• Amirilous was sitting in her bed chamber, silently reading a book that had been given to her by her father. Her eyes scanned the pages in a zigzag manner, reading each and every word. “Thou shall surely die for his betrayal to the kingdom,” she thought to herself, continuing to read more. Becoming bored of the book, she set it aside and moved to look out the large window, which gazed down upon the trail that led up to the castle.

    Rather than look down upon the trail, she looked up to the sky. “A most beautiful afternoon… I wonder where thou, Sirzael art?” she thought aloud.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


    Sirzael’s cloak swayed behind his body as he swiftly made his way along the light blue carpet that led up to the throne. He was going to ask the king for his daughter’s hand in marriage so that their kingdoms could unite and become more powerful against their enemies. That was the way in these medieval times.

    Sirzael came up to the throne, kneeling before the king of these lands. He lifted his head slightly, looking up at the man from beneath blonde bangs that covered his dark blue eyes. “Your Majesty, I hail from the northern lands and I have come forth to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”

    The king, Arthur, lifted his head to study the young man in front of him, a book lying opened within his hands on his lap. “What purpose do you have, young sir?”

    “I wish to unite our two kingdoms so that we might face those from the east. They are invading upon my lands, and upon yours, yes? I wish to create a union between my kingdom and yours, strengthening both of us,” Sirzael answered in truth.

    “I like how you think, young one. You have my blessing to wed my daughter.” The man smiled kindly at the young prince. “She must be pondering as to where you are. She is an intelligent young lady that she is. I judge Amirilous and you shall make a nice pair and shall get along fairly well.”

    Sirzael stood to his feet and nodded to the king. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I shall treat her kindly.”

    The king smiled once again. For some reason, Sirzael really didn’t like the man. He was a bit too cheerful. “I know you shall. I am able to see it in your eyes, young lad.”

    Sirzael closed his eyes, wishing silently that they didn’t always give away his intentions. “Might I ask as to where she is? I wish to be off as quickly as possible. My parents have planned this union beforehand.”

    “She is up in her chamber. I am quite positive Ami will be most pleased to see you. She has been most stubborn as to leave the castle and pay you a visit, but you know how protective I am of her nowadays.”

    “Yes. Of this I am sure,” he quietly murmured. “I don’t believe we will see each other again before she and I leave so… I bid you a farewell, Your Majesty.” Sirzael bowed low before turning and walking up a staircase to the next level. He walked the hallway, his heels clicking away at the marble tiles. When he came to Amirilous’ room, he rapped his knuckles against the wood lightly, waiting for permission to enter.

    She jumped, slightly startled since Ami had been lost in thought. “Co-Come on in,” she said with a stammer, positioning herself to sit in the window of her room. Oh, how he enjoyed her meek voice. It really didn’t fit her image, but still, he would enjoy her. Sirzael pushed the door open slowly, allowing it to creak loudly and making her wait anxiously.

    As he stepped into the room, his eyes scanned the room, finding that it was full of dark and rich colors ranging from red to blue with violet in between, with black as the base color. Sirzael looked at the window where he knew she would be. He smiled slightly. “Hello, Amirilous.” She straightened her posture, her hands behind her back and intertwined together. She smiled kindly.

    “Hello, Sirzael.”

    Sirzael’s smile broadened as he stepped closer to her. He held his hand out for her to take. “I bear good news that you might like to hear, Ami.”

    “What is it, Sirzael?” she asked, stepping closer to him and tilting her head with curiosity.

    He nodded slightly to his hand. “Take my hand, and I shall tell you. You will enjoy it so very much, love.” She took his hand a bit eagerly, becoming more curious about the news he withheld from her knowledge. Ami’s face became a blushing garnet color at the last word he had said. He so enjoyed her blushes. Sirzael pulled Amirilous to his chest when she took his hand. He held her against him, arms wrapped around her. “I have pleaded for your hand in marriage to your father, and he has given us his blessing,” he whispered into her ear.

    She blushed a darker red, her red eyes glancing up to look at him. Her brow furrowed in confusion. “He usually trusts no one. I wonder what had changed his mind.”

    Sirzael softly hummed in consideration, wondering if he should tell her the reason. He decided against it at the moment and gently nipped her ear to whisper into it. “Don’t you worry about that, my love. So long as we have his blessing, all is well. Now… pack only a number of dresses. We will be heading off before dusk arrives.” He let Amirilous go so that she was able to gather what she would need. He sat down at the window, glancing over his shoulder at the path. He wouldn’t travel along that path. Thieves would possibly try to attack them, and Sirzael hadn’t brought along a single knight to defend them. No, instead they would head a different route.

    Amirilous was slightly in shock, wondering why they had to leave so soon, but she pushed the thought from her mind. “O-Okay…” She packed her things silently and in a daze. She was lost in thought. “Why must we leave so early? What is the rush? I really do not understand…” She paused, allowing the thought to be pushed from her mind once again. Sirzael’s eyes followed her movements.

    When she paused, his brow furrowed. Why did she pause in her work? “What’s the matter, my love? Is there something on your mind?”

