"You fool!" Xander snapped as those in the ballroom awoke from their slumber. "No one should touch the pearl but me!" A murmur of confusion rose in the room. Pirates were blocking the exits, and the guests did not have a way to defend themselves.

Regaining consciousness, Aurora grabbed her arm and cried out in pain. She tried to move from the platform, but Xander had already caught her by the waist and held a knife at her neck. Nurlan, who had been mid-lunge when he froze, sprawled out on the platform as he fell. "Do not move," Xander warned those around him. Zan and Gandr also had to stop charging the stage when they saw the predicament.

On the balcony, the sudden release of tension in Brinn's body threw her forward. She barely missed falling over the balustrade. "Brinn, watch out!" Since the Princess's feet were melded with the floor, the pirate decided that the elf was the bigger threat. He attempted to push her over the edge. Rolling to one side, Brinn avoided him, causing the man to hurl himself over the bannister instead.

"Where's my bow?" Brinn asked the princess. The girl pointed after the man who had fallen. "Drat! And is that Cafer?" The elf pointed to the general on the stage.

"Yes, he is in disguise." The princess answered quickly. "And the other man is Xander. We need to do something." Mairwen struggled in vain to free her feet.

"Time for plan C. Stay here." Brinn told her. "Not that you have a choice, sorry. I will be right back."

Turning invisible, Brinn jumped from the balcony to the rope that held one of the many hanging chandeliers. Mairwen followed the movement of the rope. The regular metal adornments had been replaced with beautiful wooden branches formed into cones that held the lights at various intervals. They looked a bit like large upside down birds' nests. The princess watched as the rope began to fray on the chandelier above Cafer. Soon, it would fall.

Meanwhile, Xander backed up using the Empress as a human shield. "We may be going on a little trip, you and I. Hand me the pearl, child!" The pirate released the Aurora's waist to reach for the ball.

Alaron jerked the pearl away. "I am not a child. I should be able to use this." He willed the pearl to do his bidding, but it burned his hand in response.

The prince dropped the pearl and Cafer scooped it up. "We have no time for foolishness, my prince." From the ceiling, the chandelier crashed to the ground, trapping the former councilman in the wooden cage. The gnome realized that that with the floor and cage being wooden, he was unable to use his magic. He cursed and railed against the wood, but it was too heavy to move. Alaron saw the cage falling and managed to move just out of its grasp.

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During the distraction, Aurora gathered all her strength and slammed her heel into the foot of Xander. The unexpected move caught the pirate off guard. He scratched the Empress's neck with his blade, but his grip loosened just enough. She reached for her hidden knife only to realize that the prince must have removed it while she was mesmerized. Thinking quickly, she gave the man two quick jabs with her uninjured elbow and then dropped deadweight to the ground. It was a risky move, but because Xander was already off balance, he was forced to release her, cutting a swath of her hair in the process.

Seizing their opportunity, Zan, Gandr and Nurlan all tackled Xander and held him in place. With the Empress freed, fighting among the pirates and palace guards broke out. Alaron saw his coup failing and his face hardened. The sheer number of soldiers outstripped the pirates, and the battle was over within minutes.

The guards surrounded the wooden platform and the thrones. None of them dared approach the prince without the Empress's approval. Aurora stood tentatively. Her voice cracked, "Please son, give up this madness."

The boy looked straight at her with hatred. "You are not my mother. I will claim what is mine."

Aurora hung her head. "Oh Alaron," she said defeated. She motioned and the guards started to close in.

"No!" The boy screamed. Then Alaron began chanting and moving his hands.

Hearing the ancient tongue, Gandr's eyes grew wide. "Your Majesty, watch out!"

A great blast erupted on the platform, sending shards of wood flying and knocking those on the platform back with great force. When the smoke and debris cleared, the wooden cage had a gaping hole and Cafer, Xander, and Alaron were gone.

Recovering first from the fall, Zan ran to the Empress. He lifted her head into his lap as she groaned. "Are you ok?" he asked as he held her steady.

"My son! Where is Alaron?" her voice was barely a whisper.

"He is gone, Your Majesty," Zan told her as he looked around. The pirates that were left behind were being escorted to the dungeon.

"I have lost my son, Zan. He is gone. More gone than I realized." The Empress closed her eyes. Her wounds were taking their toll.

"Help me get her to the doctor," Zan told Nurlan and Anna. The three carried her out of the ballroom.

Above them Brinn landed back on the balcony and was once again visible. Mairwen looked at her with surprise. She had never seen the elf actually performing her magic, and the feat that the spymaster had done seemed impossible. "How did you get down after you cut the rope?" The girl asked.

"You do not want to know," Brinn answered. She looked at the girl's stone-encased feet. "I think we need a chisel." Not having one, she pulled her knife and chipped away at the floor.

"Is Mother ok?" Mairwen asked. She watched as the woman was carried from the room.

"Let us get you out of here, so we can find out." The spymaster did not want lie; the Empress looked rough.

"And what was that that Alaron did? The stage went to pieces!" One of Mairwen's feet came free. She rubbed it to get feeling back into her toes.

"The prince used magic," Brinn stated matter-of-factly.

"But I thought humans could not use magic," Mairwen gasped.

"It is a common misconception. Humans should not use magic. You are not built for it, and it will destroy you from the inside out." The elf dug at the princess's other foot and refused to meet Mairwen's eye.

"Poor Alaron!" Even with all that the prince had done to destroy her evening, she could not help but feel compassion for him. "Is there any hope?"

Brinn freed the second of the princess's feet as the palace guards arrived to assist them. The elf gave an encouraging smile. "If anyone can find a solution, it is your family. I have never seen such incredible humans. It is why I serve Her Majesty faithfully."

"Thank you, Brinn," Mairwen accepted the words.

"Now, let us get you to a doctor to examine your feet, and then we can check out the status of your parents." As the guards escorted the limping princess, the spymaster looked down at the crowd. They were milling about, unsure what to do. "The party is over, people! Go home!"