Chapter 1
There once was a girl named Emma. She lived on a farm with her father on the outskirts of the kingdom of Rywen. As a farm girl, Emma often had a lot of work to do. But, most of the time she still found time during the day to be with her best friend, Autumn. Autumn also lived on a farm, only a little bit closer to the town, and the castle, where the king and his son lived. Emma and Autumn went into town a lot, most of the time to buy or sell things at the market. They had seen the king and the prince a few times, and by the way people talked about him, they knew the king was a kind and generous king. The prince on the other hand was told to be arrogant, mean, self-centered and nothing like his father, except for in his looks. And, neither men's looks were anything special. Of course, that was just Emma and Autumn's opinions. And, they were only fourteen. Also, both living on farms all their lives, both girls were tomboyish, and nothing some people would expect out of girls. They were also troublemakers sometimes. They didn't mean too, but sometimes, trouble found them.
One day, Emma and Autumn were at the market. The harvest season had arrived, and the girls were helping their fathers sell some of the food they had harvested. Things had been getting harder lately, and the girls were forced to pitch in wherever they could. So, that day, they had saddled up their horses and filled their packs with as much corn, carrots, grain, lettuce, tomatoes, wheat, and whatever else they could manage. Most people would buy any of their food at the market. The market was busier than usual when Emma and Autumn rode their horses into town. They swung down off their horses, and continued down the road through the market leading their horses. Emma and Autumn kept passing people huddled in corners, or just in groups in the middle of the street.
"Wonder what's going on?" Autumn asked, as they made their way to one of the booths that usually bought their harvest.
"Let's ask," Emma said. She led the way, with her horse over to the booth. And old woman stood there, watching people walk by. The woman smiled as she saw the two girls approach. They had come to look on the woman as a friend.
"Hello girls," the old woman said.
"Hello Minerva," Emma said. "What's going on?"
"There's a man here," Minerva replied, "Saying he has an item of immense power. Bologna if you ask me. It probably doesn't do anything. He's saying it will give you all the money you could want, along with the adventure of a life time. I've heard him yelling about it all day. "
"Maybe we'll have to go check him out," Autumn said.
"If I hadn't known what you meant, what you just said would've been really creepy," Emma said, smiling. Autumn laughed. "Well, anyway we've got food to sell," Emma said, turning back to Minerva.
"What have you girls got today?" Minerva asked. Emma and Autumn opened their packs and showed Minerva all the food they had brought with them. By the end, Minerva bought from them most of the corn, tomatoes, wheat and grain. Emma and Autumn continued on, their packs only had money bags and a few bits of food left in them. They made their way to the town square, to see the man that Minerva had told them about. He was a very short and fat man, but he stood on a large stool in the middle of the square, so everyone could see him.
"I have got here!" the man was yelling. "Ten pebbles in a pouch! The best pebbles you will ever find! They can give you gold beyond what you've ever dreamed of! Also, once you take them, they will give you the adventure of a lifetime! Beyond anything you'd ever imagined!"
"Well, Minerva was right," Emma whispered to Autumn. Autumn nodded.
"I don't believe a word of it," she whispered.
"Me either," Emma replied. Emma handed her horse's reigns to Autumn, and walked to the front of the crowd. "Let's see these pebbles then!" she yelled, so that everyone could hear her. The crowd got quiet. Emma walked up to the man, and stepped up on the small steps in front of him. The steps brought her level with him. The man opened up the bag, and took the ten pebbles out. The pebbles were shiny, plastic looking, and looked like they'd been made by hand. Emma rolled her eyes. She brought her hand up, and slapped the bottom of the man's hand. The pebbles flew into the air. The man reached up and caught them. "I don't believe you," Emma said. "Go home! Save your breath! Start farming or something and find a more reliable way of feeding whatever family you might have!" People started clapping all around her. What? she thought. Suddenly, people all around her started bending down, and bowing. Ok, what I just did wasn't THAT cool. What's going on? Then, she heard the sound of horse hooves behind her.
"There's something behind me, isn't there?" she asked. The man looked up at her, and nodded quickly. Emma turned around. The king, prince and some of their knights were on their horses in front of her. Emma quickly bowed.
"What's going on here?" the king asked.
"Just selling pebbles that bring you gold and adventures sire," the man behind Emma said.
"They're fake, sire," Emma said. "I've looked at them myself. They look like they're made by hand."
"Stand," the king said, motioning for her to stand up. Emma stood. "Show me the pebbles," the king said. Emma took the bag from the man behind her, and poured the pebbles out on her hand. She held them out to the king. The king took one and examined it. "I believe you are right," he said. "These pebbles are fake. Good. This man has been bothering everyone all day. Thank you for showing this to me. What's your name?"
