The group arrives

Five months pass and the group arrive at Candice's hometown, noticing civilians fighting to protect the royal residence. Candice goes to one of the civilians.

"Hi there, what's going on?" Candice asks, concerned

"I'm so glad you're here, Charlotte has been causing trouble for the past five months, breaking royal property and poisoning those who try to oppose her with thorns." The civilian answers

"Your highness, she's overthrowing the monarchy and trying to destroy your family's heirlooms. We need to get to the royal residence immediately." One of the royal guards approaches, informing

"What about us?" Marie asks

"Everyone excluding Lancelot, go to the royal residence. Lancelot, you're required to get as many civilians to safety as you can; Charlotte is going to get much more power hungry and violent. I'm going to go with the others."

"Understood, sire." Lancelot responds

Lancelot then gets to work getting the civilians and their children to their homes and the guard goes away to join Candice, Excalibur, Marie, and Niamh. Candice is first to step forward and face Charlotte, again.

"Charlotte, what are you doing?" Candice asks, unimpressed

"You said clean up the royal residence, I did that." Charlotte responds, acting dumbfounded

"Charlotte don't play dumb with me. I already knew of your plan to overthrow the monarchy, long before you left to clean this residence up."

"Wait... how?!"

"What you've forgotten, over the time you've served me and my family, is that I was born with psychic powers, alongside the powers I used to defeat you in the woodland. Not just that, everyone knows you and your deceptive nature."

Charlotte is quickly speechless, unable to find a response. Soon after, she fires her thorns at Candice, knocking her down and causing her to quickly deteriorate.

"Hey, what was that for?!" Marie asks, infuriated

"What's it to you? You're just a lesbian courtier, powerless and weak."

"You really think that?"

Marie soon powers up, becoming stronger than before, making Charlotte jealous.

"Never underestimate one of your fellow courtiers, let alone the royal that has bailed you out of so much. How about a fight? You against me; winner stays, loser steps down from their position and leaves this town and its people alone."

"Let's dance."

Soon, the two women start fighting, with Niamh using her powers to heal Candice enough so that she awakens.

"Oh, what's going on?" Candice asks

"You were put to sleep by Charlotte's thorns; Marie is fighting her as we speak." Niamh answers

"What are the conditions of the fight?"

"Winner stays in this town, loser steps down from their position and leaves the town and its people alone."

Candice then watches on, noticing that Marie is winning, with Charlotte getting weaker with each thorn lost.

"Your poison from your thorns doesn't affect me, Charlotte. You're better off surrendering if you want to survive."

"I'm not letting you trick me into losing, Marie; I'm not easily fooled."

"Charlotte, Marie is right. If you throw any more attacks, you will end up dead on the floor since you can only produce so many thorns before your power kills you." Candice informs

"Like I'm meant to believe the child of a scumbag."

Soon after, Charlotte gets a sharp pain in her hands and chest, lowering to the floor. Candice soon approaches Charlotte, quickly realising what's happening; she then goes down to Charlotte's level.

"Charlotte, I need to deactivate your power, to keep you alive."

"Why?" Charlotte asks, getting weaker

"Your power was telling you to stop, you wouldn't and now it wants to be deactivated. If that doesn't happen, you'll die."

"Why do you want me alive? I've mistreated you for something that wasn't your fault."

"I know, but I'm someone who wants to move on and forget what happened. Besides, you don't need the pain either."

Candice then uses her powers to deactivate Charlotte's power, quickly making her weak and close to passing out. Soon after, Charlotte is able to stand up and catches Candice as she passes out.

"Niamh, we need help; Candice has passed out." Charlotte informs, worried

"How can we help? We can't heal her." Niamh responds

"We need to get her to Lancelot's home. As harsh as this is, we've got to travel there; Candice isn't safe here. Marie, you need to take Candice's place as leading monarch; she would've wanted that."

"How do you know?" Marie asks, becoming sceptical

"Before our relationship turned sour, Candice has always spoke of how she'd wanted a different young woman to take her place; all the qualities that she'd mentioned pointed to you."

"Ms. Harrison, we need to get moving; Candice is deteriorating, quickly." Niamh interrupts

"Anyway, I'll hopefully see you soon, Marie."

