It was a week later after the note was given to me. It was a shock to all that Agus was here in the place threatening to kill Lady Taylor. In fact, Taylor became a steady ally to me after that day, and I am proud to know her. I had more guards placed by Maya's doors and asked Tason and Ty to move closer to her room. They happily agreed, and Mother also moved closer to her room. The Council become paranoid about what Agus would do against us and how he had told us how he felt about me being on the throne. Father was heeled in a few days to him coming, but he sent his men ahead. He wanted to stay a day extra to make sure Maya and Mother was save. That was what all of us wanted: to keep the light side safe. One thing was on my mind all that week, and it was what everyone was scared of. 

Alright, call me evil names, but I was not worried about my family's safety that much. I only put the guards and knights by her room for the future. At the moment though, we were safe. Or so I thought. Oh how wrong I was. I was also put in charge of Curtis and his training to be the knight to wield Fall. I was doing that a week from that day. Father was gone by then, and Ty was watching out for Agus or any of his troops. 

Curtis was chopping at a dummy and I was also training. I was working on my hand to hand fighting with Tason. It was my weakest spot, but it did come in handy later on in my life. Yet once again, that is another tail to be told. I was doing better, but Tason kept knocking me on my back. I was getting angry at him and had finally came close to winning. He still won though.

"That was close, Lacondra," he told me, helping me to my feet. I blow a strand of red out of my eyes. My hair was up and I had on a dark blue gown with my boots. It was normal clothing and my necklace was on top of my bag and sword. I did in fact put most of my weapons in that bag. I learned that I could call the shack to me as well has my sword. I had many useful tools and I planned to use them to the fullest. Now if only I could do the same with my hands and feet.

I once again faced him in a fight. I punched and ducked, and he did not get a hold of me this time. I didn't flip him though. Something else kind of happened, and I swear I didn't mean for it to happen! You see he might have never touched me, yet I never touched him. I was getting mad and upset that I could not master this art of fighting. I didn't notice the shadows crawling up my arms and body. I was about to hit him when darkness covered his body, and he fell. Tason cried out in shock has the shadows somehow tied his hands and feet together and they did not lose when he straggled to get out of their hold. He glared up at me and seeing him like that was very funny. I just had to laugh.

 "Lacondra it is not funny!" he yelled at me. "Now call off your shadows."

"But I didn't do it!" I told him. "I did not call any shadows to me."

 "Sure. Now call them off!"

"I still didn't do it," I mumbled undoing the work of the ropes made by the darkness. He stood and glared at me again.

"You said you didn't do this, but you are the only person in the room who can control shadows. Tell me, what were you thinking about?"

"How good it would feel to see you lose. Why?"

 "For that is what I thought. If you think hard about something, then you will get it. It's a stage in your powers that will go away when you get older. Till then you need to learn how to control it!"  

"Tason! Lacondra! Curtis!" Iver called. The old man came running in quickly, and was clearly out of breath. He was upset, and his usually kept hair was a mess. 

"What is General Iver?" Curtis asked. His blonde hair was spiked and his green eyes had a light I cannot describe. His pale skin brought out the color of those eyes and the muscles in his arms.

"The troops that just went out. They are under attack!" 

 "Father's troops?" I asked. I did not want Father to be harmed any more then he already was. I was worried about him, but there is nothing you can do when someone in your family is a knight. 

"I'm afraid so my queen." 

"By who?" Tason asked has I put my necklace on. I was upset and wanted to know also, but I feared my words would come out very bitterly. 

"By  Anna."

We all gasped by her name. Anna was Agus' daughter, also known has the Death Witch. She was pure evil, and her powers made you even more evil. The fact that Agus was her father was one thing, but the fact that her mother was a death warrior of the past was even more deadly. I was not going to let that bitch- pardon my tongue, I'm upset- get a hold of my father. 

"Where?" I asked, picking up my bag and sword. "Where is the battle?" 

"Just a little away from the town. Lacondra, do you think it is wise for you to go fight the Death Witch?" Iver asked me. 

