Hey guys! I'm really sorry this took awhile...and I'm SO sorry "Tall Tails" is taking forever. I was on vacation for a week in Illinois and didn't have any access to my computer, so I'm behind on ALL my writing. Once again, so sorry.

Anyway, this chapter is VERY Benlie and may get into cheesy-land, so bare with me! I love every review! It's so sweet that you all take the time to tell me you liked the story! :) Enjoy!

“This way!”

Mike shouted to his comrades: Hex, Charmcaster, and Phil, and quickly kicked his horse to begin galloping towards their destination. Hex’s staff was glowing a bright red, pointing towards where the Cave of Wonders lay – his eyes glowed golden once again, proof that his magical powers were at work.

Mike’s white stallion led the way, Charmcaster’s gray Arabian at his tail, with Phil and Hex’s black horses held up the rear. The red light from Hex’s staff became more and more concentrated until Mike could see where it ended. “We’re almost there!” he announced, and the horses picked up speed.

Finally, the four sinister planners arrived at the spot where Hex’s staff pointed. Hex’s horse trotted forward, and Hex mumbled an incantation under his breath, his eyes glowing more fiercely than ever before. Phil and Charmcaster looked slightly afraid, while Mike had a firm smile on his face.

“Reveal to us the Cave of Wonders!” Hex shouted, and a golden light suddenly erupted from his staff and hit the sand full-force. A gale of sand billowed around the four, but it wasn’t long before they all heard a distinct roaring.

Uncovering their eyes to peer through the sand-storm, the four conspirators gaped in awe as a tiger’s head began to form from the sand, two glowing eyes burning with the power of Hex’s magical blast. The tiger’s mouth opened wide, creating a passage into the cave. Its sharp teeth bore down menacingly. It was unmistakably the same cave that the four had seen earlier in Hex’s cauldron.

The blowing sand died down, and the four dismounted their horses. “Allah…” Phil breathed, staring at the cave.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Hex asked darkly, turning to Phil. “Get inside the cave and get us the lamp!”

“B-but—“

“There are three wishes Phil,” Mike reminded him. “Hex can become Sultan, I can marry the Princess, and you can become the Sultan of your very own kingdom. We all get what we want.”

“Wh-why can’t you guys—?“

“I supplied the knowledge,” Mike reminded him, “and Hex supplied the magic. If you don’t do your part, you won’t get a wish.” Phil frowned at the impudent youth, but Mike was unshaken. “That’s how it works.”

“Fine!” Phil snarled, walking forward. “But I won’t wish for a kingdom. I’ll wish for that Prince brat to be dead as a doornail.” He snarled visciously, thinking on the annoyingly naive Tennyson boy. “I’m not afraid of any cave—“

“Who dares approach the Cave of Wonders?!” the tiger’s mouth suddenly shouted, and all four gasped in shock.

“It is I,” Phil began, looking around awkwardly, as if he didn’t know where to speak to, “Phil…a servant of the Sultan of—“

“Heed this! Only one may enter here! He who is more than he appears…the diamond in the rough!” The Cave finished its warning and remained still, as though it had never been alive at all.

“Well, that sounds like a dead-ringer for you!” Charmcaster shouted to Phil. “Go on inside!”

Phil frowned, determined not to be frightened by this strange mystical cave. He walked firmly towards the tiger’s mouth and climbed inside.

He looked inside to see a set of stairs leading down into the cave. He lowered himself onto the first step, and looked around, as if waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, he continued, stepping very carefully on the second step.

“RAAARRRRRR!!”

With a gigantic roar, the cave’s mouth began to convulse and cry out, as if dissolving into rage. It thrashed around and began to dissolve back into sand. Mike, Hex, and Charmcaster all looked on in horror as Phil struggled to get out, but was trapped. He reached out his hand, screaming for help, but the sand captured him, falling down in giant mounds around him, burying him beneath. Suddenly, he disappeared all together as the sand overtook him and was reduced to nothing more than a large mound.