Charlotte soon starts heading on her way before...

"Wait, Charlotte." Marie calls

"Yes, Marie?" Charlotte asks

"Please, look after my friend; also, please let Lancelot help with her, if needs be."

"Why Lancelot?"

"Candice and Lancelot get on well and trust each other a lot; I think you'll find out when you're camping with them at some point."

Soon after, Charlotte joins Niamh, Excalibur, and Lancelot, of whom is carrying Candice; the group is soon out of the town and on their way to Lancelot's home. A few days pass and everyone arrives at the town, walking through it to get Candice to the royal residence. The monarch quickly sees Candice in Lancelot's arms and instructs the guards to let them in the moment they arrive. After getting in, the monarch leads Lancelot to her bed chamber, where Lancelot puts Candice to rest on the monarch's bed.

"What happened to Candice?" The monarch asks

"Candice fell unconscious when she deactivated my thorn power." Charlotte responds, guilty

"You're the one behind the Thornback Murders?"

"No, that's someone else. I used to use my thorns in self-defence, nothing else; apart from when I tried to overthrow the monarchy back home."

"You're from Candice's hometown?"

"Yes, I used to be one of her courtiers."

"Rather high in her respect list."

"Yes, until our relationship turned sour."

"I'm aware of that. But how does deactivating your power have anything to do with causing Candice to fall unconscious?"

"Candice used her powers to deactivate my power; there's a chance that my power was too strong for Candice to be able to deactivate without causing harm."

"Right, I'll try and get Candice back to her normal self. You three, wait in the foyer downstairs while I do so."

Without further discussion, the trio go downstairs and wait in the foyer, talking when they get there.

"So, will Candice recover from this?" Niamh asks

"I don't know, I mean the poison from my thorns was very strong; I had to use a magic seal to ensure that I didn't die when using the thorns." Charlotte answers, guilty

"So, you're saying that Candice deactivating your power, could be her ticket to suicide and she didn't realise?!" Lancelot responds, becoming infuriated

"Yes, and I'm sorry out about that; that thorn power was evil and unforgiving. If she dies from this, I'll take all the blame; no questions asked, and I'll return back home, never to bother you again."

"Right now, this is out of our hands, Lancelot. All we can do now, is wait for any new developments." Niamh responds

"All because that wretch had to have her power deactivated!"

"If it weren't for this wretch, your friend would be dead and you wouldn't be able to ask her out, nor would our kingdoms be able to reunite and trade together. Besides, I didn't ask to have my power deactivated, Candice wanted to deactivate it to keep me alive and I'll be eternally grateful for that."

"Since when have you been grateful for anything, apart from when you get something out of it?!"

"Ever since she's started wanting to fix our troubled friendship." Someone else says

Soon after, everyone turns to see Candice, in a bed gown and exhausted from being reawakened. Soon after, Charlotte runs to Candice, catching her before she falls.

"Candice, I'm so sorry about my power knocking you out. I could do something to make it up to you." Charlotte says

"No, you're forgiven, Charlotte; it was the poison from the thorns that knocked me out and I should be better in a few days. Please, go back to the others, I'll manage on my own." Candice responds

"It's my fault you're in this state; you don't deserve this, at all."

"Listen, it was my decision to deactivate your power; if that was the risk that was necessary to take, so be it. As long as you're still alive, able to redeem yourself from your past, I don't care."

"Oh, I... uhh... thank you..."

"It's fine. Now please, join the others, they need you more than me."

Soon after, Charlotte joins Lancelot, Niamh and Excalibur as Candice returns to the monarch's bed chamber to rest. Niamh quickly notices Lancelot looking in Candice's direction.

"Are you okay, Lancelot? You seem distracted." Niamh asks, concerned

"I'm worried about Candice; she looks really pale." Lancelot responds

"The poison from the thorns has been known to cause paleness in some people, during recovery. I mean, what would know? I had the power for goodness' sake..." Charlotte responds, worried

Niamh and Lancelot then look at each other. As much as they both hate Charlotte right now, they don't want her getting abused or killed. It soon clicks to Niamh that Charlotte may have already been abused before leaving their hometown.

"Did something happen back home?" Niamh asks

Charlotte is quick to tense up, signalling that she had been hurt in some way. Then...

