Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or Hasbro; any names or places you recognize belong to them. This story is based off the role-playing adventures of the following blogs on Tumblr:

-wily-red-galeforce-gold

-speakeasysniper

-pokerfacedpraxian

-primuswhyme

-one-shall-stand

-driftsetadrift

-paranoidsd

-daecus

-brilliantbombtech

-bluespitfire

-askbeachcomber and

-smoothgetaway

The story and its concepts are their creations, not mine, and I write this with their permission. If you want to take a look at the original posts, go take a look at their blogs! I recommend it.

And now...welcome to the Medieval Madness.

CHAPTER ONE:

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER

"It's Coronation Day! It's Coronation Day!" –Princess Anna, Frozen

Fire.

He dreamt of fire.

The all consuming kind, the burning blaze that had no master and destroyed everything in its path. He dreamt that it burned down villages and consumed lives; he felt its heat against his armor and heard the agonized screams of those who died in its grasp.

He was in the fire…no, no…that wasn't correct.

He was the fire.

He greedily consumed the dry tinder of the homes, the frames of the unlucky ones in his grasp, driven by an insatiable hunger…

"Carry on, my son. Burn it all to the ground, burn it for me…" The fire and shadows spoke to him and he found himself unable to resist the command. He didn't want to stop feeding, to stop destroying…

Yes, he would burn it all, burn it to nothingness…

"…Majesty? Your Majesty, are you awake yet? Prince Sideswipe, please answer me."

Who..?

Slowly, the darkness of the dream dissolved and he began to resurface from the depths of recharge. Some part of him tried to cling to sleep, not wanting to wake up just yet, but awareness came back without his consent.

He vented deeply and forced an optic open. Almost immediately, he shut it with a growl and covered his face with his arms.

Someone had left the Primus-forsaken curtains open, letting in the full power of the morning sun. It had nearly burned out his optics, leaving large white spots on their tender backsides. He had no doubt as to who had left them open; it had to be his brother's 'wake-the-slag-up-before-I-make-you-wake-up' reminder. He would have to find some way to get back at him.

But, right now, he just wanted to sleep, to fall back into the blessed oblivion and finish his recharge cycle out. To finish that dream, the dream he could only half recall…

Something about…hunger? Fire?

Yes…something like that…a command he couldn't ignore…an insatiable hunger…

"Your Majesty, please tell me you're awake." The mildly annoyed voice from somewhere beyond the dream called, shattering the oblivion again.

Slaggit all.

"'f course 'm awake," he called out, forcing his vocalizer to spit the words out. "Course 'm awake…" He was the epitome of awake right now. No one could possibly be more awake than he was at the moment…

"Your Majesty, it's time to get ready. The King and the Crown Prince are waiting for you in the throne room and the entourages are will soon arrive."

"The…who is waiting…for…?" he yawned loudly. He wiggled around in his berth but made no effort to get up.

"The King and the Crown Prince, Your Majesty." When Sideswipe gave no indication of acknowledgement or understanding, there came a faint sigh. "Your Majesty, for the Tournament today…?"

Tournament…

Tournament…

His optics shot open with greater speed than he knew they were capable of, their gaze drawn to the corner of the room where the armory and dressing rooms for the two brothers resided. Gleaming red armor, his armor, basked in the light of the sun. Armor he would only get to wear once a year at the…

The Tournament!

A loud gasp escaped from his vocalizer as he was suddenly bolting from the berth towards the armor, his mind now wide awake from the adrenaline rush.

Today was the first day of the Tournament!

Oh Primus, he had overslept!

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Let them know I'll be there!" He called out frantically. He let out a yelp when he nearly tripped over something at the foot of his berth. A mass of pillows in fort-style had been set up there, though most of it was now destroyed by his carelessness.

He frowned at it for a second before he dismissed it and raced for the armor. It must've been something one of the palace ghosts' had created late last night to humor itself while he had slept. There seemed to be one in particular that enjoyed rearranging his personal items and hiding things from Sideswipe, though the prince didn't know why.

