Preminger stopped Herve from going any further, pulling up in front of the mines. "And then that woman- wait. Why are we here?"

Preminger chuckled. "Just a little side trip."

Suddenly, everything fell into place. Going back to the mines... which were robbed of gold... and now closed. And he should have gone stright to the castle. It all clicked. Why hadn't she seen it sooner?

"You were behind this!"

"Very clever planting a double to fool me. But not clever enough."

"Double? Wait, what-" Once again, things fell into place. The princess that the guard mentioned when he wouldn't let her in! That was the double! But if Preminger didn't know about her, and he was behind this, then...

Stephanie gasped. "Christina! She was pretending to be me!" She turned back to Preminger. "To stop you!"

"Ah, that's her name. Fine then. Either way. It's checkmate. I win." He grabbed her wrist and started pulling her towards the mines. She stumbled over her shoes, loosing one in front of the mines, which made her stumble more. She was unable to gain her balance as he pulled her along. Skip followed her in, moving as fast as he could, but he soon lost track of them and got lost in the caves.

Meanwhile, Preminger finally let go of Stephanie's arm, and she fell to the ground. "Nice to see you again, Highness." She looked up to see the irishman, Jack. 

"Watch your step." Added the other, Mark. 

Stephanie looked around, giving a scoff of disbelief. "Why would you even do this?"

"To be King." Mark said. Jack elbowed him. 

"And how would you become King?" She asked, somewhat mockingly. 

"Still underestimating me? Just like a royal." He scoffed, as his two henchman picked Stephanie up by her arms.

"He was going to marry you." Jack said. 

"WHAT?!"

Jack waved his finger around, as if giving a lesson. "Now, he's got a new bride in mind." Stephanie looked over to Preminger who, arms cross, shrugged in a smug-like manner. 

"Your mother is a very handsome woman." He said, smirking. 

"But... even if you marry her, you won't become King. That's not how..."

"How monarchies work. Yes, yes." He rolled his eyes, finishing her sentence with her. "Your tutor has lectured me about it over and over."

Stephanie would have fallen in shock if she weren't being held on to. Her eyes went wide with shock and terror. But mostly fear. Fear and worry. Worry about her best friend. "He knows about this? What did you do to him?!" She screamed. 

"Huh." Mark said aloud, drawing attention to him. "Isn't it funny how you just assumed that we had done something to him, when it's just as possible that he's in on it?" Mark ducked to shield himself, but no blow came. He stood back up. "You're not going to hit me?"

"No, that was actually kind of a good point. Also kind of physologically stimulating." Jack said. 

"Seriously, I wish I had said that." Preminger added. "But I've got one better. Want to see him?" He asked. 

Stephanie didn't even answer before they started to pull her away. A few seconds later, she was shoved into a small room; one with a thin metal door and no walls or floor; just rock. One may wonder why the door was even put in; perhaps the room was about to be renovated before the gold was stolen. Inside, standing on his knees and with his hands tied behind his back, was Matthew.

"Matthew!" She shouted. 

He looked up and saw her immediately. He looked panicked, but physically, he was fine, aside from his clothing being a little ripped up, and that was most likely from his own struggling.  At least they didn't hurt him. "Stephanie?!" 

"Matthew, he wants to-"

"Be King. I know. I tried to explain that monarchies don't work that way." Matthew finished. 

"Yes, but I don't think the queen will care much when she discovers that her daughter died in a terrible accident." Preminger said. 

They both knew what that meant. "They'll never stop looking for the princess." Matthew said, leaning forward. Stephanie ran over and started to undo the knots, but with all of Matthew's struggling, they were much tighter. 

"Oh I think they will. When I show them this." He pulled out Stephanie's precious ring and showed it to them. Stephanie stopped untying the knots and looked at her hands. Preminger must have gotten it off her hands when she wasn't paying attention.

Meanwhile, Skip had made his way around to where they were, and once he saw the three of them talking, brushed out of the way to listen. 

"They won't believe you! Not with Christina there." Stephanie shouted. Matthew looked at her, confused. "I figured it out a few minutes ago." She added. He nodded. 

Preminger laughed. "Don't worry. I have a plan for her, too." Skip, nervous for his old best friend, quickly scampered off to get back to the castle as soon as he could. Somehow, despite no human words, and one very odd bark, he had to warn her.

Preminger looked at Matthew. "Actually, thanks to your little princess swap plan, I know exactly who I can say was behind this whole mess." He stared directly at Matthew. "Besides, who would believe a common pauper? The royals would sooner believe an inanimate ring than someone like that." He stood back and slammed the door behind him, locking it too. 

Stephanie, still unable to untie the ropes, finally gave up and knelt down behind Matthew. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"One second! Hold your arms out; as far as they'll go." Matthew, despite some serious confusion, did as she told him, and felt the ropes fall limply off his wrists. Pulling his arms in front of him, he rubbed his wrists, feeling the tail end of one of the now-frayed ropes. It was wet.

"Did you... bite-"

"Yes. Now, the door?!" Stephanie gestured to the locked door. Matthew nodded and started pushing against the door, running back and forth trying to break it down. Stephanie took off her other shoe and started ramming it against the handle. It wasn't coming off. 

"No good." Matthew finally said, panting. He nearly fell to his knees in exhaustion. Stephanie stopped him by grabbing his arm and puling him back up. 

"We have to stop him!" She was shouting, when the mines started to rumble. Outside, Mark and Jack were destroying the supports of the mine. It was collapsing in on itself. In the nick of time, before they themselves became trapped, they ran out and took off towards the town. Meanwhile, Preminger was on his way to the castle to announce the news of the Princess's "Death."

But she wasn't, of course. The supports protecting Stephanie and Matthew had not been destroyed. They were trapped, but now they were just... more trapped.