A/N: Here is the finally completed and improved(hopefully) chapter 4. if you are just coming back to read the finished Chapter 4, I highly recommend you go back and reread the last 3 chapters. They are all redone with new characters and elements that were not here before. Some things will not make sense, like who is Cornelius and wasn't Marle going to the Cathedral on her own? Well, looking back I realized that was a bit dumb. So I fixed it. Not to say it's perfect, this is ANYTHING BUT perfect. I don't even have a beta reader... any volunteers?

Also I have a summary for Chapter 5 done and will be working on it shortly. So this shouldn't take nearly as long as before. Enjoy. (^_^)

Chapter 4

The Queen is Gone

Or

A Mysterious Cathedral With A Secret Base Beneath It That Must Have Been Made Years Ago By Mystics In Secret Which Brings Up The Question Of How Long Has That Been There Or Was It Made For The War And If So Just How Long Have They Been Planning This Kidnapping And Did The Cathedral Get Burned Down After The War Because It Was A Mystic Cathedral With A Secret Basement?

"Four hundred years, in the future." The knight repeated, only glancing over from his horse occasionally. Before leaving, they had stopped at the stables. Three horses waited for them. An extra for the queen.

Marle nodded, also keeping her focus forward.

"You understand how absurd this sounds."

"Try coming to terms with it. There is no other explanation." Marle nudged her horse to keep it it from nibbling the grass.

"Even if we do find the queen, this does not prove your sanity." He spared her an amused glance, which Marle caught.

"Well you're the one helping me, Corny."

The knight groaned loudly. "I would have rather you call me 'Sir' if I knew you would butcher it so."

"Be nice to me and I'll call you Neil instead." Marle had come up with two possible nicknames depending upon his behavior. Despite his protests on having a nickname at all.

"Cornelius was my grandfather's name and I shall not have you offend it in such a manner."

"But nicknames are so much more fun. And Cornelius is a bit long." She defended. "Besides, you are calling me by my nickname."

She almost did not see him twitch. "That is merely because of how you introduced yourself to the king."

"It's not how I introduced myself to you and the other knight."

"We'd best hurry, there is no telling what little time we have left." Cornelius brought the horses to a full gallop. Marle scoffed at his attempt to momentarily get some distance. Being a princess she had been riding since she was small. Thus was able to keep pace with him the rest of the way.

They arrived at the cathedral late afternoon. The sun was just starting to descend.

"We have only a few more hours of daylight." Cornelius informed her. "Let us hope we find her before the sun sets."

Instead of tying the horses at the post near the cathedral, they kept them at a tree just within sight. The knight explained that he'd rather have the horses at a safe distance in case the mystics found them.

"You do not remember where the queen was held, or by whom?" He asked again.

Marle had remembered more of that history lesson than she expected. As it was one of the more interesting ones. Unfortunately, even history had little information on the queen's whereabouts.

"No, but I am certain it was here." She pointed to the cathedral now a few steps away. "And that she was hidden deep inside."

That bit confused them both, as the cathedral is not very large. They inspected the surrounding area, for hidden paths, cellars, or even a hut. Yet only dense forest protected the building on all sides. Even the path the the cathedral had been nearly overrun with various plants. It was obvious that who ever took care of it, had been gone for quite some time.

"I want you to stay here."

Marle gaped openly at his order. Not that this was the first time she had been told what to do. But she did not want to be left behind after coming all this way.

"Why?! I might remember something-"

"All the more reason for you to stay here!" He sighed, obviously not wanting to start arguing with her. "The men we have sent to investigate before have not reported back, it is very possible this is a mystic hideout. In which case I will need you here, so that if I do not return, you can get help."

"But I can help!" She patted the sword hilt to emphasize her point.

"And you are! By staying safe, keeping watch, and retrieving more men if needed." The knight strode up to her, somehow growing in size as he spoke. Marle only realized later that she was crouching down. "I shall not jeopardize the Queen's safety because some foolish lady who wants to prove herself!"

Marle opened her mouth to disagree. It closed and opened again a few times before acknowledging he was right. She did want to prove herself. Both her swordsmanship and as an individual, not a princess.

Cornelius told her to wait fifteen minutes before getting more men. The princess nodded and watched him walk into the cathedral.

Fifteen minutes. That was all she had to wait. If he was not back by then... Marle did not want to consider leaving without him. Sure he may have been a rude suspicious jerk. But leaving him to whatever fate kept him from returning? If there really were mystics inside?

There has to be, she reasoned. Why else would the queen be hidden here? Only a mystic would take her and and her knight come- Marle's eyes went wide. The queen had a knight, a favorite knight. One that history books told little of, and what it did were mostly speculation and rumors.

