told her about her mother's last words; I want three things for you: I want you to have courage, determanation, and most of all, for you to marry for love, and nothing else. It might have told her about a silver dagger, her mother, and an arranged marrage. It would have told her about two years and about the love her mother felt for her, even until she escaped her marrage by a well-placed stab of a dagger. If it could have spoken, it would have told her qute a lot. But it was silent as the sound of the twelve chimes drowned out the thump of Eliebeth's bag as it hit the ground, and it was silent when Elizabeth scaled the castle wall. But it gave her an answer as she ran towards the alleys. When she asked herself, What will my name be? it answered, Zoe, just Zoe.

"I just couldn't stand the idea of an arrainged marrage," She closed her eyes and bent her face to the ground. "I just couldn't." Becky looked into Zoe's face as if studying it. She smiled suddenly.
"One thing's for sure. You can't stay here, or they'll find you." Zoe frowned slightly.
"You're right, I didn't think about that."
The dark-haired boy in the corner spoke. "We can make it across a few towns before they even start searching for you."
"We?"
"Don't take this personally, Zoe, but you wouldn't last a week out there." Becky grinned a lopsided grin. "Someone's gotta watch your back."

The very next day, Jon was caught.



[A/N] Okay, pronunciations:
Zoe: zo (short O)
Becky: bek-ie
Al-Karhad: al kar-had
The name Al-Karhad is an inside joke for all Runescapers. (Think about it. Big elegant castle, street kids, Al-Karhad? Get it?)

Chapter Five

THE LAST NIGHT

[A/N] I know, I know, I took forever getting this one up. I just haven't been in the muse latley...my apologies!


The sun was setting, and its last rays streamed in the prison window like transparent gold. Zoe and Jon both setaled down on the straw provided for a bed quietly, both wondering what Becky's idea was.
"I do hope we can get out of here" Zoe said softly.
"don't worry" Jon assured her, "y' know Becky, she kin always come up with somethin'" Zoe smiled.
"Good point. We can count on Becky."
"She always got a plan." he said, almost to himself, as he put an arm around her. Almost unconsciously, they moved closter together as the last rays of the sun faded away. The world around them seemed to blur and fade away, as Jon's dark eyes seemed to get bigger, and bigger...

"Here they are" Becky said to herself as she lifted a peace of plywood by the trash heap. She tucked the metal daggers into a poket in her makeshift skirt and ran across the alleys to the prison window, guided by the last rays of the sun...

Just as the sun was setting, Becky reached the window. The last rays of the sun were enough illumination for her to see her two best friends, only about three inches away from each other. She grinned, moved in front of the window, and threw down a pebble. The two below jerked apart as if electrified. Their shocked and embarrassed eyes said only one thing: what did you see?. Becky's smirk was invisable to them, as the sun was at her back, but she said to herself: enough to know there's something going on with you two.
"so," Zoe said a little awkwardly, "what's this plan?"
"I found these earlier today" she said, lowering down the knives. "We can saw through the metal on the bars with them"
"Becky, the metal on this cell door is too hard, and besides, that sort of thing only works in bad adventure stories"

[A/N] You're not doing much for my credibility here, Zoe!
[Zoe] I call 'em as I see 'em, alright?

"No silly, on the window! The bars are soft enough, and I can help you up! I'll work on the top, but you should be able to reach the bottom ones." She explained.
So they began sawing away at the bars. They worked till the moon set, but just as they were taking out the last bars...

[A/N] Well, I know you're all desperate for a realy good adventure scene, but you'll have to wait for chapter seven. I'm putting all the important information that happened first right in the middle...muwahahaha! Oh yes, my friend Ivy is writhing a story too...I will get it up soon...it's called "The Last Princess" and the heroes, who are a boy/girl pair like mine, are related to Zoe because...nevermind. I'll just leave you hanging and get to work on my part of the story. This one should go up faster because my parents are getting me an alpha-smart soon, so my keyboard will be more portable.

{A/N] Actually, it looks like it'll be an e-mate insed. same diff, but the e-mate does graphics, so we may actually get some crummy/not-so-crummy computer art of Zoe, Jon, and Becky up!! And thus the masses rejoiced!

Chapter Four

BACK IN THE PRISON

[A/N] here it is! the one we've all been waiting for! Sorta! Sorry about the delay!

A ringing silence hung between Zoe and Jon, broken only by the scraching of the small, nameless creachers that tend to show up as bit caracters in stories like this.
"'m sorry." he said quietly. "I didn' mean-"
"I know you didn't" she said, just as quietly.
Another uncomfortable silence hung between them as each of the young teens contemplated how much troble they were in. Suddenly, a pebble clattered down from the window.
"What's up, Becky?"
"Jon, bad news about Zoe." This is urgent!"
"Becky, is that you?" Zoe cried.
"Zoe! oh Zoe, It's been so awful wile you were gone..."
"I know, I know, same for me! I- wait a minute." Zoe's voice filled with worry "what bad news?" there was a pause.
"Have- have you told yet?"
"'corse not!" Jon cried." how could we?"
"Well, they must think you're close to cracking." Becky said grimly. "That Prince just arived today" At that bit of information, Zoe screamed aloud.
"Zoe, hush it!" Jon wispered fearcely "they gonna come 'n queston us again!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! oh my lord! we're dead meat!"
"I'll be right back." Becky said through the window. The two teens glanced at each other, looked away, and almost in the same moment, they reached out and cluched hands. The words, unspoken, hung in the air like the dust from the straw.
"It'll be ok"
But neather was sure it was the truth.
"They're going to make me marry him!" she moaned quietly into the darkness. Jon let go of her hand and pushed her filthy hair out of her face.
"we'll work something out" He assured her as he tucked her hair behind her ear. "Something."

