There were gaurds on every door and window. She felt traped in a box, wrapped with barbed wire.

Whenever someone knocked on her door, it was either a message from Asher, or a servant brining her a meal.

Something had changed, in Asher and in the gaurds. She could feel it around her, like the humming of a bee.

Some time of noise, that told her danger was close to her and everyone else.

"Lady Emily?" asked one of the servants from the doorway. "I have a message from Lord Asher."

She was handed a gold and silver letter. Why he didn't just come to her himself was beyond her.

She snapped the seal and scanned the letter.

She jumped up from her chair with a scream.

"What!? Absolutly not!!"

Emily ran to the door and yanked it open.

The gaurds stoped her. "I'm sorry Lady Emily, you aren't aloud to leave this room."

Emily's eyes flashed steel tips at the gaurds. "Then you get his royal butt-ship Lord Asher here, right NOW!"

The gaurds seemed to take her seriously, and one ran off to talk to Asher.

Emily then slamed the door and ripped the letter to shreds.

*************

Emily held her stinging hand close to her chest.

Asher's head was still to the side, her hand had left a stinging red mark on his sking.

He turned an angry smile on his face. "Don't push me Emily."

"Don't push me into a corner Asher. I won't back down."

Asher folded his arms behind him. "It makes so much sense Emily, we will be married tonight. The assasigs, won't know it, and we will have formed the union right under there nose."

Emily watched Asher carefull. "You're different. I don't know you."

Asher shrugged his shoulders. "I'm the same as I've always been."

"Really? Then tell me, where did we always go in the afternoons?"

"The gardens."

"Was I druged coming here?"

"Yes."

Emily narowed her eyes. "What did you tell me yesterday by Gabriel's side."

Asher waved his hand. "Nothing of importance."

Emily clenched her fist. "What did you tell me?!"

"Not to worry about Gabriel."

"No," Emily said, stepping back. "You told me that you understood, that I loved Gabriel."

Asher looked at her intently.

Emily knew, this person before her wasn't Asher. "Who are you?"

Asher's eyes suddenly flashed red.

Emily gasped. "No!"

Asher reached forward quickly and grabbed both her arms. "Now you listen to me you little human, you will marry this body tonight, and forge the Union. Then, when the Union has been forged we will slit your throat and kill Lord Asher and Gabriel."

Emily spit in the creatures face.

The fake Asher laughed. "The assasigns, as you've called us, are now all around you Emily. What are you going to do? What can you possibly do?"

The fake Asher shoved her away so hard, she stumbled and slamed against the desk.

"You will be ready tonight, or I will simply send an army of red-teeth demons to devore each and every part of you."

"I will die either way, what's the difference."

"Choose the Union and you will live longer and die less painfully."

The fake Asher turned and swept from the room.

Emily felt her heart drop to her stomach.

************

The doors to her bedroom were thrown open mearly an hour after Asher had left her alone.

Emily looked up and gasped. "Lixer!"

The young woman's hand was bandaged but she smiled bravely. "Emily."

The two friends embrased each other, happy to have someone they could trust.

Emily sat down, Lixer followed. Around them, gaurds stood, while the servants set out the gown for Emily to change into.

Emily glanced at Lixer's hand.

Lixer nodded her head. "I know Emily, I know that they are all around us now. Daniel...Oh Agean!...Emily, the last I saw him, he was being thrown over the tower top...with a broken wing!"

Lixer covered her face, "He tried to keep them from me...but they were everywhere!"

Emily hugged her friend again. "Don't worry, I'm sure he survived."

Lixer sniffled, then drew herself up tall. "We have to escape."

Emily waved a hand at all the gaurds around them. "How?"

Lixer smiled. "I don't know. I was hopeing you had come up with a plan."

The two girls sighed. If only they could be left alone for just a few miniets, then they could talk without fear.

One of the maids came up to Emily and asked her if she was ready to get in the dress.

Emily shook her head. "I am NOT wearing that-"

All the gaurds put their hands on swords.

"...dress without first having my hair brushed." Emily finished quietly.

"I'm pleased to see you acept your fate human."

Emily and Lixer both turned to the calm honeyed voice. It was an Agean female, that looked a lot like Asher.

Lixer hissed, backing up, pulling Emily with her. "Aurora."

The Agean flung her long blond hair behind her. "Yes. Aurora. And after tonight, I will be High Queen Aurora...well since all the heirs to the Royal thrown will be killed off. It'll have to be me."

Lixer balled her hands into fists. "You are dillusional and insane. There is no way you can be the ruler of Agean."

Emily looked Aurora up and down, she did look like Asher, but her face was much harsher. As though she had been through much more in life then Asher ever had. Her wings were smaller, and had a redish tint to them. She wore a simply purple dress, buckled with a golden clasp of the Agean Royal family.

Suddenly Aurora was standing in front of Emily, grasping her chin, lifting her head high.

"I do see power in you human. Unfortunatly, there won't be any time for you to achive any use with it. Pitty."

Emily tore her chin away. "What are you here for? To gloat?"

Aurora crossed her arms over her belly. "I only wanted to meet the human that would contaminate my family's blood lines."

Lixer spat at Aurora. "You are the only contamination witch."