"I was physically and mentally abused by Candice's father; she went through the same thing." Charlotte admits

"Was it the same person?" Lancelot asks

"Yes, it was."

"What was he like?" Niamh asks

"He would go on angry rampages; his path of destruction often fatal and Candice was unfortunate enough to be in his path on one of his rampages."

"Is that why Candice's hand hurts when touched?" Lancelot asks, nervously

"Yes, her hand essentially stopped her from getting killed; Candice's hand got broken and the nerves got damaged."

"Couldn't Candice's power recover her hand?"

"No, since her power doesn't treat nerve damage or broken bones, her hand had to recover on its own. The bones had recovered, but the nerve damage remained and occasionally causes pain on its own; the pain also happens when it's touched sometimes."

Soon after, the trio are in an awkward silence, unable to find other topics to talk about. As for Candice, she's tossing and turning in her sleep as she experiences both a nightmare and extreme pain. Unbeknownst to her, the monarch hears this and comes into the room, sitting close to Candice; the monarch then uses her power to heal the source of Candice's pain and the said princess is quickly asleep peacefully. The monarch soon leaves, returns to her temporary bed chamber, and goes to bed, quickly falling asleep. As for Lancelot, Charlotte, and Niamh...

"What are we going to do about this?" Lancelot asks, concerned

"We can't avoid getting abused by other people, Lancelot. Due to how Candice's father treated us and the things he'd said to other people to stop them meeting us, we'd get abused everywhere we go." Charlotte answers

"Not here, the townspeople don't know about this." Niamh responds

"Not unless someone has been listening into our conversation and plans to sabotage the townspeople's respect for Candice and I. Someone has been creeping around the bed chambers at night, as if they're after something and would go to any length to achieve that goal or retrieve whatever it is that they're looking for. Candice and I had that a lot back in our hometown; the only one that properly protected us was Candice's mother, before she passed away from a jousting injury."

Unbeknownst to the trio, Percival has been listening to everything they've just talked about and goes out on the streets, getting caught within the crowds as one of the civilians recognises them, giving them a look of disgust.

"What are you doing here, scum?" The civilian asks, unimpressed

"What's it to you? You know nothing about Princess Candice, or about her former courtier." Percival responds

"Yes, I do. I know about how they were abused back home, how they were only ever properly protected by Candice's mother and how Candice's father did nothing but bad mouth the two women to the civilians of their home, for them to return the abuse. Yes, I know everything; I also know about how you plan to make the same happen here because of how much you hate Candice, her family and court relations. Unlike you, we care for those that have been abused and don't force them to relive their past, of which is quite often very traumatic for those affected. So, don't try your sly tricks here; they won't work." The civilian responds, soon adding "Don't try using your powers either; everyone here is immune to your powers, new and current."

The civilian then walks away, making Percival nervous and go back to the royal residence. As for Candice, she's on the balcony watching as Charlotte, Niamh and Lancelot start walking outside; Lancelot and Candice soon make brief eye contact before Lancelot leaves the residence with Charlotte and Niamh. A while after leaving, Percival enters and is soon face to face with Candice.

"What do you want?" Candice asks, unimpressed

"I don't know how the townspeople are immune to my powers. But I have a feeling that you've got something to do with it." Percival responds

"What's it to you? Even if I did have anything to do with it, I wouldn't tell you how that came about."

"What are you saying?"

"Take a guess, wait, take three."

"Are you saying that you've had nothing to do with this?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying. I'm a healer, not a teacher. Just give that some thought."

Candice then walks away from Percival, going into her shared bedroom as Percival goes about searching for the monarch, to find her in her study, looking at important papers.

"Your highness." Percival greets

"What is it, Percival? I'm sure you can see that I'm busy." The monarch responds

"Do you have something to do with the townspeople being immune to my powers?"

"No, I didn't know about that. I've been working to keep the town's affairs under control and haven't had time to teach the townspeople anything."

"So, who would be left?"

"Like I've said, I didn't know anything about this until you said something just then. Now, leave; I need to focus."