    “No, nothing at all…” She turned to him, smiling. “Out of sheer curiosity, why do you ask?”

    “There is just this air about you that seems as if you have something troubling on your mind.”

    “’Tis nothing to worry about, darling. I’m fine,” she said in her usual soft voice, smiling again.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


    The prince gently nudged his princess into wakefulness, not wanting to be rude about waking her. He ran a hand over her cheek and down her neck. “Time to wake up, my love.” The princess turned on her side, opening her eyes to gaze at him with a sleepy look, and smiled at him sheepishly, mumbling a good morning to him. She stretched lazily. His eyes trailed along her outstretched body, finding no fault in what he saw. He ran a gentle hand over her abdomen to just below her navel and kissed her lips softly. “I believe it is time to be off into the daylight. The sun is just only rising, and we have a very long journey ahead if we wish to make Ash Castle before dusk.”

    Blushing lightly, she smiled again. “Just allow me to put something decent on and we can be on our way, okay?” He smiled, nodding. Sirzael left and headed to the bathroom so that she would be able to dress in privacy. As he tied his long hair into a low ponytail, he heard a thud, but passed it off as Ami dropping a traveling boot to the floor.

    Acolyte, being the blundering idiot that he is and was, had accidentally dropped the sword with which he was planning on killing Sirzael with so that he might be able to take the fair and wonderful young Amirilous away to keep as his own. He silently cursed himself for dropping the sword. He stuck it in his belt and moved closer to the room Ami was in. He quietly opened the door a crack, peeking inside.

    She was getting dressed silently, her back to the door, slipping into one of her favorite dresses. “I still wonder why we must leave so early… Will something bad happen?” she thought to herself. Hearing the door being opened, she turned her head to the side a fraction as she finished tying the back of her dress. “Sirzael?” she called softly.

    “Crap, what do I do now?!” Acolyte asked himself. He fiddled with the strap of his sword. “’Tis now or never.” Acolyte swung the door open like a madman, lunging across the room to grab Ami around her waist. He covered her mouth with his hand just before she could scream. His lips came to her ear, whispering, “Do not scream. Do not struggle. Or your precious Sirzael is dead.” Acolyte spat the prince’s name out like it was foul-tasting.

    Ami nodded slightly, staying silent because she didn’t want anything to happen to her prince. “Good,” he said, drawing the word out long and slow. “Now, when he comes back in, I want you to act normal. However, keep him away from the door. Lead him to the closet as close as you can. If I even think that you’re trying to let him know about me, I will kill him. Do you understand?” Acolyte trailed a hand down her body to her hip and gripped it a bit roughly, which earned him a whimper from her. He grinned at this. She bit her bottom lip, obediently nodding her head in agreement. “Good.” His ears perked. He was able to hear Sirzael’s footsteps coming down the hallway now. “And allow the show to begin…”

    Walking to the door, she peaked her head out, stammering, “S-Sirzael?”

    The prince opened the door all the way seeing as it had been left at a crack. “What’s wrong, my love?” He pulled her into his arms and hugged her against him gently.

    “I think I heard a rat…” she mumbled, gesturing to the closet.

    “A rat?” Sirzael moved closer to the closet. He took out his sword, holding it at the ready to strike. He moved ever closer, a hand reaching out to grab at the door to look inside. Ami followed close behind him, her hands behind her back. She whispered, while shrugging, to him that it sounded as if two rats had been in there. “Two rats? Hmm,” he hummed slightly. “Are you sure they were rats?”

    “Y-yeah… well, I’m not sure… Maybe mice or roaches.” She shrugged again. “I’m not sure about it. I never looked.”

    Sirzael gave Ami a slightly skeptical look. What was she… afraid of something that made a noise that she wasn’t sure about? Well, their time together was going to be a long one, he thought mildly. “Okay.”

    “What the heck is she doing?! She… Is she trying to give him a hint or something?!” Acolyte screamed in his mind. He quietly growled low in his throat in annoyance.

    She giggled quietly to herself. “I think it is a little farther back. Do you think you could check, Sirzael?” she wondered, tilting her head to the side. “There’s not a chance in my father’s torture chamber I would step foot into that closet…” Sirzael nodded slowly, still slightly skeptical. If she was scared about little rodents just a few moments ago, why was she giggling now?

    He shook it from his mind as he turned, placed a hand on the door, and pulled it open. “Holy mother of the promise land!” Sirzael yelped out, blocking a swing to cut his head clean off his shoulders. “What in the world is going on here?!”

    “The rat I was speaking of was an intruder… He tried to get me to keep my mouth shut, even snuck in while I was getting dressed…” She heaved a heavy sigh. “He shouldn’t have trusted me…” she said. “Could you kill the rat?" She asked Sirzael, tilting her head.

    “You little wench!” Acolyte snarled. “I knew you were hinting at something! You disobeyed me! That will not happen again once I have you for myself!” The man swung his sword uncoordinatedly at Sirzael, hoping to catch the prince off guard, but it didn’t work out. Sirzael had been watching Acolyte the entire time, yet listening to Amirilous as well. The prince struck back, his sword clanging violently against the other’s weapon.

