A Most Grand Edventure
By Luke Mc Williams
Note: Takes place in Summer 1326 A.D. Has nothing to do with the TV show. Fiorian is French. Spells and, for first mention, weapons, in bold, thoughts in italics, important events underlined, really important events bold/underlined.
AN: How is everyone? This is my second story to be published on FanFictionNet. And it's not associated with Edventure. It may share characters, but it is set in a different universe. With that done, enjoy the story!
Chapter One: The King's Plan
In the Throne Room of Castle Altea, the twenty most powerful Knights of Altea, or the Phoenix Brigade, and the Secret Order, an elite Brigade, were assembled before King Alexander VII, or King Alexander the Wise, High King of Altea.
He was forty-five years old, and a just, wise, and honourable man. His blue eyes gleamed in the light, and streaks of gray were visible in his thinning brown hair and beard. He was dressed in regal vermillion robes, and the Royal Sceptre was placed in his right hand. He was seated on his throne, in the centre-north of the room.
Beside him, on his left, seated in her smaller, but still rather grand, throne, was his faithful wife, Queen Vivian the Beautiful. She wasn't called the Beautiful for nothing. She was a few months younger than her husband, but despite her age, her eyes were still pastel-blue, her lips still the colour of lush, red roses, and her long, golden hair, which fell to her hips, had far fewer gray streaks than her husband. Despite being so pretty, she was kind, charitable, and as wise as her husband.
Once all the Knights assembled had calmed down, the King began to speak.
"Now that you are all calm and in a peaceful state of mind, I will tell you why you are gathered here." He paused, making sure all in the room were listening.
"As you all know, two weeks ago on this day, I sent my two eldest children, Prince Eddward and Princess Zoe, on a diplomatic mission to the island nation of Araxia. In this time of great peace, the other nations leaders, minus Araxia, and I were disturbed as to why Araxia was mass producing weapons of war. I asked my two children to try and convince Empress Maxalina of Araxia to stop this production. They were meant to stay for one week only, and now it is two weeks since they left. In a letter I recently received from her, my daughter confided that she believes that she and her brother and companions are being held in the castle, later to be used as a ransom. I am deploying the Phoenix Brigade to the island fortress of Nario to watch Araxia's forces, and the Secret Brigade to rescue my daughter and son. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, Sire!" The reply echoed around the chamber.
"Good," the King continued. "I would like to speak to two of my son's friends. Eddy Harsion and Edwin Fiolore, please step forward."
Two fifteen year old boys, in the Secret Brigade, stepped forward.
The first boy was short for his age, and he had almost no hair, save three brown strands. He was dressed in a sun-yellow tunic, with sea-blue shorts on, that fell to his knees. He wore brown, fingerless gloves on his hands, and his boots were the same colour, although they seemed to be three sizes too big. A red-holster was slung over his chest, crossing over his left shoulder. A brown belt was around his waist, and there was pockets and holsters in this galore. In one holster, on the left side of his body, was a long, sleek, silver knife. There was a pair of thick goggles on his forehead, and, to top off the ensemble, a sapphire-blue scarf was tied around his waist. His foggy blue-green eyes were looking at the treasures in the throne room.
The other boy was tall for his age, and short, red hair fell to his ears. His hazel eyes were shining with pure glee, and a goofy grin was on his face. He wore a red and white striped tunic, with a sleeveless, button-up green vest over it. His pants were night-blue, and his hiking boots were black. On his back was a steel shield, painted blue (Altea's Royal colour), and the Royal insignia was painted on it as well. Underneath this shield was a huge sword, gleaming in the golden light of the chamber.
"Yeah, your Highness dude?" asked Eddy, the short one. "Do you want us to steal something?" There was a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"Not today, Eddy," chuckled the king. "You and Edwin will be leading the operation to rescue Zoe and Eddward."
"Aw, sweet!" cried Eddy. "We're gonna save Zoe and Double-D, we're gonna save Zoe and Double-D, we're go-"
"ED! Shut up!" shouted Eddy, cutting off his friends jovial song.
"Well," said the King," if everything is prepared, then you should-"
"Wait! Uncle!" cried a voice. Everyone turned to the source, who was running into the chamber, and Eddy blushed when he saw who it was.
It was a slender, fifteen year old girl, with shoulder length blonde hair and eyes as green as grass. Her tunic was leaf-green, and her skirt was the colour of tree bark. She wore white woollen tights underneath it, and her boots were the same shade of brown as her skirt. A dark green cloak fell to her feet, and a bow and quiver of arrows lay on her back.
It was Princess Rebecca, daughter of the King's brother, Prince Robert III. There was a determined look on her face.