“Phil!” Charmcaster shouted, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. “What happened to him?”

“He was obviously less than worthy,” Hex remarked. “Not a surprise.”

“Well, at least we know what we’re dealing with,” Mike said simply, mounting his horse again. “We’re going to need your magic again Hex – to locate this ‘diamond in the rough’.”

“We could sneak in over the Palace walls—“

“There are guards everywhere.”

“You could write her a letter!”

“I can’t write, remember?”

“I could write it for you—“

“How could I even get it to her?”

“Throw it over the palace walls?”

“That are only…forty feet tall?”

“Okay, so maybe not that. You could sneak in on the next Prince’s caravan—“

“Julie, just drop it!” Kevin finally shouted as he sat with his friend back at his home. It was already nighttime, and for the past two days, Julie had been trying to convince Kevin to somehow seek out the Princess Gwen again. Kevin, however, hadn’t responded positively. “I can’t do anything about it!”

“You’re just going to give up?” Julie frowned, crossing her arms in front of her.

“Yes, I’m giving up!” Kevin sighed, frustrated. “The law says she has to marry a Prince. She deserves a Prince.” He looked at his hands. “If I went to her now, she’d laugh at me. ‘Oh, you still like me after five years? How pathetic are you? Like I would ever actually consider marrying a thief like you!’.”

“She wouldn’t say that!” Julie insisted.

“Maybe not,” Kevin frowned, punching the wall a bit. “But she’d think it! And who could blame her?! I’m no good, Julie!”

Julie frowned and put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “That’s not true. If people just stopped to look at you – they’d see you have a lot of worth.”

Kevin frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. On one hand, he certainly didn’t want Gwen to get married before he even got to see her again – but on the other hand, there really was nothing he could do. Would he be able to live with himself if he did nothing to reach out to Gwen?

“I know!” Julie’s eyes suddenly lit up, and Kevin turned to her. “I’ve got it!”

“Got what?”

“I know how you’re going to see the Princess again!” Julie exclaimed, obviously very excited. “I’ll get arrested—“

“WHAT?!” Kevin bellowed. He definitely did not like where this was going.

“Just hear me out!” Julie insisted. “I’ll hop the gate and steal something from the Palace grounds – get arrested – get taken to the palace dungeon and you can come and plead for mercy on me!”

“That’s crazy!” Kevin shouted, standing up. “What if they don’t listen to me?! You could get your head chopped off!”

“They won’t do that,” Julie crossed her arms. “I hear the rulers are very benevolent – I’m sure they’ll—“

“You can’t be sure of anything!” Kevin insisted. “You’ve had kooky plans before Julie, but this takes the cake! I’m not doing this!”

Julie frowned at Kevin as he walked back to his window and sat on the broken wall to stare at the palace some more. She rolled her eyes and blew a piece of hair out of her face before crossing her arms in front of her. “You’re right. It was a stupid plan.”

“Damn right I’m right.”

“Well, it’s already dark,” Julie sighed. “I should get going home. Mimi and Franco probably want me to put them to bed.”

“You want an extra blanket?” Kevin asked. “It’s gonna be a cold night.”

Julie paused, and then smiled, “Sure. If you can spare one.” Kevin walked over to the corner of his hovel and tossed a dusty, torn brown blanket at Julie. She caught it and began to walk down the steps that led outside. “See you later Kevin!”

“Bye,” Kevin mumbled before returning to his spot on the broken wall-window. He sighed, leaning back and staring at the palace, bright with lights shimmering off its golden steeples.

“Any luck?”

“I’m – working – on – it!” Hex said through gritted teeth as he spun his staff over his cauldron, throwing various colors of lights in the bubbling red liquid. Charmcaster was assisting him, muttering a few incantations at the other side of the cauldron. Nothing was really being accomplished other than changing the color of the liquid, and Mike was beginning to get frustrated.

It was very late at night, hours after the three had returned from their last attempt at the Cave of Wonders. They had spent those past few hours trying to conjure up a spell that would lead them to “the diamond in the rough” they so ardently needed to find.

