Subject: D&D Cartoon On-Line Fan Club Newsletter #7, Part 7
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 11:05:57 EDT

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Players
by Maureen S. O?Brien

This story is rated either G or PG-13. It begins in 1997; Scully has
recently learned she has cancer. Hope you like it!
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Part 4: Wilderness Encounters
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"It's not until you get back out to nature that you realize that
everything is out to get you." -- Dana Scully, "Quagmire", The X-Files

"So why do they call this place the Forest of Nightwinds?"

An eerie howl ran through the forest, and the trees shuddered and
bent as if hiding. Scully felt warm air gust against her face, and
blinked away the dust and bits of dry leaf that it carried with it.

Eric smirked. "Any other questions?"

Scully almost sighed. Mulder could almost read her mind. Why, she
was asking, am I always surrounded by smart-alecks?

"Actually," she said instead (and more loudly), "I was wondering how
long this wind keeps up. It'll make it hard to get any sleep. Or hear
anyone coming while we're out here on watch."

"I don't know," Eric admitted. "We've heard about this forest, and
the wind at night, but we've never actually been through it before.
If I'd known it got this noisy, I would have gotten some sleep this
afternoon, while it was still quiet."

"And that's another thing," Scully mused. "Wind is a result of
temperature differences."

"Hot air rises, cold air falls, all that science class stuff?"

Scully smiled. She'd thought Eric had a better brain than he liked
to admit. "Exactly. And there are places where the wind follows a
day-night pattern, most notably on the shores of oceans and large
bodies of water."

"Don't tell me...man, you should be talking to Presto; he remembers
this stuff way better than me...wait, I got it...because things get
cooler when the sun goes down?"

"The land does. The water stays about the same temperature, and thus
is warmer than the land. So the hot air rises up from the ocean and
over the land, while the cool air from the land blows out underneath,
toward the ocean. And that's what we call a land breeze. Whereas, when
the sun rises, the land is warmed while the water remains relatively
cool."

Mulder watched Scully with fascination. Preach it, science lady.

"And the cool air comes off the ocean toward the land..." Eric
ventured.

"And that's a sea breeze."

"And that's why that face cleaning stuff is called that!"

Scully smiled a little. "Could be." She turned to Mulder. "Do you see
where I'm heading with this?"

Mulder watched Scully with fascination. "Not a clue, except that I
have a hunch we won't like it."

"Temperature differentials. Dungeonmaster didn't say anything about
a lake around here. But he did mention 'the Flaming Plain'."

Eric gulped. "You're right. He did. 'Beyond the Forest of
Nightwinds, in the land of the Flaming Plain, the Mirror of Ages
shows the road to all lands.'"

Mulder grimaced. "And now you're assuming that "Flaming" may not be
just a figure of speech."

Eric gulped again. "You're right, Mulder. I don't like it."

Shadowdemon listened with as much fascination as the Bard to the
Paladin's words. Hot air rises, cool air falls, and that is where
wind comes from? It explained so much about the behavior of flying
creatures like birds and pegasi.

Come, Shadowdemon, the voice in his head growled. Report.

Shadowdemon obeyed and made his way back to Venger's side. "The
Young Ones are sleeping," he said. "Except for the Cavalier, and
the new Bard and Paladin. They are on watch."

"That will not help them." He raised his hand, producing a fireball.
"Orcs, attack!"

His voice was repeated by magic all around the clearing. The orcs
surrounding it grunted, unsurprised. Venger was always doing magic
stuff like that. They didn't worry about how he'd done it; they just
obeyed and charged in. Meanwhile, Venger announced his presence by
riding up to the edge of the clearing and flinging the fireball at
the Young Ones' camp.

"Get down!"

Mulder and Scully didn't remember obeying; they just found themselves
kissing dirt. Eric stood over them with his shield, deflecting
fireballs flung by a guy with wings on a flaming-eyed black horse.
Fortunately, the deflected fireballs were tending to fly in the
direction of the orcs that were attacking from every side, which
somewhat discouraged their advance. Well, except for the orcs
attacking from behind.

"Wake up!" Mulder yelled.

"We're under attack!" yelled Scully, drawing her sword and rushing
toward the orcs behind them. Okay, so she couldn't stab them, but
she could hit them with the flat and slice their gear away with the
point. Mulder suspected that there was some magic helping out her
pathologist's skill with a blade, since the average autopsy did not
include these Zorro-like moves, but that didn't worry him nearly as
much as the fact that his only weapon was a musical instrument.