"Yes, my dear Rebecca?" said the King, with a kindly expression and voice.
"Uncle, please," began the Princess, "let me come on the mission. I want to help rescue Zoe and Double-D. I even have permission from my parents. With your consent of course, Uncle," she added hastily.
"Rebecca, I do not doubt your courage," said the King," but what of your safety? If anything were to happen-"
"Uncle, please," said Rebecca, "I'm a Black Mage and Archer. I can look after myself." To prove this point, she summoned a fireball in her hand. After a few seconds, she extinguished it, looking at her Uncle.
"Very well," concluded the King, after several minutes deep in thought. "You can go."
"Yes!!!!" screamed Rebecca. "I can go! Woohoo!"
Now, their orders confirmed, the Knights prepared to embark for Araxia…
ooo
Far away, in a nation to the east, another plan, this one of escape, was being plotted between three people…
In the West Tower of Castle Araxia, on the third floor, were two fifteen year old girls, having morning tea and scones.
The first girl had waist length blonde hair, like Queen Vivian's, and her eyes were cerulean-blue. Her rose-pink lips were shaped into a smile, as she sipped her tea. Her dress had two layers: the first layer was rose-pink, and covered her torso. Two straps hung over her shoulders, holding up the dress. The second layer was her skirt: it was white, with a pink edge, and it hid her legs and feet. Lying next to her was an oaken staff, painted pure white, embedded with a perfectly shaped, glowing crystal.
The girl sitting across from her was wearing the same dress, though it was lilac instead of pink. Her usually long, blonde hair was tied into a knot, at the bottom of the back of her neck, but some of it was still loose, forming an ear length bob. Her dark blue eyes were examining the girl across from her, Princess Zoe.
"Well, Zo," said Nazz, her lady-in-waiting and one of her best friends ever, "do you, like, think your dad will send the S. Brigade to rescue us?"
"Probably," came the reply, "in fact, their probably on their way right now."
"I hope so. It's getting really boring, just sitting and drinking tea and eating scones. "
"Well don't worry," said Zoe, "we'll be out of here soon, just you wait and see."
"I cannot believe those arrogant, pompous, stuck-up, pig-like aristocrats!!"
Both girls screamed, and Nazz dropped her tea. A fifteen year old boy stormed into the room. Normally, he would be quiet and reserved, but at the moment he was in a fiery temper.
He was tall and thin, with lithe muscles up and down his arms and legs. He had sapphire-blue eyes, and his hair was concealed underneath a black ski hat. His tunic was blue, and his shorts were a darker shade of blue. His legs were only exposed a little bit, for he wore tall, brown boots. A sea-blue cloak fell from his shoulders to just above his heels. There was a sword scabbard on the left side of the brown belt, around his waist, and a blue metal shield, with the Altean Royal Insignia on it, rested on his upper back. He was Prince Eddward, the eldest child of King Alexander, twin brother of Zoe, and heir to the Altean throne.
His face was grim as he stepped into the room, and both girls had different reactions: Nazz, who had slight, well, large, really, feelings for him, thought he looked glorious and strong and worthy to be a Prince: Zoe wanted to reach out, slap him across the jaw, and then throttle him
"Double-D!" cried Zoe, breaking the silence, "you nearly gave me heart failure! I could kill you right now, I really do feel like it! But, just out of interest, what were you so worked up about?"
"Well," started Edd/Eddward, aka Double-D, "I just went to ask that council secretary, Barrus, if I could have an audience with the Empress, for about the hundredth time, and he said "No, we've not got the right paperwork." They should have had it two weeks ago!"
"We don't need to wait anymore, Eddward. Daddy's going to send help. The Secret Brigade." Edd's face lit up.
"Then we'll see Eddy and Ed! Hmm…" he said with a pondering face, "When do you think they'll get here?"
"Probably today," said Zoe, "around six p.m."
"Very well," replied Edd, "then at six p.m., this is what we'll do…"
ooo
"So what play are we gonna perform, Rebecca?" asked a curious Eddy. They had left an hour ago, at two p.m., and were now a quarter nearer to Araxia.
"Well, Eddy, we're not actually performing. The rest of the Brigade will do that. Our job is to rescue Zoe, Double-D, and Nazz."
"Yeah, yeah, I know!" replied an impatient Eddy, "I just wanna know what play it is!"
"Right," said Rebecca, pulling out a bunch of scripts from her bag." We don't actually know yet, so that's why I need you two to help me. Now, we could do "Requiem of Love," "The Prince and I," "Sora's Comet,"…"
"Well," began Ed, "I think-"
"Oh, I know! We could do this one!"
