Caroline jolted awake, her entire body soaked with sweat, her chest convulsing so hard she was in pain, clutched her hand quickly against the damp skin of her neck, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief to find her siblings still nestled against her neck, asleep, as the first lilac tones of sunrise began to peek over the horizon.  She relived the dream painfully: her entire family killed, by her own hand, simply because Catherine’s wicked spell had ordered her to for her own amusement.  But it was only a dream.  Only a dream.  It hurt her head, almost making her want to scream across the lands.  She had a feeling, though, that if she screamed with the kind of anguish she had in the dream, quite a few windows would be smashed throughout the kingdom.

                Of course, not all of her dream was false.  Her father was still gone, and she had no idea what she might do without him.  Laying a hand over her eyes, she tried to think of the wonderful things still in her life.  Her mother, pained as she was.  Her loyal, loving siblings.  Her beloved nurse and confidant, Rose.  Her foolishly brave and protective Luke, who, despite the very serious size advantage she had over him, was desperate to do any and all he could to ensure her safety.

                Her palm still cupped around the sleeping bodies of her siblings, Caroline at once remembered that another night had nearly passed, and she suddenly realized just how tiny and fragile they felt; she had only not realized it, because in her dream, she had become accustomed to her entire family being so tiny and so much smaller than one of her fingers, she could have snapped each one of them cleanly in two with her pinkies.  She shuddered, gently stroking her siblings, humming a lullaby to them, and hoping they had slept more soundly than she had.

                The serenity of the morning was shattered by the crashing sound of fire and crackling smoke striking the side of the castle.  Caroline felt her siblings jolt awake under the tent of her hands, herself shaking slightly at the trauma rattling through the ground.  She sat up, careful not to harm her stirred brother and sister, and listened, hearing another crash of flame, closer this time.

                “Caroline!” squealed Phillip.  “What’s going on?”

                “Help them, Caroline!  You’ve got to do something,” said Anne, tugging at Caroline’s pinky finger, which rested on the ground with her flat hand.  She nodded down to them.

                “Stay here,” she said, going into a standing position.  The two siblings, and the gigantic princess, gasped as she stood up, coming in at what must have been roughly seven stories tall, the largest spurt she had had yet.  She looked far below at her siblings, each of them only a few inches tall, and stepped towards the courtyard wall, making the ground tremble with her steps as she stood on her tiptoes to look over the wall, grasping at it in her massive fingers.  She had to duck, though, as a fireball came hurtling at her, nearly missing her face and smashing through a wall behind her, on the other side of the courtyard.  “GET DOWN!” she bellowed down at her siblings, and they took refuge under a stone bench together.  Looking back, Caroline was horrified at what she saw: fires raging across homes all over the village, larger and brighter than anything caused by the mother beast the previous day.  Smoke filled the sky.  Caroline realized her dream state must have been so deep, she had missed it.  It puzzled her that such a thing hadn’t awoken her; curiously for a moment, she wondered if it had been a magic-induced slumber, but quickly scoffed at this as she continued surveying the scene.  Far off, she could hear metal clashing and swords crashing, soldiers yelling, and the gurgle of some odd, otherworldly being she had never quite heard before, or would ever be able to describe.  She couldn’t quite make them out, but saw waves upon waves of orange-blotched beings racing over the village hillsides for the palace.  And at that moment, Caroline realized how far gone they were.  Inside the palace itself, she could already hear shouting and metal clanging.  She began frantically thinking, wondering how she could get her siblings away, regroup, and find help.  There had to be something.  The kingdom, she was sure, was depending on her, and as she stood there, she remembered about her bloodline: she was the new queen.  It was her duty, then.

                “The village is ready to fall, m’lady,” said Daniel triumphantly, standing outside the palace doors as his men rushed around, gathering up regals to use as hostages.  “And we have nearly taken the palace as well.  It only took us just over an hour, I believe.”

                “Did I not tell you, Daniel?  Did I not?  Without Richard, this place crumbles like a kingdom made of sand.  I suppose it might also have to do with the fact that they were so… BRUTALLY… ravaged by the dear, dear mother of the Black Mountains…” chuckled Catherine, very amused by this fact.  “They lost many troops, many armaments, and many homes.  Rather convenient for us, I should think, Daniel?”

                “Indeed.  Very convenient.  I would assume that by noon of this day, we shall have the survivors taken down, and the stragglers rounded up for use as leverage, if necessary.”

                “Excellent.  This is going off surprisingly without problems.  Frankly, I’m a little shocked…”

                “Do you… doubt my military leadership, m’lady?”

                Catherine turned her head to him in disbelief.  “Don’t be ridiculous, Daniel.  Of COURSE I doubt it.  But that’s not at all what I refer to.  No, I refer to the noticeable lack of our titanic mistress of love and peace…” she said, looking around.  “Your troops didn’t happen to find a golden-haired mistress as tall as a high tower stomping around?  Or, perhaps, stomping ON them?  I doubt they would notice her coming, now that I think on it…”

                “Err… no, m’lady, no such reports.”

