Chapter 24: Betrayed

The next morning Atona awoke to an empty bed and the babies fussing. She climbed out of bed to see to the babies, knowing that Ambien had already left with her sister. Her heart felt empty and ached without him around but she knew she would have to get along without him for a little while. She got the babies out of the bed and fed each one. She bathed them and dressed them and sang to them a lullaby that Grayson loved singing to them. She was just finishing getting herself dressed when there was a knock on her door.

"Who's there?"

"It's me. I was just wondering if you needed help with the babies." Andrianna said coming in the room.

"Yeah, I need help taking them downstairs. I was just heading for breakfast. How about you have you eaten yet?"

"No. I haven't slept a wink all night. My heart just aches and I feel so lonely."

"I know the feeling; we are both in the same boat." Atona said giving her a hug.

"Let's get these sweet dears downstairs so I can get me some breakfast. I'm starving." Andrianna said picking up the little girl.

They each entered the quite hallway with the babies. Each consumed with their own thoughts of how they missed the one they loved. Atona was thinking about the dreams she had lately. If anything was going to go wrong it would be now when the army is lessoned. If anyone seen the armies leave this morning then they would believe this the opportune time to ambush the village and steal whatever it was they were after. In this particular case she knew that the biggest treasure in the castle was her babes. She knew deep in her heart that to keep her babies safe she was going to have to take them to Balfor. She still couldn't imagine being without her sweet babies.

****

Ambien was missing Atona terribly, when Jaden strolled up beside him on his horse. "Missing Atona?" He asked, noticing his friend was definitely not himself.

"Yes, the babies too." He said with a sigh.

"I miss them too. I miss Andrianna terribly."

"I bet you do. So when is the wedding?" He said with a sly grin.

"How did you know I asked her?" He asked shocked.

"I figured you had when she was asking mother and father about the proper protocols of weddings and mixed marriages."

"Oh! That means your parents know already too."

"I think so. I wouldn't worry about it. It looks more like a political move than a marriage of purely love."

"Like you and Atona?"

"Yes, Nobody knows about her real parents. So we couldn't use that ploy. This one is purely love alone."

"I'm not sure why that would be such a bad thing."

"Jaden, since I'm next to be King I am supposed to marry a princess of an allied country to make the borders stronger. Much like you and Andrianna in a sense would be doing. But for me to just marry out of love to a human or half=elf would not be proper. There would have to be some political advantage."

"That just don't seem morally right. I guess I understand, I never stuck around long enough to learn about the proper protocols of marriage. However, if Atona goes after her crown, then your worries are over right?"

"So you are about to find out yourself whether or not you will be able to marry my sister? And you are right. If she goes after her crown. She hasn't said much about it to me yet."

"Yes, I sure hope so. She hasn't mentioned it to me either. "

"I wonder what Atona and the babies are doing? I wonder if she misses me, yet?" Ambien said looking off into the distance.

"Well, I imagine they are downstairs getting ready to eat breakfast. Then they will probably get ready to go to Balfar. You would have to be out of your mind to think that she doesn't."

"Your right. I have got to quit this. I have to get my mind back on what we are doing."

"Your right brother, we need to be watching for signs of ambush."

****

Atona approached the Queen and King after breakfast ready to tell them her decision to go to stay with the dwarves and take Andrianna with her. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen.

"I would like to take Andrianna with me and go to the Dwarven community." She said, sitting next to them.

"I think that would be a good idea, actually. I'm not sure what is going to happen, but if something does I would want you, the babies, and our daughter to be safe." King Tarrowlin said.

"Are you sure you can make it there safely?" Queen Adrianna said, wringing her hands in her lap. Her face was etched with worry, and Atona knew it was not just about her and Andrianna. She was worried about Ambiens trip also.

"I believe we can. Andrianna and I will leave at dark fall. The babies will be more nullified then. They may even sleep the whole way. With the cover of dark we should be able to get out of here without being seen by anyone.

"Let me help you girls pack." Queen Adrianna said, getting up from her chair.

"Atona, I must insist you take someone with you that can fight. If nothing else they will give you or my daughter the chance to get away far enough to hide."

"I appreciate that sir. I have already talked to Alistair about going with us. He can learn a lot from the dwarves about his swordsmanship also."

"He's a good boy. He will make a fine companion." Atona went upstairs with the Queen to start packing some things. They packed a few of the babies' things and a few of their own things. Just enough that it wouldn't be hard to carry if they had to run, but stuff that they absolutely needed. Once they were all packed and the babies were put into their slings, Atona and Andrianna made their way downstairs. They were to go out the back door. It wasn't very far from the path that led them to the dwarves village. They entered the kitchen to find the servant girl Sylvia waiting for them with a bundle of what appeared to be food.

