"Sinbad! What should we do?" Doubar yelled from the tiller

"We're going to crash into something soon" Firouz said

"We can't just stay here, we have to keep going" Sinbad said

Maeve was with Dermott as she felt the mist surround the ship.

"Where are we?" Firouz

"Somewhere cold" Sinbad said

Maeve pulled her cloak around her closer and jumps to the front of the ship and starts to sing something in Gaelic, which no one on board understands.

"Maeve, what are you doing?" Sinbad approaches her

"I am home" Maeve said

The ship drops anchor and the long boats head for shore, where they start exploring. Maeve leads the way, heading home to her village.They walk down a dirt path through the outside of the green forest and hear the sound of horses approaching.

It's a group of 7 horses, mostly tan and a white one. The men on them were dressed richly, like royalty. The man on the white horse, had on a blue shirt with white pants.

"Clear the way!" the man on the tan horse

"And what reason do you have for us moving?" Sinbad asked

"Royalty is passing through, so move over your commoner!"

"And what if we don't?" Maeve said as she appeared from the group

"Maeve" Sinbad said as he pulled her back a bit

"Maeve?" said the man on the white horse as he got off

"That is my name" Maeve answered

"It is you!" he hugged her

Maeve kicked him and pushed him to the ground. The men on the horses, his guards, got off their horses and helped him up.

"You insolent girl! Do you know what you've just done?"

"I defended myself from an otherwise overzealous man!" Maeve yelled back

"It's definately you Maeve, or should I say Maevelyn"

Maeve seemed shocked when he called her that. No one had called her that before, only one person in the world called her that.

"No, it can't be." she approached him

"It's me, told you I'd rule this place one day" he said

"Duncan? It is you!" she jumps and hugs him

Sinbad and the others are a bit suprised at her being so affectionate toward a man she just kicked to the ground

"Maeve! It's so good to see you! I've missed you" he said

"I've missed you too"

"Your majesty, we should return to the castle soon" gaurd says

"Yes, the castle, Maeve, you and your friends must come, stay, with me at the castle, we have so much to talk about" Duncan said

"Yes,"

"Let's go then, men escort her friends to the castle"

Duncan got back on his horse and extended his hand to Maeve. She took it without hesitation. He pulled her up onto the horse.

"Let's go!" Duncan commanded the horse to go and the two of them ride off, leaving the crew and Sinbad wondering what just happened.

At the castle, Sinbad and the crew wait in the throne room for Prince Duncan and what happened to Maeve. The prince shows up and introduces himself to the crew. Maeve had finished taking a bath and 2 ladies in waiting placed a robe around her. Maeve wasn't use to being waited on like this.

"The prince has asked you accept this gift" the girl said

"What is it?" Maeve asked

"Your gift"

Maeve opened the box and inside was a beautiful dress. She took it out and held it against her and looked at herself in the mirror.

"It's beautiful" Maeve said

"Would you like to put it on my lady?"

My lady? That was something she hadn't heard of before. At least not toward her. A lady? She held the dress close to her and smiled.

"So captain Sinbad, how long as Maeve been a part of your crew?" the prince asked

"Well, she was with us for a year, then she left and then she came back again." Sinbad answered

"Where did she go?"

"To learn white magic with Master Dim Dim"

"I see. Well I hope your accomodations are satisfactory"

"They are, thank you your highness"

"Don't mention it, any friend of Maeve, is a friend of mine"

"How do you know Maeve?"

"We were childhood friends, seems like it was just yesterday"

"You've known her a long time then?"

"Yes, I met Maeve when I was 8, she didn't care that I was a Prince. In fact she said that princes couldn't run as fast."

"Sounds like Maeve"

"Well she was right. I couldn't outrun her."

"And you still can't" Maeve said

They all turned around and were amazed when they saw Maeve. She was wearing a dress that made her look like a princess. It was pink and white. The top was white and almost off her shoulders, the sleeves were pink and long and free flowing and see through. They flared out and on the inside part of the elbow, the sleeve split open from there down. The skirt was long and free flowing and pink. Maeve's hair was pulled away from her face but remained long.