                “Perhaps she is frightened?  No doubt she is still obscenely traumatized by the death of her poor old father.  Who knows, she may even have developed fearful respect for ME?” said Catherine, planting a hand on her chest as if she had won a major award.

                Daniel nodded with reverence.  “An uncharacteristically wise choice on her part, m’lady.”

                Catherine furrowed her brow at him in disgust.  “If you want to kiss the ground I walk upon like that, Daniel, I would suggest the literal form.  It would amuse me more.  No matter.  Find the princess herself, and the younger ones as well.  They may come in useful later.”

                “Y-Yes… yes, m’lady…” answered Daniel, clearly fearful of the princess’s destructive power.

                “Have you located Duchess Elizabeth?”

                “Yes, she is already with some of the Others in the palace’s Great Hall.  They are waiting for you there.”

                “Excellent,” said Catherine, reaching into her robes and removing the repaired crystal.  As she held it, it shone more brightly than ever before, the purple blinding both of them for a moment before the display was trapped back inside, Catherine’s hand clenching harder around it as she moaned in pleasure.  “Daniel… it’s close…”

                “What’s…”

                “Don’t be a fool, not now.  IT.”

                “I see… how close?”

                “Very close.  And so is my power.”

                “M’lady?”

                “WHAT?”

                “The princess… errr… what are we to do when we… well, what I mean to say is…”

                “Cease your blabbering, Daniel.  I am perfectly aware that the princess could annihilate a pocket of your troops with the nail of her smallest finger.  I simply ask that you find her, and point her out to me.  I shouldn’t have much difficulty at all subduing her, no matter how large she’s gotten.”

                Caroline knelt near the ground, studying her terrified siblings’ faces and thinking as quickly as she could on a method of escape.  She laid her hand flat on the ground in front of them, palm up.  Both quickly dashed out of the cover, clambering into her hand.  At this point, she was able to rather easily hold both of them in one hand, although she cupped her other hand around them softly just in case.  “I’m going to get us out of here.  Just cover your ears and shut your eyes…” whispered Caroline.  They nodded, doing so, as the princess looked around in vain for a solution.  She knew she could climb over the wall and probably exit the palace without much of a scene, but she could tell that with the rapidly firing flame balls hitting the palace, the foe had a great many catapults, and she would be a sitting duck crossing directly out front.  She was large and powerful, she knew, but the oily projectiles had managed to burn away most of the fur of terrible mother beast.  She had a feeling she wouldn’t hold up long under extended fire.  And then no one would ever hear from the fallen kingdom again; she had to get help, she just wasn’t sure how.

                And then, it occurred to her.  The ring.  The old hag, seemingly crazy at the time.  It water.  It was at this instant that Caroline had a feeling deep in her gut that Catherine was responsible for this cruel follow-up attack to her taking of Richard’s life.  And despite her size, she had another feeling that she would be no match for the awful witch in a face-off, no matter how much advance time she got to stop her.  Physical, brute strength would do her no good against black magic and spells, and that was all the princess had besides her wits, and even despite these, she knew the witch to be terribly cunning as well.  This made her all the more frantic to think of an escape route, and her mind kept wandering back to the ring.  As it had touched the water, it had rumbled, like it had magical properties itself.  Perhaps if the woman really HAD been telling the truth, thought Caroline, then there was a possible way of salvation for herself and her siblings until they could fetch reinforcements.  She was running very low on options as the roaring of the Others inside the palace grew louder, the screams of attacked civilians growing louder.

                Hardly knowing what she was doing, and certainly not thinking more than a few seconds ahead of herself, Caroline bent toward the ground, lowering her hands toward the pond.  Her siblings looked uneasily at her.  “Don’t be alarmed, I’m not going to drop you.”

                “What ARE you doing then, Caroline?” asked Phillip, confused.

                “I don’t know yet.  Hold still,” she said stoically, dipping the ring into the water.  She closed her eyes, feeling the rumbling pick up again.  “C-C-Caroline?” came Anne’s voice.  “What’s happening?”  But she said nothing else, knowing the fear of the unknown was going to fill her siblings until the effects wore off.  She shushed them gently, keeping her lids shut and feeling a warm sensation rush through her, followed by an ice cold one.  She shivered, but soon found an odd feeling of mist touching her skin from every angle.  Finding this odd, she opened her eyes, and nearly tripped over onto the ground far below at what she saw before her, realizing that the ring had worked.

                Luke had dragged himself from bed, hearing the commotion, and retrieved his blade.  Two Others had rushed as a pair into the room, and even in his wounded form, the prince had easily bested them with his sword.  However, six more rushed in, ready to face the prince, and Luke was ready as well, holding his blade high despite his quivering and tired arms, his back sore and stinging still.  They rushed forward, easily pinning him to the ground, with a large Other about to deliver the killing strike to the enraged Luke.