Her face was filled with glee, as she picked up the chosen script.
"What is it?" asked Eddy. She turned it so that the two Ed's could see it.
"My Boyfriend was a Teenage Canary!" Perfect, don't you agree?"
The two boys stared blankly. "I don't think-"
"We're doing it," growled Rebecca, " and that's that!"
"Okay, okay! Yeesh…"
"Don't say that Eddy." "Sorry, Rebecca…"
"Now, we've got to sort positions, costumes, hair…"
ooo
Zoe glanced out the door, searching with anticipation. It was nearly six o'clock, and they were about to execute their plan. Edd had said that they should start to make their way out of the castle, instead of just waiting to be rescued.
"Zoe," asked Edd, now calmer after earlier, "is anyone out there?"
"No, the coast is clear."
"Then let's go!" whispered Nazz.
The trio hurried out of the chamber, making their way to the Grand Staircase. They had to be extremely careful, moving in and out of shadows, hiding behind statues…Zoe was nearly sick with fear and anticipation.
"Don't worry, Zoe," whispered Nazz, comforting her best friend, "we're nearly there." Zoe smiled at Nazz.
Nazz, absentmindedly, rested her arm against the marble bust of the Empress's head, which they were hiding behind, and the marble bust wobbled, and fell of it's perch, and fell to the ground with a large crunch! And Nazz was about to scream, but Edd acted fast, putting his hand softly, but firmly, across her mouth, muting her voice. Zoe breathed with relief, but then the worst sound yet came.
"Halt!! Who goes there?!"
A dozen knights were hurrying down the corridor, having heard the crash, and were coming to investigate. The trio slunk stealthily into the shadows, as the knights finally reached the bust.
"Oi reckon that that there bust toppled over, Sir!" said one of the younger knights. The leader went over to him, and dealt him a punch to the face. The young knight staggered back, clutching his nose, as the Leader Knight roared at him.
"Oi can see that, you blitherin' idiot! The question is, who did it?"
From in the shadows, Zoe drew her staff, which was tied to the pink cloak flowing over her shoulders, and, in a nearly inaudible whisper, whispered one word:
"Sleep."
The tip of the staff, and her hands, glowed blue, and suddenly the knights staggered about, looking tired and faint
"Oi feel a bit woozy…" said the young knight. Suddenly, without a sound, all the knights lay down on the floor, instantly falling asleep. Zoe's staff and hands glowed light-blue again, as she said another spell:
"Memory Erase: Past Two Minutes."
The knights stirred, but were then still again. "There," said Zoe," now they'll be out for a few hours, and they wont remember the bust. Speaking of which…" Zoe pointed her staff at the bust, and said another spell:
"Repair."
The bust came back together, and then went on to it's stand, like nothing had ever happened.
"Good thinking, Zoe!" praised Nazz.
"Yes, well done," beamed Edd, "but we've go to get to the Grand Staircase!"
"Then let's go!" said Zoe, and the trio set off down the hall.
ooo
"Shhhh, Eddy! Be quiet!" whispered an irritated Rebecca. The trio were crouching beneath a hedge in the castle gardens. Earlier, the S. Brigade had arrived at the castle, pretending to be a theatre troupe, while Ed, Eddy and Rebecca had snuck into the castle gardens, and had started to look for Zoe, Edd and Nazz. They were nearly at the castle, with just a little bit left to go.
However, they soon reached a dilemma.
A huge, ornamental pool lay before them, surrounded , except for two little openings either side, by tall hedges.
"Drat!" whispered Eddy. "What are we gonna do?!"
"Stand back, boys," said Rebecca, "this is a job for me."
Rebecca walked up to the pool, and, with her right arm outstretched, said a spell:
"Ice!"
A beam of freezing ice blasted from her hand, making the air go cold and the temperature dropping. Rebecca pointed her hand at the pool, moving it up to the other side. When she had finished, there was an ice bridge leading to the other side over the pool.
"Way to go, Rebecca!" cheered Ed.
"Thank you, thank you," teased Rebecca, with mock, solemn bows. "And now, if you two fine, dashing, heroic, handsome, courageous, chivalrous, and absolutely spiffing gentlemen would be as kind as to accompany a lady, such as myself, across this bridge, I would most appreciate it!" And so, the trio walked across, though rather wobbly, across the ice bridge.
When they reached the other side, Rebecca turned towards the bridge and said another spell:
"Fire!"
Now, a scorching beam of fire blazed from her hand, making the air grow warm and humid, and causing the water to rise into steam. Focusing on the ice bridge, Rebecca melted it.
"There!" she said, happily. "Now no one can get across."
"But what about us?" asked Eddy.