Mulder's hand slipped on his lute, and the ugly chord seemed to wake
the others faster than all the yelling. Diana exploded from her
bedding right into a group of charging orcs, wreaking havoc with her
javelin as she went. Hank's magic arrows swept more orcs off their
feet, as did Bobby's club. Presto mumbled something sleepily to his
hat, several orcs were suddenly dressed in clown outfits, and the
other orcs looked confused and started to beat them up. And Sheila?
Well, he didn't see her, but the number of orcs who started to
stagger and fall for no good reason were probably evidence that
she'd woken up, too.

"Eric," Mulder suggested, "Start backing up. We can regroup with the
others and then get the heck out of this clearing."

"Good plan, G-Man. Now let's see if Venger will cooperate by giving
us a few more fireballs."

"More fireballs?"

The Cavalier didn't listen. "Hey, skirtboy! Running out of ammo?
Bad aim? Or is your wittle arm getting tired?"

"You dare, Cavalier?" Venger's blue face twisted with rage. "I have
more than enough fireballs for the likes of you!" He plucked a
fireball out of midair and threw it at Eric's head.

Eric grinned and raised his shield. "Come to Papa!"

The orcs saw what was going on and ducked. And since orcs, contrary
to popular belief, are not totally stupid, they stayed flat on the
ground while the fireballs flashed from Venger to Eric to an ever
larger portion of the treeline -- much of which was now burning.
Meanwhile, Eric backed up as Mulder behind him directed his
footsteps and warned him of obstacles.

"Ten feet to the treeline. Everybody else is gone. Time to make a
run for it," Mulder muttered. Eric turned and ran, preceded by a
Bard in black and followed by Venger's fireballs and frustrated
curses, none of which hit their mark.

Hank was waiting for them just beyond. "C'mon, guys! The orcs will
be after us soon!"

"Where's Scully?" Mulder asked reflexively.

"About five hundred yards ahead of us. Come on!"

They ran. They weren't caught.

"Find them, Shadowdemon!"

"Of course," Shadowdemon said smoothly. "But you know where they are
going -- the Flaming Plain. Surely it would be easier to lay an
ambush there?"

"Yes. Yes. But there are other powers on the Flaming Plain, powers I
do not fully comprehend. The Young Ones must be stopped before they
reach the Mirror of Ages!"
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CONTINUED IN PART 5: WANDERING MONSTERS

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As you can tell from the title, my "D&D Elseworlds" story places our favorite
group members in a world very similar to that of Robin Hood's -- with, of
course, a few little changes.  I didn't take any one interpretation of the
Robin Hood story as my reference -- it's kind of an amalgam of all of them --
but most of it is derived from the storyline of the 1991 movie, with my own
little changes here and there, of course.
This story is rated RBPOTM (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Movie), as it has
the equivalent level of action, references, and language, etc., as the movie
does.  (It was rated PG-13 for those of you who didn't see it).  But unlike
the movie, my Robin Hood actually keeps his English accent throughout the
story!  (Sorry, I like Kevin Costner too, but I couldn't help myself on that
one).  If you didn't like the movie, don't read the story.  If you don't like
PG-13 level action-adventure movies, don't read the story.  If you don't like
to read stories where people rarely use contractions and speak all fancy-
schmancy-like, don't read the story!  So there.
So, without further adieu, here is Part 4 of:

Henry Hood: Prince of Thieves!
Part 4: Destinies

?Sheila??
Sheila turned away from packing up Spellman?s saddlebags to look at Henry.  ?I
know what you are going to say.?  She stubbornly turned back to her packing.
?You will not change my mind, Henry.  I have every right to be out there -- in
fact, more so -- than any other warrior in this camp and you know it.?
Henry smiled as he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  ?You may be a
warrior, but you are not a mind reader.?  She turned towards him, surprised by
his response.
?You mean, you are not going to demand that I stay here??
?I would not dare to,? Henry said, ?for fear of feeling your wrath.  I heard
enough from Richard and the other men that you and Robert defeated to know
when I have met my match.?
He took her hands and leaned towards her, their foreheads touching softly.
?Just be certain that you return to me.?
?I was going to tell you the same thing,? she smiled.  ?Perhaps you are the
one who is the mind reader after all.?
Robert?s voice interrupted their brief interlude.  ?Sheila, we have to hurry.
Diana is expecting us on the other side of the village as soon as possible.?
He turned red as he looked at both of them, embarrassed for ending their
personal moment.
Henry smiled and looked up at Robert.  ?Take care, Robert, and fight well.  Do
not forget all you learned earlier today.?
?I will remember, Henry, and I will fight well,? he grinned at Henry.  ?We
will be back before you know it.  Then,? he added hopefully, ?you can teach me
more about the bow??
?It is a deal,? Henry smiled back at him.  Henry looked at Sheila and sighed.
?Well, unlike our dear friend Eric, I am not quite sure what else to say.?
Sheila laughed at the reference.  ?I do not need words.  I know what is in
your heart, and that tells me all I need to know.?  She smiled knowingly at
him.  Henry could not quite explain it, but it seemed at that moment, an
unspoken understanding and warmth seemed to flow between the two of them,
almost feeling as if their very hearts were connected to each other.  It made
Henry feel stronger.
He walked up to her and touched her hands.  ?I will see you soon.?
?You certainly will,? she smiled.  She climbed up onto Spellman?s back and
looked over towards the other side of the village, where Diana was speaking
animatedly with the rest of her group. ?If I do not go soon, Henry, I am
afraid that I will never be able to leave.?  She had put into words exactly
what Henry had been thinking.  This was so difficult -- not only for them, but
for everyone else in the village who had a loved one they were leaving or who
was being left behind.  There was, after all, no certainty that any of them
would ever return.
?I understand, ? he smiled as he backed away.  ?Farewell.?
With one last reassuring smile, Sheila turned and galloped Spellman towards
Diana?s group, with Robert not too far behind.
Henry was startled to hear Preston behind him.  ?That must have been
difficult, Henry, letting her go like that, especially now that you are just
engaged.?  He looked pointedly in Diana?s direction.  ?I just wish I could
muster up the courage to tell Diana how I feel, while I still can.?
?I know how difficult, how much of a risk, it can be to tell someone how you
feel about them, Preston,? Henry said reassuringly.  ?There are no guarantees
in admitting your feelings, but what is worse?  The risk you take when you
tell that person -- or the regret you may have if you never find out how they
feel, because you are too afraid to tell them??
Preston sighed as he looked at the ground.  ?I, I know that, Henry, but it is
just too...?  Preston?s eyes suddenly widened in fear as he looked over in
Diana?s direction.  ?What on earth is ERIC doing over there?!??
Henry and Preston could only look on as they watched Eric take Diana aside,
and after a few brief words and a gesture in Preston?s direction, they were
startled to see Diana striding towards them, with Eric in tow.
Henry looked over at Preston, whose face had once again drained of all its
color.  ?He knows, Henry, he knows!  What if he told her?  What if he....?
?It looks as though you may be finding out soon enough,? Henry said, as he
looked sympathetically at his frazzled friend.
Diana stopped in front of the both of them.  ?Eric told me that you needed to
speak with me about something, Preston,? Diana said, with a hint of impatience
in her voice.  ?Is it very urgent?  I must get back to the others -- we leave
in just a few short minutes? time.?
Preston looked as though he had seen a ghost.  ?Well, Diana, you see, I...that
is, what I meant to say is,? he looked up, embarrassed, at Henry and Eric.
?What I wanted to say is good luck to you and your party, Diana.  I am certain
you shall all succeed and do quite well.?
Diana smiled and gave Preston a friendly pat on the back.  ?Thank you for your
good wishes, Preston.  I hope you and Henry have similar success.?  She looked
back towards her group of warriors, who were finishing the packing up of their
supplies.  ?I must go.  I shall see you all at the rendezvous point in twelve
hours? time.?  With that, Diana spun around and starting briskly walking back
towards her group.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Eric sighed loudly.  ?Have you taken leave
of your senses?  I gave you the perfect opportunity to let her know how you
feel about her!  What is the matter with you??
Preston?s face became red with anger -- an expression that Henry was not
accustomed to seeing with regards to his friend.  ?You -- you IMBECILE!  How
dare you?  I did not ask you for your help, as you so call it!  Did you ever
think that I may have wanted to have that kind of conversation in private with
her??  Preston sputtered as he started walked away from both Henry and Eric.
?I have one piece of advice for you, knight -- stay out of my way from now
on!?  With that, Preston stormed towards the supply hut, kicking at the dirt
in frustration and anger as he walked.
?I did not think he had it in him,? Henry said, shaking his head at Eric.
?You certainly know how to make allies, knight.?  He began walking away from
Eric, and as Eric stood there, befuddled once again, Henry called back at him,
?Let us hope that you are more adept in your strategic skills than you are in
dealing with people.?
Eric sighed and started following Henry, until he heard an all-too familiar
voice calling out to him from across the village.  ?You?ve not grown tired of
our charming company already, have you, knight??
Eric shrunk back as he looked at Jacob and Will, who were heading right for
him, grinning.
?And we were just starting to get along so well,? Will added dryly.
Eric rolled his eyes.  If being in the constant presence of these two was the
price he paid for doing the noble thing, Eric was beginning to wonder if he
wouldn?t have been better off in one of Venge?s dungeons after all.