But he'd have to worry about that later.

Today was the Tournament, and he wasn't going to miss this for the world.

Suddenly alive with frantic energy, Sideswipe snagged the armor off its stand, noting the absence of his brother's armor on the stand next to it. No doubt it was already on him. How he managed to wake up so early in the morning was beyond Sideswipe's understanding, but maybe it was just one of those things that came when you were the Crown Prince.

The armor was donned as quickly as possible and then he was out the door, nearly running headfirst into the servant who had woken him and passing servants that had been walking nearby with preparatory items for the Tournament. Narrowly dodging them, he called out apologizes as he dashed down the hallways at a very non-prince-like speed. Oh man, how could he have slept in on a day like this?!

He slid down the banisters of the stairways for extra speed and time, ignoring the cries and grumblings of the palace servants as he did so. Why they still fussed about it when he did it nearly every day was beyond him, but that wasn't important right now. Oh Primus, he hoped his father wouldn't be angry about this…it wasn't often that the King was angry or frustrated, but the Tournament was a big deal and there had been a lot of stress on him since Iacon was hosting…

And it was their first Tournament! They finally became of age just a short while ago at the age of one thousand and seventy vorns, something that had called for celebration. It had just about killed the princes waiting through the last two Tournaments for this one, but Optimus was adamant about it and they couldn't change his mind.

Sideswipe finally slowed down to a respectable pace when he reached the tall and ornate doors of the throne room, though his heaving vents gave him away. There were more than a few pointed stares his direction when he came into the room, but he valiantly ignored them and walked in with his head held high and his struts straight. Optimus, the King and his father, sat on one of the two thrones in the room, watching his son with unreadable sapphire optics. Sunstreaker, on the other hand, was more obvious as he pinned his twin with a lavender glare.

"Forgive me, Father," Sideswipe said, kneeling before his father humbly and trying to ignore the guilt in his spark. "I was…ah, detained, on my way here. I apologize for my late appearance."

"Understood," the King said. Now that he was closer, Sideswipe caught a hint of mirth behind the seriousness in his optics. The King knew the real reason why Sideswipe had been "detained" but did not comment on it, though Sideswipe knew he would get a talking-to later. "We are glad that you are here with us now. There are a few duties I need you and your brother to attend to today before the start of the Tournament to ensure all will go well. Will you complete them for me?"

"Of course, Father." He said. He had yet to refuse a request from the King and his guilt for being late made it impossible to say 'no'.

"Thank you, Sideswipe." Optimus said. Sideswipe respectfully bowed his head again before he stood to join his golden twin. On his way there, however, a touch from Optimus' hand stopped him.

"Are you excited for today?" The King asked quietly, meant solely for his son to hear. With his facemask in place, it was impossible to see if he was smiling or not, but Sideswipe could hear it in Optimus' voice.

Sideswipe grinned. "Extremely." He said just as quietly.

"Good. I know you will do well, both you and your brother." The hand was removed and the King turned his attention back to the nobles of his court, allowing his son to join his brother.

"'Detained', huh?" Sunstreaker muttered low under his breath once Sideswipe settled in next to him. "I told you to get to bed earlier. Father had to send someone to wake you. You will need to apologize later."

"For your information," he retorted in a matter-of-fact-voice. "I have been awake and ready for hours."

Sunstreaker rolled his optics. "And that is why your armor is half off, correct?"

Sideswipe glanced down at himself. Primus, he was right. He hadn't locked one of the hinges well enough on his left shoulder and the armor was hanging loosely. That probably explained the scandalized looks of some of the maids and servants as he went running by or the looks from the nobles and officials in the room.

"Of course." he said, trying to keep his dignity about him. His brother sighed heavily and reached over to fix the armor with nimble, graceful hands.

"Where is your cape, then?"

Slaggit.

