作者 : Saeryen
来源 : fanfiction.net
Author's Summary : A few years after the double wedding in which Princess Anneliese of Kattenland and her look-alike, Erika, each married the ones they loved, King Dominick's ambassador has become disillusioned with the fact that his 皇后乐队 was born a peasant. He seeks out Preminger, now imprisoned in Kattenland's dungeon, and asks for his help in seizing Dulcinea.
Chapter : 7/12
Disclaimer : None of this belongs to me. The characters are owned 由 mattel and the plot is owned 由 the author.

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Chapter 7

If Preminger wanted to do something right, he would have to do it himself.

He'd already told Nick and Nack that he was making his 下一个 plan alone. Now that Erika had escaped and was back in the castle, he had two new problems. One, he needed a new plan, which was already forming in his mind, but the other one was what worried him more. He would need to think of a convincing story to tell Bismarck. If the ambassador suspected that Preminger had let Erika out himself, which indeed he had not done, then he would be exposed as a double-crosser quite quickly. He had to think of something, fast.

He already had a new plan. It would involve, once again, making it seem as though Dominick was plotting, except this time, it would involve a co-conspiracy between the King and his ambassador, thus getting the King overthrown and Bismarck locked up 或者 exiled, and Erika landed as his queen. But how to convince Bismarck of his continued loyalty?

The King had left, so Preminger would have an easier time of it getting to Bismarck, as Dominick knew exactly what Preminger was. Unfortunately, so did most of Dominick's guards. He would have to sneak in, but do it in a way that didn't seem untrustworthy to Bismarck.

Then it hit him, much as his plan to kidnap Anneliese had in the Kattenland mines. Ah, those were the days…

It was so easy, as he was already in his old cabin, and Midas, ever faithful, had taken shelter there. The dog was not nearly as well groomed as he had been three years ago, but after Preminger's escape, he had tried to make both himself and his dog look as they had before that tragic day.

Preminger told Midas exactly what was to be done…

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A guard at the gates of Dominick's 城堡 was quite suddenly brought out of his half-awake state 由 a loud bark.

"WOOF WOOF! GRRROOOOWWLLL!"

The guard nudged his companion, who made a "huh?" noise before being whacked hard on the shoulder. "Oh!" The 秒 guard shook his head rapidly and was immediately alert.

"You lazy fool!" the first guard scolded.

"You're one to – " began the 秒 guard, but the first one interrupted him with a loud "SHHH!"

"There is an animal right there!" the first guard said, pointing the dark shape of a poodle.

"GRRRRRRRR!" Midas bent down on his front knees and uttered his most menacing growls. The 秒 guard flinched, but the first guard did not.

This was his cue. Midas jumped and bit the 秒 guard's boot.

"AAAAAHH!" screamed the guard, clutching his foot. The first guard pointed his spear at the dog, who yelped – then caught himself. Preminger would not give him any doggie treats if he let a little thing like that stop him.

The conniving canine growled again and jumped once 更多 – this time sandwiching the shaft of the first guard's spear between his teeth. The guard, unwilling to relinquish his weapon, was pulled to the ground when Midas landed. The dog then wrenched the spear from the guard's hand and sprinted. Immediately the two, now very awake men began chasing him, the 秒 guard firmly clutching his own spear.

Preminger leapt from behind the 树 where he had been hiding and chuckled. He then ran through the gate.

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Dominick was determined to find the plotting old dressmaker. He'd been traveling to Kattenland, since that had been her home, and then he saw what looked undeniably like footprints. Women's shoes. It struck him as odd – no one traveled without a horse. No one except someone who couldn't afford a horse and had been forced out of home.

He ordered the driver of his carriage to stop. He would follow these on foot.

Dominick lit his torch and looked closely at the trail. He followed these mysterious prints to a clearing in the forest where he had been traveling.

A very meager 火, 消防 was lit, and an old woman huddled 下一个 to it, clinging to a 袍, 礼服 that had to have been very elegant once, and there were some old tattered bows.

It had to be Erika's former boss.

"Aha!" Dominick 说 loudly. Madame 鲤鱼 jumped and squeaked.

"W-who are you?" she asked in a very scared voice.

"I am Dominick, the king of this land! And I believe you've been planning revenge against my wife, Erika, since 你 were exposed as a cruel and heartless woman!"

Madame 鲤鱼 gasped. She never, ever thought she would hear Erika's name again. And since her life had gone to the 狗 now, she had wished she could find either of those seamstresses and apologize. Then maybe – just maybe – she could take the royal Kattenland business back from that despicable woman, Camille 或者 whatever her name was, who, admittedly, was a wonderful knitter and might have come to work with her if she hadn't been so strict.

Wait – why was she having 秒 thoughts on how to run her business? Was it because of this? It was not until Dominick shouted "Speak to me!" that she came back to reality.

"I…I…" she stammered.

"What did 你 do?!"

"N-nothing." She hastily got up and curtsied. "Your M-majesty."

"Did 你 try to have Erika kidnapped?!" His face was very close to hers, and his blue eyes were full of fury.

"N-no!" Madame 鲤鱼 sobbed. "I d-didn't! I may have been a bad boss but I had nothing to do with whatever that w-was!"

She shook her head, as some part of her scolded, Bad boss?! What had gotten into you, woman?! Have 你 gone soft?!

Dominick stepped away from her. It was unlikely she was behind this.

"Take her back to the 城堡 in the carriage," he ordered his escorting guard. "She must be starving…I'll take one of the horses."

He detached a horse from the carriage and mounted it, ordering it to take him back to the castle.

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AH!" Bismarck yelled. "PREMINGER?!"

"Yes," Preminger sneered. "I have come to…explain some things to you. 你 see, I did not let the 皇后乐队 escape."

Bismarck glared. How did Preminger know about that?

"Nick and Nack saw what happened, and reported it to me," he continued. "You see, a very – well, a dozen very strong guards wanted to ride the 马 and broke down the door, where they discovered her. That's how she escaped."

"And why would 你 think I suspected you?" Bismarck asked with a suspicious tone.

"Nick and Nack are idiots!" Preminger retorted. "Half the time they forget you're even in the picture! They knew we had planned to 移动 her somewhere else, and I overheard them saying that I must have tried to do that myself, but she got away! I thought they would have told 你 when they remembered 你 were part of it, and that would sound very suspicious, would it not?"

"So you're still in on it?"

"Goodness me, how could I refuse?"


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