Fourth Installment

"To where are we headed princess?"

"Do not call me princess, I do not want attention drawn to us. We are
going to the west, where there has yet to be a moving shadow."

Vladmir held Miranda's hand, while Kikki was made to walk beside them.
Miranda kept her open hand wrapped tightly around Excalibur, afraid to
let go of the sword for even a second.

"Miranda, there is a village up ahead. We should stop there for
tonight."

"Are you sure we will be safe there?"

"We must trust in faith that we will be."

"Fine, then hurry up. I do not want to be in the fading light for
longer than I have to."

Letting go of Excalibur, Miranda picked up Kikki. Making sure that the
sword was safe, Miranda did not put her hand back.

"Do you care more for the safety of your cat than the Excalibur?"
Vladmir asked as he put an arm around Miranda 's waist and grabbed
Excalibur's handle.

"You care for me more than you care for your own sword," Miranda
pointed out.

"That is because I love you more. I do not see how you can love your
cat more than your kingdom."

"You are doing a fine job of guarding Excalibur, Vladmir."

"Thank you my lady."

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

"There is no one around to hear me call you that."

"How do you know? One of those moving shadows may be around her
and?"

"Do not worry Miranda, you know I will protect you."

"I am not worried about that Vladmir."

Walking through the small village, Vladmir grabbed the first person he
saw and asked where the closest inn was. The man, clearly frightened,
quickly pointed in the direction of a medium building and ran in the
opposite direction.

"You keep on doing that and everyone will have been scared away from
you."

"He pointed us to an inn, did he not?"

"And then he ran away from you."

"Don't start a scene Miranda, unless you want attention drawn to
us."

"I can start a scene if I want to Vladmir," Miranda yelled at him and
pushed him away.

"My love, let us continue this where we won't have an audience."
Vladmir guided Miranda away from a staring crowd, toward the inn.

"What do we have here," an innkeeper said as Miranda and Vladmir walked
into the inn, "ac couple of visitors to Lyna?"

"We would like a room for the night sir. Will this cover the cost?"
Vladmir pushed five copper coins toward the innkeeper.

"I don't allow pets in this inn. But perhaps we might be able to make a
compromise." The innkeeper's eyes looked hungrily at Miranda 's
body.

"I will do no such thing!" Miranda stood behind Vladmir, wanting to get
out of the innkeeper's sight.

"Here, this will be more than enough to cover one night." Vladmir
pushed two silver coins to the innkeeper.

"Fine, take the second to last room on the right," said the innkeeper
as he handed Vladmir a small key.

The innkeeper pointed Vladmir down a hallway and Miranda almost ran to
their room, wanting to get away from the innkeeper quick.

Vladmir ran to catch up with Miranda, who gave him a look of
hate.

"Miranda, do not look at me like that, it was not my fault." Opening
the door, Vladmir let Miranda in first. Jumping out of Miranda's arms,
Kikki curled up on a chair.

"You did not try to stop that man from getting what he wanted!"

Vladmir sat down on the bed and motioned Miranda to sit with him. When
she sat beside him, Vladmir held onto and rocked Miranda.

"You don't understand, had he touched you my love, he would have found
himself with out a head."

"And then a relative of the innkeeper would kill you. Then what would
happen to myself and Excalibur?"

"You've had a tiring day. Go to sleep Miranda, I will watch over
you."

Lying down on the straw mattress, Miranda wondered what would happen to
them. How things would have been different if there were no moving
shadows.

"What are you thinking about?" Vladmir asked as he laid down beside
Miranda.

"If the moving shadows had never come, my father or myself would not
have had to leave Vendra. Excalibur would not have been broken."

"Go to sleep princess. What has happened cannot be changed."

* * *
"So, Vladmir has decided to leave with his beloved princess," Lady sat
in the sitting room, fuming. "If he thinks that if he gets out of
Vendra he will get away from me, Vladmir will soon find out that he is
terribly mistaken."

Disappearing from the sitting room, Lady made her way down to the
throne room. Inside she could hear some of the council members arguing
about what to do about Princess Miranda.

"They must be thick-headed if they cannot think of a reason why she
would leave. Of course, they do not know that Princess Miranda took
Excalibur when she left. That will make it easier for me to find those
two, all I have to do is find the magic path leaked by Excalibur and
then send the shadows after them."