                                                *

?Can you see where they are heading?? Shad Dem hissed at Ti?amat, who was
peering into a crystal sphere of some sort.
?Silence!  No interruptions!  Do you know nothing of the Location Spell??
Ti?amat spat back at him.
?No, I do not -- because you have always refused to do one for us before now,?
Shad Dem sneered at her.  ?Quickly, while the Master is recovering.?
?Do not rush us,? Ti?amat grunted at him.  ?Ah, we see an armed party -- the
Sheila bird is with them, along with her wretched sibling.?  Ti?amat?s eyes
suddenly lit up.  ?and -- yes, it is true!  Diana of Acroba is with them!?
?We are running out of time,? Shad Dem demanded.  ?Where are they heading??
?Something we see -- an encampment?  Of your soldiers?  That is where they are
heading,? Ti?amat exclaimed.
Shad Dem squinted at the sphere.  ?Does it tell you if Gray is with them??
?It -- it is gone,? Ti?amat smiled.  ?You have your information that you
required. But there is one more thing we must tell you.?
?What is it now, witch?? Shad Dem muttered impatiently, already heading for
Venge?s main quarters, where he was gaining back his strength that he had lost
through the Changeling spell.
Ti?amat shuffled towards him, glaring at him with cold, unearthly eyes that
almost made him shudder.  ?If your Master does not pay our price, and return
Diana of Acroba to us, he will suffer a fate most egregious.  That we shall
promise you.?  With that, she turned towards the window of the throne room.
?Be certain you tell him what we have said.?
Nodding his head absently, Shad Dem headed for Venge?s quarters.
?Ah, Sire, I see that you are up and about,? he smiled thinly as he grabbed a
cloak from behind the door.  ?We must leave at once.  I have their location,
and soon, all that you have fought and worked for shall finally be yours.?

                                                *
Sheila winced for what had seemed like the fifteenth time in so many minutes
as her elbow struck the side of a jagged rock.  Sighing, she looked ahead at
Diana, who was leading the climb up the back of the hillside that framed the
military encampment.  Diana looked back at Sheila and Robert as she reached
for the top of the hillside, motioning impatiently for them to follow her
faster.  Sheila looked over at her brother and managed a reassuring smile.
He looks even more exhausted than I do, Sheila thought to herself.  As much
battle training as both of them had received, Sheila and Robert had not gotten
an ounce of sleep in over a day and a half.  And climbing up the side of a
rocky hill was not something one did with ease, even when one was not
completely exhausted.
Sheila shook her head.  Feeling sorry for their predicament was not an option.
They were here because they wanted to be here -- in fact, part of the reason
that they were ALL where they were was because of her and Robert, she was
certain.  No one else was giving up -- and neither would she.  Not until she
drew her last breath.
With a newfound resolve, Sheila began to scale the hillside even faster than
before, and she found that she had soon reached the top.  As Diana helped pull
Sheila and Robert up to the rocky summit,  Sheila found herself growing even
more amazed by the warrior woman?s almost superhuman abilities.  Not only had
she already reached the top long before either of them, but even with the same
lack of sleep, Diana faced every obstacle with a seemingly inexhaustible
supply of energy.  Motioning for them to follow her behind a large boulder,
Diana pulled a long tube out of her supply bag.
?This is a remarkable invention that traders have been brining to my homeland
for ages, ? Diana smiled as she handed the device to Sheila.  ?It makes things
that are small look bigger.  Try it.?
Sheila looked at the small device questioningly, but what she saw through it
took her breath away.  A clumpy mass of an otherwise indistinguishable amount
of soldiers soon became a clear group of 100 through the spyglass.  She could
even make out what weapons they had with them.
?There are only one hundred or so,? Diana smiled as Sheila handed her back the
device.
?That makes their number just about equal with ours.  If you and Robert could
go with half the men around the side to help create a diversion, I can lead
the rest to finish what you start.  We do not want to give away our true
numbers -- and we can trick them into thinking they can beat us, not knowing
we have an equal amount of guard in reserve.?
?What should we do to create a diversion?? Robert looked puzzled.
?You are both nobility and members of the Royal Family,? Diana said matter-of-
factly.  ?How many people with those qualifications do you think come out this
way??
Sheila nodded.  ?They will not be expecting to see us, and when they do....?
?The rest of the men with you will have another surprise for them, and then,
just when they believe they have the advantage,? Diana smiled, ?we will throw
a third surprise in their faces.?