"Emma," Emma said.
"Then, thank you Emma," the king said. He turned to the man. "I order you to go home, and stop being a nuisance to everyone. And the rest of you disperse! Go back to the rest of the market!" The king turned and rode away. Emma glanced over, and noticed the prince looking at her. Emma quickly looked away. She saw the prince smiling at her out of the corner of her eye, as he turned and rode away. Emma turned and handed the pebbles back to the man. The man pushed them back at her.
"Keep them," he said. "You might find them useful for something."
"Like what?" Emma asked.
"Well, do you want an adventure?" the man asked. Emma thought for a moment. She had always wanted an adventure of her own. She'd always thought it would be fun. She always used to believe when she was younger that the creatures in books she would read were real. Emma nodded slowly.
"And do you believe in myths?" the man asked. Without waiting for her to answer the man said, "Then, you have your answer." And just like that he was gone.
"What?!" Emma exclaimed. But there was no oncoming answer from the man who had just disappeared into thin air. Emma turned around, and stepped back down the steps. Autumn was waiting for her with the horses.
"What was THAT about?" she asked. Emma shook her head.
"I don't know," she replied. She held out the pebbles that were still in her hand. "He gave me these." Autumn looked at them, and then back up at her.
"Maybe they can decorate the outside of your field," she suggested. Emma shrugged. She put the pebbles back in their bag, and then put that in her pouch.
"We should be getting back," she said. Autumn nodded. Emma took the reins of her horse, and Autumn and her walked back through the market, towards their homes.
Chapter 2
Emma left Autumn at a fork in the road, and rode her horse by herself back to her house. She left her horse in the stables, unpacked her bag, and entered the house. Emma's mother had died a long time ago, and she lived with her father. He was waiting for her when she entered the house. Sometimes, her dad and she got into fights, but they loved each other all the same.
"Hey dad," Emma said.
"Hey honey," her dad said. "How much did you get?" Emma took out the money pouch and threw it on the table. "Pretty good," her dad said, approvingly.
"You should've seen this man at the market today," Emma said, putting the remaining food away. "He was trying to sell supposedly "magic" pebbles. He gave them to me, because I showed him up. I don't know why. I don't know what we're gonna do with them either. Probably throw them in a pond or something." She poured the pebbles out onto the table, showing him. Emma put her pouch on the shelf.
"They definitely look fake," her dad said, still at the table.
"Ya, I know," Emma said, turning around, and smiling. Her dad smiled too.
"Well, I'll get supper started. You go do your chores," he said. Emma nodded, and went out the door. First, she went and fed her horse. Then she went, and gave grain to the cows and laid down fresh hay. As she was laying hay down in one of the stalls, a bunch of air flew down on her head. She looked up and saw a big hole in the roof of the barn. She sighed.
"Stupid old roof's broken again," Emma said. She picked up her pitchfork and walked back to the house. "Dad!" she called, setting the fork down beside the door. "The roof's broken again!" Her dad turned to look at her, from where he stood in the corner.
"No," he said. "Really?" Emma nodded. Her dad sighed. "You know, if you paid more attention to your chores, and read less, you would notice things like this before they got huge!"
"You're blaming me for this?!" Emma exclaimed. "Now, it's MY fault a roof broke, hey? Why is EVERYTHING my fault?! No, it's never the fact that the roof just wears down a lot, no it's always ME!" Emma turned and kicked the wall. "I'm sick of it!" she yelled at her father. Then, she turned more, and walked out the door. She ran to the barn and grabbed her horse. She put the saddle back on, and rode off down the road. Emma wasn't quite sure, but she thought she heard her father yelling for her to come back.
Emma rode all the way to Autumn's house. She dismounted fast, and brought her horse all the way up to the door. She knocked rapidly. Almost immediately, Autumn came to the door.
"Emma?" she said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Dad and I got in a fight," Emma said. "Can I come in?" Autumn nodded, and stood back. Emma tied her horse to the log outside, and entered Autumn's house.
"What was it this time?" Autumn asked.
"There was a hole in the roof of the barn," Emma said. "He said it was because I don't pay attention while working, and I read too much. Makes no sense."
"No, it really doesn't," Autumn agreed. "I thought it might have been because of the pebbles you brought home. I was reading earlier, and I found something about them." Autumn stood up, and walked over to a shelf. She came back with a book. "Ogres," she said. "The pebbles are supposed to open up a sinkhole, whenever they touch the ground, and it leads to where the ogres live. It wasn't very specific, bust there is some reason that the ogres hate all humans and want to eat out brains out.
