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18

"How dare you?! The cheek! The absolute nerve!" Lana shouted having been kissed on the temple by the guard who had her in a head lock. She elbowed his gut and stomped on his foot, swishing away indignantly with burn marks and blood stains all over the front of her gown.

Judy had just finished hog-tying her enemy with a wrist knot when the man strained his neck to kiss the top of her head. She recoiled in wide-eyed disgust. "For heaven's sake! A girl's not even safe if the man's folded in half!"

Ava's opponent planted a juicy one right on the lips. "You done?" she asked with a hand on her hip. He nodded. She punched him in the nose. "Next time ask," she said.

And so it was that the princesses were outraged out of Ivan's control by men kissing them without consent. Victor's guards and the Royal Princes were now gained the upper hand and seized all of Robert's soldiers in short order. All but one.

Still under the spell, Ginger had stealthily manoeuvred herself next to the King – once she stopped trying to drag Danny out from under the table's legs, that is. The long blade she held tightly to her forearm escaped all notice until she spun the handle in her hand and held the knife to Victor's chest.

Victor held up his hands to stop his guards from pouncing on her. "Child," he said. "You're not well. I will not fight you."

" No? Then neither will I," Ginger hissed, nimbly switching to step behind Queen Betina and hold the knife to her stomach.

Victor held his fury. He moved toward her carefully, sword in hand.

"Drop you sword or my lady does your lady in," said Robert, coming forward at last.

Ginger dug the point of her blade slightly higher under Betina's ribs. Victor lowered his weapon.

"And now brother, and I use the term loosely, you can either give me what is rightfully mine and spend the rest of your days in the tower or I can simply take it from you and you can vanish in some other way."

"How do you suppose this standoff will work?" Victor asked. "You're outnumbered. Your men are finished."

"My men are. Not my magician or the power he holds over your daughters."

"Don't you touch them!" Betina cried, struggling so that Ginger held her closer to restrain her.

"Calm yourself woman," Ginger ordered.

The Queen tried to make eye contact to plead for reason. It was only then that she noticed the perfectly round mole on Ginger's jaw line, almost identical to the one on her husband's.

"Victor!" Betina cried. "She has your mole!"

It took a moment to register, then Victor's astonished mouth hung open as he felt along his own jaw. "Daughter?"

Ginger looked at the King, irritated and confused. Betina couldn't help herself. "Our daughter," she sighed and turned her face as best she could to kiss her cheek.

Instantly, Ginger's face softened, her heart's wish answered. She looked at her father, her clear eyes beginning to well with tears to match his. She released her mother and turned on Robert with her blade as Victor picked up his sword.

"Oh, please," Robert said, and immediately lunged at Victor.

Their steel clashed. Their teeth gnashed. They advanced and thrust and parried all over the place without anyone interfering in the match to end all matches. And just when you thought this part of the story would never end, Victor's swing brought him around to drive his blade between Robert's arm and chest so that he was pinned by his velveteen horn blower's costume to a table that had been flipped to stand on its side.