We don't know where they had gone?

Ben Vicia Queen's aid
Queen Marissa
sir Grey Arm Royal guard
Just Grub Viceroy's aid
Tabior Mateat the false queen's guard
Chris Gans watch
Breist Gart watch guard
Mucja Stocks watch guard
Calico Mustan watch



         Ben carried a candelabra into the chamber with the Queen on his arm, Sir Grey Arm was

also there, he watched as the escort looked about the chamber, he was amused. They could not find

her, she knew of this castle in her childhood. The escort had not been here in a while, they must

have forgotten the passageway that led to the dungeons and also the rear of the castle.


         The bed chamber was spacious there was huge chamberbed for the queen to sleep in, The

walls had a portrait of the king on it as he looked at the veiwer from the back of a huge stallion on

his hind legs, front legs kicking out from where it stood. The king looked as if he had nothing to

fear as he hung there. It was as he was confident to the point of daring. Marissa loved him, so.


         She smiled when she looked at it as she did as newly wed, with him beside her, He caressed

her cheek where her black curl had fallen upon her face. she remembered looking into his face as he

did this. There was a hint of a smile there, she knew the smile as she did he. The memory was a good

thing to have, She did not know of its importance.


         The room was covered in tapetries of her families devotion to the battles that they had fought

to bring the ruling order to be here knowing that they had done this to gain this land or its ore and

magically blessed earth, It was holy land, nothing had ever tried to cause any ill to the land.


         She knew her sister was rumored to have dabbled in the dark arts before. She prayed it was

not, so. The earth would have to be cleansed before its true magical power would be reestablished.

The church would not be able to protect the kingdom if this has happened here. They would not be

able to fight any thing that was created by a mage. Mages gained their power by compacts of the

devil or deamons. That was how they gained their power, The king and she knew this. She thought

that the tales of her sister being in league with them was but a rumor. She did not believe this. How

could she? She didn't did she?


         Queen Marissa's breath caught in her throat as she looked about the chamber, it looked as it

should when she was here. It looked like this her dresser would prepare her clothing for the next

morning. The gown hung from a hook on a hanger, the gown was not one she would wear on a day

such as this. Stared at it, She turned and said,"Get me my dresser for my garments to be worn

tomorrow."


         "Now, my lady," Ben asked, he seemed confused by what she had said. Forgetting this was

the true queen. Who was speaking to him. He turned and raced away from the room.


         "Yes, now."


         Sir Grey faintly smiled, as he knew that the watch were who he like to speak to sometime

tomorrow not right he needed to speak with them about these wanted posters he had seen on a few

of the trees when he was riding here. The pictures were of nobles that were posted there as a bounty

on their heads. He wanted to go and speak with the sheriffs in these communities to have them

revoke these posters from the trees through out the kingdom.


         He watched the soldiers look about the room, and walked over to open a hidden door. He

looked at the man servant who followed him here, and said, "When did she leave?"


         "She hasn't left." Just said as he looked wide eyed at the escort in the room, the guards had

ran to find him.


         "Well, where is she? If she isn't here, then where is she? Do you know? Then she left." Grey

Arm said as he grabbed the man's arm. \
`

         He struggled to be free of his grasp, winced, and said," What is the meaning of this. Unhand me.

You cur." Drove his foot down on Sir Grey's foot expecting to be released but that did not recieve

it to be free.


         "Why would she do this?" Just threw a punch at Sir Grey Arm ducked it. He bent his

arm back to stop him from trying to punch him.


         "Because we will no doubt kill her if we catch her and anyone else responsible for this to

have happened!" Sir Grey said as he continued to hold his arm. Grey Arm and the queen stepped

out of the bedchamber. They would return when the search has stopped being here.

####

         A guard Tabor looked over his shoulder in the Queen's empty bedchamber to look at the

other guards stationed there looking at him. This was where she should be. The bed looked as if

no one had slept in it. The closet was closed when he came in. That did not make sense, if she

wasn't here. Where could she have gone?


         He walked toward the closet. There was a little dirt on the floor of the closet. There was a

door in the closet. The door was to his right when he looked at the door. It did not close as it should

have. Which meant someone opened this door to leave by going through this passage. It was a

passage that no one should have known about, only he and the queen should have known about it.

No one here had this knowledge did they? That was not possible, unless someone told this bitch that

it was there? But who could have done this?


         The passageway was dank, the guard barely made it through

the opening. The stone was rough and jagged, it caught on his shoulders

ripping through the pauldrons, tore it off his shoulders, he felt the stine

dig into his shoulder. He reached up to feel his shoulder, it came back

wet from the shoulder's wound. He stared at his hand with this dark

fluid upon it. It dripped and ran from his fingers.


         Chris said, "They hadn't seen her come out of the bedchamber

."

         The guards looked confused upon seeing the empty chamber.

Seeing where the guard had gone in ro the passageway, they peered

into the shadow where he had gone, they saw a denser darkness there

where he went.