That was why she started paying attention. The mysterious knight that only appeared in the kingdom's dire need. Disfigured or ugly, timid or humble. Many historians speculated as to why he was barely mentioned in history, to not even be named.

Marle was certain though that he rescued the queen. But how, and where in the cathedral was she?

Ten minutes left.

Once more she searched her memories, her lessons for clues. Of course now that she tried remembering nothing came to mind. Except, after practicing her sword skills. A few young men had come back rather excited from something that day. Chattering on about the cathedral ruins.

"We managed to get in!"

"Into the cathedral!?"

"Not just that, but we found an underground passage. It's blocked off by rocks but if we get enough help."

But where? Where was it? They did say where it was right? No they had not. Only that they would investigate it later on their own. As the cathedral ruins were supposedly dangerous. If there really is underground passageways, that would be potentially dangerous. And explain why no one could find her.

Five minutes left.

"A secret passage, there must be a secret passage!" Marle exclaimed.

She had to tell him, before it was too late. If he found nothing, they might leave, and if he did not return. Would it be too late? Marle did not bother giving it a second thought. Once she was certain the horses were securely tied to the tree, she dashed as quick as she could to the cathedral.

The doors had seen more use than the rest of the building, so she made a quiet entrance. A good thing she decided, as the knight was currently speaking with several nuns. Surrounded by them actually. It felt rather unnerving.

The whole cathedral felt off the moment she walked in. She had not been in many churches, but those she had felt welcoming and safe. This one felt confined and almost bitter. Even more so as she approached the group of nuns.

Her presence was not known until halfway up the aisle, when Cornelius spotted her. The knight tried shooing her away without alerting the nuns. If Marle had done as he wanted, they might not have noticed the knights attempts to send Marle away. All but two of the nuns turned to gaze shockingly at her. Only one of them managed to break from it to approach.

"Why your Majesty, how ever is it you left Lord Yakra?"

The knight tensed at the name. Marle though had never heard of this person, "Who now?"

Another nun started to approach, "This is quite the jest sir knight." She glanced back, Cornelius glaring down the nun getting closer to Marle. In desperation, he mouthed the word run, hoping she'd understand. "You come asking for the queen yet bring this lady with a remarkable likeness."

The other nun, now a few feet away from Marle spun around to face the other. "It is not her?" Turning back to Marle she smiled, a shiver ran down the princess's spine. "Still, I imagine Lord Yakra would love to meet you."

The sound a a sword unsheathing and a pained howl made everyone turn to face the knight. Blue flame consumed the nun he struck, taking her away once dispersed. The other nuns were all consumed by the same blue flame and their true forms of nagas once the flames died.

"RUN!" The knight screamed.

It was too late to run. The two nuns were now on either side of Marle and changed into the naga mystics. One grabbed her arms, preventing Marle from unsheathing her own sword. The other laughed and mocked the knight, even as he cut down another naga. Try as she might, Marle could not break free.

A horrific screech from behind had Marle covering her ears. She could cover her ears! The princess looked up to see a flash of green jump past her, striking down the other naga. Before joining the knight to take down the remaining two. Much to Marle's relief, the corpses of the snake women were consumed in the same blue fire that revealed their true selves. This time making them disappear, with only a bit of smoke left behind.

Cornelius marched towards Marle, looking beyond furious. "I told you to wait outside for this very reason!" He snapped.

"I'm sorry I-" Marle stopped short when the knight suddenly calmed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Just, listen to me next time. As it is obvious I won't be going on without you."

"Excuse me sir knight," Asked their rescuer. "But who is this young lady, and why does her appearance strikingly resemble her majesty?"

Marle stepped forward to answer, but shrieked in surprise instead. Dressed in armor befitting a knight, is a frog just a head smaller than herself. Now Marle was never one afraid of frogs, but to see a giant one after having faced giant snake ladies. It was a little alarming.

The knight chuckled, not at all surprised by her reaction. "It is a long story, but simply put, she is here to help." He turned back to Marle. "May I introduce, her majesty's favorite knight, Frog."

"You're kidding." She chocked back a laugh.

"I understand her appearance is-"

"Your name is Frog?" Was it a cruel joke from his parents or did they have no imagination?

Frog smiled, "It is what I go by, yes." He bowed with ease. "May I inquire as to who you are?"

The two introduced themselves, though Frog and Cornelius seemed familiar with each other. Marle made sure to leave out princess of Guardia. Though Frog still gave her an inquisitive glance.

Cornelius told him how they suspect the queen to be hidden away here. Frog confirmed with his own suspicions. Adding in how the two knights that had come by earlier had not returned. Apparently he was waiting for an opportune moment to strike, as he was outnumbered 6 to 1.

"It is good you came, otherwise I might have waited far longer."

"Do you have any idea where they may be hiding the queen?" Cornelius asked.