He jutted his chin out, refusing to meet his twin's gaze. "…in the armory." He finally said. His ceremonial cape, identical to the dark blue one that was strapped to Sunstreaker's armor, hadn't been pulled out last night with the rest of the outfit. Sunstreaker had reminded him to do so, but in his excitement…it appeared he forgot. And Sunstreaker knew as much, judging from the barely-there smirk he was giving him. Sideswipe dutifully ignored it.

"We can send a servant to fetch it," a new voice, one that the twins knew well, spoke. The chief court physician and master healer, Ratchet, joined the princes and was giving the red prince a look over. "You still have a little time before you have to welcome the entourages and be official."

"When will they be here?" Sideswipe asked. He knew that none of them would be here this early in the morning with maybe the exception of the flying Vosians and the fast-footed Ibexians.

"Not until later in the afternoon." Sunstreaker answered. "All of them should be here by the opening feast later tonight."

"And I know what entourage you can't wait to see!" Sideswipe said in a sing-song voice, waggling his optic ridges at his brother. Sunstreaker frowned.

"I don't know what you're-"

"~Hmmm…a feast…~"

The lazy mumble caught their attention; down near their feet, a small dragon stretched out near the second empty throne. A bright shade of blue, the small dragon gazed up at them with partially glazed-over optics. "~Lots of delicious food. I do hope the King brings me something to eat…~" A brightly colored plume of smoke drifted from his nostrils upwards and Sideswipe got a waft of something that smelled suspiciously like the illegal drug Syk.

"Greetings, Beachcomber." Sideswipe grinned at the little dragon. "Are you excited for the Tournament?" He reached down and scratched the mechanical dragon behind his head fins, earning a contented rumble from the palace pet.

"~Hmmm…you ask a difficult question~" Beachcomber said. "~One enjoys a fire for warmth, but when there is too much, it is not enjoyable~" He huffed, sending more funny-smelling smoke out. Yep, that was definitely Syk. That explained the glazed look in his optics. "~I believe that I will be keeping the throne warm for the King in his absence…crowds are not a favorite of mine…but how I would love to join the feast…~"

"Then I'll have to sneak some food for you out of the kitchens so you don't starve." The prince promised. Maybe he could grab some breakfast too while he was down there, assuming he would have enough time to do so…

"~It would be much appreciated, Your Majesty…much appreciated…~" The dragon sighed contentedly. "~Do enjoy the Tournament for me. I hope all goes well for you both, Majesties…~" And with that, the dragon turned and disappeared under the King's throne, most likely to sleep.

Lucky slagger. Sideswipe wanted to join him, but he knew that it wouldn't be 'proper' for a prince to do that. He wouldn't fit under the throne either; he hadn't been that small in a long time.

Ratchet grumbled something about "baking his processor to bits" under his breath as he watched the dragon slither away. "Don't either of you ever try Syk. If I find out you have, I'm reformatting you into a carriage and that is that."

"Aw, you take all the fun out of life, Ratchet." Sideswipe retorted, grinning at Ratchet's growing frown and ignoring Sunstreaker's. "Does this mean I can't drink high grade this week or will our esteemed healer send me to the Pits?"

"That one I don't particularly care about, so long as you don't make a fool of yourself or start a war." He said. "Speaking of making a fool out of yourself-"

"Hey!"

"-I expect to see you before you participate in the Tournament. You have not had your medical examination yet."

"Must I?" Sideswipe groaned. Examinations were itchy and took time to complete, and he actively avoided them whenever he could.

"Yes, because if you don't, I will withhold you from the Tournament and you'll watch from the sidelines. And your father will have to concede to my medical opinion." The medic threatened, his smile growing when the prince's disappeared.

"He's got you there." His brother added helpfully, earning him a glare from Sideswipe.

"Fine, I'll find you before the start of my event and you can do your examination." The prince grumbled.

The medic smirked before turning to leave. "Good luck to the both of you. You'll do well."

