Rukiea looked at Zane and smiled slightly. "Right.. WE don't want the worst to come to us.. But, with Jake with them, they shouldn't really have a problem finding us. Jake saw who took us and where they were taking us." A sudden cool breeze blew into the room they were in. It chilled Rukiea quickly and she shivered. "Damn..." She got closer to Zane and placed her head on his chest. "Zane... Don't die okay..."

~~~

Jake looked at Sam. "I don't care if you say that.. Your probably right! But we have to carry Jay because of his injuries... No.. I'll carry him.. Hurry up!" He ducked and slashed a man's legs off. He ran to Jay and carried him on his back. "Don't fall.." He ran up to a soldier on a horse and kicked him off. He jumped on and kicked the horse. It ran off. "There are plenty for everyone!!!"

Rosalie jumped on the back of Sam's horse, holding tightly to him as they rode to the castle. They leapt from their mounts and Jake began killing off the guards. Rosalie kept her daggers drawn in case  they were to come down and attack. She followed Jake up the wall, Pulling on a pair of gloves she'd found in the saddle bag and climbing up a thick rosevine. A long scratch she'd aquired on her leg from the battle, coupled with her previous injury, made her in no fit state to jump as Jake had.

---

Zane felt the breeze as well and shivered. Rukiea moved closer to him, and a warmpth overcame him that could outlast any chill. "I won't if I can help it, Rukiea", he whispered, leaning down and gently kissing the top of her head, "Someone has to keep you out of trouble. Jake is too good at getting the both of you into nasty situations to hold that job." He chuckled. "I'm so sorry this has happened to you... I'm the one he wanted, not you." 

He heard a noise, and a large man stepped before them. "Father...", Zane said, looking away.

 "Yes, Zane.", the king growled, grinning, "And who is your friend here?" He took Rukiea's chin in his hand, inspecting her."

"Don't touch her!" Zane barked, angry 

"A poor choice, we have far better women here in the castle....", the king said, ignoring Zane, "Though she is nicer looking than some commoners, I guess." He releasd her and shook his head. "My, Zane, you've fallen hard. Such treachery, it saddens me to say that the both of you will have to die. But not before my interrogators have their fun with you. Zane first."

A guard came and disconnected his shackles from the wall, attaching a sort of leash to the ones on his wrists and roughly leading him away.  

Jake looked at Rosalie. "You shouldn't strain yourself.. Your hurt and you may just open your wounds." He looked down and saw teh KIng walk into a room. "Hey, I bet that's where they are holding them.. And it doesn't look good. THey brought in men and a leash.. Rukiea..." He growled slightly and sat on his heels.

~~~

Rukiea let the King do as he pleased for the time being. She didn't care if she died. She began to struggle against the handcuffs. "Zane!! No! Zane!!" She tried to stand, but was brought down by the handcuffs being chained to the floor. Her eyes flashed from gold to red. "Let him go!! Let him go right now!!! Zane!!" He tried to pull theshackles from her ankles. "Please, your....." She bit her lip and slowly, but painfully said "h...high...highnes-s-s... Let your son go.. He did nothing wrong for such a horrible and untrustworthy man as yourself!" She clenched her teeth and spit on his pants. She looked up at him. "I don't know why you had to take over! Your father was a better King than you'll ever be!"

"I'll be fine!" Rosalie laughed, reaching the top and crouching behind Jake, a single red blossom now resting in her hand. She grinned, breaking the thorns from the stem and placing the rose neatly in her hair.

-----

Zane was led into an empty room, where the leash of sorts was atatched to a loop high on the rear wall. "What are you going to do to me?", he asked, glaring at the guard, who pulled out a whip. 

"Let's just say it'll be better for you if you answer my questions...", the man sneered, uncoiling the opject and slashing the air before him with it, the barbed tip catching Zane's cheek and leaving a bloody streak.

----- 

The king roared, slapping Rukiea across her cheek. "You will not speak to me in such a tone, traitorous wretch! Zane has disgraced me in ways you cannot imagine! "And I am the greatest ruler this country has ever seen!" 