Frog shook his head. "Only a guess, there must be a hidden passage."

"There is!" Marle declared. The two turned waiting for more. "I don't know where exactly though." Suddenly she felt even more useless than when the naga had her.

"Well, lets search the area for clues."

During the search, Frog and Cornelius found a coral hairpin belonging to the queen. Afterwards they began searching the area for cracks or hollow sounds. In hopes of finding the entrance nearby.

After having looked at everything else, Marle made her way to the organ. The instrument was covered in dust from disuse. Only a single black key was clean. Curiously, Marle pressed the key. The note echoed in the cathedral, alerting the other two. On the other side, the wall opened up. Revealing a stairway leading down.

Both men turned to gape at Marle. "How did you know?" Cornelius asked.

Marle shrugged. "Everything else was dusty, that key wasn't."

Frog nodded approvingly but Cornelius shook his head. "Alright, we'd best-Marle!"

Marle had taken off past them and into the passageway. Frog and the knight followed behind her.

She had stopped suddenly at the end of the passage, allowing the two to catch up. A long hallway with several mystic gargoyles blocked the path. Thankfully none had seen them yet. This time Marle agreed to stay behind as Frog and Cornelius silently dispatched the gargoyles. It made her stomach churn a the sight. Even as they disappeared in the same blue flame as the nagas. A real fight was more gruesome than she imagined.

"We won't be able to do this the whole way." Cornelius informed her.

Frog nodded in agreement. "Will you be able to defend yourself?" He gestured toward her sheathed blade at her hip.

"I know how to, I've never done it before though. Not a real fight." She admitted. Her teacher had often told her that fighting for her life would be no easy task. Not because of her skill, but the ability to take a life if absolutely necessary.

Cornelius only confirmed this. "They will kill you at their first chance. Do not let them have it." He patted her shoulder, as if to say, 'I believe you can do it.'

They discussed further plans before continuing. First, their formation of Cornelius first, Marle in the middle, and Frog keeping the rear. This way Marle would battle less if it could be helped. Next their strategy for getting through. Ideally the goal is to move as undetected as possible. As to not alert Lord Yakra to their presence and further in danger the queen.

After inspecting both hallway doors, they decided upon the far one, as there were less mystics, and to make their way up the stairs. From there,they would inspect the rooms, the get a better idea of the layout below.

Getting there was easy enough. The first room held a few items, stolen weapons and such, but no one was inside. The second though surprised everyone. Two knights stood to attention, ready to defend themselves when the door opened, despite being unarmed.

"Commander Cornelius!" One proclaimed in a hushed tone.

"You're not mystics?" The other asked, still a little defensive. Cornelius stepped forward and spoke a phrase in a hushed tone. The two visibly relaxed.

"Now, what happened?"

They spoke briefly upon finding the cathedral nuns mystics in disguise, captured, and then taken away to be 'dealt with' later. "I overheard one say how it was looking forward to dinner later." He shuddered.

"They got cocky though, mocking us on how close we were on finding the queen. But how we'd never get far enough without getting caught." They continued with how many mystics they had seen, and that many more were still further in.

"If we could draw their main forces out to the cathedral itself, we should draw less attention to ourselves." Frog offered.

Cornelius glanced at Marle, "I had hoped to have more men on their way, but unfortunately I was unable to get a messenger out."

A wave of guilt filled Marle. She had not thought waiting would be so important.

The two knight exchanged knowing looks, nodding in agreement. "We will make a distraction, wait for them at the entrance, it will force them to come no more than two at a time."

Another wave of guilt came over Marle. Two lives were now at stake due to her impatience.

After ensuring that they could handle themselves, Cornelius agreed. "We know where they took our weapons, so we shall split here."

"Agreed, when the hall is clear, we will make our way forward. If this works, we should get through undetected." Cornelius patted the two knights on the shoulder wishing them luck.

"Once we have her majesty," Frog added in, "Sir Cornelius and I will come to your aid. Lady Marle shall protect the queen."

This time Marle did not question her importance. Understanding a little better now how even the small roles were just as vital.

With the plan set and roles known, the two knights left the room. It took several minutes before a cacophony of sounds erupted. If the party had not known better, they would have believe a small army had arrived. Sounds of hurried steps and orders were heard. Mystics were making their way to the entrance.

"Now." Cornelius lead the party out and over the banister.

With the majority of mystics out to fight their allies, they were able to move quickly through the underground lair. Any remaining mystics were dispatched quickly and silently. There was little chance of Yakra knowing of their coming. As they reached what they assumed to be the last door, a horrible pain engulfed Marle. She tried not to make any noise but alerted Frog and Cornelius.

"We have to hurry. Go!" She ushered.