"Oh, that's lovely," Emma said sarcastically. Autumn smiled, but it faded quickly.
"If this story is real," Autumn said. "You have to get back to your house fast. You don't know what your father might do with the pebbles. If it is true, if the ogres come…the ogres will kill us all."
"Oh crap," Emma said. "I got to get going."
"I'll come with you," Autumn said. "My horse is right outside." Emma nodded. The two friends ran out the door, grabbed their horses, jumped on, and rode as fast as their horses would go, back to Emma's house.
Chapter 3
Emma and Autumn arrived back at Emma's house. Emma jumped off her horse, and ran into the house. Autumn tethered the horses and followed.
"Dad!" Emma yelled. Autumn came into the house. "Dad, where are you?!" Emma yelled. There was a sound of a door opening, and Emma's dad came up from the basement. Emma sighed with relief, and ran forward and hugged her dad.
"Emma!" her dad exclaimed. "Oh, I was so worried about you. It's getting dark, and I didn't know what you were doing or where you were going to go. I thought you were going to get hurt. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it was your fault the roof fell in."
"It's O.K., Dad," Emma said. She pulled away, and gripped his shoulders. "Dad, what did you do with the pebbles?"
"I just used them to fill in a hole in the floor down in the basement," her dad said.
"Was that hole touching the floor?" Autumn asked. Emma's dad looked at her and nodded. Then, the ground started to shake.
"Oh no," Emma said. And then, the floor folded in, in the middle. Things started to slope down towards the ground. Emma, autumn and Emma's dad fell forward. Emma slid right to the bend in the floor.
"Emma!" her dad yelled.
"Dad!" Emma yelled. She spotted her dad and Autumn a little ways above her, beside each other. There was a breaking noise below her. Emma looked down, just as the floor opened up to reveal a giant hole below her.
"Emma!" Autumn yelled.
"Grab on to something!" Emma yelled back. Then, she started sliding again. Emma fell down through the hole. She heard Autumn and her father yelling her name. Then, her head hit the ground, and she blacked out.
Emma woke up to sunlight on her face. She was right on the edge of a hole. Emma rolled over and looked down. She couldn't tell how deep the hole was, but it was VERY big. Her dad and Autumn were nowhere to be seen.
"Dad?!" she called. "Autumn?!"
"Hello?" a voice called. Emma sat up, hoping to see her father and best friend coming over the small hill next to the barn. But, as the hoof beats came closer, it turned out to be the king and the prince riding towards her.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. She knew she shouldn't talk to the king and prince like that, but she didn't care at that moment.
"A man rode by and saw the hole," the prince said. "They reported it to us, and we came as fast as we could to check it out."
"What happened?" the king asked.
"You won't believe me if I tell you," Emma replied.
"What happened?" asked the king again.
Emma sighed. "Well, you know how that man was selling pebbles in the market yesterday?" Emma began. The king nodded. "Well, he gave me the pebbles," Emma continued. "And I brought them home. And then I left for a bit, and I came back and my dad had put them in a hole in the cellar, and the house fell into a sinkhole. And my friend, Autumn told me about the ogres and that the pebbles make a sink hole that leads to their land, and that's where my best friend and father are now. I'm pretty sure the ogres got them."
"I have heard this story," the king said. "Probably almost everyone in the land has. But, I doubt that is what happened. The ogres are supposed to be a myth."
"Father," the prince said. "It wouldn't hurt to go take a look would it? I mean, this girl's friend and father are down there somewhere, and if they weren't where she last saw them, who knows where they are. And who's to say that they weren't taken by ogres? Just because no one's ever seen them, doesn't mean they aren't there." The king nodded.
Eventually he said, "Alright. Take some men, and go with this girl, and see if you can find her father and friend. But, if trouble comes, come back. I don't want my only son getting hurt."
"Yes, father," the prince said. Some of the soldiers behind the king rode forward, and dismounted. The prince dismounted too. Then, the prince and Emma led the way down into the sinkhole.
Chapter 4
The group hadn't gotten far when the darkness overtook them. It was still light enough to see, but it was dark. Emma and the prince were still leading the group. Emma would've preferred to walk alone, but the prince insisted on annoyingly keeping up. The prince tried to start a conversation, but Emma really didn't feel like talking. Her father and Autumn were down there somewhere. They could've been dead for all she knew. That was all she could think about.
"You know," the prince said eventually. "I'm getting a sense that you don't like me very much."
"That is very possible," Emma said. "It is also possible that the only people I have in this world are lost down here somewhere and could be dead."