The palace of Iacon was truly a sight to behold. The ancient home for all mechs and femmes on Cybertron, it was the supposed place where the first king Prima had risen and united all Cybertronians under his power. Those who ruled in Iacon, by extension, were believed to be the heirs of Prima himself.

The legends the minstrels and bards sang of said that Prima was the eldest of thirteen powerful Cybertronians who led them in battle against the first Lich King, Unicron. Once the King had been banished for all time from Cybertron, each brother or sister claimed a part of the land for their descendants and settled down. From them came the thirteen kingdoms of Cybertron and their royal houses.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had been given numerous history lessons about nearly every section of the palace. Each reign, the ruling monarch added a section to the palace, and thousands of vorns of ruling Primes had resulted in a large and somewhat-complicated home to navigate. The newest addition, created by Optimus' father Sentinel Prime and his sparkmate Whitespark, was a large addition to the Great Library.

Normally, large sections of the palace wouldn't be used in daily life and were left largely untouched. During events like a Tournament, however, all doors and gates except a few were opened up so that the visiting royalty could enjoy the full splendor of the palace.

The servants had decorated extensively in preparation for the Tournament; Sideswipe had been privy to the conversations of said servants and knew they had been preparing for this all vorn. And it wasn't hard to see the huge amounts of effort put into it as he and Sunstreaker walked down the halls.

Large banners hung throughout the interior, emblazoned with the heraldic symbol and colors of the House of Iacon. He knew that it would only get more colorful once they entered the field where the other entourages were staying. Nearly every tent would have a coat of arms; the general symbols of each province, the specific ones of each house and bot…it was going to be a sea of crazy colors and patterns. And he had no doubt that Sunstreaker would end up painting it when he had spare time.

They would check on the southern fields and the arena later; right now, the twins and their ever present guards were heading for one of Sideswipe's favorite places in the palace. The Kitchens.

Large and perpetually warm from the heat of cooking and preparing food, the kitchens were one of Sideswipe's favorite places to hide from his tutors when he was supposed to be learning his lessons. The cooks were kind, giving him a few of his favorite treats and talking with him, though if he lingered too long, they would put him to work.

With so many visiting royalty and all of their caravans coming, the kitchens had been a flurry of activity and controlled chaos in order to create all the food necessary to feed everyone. No one envied their job; they would be busy every moment up until the end of the Tournament.

Sideswipe's tanks churned in distress once they drew near enough for the smells of a thousand meals to waft their way. For the first time since he woke up, the realization he hadn't eaten yet crossed his mind. He held back a moan.

"Did you choose this one first on purpose?" He hissed at Sunstreaker.

"No." His tone of voice said otherwise. "The kitchens have a large responsibility and we need to ensure that they will be able to get it completed. But it is a pity you haven't eaten yet. Perhaps if you had gotten up on time, you could've eaten."

"You're evil." Sideswipe grumbled. His brother merely smiled in response.

A few of the servants running in and out of the kitchens paused long enough to bow and courtesy before continuing on their way, but most of the chefs and cooks were too busy cooking a thousand kinds of food to stop their endeavors.

He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of all of that beautiful, delicious, wonderful food. He spotted energon pastries of every kind, exotic candies made from the glowing food source and tanks full of high-grade waiting to be consumed. The processors were full of energon too, waiting to be transformed into something amazing and the scent of spices hung heavily in the air. Hydrogen infusion, arsenic flakes, sulfur additives…Sideswipe sighed wistfully as his tanks protested the lack of food. Primus, why did it all have to smell so good?

In the center of all of the insanity, a loud and booming voice could be heard calling out orders and correcting mistakes, directing the sea of activity so everything could get done.

Swerve was a lot shorter than most mechs and femmes, but the lack of height was made up for his boisterous and loud personality. As chief of the kitchens, he was constantly busy feeding Iacon's inhabitants and her visitors, but Sideswipe had yet to see him really lose his smile or his cool. He liked the mech; he could make almost anyone smile, even Sunstreaker on a bad day, and would spend time with Sideswipe when he visited the kitchens.