Jake looked at her. "Just like a girl to do that..." He joked playfully. He looked down adn heard a slap. He saw Zane walking out and he knew it was RUkiea. He growled. "THat... THat king... He hit her.." He clutched the rosevine and the thornw cut his hand. He let go and looked at his hand. "That was stupid of me.." He wiped the blood on teh wall.

~~~~

Rukiea didn't cream in pain she didn't tear up either. Her head to the side in the position of her just being slapped. "Now according to what's happened... Vipers..... We formed the group after your father had fallen.. After your mother claimed you King because she could not run this country alone.. You are not great.. your not even good.... Your teh worst King anybody could imaging.. I dare you to challenge all I'm saying... I don't care if you slap me.... I don't care if you draw your blade on me... GO ahead." She looked up at him. Her cheek baring a red handprint. "I will be saved.. Even If i'm killed, my brother will come and avenge it.."

Sam hoisted himself up after Jake and Rosaline. He raised an eyebrow at the rose in Rosalie's hair. "I'm really not sure it's time to be making yourself pretty," He told her as he looked down at the scene. "Jay said he's going to stand watch for us, since that's really all he can do with his leg. While he's doing that, we should come up a plan, or something that resembles a plan at least."

"Foolish girl.", the king spat, glaring down at her, "I am not keeping you because you are a viper, though that is a partial reason. I am keeping you to use against Zane. He has disgraced me and so I will ruin him! I will break him, force him into submission... And than I will kill him. But because this is a plot against him, you will die first, slowly and painfully, before him." The king grinned insanely, laughing uprouriously.

---

Zane cried out as the whip grazed his cheek, instinctionally trying to put his hand to it, but unable to do so because of his shackled. A stream of blood slowly trickled down his cheek, dripping onto his shoulder. "I don't care what you do to me..." he growled, looking down, "But I swear, If you lay a finger on Rukiea, you'll wish you were dead."

The man laughed, grinning. "You'll not be able to touch me!", he shouted, lashing Zane across the chest, "The king will see to that!" 

Zane gasped as the thin ropelike whip struck him across the chest. Although he had clothes on to protect him from its full furry, it still left a red stripe across his chest and knocked the wind from his lungs.

---

"Just like a boy to do that." she laughed playfully, grinning at Jake, before realizing why he'd grabbed the vine in the first place. "She'll be okay, Jake, they both will... We'll rescue them and everything will return to normal."

Rukiea's eyes widened and she looked down. Tears coming to her eyes. "Your going to kill me in front of Zane.... is that it? You want vengance for his disgrace? THat's all you want?!" She looked up, tears slowly falling from her red eyes. "You want to kill me to get to your son?! That's all you want to do is break him and make him submit to you?! What kind of father are you! I knew you wer enothing but a lowlife King figurehead! You can't rule this country by yourself! You can't do anything!" She burst into tears and put her head down. She made no noise, but the tears fell in rivers. She shut her eyes tightly. Zane.... I'm so sorry... Jay.... I wish I could just say bye...

~~~

Jake looked at Rosalie. "I am a boy... But i'm too  selfish to really care. I just want Rukiea back. Zane as well.. I really just want everything to be back to normal.. I want all this to go back to when we were all just planning a way to beat teh king.. I was always getting myself in trouble with the guards.. But one.. He befriended me.. He was slain by Ruikiea becasue he came too close and she had no idea... After that, I just got in more troubell.. You know.. I never found info by myself.. THat guard gave me all my information.." His eyes widened. "THat's it! His info!! I didn't see it before! He gave me a map!" Jake took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"You will be broken, Zane...", the man said, grinning, "You will be beaten down, destroyed, decimated to a mere shadow of who you once were! But first... I am ordered to learn as much as I can about the vipers. First question... Who is your leader?!"

"We have no leader", Zane said, "We are a team. No one of us holds more power than another."

"There is no group without a leader!" the man shrieked, striking Zane with the whip three times, laughing as he did so. 

Zane grunted each time the whip fell, twisting and trying to free himself.

---

"I am perfectly capable of running this kingdon, I've been doing it for five years!", the king roared, "My son has disgraced me by joining you rebels, and he will pay for his mistake! If his sister, Rosie, was alive, she'd side with me too, but she was kidnapped and killed seven days after her birth."

---

"I want that too, Jake... Wait, you've had a map this whole time!" she glared at Jake, "How could you be so forgetful?!" 

((FYI, Rosie is Rosalie, lol... )) 

Rukiea looked up at him. "Just hurry up and take me to Zane... I don't care what happens.. I'll answer all the questions... I don't care if you kill me first... Don't hurt Zane a lot.. I rather not have him hurting... Just take me away to him and use me as you wanted. Your daughter would be so angery with what you have done! Zane is upset with you, that's why he joined us! He joined us to show you he doesn't approve of the HELL your raising in this Kingdom!" She stoo dup as best she could. She wan leaning against the wall to keep the handcuffs from pulling her down. She looked at him.

~~~

Jake looked at her. "I'm sorry I'm sorry! I forget things that I didn't find important at the time. It's an old map, but it should be accurate enough to find what we need." He handed Rosalie the map and looked down. He saw a guard who had spotted them running toward the castle. He quickly shot a poison needle at him. It embedded itslef into his head.