Percival then leaves the study, closing the door behind them; they then go to the foyer to sit at a table, thinking of all the possible people that could help the townspeople with power immunity. Soon, someone highly unlikely comes to mind, Marie. With Marie in her hometown, Percival can't get to her without trouble. As for Candice, she's out on a walk as she bumps into Lancelot en route. Unbeknownst to Percival, Marie isn't the one behind it and is ruling over the rival kingdom. As for Candice and Lancelot, they're outside, face to face as Niamh and Charlotte head back to the royal household.

"Hey, are you okay, Lance?" Candice asks, nervous

"Hey, Candi. I'm okay, are you? You sound unsettled." Lancelot asks

"I've got a question, and I would like an honest answer."

"Go ahead."

"Do you know how the townspeople have become immune to Percival's powers?"

"Once a year, the townspeople take part in a tribal ritual, involving learning how to become immune to evil powers. Ever since Percival had started using their powers for evil, the ritual taught them new powers to cancel out Percival's attacks, therefore making them immune to Percival's powers."

"Oh, right."

"Why?"

"Because Percival asked me whether I had something to do with the townspeople becoming immune to their powers; they then went about asking the monarch the same thing. Something's telling me that they'll be after Marie next."

As this is said, Charlotte comes racing to the pair.

"Charlotte, what's happening?" Lancelot asks, concerned

"I've just received a message from Marie; somehow, Percival has already reached her and is pressuring her for answers, assuming that she'd known something about the townspeople's immunity to Percival's powers." Charlotte responds

"How has Marie contacted you?" Candice asks

"She's used a part of her power that Percival can't detect. Don't worry about leaving here, I'll go and sort this."

Soon after, Charlotte travels to her hometown to help Marie as Candice starts walking back to the royal residence, with Lancelot trying to catch up. Candice soon arrives, going into the monarch's bed chamber and closing the door behind her. Lancelot is soon in the foyer, looking for Candice as the monarch approaches.

"Is everything okay with Candice?" The monarch asks

"No, your Grace; Percival is causing trouble again by hurting Marie, pressuring her for answers about our townspeople's immunity to their powers." Lancelot answers

"Isn't Marie Candice's best friend?"

"Yes, but Charlotte insisted on sorting this out herself, since Candice is still recovering from the poison."

"Charlotte will get pulverised on her own; she needs reinforcements. Have Excalibur and Niamh returned home?"

"Yes, they returned home when Candice last helped them save the town."

"Of which was yesterday. I'll send Galahad."

"He doesn't know who Charlotte is; nor is he aware of what's happened between her and Candice."

"I'm aware of what happened between those two, I don't know who this Charlotte woman is, though." A voice responds

The monarch and Lancelot turn around to see Galahad walking towards them.

"Now, give me a brief insight into what's been going on." Galahad instructs

"The briefest way I can put this; Charlotte is Candice's former courtier and friend-not-friend, she tried overthrowing the monarchy at home on her own and was caught out by Candice, Niamh, myself and Excalibur. After almost dying and Candice bringing her back to health, Charlotte has been more determined to fix her troubled friendship with Candice and decided that it was a clever idea to fight Percival on her own." Lancelot responds

"Percival is much stronger than Charlotte, of whom is essentially powerless; she'll get seriously hurt without help."

"That's why we've been meaning to find you, more me than Lancelot. I would like you to travel as fast as possible and help Charlotte in however seems fitting. The survival of both Charlotte and Marie depends on it."

"What's happening to Marie?"

"She's being pressurised into giving answers about how our townspeople are immune to Percival's powers, by none other than Percival. Now, you must get moving; time is of the essence."

Galahad nods as he goes to his horse and starts travelling to the rival kingdom. As for the monarch and Lancelot...

"As for you, Lancelot, go and see Candice; she seemed stressed when she stormed in."

Lancelot nods as he races to where Candice is; in the monarch's bed chamber, on the floor and seemingly stressed.

"Hey, are you okay, Candi?" Lancelot asks, making Candice jump slightly

"Oh, Lance... I'm just worried about Marie; what if Percival has hurt her again? What if the same happens again? I'm also worried about Charlotte; what if Percival does something worse to her? All these questions are running through my head and worrying me."

Lancelot then hugs Candice, swaying her side to side.

"Would you like me to leave so you can rest?"

"No, could you stay please? I need someone I feel safe with."