"I will go and save those men if I must. Are you coming with me or not?" I asked them all. Tason and Curtis followed without another word, and after a moment, Iver followed. I went to the stables and saddled up on Blaze. She was a silver mare with a black mane and was my horse. Every knight, queen, fairy, Council member, and princess has a horse. Mine was Blaze, Tason's was Sunny, Curtis' was Nightmare, and Iver's was Meadow. I didn't wait on them and pushed Blaze out of the stables and onto the dirt road. It soon became stone and lead to the town. I paid it no heed and raced past the towns folk and was once again on dirt. I could hear the fall of good men and monsters up ahead, and I came to a stop. I tied Blaze to a tree away from the battle, and promised her some sugar when we got back home. I drew my sword and walked to the fight.

 I saw knights that I knew and monsters fighting them. They were so many beast I couldn't even name all of them, but let's just say I barely ever came in contact with them again. I was manly looking for my father and Anna. I stabbed a ronica in the chest and watched it fall. I looked at the knight that was fighting it and pulled him aside. It was Dan, and he was a bold man with green eyes.

"Do you know where my father is?" I asked him, not caring about the look he was giving me.

"Yes Your Majesty. He is fighting Anna, and I fear he is losing," the knight replied. He pushed past me and joined the fight. I ran past all of it to find my father and the witch he was fighting. I was almost to the end of the raging battle when I saw him. He was holding up his shield and was blocking the fire the Death Witch was throwing at him. I could see the frown on his face and the sweet rolling down his face. The fire could not touch him, but it's heat could. I also saw that his shield was not going to last much longer, and so did Anna and him. She had a smile on her face and neither one of them saw me, and that was a good thing. I walked slowly forward and stopped when Anna's cold voice spoke from her ruby red lips. Her black hair fell in waves on her back, and her eyes were an icy blue.

"So this is how the Great Knight will die?" she asked him. "And I thought you promised your daughter that you would be around for a long time. How sad you will have to break that promise."

"I do plan on being by her side, witch," he grunted. She laughed.

"Before I kill you I think I will tell you what my father has planed for your family. He plans on first taking your youngest daughter Maya and keeping her prisoner. While the others run around and leave your beautiful wife Elizabeth unguarded, he will come in and kill her. Then in front of Lacondra he will kill the girl. With the light out of the way, Lacondra will be a full queen and be worthy of Father. She will take his hand in mirage and they will rule together forever. Too bad you will not be around to see it."

"Lacondra would never even think about marring that foul creature you call a father! She would never let you win!"

 "Oh, but who is going to stop us?"

I raised my hand and a new shield of darkness came in front of my father stooping the flames and the heat. His shield was in bad shape, and both looked up at me and Anna gasped and Father smiled.

"I will be the answer to that question, witch," I told her. She was getting angry and tried to blast me with her fire, but thought better of it. I was to be her father's wife, so she could not lay a hand upon me. I steeped in front of Father and faced the damned women.

"So the dark queen graces me with her present. eh?" asked Anna. "Should I be honored or afraid?"

"You can feel both. Now leave while you can still walk." 

 "Looks like I made somebody mad! What are you going to do to me if I do not leave?" 

 "I'm going to send you to Agus in pieces! Now leave Anna!" 

"But I'm not done here. Father wished me to kill the Great Knight, but I can't do that with you guarding him. So I'll have to figure out another way to get rid of him. I got it!" 

She closed her eyes and held out her arms and pointed them at my father. I tried to stop her, but something was holding me to my spot. I could not move. I watched has blue waves came out of her arms and towards the knight I loved. They circled around him and in a flash his body was transformed. I heard him cry in pain, but it soon was a growl. His arms and legs became muscled paws. His teeth grew and I was blinded for a moment. When I looked back I gasped. Where my proud father stood moments before, a great tiger was in his place. It was painting heavy and looked sad.

"Good bye Lacondra," Anna told me with a huge smile on her face. "Oh, and have fun with your father! Ha!" 

I charged at her, but she was gone, as was the monsters she had brought with her. I kicked the road in angry and turned toward my father. He walked toward me and rubbed his now tiger head against my knee. Father looked into my eyes, and it was a sad look. I sighed and place my hand on his head.

"My queen," I heard Iver call to me. "What is that tiger doing here? Do we need to get rid of it?"

"No," I called to all of them. I saw that many had gone for their weapons, but this tiger was not on the list of beast that needed to be killed. "No one is to lay a hand on this tiger!"

"But Lacondra," Curtis told me, "tigers are dangerous beast that show no mercy. Why should we not kill it?"

"For this one is Luke! That damned witch turned my father into a tiger!"