                                                          *

?Are you ready?? Sheila asked as she looked at Robert, trying not to sound as
nervous as she felt.
Robert nodded.  ?Yes.?
?Just act like Sir Eric does, and we will have no problem,? Sheila smiled at
him.
Robert smiled back.  ?That might be more than anyone could handle, Sheila, but
I think we can do it.?
?Well, then, let us not waste another moment,? Sheila finished as she took a
deep breath.  She nodded to Michael, who nodded back at her.  ?We shall await
your signal, m?lady.?
With that, Sheila moved Spellman from behind the woods, and as Robert followed
on Trickster, she galloped her horse towards the main encampment.
It did not take long for the guards to see her.  Two of them pointed and
immediately turned their horses at a flat run towards her.  They stopped right
in front of her.  ?I am sorry, M?lady, but this area is restricted.?
Sheila cleared her throat.  ?Do you not know who I am, sir?  I am grossly
insulted.?
The two soldiers looked at her in confusion.  ?And who would you be?? one of
them asked her in a mocking tone.
Sheila reached into the pocket of her cloak and withdrew a shiny gold
medallion with a dragon?s head carved into it.  ?Does this help cure your
forgetfulness??
The two men looked as if they were both about to fall off their mounts from
shock.  ?That -- that is the seal of the Royal Family!? one of them stammered.
Both of the bowed at her.  ?Forgive us, m?lady, we did not, that is to say,
we....? the other one started.
?I have had quite enough of your insulting behavior,? Sheila interrupted
haughtily. ?We demand to know who is in charge here.?
?Might -- might I inquire as to why, m?lady?? one of them asked quietly.
?We have brought an urgent message for your commander from the Royal Estate,?
Robert nodded at Sheila.  ?We did not expect to receive such inhospitable
treatment.?
?I shall go get him for you at once!? one of the guards announced.
?I, I will go with him to make sure he finds him,? the other one continued as
he raced off after his friend.
?A fine performance on our part, Robert, if I do say so myself,? Sheila smiled
as she whispered to her brother.
?And it looks as if it has procured the best of results,? Robert smiled back
at her.  ?Here he comes.?
A stern-looking older man in chain mail rode up between the two guards they
had first met.  ?My officers tell me that you have a message to give us from
the Royal Estate.?
Sheila smiled.  ?We most certainly do.?  With that, she raised her arm up, and
pulled it down with a screeching war cry.  With that, Michael and the rest of
the men with him came running out from behind their rocky hiding place, swords
drawn, screaming bloodcurdling battle cries as they ran.
?It is a trick!  Seize them at....? the man began to turn and bark at the two
soldiers, but found his orders interrupted as Sheila and Robert dove at the
two from horseback and struck them both to the ground with a painful,
unconsciousness-rendering thump.
The commander raised his sword at Sheila, as Robert looked on fearfully.
?Very well, I shall show you how Venge?s forces deal with a traitorous wench
such as you!?
Sheila glared at him, flipping her now-drawn sword between her hands.  ?Feel
free to try, sir, but you shall not get very far.?  With that, she lunged at
him, slicing his armor attachments and smiling as his chest armor clattered to
the ground.
Enraged, the commander dove at her.  ?I do not need my armor to defeat a
worthless woman like you!?
?Worthless?? she smiled as him, easily blocking his every attempt to reach
her.  ?I am not worthless sir -- but it shall soon be of no importance to you.
Value means little to the unconscious.?
?What do you mean, uncons...?  he was not able to finish his sentence, as
Michael ran up behind him and kicked the man forcefully to the ground. Sheila
looked down at the commander and shook her head.
Men, she snorted to herself.  They never seem to know when to stop talking.
?Lady MacGregor,? Michael said, interrupting her thoughts, ?your brother
appears to be in danger.?  He pointed across the field to Robert, who was
desperately trying to get away from two burly soldiers by the rocks.
?I will go over and help him, Michael,? Sheila said as she began to run
towards her brother.  ?Make sure that you wait until the last possible moment
to give Diana the signal.?