Hex continued to mumble incantations over the cauldron, but the wisps of smoke told him nothing. Finally, in a frustrated cry, he splashed his staff into the cauldron, causing a bit of it to spill onto the floor. Charmcaster cried out and backed off as the liquid began to burn the stone floor of the dungeon.

“Blast it!” Hex shouted. “No matter what I try, I can’t find him!”

“Calm down Hex,” Mike said sternly, standing up and facing the sorcerer. “Focus – we need to find him.”

“There’s…only one more thing I can think of trying,” Hex muttered, looking at staff. He walked over to the potion and motioned Charmcaster to come to him. She came, tentatively, and he grabbed her hand.

“Uncle! You’re not—“

“I wouldn’t stick my own niece’s hand into a burning potion,” Hex said nastily before plucking a diamond ring off Charmcaster’s finger. “Well…not today at least. You’ve been quite useful.”

Hex tossed the diamond into the potion and immediately began to chant an incantation. His eyes glowed that same eerie gold, as did his staff – and suddenly, the potion turned a misty white, with white smoke rising above it. In the white smoke, an image began to form, and all three gathered around it eagerly.

The image was of a young man, a commoner, sitting in what seemed to be a rather abysmal looking hovel. He had dark, disheveled hair and soil toned eyes, along with a muscular build and ratty clothing. “Yes, yes!” Hex cackled evilly. “There he is…the diamond in the rough!”

“How are we gonna get him to help us?” Charmcaster asked as the image began to deteriorate.

“Leave that to me,” Mike said. “You’ve done your part – time to do my fair share. I’ll find some way to uncover our diamond. But not tonight – I’m rather tired you see.”

“Of course,” Hex snarled, “you should get your beauty sleep. Heaven forbid you should loose your pretty face.”

“Speaking of pretty face, you’re looking kinda pale there Mike,” Charmcaster observed. Mike smiled at her and took her hand in his own.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said, smiling and looking better already. “I just can’t keep up with you two. Gotta get some rest.” With that, he turned around and walked out of Hex’s dungeon, leaving Charmcaster a little dreamy eyed and smiling.

“I wish you weren’t so infatuated with the boy,” Hex muttered.

“I am not!” Charmcaster said defiantly, putting her hands on her hips. “Puh-lease Uncle! And anyway – he’s on our side now. So what’s the point of disliking him so much?”

“True…he did lead us to the lamp,” Hex smirked. “I suggest we both turn in for the night Charmcaster. We have a busy day tomorrow.”

A figure struggled at the top of the large palace wall, trying to force his or her way over. With a feminine grunt, the figure forced herself over the wall and jumped down gracefully.

She looked around and adjusted the dusty brown covering over her face, fashioned from an old blanket. Only her eyes could be seen – she was obviously a thief.

She noticed some guards at the front gates of the palace, but they were half asleep and hadn’t heard nor seen her. She tiptoed away from their line of vision, not wanting to be caught so easily.

The palace’s landscaping was just as beautiful as the actual palace. Topiaries and flowers decorated every inch of the luscious landscape, and she felt the grass underneath her toes – a foreign sensation and so much more pleasant than the harsh feeling of dirt and sand.

A large tree with fruit caught her eye, and she patted her stomach, realizing how in the mood she was for a midnight snack. Grabbing a piece of fruit from one of the branches, she lowered her face covering and took a bite.

It was none other than Julie, who had completely disregarded Kevin’s warning not to go through with her plan. Julie was headstrong and stubborn – she was helping Kevin whether Kevin wanted help or not. Not to mention the prospect of sneaking into the palace excited her.

She finished off the fruit and redid her disguise carefully. Continuing her silent spree across the grounds, she realized she was getting closer to the back of the palace. Gorgeous fountains began to pop up around her, and she realized that she was underneath some sort of balcony.

“G’night Ben.”

Julie hid behind a tree at the sound of a voice, until she realized that it was coming from the room that the balcony led to. She came out from behind the tree, assured of her safety.