"Oh, right," the prince said. "Sorry."
"It's O.K.," Emma said. They were silent for a few minutes. Then, Emma said, "You know, talking might actually help me stop worrying."
"Alright," the prince said. "Well, I kind of want you to know what my name is, so you don't just call me the prince. My name's Justin."
"My name's Emma," Emma said. "So you don't keep calling me, "the girl"." Prince Justin smiled.
"So," he said. "Are you father and your friend truly the only people you have?"
"For now, yes," Emma replied. "That's what happens when you live so far away from everybody." Emma's foot hit something hard. She bent down to take a look. An old, decayed body that was no more than a skeleton with ripped clothes was on the floor in front of her. Emma backed up and stood up. Justin looked at the body, and then at the men behind them.
"Let's keep going," he said. Emma walked around the body, and she and Justin continued to walk down the tunnel. Pretty soon, they saw a light.
"We're almost at the end," Justin said. They started walking faster. They came to the end of the tunnel. There was something on the floor right at the end. The light shown over it, so they didn't have to look at it closely to be able to see it. It was ten pebbles, formed into the shape of an E. Emma recognized the pebbles from the market.
"It's them," she said. "This is a sign so we know they're down here. They're still alive."
"We will find them," Justin said. Emma smiled at him. Then, they continued out of the tunnel and out in to the world of the ogres, because Emma was sure that was where they were now.
Chapter 5
The tunnel lead out to the top of a cliff. Below, a big forest stretched and the group couldn't really see anything else because of it. The trees were almost as tall as the cliff.
"Makes you wonder how big the ogres are," Emma said. Justin was about to say something, and then a loud and long roar cut him off.
"Pretty big by the sounds of it," he said. "Let's go." He turned around.
"What?" Emma asked.
"The king said, when there is any sign of danger, to go back," Justin said.
"He just didn't want you hurt," Emma said. "You might be going back. But I'm not. I'm not leaving them to die!" And with that, Emma turned and began to walk down the cliff. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps behind her, and she knew Prince Justin and his men were following. She smiled slightly. She slowed down to let them catch up. Then, the group continued down the cliff, not knowing what they were about to face.
Right at the beginning of the woods, there was a path.
"It's probably so the ogres came find their way back to their camp," Emma said. Justin looked at her, confused. "They don't have very big brains you know," Emma explained. "They won't remember the way back without a path." Emma ignored the look the prince gave her, and turned back to the path.
"So, this definitely leads to the camp?" Justin asked.
"That's more than likely yes, isn't that what I just said?" Emma replied.
"But, how do you know for sure?" Justin asked. Emma looked at him.
"Only one way to find out," she said. Emma led the way down the path. The path was a lot lighter than the cave. Suddenly, the light was gone. Emma stopped abruptly.
"What is it?" the prince asked. Emma didn't answer. Then, a loud banging sound started coming down the path, straight towards them.
"Get out of the way!" Emma yelled. Emma jumped off the path and ducked behind a tree. The soldiers and the prince followed suit. Then, the ogre appeared. It was very ugly. A sort of yellowish brown color, and hairy. Emma peeked out from behind the tree, and watched it. The ogre stopped, and sniffed. Emma darted back behind the tree. She heard the ogre start walking again. She looked in the direction it was heading. Justin hid behind a tree, looking at her with wide, scared eyes. And then, the tree came out of the ground behind him.
Chapter 6
Justin yelled and turned around. Emma could see the ogre looming over him like a tower. The ogre took a step towards him. Justin didn't move. He was frozen in fear. Emma looked down, and found a sharp rock. She picked it up and chucked it at the ogre. It hit it in the arm, and went down, cutting its arm. It howled.
"Hey poop face!' Emma yelled. The ogre turned to look at her. Emma picked up another sharp stone, and charged at the ogre.
"No, don't!" Justin yelled. Emma didn't listen. She ran forward, stabbed the ogre in the leg, and then threw the rock at its head. The rock hit home. The ogre swayed, looked down at her, and then fell to the forest floor.
"Cool," Emma said, smiling.
"You're insane!" Justin exclaimed, jokingly.
"Ya, probably," Emma agreed.
"So what now?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Well, we know we're heading in the right direction," Emma said. "The ogre was coming down the path, so the camp is in that direction. But, this could be about to get dangerous. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to go back. But, I'm going on."
"I'm not leaving you out here by yourself," Justin said.
"That's good because I probably wouldn't get very far past the ogres," Emma said. Justin smiled slightly. He looked up at the sky.