To Be Continued!

[A/N] There, i hope i've confirmed/denied all your suspicions about Zoe's parentage satasfactorally. If you haven't figured it out yet, just wait for chapter six, were I will give rock-solid evidence. (Plus a lot of cool background information that probly isn't going to come in handy later on, but takes up space while still folowing the storyline, making my blog look good for certan critics, like the p-a-r-e-n-t-s )

Chapter three

THE BAD NEWS

Becky ran barefoot along the filthy alleyway. The commotion ahead ment big news. And with Zoe's current predicament, Becky new that it most likely wasn't good news for her. she shinnied up a ladder on a nearby stone storehouse an wached the show. A grand coach pulled up in front of the castle.
"Oh lord, please no!" She wispered. For stepping out of the carrage, surrounded by servants, was a yong man that she new in an instant was a prince. The king himself stepped up to greet the tall, han- uh, dark-haired man. After the formal intro ductions, the king faced his subjects.
"loyal subjects!" he cried.Becky rolled her eyes."today we have with us, a happy couple! This young man, Prince Edward, will be joined happily in marrage with Princeess Elizibith who is currently unable to join us on this happy occaton because"-Becky's ears priked up-"she is in bed with a slight chill..."
"what a king" she muttered to herself. "he lies about his daughter wile lieing to her"
She rolled her eyes and shinnied back down the ladder. Back in the alleyway, she broke into a frantic, though compleatly silent, run.
"Royal alley, right to our alley, past one alley, left down the next" she muttered to herself as she navigated the maze of side streets she called her home.
"Here it is!" She dropped to the window of the dunegon, set low down near the gutter. She threw a pebble down into the silentce.
"What is it, Becky?"
"Jon, bad news about Zoe. This is urgent!"
"Becky, it's you!" cried a girl's voice


To be continued!

[A/N] Who can guess why the news relates to Zoe yet? Anyone? Is it apperent yet? Plese let me know your thoughts on this!

Chapter Two

ARTISTS AND FIGHTS

" 'm sorry, Zoe-" he began, but she cut him off sharply.
"Sorry, huh? Well, a lot of good that does me now! What did they do to make you tell, threaten you with no meals? I know how much you love eating!"
"This" Jon said quietly, as he showed her his hand. Or what was left of it, anyway. She stared at the mutilated flesh of his right hand for four silent seconds.
"Oh Jon." she said, as her eyes filled with tears, "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault..."
" 's alright. I kin still do some jobs with jus' m' left hand." he assured her.
"But you can't draw! Oh, Jon, I know how much you wanted to be an artist..."
" I'll work sumtin' out. 'm a gutter kid, remember?"
"Wich means you're already having a hard time getting jobs!" she snapped, exasperated at his macho act.
"look Zoe," he said impatently, "I kin find jobs just fine!"
"Oh yes, you'd say that!" her voice was rising now. "And you just tell me who is going to hire a one-handed, thirteen-year-old boy to do any labor work at all?"
"Well," he shouted, "Maybe ya should just go confess and go running to yer daddy to find a job for me, if it's that important to ya!"


the argument will continue in chapter four

Chapter one

SURE IT'S ZOE

A skinny girl sat chained to the wall of stone. She heard the creak of the prison door opening.
"hello, m'lady. do thee fare well?" said an unpleasant voice. The girl ground her teeth, and reminded herself of how much trouble she'd be in if she said the words that were fighting to get out, pushing against her lips.
"I take it so. And now-" The man was leaning in very close to her now. She could smell the drink on his breath."-can you tell us your name?"
"m' name's Zoe, sir" she said quietly.
"you sure?"
"I sure, sir."
"would you tell the king your name was Zoe?" there was an unmistakable smirk in his voice now.
"yes sir"
crack. Zoe gasped in pain as the whip slapped against her face, leaving a stinging, bleeding line across her cheek.
"impertance, indeed." he hissed. "I can only hope that a few days in here..."
She was released, led across the hallway, and chained to a wall in another cell.
"I believe you know this charming young man?" the man sneered. The door slammed. Zoe turned to look at the face. She recognized it in an instant. All the fake gutter-child drawl had dropped out of he voice, replaced by burning hatred.
"Jon."

a quick disclaimer

This story and it's caracters are my sole creation. any resemblance to actual events is a compleate coincedence. (and for your sake, I hope your life is nothing like Zoe's)


ALSO:
anyway, This is my third blog! It's a mystery/romance/suspence story, and the first two chapters turned out pretty good, at least for me.