Lancelot then stays put, gently swaying Candice as she starts getting comfortable. After a couple of hours, Candice falls asleep, with Lancelot following around two hours after. Five hours later, the pair are rudely awakened by a loud bang outside. Candice then gets up and races to the front balcony, noticing the monarch fighting to protect the household from Percival, of whom is holding Marie as their captive and sucking her powers to strengthen their own. Concerned, Lancelot follows Candice, noticing a magical, misty hue underneath her feet; he soon races to Candice as the hue fades away.

"We need to help them. Let's move." Candice informs

"You're still recovering, it's not wise for you to...!" Lancelot responds

"I don't care; the monarch, Marie and Charlotte need our help. We can't just leave them to fight Percival by themselves."

Soon after, Candice goes outside to notice Charlotte, unconscious, on the ground behind Percival. Lancelot soon joins her.

"Lancelot, you help the monarch ward off Percival and save Marie, I'll heal Charlotte and get her to safety."

Lancelot nods as Candice teleports to Charlotte's aid, healing her. Shortly after, Charlotte awakens and looks around, noticing Candice.

"What happened?" Charlotte asks, tiredly

"Percival must've knocked you out using their powers." Candice responds

"Where's Galahad?"

As if on cue, Galahad is soon racing to Charlotte's aid.

"Charlotte, are you alright?" Galahad asks

"I think I'll be fine, thanks Galahad."

Galahad then helps Charlotte to her feet as Candice gets her to safety. As for Lancelot…

"Percival, you need to stop this!" Lancelot informs

"Why should I when Marie is behind the village's immunity to my powers?!" Percival responds

"I have nothing to do with it, I keep saying that; let me go!" Marie instructs, becoming weaker

"Like I'm meant to believe you, slut."

"Marie has nothing to do with it! Don't you remember our village's yearly ritual?" Lancelot points out

"What, that thing we're forced to sit through every summer?"

"Yes, that thing we're forced to sit through. It's also that thing that you always forget about, every year. Now set Marie free."

Without further instruction, Percival puts Marie on the ground, dispelling the magic mesh. Soon after, Percival is weak from the power usage.

"Do you remember what I said when we had that sword fight? If I win, you leave me and my friends alone. That was regardless of whether we were living in the same village or not. Your power hunger has driven you to break that condition and also betray your monarch." Candice responds, walking towards Percival

"Percival, come with me, we need to talk." The monarch requests, informing

Soon after, Percival follows the monarch into the royal residence and the pair go to the study. As for Lancelot, he's looking for Candice as she hugs and kisses him, apologetically.

"I'm so sorry for ignoring you, Lance." Candice apologises

"You're forgiven, I know that you don't hate me. Would you like to tell me what's up?" Lancelot responds, asking

"I was feeling really depressed and hated everyone, not just you. I get waves of depression quite a lot."

"That's fine with me, have we started going out yet?"

"No, but I'm too afraid to ask. Could I explain when in a more private place?"

"Yep, that's fine with me."

Soon after, Lancelot and Candice go inside and go to the monarch's bed chamber, Lancelot closing the door behind him. Lancelot then joins Candice and hugs her.

"So, tell me, what's holding you back from asking me out?" Lancelot asks

"When my father was alive, he used to force me to marry men that were twice my age. And, unfortunately, with those marriages came unwanted sexual experience; I was kind of hoping the wait until I'd found the right one to get the experience with. Ever since those forced marriages ended, I've been reluctant to find love again, in case I'm forced into marriage again; I've even become reluctant to making love. That's the main reason why I changed my mind about us sleeping together when we were camping, before arriving at my hometown." Candice admits, becoming nervous

Candice then pushes Lancelot away, walking to the window soon after. Lancelot watches on, feeling sympathy for Candice.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away. I think I'll leave you alone in here."

Candice soon walks towards the door, for Lancelot to grab her hand and pull her into a hug.

"Do you want to go out this weekend? On a date, you and me. If you don't like it, we can come back here."

Candice is quickly enamoured by Lancelot's manoeuvre.

"I would love that; we've not been together for a while."