         Tabor said, "Send some of the guards toward the rear stable, that is where this passage

ends at. "


         "Are you sure she has gone there?" Briest asked as he looked at Tabor, cinched his

shoulders and put himself into a small passage, Briest wasn't sure that he would be able to fit down

this passage. HIs shoulder should not have barely fit through this stone entrance. Tablor struggled

as he crawled there. The stone's brushed against his shoulders, stomach and chest. He wiggled his

way in. His breath caught in his throat as he moved down this channel.


         Briest raced to the doorway through which they used to get here, he reached out for his

horse's reins. He vaulted up on its back. He looked at two other riders. He said,"Mount your horses.

We have to get to the rear stables."


         The two other riders looked at him as if he had lost his mind, Mucja said, "She's got to be

here?"


         "She has used a secret passage to perhaps go there," Briest said,


         "What do you mean?" Calico asked as he got to his mount, he began to ride toward the

stable.


         "How would she know to go there?" Mucja asked.


         "I don't know, but she wasn't in her room. We must ride?" Briest said as he urged his horse

to get in motion, They rode toward the rear stable. He vaguely remembered that there was a

passage from the royal chamber to there, He wasn't exactly sure if he knew where it went, Two

other guards tore off after him.

###

         Fog rose from the water's edge, it clung to the ground like a serpent crawling across the

roads, wisps of fog clawed away at the horse's as they rode, There was a quiet that hung there, until

their horse's hooves touched down on the ground as they raced to the rear stable. The streets were

deserted. The watches were stationed where they should be awaiting anything that had happened in

the castle.


          One of them was walking back after patrolling the streets he turned to face the three riders.

He looked puzzled seeing the guards ride through the street and he asked,"What is wrong?"

They slapped their reins on their horses withers to have them ride here, their eyes narrowed
their skin had grown white. They were trembling a bir.

         "There has been an impostor in place of the Queen!", Breist said as he tore past him.


         The officer turned and tore back to the house. He had a suspicion that the guards were riding

toward the stables. He screamed, "The royal guards need us at the Rear stable. Several other

members lifted their weapons and headed out the door to run down the street there. They took off

down the alleys.


         The riders had arrived there first. The stable was deep in the shadows. There were horses in

the stables. The horses looked at them as they were there. The horses backed up from the horses

and their riders arrived there. They climbed off their backs to walk toward the stable. They saw a

couple of bales of hay to the horses right, there was a path through these bales. The riders began to

walk toward where these bales were. There was an area without any hay there, There was bare

wood there. Beside it stood the rail of the stable. There was not a single stalk of hay. The straw was

drawn away from where the door was. It was beneath the floor, there was a square on the floor

clear of straw of hay. They could see the board that made up this opening.


         "This did not make sense, there should be hay on the ground along with manure from the

horses, it did not make any sense there.There was nothing there," Briest said as he tapped

the floor of the stall, He heard a sound that could only be made by something being hollow would

make.


         "What's beneath this?" he asked as he looked into the face of the stable hand.


         His eyes were wide with horror, he could not tell them. If they knew he and his owner would be in trouble if he was to say. The queen

would have their heads on spikes for all to see. This is what he thought until he recognised the breast plate of the

guards here. They were the king's guard, they would have to be told, he had to keep it a secret from all other people,

but not the king;s guard.


         Briest was bending down to try and find out if this had opened recently. He had hand held a

dagger with which to lift the board that served as an entrance from the Queen's chamber and the

other royal room. He peered into the black as he reached down to see if he could see into the

passageway.


         A stable hand turned to face them as the three of them walked past the bales of hay. One of

them was kneeling where the bales had been. He was confused, he blinked as he tried to figure this

out. His hand trembled as he asked,"What is happening here? Why are you here?" His lantern tore a

gaping hole in the shadows, the symbol on the surcoat was that of the Royal guard. He gulped as he

watched the man kneeling turned to face him. The man brought his hand up to block the light from

striking his face. He descended into the passage. He had to bend to get further inside the passage.

He began to walk in the direction that this tunnel was laid out in.

####

         "Did you see a woman and a few guards who had come out of the stable, a few hours ago,"

Mucja asked as he turned toward the light that came into view.


         "What is the meaning of this? Aren't you the royal guards," he asked as he lifted in his hands

a lantern with which to see by.


         Calico said, "Yes, we are. Did you see anything here?"

         The stable hand was frightened, his voice faltered a bit he said, "I did.,,,"


         "You did, what?" Mucja asked as he turned and walked toward the stable hand.


         "I saw a carriage waiting.." the stable hand said, as his eyes were wide as he spit.


         "What did this carriage look like?" Mucja said.


         "I don't know. It looked big. Having two lanterns on its front. The cab had three windows per

door. There were four big horses." the stable hand said.


         "Did you see anyone come out of the stables?" Calico said as he walked toward the stable

hand.


         "I think I saw a few people come out of the stable. They got into the carriage." the stable

hand said. as he rubbed his chin lowering the lantern to a post that was to the right of the bales.


         "What did you do?" Mucja asked as he turned to face him. He saw out of the corner of his

eye the watch arriving there.


         "I was nowhere near the stable when I saw the carriage arrive there." the stable hand said.


         "Ride toward the rear entrance to the castle," Calico said as he saw the watch appear.


"The rear entrance to the castle"