He holds up his hand and I shut up.

"'Tis your right to use deception and lies to escape. But what you speak is nonsense. No battle-witch has ever spoken to the dead, and nowhere is it said that the kingdoms will disappear if the Shadow Knight does not win."

"I'm not wrong!"

"You are tired and confused."

I'm getting nowhere with him and fight the urge to climb a tree rather than hide inside one. He's more upset about what I'm saying than he was being imprisoned by the Red Knight. Maybe I'm wrong about him being reasonable or approachable, but I really thought I had a shot with this kid.

His dismissive choice of words reminds me too much of Jason, who had a way of brushing off everything I felt or said. It strikes me how much I hate feeling that way, how much frustration this kid provokes and how deep the emotion runs.

He's not Jason, and I'm no longer the mushroom who let Jason talk to her like this. I force my hunched shoulders down and decide that the time for backing down is gone.

"Will you think about it?" I ask softly. "I am a battle-witch from another world. I might not understand much about here, but this is one of the few things I'm sure about. I know you're afraid of your father, but you need to grow a backbone and focus on what's right instead of what he tells you to do."

He looks like he wants to say something and then shakes his head, storming out.

For once, I'm confident. Unaccustomed to pressing an issue instead of dropping it, I'm surprised by how natural it feels to stand up for myself. I usually let people like Jason tell me I'm wrong, ugly, stupid, fat and I usually take it.

Not anymore.

"Where better to start being someone else than in a place that doesn't exist?" With a newfound bloom of warmth inside me, I lift the medallion. "You're next."

I trust you. The Shadow Knight's steady declaration was part of the reason I didn't sleep well last night. He did what Jason, Tracey, and others have never done in my life believed in me and instead of being grateful, I did what I always do: freaked out, assumed I'd fail, and ended up letting him down anyway.

I feel like I owe him to try.

I also feel like I owe me to try. I've never been particularly secure about who I am, always down on my looks, low paying job, lack of a life, thunder thighs, general apathy about my future, you name it. I feel safest when I'm lost in a book because there's no one to judge or reject me. Last night, huddled in his arms, I decided to do what was right instead of being swept away. The sense I need to take control of my life, to start living it on my own terms, is gaining ground. I set limits with the sexiest man alive; I can make this damn thing work.

Shifting to get comfortable, I continue to gaze at the medallion. The scene of the battle-witch cursing the realm replays in my thoughts. She had been so strong and sure of herself, the opposite of me. The man she loved had just been struck down and she was running on pure adrenaline. There is more about her than her depth of emotion that makes me envious.

Self-assurance. She didn't doubt her ability to command the medallion; she owned that shit. She had a man as powerful as the Shadow Knight at her feet, devoted enough to give her all the magic in the world. A woman like that doesn't hide in trees like I always have.

A woman like that gets what she wants, even the sexy Knight of a non-existent world.

I close my eyes to concentrate. There are patterns when the medallion sparked to life: when I'm in mortal danger, when the Shadow Knight is, and when we both are. Danger is the common thread, but it's not clear why it operates sometimes and not at all other times.

Danger and . . . what? There's got to be another factor. With the arrogance of a man who rules a kingdom, the Shadow Knight seemed to think provoking me was the right way to force the magic to work.

I think there's something different at work here. A shield to protect me, a shock to prevent him from losing his head, flattening an army, a lift for both of us out of the falling tower.

"What's the common factor, LF?" I demand of the author that stranded me in this world. There's no writing on my hand to help me out. "Something I said? Something I did?" I think back to those scary situations. They're somewhat fuzzy, given the amount of emotions and adrenaline that were in my blood at the time.

"Extreme emotion. Instinct," I murmur to the black Heart in my hands. Fear? Anger? Were those the keys? It seems like a horrible way to devise a weapon, like linking a nuclear bomb to a cranky three-year-old and hoping it doesn't go off. The image of the battle queen lingers in my mind. "I didn't have a chance to second guess myself."

The Shadow Knight's declaration from the tower returns to me, his claim that I needed to abandon my self-pity and appreciate who I am. Could he have been hinting at what the key is without knowing it?

That sounds so stupid. I can almost hear Jason say the words.

But he's not here, and this is my story, not his.