“G’night Gwen,” another, male voice said. It was a nice voice – sweet and caring, nothing like Kevin’s brash and deep voice. Julie found herself slightly drawn to the voice, and she stepped forward ever so slightly to get a better view of the high balcony.

Suddenly, a figure emerged onto the balcony, and Julie gasped, frozen in place, unable to move. She looked up and realized the figure was a young man, obviously the owner of the voice from before – Ben. Ben? Prince Ben?

Her eyes focused in on the Prince as he came to the edge of the balcony, dressed in his white night attire, looking quite princely. He stared up at the stars, and Julie couldn’t help but notice that his shirt was unfastened, revealing his nicely built chest and abdomen. He wasn’t burly like Kevin – he was lithe and muscular, with the kind of strength she was sure could lift her. Her cheeks burned a little bit – surely she would be beheaded on the spot for staring at the Prince like this.

But his face…well…that drew her attention too. He had a gentle face, with (as far as she could tell) wide green eyes. His brown hair was combed neatly, but looked a bit tousled in the back, as if he had just been lying down. He was very handsome, Julie had to admit that. She guessed Kevin was right – all royalty are beautiful.

She knew she should move. After all, he could look her way any second and spot her. But then again, wasn’t that her intention? To be spotted? But at the same time…

She wanted to look at him a bit longer.

Ben stared out at the stars, his mind racing with questions and thoughts. He and Gwen had met again tonight – their nightly talks before bed were really the only things keeping him sane. After spending yet another painful day with Edwin and Kai, the two would be happy to see the two go the next morning. Still, their joint birthday loomed ever closer, with still no suitor chosen for either of them.

If Grandpa Max hadn’t died, Ben knew he would’ve had more time to find a girl for him. Now, everything seemed like it was being fast-forwarded, and he had no control over anything. But soon, Ben noted sullenly, he would have control over everything. He would the Sultan in mere weeks – and he’d have to have a Queen on his arm.

‘It’s what Grandpa would’ve wanted me to do’ Ben would tell himself, thinking back on all the wonderful years he’d spent with his Grandfather. He had only been a child when his parents had been killed, and his Grandpa and (albeit sometimes naggy) cousin had been his support system. But Grandpa wasn’t around anymore – it was up to Ben. Everything was up to Ben.

He suddenly heard a rustling, and he looked down. He nearly gasped as his eyes focused on what seemed to be a girl wearing commoner clothing with a cloth over her face. His green eyes met her dark brown ones, and for a second, he felt his heart stop. Was it from shock? Or maybe fear?

For some reason, a reason he couldn’t figure out, those eyes held him.

She broke their stare by sprinting off, and after a second or two, Ben realized what had happened. “Hey, wait! Wait!” he shouted after her, but it was no use. She was running away from him at top speed, and while he was on the balcony, she was long gone.

Julie continued to run, trying to calm the blood rushing to her face. For that one instant that they had locked eyes, she had felt her heart beating so fast she thought she might pass out. What did he think she was? A thief? A murderer?

It didn’t matter now – she had to keep running. But even as she sprinted through the Palace gardens, the image of the Prince’s eyes kept coming up in her mind. She couldn’t think of anything but his confused face as they stared at one another.

She was so entranced in his face that she didn’t even realize that she had run right by a group of guards, who had noticed her presence and were now shouting after her. Their cries for her to cease bolted Julie out her thoughts, and she slowed down a bit. Before she knew it, a guard had grabbed her arm and another had wrestled her to the ground.

“Ow!” she cried out as a guard twisted her arm behind her back.

“Don’t you know that trespassing on the Palace Grounds is against the law?!” a guard barked, spitting in her face. “What were you doing out here?! Were you out to steal something? Or assassinate the future Sultan—?!”

“No!” Julie shouted, for some reason, very angry at the thought that she would want to kill the sweet Prince she had just laid eyes on. “I-I just wanted to steal something – my family’s hungry and—“

“A likely story,” a guard scoffed. “A night in the palace dungeon out to teach you some respect!”