One of the senior chefs caught sight of the two princes and leaned over to nudge Swerve, inclining his head towards them. Serve's blue visor lit up when he spotted them and he said something to the chef before heading over in their direction.

"Your Majesties, good orn! What brings you to my humble abode?" Swerve called. The big smile on the chef's face was impossible to not return; Sideswipe spotted Sunstreaker smiling a little too.

"Good orn, Swerve." The Crown Prince greeted. "Is everything ready for the Tournament?"

"You had better believe it! Got every delicacy you could ever want here with some of the best cooks in the land, and," he leaned forward, as if confiding a secret. "Maccadam's brought his high grade. Specially reserved for the ending feast." He jerked his helm towards a corner of the kitchen where the tanks of high grade sat. "There's enough there to feed an army."

"Oooh, high grade." Sideswipe breathed. He and Sunstreaker had never had it, but now that they were finally old enough to participate in a Tournament, there was a chance that the King would let them have a taste of the forbidden drink. "Save a container for me, will you?"

Swerve laughed. "We'll see what His Majesty says first, but I think I could possibly do that." He looked at the prince. "Got a particular someone you want to share it with?"

"Nah, not particularly." The prince replied, completely missing the hinting tone in Swerve's words. "Unless Sunny feels like cutting loose and having a little fun."

"You're hilarious." His twin retorted. Turning to Swerve, he spoke. "The King isn't able to leave his duties to come see that everything is put together. If you would show us what you have prepared?"

"Certainly! Over here, we have the courses for the feast tonight. We've got some fresh Urayan mid-grade to start the feast out with…"

Sideswipe tried to pay attention, he really did. But as soon as they walked by a particularly fragrant set of energon pastries, his mind was effectively derailed. That food looked delicious, all soft and glowing and fragrant, and it would be so much better in his tanks than just sitting here…

One bite couldn't hurt…right?

He had just about made up his mind when a voice cut through his thoughts and startled him.

"Didn't get your breakfast this morning, Majesty?" An older femme, one of the servants in the kitchen that had been there since he was a child, was smiling at him from across the counter where she worked on the pastries.

"No." he admitted, trying to not sound like he was whining. The pastries seemed to be calling his name. Eat us, eat us please..

"Here then," the femme said and reached out to pluck a few pastries off a tray nearby. Her optics sparkled with mirth. "Eat these when you have a moment. We can't have our prince collapsing of hunger today, after all."

His optics lit up as he graciously accepted the treats. "Thank you." He told her as he put all but one in his subspace. That one went into his mouth. "Your contribution is appreciated." She laughed a little.

"I bet it is. We have to take care of our most loyal customer, even on Tournament days." She let out a gusty sigh and stopped for a moment, rubbing her hands. "These old hands are having a hard time keeping up. I'm not quite as fast as some of the other kitchen hands, even with the medicine Ratchet has been giving me."

"They are running you guys pretty hard." Sideswipe reminded her. He had never seen so many cooks in one area; a few of them looked like they weren't from around here either. He spotted a blue Vosian who he didn't recognize arguing with a chef about something.

"There are a lot of mouths to feed." She returned. "We'll be busy all week trying to keep up. But I'm glad to be of use. Many can't claim the same in my age."

"You're not that old." He said. Sure, her frame wasn't as bright and had a little wear on the edges, but she didn't scream 'old' to him. Alpha Trion, on the other hand…

The femme laughed again.

"You are quite the flatterer, Your Majesty. I bet that silver tongue wins the sparks of many suitors."

"It hasn't yet." It wasn't that no one flirted with Sideswipe and he didn't flirt back because he did, it was just…no one had interested him yet. Sunstreaker was the same way, but he had to deal with hopeful young nobles seeking his throne.

"Ah, but be patient. Perhaps you'll find someone during the Tournament. Stranger things have happened."