Candice then kisses Lancelot, still holding his hand. Soon after, the pair separate and Candice leaves the room, going to her own bedroom. When in her bedroom, Candice closes the door and sits on the bed, making her diary appear. Candice then writes her entry:

Diary,

I'm glad to finally get time to write. I think I'm starting to become more ready to ask Lancelot to go out with me; it now feels as though things are moving forward and starting to fall into place. At least I'm happier now than what I was a few months prior. Anyway, goodbye for now.

Candice

Candice then closes her diary and returns it back to its hiding place. Soon after, Candice quickly falls asleep as Lancelot enters the room, closing the curtains and sitting down beside Candice's bed. Hours later, morning comes and Candice awakens, to hear gentle snoring; she gets up to see Lancelot, fast asleep on the floor beside her bed. Not realising that she's not dressed, Candice kneels in front of Lancelot, admiring his sleeping face and body. Soon, Lancelot begins to stir, awakening shortly after, noticing that Candice is only in her bra and panties.

"You do know that you're not dressed, right?" Lancelot asks, tiredly

"I didn't know until now. What're you doing in here? You should be in your own bedroom." Candice responds

"I came in to close the curtains last night and sat down beside your bed."

"That's when you fell asleep, makes sense."

Lancelot then notices a scar on Candice's left-hand side.

"What's the scar on your body?"

"Oh, umm... my father got angry with me for not marrying a chosen suitor when I was sixteen and slashed my side open with a dagger; I became seriously ill afterwards and stayed in an awful condition for six weeks, my mother was already dead by this point. Anyway, enough about me, you shouldn't be in here."

Lancelot is quick to notice tears threatening to fall from Candice's eyes.

"Are you okay, Candice?"

"I'll be fine, please, go back to your bedroom."

"You look like you're going to cry. Are you sure you want me to leave?"

"You weren't meant to see me at my most vulnerable, leave."

Without further questions, Lancelot gets up and leaves the room, closing the door behind him. Soon after, Candice goes to her dress and uses her powers to put it on; she then sits on her bed, head in hands and about to cry. Soon after, Candice goes underneath the quilt, looking towards the window. As for Lancelot, he's walking downstairs as he bumps into Charlotte.

"Oh, sorry... Charlotte? What're you doing here? I thought you were still living where you and Candice used to live." Lancelot somewhat greets

"Oh, it's fine. I moved here for a fresh start and to be able to fix my friendship with Candice. Speaking of Candice, is she okay?" Charlotte responds, asking

"Not at the moment, Candice is... a bit upset because I caught her nearly undressed."

"You saw the scar on her side, right?"

"How'd you guess?!"

"Candice reacted the same way when I saw and asked about the scar; we were once close to being romantic partners before our friendship soured. We could've furthered our friendship if I didn't cause the souring of the friendship."

"What did you do?"

"I betrayed her trust by befriending one of her enemies. I can't remember their name but I do remember that Candice said she felt bad vibes coming from them; I wish I'd listened instead of befriending the wretch."

"Besides that, how's it going with Candice and the friendship?"

"I think it's getting better. I can't really tell, could you tell me what to look out for?"

"I could give you some dos and don'ts, if you want."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm getting on fine."

"I don't know if you know this. But...

"Don't arrange or give anything extravagant; Candice doesn't like it." Both say in unison

"Yes, Lancelot, I know. Candice is old-fashioned and doesn't like crowded areas all that much."

"How much did you learn about Candice?"

"Quite a bit, including her favourite activities and foods. I won't tell you what those are, you can find out yourself."

"Okay, thanks Charlotte."

"It's all good. I'll see you around, I've got to start packing for a journey in two hours."

"Goodbye for now, Charlotte."

Charlotte and Lancelot part ways as Candice watches from her bedroom doorway. Lowering her ears, Candice walks away from the door and goes into her closet, looking for a dress to wear. In the woodland however, there are strange people searching for Candice, of whom has a different name.

"Where is that slimy princess?!" One of the men asks, agitated

"We've heard that she's living in her home's rival kingdom." Another one of the men answers

"Where?!"

"Our intel says that she's living in the royal residence with the current monarch, Queen Amy."

"Let's get there, princess Platna will get karma at her door for lying to her housemates."

Soon after, the trio set their sights on the route to where Candice is residing. As for Lancelot, he's been put on lookout duty while Charlotte is away, to notice three masked men aiming for the back entrance to the royal residence. Lancelot then gets down from his post and teleports close to the intruders, making sure to not get caught. After following the intruders, he quickly realises that they're after Candice, unaware of her identity. Lancelot soon teleports inside Candice's bedroom, spooking her.