“We should probably see the Prince – tell him what’s happened,” a guard offered, and Julie’s eyes widened. For some reason, she didn’t want the Prince to see her like she was now – a common thief. She started to understand what Kevin felt like – she was nothing compared to the Prince.

“Do you realize how late it is?!” another guard barked. “The Prince is hopefully asleep by now, and the last thing he needs to be bothered with is some common thief.”

“Then what do we do?”

“We’ll take her to Hex,” the guard said gruffly. “That old freako is awake all hours of the night.”

The guards murmured in agreement and Julie felt herself being dragged off, her arms still being held behind her back by a muscled guard. She sighed, but smiled inwardly. So far, her plan had certainly worked. Tomorrow, there would be an announcement of her imprisonment – a public search for anyone who would come and beg for mercy upon her. And Kevin would hear it and be forced to come to the palace.

But who was this Hex guy?

Ben blinked once again, almost unable to believe the sight he had seen only two minutes ago. Had that been a girl running through his gardens, staring up at his balcony? What was she doing here? Trying to steal something? She did look rather common – and old brown peasant dress with a hood and mask, along with no shoes and dirty feet. He sighed – poverty was certainly a problem in the kingdom – one he would probably be asked to solve.

But he couldn’t think upon his responsibilities when that girl invaded his mind. He was no closer to an answer on who she was or what she had been doing on the Palace grounds. Then again, he had been rather stressed all week. All month, more like. Maybe he had thought so much about finding a girl for himself that he was starting to see girls everywhere he went.

He smiled to himself at that and retreated towards his large bed, stretching and getting ready for a good night’s sleep. He flopped down on the welcome softness and immediately felt his mind wandering towards sleep.

He smiled once again as his mind fell upon the eyes of the mysterious “girl” he had “seen” outside his window. Even if she was just an illusion, she had beautiful eyes.

”Grand Vizier! We have something we need advice on!”

“What now?!” Hex barked, spinning on his heel and glaring at the guards. “I was just about to go to sleep.” Charmcaster and he were standing in his dungeon, just having said goodnight to Mike minutes earlier.

“With all due respect your Excellency,” the Guard muttered rather sardonically, “we’ve found a thief wandering outside the palace.” The burly guard that was holding Julie pushed her forward, and Hex frowned.

“This is none of my concern!” he spat, angrier at the guards than he was at Julie. “Throw her in the dungeon! Send out the petition tomorrow – this is not my responsibility! If these things were left up to me, I would skewer every lousy thief I found!” he said the last part through gritted teeth, causing Julie to shiver. Hex was even scarier than she imagined.

“O-Of course, right away!” the guard nodded, obviously taken aback by Hex’s belligerence. “Sorry to have bothered you your Excellency!”

Julie felt herself being dragged along again. The guards exited the creepy dungeon room of Hex and continued down the stone stairs towards the rest of the dungeon. They finally came to a cell, and before Julie knew what was happening, she had been thrown inside. The cell door shut with a sickening “clang”, and the guards left her alone in the cold, dark cell.

“It’s just one night,” Julie murmured to herself, huddling up for warmth. “And it’ll all be worth it tomorrow.”

Kevin walked through the streets of the marketplace the next morning, in a sullen mood as usual. He had yet to find breakfast – for some reason, he had lost his appetite.

“Attention! Attention!”

Kevin’s ears perked up as he heard someone shouting in the main square. He turned the corner of the street and saw a royal attendant with a large scroll standing in the market square, shouting to the crowd around him. “Last night, the Royal Palace Guards apprehended a thief on Palace Grounds! A young woman, with hair the color of charcoal and eyes—“

“Oh for crying out loud!” Kevin moaned, slamming his head against his palm. “Juliiieeee…”

“If there is anyone who wishes to plead for mercy upon this prisoner,” the attendant continued, “let them speak up now, lest she be sentenced!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kevin sighed, walking forward and pushing his way through the crowd. “I’ll do it!”