Sideswipe shrugged. "We will see. I think I will be more focused on winning the Tournament than winning a spark. There's a lot of pressure on us since this is our first Tournament and the first time Father won't be participating."

Which meant that he and Sunstreaker would be Iacon's representatives this vorn. Though neither had said anything about it to anyone, they were both quite nervous to represent their father and kingdom. What if they failed?

"…and we have several more arrivals of energon coming in within in the orn, so we'll be plenty stocked for food in case it is necessary, but I believe that is it. Oh, Karmen! Entertaining His Majesty?" Swerve asked as he and Sunstreaker drew near them.

"We're just discussing the Tournament." Karmen told Swerve. Her hands continued working on pastries even as she focused on her company. "It's not every day that you participate in your first Tournament."

"This is true!" Swerve said, grinning. "What events are you participating in, Your Majesties? I haven't had time to listen to the servants' gossip with everything going on in here."

"I'm participating in the lightweight weapons fighting and Sunstreaker is in the sword fighting event." Sideswipe informed him. "Are you going to cheer us on, Swerve?"

The chef laughed. "None shall cheer louder than me, Your Majesty. And, if you win your Tournament, I might be able to set aside that high grade you asked for. Only if the King says so, of course."

Sideswipe grinned. "You've got a deal." Sunstreaker sighed and rolled his optics.

"Swerve!" One of the chefs called out, beckoning his superior over to help him with something. It looked like a large energon sculpture in the form of a dragon, though the head was having some difficulties and was falling apart at the neck. Energon covered the arms of the two kitchen aides helping him.

"Coming! By your pardon, Majesties…?" Swerve asked.

Sunstreaker nodded. "Everything appears to be in order and I will let Father know. Thank you for your time, Swerve." Sideswipe echoed the statement. The chef smiled and bowed to both princes before heading back into the fray of food and bots.

"I shan't take up anymore of your time, Majesties." Karmen said after Swerve left. "There is much to be done by all of us, but I wish you luck in the Tournaments." Pulling a pastry off a platter nearby, she handed it to Sunstreaker. "You have our support."

"Thank you." Sunstreaker said, accepting the pastry. Sideswipe grinned when he noticed it was one of Sunstreaker's favorites, a Rodion energon blend with mercury and copper additives. They knew them too well.

"Well, the kitchens are all in order." Sideswipe said as Karmen curtsied and left. "Where are we off to now?"

"The southern fields." Sunstreaker responded, subspacing the pastry for later. "We need to ensure the arena is ready."

Sideswipe grinned. "Then to the fields it is!" He proclaimed, turning to leave with dramatic flair that had his brother rolling his optics.

The nearer the two brothers and their guards drew to the field, the more the feeling of nervousness grew in their sparks. The "good luck, Majesties!" and "We'll be rooting for you!" comments only increased the feeling.

"Do you think Father ever felt like purging in his first Tournament?" Sideswipe asked his twin as they approached the southern gate.

Sunstreaker frowned. They could feel each other's nervousness and it was somewhat amplifying their own feelings. "I am not sure. It's possible. We'll have to ask him later today when we have a chance."

"If we have a chance." Sideswipe reminded him as they walked through the gates. Beyond the gate lay a large expanse of open land where the entourages would camp and the activities would be held in the center of it all. Since no one had yet arrived, it was easy to spot the large areas set aside for the activities.

There was one large arena set up for most of the activities, wide enough to comfortably sit a thousand or so mechs and femmes as they looked down on the arena. Off the top of his processor, Sideswipe knew that archery, jousting, mock war, foot racing, the magic competition and the weapons fighting would be taking place there. Several bands of the entertainers that had come from all over the land would be performing there as well when the festivities would come to an end each night. Maybe he'd get to see Jazz in a few joors. It had been awhile since he had seen the lively mech.

The high-ranking nobles sat comfortably in the middle, providing the best seats for the occupants. Each seat was comfortably cushioned and emblazoned with the stern and proud face that was Iacon's symbol. The seat his father would sit on was more ornate and right in front to provide an easy view for him. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker would sit on the right side of their father, near the other Primes and rulers.