"Just in case you decide to stop along the way and eat something." She said squeezing the hands of the babies.

"Thanks Sylvia. I don't think we will stop on the way. Maybe on the way back." Atona said, looking towards Andrianna hoping she wouldn't give away the fact that they weren't leaving for a long period of time. Atona felt uneasy about this sudden gift of food. She wouldn't suspect a thing, had the Queen asked for it to be put together for them.

"No, it will be hard enough to ride the horses with the babies let alone eat something too. We are supposed to meet Atona's mother at her house for a small meal." Andrianna said catching Atona's intention.

"Alright then you ladies have a safe trip." She said, with a hint of sarcasm on the word safe. Atona picked up on this right away, she had an awful feeling something was going to happen.

"We will." Andrianna said closing the door behind her. They walked up the path towards the horse stables.

Once they were inside the stables they met up with Alistair and told him about the strange encounter with Sylvia. Alistair listened carefully then thought for a few minutes before he spoke. "We need to change directions. We cannot go to the dwarves village. We are going to have to go south. If we go south and then east we will come to a bridge that crosses the river. We can cross the river and come up to the dwarves village from that side. Or we can just head south and hope to catch up with Ambien and Jaden."

"If we go and catch Ambien and Jaden then the possibility is there of no one being here if they attack. They will attack and try to find out where we went." Atona said pacing.

"I have an idea and you ladies are just going to have to trust me, please."

"Alistair, what are you thinking?"

"No, Atona just trust me. Both of you get on a horse. You told her you were getting on horses and riding in to see your mother. So we are going to ride horses and that will speed up our running process by at least thirty minutes. Without a doubt they believe we are going to the dwarves. So we will go to the dwarves, just not the ones they are thinking of."

"Alistair you really do scare me sometimes. I had forgotten about the other dwarves villages to the south." Andrianna said as she climbed up on her horse.

"I'm going to trust you both. I don't have a choice really. My babies are at stake along with a hundred or so other people." They left the stable on the horses and headed south. Sylvia seen them from the hill near the back door. She had been sitting and watching to see exactly which direction they were about to go.

"Good they will run right into the ambush. Ridale will have his precious babies, and we will finally be able to be together without him talking about her anymore. Everything was perfect till she came back and told him she was pregnant. The raids were working to acquire the gems that he was selling from his store and on the market when we went to Artol. We were making our fortune just fine till she had to come back and spoil it. Now she will die and her precious friends too. Maybe there may even be an accident and the babies will be killed." Sylvia said to herself. She was pacing back and forth waiting to see the signal that meant the battle had then started. She never noticed the small dwarf that was hiding in the bushes next to her.

He had been sent as a sentry to watch for when Atona left with the babies and to safeguard them. He would have been in the barn with Atona when she left except that Sylvia had come out the door right after Andrianna and Atona. Now he had to crawl back down his hole and get to Balfor to give him the disastrous news. He was quite anxious, there was going to be a battle and he was just old enough now to join in the fun. He slid the fake stump to the side, and climbed down the stairs, pulling the stump back into place very quietly. He quickly ran down the corridors and around the corners till he reached Balfar's room where he awaited Atona and the precious babies. He pounded on the door loudly.

"Come in."

"Sir, Dweezle reporting with some dire news sir."

"Well, out with it man, tell me." He proceeded to tell Balfar what he had heard and what had happened. Hoping with all his little heart that Balfar didn't feel the need to punch him. After all he was just the messenger.

"Rally the forces. We must go and help. Send five to the palace of the Elves to tell them what has taken place and to capture this Sylvia lady."

"Yes, sir. Right away."

"Well, stop standing there and move." Balfar barked, as he struggled to gather his armor and strap it on. Balfar got his armor on and marched down the long hallway to the central hall where all his brethren were awaiting further orders. "Men we must go and help our beloved Atona and those precious babies. It has been reported that they were seen going south. I need us all to break up into groups of twenty five. I want us all to head down the southernmost corridors and go to the surface at each check point to find them. If you do not find them then come back down and move farther south. We will all join up at Southern Junction if we do not see any sign of them. We can go from there. Let's move times wasting."

The dwarves all left for their designated corridors to find Atona. Five however went in the opposite direction and surfaced close enough to the palace that no one even noticed their arrival was anything strange. They walked right up to the front door and entered without knocking. The guards were throwing such a fuss that it woke the entire palace. King Tarrowlin came out of his bed chambers in his robe to see what all the commotion was. He stopped dead in his tracks and seen five elegantly dressed dwarves in full armor standing in the middle of his foyer.