"Maeve" Sinbad

"You look beautiful!" Prince walked toward her

"Thank you, your highness" Maeve gave him a little curtsy

"Maeve, you never gave me a curtsy before!"

"I know, but I've changed"

"Why? You were fine before! Come we have much to talk about" said the prince as he was leading her away

"Maeve! We need to talk" Sinbad said

"Now Captain, do be so gracious and let me have a hour with her, to talk of course. You've had her for 2 years." he wisked her away

Sinbad was clenching his fists in anger. Maeve was acting all strang and the Prince, he was being all flirtatous with her as well. Sinbad hated to admit it, but he was getting jealous.

Dermott flew into the castle and landed near Sinbad. He looked at Sinbad, confused why he was getting all worked up. Dermott lookd around and realized why. He flew out and searched for Maeve.

The two were cackling away in the courtyard garden. Dermott flew down and perched on a nearby branch.

"Maeve, I've missed you. It's been so long" Prince

"Yes, it has. But you don't know why I had to leave though. I feel terrible for not telling you"

"There's no need to explain. You're back and that's all that matters"

"Duncan, you don't understand"

"Maeve, we were young, and didn't know anything"

"Your parents were furious when you told them"

"Yeah they were, never seen father get so red before"

The both laugh a little, and they think back to when they were younger, years ago. We see a 15 year old Maeve and Duncan in the forest playing.

"So Maevelyn, if I race you to the old tree and beat you, then you will marry me?"

"If you can actually beat me!"

"Just watch!" the prince begins to run and Maeve chases after him

"Cheater!" Maeve yells as she runs faster

She passes him, but then he runs faster and reaches the tree first, and she runs right into him.

"Duncan!"

But he doesn't listen and kisses her.

"Marry me"

"You know what your parents will say"

"Who cares? I am the future King of Kells"

"Duncan..."

"Maeve just say yes. Don't you love me?"

"Duncan! I do, but"

"Then that's it! I will tell my father immediately then" he kisses her and starts to run to the castle, but not before turning back to get a glance at his future bride.

Maeve stood there, happy with a warm feeling inside. She was infatuated with Duncan, and dreamed of being pampered instead of the life she lived working hard on the farm, being constantly told what to do and when to do it. She hated being controlled like that, she wanted to be free.

Then a dark haired girl misted before her.

"I don't see what he sees in you"

"Who are you?"

"I am Rumina, soon to the be the most powerful sorceress in the world"

"Funny, you don't look powerful, more like puny"

"I'll show you peasant"

"I don't have time for this" Maeve started to walk off

"Don't walk away from me!" she misted in front of Maeve and stopped her.

"Nice trick, though you have a long way to go"

"I'm here to enslave the young men of your village. Well I was planning on marrying your prince, but he seems to have lower class taste"

"He seems to be very smart not to be with the likes of you"

"You will help me enslave the men of your village, and I won't kill you"

"How thoughtful, but I do have other plans"

"You dare deny me?"

"See me going?" Maeve starts walking again

"You peseant wench!" Rumina sends a small bolt of lightening at Maeve, who jumps to the side.

Maeve looked around for something to defend herself with, but came up empty. All she found was a rock and some pine cones.

"You can't hide from me peasant. After I kill you, I'll kill your precious prince and enslave all the men in the village"

"Dream on!" she throws a pinecone to the side

Rumina walkes toward the sound of the pinecone. Maeve gets ready to throw the rock at her.

"I don't know why royalty always seems to mingle with the peasants. Maybe they want to see what's it like to be common, or maybe they know that peasants just don't count" Rumina said

"Guess again!" Maeve throws the rock at Rumina and it hits her head.

"Ouch!" Rumina falls back.

She holds her head and sees blood.

"My face! You've damaged it! You'll pay for that peasant!"

"You talk a lot for a person that small" Maeve said unmoved

Dermott a boy about 14 hears the noise and comes to see what's happening. Armed with his trusty sling shot, he picks up a small pebble.

"Feel my wrath peasant!" Rumina forming a huge yellow ball in her hands.

"You leave Maeve alone!" Dermott came running out with his slingshot.

"Dermott! Get away from here!" Maeve said

"HOw touching, more peasants!"