“Who might you be in relation to the prisoner?” the attendant asked, staring down his nose at Kevin.

“I think I’m her friend,” Kevin muttered. “But after this, I’m not so sure.”

“Right then,” the attendant nodded. “Follow me. You will state your case in the presence of the Prince and Princess!”

Kevin’s eyes widened as he realized just what the attendant had said. He didn’t know why he was so surprised. After all, this had been Julie’s plan all along. But the realization that he was about to see Ben and Gwen again had hit home – and it excited him. What would he say to them? Would they recognize him? Probably not – he had definitely changed over the past five years. But if they did recognize him…

Well, what would they say? “Nice to see you” or “get out of our sight filthy little thief”? They certainly weren’t stuck up when he had met them years ago, but five years of royal living could change a person. Still, he doubted they would be pompous royals – they didn’t strike him as that type.

He tried to imagine what they would look like. He laughed at the idea of Ben having the same unkempt hair and huge eyes, not to mention skinny little arms. As for Gwen…well…he didn’t laugh at that image. He imagined her tall and beautiful, with her red hair long, falling down her back in gorgeous waves. Her green eyes would look at him with the same intensity that they did five years ago. As for her body…

Well, he hoped she’d grown up. He wouldn’t say anything more than that.

The attendant and he reached the palace gates after what seemed like an hour of walking, and the huge doors opened up to greet them. “Stay close, and don’t let your fingers wander,” the attendant warned him, and Kevin glared at the attendant. The attendant didn’t pay his look any mind and led him up to the main doors of the palace.

Kevin looked around, taking the up-close sight of the palace in. It was even more beautiful than it looked from his window.

The doors were coming ever closer, and his heart began to beat faster. He was about to see her – the one thing he had wanted was coming to him.

”What are the odds?”

The one thing he had wanted was coming to him.

“Hey Mike!” Mike turned around to see none other than Charmcaster standing on his balcony behind him. “Uncle wanted—“

“Charmcaster, tell your Uncle to meet me in his…quarters…” he used the term lightly, “in fifteen minutes. I have huge news.” Mike tried not to smirk as he looked down from the view on his balcony at the street rat that was being led up to the palace doors. “Our diamond’s fallen right into our laps.”

“So where are the Prince and the Princess?” Kevin asked as he was led into the main hall of the Palace. It was, as was everything else in the palace, lavish and gorgeous. But it was also empty – no Ben or Gwen to be seen.

“They’ll be arriving shortly,” the attendant snapped. “And you’ll stand here with me, silently, until they do.”

“All right, all right,” Kevin sighed, savoring the feel of the cold, expensive marble underneath his bare feet.

“No need to wait.”

Kevin and the attendant turned to see none other than Mike walking towards them. He had hurried down from his quarters to meet Kevin in the main hall. Kevin frowned at the overly handsome blond walking towards them. Something about him didn’t sit well with Kevin. “After all, you won’t be seeing the Prince and the Princess.”

“What?” Kevin asked, stepping forward. “Who the hell are you?!”

“I’m the Grand Vizier, Michael Morningstar,” Mike said darkly. “And you’re a notorious thief that has terrorized the people long enough!”

“Wh-what?!” Kevin asked, stepping forward. “I came here to ask for mercy on my friend!”

“A plea for mercy from a thief isn’t worth anything!” Mike remarked, snapping his fingers. “Guards! Seize him and throw him in the dungeon with his friend! The city’s better off without him on the streets!”

“Wait a minu—“ Kevin began, but he couldn’t finish before a whole swarm of guards grabbed him and forced his arms behind his back. “Morningstar!” he shouted, trying to get at the smirking blond before the guards dragged him away.

“What a brute,” Mike observed, still smirking. “The Cave of Wonders has awful taste.”

“What’s this about Morningstar?” Hex asked as Mike entered his dungeon again. “Have you really found him?”

“I’ve done better than find him, Hex,” Mike remarked. “I’ve captured him. He’s in the dungeon as we speak.”