"I didn't beg it to work. I commanded it," I say with an uncharacteristic dramatic flourish. My face grows warm and I glance around to make sure no one heard. "Why the hell not?" I respond aloud. "Why am I never good enough? They built an entire legend around me here!" There's nothing wrong with my thoughts or feelings or looks. It's a lot to swallow after a lifetime of hiding myself away, but this is my second chance.

Heroes are normal people who do extraordinary things, the battle queen had said. Not always because they choose to, and rarely because they want to. But you know what? When it matters, they take a step they never thought they'd take.

Is this my step? Can it be as corny as learning to believe in myself? In not being afraid to take a chance, seize control of my life, and live?

I opened the door to my soul last night with the Shadow Knight. Even if I didn't let him enter, the entrance remains open, my emotions raw, and my newfound determination to try to live on my terms hovering in the doorway.

The writing on the medallion flares to life.

I almost drop it. "That's it, isn't it?"

A tingle of electricity tickles my fingertips.

"Maybe I should show Westley to be sure I'm not going crazy."

The light goes out and the tingle vanishes.

With a startled laugh, I turn the medallion over in my hands. "You only work because . . . what? I believed in myself for a fraction of a second?"

A flutter of warmth runs up my arm.

The magic of a kingdom, collected over a thousand years, in the palm of my hand. The key to the Shadow Knight winning his battle and saving his world. And all I have to do is turn off those negative thoughts that make me feel bad about myself and believe.

"If you're that strong, then do something amazing. Bring me a cup of coffee." I wait. Nothing appears before me and my brittle hope starts to wane. Self-doubt returns. "No! I believe in me!" With a quick look around, I thrust out my arms the way televangelists do on the television, squeezing my eyes closed. I'd do anything for a cup of coffee, even suspend my self-consciousness and turn off my thoughts.

And then I smell it, the rich scent that wakes me each morning, compliments of the coffee pot with a timer my mom got me for my last birthday. Leaping to my feet, I frantically look around, ready to overturn everything in the tree for a chance at some coffee.

I find the mug near the fire at the center of the tree, tucked between two logs.

"Omigod!" I almost squeal and carefully pry the mug free. I breathe in the familiar dark scent, a small piece of heaven, and then venture to take a sip.

It tastes perfect. Completely, utterly perfect and fills my chest with warmth. Holding it up like Golem did the One Ring, I take a moment to worship my favorite drink.

"My precioussssssssssss!" I say in my best Golem voice.

"Witch?"

Realizing someone is watching me, I look towards the entrance of the tree. "Just . . . ah . . . coffee." Embarrassed, I lower the mug and clutch it to my chest.

Westley is back, one eyebrow lifted in either curiosity or confusion, a hooded form beside him. "You are well?" he asks.

"I'm amazing," I reply.

He doesn't seem to know exactly how to take that either. "May we enter?"

"You're the captor." Clearing my throat, I sit down and breathe in the scent of coffee. For the first time since arriving here, I feel a little less out of place, though thoroughly humiliated right now, too.

But it worked. By either pretending to believe in - or at least not doubting myself, I was able to use the medallion. The happy warmth inside me I attributed to coffee isn't fading.

So this is what self-confidence feels like.

The tension of Westley's face fades for a split second before he moves into the tree trunk. The person with him is a woman, judging by the gown she wears beneath a long cloak in the kingdom's earthy brown.

"I wanted you to tell her what you told me," Westley starts, the fleeting amusement gone. "About the curse."

"Tell who?" I ask curiously.

"Me." The woman with him pushes off her hood.

"Disney Princess!" I exclaim before I can stop myself.

She exchanges an uncertain look with Westley.

"They caught you, too?" I ask.

"Not exactly." Pink floods her cheeks.

I wait for an explanation. Westley clears his throat, the same coloring creeping into his face.

Forbidden lovers. Her broken betrothal to Westley, who had been unable to try to win her back because he was a prisoner of the Red Knight. My first thought sends fire coursing through my blood.

The Shadow Knight isn't engaged anymore.

Yet this is more than two lovers who have reunited after a year apart. In the awkward silence, I recall what Westley told me about how his father had assistance outsmarting the Shadow Knight.