"It's getting dark," he said. "We should camp for the night." Emma nodded. She walked over beside one of the trees and found a comfortable spot. Prince Justin lay down not too far away. He's watching me, Emma thought. He's trying to protect me. Oh gosh, what if he LIKES me. Like, LIKE LIKES me. That's kinda awkward. Emma looked over at him, then turned over and fell asleep.
Emma woke to the sound of crashing and fighting. She jumped to her feet. She looked over and saw Justin and the soldiers fighting five ogres. The ogres reached down and grabbed all of them. Emma watched in horror, her sleepy mind not processing what to do. Justin looked down and saw her.
"Run!" he cried. "Get out of here! Don't let them catch you too!" Emma nodded, and backed up behind a tree. She had no intention of running. The ogres started walking away. Emma peeked out from behind her tree. As soon as the ogres were far enough away that she knew they would never see her, Emma came out from behind the tree. Slowly, she began to follow the ogres down the path, towards their camp.
Chapter 7
Emma ended up following the ogres the whole day. By the time it was getting dark, the ogres finally came to a big cave. Emma assumed this was the camp. The ogres' loud footsteps began retreating into the cave. Emma waited for the echoes of their feet to stop, and then she darted into the tunnel. The tunnel was lit by a few torches. Emma realized that these ogres might be a bit smarter than she originally thought, and she would have to be more careful. The hall started to wind downward as Emma continued. Eventually, the hall ended abruptly. Emma got down on her hands and knees and peered over the edge. There was a stair case that led down to the floor below. It was a sort of cavern thing. All the ogres were in that one room, or that's what it looked like. Emma saw the ogres that had taken the prince and the knights. She saw Justin and the knights on the floor in front of them. And then, she spotted Autumn and her father. Emma couldn't see them very well from where she was, but they were standing, so they couldn't have been in that bad of a condition. There was an ogre that stood in front of all the rest. Emma guessed it was the leader. It began speaking, and Emma ducked down lower, instinctively.
"Take them to the kitchen," the ogre said, in a weird, raspy voice. "We're going to have a feast tonight." A group of ogres came forward, and began carting off Emma's friends and father. Emma watched them go, not quite sure what to do. Eventually, the rest of the ogres below her dispersed and the chamber emptied. Emma slowly crawled forward, and ran silently down the stairs. Emma walked silently and slowly through the chamber down the hallway that the ogres had taken her friends.
The hallway led to another room. The entrance to the room led down to a life table. There was a very big cage, that looked like it could be a big bird cage. All of her friends were in there. There was an ogre down there too, looking like it was preparing an oven for cooking. Oh crap, Emma thought. The ogre's back was to her and the cages. Emma stepped quietly down onto the table and ran over to the cage.
"Emma!" Autumn and her father exclaimed.
"Shh!" Emma hissed. The ogre turned around. Emma ducked behind the cage. Justin stepped sideways to block her form the ogres view.
"Now, my sweeties," the ogre said. "How would you like to be cooked? Fried….or boiled….or maybe just raw." Emma wrinkled her nose. Blech, she thought. "I think fried should be good," the ogre growled. The ogre turned again. Emma slipped out again.
"Where's the lock?" she whispered.
"Over here," her father said. Emma ran over to him. Indeed, a lock hung from the cage in front of him. Emma grabbed it and looked at it.
"I could pick this easily," Emma muttered. "But, I don't have my knife from the farm." Prince Justin came over. Emma looked at him. He bent down and pulled a knife out of his boot. He handed it out of the bars to her. "Thanks," Emma said. She took the knife, and slipped it into the hole where the key would go in the lock. She jiggled the knife around, and then turned it a few times. The lock popped open. The ogre turned around. Emma's eyes widened, and she gasped.
"Hey!" the ogre exclaimed. Emma pulled the knife out of the lock. She threw it across the room at the ogre. It hit it in the shoulder. It turned and looked at it, but barely flinched. Emma, not knowing what else to do, ran forward, and jumped on the ogre. Luckily, she landed right beside the knife. She pulled it out of its shoulder, turned so she could get at its neck, and plunged the knife into the ogre's neck. The ogre groaned, and then began to fall slowly. Emma grabbed on to the knife, pulled it out, and jumped to the floor. She fell on her back, and hit her head on the ground. Emma cried out in pain.
"Emma!" she heard Justin cry out from the table. The ogre came crashing down, and its arm hit her in the stomach. The breath was knocked out of Emma. Emma gasped, and then blacked out.
Chapter 8
Emma woke to find trees swaying above her head, and Justin and Autumn looking down on her.
"She's awake!" Autumn exclaimed. Emma smiled.