    Amirilous moved a safe distance away from the two, sitting in the window like she normally loved to. “Being yours won’t happen. You shouldn’t have come here in the first place…” she trailed off, thoughtful as she watched the two of them.

    “Never will she bow to you. Never will I allow my life to be taken by the likes of you!” Sirzael forced Acolyte’s sword from his hand, making it clatter to the wooden floor. “Now…” The prince pressed the tip of his sword to the man’s throat. “You have two choices. Your first choice is to leave and keep your life or to stay and end it. Your choice?” Sirzael backed Acolyte up against a wall, pressing the tip a little harder into the bare neck. A small red trail of blood came from the wound.

    “Kill him, Sirzael,” she urged him. “He barged in while I was dressing,” Ami reminded him, getting up from the window.

    “No. No, please. Spare my life,” Acolyte pleaded, tears rolling down his cheeks. Sirzael scoffed at this reaction to facing death right before him.

    “If you so wish, milady,” the prince murmured, shoving the sword forward and keeping his eyes on Amirilous. “Allow us to return to Ash Castle now?”

    She smiled at Sirzael. “Indeed... Home sweet home,” she said with another smile.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


    Sirzael hefted Amirilous up into his arms, carrying her into Ash Castle, a place his parents had given him and where the prince and princess were going to wed. He carried her all the way up to the rooms, gently set her down on the bed, and climbed in next to her. Softly, he kissed her neck, pulling a rope from the headboard to wind it around her wrists.

    She let out a soft purr, playfully nipping at Sirzael’s ear. “Be careful with the dress. It’s my favorite,” Amirilous said, bite-kissing his neck.

    Sirzael grinned. “I will be, my love.” As he moved to kiss her lips, a cackling laugh interrupted him. He groaned in frustration. She groaned as well, looking over his shoulder toward the door. She groaned again, frowning.

    “I AM MANIACAL, THE EVIL ROPE!!!!! FEAR ME!!!!!” a voice yelled out from nowhere. It startled Sirzael. He looked to the rope he had bound Amirilous with. Quietly, he cursed himself. Why hadn’t he seen the little unibrow that showed it was a magical rope? Why hadn’t he checked?!

    Ami looked above her head, groaning with frustration. “Did the rope just talk?” she asked, looking at Sirzael.

    “Unfortunately, yes. I hadn’t thought to check. The Lord only knows why my parents put a magical rope in here.”

    "MY NAME IS MANIACAL!!!!! MAAAH-NIIII-AHHHH-COAL!!!!!"

    “Keep quiet, rope. Don’t you see what harm you’ve caused when you started talking?” she asked, her frustration level rising a little. She was trying to think of a way to silence it for awhile now.

    "NOOO!!!!! I SHALL NEVER BE QUIET!!!!! I WILL NOT BE SILENCED BY SOME ADOLESCENT WENCH!!!!!!" Sirzael's brow twitched from annoyance. He pried at the rope to remove it, but it clung to the princess' skin. The rope laughed. "YOU WILL NEVER GET ME OFF!!!!!"

    “Sirzael, could you get your father or something? I’ll try to talk to this thing,” she said, looking at him. “Maybe it’ll listen to reason and untie itself."

    “Ahh, okay, love. I’ll be back soon.” He kissed her lips and left the room quickly.

    She smiled then looked back at the rope. “Okay, you listen to me. Either you untie yourself, or we’ll have to use force. Which do you prefer?” she asked, almost shouting at this point.

    "I SHALL NEVER LET GO!!! MY PURPOSE WAS TO HOLD THINGS TOGETHER SO THAT THEY NEVER FALL APART AND I AM DOING MY JOB!!!!"

    “I’m not falling apart. I am human, not an inanimate object you can force together forever,” she explained. “There’s a difference between humans and objects that break after awhile.” The rope was quiet for quite awhile. Nothing came out of its non-existent mouth. Slowly, it began to unravel. Ami smiled a bit. “Thank you.” She looked to a rocking chair where the back, a beam more towards the middle, was starting to fall apart. “Why not hold that together?” she suggested.

    The rope stayed silent. Nothing. How strange. “Take me to it,” Maniacal finally said.

    Amirilous silently nodded as she picked the rope up, walking toward the chair. “Mind if I call you Mani?” she asked, tying the rope around the broken beam.

    “NO! MY NAME IS MANIACAL, GAD NAB IT!!!!” Sirzael came in at that moment, his father only paces behind him.

    “Doesn’t seem we will need you, Father…” the prince murmured. “Next time though… Keep the magical stuff out of the bedroom.”

    “Maniacal decided to listen to reason,” she said, turning to him. “I’m sorry.”

    “It is fine, my love.” Sirzael’s father was already gone and forgotten. The prince strode to his princess and wrapped her up in a kiss. Amirilous smiled, blushing lightly as she kissed him back, arms around his neck.

    And thus, they lived happily ever after in a castle by the name of Ash with a rope by the name of Maniacal holding together a beam in a bedroom.

    And they never thought of Acolyte again…

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    THE END