“Luck’s on our side!” Charmcaster remarked, smiling widely. “What are the chances of the Diamond in the Rough just waltzing on up to the palace?”

“Luck or fate,” Mike continued, “it doesn’t matter. All we have to do is convince him to help us.”

“How do you plan to do that?” Hex asked. “I doubt he’ll want to help you after you’ve thrown him in the dungeon.”

“That’s your job Hex,” Mike told him. “I’ve got him captured, now it’s your turn to help out. Fifty-fifty remember?”

“Fine,” Hex smirked. “That’ll be easy enough. I’m sure the whelp can be easily persuaded.”

“Well then,” Mike smiled and walked out of the room swiftly, “get to it.”

Julie sat, still alone, in her tiny dungeon room, playing with her thumbs. She hadn’t slept very well on the hard stone floor, but despite her exhaustion, she was strangely alert. After all, by now, Kevin was probably already at the palace. She smiled, wondering if he had already met the Prince and Princess again. She wished she could have been there for the reunion.

Her cheeks tinged a little pink as she realized something: Kevin and the Princess were involved…where did that leave her and the Prince? Would Kevin introduce her to him?

“Julie, man, I owe you everything! We’re going to get married after all!” Kevin would say, throwing his arm around Gwen (who Julie could only imagine).

“I-I just did it because we’re friends,” Julie would say, her eyes still on the handsome Prince (who was, in her fantasy, still in his chest-baring pajamas.)

“You’ve given my cousin such happiness,” the Prince would say, walking up to Julie and taking her hands in his own. “Maybe…I could return the favor.”

Julie stopped herself.

“Okay. That’s just dumb,” she conceded, sighing.

Suddenly, Julie was brought out of her (rather silly) fantasy by the sound of grunts and curses, along with many sets of feet walking down the stone steps towards the dungeons. She gasped as she saw the palace guards come into view, a prisoner in their grasp: Kevin.

They threw her cell door open and tossed Kevin inside before unceremoniously slamming it again. “Kevin?!” Julie asked incredulously. “Wh-what happened?! He came here to beg for mercy on me, right?! Why’s he in the dungeon? He hasn’t done anything wrong!”

“The Grand Vizier, Morningstar, ordered us to throw him in here,” the Captain of the Guards responded sourly. “He’s a thief and a nuisance to society. The less of you rats there are on the streets, the better.”

“Wait!” Julie shouted, grabbing her cell bars as the guards began to walk away from them. “This isn’t right! Where’s the Prince and the Princess?! I demand to see the Prince—“

“You’re in no position to be making demands, filthy little thief!” the final guard laughed before pushing Julie back through the bars, making her fall to the ground right on her rear. He and the rest of the guards laughed as they walked out of sight, leaving Kevin and Julie alone.

“Wow,” Kevin said, his voice dripping with that familiar sarcasm that, at the moment, was driving Julie insane. “That worked fabulously!”

“This isn’t right!” Julie insisted, standing up and throwing her hands in the air. “The Prince and Princess would never have allowed this!”

“It doesn’t really matter what they would allowed, I’m stuck in here for nothing!” Kevin shouted, standing up to stare Julie in the face. “And now we’re both screwed!”

“No!” Julie shook his head. “They wouldn’t do this! He—“ she stopped and turned to face the cell bars, touching her fingers to them and softening her voice considerably, “he wouldn’t do this…”

“He?” Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Th-the Prince,” Julie said.

“Ben?” Julie nodded, and Kevin crossed his arms. “How should you know what Ben’s like?”

“I…I sorta saw him last night,” Julie spat out, embarrassed. “When I snuck in.”

“No kidding?” Kevin asked, interested. “What’s he look like? He grow up well?”

Very, though Julie, but she contained that comment. “Well…short brown hair, green eyes – magically green – so deep and—“ she wanted to say ‘gorgeous’ but left that part out for fear of Kevin’s teasing and her own embarrassment, “well…he’s not as tall as you—“

“Ha!” Kevin laughed triumphantly.