"Hey Autumn," Emma muttered. "You okay?"
"Me?!" Autumn exclaimed. "You're the one that just killed an ogre! Which one of us should be asking whose okay?" Emma laughed.
"I didn't get captured though," Emma said. "And yes, I'm alright, but my head feels like I got kicked by a horse." Autumn smiled a bit. She gripped Emma's arm, and helped her sit up. Then, Emma and Autumn hugged. Emma backed up and gripped Autumn's shoulder. "You didn't answer my question," she said.
"I'm fine,'' Autumn said. "So is your dad." Emma smiled bigger. Her dad came over. Emma stood up, and grabbed him.
"Emma," her dad whispered. "Oh, my Emma."
"Dad," Emma said happily. She let go, and turned to Prince Justin. "Justin," she said. "Thank you." Emma shook his hand. Suddenly, a loud noise made them all turn around.
"The ogres," Justin said. "They're coming." Just as he said it, the first ogre burst through the trees.
"Run!" Autumn yelled. The group turned and ran. The ogres thundered behind them. Emma spotted a cave coming up off to the side.
"The cave! Go!" she yelled. Justin, Autumn and the soldiers turned that way. Emma turned, and then realized her dad wasn't with them. Emma turned and saw her dad behind her a ways back. The ogres were almost right behind him. "Dad hurry!" Emma yelled.
"Go!" her dad yelled back. "Keep going!" Emma made herself turn and run towards the cave. She ran into it, and then all of a sudden she was on her back, sliding down a tube. Emma came rolling out at the end, and rolled into Autumn.
"Sorry," she muttered. Emma stood up, and looked back up the tube.
"Where's your dad?" Justin asked.
"Coming hopefully," Emma replied. There was a thumping sound above them. Emma's dad rolled out of the tunnel. He flopped onto his back, and didn't move. One of the ogre knifes was sticking out of his stomach.
Chapter 9
"DAD!" Emma yelled. She ran over, and leaned over her dad. Her dad's eyes opened slightly.
"Emma," he groaned. "You're all okay? Everyone's here?"
"Yes, we're fine," Emma said. She felt the tears start falling down her face. Her dad smiled sadly.
"It's o.k.," he said. "I'm going to a better place. But you have to get out of here. You can live with Autumn, or whoever you want to. I know you'll be fine. I love you." Emma's dad's eyes closed. He stopped breathing.
"No!" Emma yelled. She sat back, and looked at her dad, as if he would start breathing again. But he didn't. The tears fell harder. "No…" Emma muttered. Emma heard someone behind her come forward. She felt arms grab her and hug her. Emma realized it was both Justin and Autumn. They sat like that for what seemed like a life time. Then, Emma sat up straighter. Autumn and Justin let go. Emma stood up. They did too. "Let's get out of here," Emma said. "It's what he wanted."
"What do we do with him?" Autumn asked. Emma shrugged. Then, she spotted a pile of rocks over by the wall. Emma grabbed her dad, and began dragging him over there. Autumn helped. They pulled Emma's dad over to the wall, and Emma and Autumn began to bury him with rocks. Prince Justin and the soldiers came over and helped. Pretty soon, Emma's dad was buried.
"Bye Dad," Emma muttered. Then, she turned to the rest of the group. "Let's go," she said. Justin nodded, and he turned and looked back up the tube.
"I don't think we can get back up there," Justin said.
"There's got to be another way out," Autumn said. Emma turned and looked towards the back of the cave.
"It's back there," she said. Justin and Autumn joined her, and they led the way towards the back of the cave. The soldiers followed. It didn't take them very long to find the end. When they did, Emma spotted a hole in the wall. She crouched down, and looked through it. "Looks like another tube," she said. Without waiting for an answer from the others, Emma crawled into the hole. It was as slippery as the last one. Emma rolled into a ball, tucking her arms and legs more safely under her. She came out at the edge of a cliff, and very nearly rolled off the edge. Emma grabbed the edge of the ledge. She got her other hand up on the ledge too. Emma found a foothold in the rock below her, and pushed herself back up onto the ledge. "Wow," she muttered. She didn't know if the others would hear her up the tube, but she tried anyway. "Hey guys!" Emma yelled up the tube. "Careful when you come out, it's the edge of a cliff!" Then, Emma backed up and waited for the others. Autumn came out first. She flew out farther then Emma had. Emma reached out and grabbed Autumn's hand. Autumn was so far away from the ledge, she would've fallen if Emma hadn't grabbed her. Emma nearly fell again, but she got her footing, and pulled Autumn back.
"Thanks," Autumn said.
