"You have broken a very serious rule in my kingdom! You should know better than to meddle in the affairs of one higher than a peasant like you!"

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty! I didn't mean anything by it, I...I just wanted to-"

"Help. You wanted to help. And that is exactly what I meant by meddling in the wrong affairs. You are not supposed to offer help. Offering help to a knight as great as Sir Edward The Third is about as insulting as what I am about to have you do..."

"Oh, please, Your Majesty, I never meant to insult Sir Edward!"

"Silence!"

Billy listened to the booming voice of the queen and the frantic cries of Ella from the chamber he had been lead to. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to hear the conversation between them, but unfortunately, he couldn't help it. He sighed heavily, feeling guilty once more.

"So this is your armor...," The servant who had lead Billy to the chamber said grumpily. "I've unlocked the storage unit. You will come here tomorrow before your quest to retrieve it."

Billy looked at the intimidating thing his armor was. How on earth was he going to wear what looked to be just a big hunk of metal? He didn't even bother asking. It was embarrassing enough to ask for help on his quest, he couldn't imagine how embarrassing it would be to admit that he, a knight, didn't know how to put on his own armor. He just nodded and thanked the servant, who then exited the chamber grumbling.

Billy stayed alone where he was for a minute, not ready to go out and be seen by Ella. He felt responsible for what she was going through at the moment, and felt a bit awkward about showing his face in front of her. So instead, he just remained in the chamber and listened for when it would be safe to exit.

"You are banished from these lands! For eternity!" The queen boomed.

"No!" Ella cried out in shock.

As soon as Billy had heard these words being spoken, he felt his heart drop. Ella was banished from the Queen's lands? All because she had asked if she could help him? In Billy's opinion, that was hardly fair. At first he was so disgusted that he didn't even want to leave the chamber at all. He wanted to stay there all night until dawn when he would have to leave to embark on his quest. But it was something else he had heard that had changed his mind. Something that Ella started doing.

Ella started crying. He could hear her sad sobs echoing from the main room. She was just a book character. She wasn't real. He tried to remind himself of that. But he couldn't ignore that sad sound. Not when they reminded him of someone he knew and loved, and whom was back at home.

Clara. Those sobs reminded him of Clara. Yes, his little sister seemed to never know when to leave him alone. She annoyed him all day, every day. But when she would cry, Billy couldn't help but feel sad for her. And he knew that most of her tears were shed on account of something that he had done to upset her. He didn't want it to be that way anymore. He might as well start practicing on making things better by helping out Ella.

"Stop!" he cried out bravely, a bit louder than he had intended, and was even surprised by his own voice for a second after. He regained his confidence and shouted again, this time while running out of the chamber, "Stop!"

He had entered the main room now, where the Queen and Ella were staring at him in surprise. He looked around awkwardly before saying in the firmest tone he could muster, "Ella shouldn't be banned from the lands. It's not right."

The Queen raised an eyebrow at him, as if offended that he had dared to object one of her orders. Billy noticed and said quickly, "I don't mean to try to deny your orders, Your Majesty. I just...I feel sorry for Ella. I know that she truly meant to help me because she wanted to be nice. And I have to be honest, I did need some help at the time."

The Queen looked at Ella with a questioning gaze, and then nodded at her to speak. Ella sniffled, "Sir Edward was having some difficulty remembering what he had come here for. He had also forgotten that I was supposed to lead him to the village, so I offered to give him help on his quest entirely, and he accepted."

The Queen looked over at Billy almost doubtfully. "Is this true?"

Billy nodded sheepishly, and then explained, "I bumped my head on the way here, I think. My memory was a bit faded."

The Queen paused, as if thinking about what she had been told. She then sighed, and said, "Well...okay. Sir Edward, you have saved me once before, and I have told you that I cannot fathom how I could possibly repay you. I suppose that respecting your wishes is one of the things that can repay you, if only a little bit."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Billy cheered, and then bowed in respect. Ella noticed and quickly curtsied.

"However..." The Queen started to speak again. "I do have a proposal. If Ella believes that she can possibly do well in accompanying a knight like you on such a dangerous mission, then I expect her to do so, if that wouldn't be too bothersome for you, good Sir."

Billy didn't see any reason to object. He looked over at Ella to see what she thought of the idea. She nodded slowly, with a small smile.

"Yes. I think that Ella should accompany me," Billy said politely, gesturing towards Ella.

"Very well, then. Good Sir, your heart is just as strong as your will. Having faith in a peasant like Ella takes someone stronger than even a person such as myself," She sighed. "I will give you the rest of this evening to rest and prepare for tomorrow. I expect you both to leave at the crack of dawn."

Ella and Billy nodded respectfully at the Queen, as a servant came over to lead them to their chambers where they would rest for the night.

Ella and Billy walked side-by-side while following the servant, going up at least three flights of stairs. Billy didn't mind them. In fact, he felt some sort of relief. He remembered back in his homeland that he was bedridden and could only get around in a wheelchair, and he knew all too well the fear that stairs had induced in him. He just didn't like having to worry about falling and getting hurt. At least in this world he could enjoy the freedom of being able to walk on his two legs. That wasn't say that he didn't miss home. He certainly did, along with his mother, and even Clara. He tried to reassure himself that he would get to see them again. He just had to finish the book, which meant completing his quest, right? Billy sighed, hoping that he was in fact correct. If he would have to stay in this world forever, never returning home again, Billy didn't know what he would do. He didn't know how long he could be Sir Edward and not Billy and still remain sane.

"Are you alright, good Sir?" Ella had asked him, seeming to have noticed the conflicted look on Billy's face.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Billy replied, even knowing that he was telling her lies.

"I must say...thank you, for helping me earlier. You certainly are the bravest knight of the lands," Ella smiled, a grateful look on her face.

"Oh, your welcome. I knew that I couldn't just leave you there crying," Billy chuckled sheepishly, a bit embarrassed.

"Yes...it's just good to know that amongst all who treat me so bad...at least I have a good friend like you," Ella said sincerely with a sad smile.

Billy didn't know what to say. He had never received such a compliment before, and it only made him feel even more sorry for Ella. What had she done to deserve being treated like she was? Just for being a peasant from the River Village? Billy couldn't wrap his head around it.

"Yeah. Don't worry about what they say. It's not true. And I'm never going to be on their side," Billy assured her in a genuine voice.

Ella beamed, as her eyes sparkled with tears. Thankfully, she didn't let them fall. Billy would have hated to see that. He already felt sad enough for her already. But as they walked up the stairs towards their chambers, he began to wonder about something. If he, Billy, was going to finish his quest and hopefully leave this world to go home, what was going to happen to Sir Edward and Ella? Would Ella be left all alone? Would the story just end, and everything would be at a standstill? Was he supposed to assume that life would just go on in the book, and everyone would live happily ever after?

All of these questions made Billy's mind spin, and he knew he couldn't afford to think too much of it anyway. He just hoped that if he did leave the book, that Ella wouldn't be alone, and that she would live happily ever after like the rest of the characters that made up the story he was trapped in.