"We'll be leaving by the main entrance. Hopefully," she replied.
The group continued through the topiary maze, finally reaching the castle wall.
"Finally!" gasped Eddy.
"Now we just have to scale this wall!" said Rebecca brightly.
"WHAT!!" exclaimed Eddy. "Oh, man," he groaned.
"Chin up, bucko!" said Ed happily. "'Cos if we don't rescue Zoe, Double-D, and Nazz, then the mutated demons of Hades shall come, suck out their guts, and then devour them!!"
Eddy whacked Ed on the head.
"You been readin' those graphic novels again, Monobrow?"
"Actually, Eddy," chirped in Rebecca, "devouring demons can be associated with the legend of the Saphe."
"The what?!" asked a confused Eddy.
"I'll tell you later," she said, gazing up at the high wall. "Right now, we've got some scaling to do." She took an arrow from her quiver, tied a lengthy piece of rope to it, notched it into her bow, took aim, and fired. The shot was perfect, as the arrow thudded into the wall, just above a wide window.
"Perfect!" said Rebecca. She tied the rope around her, Ed's, and Eddy's waist, linking them together: with that done, she began to climb…
"Ver eez ze Empress? Madam said zat she wanted to speak with moi."
The girl muttering this was around fifteen years old. Her long, sleek black hair fell like a shimmering waterfall to just above her waist. Her eyes were a dark green: green like an emerald, hidden from the sun for so long. Her cloak was the same colour as her eyes, and it fell to her knees. Her dress was white, with dark green rings around the lower section. A silk green scarf was wrapped about her neck. She was slender, elegant, and graceful. She was, also, irritated, because she had been waiting for so long. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer.
"Sacre bleu! I have waited long enough: I shall find ze Empress moiself."
With that, she hurried down the hallway, towards the Empress's private viewing box. All the rich people in the castle were watching a theatre performance of one of the girl's favourite plays: "My Boyfriend was a Teenage Canary." From the laughter echoing from the massive chamber, the girl guessed that they were enjoying themselves.
As she approached the small oak doors, she noticed that they were slightly ajar: she decided to put hear ear against it.
"…and their father will soon get suspicious," said the Empress in a worried tone.
"Worry not, my Majesty," said a masculine voice. "They cannot escape."
"I should hope not, for you sake. " She heard the man gulp.
"Actually, wait," said the Empress, "Kill them, and then, using the machine, erase every memory of them."
The girl stiffened. They were plotting to kill, she guessed, the Prince and Princess!
"…No. That is to far."
"You dare defy me?!" roared the Empress.
"Yes. I will not kill innocent children.
"Very well. You have disappointed me."
The girl heard a gurgling noise, and then the man's scream. She looked through the hole, and saw a total nightmare. Stunned with fear, she ran down the hallway, the man's screams still echoing after her…
ooo
"Ugghh!" Edd finished pushing open the wooden doors. "They were stiff!"
"Come on!" cried Zoe. "We have to get to the staircase! Move it!"
ooo
"Oh…man…" gasped an exhausted Eddy. He, Ed and Rebecca had just climbed through a window, into some sort of bedroom.
"We made it!" beamed Rebecca. "C'mon, let's get moving!" She grabbed Eddy's hand, and ran out of the room.
"Not again…"
ooo
The dark beauty ran into her bedroom. She locked the door. She had to get out of the Castle. She grabbed her staff, and packed bag, and then wrote a note, using nearby paper and quill.
Dear friends,
I have had to return to my home country on short notice. I will not be returning. I wish you luck for the future.
Au revoir!
Lila Prismia
Lila finished the note, and left it on her bed. She unlocked her door, and made for the Grand Staircase…
ooo
There were three stairs in the Grand Staircase: one going left, up levels G and 1: one going right, up levels G and 1: and one going straight, up level 1. There was a little hallway underneath staircase Three.
Down staircase One, Edd, Zoe, and Nazz hurried, down staircase Two, Eddy, Ed, and Rebecca hurried, and down the hallway Lila hurried. They all, evidently, crashed into each other.
They all happily greeted each other, and then noticed Lila.
"Who are you?" asked Eddy suspiciously
"Je'mappelle Lila Prismia."
"What?" asked a befuddled Eddy.
Lila sighed. "My name is Lila Prismia. I come from ze country of Fioria, and moi has worked here as a spy, on behalf of moi King. Moi am trying to escape from zis cursed Castle."
"So are we," said Zoe. "Why don't you join us?"
"Really?" asked Lila. "Oh, merci, merci!"
"Your welcome," said Edd. "Now, how do we get out?"
"You cant, because you wont," said a sinister voice.