Emily shouted as one of the gaurds brought up his sword hilt and slamed it into Lixer's back.

"Don't!" Emily cried, throwing herself over her friends unconsious body.

Aurora made a discusted sound. "Get her in that gown in twenty miniets, and that one...take her to down to the rest of them."

The gaurds nodded their heads.

Emily turned and watched Aurora confedintly walk out of the room.

"They'll know!" Emily shouted after Aurora. "They'll know you killed us all!"

Aurora laughed. "I don't care."

************

Gabriel hissed in a sharp breath as his brother pulled the last bandage off.

Asher looked it over. "It's the best I can do Gabriel."

Gabriel nodded his head and turned to the others in the cell.

"Any luck Daniel?"

Daniel pulled his arm back from the loose brick. "No. The gaurds are still out there, it'll be a few more miniets at least...I think."

Lixer pulled her knees up. "The Royal trumpets sounded not to long ago, the procession is probably moving forward."

Gabriel slammed a fist into the ground. "Damn it! How did this happen!"

No one answered his question.

Asher stood up. "Why would Aurora force Emily to go through a fake ceremony, when she plans to kill us all later tonight."

Gabriel gave a bitter laugh. "So all the Agean people will be too bussy celebrating to notice any battle from the palace."

The four prisoners glanced around them. They all shared the same thoughs, if they didn't get out soon, they wouldn't be able to save Emily.

**********

Emily felt the sharp head dress crown dig into the side of her head. It weighed a ton!

Her long gown of deep blue and white shone out against the white suites that all the gaurds were wearing.

She moved her eyes above and saw what looked like a massive church roof, with massive glass windows on each side of the church/temple that let in the fadding sunset.

If she wasn't so terrified, she would be amazing at the beauty of the Agean wedding temple.

Around her as she continued her walk down the golden carpeted ile, were the staring faces of thousands of Ageans. And none of them knew that this was all a farce.

Behind the white viel, she hoped that someone would pick up on her terrified, angry expression. But all the Ageans smiled as she walked by, they're eyes shinning with thanks.

Emily bit her lip, she was probably killing the flowers she held in her vice grip. The pale white and blue flowers that sort of looked like large bleeding heart flowers, were beautiful.

Emily realised she was now only a few feet away from the tall alter. Damn! Could she run away.

Her feet stoped, she lifted one foot to move backwards, but the fake Asher turned. The look in his eyes was enough, she knew it was over.

Emily never gave up this easily, never in her life, it was a fight to the end for her! But now, it had changed, it wasn't just her; she had to think of Gabriel, the real Asher and Lixer. All the Agean people, who might be killed by the Demon Gaurds that stood around the procession.

She had finally reached the alter.

The fake Asher held out a long white hand to her, his eyes were cold and harsh. He wore an Agean suit to match hers, only there were badges on the suit, sort of like an Admirals uniform.

As her fingers touched the fake Asher's she felt a jolt of cold electricity. Nearly frezzing her arm so that she couldn't feel anything.

One of the Agean maids took her flowers from her while the fake Asher pulled her up beside him. Her knees would have buckled and she would have fallen if the fake Asher hadn't caught her arm stronly enough to hold her up.

The impressively tall Agean who stood before them, seemed to be some sort of Agean Priest. How on earth had they gotten this together in just a few hours, she wondered. Answer; they had been preparing for it months in advanced, it was the only answer, the assasins had been here for so long. They probaly took control of the palace, just after Asher left to retrive her from earth!

The priest like Agean began to speak in the Agean tongue, Emily coudn't understand a word of it. The world seemd to go a little dark. She was going to throw up!

The fake Asher nodded his head and said, "Tean."

The Priest reached forward and lifted Emily's viel, he spoke to her in the foriegn language.

The fake Asher whispeared. "Say the word Tean."

Emily's mouth was parch, she couldn't focus her mind on anything. Oh, please! Someone, help her!

"T...Tean." She whispeared.

The fake Asher smiled, he took her cold hand in his as a sign of love to all the thousands of Agean's being dupped by this fake Union.

The Priest raised his voice to a near yelling sound, calling out something to the thousands of Ageans.

There were two seconds of silence and then...

"Th-Ean!" A voice shot out from the crowd.

The fake Asher whirled around, he pointed his finger and screamed at whoever had said that one word.

A voice, speaking in English cut of the fake Asher's scream. "False! This Union is unclean!"

Emily's hands shook, her back was still facing the crowd.

Slowly, she turned to her left, her eyes searching down the ile she'd just come up from.

There, striding down the ile, looking like the wrath of God, was Gabriel.

Gabriel spoke again in Agean.

Emily looked past him for a second and saw the real Asher, leaning slightly against Daniel for support. And there was Lixer!

Emily gasped when a hand shot out and closed around her neck.

Her hands went to the ones around her neck.

The fake Asher moved her in front of him like a shield. "See this Emily," he whispeared. "It will be the last thing you ever see."

"Nooo!!!" Gabriel scraemed.

Emily saw Gabriel reach towards her, she felt the knife in her back, felt it split her in half. She fell forward, reaching out to catch herself, and fell into darkness before she reached the ground.

**************