As soon as they opened the doors the pain stopped. In the room stood a very angry chancellor holding a knife to the queen's neck. Marle spotted a drop of blood coming from the tip of the blade. They made it just in time.

"You?!" Cornelius roared.

The chancellor grumbled bitterly. Then his eyes fell on Marle. "You! How did you get here?!" In his fury, his grip lessened, allowing the queen to break free and run towards her rescuers. "NO! Everything was perfect until you arrived!" He screamed at Marle.

"Behind us your majesty!" Frog instructed. The queen wasted no time and went straight for the wall behind them.

"You intolerable frog! You may have allies but lets see you hop your way out of this!" Sparks becoming bolts of light came from the man, until his body contorted into a larger shape.

The creature taking his place is one Marle did not wish to even begin describing. A huge yellow mound of a creature with twisted horns and little legs poking from underneath. It's laugh equaled it's hideous sharp smile.

Undeterred by it's appearance, Frog is first to strike. His sword coming down hard on it's face. The smile turned to anguish with an angry shriek as Cornelius struck it's side only moments later.

Marle did not know what to do. These two somehow fought alongside each other with such ease that she was certain she'd only be in the way. Frogs words rang back in her mind. 'Lady Marle shall protect the queen.' She glanced back to see the woman looking on in horror. Jumping into battle may only hinder them but she could ease their worries at least.

The princess unsheathed her sword and stood ready in case the creature decided to change it's attack.

Just in time too as it threw back the two swordsmen charged forward. "Left!" Marle shouted back to the queen.

There was no time to see is the queen did as she said. She hurried left to get just out of range from it's massive body. Just as the mystic started to pass Marle held out her sword so it sliced across it's side. It gave a painful shriek. A long cut went down it's right side to the end. But there was not time to be satisfied with her success, as the creature readied for another dash.

"Now!" Frog yelled.

As if practiced, Cornelius and Frog came from either side of the mystic, slicing it as they crossed to the other side. It's scream of pain was even worse than before.

Marle realized she is in perfect position to attack.

Relying completely on instinct now, she rushed forward. The mystic opened it's eyes at she neared, seething hate filled them. It was enough to make her stumble.

She was wide open now.

It charged forward, Marle barely had time to dodge, and was hit by one of it's horns. She yelped from the pain in her side. It is not deep, but way too close. Looking behind the creature she saw the queen.

It must have noticed her looking behind it, as it turned around and cackled harshly. "I may not kill all of you, but I can still kill her!"

"Your majesty!" Both Cornelius and Frog yelled. Neither were close enough to take it down if it charged the queen.

The gut wrenching pain started up again. She understood now it was not only the queen's life at stake, but her own existence. Adrenaline took over as Marle ran with sword ready. The creature barely had time to register Marle coming until she was on it's back. With all the strength she could muster, she plunged her sword into it's back.

It roared in pain and threw Marle off. The princess hit the ground hard, dropping her sword.

Frog was already on the mystic before it had time to turn with Cornelius following behind. With their combined efforts, they brought the mighty mystic down. Sparks flew from it's body as it seemingly disintegrated, leaving nothing but a bit of smoke in it's wake.

Marle's body ached, but she was glad of it. They saved the queen.

"Frog!" The queen exclaimed happily.

Guess that really is his name, Marle thought amusingly.

The amphibian bowed low and gracefully. Far better than she ever expected him capable of. "My queen, you are unharmed?"

She nodded with a sweet smile. "Yes, thanks to all of you." Cornelius also bowed low, despite injured his leg.

While Cornelius and Frog spoke the the queen, Marle let her curiosity get the better of her once more. A large trunk caught her eye that she was certain she saw move. Deciding nothing could be worse than the mystic they just fought, she carefully opened the trunk.

"Oh thank goodness!" A rather disheveled looking man exclaimed.

"Chancellor?" Marle bit back a chuckle as the chubby man climbed out of the almost too small trunk.

"Yes! That detestable Yakra stuffed me in there to take my place."

"Oh, you are alright!" The queen came over with a bright smile. "I was afraid he had disposed of you."

"Luckily for me it seems they needed me alive. Thank you dear for-" The chancellor paused once he took in Marle's appearance in full. "My goodness! You're not another..."

"No, I'm not a mystic. It's a long story." Marle noticed the queen appeared unfazed by their likeness. She was far better at hiding her emotions than the king, Marle noted.

"One that we should safe for later, Chancellor." Cornelius gestured towards the door and the chancellor was more than happy to go. The queen followed suit, but not before giving Marle another glance. She smiled sweetly with a nod then made her way to Frog.

"Why does it seem like the women here seem to know something I don't?" She asked no one.

The group left the room with Frog in the lead, queen and chancellor in the middle, and then Marle with Cornelius taking the rear. Now hopes high with a mission accomplished. Still, prepared in case any mystics were left behind.