"No problem," Emma replied. Then, Justin came out of the tunnel. He grabbed the edge, so he just went sideways instead of off the ledge. He pulled himself to his feet.
"We got to go, NOW!" Justin said.
"Why, what's wrong?" Emma asked.
"The ogres made it down the first tube," Justin said. "They got the soldiers. All of them. We're the only ones left." Emma looked at him, and then Autumn, and then up the tunnel.
"Ya, let's go," Emma muttered. She led the way up the ledge. The ledge was actually very big. The ledge led off to a bigger space with a lot more walk room. Emma was the first one to the big space. She went over to the wall of the cliff, and found another hole. "Too many holes and tunnels," Emma muttered. There was a growling, yelling noise from above her. Emma backed up, and looked up. A group of ogres stood at the top of the cliff, looking down at her.
"How'd they get up there?!" Autumn exclaimed. Emma didn't answer. She was watching the ogres. The ogre in the front pointed down to her, and motioned something else with its hands. Emma couldn't hear what it was saying, but she thought she recognized the ogre leader. Suddenly, the ogre roared, and smashed its large fist into the top of the cliff. A pile of rocks fell towards Emma. Emma jumped to the ground, and covered her head with her hands.
"EMMA!" she heard Justin and Autumn yelling. The rocks fell and covered Emma from head to foot. A rock that was more like a boulder hit Emma in the shoulder. Emma felt her shoulder dislocate, and she cried out in pain. She heard more yells of her name as Autumn and Justin heard her cry out. Eventually, Emma heard the rocks stop falling. But, she didn't dare move in case she hurt herself more, or made more rocks fall. "NO, EMMA!" she heard her friends yelling. She heard someone start crying. Emma could only guess what she looked like to them. A big pile of rocks, probably. It probably also looked like no one could survive that falling on them. It looked like she was dead to them. That thought made Emma try to move. She bumped one rock with her arm, and she felt it roll off. She shifted the rest of her body. Some of the rocks on the top fell, but she couldn't move more.
"Guys help!" Emma yelled, hoping they would hear. She heard someone gasp.
"Did you hear that?" Autumn asked. Emma tried to move more rocks, but she accidentally moved her dislocated shoulder, and cried out in pain again.
"That time I heard it," Justin said. She heard her friends run forward and felt some of the rocks above her move. Emma moved her hands off of her head. She looked up, and found she could see the sky. Emma used her good arm, and tried to help push some of the rocks away. Pretty soon, Emma could pull her head out of the rocks. She rolled over, and pushed the rest of the rocks off of her. Emma stood up, and gripped her bad shoulder.
"Emma!" Autumn exclaimed. Autumn ran forward and hugged Emma. Emma winced when Autumn touched her dislocated shoulder. But, she returned the hug with her other arm. Autumn let go, and backed up. Then, Emma was being hugged by Justin. He was hugging her so hard that it hurt more than her shoulder. She winced, but only quietly. Emma felt something wet start falling on her shoulder. At first, she thought it was raining, but then Emma realized Justin was crying. Emma looked at Autumn over Justin's back, surprised. Autumn looked at Emma with the same amount of surprise on her face. Emma, not sure of what else to do, patted Justin on the back lightly.
"It's ok, Justin," she said. "I'm fine."
"I know," Justin said, between sobs. "I know. But, I thought you were dead." Justin backed up, and gripped Emma's shoulders. Emma held back a wince. "Don't do that to me again," he said.
"No promises there," Emma said with a slight smile. Justin smiled too, and let go of her shoulders. Emma didn't hold back her wince this time, as pain shot through her shoulder again.
"Are you alright?" Autumn asked.
"Think I dislocated my shoulder," Emma said.
"I can move it back if you want me too," Justin offered.
"You sure you know how?" Emma asked. Justin nodded.
"My father had me train in medical things when I was about ten," Justin said.
"Well, go for it then I guess," Emma replied. Justin nodded again, and walked over to her shoulder.
"Autumn, can you hold her so she doesn't move?" Justin asked.
"Sure," Autumn replied. She came forward, and held on to her other shoulder and her chest. "Sorry, Emma," Autumn muttered.
"It's fine," Emma replied.
"On the count of three," Justin said. "One….Two….Three." He moved Emma's shoulder. Emma cried out in pain as her shoulder popped back in place, and then the pain faded, and her shoulder felt better. Emma sighed, happily.
"Thanks," she said.
"No problem," Justin replied. Autumn and he let go.
"I found another tunnel," Emma said. "It might lead back to the hole."
