"Miss Annie, you must come with me now!" Mark was dressed in black armor. He held the helmet in one hand and lifted me from the ground with the other. "Prince Ian has ordered me to escort you to the north!"
"No, Mark!" I shook my head desperately. The uneasy feeling spread through my body like icy water. Even my teeth were chattering unconsciously.
"I'm going to wait for Ian here. He said he would come and pick me up personally!"
"Prince Ian is not coming back!" Mark said in a low voice, seemingly pained. "We failed! A traitor in the army had informed the king's trusted aides. King Nick's guards had launched a guerilla on us first. Prince Ian was captured! "
"No, this is impossible!" My heart seemed to have stopped beating. It took a while before it calmed down. "Mark, take me back. I want to be with Ian!"