                “STOP!” shouted Daniel in the language of the Others, marching into the room.  All the soldiers frozen, still pinning Luke to the ground.  “HE lives!” Daniel spat at the one standing over him.  “Do not lay a finger upon him.”

                “But he’s killed two of our rank, look!” growled the one.  “I’m finishing him off…”

                “FINISH him, and I’ll finish you as well,” grunted Daniel, holding his blade against the hapless neck of the soldier, who began to quiver with fear and aggression.  “You are expendable, soldier, if you step too far out of line and disobey orders like this, do not forget that.”

                “Aye, sir.  And for what purpose might you prevent me from destroying this pathetic weakling?”

                “CATHERINE, our great LEADER, has decreed it.  There are certain people not to be touched, and he is one of them.”

                “Are you certain that this is the one they want?  Because I’d certainly hate to be deprived of his death for no reason,” hissed the Other, squinting one eye at Luke’s defiant, unblinking stare.

                “We don’t make mistakes, soldier.  Now remove your blade, or I shall be forced to remove your head from your neck,” answered Daniel authoritatively.  The Other dropped his blade, and Daniel gave him a slight cut on his neck, which the made the creature yelp and grasp painfully at it with his claws, a few drops of blood dribbling between his fingers.

                “What was…” growled the Other.

                “For your insolence, soldier.  Now return to work.”  Shoving his shoulder more roughly than was necessary against Daniel as he stood, the Other walked out of the room with the other five of his remaining ranks.  Leaning over Luke’s angered face, Daniel ran a hand over his own bald head.

                “You are lucky, human.  As you can see, my men are none too quick to dispense mercy, particularly for those who carelessly fell their comrades.”

                “Believe me, there was nothing careless in my actions,” spat Luke.  Daniel slammed an armored shoe on top of his chest, forcing the air from his body.

                “Choose your words wisely, prince; if Catherine finds no use for you, I may ask for you myself, and then you shall find yourself without that petty smile upon your face.”  Unsheathing his sword, Daniel smacked the butt of his blade down into Luke’s face with such raw, muscular force that it knocked him unconscious.

                “Daniel!” called the voice of Catherine as she stepped into the room.  “Have you rounded up all persons of note on my special guest list?” she asked, holding out a hastily scribbled note.

                “Almost, m’lady.  We’re missing three, I’m afraid.”

                “THREE.  Three is not “almost,” Daniel, three is three.  Three is a long way from zero, in fact.  And which three might it be that you are missing?”

                Daniel gulped.  “Prince Phillip.  Princess Anne.  And… Princess Caroline.”

                Catherine stared at him in utter, disgusted disbelief.  “Caroline,” she repeated coldly and blankly.

                “Y-Yes… we can’t find her anywhere…” he mumbled.  “I suppose that…”

                “CAROLINE!” bellowed the witch, practically spitting into Daniel’s face.  “How have you not FOUND her yet?”

                “Believe me, m’lady, we’re searching; my men are scouring the palace, she’s nowhere to be found.”  Catherine began striding angrily toward the door, waving her hand at him.

                “Come, wretch, to the Great Hall to say hello to our established guests.  And you still have a very tall young princess to find, don’t you?”

                “But… m’lady… she’s nowhere…”

                “Daniel, just SHUT your despicable MOUTH for a short instant so I can think and speak!” she roared as they marched down the hallway.  “She shouldn’t be this difficult to FIND, she’s seventy feet TALL now, she should tell YOU where she is with a simple footfall!”

                “I suppose we might have missed her…” mumbled the defeated Daniel, hanging his head.

                “MISSED her, Daniel.  MISSED her.  You never cease to amuse me, never, never, never…” grumbled the witch, feigning a smile for an instant before breaking into another shrieking rage.  “Well, perhaps you’ll NOTICE her when her big toe is crushing your puny head against the ground like a CRANBERRY!”

                Caroline and her siblings, having become completely invisible through the power of the ring when in contact with water, were already busily sneaking out of the palace gates, past the raging destruction of the combatants.  A few times, Caroline had felt a tiny troop brush against her foot.  As the sun began to rise, she could make out who was the enemy and who wasn’t: knowing she couldn’t get too involved for fear of breaking her cover and delaying their run for reinforcements, Caroline had swatted with her toes at a few passing Others, but had continued moving on as she did.  After sidestepping burning houses and wreckage, still cupping her shivering and fearful siblings in her palms, Caroline had begun the slow descent down the hills, toward the forests that would eventually lead near the Black Mountains.

                Hardly having a plan, all Caroline could do was pray that her mother and Luke would be safe, as she dashed unseen through the forests toward the mountains in the far off distance and rumbled the earth with quakes, where she might finally get some answers from the strange old woman who was, it seemed, right about several things that Caroline intended to investigate.  Her people were depending on her, and she intended to use every last breath in her body to ensure they weren’t let down.