Everyone gasped: before them was a fully armoured Knight, in a battle stance.
"Prepare for battle!!"
ooo
AN: So how do you like this story? Do you like it as much as Edventure? I hope so. At the end of each chapter, I'll do a profile of Heroes and Villains that appeared in this chapter, so here is the first one. A bit long, but I hope you will apreciate the information.
Characters appearing in this Chapter:
Name: Eddward Altea
Nicknames: Double-D, Sockhat
Hair colour: Brown(?)
Home Country: Altea
Age: 15
Birthday: March 19 1311
Zodiac Sign: Pisces the Fish
Eye colour: Dark blue
Class: Knight
Weapon: Sword-Excalibur
Appearance: Described in chapter
Personality: Edd is kind, intelligent, honest, and chivalrous: the perfect gentleman. Edd loves reading and studying, as he craves knowledge. Edd is an average fighter: he can also ride, shoot, do archery, swim, and minor spells, making him a good all-rounder.
Unique Ability: Cross-Slash-Repeatedly Slash a Foe
Name: Zoe Altea
Nicknames: Zo
Hair colour: Blonde
Home Country: Altea
Age: 15
Birthday: March 19 1311
Zodiac Sign: Pisces the Fish
Eye colour: Light Blue
Class: Sage
Weapon: Staff-Heavilina
Appearance: Described in Chapter
Personality: Zoe is smart, beautiful, kind, helpful, honest, elegant, and graceful: the perfect woman. She loves spending time with her friends, styling, doing hair and make-up, cooking, cleaning, reading, drawing etc.
Zoe is very feminine, and is a weak fighter: however, she can cast very powerful White, Black, and Summon spells.
Unique Ability: Prayer-Restores Health and Magic
Name: Rebecca Altea
Nicknames: Reb, Becky
Hair colour: Blonde
Home Country: Altea
Age: 15
Birthday: August 10 1311
Zodiac Sign: Leo the Lion
Eye colour: Green
Class: Black Mage/Archer
Weapon(s): Rod-Black Rod/Bow-Elvin Bow
Appearance: Described in Chapter
Personality: Rebecca is pretty, smart, and kind, but a bit sarcastic at times. She likes doing girly things, but will do tough things as well. Rebecca is a good fighter, using spells and her arrows. Also, she carries a Rod for close combat.
Unique Ability: Magic Barrage- Use Magic-fuelled Arrows to attack
Name: Nazz Regalia
Nicknames: Nazzy
Hair colour: Blonde
Home Country: Altea
Age: 15
Birthday: May 22 1311
Zodiac Sign: Gemini the Twins
Eye colour: Blue
Class: Rodan Mage
Weapons: Staff-Starlight
Appearance: Described in Chapter
Personality: Nazz is smart, kind and selfless, but can be a bit ditzy at times. She likes the same things as Zoe, and is feminine too. She is a Rodan Mage, which means that she can use Black and White magic.
Unique Ability: Divine Protection-Mass protects the party for several turns
Name: Eddy Harsion
Nicknames: The man with the Plan, Greedy Guts
Hair colour: Brown
Home Country: Altea
Age: 15
Birthday: May 12 1311
Zodiac Sign: Taurus the Bull
Eye Colour: Blue-Green
Class: Thief
Weapons: Knife-Gladys Touch
Appearance: Described in Chapter
Personality: Eddy is selfish and greedy, but can be kind at times. He is also quite lazy: however, he is amazingly fast.
Unique Ability: Steal-Steal enemy items
Name: Ed Fiolore
Nicknames: Lumpy, Monobrow
Hair colour: Red
Home Country: Altea
Age: 15
Birthday: January 9 1311
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn the Goat
Eye colour: Hazel
Class: Warrior
Weapons: Sword-No Mercy
Appearance: Described in Chapter
Personality: Ed is kind and selfless, but not too smart. He is goofy and silly, and adores graphic novels and scary things. He is very protective of his little sister, Sarah. Ed is a very, very strong fighter.
Unique Ability: Stab-Ed tries to impale his foe
Name: Lila Prismia
Nicknames: Flower Girl
Hair colour: Black
Home Country: Fioria
Age: 15
Birthday: August 24 1311
Zodiac Sign: Virgo the Maiden
Eye colour: Green
Class: Sage
Weapons: Staff-Utopinor de Fleur-Utopia of Flowers
Appearance: Described in Chapter
Personality: Lila is from the Fiorian(French) speaking country of Fioria, and has a slight accent. She is elegant, graceful, and very wise. She loves flowers. She can do all kinds of Magic.
Unique Ability: Moonlight-Lila draws power from the Moon, healing all party members to their full extent