"What has happened? Where is my daughter?"

"Your daughter is in serious trouble your highness. We have come to alert you that they are headed straight into an ambush set up by Sylvia your kitchen maid and Sir Ridale."

"Oh dear. Guards get the teams ready we are going after them. Leave enough men here to protect my wife and the palace. "

"No Darolin. I am going. I can protect myself and help my daughter. You are not leaving me behind this time. Our son and daughter are out there in danger and you are not about to tell me I can't go." She said coming out of her room dressed in leather armor that fit her perfect. She was strapping on a belt that held magical components.

"Fine. Make sure that the palace is guarded enough." He said heading back to his room to get dressed. Once the king was dressed he met the rest of the brigade in the court. Climbing up on his horse he watched as his wife jumped up on her horse with great skill. He had forgotten what an asset she was when they had to battle. He was so scared for his family right at the moment, his stomach was tied in knots.

"Do we know which direction they were headed in?" He asked.

"Yes, they were headed south."

"South but the dwarves village is to the north."

"Yes, Sylvia must have said something to Atona and Andrianna that tipped them off." The queen said pulling her horse next to her husbands.

"Atona is a smart girl and can smell and ambush from a mile away." The dwarf Dweezle said.

"Let's get moving we are wasting precious time." The king said spurring his horse.

Atona was watching the trees very carefully, she didn't want to be surprised. She kept one hand on her sword while the other held the reigns. She knew she was too jumpy, she could never defend her babies this way. She had to calm down enough to defend the babies and Andrianna. The fear kept creeping up her spine and trying to take over her senses. She shook her head to clear it and watched the trees even closer. The babies were quiet and alert, almost as if they sensed that something was wrong.

"Atona do you think they know that we headed the opposite direction?" Andrianna asked showing the smallest hint of fear.

"No, if they did they would have been here by now. They wouldn't want us to get too close to a village where we could ask for help."

Alistair turned onto a path that looked as though it hadn't been used in ages. The trees, and grasses were all grown together. They left a path just big enough for a horse to get through but not with a rider. They had to get off and lead the horses the rest of the way. "The bridge is up a head about a mile. You two keep a good lookout, there are creatures here that don't like anyone but dwarves using this path."

"Alistair, are you sure this is the safer way to go? Ahhhh!" Andrianna was startled by a set of five dwarves standing next to the path.

"Lady Andrianna, Lady Atona, we didn't mean to startle you. We were sent by Lord Balfar to make sure you are safe." The young dwarf said. He finished telling them everything they knew.

"Well, we aren't real safe with you all sneaking up on us like that. We figured Sylvia was in on something like this." Atona said with a chuckle.

"Go back below and tell Lord Balfar that we found them. Hurry man the enemy is approaching fast."

"What do you mean…." Atona was asking when she noticed the oncoming horses. The horses were running with a purpose. The feel of evil and hatred was so strong the babies were shaking.

"Better yet…Take my babies into those tunnels where they will be safe. We need something that looks like them to fool them."

"Here use these, from a distance they will look enough like babies. When they start getting closer you two take them and stash them in the brush. They will think that we gave them to you for safe keeping. You got scared and decided to hide them and fight." Alistair said pulling moss weed and grass and shaping it into a bundle the size of the babies.

"Alright, that might work. But how about this, you two Dweezle and Sandwig go up the path there near the next tunnel exit. When we run towards you with the real babies we will swap bundles with you. You two go down the tunnels and go to our cousins. We will hide the bundles and stand ground. That will give you two enough time to get there and rally more troops."

"You are brilliant. That will work better." Atona said wrapping the babies tightly. Then kissing them and handing them over to the dwarves. The horses were getting closer, the dwarves took off as fast as their little feet would carry them.

The two with the real babies waited, they didn't want to take the chance of the plan not working. Alistair took the horses and tied them to some nearby trees so they would be out of the way. When he got back there were fifty dwarves standing side by side in front of Atona and Andrianna. In the distance they could hear a horn sound. Andrianna's face lit up, that was her father's horn. He was coming to rescue her.

Ridale was leading the charge, on his favorite white horse. He seen them turn down the narrow path. A perfect place for the ambush. He was bound and determined to get his babies and make sure that Atona could never make good on her threat. Her coming back home had ruined all his plans. He was going to marry Sylvia and have a great business. Then she had to come back to town and tell everyone she was having a baby. To top it off she had to know that weasel of a prince Ambien. He had always been suspicious of Ridale. He turned down the small road and saw the dwarves running with the babies. "I'm going after the babies. Kill them." he said spurring his horse.