"Lancelot, what're you doing in here?" Candice asks, surprised

"There are intruders after you, Candice. I don't know what for; I think we'll find out."

"I think this is to do with who I really am; that's part of the reason why they'd be after me."

"What do you mean?"

Candice then breathes to compose herself...

"I'm living under a false name to protect me; my real name is Platna, and people have wanted to take me hostage for years due to my powers. I'm so sorry I lied to you, and everyone else."

"We'll talk about this later. Right now, you need to leave, and I'll handle the intruders. I want you out of danger."

Without further discussion, Platna teleports to a hidden seal, hidden from everyone but still findable by Lancelot. As for Lancelot, he's dealing with the intruders.

"Where is she?!" The boss asks

"Who do you mean?" Lancelot asks

"Princess Platna. Where is she?"

"She's gone to another part of the world; she's not here right now."

"Boss, we've been duped by the intel if the princess isn't here." One of the accomplices informs

"Right, let's leave, get back to scouring the woods and kingdoms close by until we find her."

After that, the intruders leave the residence. Soon after, Lancelot locates Platna and teleports to her, noticing Platna hugging her knees. Lancelot then goes to Platna.

"Are you okay?" Lancelot asks

"I didn't want this trouble to come to my new home; I moved away from my hometown for a fresh start and to make new relationships. Now, everything I've worked hard to earn is going to be shattered." Platna responds, lowering her ears

"You'll still be the Candice I fell in love with, caring, smart and beautiful."

"Really, even if my name isn't really Candice?"

"Even if that's the case. I don't care what your name is, you're still the woman I fell for all those months, if not years, ago."

"So, you'd still date me, after the trouble I've brought to your monarch's grounds?"

"Yes, I would still date you; other people's greed can't be changed, and that's it is with those guys that are after you. None of this is your fault and it never will be."

Lancelot then looks into Platna's eyes and caressing her cheek before kissing the lips. Platna then hugs Lancelot, easing into the kiss. Soon, the pair separate.

"Will your monarch forgive me; what about Galahad and Charlotte?"

"I'm sure they will. Come on, let's head home."

Soon after, the pair teleport to the foyer, noticing everyone waiting for them, including Excalibur, Niamh and Marie.

"Your highness, what're Excalibur, Niamh and Marie doing here?" Platna asks, nervous

"We all decided to join forces to keep you from getting taken, your Grace." Charlotte answers

"Wait, how do you guys know about my identity?"

"We've known for years, your grace. The only one that wasn't told was Lancelot."

"Why not me?" Lancelot asks

"We were going to tell you." Niamh answers

"But knew how close you were with Platna and didn't want to ruin your bond." Marie answers

"So, we didn't say anything. Sorry, Lancelot." Charlotte adds on, apologising

Hurt by the lies, Lancelot goes upstairs, taking Platna with him, to his bedroom.

"I'm sorry you weren't told sooner; I was afraid of losing you." Platna apologises

"It's the fact that they knew and didn't say anything. If only they'd told the truth before." Lancelot responds

"Let me tell you something; how everything transpired, from start to finish."

Platna and Lancelot then sit, side by side, on Lancelot's bed. Platna breathes to compose herself.

"It all starts from when I was born, my parents were forced to name me Platna because of the powers I was born with. When I turned five, I became known as Candice to protect me and my powers, even though people have been after me ever since I was born; my mother became my sole protector when I was five since only her powers were strong enough to protect me and my own. Ten years later and my mother dies of illness, leaving me without a protector and susceptible to my father's abuse; of which kept going until my father died four years later. Ever since, I've been trying to run away and stay hidden from those that are hunting me down, almost getting caught each time. Now, even if I'm living here, I'm still hiding or running away from the hunters."

Lancelot is silenced, trying to process everything that he's been told.

"Do you want some space?"

"Yes, please."

Without further discussion, Platna leaves Lancelot's bedroom and goes to her own; she then lays on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

'I wish I told him at the start and that the others had told at least part of the truth before now...' Platna thinks to herself

Soon after, Platna gets up and walks to the window, admiring the roses outside. As for the others...