"Dermott! Go! NOW" Maeve ordered

"But"

"GO! NOW" Maeve yelled

Dermott started to run, but stopped.

"You have no powers and yet you dare deny me? You dare anger me?"

"I dare a lot of things. I don't stand around all day and talk about them. I actually do them or have your forgotton?" Maeve

Rumina touches the wound on her head from which the blood was coming out from.

"You will die for this! Perhaps I should turn you into a toad, perhaps a ant" Rumina pondered

"Perhaps you should go home"

"Pesant wench!" Rumina raised the glowing ball and was about to throw it, when Dermott hit her with the sling shot.

The glowing ball hit a tree instead and Maeve and Dermott ran. They ran as fast as they could to their farm, but before they could Rumina appeared before them and stopped them dead in their tracks.

"Feel my wrath peasant wench!" Rumina shot out a yellow beam, but Dermott jumped in front of Maeve and was surrounded by it.

It encased his body and slowly his arms and legs started to shrink into his body, his brown hair started to grow long and covering him. To Maeve's horror, Dermott's body started to change into that of a hawk. His face was the last to change.

"Maeve! Help me!" Dermott called out to her before he was completely changed into a hawk.

His body fell to the ground, he was flapping around unable to stand in his body. Maeve bent down and tried to help him, she tried to hold him, but his claws dug into her skin and made her bleed. Rumina laughed out loud

"You always hurt the ones you love most, don't you?"

"You! I'm going to kill you!"

"If you ever find me!" Rumina mists away with the sound of her laughing echoing

Maeve held Dermott in her arms, as she walked home, she didn't care about the blood or the pain. She carried him home. She entered the house and her father yelled at her for not being home to do her chores.

"Get that bird out of here!" her father ordered "But father!"

"No! Just do it! Damn it girl! Don't you just listen for once!"

"But-"

"Just listen for once! Now, once you get rid of that bird, clean yourself up, you're going over to the Deary land"

"Why?"

"I've arranged it so that you will marry their boy. About time you get married"

"What? No!"

"Maeve, I don't have time for this! Now clean up and go!"

Maeve ran into her room and quickly packed her things. She found an old glove and used it to hold her brother. She picked up things and ran out of the house, never returning again.

At the castle a young prince tells his parents of his plans on marrying Maeve.

"Never!" the king yelled out

"You can't marry her, she's a commoner!" the queen said

"But, I love her" prince said

"No! never! You are to marry royalty!"

"Be reasonable father!"

"Never! We shall never speak of this again!"

"But!"

"NEVER! If you do, then you will not rule this land, ever!"

Hours later, Prince Duncan arrives at Maeve's house to ask her father for her hand in marraige. He knocks on the door and her father answers it.

"Is Maeve home?"

"No, she's over at the Deary's. You know she's suppose to marry their boy? What a proud day for me"

"Really?" he said

It felt as if a million arrows had piereced through his heart and oblitirated it.

"Let me be the first to congradulate you. I'll go then. Good night" Prince says as he leaves.

Coming out of their daydream, Maeve and Duncan find themselves in each other's arms, holding each other for comfort and support. They were in love with each other, but the course of events changed their lives forever. Dermott chirped a bit and flew down next to them.

"Ah, Dermott, I see you've gotton older" Duncan says

"You know?"

"Yes I learned what Rumina had done. I went to talk to you but heard that you were to be married. But then I realized that you would never stand for that and you must have run off"

"I wish I had told you"

"I know you did, you came by the castle and left me this" he shows her the ring he gave her.

"I knew you were safe. That was enough" holds her closer

"Was it?" Maeve resting her head on his shoulder

"It was enough for me"

At dinner everyone seemed to be quiet. It was icy that Maeve started to feel shivers down her spine. When dinner was over, everyone went to their rooms. Sinbad had slipped into Maeve's room, he needed to talk to her.

"Maeve, I need to talk to you"

"Sinbad, what are you doing here? Don't you ever knock?"

"Maeve, you're acting all strange around him"

"I am?"

"You are. I've never seen you like this"

"Well he's an old friend. That's all"

"Maeve"

"Sinbad, there are some things that you just can't understand!"