Glancing up around the box covering, Sideswipe could see one or two of the metal hoops standing high in the sky that had been set up for the Vosian activities. Since no other mechs or femmes from the other kingdoms could fly, the Vosians were the only ones who could participate but the others could enjoy the spectacle. Sideswipe had heard it was quite the sight watching a practiced Vosian fly and couldn't wait to see the races.

He enjoyed the sights as Sunstreaker talked with the servants and workers to assure everything was set up correctly. No one wanted something to malfunction or go awry when the actual events were going on.

They then walked the area where the food stalls, vendors and children's activities were to be set up, right around the arena itself. The merchants and tradesmechs would have the best chance their of selling their many wares to the mechs and femmes coming to watch the events. It was empty except for a few maypoles and other permanent children's playthings were set up for them to play with. Sideswipe felt himself smile a little. He hadn't seen maypoles in a long time, not since he and Sunstreaker were children. Memories of dancing in sunlight, weaving ribbons and eating stolen goodies from the kitchens came back, memories of him and Sunny and another dear friend of theirs, a Praxian they hadn't seen in a long time…

"Prince Sideswipe!" A child's cry caught his attention, stopping him in his tracks. A personal guard assigned to him stopped with him the instant he did, but he paid no attention to the mech.

A young red and orange femme with a yellow and black Praxian mech in tow came running towards the prince, stopping a few feet away when she spotted the guard and his piercing gaze. "Prince Sideswipe, Prince Sideswipe! Do you want to come play? We're going to play on the maypole!"

Sure enough, a few of the palace children had gathered near one of the maypoles farther away and were beginning to weave the ribbons together. Some of the younglings were having issues but the others were helping them get the pattern down.

"Playing on the maypole? Sounds like fun." He was so tempted to say yes. He was a little big to be playing that, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy it. And they were looking at him so hopefully…

"Announcing the arrival of the entourage of Ibex from the north!"

The cry of the mechs standing watch in the highest towers of the palace caught their attention. It was quite faint, since they were so far out in the field, but discernible nonetheless.

"They're here already? Wow." Sideswipe mumbled. A glance upwards revealed that the sun was not far from reaching her highest point in the sky at noonday.

"Sideswipe! We need to get going!" His brother called. Sideswipe sighed deeply.

"Sorry kids, not today. We have to go get ready for the festival." He apologized, hating the way his spark hurt when their expressions fell. Reaching into his subspace, he handed them two of his pastries. "But before the festival ends, come find me and we'll play. Sound fair?"

"Definitely!" The femme cried. "Bye, Prince Sideswipe! Have fun!" And with that, they were gone towards the maypole. It wasn't until Sideswipe was almost back to the palace that he realized he hadn't gotten their names.

"We had best be getting back." Sunstreaker said. Though outwardly calm, Sideswipe could feel a hint of nervousness seep into their bond. "Father will want us to be there with him when the entourages arrive."

His mouth suddenly dry, Sideswipe could only nod and straighten his spinal struts in response.

It was show time.

AN: *collapses in a nervous heap* Oh my gosh, I am shaking so badly right now. This was a hard chapter to get out and I stressed about it a lot. Hopefully, my story has done the original posts and their authors justice! They were given a magic anon where everyone was taken to a medieval realm for a week and they totally ran with it. It was just so awesome that I wanted to write it out, so I did!

The second chapter is coming soon; it was supposed to be the final scene of this chapter, but then it got way too long so I split it in half and now I'm glad I did. Now I can get some necessary information out and rack up the suspense without boring you all to tears.

Also, if you are interested, I am on a quest to help out my fellow writers; if you review this story, then I will go and read & review a story of yours. I will read the most recent one unless you specify otherwise and will leave a detailed response for you (I don't bash or hate, so no worries there).

Until next time, hope you're having a great day!