“But…he’s got things you haven’t got!” Julie reminded him, “Like really clear skin and nice clothes and his chest—“

“Chest?” Kevin stopped her, and Julie’s eyes widened.

“I said,” she corrected, “his…his best feature is the way he looks off at the sky when he’s thinking.” She felt that same warm feeling warming up in her chest, and she smiled as his image flashed in front of her mind’s eye again.

Kevin couldn’t help it – even though he was currently in jail, probably about to be executed, he cracked a smirk. “Julie and Ben, sitting in a tree!”

“Wh-what?!”

“The way he looks at the sky!” Kevin imitated Julie in a high-pitched, falsetto voice, “and his sexy chest!”

“I-I didn’t say that!” Julie blushed.

“What was he doing, changing?!” Kevin asked, enjoying this far too much. “You peeping tom! You totally watched him change, didn’t you?!”

“Oh shut up Kevin!”

“So that’s why they put you in here! Watching the strip show without paying!”

“His top was open!”

“So you did ogle at his chest!” Kevin announced triumphantly, and began to sing again, “Julie’s got a boyfriend, Julie’s got a boyfriend!”

“How old are you?!” Julie frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest and sitting down. “It doesn’t matter anyway…we’re both stuck in here, remember?”

Kevin was brought out of his jovial, cruel teasing by Julie’s recall of reality. Both of them were still in jail, nowhere near either Ben or Gwen. He sat down and sighed.

“Yeah…I guess we should think about a way to get out of this,” Kevin agreed.

“If we could just see the Prince and Princess—“

“Even if we could…even if they got us out of here,” Kevin conceded sadly, “they couldn’t ever be more to us than friends. Even that would be a stretch. They’re royalty, remember? Have to marry other royalty.”

“Oh, troubles of the heart? Perhaps I can help…”

Kevin and Julie turned their heads and suddenly saw, outside their cell, an old man with a wobbly cane and a large brown shawl staring at them, grinning. He looked hardly savory, a brown hood over his head, his eyes wide, his eyes yellow and piercing. “Who are you?” Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Name’s are not important,” the man waved his hand. “I couldn’t help but overhear your…concerns. How would you like it if I could give you wild treasures beyond your most fantastic dreams?”

“Treasures?” Kevin asked. “What’s the catch?”

“What Kevin means,” Julie interrupted, frowning at her friend, “is that we’re not interested in money…that won’t change us into royal—“

“Haven’t you heard the saying?” the old man grinned, “he who has the gold makes the rules! The treasure I’m offering you could make you both the richest pair in the seven deserts.”

“So why give it to us?” Kevin folded his arms.

“The treasures in a cave – a Cave of Wonders,” the man said, eyes wide as dinner plates. “Filled to the brim with treasure – I only want one thing – a lamp.”

“O…kay,” Kevin nodded. “I’m listening.”

“I need a young person to go in after it – someone strong, like you!” the man laughed. “And you have nothing to lose, do you?! Get me the lamp, and the rest of the treasure is yours.”

Kevin looked at Julie, who was frowning and shaking her head at him. “Okay – but there’s a problem,” Kevin motioned to the cell, “we’re kinda stuck in here.”

“Oh this?” the old man laughed, and immediately pulled out a key and unlocked the cell, much to Kevin and Julie’s surprise. “Child’s play. Now come along – there’s a secret exit at the lowest dungeon.”

Kevin helped Julie up, and the two of them followed the sinister looking old man out of their cell and down the stone staircase. “I don’t know about this,” Julie whispered to Kevin, “can we trust him?”

“No,” Kevin frowned, “But he’s not asking us to trust him. He’s asking us to help him.”

There you have it! Chapter 3 is done! :3 Next chapter will be the Cave of Wonders, along with the revealing of the Genie! :D (People have been guessing who it'll be -- I'm not giving it away! XD)

I'd love a review, of course. :) I hope you all enjoyed it!