((I'll pretend like she did. XD))

Rosalie watched, but did not hear, the events occuring at the wall, starting from when Sam and Leita turned back. "What's wrong NOW?!" she muttered to herself, wheeling her mare around and charging back to where the duo stood. "What happened?", she asked them, not dismounting, "And where are Rukiea and Zane? "

Rukiea's eyes widened when Zane stepped back, clutching HER dagger handle. She let out a small gasp and reached her hand out. She wanted to touch him, but she was scared of hurting him anymore. She felt the tears roll down her cheeks. "Z-Zane.. Oh my god.. What have I done.. Zane!" She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. She was careful not to lean on the dagger so it went in farther. She sobbed. "Oh god.. Zane, please dont leave me.. I;m so sorry for doing this to you. .I'm so sorry. I just wanted to be useful for once. Jay is being so cruel to me by sayin gI'm not first in his heart when he knows I try so hard to be.. You opened your arms to me and this is how I repay you..." She burried her face in his arm. "I-I'm terrible.. I'm so sorry!" She cried and held onto her sword while hugging Zane. She knew the King could attack, but she didn't want to let go of him.

Jake saw Leita and looked at her. "Why did you come?! You shouldn't put yourself in danger." He took out his sword for the first time in a few months. He held it tightly. "Listen, just be very careful!" He slew any guards that came after them. He followed the bodies of teh soilders and guards Rukiea had killed. He kicked open the thrown room doors. "Rukiea! Zane! Oh god.. what Happen?! Anyways, Leita, care for Zane." Jake turned and rushed at the King. "You caused all this!!!" He jumped up and slammed the flat edge of his sword against the King's shoulder.

~~~

Matt looked at Jay as he left. "He looks awefully sad.." He turned their horse. "Hey, Aria.. I don't really care what Jake asked of us. We need to help them as much as we can. I really don't want to go back and I want to help the leader get over whatever is bothering him." He gently kicked teh horse's hip and it rode off after Jay.

"It's okay..." Zanee breathed, his arms moving around Rukiea, "It's okay... You are useful.... You've saved my life.... More than once... It's not your fault that... I wasn't paying attention... I love you, and I always will..." He groaned softly, his fingers returning to the blade's handle and tightening. He heard Jake come in and start shouting. "Kill the damn bastard, Jake. Kill him.", he muttered, wishing that he could pull the dagger from his chest. But if he did that, he'd bleed to death. LEaving it in gave him a far better chance of survival. His earlier wounds seemed to have died in his mind, although they were still very much there.

---

"Sounds like a plan." Aria agreed, wrapping her arms around Mathew's waist as he made the horse take off after Jay.

Rukiea's tears quickened and were now pouring like rivers. She knew she had hurt. She knew he would forgive her no matter what. She pleaded to the gods that he would be okay. The one who showed her she was very important, the one who showed her she was special. The person who came after her when she was going to risk her life for someone else. She knew Zane was something special, but she closed out everything. She loved him and she loved Jay. She wished none of this had happened. She wished she could go back and never pull out that dagger. She wanted to get rid of all this. She wanted everythign to be back to normal. But theyy never would. She knew she could only go forward and make everything close to normal. She hugged him tighter. "Z-Zane.. Don't leave me.. Please Zane... Don't die. Don't go.. Don't leave me alone in a world so cold.. Don't let your soul leave your body and leave me lonely to fight everyday for you.." She closed her eyes tightly.

Jake looked at Zane. "Don't worry. Even if I dont.. I can still wound him badly." He heard a crack and knew he had hurt something in teh King. "You need to just die!"

~~~

Matt nodded and smiled. He clicked his heels again and looked at Jay. The horse finally catching up to Jay's. "Leader! What is wrong?"

Jay looked back at the gaining horse and, though he didn't want to, he slowed down enough for them to catch up. "Follow me closely, the woods may still be full of the Kings men. If any of us are caught we will be dead on site." After he told them that, he sped his horse up a bit more, hoping that Matt wouldn't ask anymore questions right now.

Sam, gripped his sword, his knuckles turning white from his grip. He glanced over at Jake, hoping he would be fine without his help for a few more moments. He knelt beside Rukiea and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Rukiea, you have to let go of him and get out of here. You're in no condition to fight now. Don't worry about Zane, Leita will watch over him until Jake and I can get him out of here."

Matt looked at Jay and sighed. He clicked his heel on teh horse's hip and it sped off after Jay's horse. "Fine. We don't have to talk., I just wanted to know what's wrong.." He looked around and then at the clothes Jake had given him. He pulled teh hood over his head and looked around. He wished the King's men were not out.

Rukiea looked at Sam, teary eyed and tears falling slowly and one by one. "W-What.. After all he did for me..." She sniffled and wiped her eyes. She tried to suck it up, as he father told her to when he was training with her. "You want me to leave him here? After I ignored parts of his feelings and forced my own onto him? You want me to leave him here like this when I'm the cause of it.." She stay at his side. "I can't... If it costs me my life... I want to fight for him.. For everything he's done for me. He is like this because of what I did and said... I have to show him that I didn't want this to end like this... I can help Jake... I can help his beat the King. Please Sam.." She let her head fall. She took his hand in her trembling hand and held it tightly. "Please.."

Sam looked at her and sighed. He was tempted to give in to her but he knew that he couldn't. Shaking his head, all he could do was shrug his shoulders. "No. I refuse to let you fight like this. Look at your hand! See how badly it's trembling? You can't hold a sword steady like that. No. You need to listen to me and leave. Zane will understand because he is going to be alright. And this is what he would want you to do. Please, just...just leave and go back to the forest."