The crowed gasped to learn that a men who seemed untouchable was now a beast that was hunted by many. I was upset and I looked for Tason. I saw him and called him over.

"We need to get Father back to the castle and get him to Kelly and Ky. I want you to rid ahead and tell everyone what has happened to him so that they do not panic when a tiger rids by. Get Kelly and Ky ready for this, and make sure Mother knows. Alright?"

"Yes Queen Lacondra," he said and got on his horse and rode away. I faced the coward and sighed.

 "You all have fought bravely. I want a few of you to stay and take care of the dead and injured. The rest my come with me and General Iver back to the village. You all deserve a break, and we have to find you a new captain to take Father's place or cure Father before you all head back out. Thank you, and Iver, Curtis, come help me get Father on a wagon and hook him up to Blaze, will you?"

The two men didn't deny to my request. I lead my father to an empty wagon and with the help of the other two hooked him to Blaze. She protested until I told her that it was my father and he would not hurt her. She still did not like it, but she seemed to calm down and did what I asked. With the troops, Iver, and Curtis I made my way back to the village. A crowd was around and gasped when they saw the beast on the wagon of their queen's horse. I heard whispers about how it was the Great Knight ans how he was not so great at the moment. It took all my will power not to loss my temper. We got to the palace and Mother cried when she saw her husband. He growled softly has she hugged his neck and tears fell down her face. He placed a paw on her back and I felt my heart break. Maya walked up to me and I picked her up. She smiled and looked at the two and back at me.

"Lacon," she said not able to say my name yet, "why is Mother hugging a tiger?"

"It's because," I told her, not wishing to have to bring this news, "the tiger is Father. A witch turned him into one."

 "Why?"

 "She is a bad women. Father was trying to stop her from getting here."

"Can I pet him?"

"Of course," I said with a smile. Only little Maya could not under stand the reason behind Mother's sadness and still be happy. I carried her over and placed her next to our father. He looked at her and she rubbed his head. He gave a little purr and Mother picked her up and hugged the girl.  Kelly and Ky told me to lead him to my room. I did as I was asked, and I could tell many were upset to learn that a man that could win almost any fight was now a beast he fought was not a comforting thought. 

They looked at him and the fairies did all that they could. They tried magic, positions, anything to break the cures. Nothing worked. Ky said she would have to do a little more research on the Death Witch and her magic, and Kelly kept trying. I soon told her she needed rest, and she gladly took it. I was alone with Father, and I patted his back. He looked at me and did nothing but stare. 

"I'm sorry," I told him, "I tried to stop her, but there was nothing I could do. If I could take your place, I would, but I cannot. Oh I hope you are not too upset about being a beast you like to hunt. I promise you will become human again and that no one will dare lay a hand upon you!" 

He rubbed my hand and a smile was on his face. I knew he could understand me, but I could not do the same. There was a knock on the door and without me saying anything, Sean walked in. I felt the muscles in Father's back tense, for he did not like Sean either. He liked to keep Father on a leash and I knew that what we would  do with Father would come up. 

"What do you want?" I asked, still holding my father so you did not tear Sean apart, even if I wanted him too. "Can you not see that I am with my father?" 

"Looks more like a flea bitten beast to me," the Council leader told me. "What I am here for is to tell you that a meeting is tomorrow. You must be there."

 "Why are you telling me and not Mother?"

"She is too upset about that thing to do anything." When Sean got done with that sentence, Father growled at him, making the old man back away. I smiled and patted him even more.

"And what is the meeting about?"

"How to get rid of that beast and what to do about the Death Witch."

"Get rid of! You will not call any moves on my father! You might be the head of the Council but he is my father and the Light Queen's husband. If anyone will chose what to do with him it is us. I do not want you to do anything that will harm him. I can tell you right now he will stay in this castle and no one will harm him. Now get out!"

"You dare talk to me like that? I will have your-"

"I'm have much more power than you will ever have. Trust me, I am not afraid of you. Get out! Now!"

He wasted no time doing what I asked. I was very upset that this is what the Council will repay Father for all his years of service. He was my blood! Why would you want him gone and what was the point? I sighed and got ready for bed. Tam came in with a dinner tray and wished me good night. She looked sadly at Father and left. I ate only a slice of bread and gave the boar to my tiger. I laid down and the beast curled up at my feet. I closed my eyes and wished Father a good night. then fell asleep.   

Anna to the side