"Tell me you didn't betray him," I say to the gorgeous woman, understanding settling into the base of my belly.

"He would not listen!" she replies instantly. "I told him to leave Brown Sun Lake be, to consider an alliance rather than war. He insisted and I could not bear the idea of losing someone I loved."

"You'd rather jump on the bandwagon and kill the Shadow Knight?"

"'Tis the last resort. I made the Desert Knight swear to spare him and those of his people not in his armies, in exchange for telling him how to end a thousand years of war."

My coffee suddenly isn't enough to keep my mood up.

"I did not understand the depth of their blood feud," the princess adds. "My brother warned me, but I did not listen either. The Desert Knight has no intention of sparing him. 'Twas foolish hope."

"So you told the Desert Knight how to outmaneuver the Shadow Knight," I murmur.

"We both did," Westley says, taking her hand. "I learned much from the Red Knight about the defenses of his neighbor. With my love's access to Black Moon Draw's inner workings, we were able to piece together a plan for defeating the Shadow Knight and present it to my father."

"The goal being to end up together again and stop the war."

They both nod.

Young love is so stupid. As I look at them, I can almost see me, when I was head over heels for Jason. We met when I was nineteen and he was twenty-four, three years ago. From the beginning, I would've done anything for him, no matter what the cost ended up being to me. I liked the things he did and wore the clothes he said made me look good. I tried to be the person he wanted me to be without really thinking about who I wanted to be.

I can count the times he complimented me on my hands. I starved for a kind word from him and received mainly criticism, no matter how hard I tried.

These two are the same age I was, but I get the feeling they don't have my hang-ups. Of course, they were naive idiots for thinking they could stop a war between the two feuding kingdoms without anyone getting hurt. Sometimes, situations can seem harmless, like letting Jason control how I felt about myself, but escalate quickly and lead to disastrous results.

These two are totally giving off a Romeo and Juliet vibe, and I realize how far I've come from the naive, enamored nineteen-year-old who thought her world revolved around someone like Jason. What did I find appealing about being constantly criticized? And why was I sad, as opposed to relieved, about not being married to him?

It's hard to think poorly of the couple before me for trying to be happy and ensure everyone else was, too. They erred out of good intentions.

In doing so, they condemned the world to the curse. What would I have done, especially if I didn't fully understand the impact of my actions? Would I have similarly betrayed the ruler of a kingdom for Jason and possibly destroyed the entire realm?

Yes, says a little voice inside my head.

But not now. Not ever again.

"I mean this gently, but I think you might've destroyed the world," I say finally. Oddly enough, I'm not angry about it. If anything, I sympathize with them for wanting to be loved so much, they forsook everything else.

Westley says nothing. The princess's eyes widen.

I share with her what I was told by the warrior queen about the curse and the only way to end it.

She says nothing when I finish. For a long moment, she stares at me, frozen in horror, before she turns and flees.

"Are you certain?" Westley asks me once more.

"Yes."

"What we have done cannot be undone. There is no time for his armies to march here, no way to dissuade my father. He smells victory and he will pounce."

I wait, almost able to hear him thinking. With no real idea of the scale of war we're talking about, I have nothing to contribute.

"The only thing we can do is return you to him," Westley says quietly. "And hope you can use your magic to defend the kingdom."

Tapping the medallion, I fight back the tiny voice that's telling me I have a hand in destroying this world because I can't be one hundred percent certain that the magic will work for me the way it should.

"You risk angering your father," I murmur. "You'd both be in danger."

"We can go to my brother." The princess stands in the entrance, a tortured expression on her face. Even with eyes reddened from tears, she's more beautiful than any actress or model I've ever seen.

"You sure about that?" I ask uneasily, recalling what happened the last time Westley saw the Red Knight.

"We may not have a choice," Westley says. "If we can smuggle you to him, he can reach the Shadow Knight without the challenges we would experience."

My heart flip flops at the idea of seeing the Shadow Knight again then falls to my feet when I realize how bad the situation is. We have today and tomorrow to save the world and no idea how to do it.

"I'll fetch him." The princess leaves once more.

The yearning on Westley's face as his gaze follows her almost makes me want to roll my eyes.

"Are you guys . . . bonded yet?" I ask.