In Exchange for Magic

"I don't like this," I hissed.
"Yes," Ez whimpered. "I can tell by the way you're mangling my fingers..."

I stopped squeezing his hand.

"You told me to!" I accused.
"Yeah, because I didn't think you were going to crush me!"

"Enough!" the elf girl barked, becoming bossy and to-the-point once again. "Rose, open the door and get your ass out there."

Ez was being supported around the waist by the elf girl, still weak on his jelly-legs.

We were still in the bathroom. I know, I know - mortal danger and all that good stuff. But I was nervous! I was poised with my hand on the door and ready to plunge into the depths of the Palace.

"Good luck," Ez whispered to me.

I tried to say something, but my breath kept sticking to the inside of my throat. Instead, I squeaked something that sort of sounded like, "Meatballs."

Ez raised an eyebrow.

I shook my head and charged out of the door.

My plan was to find a path towards the kitchen, where we could escape out of the back and hide until Ez was strong enough to fly. I wondered around, looking for hallways and corridors with relatively low human activity.

No such luck.

It was lunch time, and everyone was bustling back and forth. In the fifteen minutes since Ez and the elf girl escaped, I don't think they've been missed. Sighing in relief of this miracle, I found out why it had happened.

I must have gone in a circle, because I ended up back at the door of the throne room. And I saw him. The guard... Knocked out and breathing deeply as if asleep.

I yelped quietly as he grunted in his dream-land, and couldn't relax further. People were talking and laughing in the throne room, so I guessed that the King would have his lunch in there.

I snatched the helmet from the guard's hands, who was smiling sweetly with his eyes closed. I managed to get him out of his breast plate. At a second thought, I also unbuckled his sword and sheath from his waist. Struggling under the weight, I carried the equipment back to the bathroom.

"I'm back!" I squealed, clanging with every step.
"That is not what we meant by 'get us out of here,'" Ez scowled.
I dropped the guard's armor on the floor, creating a loud clatter.
"You haven't even heard the new plan!" I piped, excited.
"New plan?" Ez scoffed from the floor. He was fighting to stand, but he kept toppling over and landing on his back. "New plan? No! What happened to the old plan? I like the old plan!"
"Well, the new plan is so much better, so you just shut your-"
"Stop!" the elf girl cried, wincing. "Do you realize how much danger you two are putting us in?"

"Sorry," we mumbled in unison.

"What's the new plan, Rose?" the elf girl asked.
"But, I-"
"Hush, Ez!" I scolded. "The new plan is..."

-_-_-_-

"Okay..." I warned. "We're going to let go now."
"No, no, no!" Ez whined. "Don't!"
"Don't be stupid," the elf girl spat. "One..."
"Guys!"
"Two..."
"Please!"
"Three!"

The elf girl and I both stepped away from Ez. He teetered on his unstable feet for a few seconds, and then collapsed like he'd been tripped.

"I told you not to let go!" he shouted through the visor of the helmet.
"This isn't working," I sighed.
"You think?" called Ez from the floor.
"He's still too weak."
"We're never going to be able to convince anyone that he's a guard!" I huffed.

"Wait... Wait..." Ez mumbled. "Okay, I've got an idea. Help me up."

We hoisted Ez to his feet. He had the helmet and breastplate on, and his new sword belt was fastened tightly to his waist, as his old one had been taken away by the guards when he was put in the dungeons.

"Okay," Ez instructed. "Now I'm going to grab on to both of your arms..."

With some difficult maneuvering, he managed to catch a tight grip on both of our forearms. I cast a sidelong glance into the mirror on the pale pink wall beside us. We looked like a couple of prisoners being escorted by a guard. I was still in my maid's uniform and stilettos... And Ez still didn't have any shoes on... But if you sort of squinted and looked into the distance, we were foolproof!

Somehow, I didn't feel at all confident about this plan.

"This could work..." mused the elf girl.
"It has to," Ez grunted, using a lot of arm strength to remain standing.
"It better," I grumbled. "I'm definitely ready to get the hell out of here."
"Well, let's go then!" Ez cried. "My arms are starting to hurt already!"

We made it through the winding corridors alright. Maybe it was because everyone was preoccupied with getting the King's lunch in on time. Ez kept stumbling over his own floppy feet, and the elf girl and I ended up dragging him along several times - his toes skimming the polished floor.

"Shit," Ez hissed. "Guards."

We stopped in our tracks. We'd counted on crossing through of the Main Hallway in order to get to the Kitchens, but a line of guards were standing rigid in a line near the castle gate.

"Turn around," the elf girl urged, and started to move the other way.
"No!" I cried. "No! We've come this far!"
"Are you serious?" she hissed at me. "The second those guards see silly little bare-footed Ez here, they're going to run us through! We've got to find another way!"
I looked longingly at the ten-foot stretch that was keeping us from freedom and silently allowed myself to be dragged along.

It took us a few anxious minutes to finally reach the back staircase. We were racing forward, pulling Ez into a full on sprint. Suddenly, we stopped sharply as a voice, pure and clear as ice, rang out in the long hallway.

"Go away!" It shrieked. "I can not believe you!"

A girl with deeply tanned skin and flowing blonde hair burst from one of the rooms on the far end of the upstairs hallway. I couldn't get a good look at her but, from one look at her signature periwinkle blue dress, I knew immediately who it was.

"Elaine!" protested a smooth voice. "Be reasonable!"

And when the owner of the voice stepped out from the same room as the blonde girl, Ez collapsed.

Well, he didn't really collapse on his own account. It was because both the elf girl and I had quickly let go of him in shock.

"Ouch..." he muttered, his voice muffled and tinny through the echo of his helmet.

"P-Prince Jude!" cried the elf girl.

Prince Jude turned to look at the elf girl in confusion. Princess Elaine continued her path across the hall and into the room on the opposite end. She slammed the door shut and the click of the lock bounced off the walls and into the high ceiling.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, perplexed. "Nobody's allowed back here... Why is that guard on the floor?"
"He's talking to us!" the elf girl whispered to me.
"I know!" I squeaked girlishly and dug my fingers into Ez's shoulder. "Look at him, Ez! He's even cuter in person!"

Prince Jude was even better looking than that imp had depicted him to be. His dark hair fell in choppy layers to his chin, and his overgrown bangs kept falling into his eyes - which happened to be a warm shade of chocolate. His mouth was somber, yet it held a hint of a smile.



Prince Jude. Duh.

"Hey... Man down!" Ez reminded us.

The elf girl and I bustled to pick him up. By this time, we'd sparked Prince Jude's interest. He descended the stairs and stood directly in front of us, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

"Do you mind explaining why you're here?" he asked in that fake polite voice that people use when they're trying to conceal their anger.

"Uh..." Ez stuttered, as he seemed to be the only one not struck dumb by the rich toffee color of the Cyan's skin. "We gotta go... Nice talking to you!"

Jude crinkled his almond eyes. He wasn't dumb. He knew something was up.

"Where are your shoes?" he asked Ez.
"I... Erm..."
"And you," he huffed, turning to me.
"He's talking to me!" I breathed and flushed a deep red.
"Aren't heels a bit inappropriate for a maid?"
"And you look like you've just stepped out of the dungeons!" he accused the elf girl.
"You're even better looking up close," she mumbled, lost in some sort of trance.

Prince Jude blushed and ran a stressed hand through his long hair. He glared at the three of us, suspicion burning in his face.

I shot a look towards Ez, who was shaking. Wether it was from fear or the effort he was putting forth to remain standing... I don't know.

Something tells me that we're about to be in big trouble.