Jay glanced at him again. "Not talking is good. It's really good. Besides, if you wait long enough, you will learn what's wrong with me from someone else."

Jake growled and jumped off the King's ,at least cracked, shoulder. He looked at Rukiea. "Listen to him! You can't fight! I know you cant!" He ran over to her and pulled her sword from her sheath and ran back toward the King. He held his and her sword in each hand. He growled and swung both.

Rukiea looked at Jake as he took her sword."I can't fight without a weapon.." She dropped to her knees and looked at Zane. She let a tear roll down her pale cheek. The dagger was still embedded in his body. It was all her fault. She knew it was. "Fine.. If he doesn't live. Or if my brother doesn't live. I'm killing you Sam.." She stood up and ran out. Her heels clicking on the marble floor. She heard the clicks and couldn't only think that she was running away from her problems as she always has. "I hate this.." She stopped by a window and saw that the forest wasn't far from thata window. She looked down the hall. She would be farther and farther from the forest. She gulped and stepped back. She ran at the window and covered her head as she jumped through. She landed and stabbed her hand with gl*censored*. She winced and quickly ran to the wall. She jumped up and put her hand on the top. She flipped over the wall and ran into the forest, away from the base.

Matt looked at Jay. "But... I know not talking is good. But that's what got me locked up in that hell hole in the first place. Talking is good.. Jay, come on... If it has something to do with that girl, why are you running away? She could be in there fighting for her life just so you think something more of her. Just so you would pay attention to her.. Come on Jay, why are you running away from someone who is doing something for your.. no.. for everyone's sake. With everyone's well-being in mind. Nobody who is san would think of challenging the King single-handedly. But she is.. She isn't insane, but she has the ambition to try and rid us of him all by herself." He clicked his heel against the horse and rode in front of Jay. He turned the horse and blocked Jay's. "Why are you running away?"

"I'm always the one getting blamed." Sam muttered as he stood up, finding the nearest guard. Finding him, he quickly intercepted the man's blade with his own, stopping him from getting Jake.

Jay glared into his horses mane, not daring to look up at Matt. "Because...I..." He stopped, not sure what to say. Finally he sighed and ran a hand through his hand. "Because, believe it or not, I'm sure it's the right thing to do. I-I just told her that I didn't love her enough to stay with her, that I wanted her to be with Zane instead." He shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted her to stop trying to decide who she loved more. I wanted it to be easier on her so I took myself out of the choices. I never thought she would do something like that, I thought she would just grab a horse and ride off into the woods for a few hours. Instead she goes after the King and I ran away because I can't help her. I can't follow her and protect her from the King, no matter how badly I want too!" He looked up at Matt, despair in his eyes. "I can't help her."

Jake turned around and dodged a guard's attack on his body. He stabbed him through the chest and took out the blade. "Sam! I won't blame you if I die, this is all me. This is for my lonely stupid sister." He held his blades up as anther guard came at him. "Why are there so many!!" He fell back when a guard attacked his by suprise. "Ngh.. Ow."

Matt looked at Jay. "Now you say what's on your mind, Leader.. Look, no matter what you think, there is always a way to help her. I know you meant the best for her, but don't you think you should have considered everything she would do? For one, she wasn't willing to go after the King. One of the King's guards took her away. Then she rantoward the King. You don't understand her enough to even consider everything she may do? Jay, that's probably the only thing keeping her from choosing... Who knows her the best? Who can make her happy? Why should she choose you? Why should she  show you she loves you more? Who is willing to put their life out there if she is defenseless? Sure she is trained for all this, but what if she can't move? What if she is the one with a casted leg, in the hideout, unable to defend herself? Does she have to rely on her quick tempered brother?" He looked at Jay. "Leader, go back... Find out what happen.. Find out what sht she is doing and where she is. What can you do to make her want you." He reached over and put his hand on Jay's shoulder. "She is over there, trying to make your dream become a reality and your runnign away from her? Jay, does that even sound right?"

"You should really think before you ask stupid questions." Sam blocked the stroke of on guard, quickly stabbing him. "Why the hell do you think there are so many?" He glanced over at him. "We've got to leave. Now. We are no where close to ready to do this."

Jay looked down again for a few moments. He slowly started to nod. "You're right. I need to get back there." He gave a half smile. "Thanks Matt." As Jay turned his horse around, he glanced over at the wounded man. "One question though. Why do you as.sume that I'm the leader? I mean, no one has said anything to make you think that."

Jake looked at Sam. "I know! It was all Rukiea!" He stood up and was hit backward by a guard's punch Jake placed his hand down and flipped back. He was against the door. "Come on! hurry up! get Zane! no! Gets Leita!" He ran over quickly and stabbed a guard through the small opening on his neck. He carried Zane gently and ran quickly toward the door. "Hold on!" he ran out the door and through the hallway. He quickly took out bandage from his pouch. He wrapped it tightly around Zane's wound. "This will help with the blood flolw..."

Matt looked at Jay. "Oh... You just seemed like the Leader to me. Rukiea is too impulsive... Jake is just plain stupid at times. Sam and Rosalie are a little out there and tend to ignore some things if they want to. Sam is also so cocky.. and Leita doesn't look the part.. So you just seems down to earth until a few minutes ago when you made Rukiea sad and she was taken away. Leaders don't run... they fight.." He looked Jay dead in the eyes. He knew what it was like to want freedom. How hard it was to stay away from the one he loved and how difficult it was to understand her when she was only talking to him through a wall.