Michael nodded, and swirled to face another attacker as Sheila fled across the
field.
?Robert!!? she cried, swinging her sword at one of the men attacking her
brother, who -- surprisingly -- grabbed it in midair.  Sheila winced as she
tried to pull the sword from his grip, but whoever he was, he was far too
strong.
?You needn?t have worried so about me, sister dear,? Robert smiled menacingly
at her.
?You -- you are not my brother!? Sheila cried as another soldier grabbed her
arms and forced them behind her back.  ?Who are you -- and what have you done
to Robert??
?Sheila? Sheila?  Is that you??
Her head swirled towards the rocks, where the real Robert soon emerged,
kicking and muttering at his captors.  ?Let me and my sister go, you
barbarians!?
The figure who Sheila had thought was Robert was soon enveloped in a cloud of
red and black smoke.  ?Ah, just in time,? an all-too familiar voice hissed at
her through the fog.  ?Had we waited but another moment, the spell would have
worn off too soon.?
?You are clever as always, Sire,? the man who was standing next to her
cackled, as he threw off the coat that had disguised him.
?Shad Dem!? Sheila exclaimed, and looked through the foggy mist to see Venge
emerging.  Smiling, he walked towards Sheila, cupping her chin in his hand and
turning her face to look up at his.
?You left before I could tell you the news, my sweet,? he grinned evilly.  ?We
are to be married this evening.?
?You cannot marry me.  I am already promised to Henry Gray,? Sheila replied
stubbornly, desperately trying to swallow down her fear.
?Oh, but I can, my dear,? his eyes narrowed as he leaned towards her ear and
whispered, ?for you cannot marry a man who will be executed by nightfall.?
?You -- you are lying,? Sheila said forcefully, although the worried look in
her eyes seemed to betray the strength of her words.
?Well, that may or may not be true, my dear -- but,? he cackled, ?how can you
be certain?? he finished, turning back to face her.  ?He is not here, is he?
When was the last time you did see him?  Truth be known, you have no way of
knowing if he is still free -- or if he is rotting away in my castle dungeon.?
He stepped closer to her, his face almost touching hers.  ?Are you willing to
have your refusal of me be the reason that he does not see another dawn??
Sheila looked down, tears filling her eyes.
?If you marry me, I will free Henry Gray, pardon him for all his crimes, and
ensure that no harm ever comes to him, or any of his friends.?
Shad Dem looked at Venge uneasily, remembering his promise to Ti?amat.  ?But
Sire...?
?SILENCE!? Venge roared at Shad Dem, his eyes radiating back his anger at
being interrupted.  He turned back to Sheila.
?I swear to you, Lady MacGregor, he will live a long a full life without any
harm from me or my men. If -- and only if -- you become my bride.?
?Don?t do it, Sheila!? Robert yelped as he struggled against his captors, only
to find himself led in the opposite direction from his sister.
?Robert!? she cried.  ?Where are you taking him??
?I wouldn?t want the only living member of your immediate family to miss our
upcoming nuptials.  He is being taken back to the castle.  Do not worry, he
will not be harmed -- and you will hopefully be joining him with the rest of
my party -- if, of course, you say yes.?
Sheila looked at Venge and sighed, looking up to the sky, hoping and praying
for a miracle to help her get out of this terrible situation.  A painful death
seemed be more bearable than a lifetime of marriage to Venge, but if it was
what she had to do to save Henry -- and ensure his continued well-being --
then so be it.  Venge was right about one thing -- she had no way of knowing
whether he was lying about having captured Henry or not.  Even if he hadn?t,
and Venge captured him one day down the road -- even five or ten years from
now -- Henry would most certainly find himself punished with a summary
execution, courtesy of Venge.
She would rather die herself than know that she was the cause of such an
action against Henry.  She loved him too much to let that ever happen.
Sheila looked at Venge and nodded.  ?Very well, Venge, it appears I have no
choice.  I accept,? she stated flatly.

To be continued in Part 5!

Thanks once again to Vic (and also Kim B.) for all the help and encouragement!
:)

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