"Try me"

"NO! Some things you can't understand. Maybe someday, but today!"

"Maeve, you're not even giving me a change here"

"Sinbad, please!"

"Maeve, answer me this, do you love him?"

"Sinbad, what kind of question is that?"

"Do you? The way you act around him, it's as if you were past lovers"

"I loved him once, a long time ago. But things changed once I left this island"

"Maeve, you know you can tell me anything"

"Some things I can't tell you Sinbad, please try to understand that"

"Alright" Sinbad said as he opened the door, "But I'll always be here if you want to talk" as he closed the door

In the morning, the crew and some of the guards in the castle decided to go hunting for a dragon. some locals had been talking about a dragon in the area. So after breakfast, they headed out into the forest, leaving Maeve and Sinbad behind with the Prince. Sinbad walks away, leaving the two of them alone. He needed sometime alone.

In the forest, the group of fearless men hear something from the bushes. Doubar and some men enter the bushes to see what it is.

"Dragon!" they yell out

Wihtin a few seconds of entering the bushes they run out, with a bunch of needles on them. A porcupine walks out, and the rest of the group of men laugh.

"Some dragon" Firouz chukles to himself

The group of men make their way to a cave, and hear some noises coming from the indside. They carefully enter the cave. The sounds get louder and louder.

"Careful men" Doubar said

"You know there are no such things as dragons. Lizards only reach a foot around here" Firouz

"Quiet Firouz!" Doubar said

It got darker and darker as they entered th cave. A few minutes they ran out of the cave screaming. And behind them was a smally fuzzy little skunk, wondering what the screaming was about. The men ran and ran all the way back to the castle.

In the courtyard, Maeve and Duncan were talking.

"Maeve, I've missed your company"

"I've missed yours as well. Though we can't go back again. We've changed"

"I haven't"

"I have, I changed the second I left this island"

"Only for the better I hope"

"No, I've changed for me, and only me"

"Maeve, I thought I'd lost you when you left. Now you've returned and I've been given a second chance"

"Second chance? Seems like everyone wants one these days"

Dermott chirped and looked at her.

"Maeve, let me correct the mistakes of the past. Marry me"

"What? Are you alright?"

"Marry me Maeve, I love you"

"Duncan! that was a long time ago!"

"Yes, and I still love you!"

"Duncan, please!"

"You agreed to marry me then, what's changed?

"I, I, I" Maeve studdered

Duncan silenced her with a kiss. Sinbad had been watching, and felt his heart breaking into a million tiny pieces. He left quietly as he could feel the tears swelling in his eyes.

Maeve broke free and turned away from Duncan.

"I loved you a long time ago Duncan. but now, my heart loves another. I love Sinbad!"

"The captain?"

"Yes, I love him. I'm sorry, but please try to understand"

* Maeve, you must go to him now! *

*Who? *

* Sinbad, he saw you kiss him, you must go before you lose him again *

"No!" Maeve started to run away "Wait!"

Sinbad was checking on his crew. Doubar was laying on his stomach while Firouz treated to his wounds. He was carefully pulling the needles out of his backside, while Rongar was in a tub of tomatoes.

"I see you were sucessful in hunting dragons?" Sinbad asked

"Very. Can't you see?" Firouz

"Glad that you're all alright and had fun" Sinbad said

Sinbad walked out and into the hallway, where Maeve saw him and ran after him.

"Sinbad! Sinbad! Wait!" Maeve cried out

"Maeve, I have to go check on Doubar and the others"

"Please, wait, please?" she held his hands in hers and looked at him in desperation

"What is it?"

"It's not what you think"

"I heard his propsal to you"

"You did? Why were you spying on me?"

"No! I wasn't. Nevermind!" he walked away a bit

"SinbaD! I don't love him! I love you!" she yelled out

Sinbad stopped and turned around and grabbed her into his arms.

"I love you Maeve. I didn't know what to do when I overheard. He's a prince. He can offer you so much more than I ever can. I'm just a simple sailor"

"Sinbad, my love, you are far from being a simple sailor. Nothing could take me away from you"

Sinbad touches her hair and pulls her in for a kiss.

Til Next Time!