"I knew hiding the truth was a bad idea, from the start." Marie says

"Now Lancelot probably hates Platna's guts and doesn't want anything to do with her. All because we chose to say nothing about who Platna really was." Charlotte responds

"It doesn't matter, Platna's told me everything I need to know." A voice responds

Soon, everyone turns to the voice, to see Lancelot walking downstairs.

"So, you don't hate her?" The monarch asks

"No, I don't; Platna is still the same woman I fell in love with. I'm just glad that I now know the truth." Lancelot answers

"Wait, how can you not hate Platna? She's spent her entire life running and hiding away from...!" Niamh responds

"Hunters and people that want her as a hostage, I know. That isn't a reason to hate someone; it's greed that's clouding those losers' judgement. It doesn't matter whether she's running away from greedy people or wolves, Platna is still the same person underneath; someone who just wants to live as normal of a life as possible."

"Haven't you always known her as Candice?" Excalibur asks

"Even so, I'll still love her, Candice or not."

"Really? I thought you'd hate me, like everyone else did." Another voice responds

Soon, Lancelot turns and sees Platna walking downstairs, ears lowered; he then approaches her.

"I'd never hate you, Platna. I've always known you as Candice, true. But that doesn't stop me from treating you the same as I always did."

"But I hid who I was, ever since I've known you."

"You did it to protect yourself, you didn't know who to trust. Anyone else would've done the same in that situation. I'll still love you the same as before, Candice or Platna. A name is a name, it doesn't define the person who has the name."

Platna then kisses Lancelot, holding his hand and going to his ear.

"I've wanted to ask this for a while. Will you be my boyfriend?" Platna whispers, unfolding her ears

"Of course, I will, Candice." Lancelot whispers, teasing

"I don't mind you calling me Candice; I like it."

"I know you do, babe."

Lancelot then gently nibbles Platna's ear, making her blush and hide her face in his chest.

"You like that as well; I know some of your sweet spots."

"Yes, I know. I think I might know at least one of yours."

Soon after, Platna kisses Lancelot's neck, making him hot. She then caresses Lancelot's side, making him lose his composure.

"Alright, you two, get a room." Charlotte teases

Platna then lifts her head up, looking at Charlotte.

"You can't talk, you've not even asked Galahad out on the first date yet." Platna remarks, playfully

Lancelot then whispers something in Platna's ear, gently tugging her tail soon after. Yes, Platna is wearing something other than a dress.

"Hey!" Platna says

"What? I didn't do anything." Lancelot responds

"You tugged my tail, pretty boy."

Platna then gently tugs Lancelot's tail, finding another sweet spot. Platna then goes to Lancelot's ear.

"Looks like I've found another one, Lance. Better watch it, or you'll lose control." Platna whispers, giving Lancelot's tail another tug

"Not before I make you lose control, bad girl." Lancelot whispers back, breathing down Platna's neck

Soon after, Lancelot licks and kisses Platna's neck, making her lower her ears.

"Alright, you two, here's not the place for that." The monarch informs, killing the mood

The pair soon separate, holding hands instead. Platna then goes to Lancelot's ear

"Let's take it to the bedroom later." Platna whispers

The pair then join the others for a while, before Marie goes home with Niamh and Excalibur. Soon after, the monarch and Charlotte go to their bedrooms as Lancelot and Platna head to their shared bedroom; Platna then closes the door and slowly walks past Lancelot, seducing him with each touch. Lancelot watches as Platna walks around and climbs onto the bed, kneeling behind him and kissing his neck. Melting into the delicate touch, Lancelot moves back, starting to lay on the bed, ready for Platna's next move. Platna then crawls round to the front of Lancelot and continues teasing him; for his erection to show. Soon after, Platna sucks Lancelot off, making him come as she licks up every drop. Then, Lancelot gives in…

"Please, control me." Lancelot mumbles

"What was that? I didn't catch that." Platna responds

"Please, fuck me, Platna!"

"Your wish is my command."

Soon after, Platna gets Lancelot ready for the first round, riding him after getting herself ready. After a few hours, both lovers come, some juices landing on the bedsheets; they both fall asleep, oblivious to what'll happen in two weeks' time.