"I hope so," Autumn replied. "I've had enough of tunnels and ogres for one day. Or maybe for a lifetime." Emma and Justin laughed. Emma led the way over to the hole she had found, and led the way down, feet first.
Chapter 10
Emma landed on her feet inside another tunnel. She could see sunlight coming from one direction. She walked away from the hole in what was now the roof. Then, Emma turned, and gasped. In the other side of the tunnel, was her house. It was horrible. The whole house was almost in half. Wood pieces and whatever else you might expect to find outside a ruined house littered the floor in front of it.
"Wow," Emma muttered, almost laughing. After all that had happened, it was almost surreal. Autumn came down the tunnel above her, and landed almost right next to Emma. The first thing she noticed was the house.
"Is that-?" she asked.
"Ya," Emma said. Autumn got out of the way of the tunnel. Justin came out, landed on his feet, and then fell. Emma and Autumn laughed.
"I have seriously had enough of tunnels," Justin said, standing up and smiling.
"Don't worry, we're almost out," Emma said. She pointed towards the sunlight.
"Good," Justin said. "Let's get out of here." The three friends turned and walked down the tunnel. The tunnel was wide enough so they could walk side by side. They got to the hole that still had the ten pebbles on the floor beneath it. Emma looked down at them.
"If I ever see the man that gave me those again, I'm going to punch him in the face," she said.
"I would too," Autumn said. Emma looked up to the sky above.
"You know, it's amazing what you can find underground," she muttered. Then she looked at Justin. "You first, your highness," Emma said jokingly. Justin smiled, and then climbed out of the hole. Autumn followed him, and then Emma climbed up last. Emma heard cheers and cries as she came back into the world of the humans. Autumn's parents were there, and they came forward and hugged Autumn and Emma. Emma saw Justin talking to the king. Then, they came over to Emma and Autumn.
"I understand you lost your father down there," the king said.
"Yes, sire," Emma replied.
"So, if you ever need help with anything, you can come to the castle," the king said. "We will always be there to help you."
"Thanks you sire," Emma said.
"Then, I think it was time we were leaving," the king said. "I'll give you time to say goodbye." The king walked away. So did Autumn's parents. Emma, Autumn and Justin were left alone.
"Well," Emma said. "I guess this is goodbye then."
"We'll see each other again," Justin replied. "I'll make sure of it." Emma smiled. "But for now," Justin continued. "We'll say goodbye." Justin shook Autumn's hand and gave her a slight hug. Then, he came over to Emma. First he hugged, and then he backed up and kissed her on the cheek. Justin smiled, then turned and walked back over to his father.
"Ooohh, you've gotten under his skin," Autumn said. Emma looked at her. Autumn raised her eyebrows twice. Emma rolled her eyes.
"What does that mean?" Emma asked.
"He likes you," Autumn said, happily. Emma laughed.
"Let's go find your parents," Emma said. The king, Justin and the rest of the army were riding away. Emma and Autumn were turning to find Autumn's parents, when a noise behind them made them turn back to the hole. "What….was that?" Emma asked.
"No idea," Autumn said. The noise came again. Then, the ogre king's head appeared. He jumped out of the hole, and landed with a boom on the edge of the hole. Emma and Autumn backed up.
"The ogres," Emma said. "They're coming."
Chapter 11
Emma and Autumn found two horses that must've belonged to some of the soldiers that had died down in the cave. They leapt on, and rode as fast as they could away from the hole, and after the prince and king. Justin and the king were riding at a leisurely pace, and Emma and Autumn caught up to them fast. When she thought they were close enough that they would hear Emma started yelling.
"Ogres!" Emma yelled. "Ride faster the ogres are coming!" Emma saw Justin turn his head. Emma turned and looked behind her. More ogres had come out of the hole now, and they were all running towards her. Emma yelled, and turned back, surging her horse to go faster. Autumn's horse was faster than Emma's, and she was already a ways a head of her.
"Emma come on!" Autumn yelled.
"I'm trying!" Emma yelled, still trying to make her horse go faster. "Keep going!" By now, Justin and the king had seen the ogres and were riding fast too. Emma saw them and the soldiers make it over the drawbridge. And then Autumn was over. The king must've ordered the drawbridge to be pulled up, because it started rising.
"Emma hurry!" Justin yelled. Emma was almost at the edge of the river below the draw bridge. Her horse put on a sudden burst of speed. They were at the river. Emma's horse jumped, and landed on the drawbridge. It slowed to a canter, and cantered down the drawbridge. Emma stopped the horse beside Autumn's and jumped off.
"That was a close one kid," one of the soldiers said.
"Ya, I know," Emma replied.
"We need an attack plan," the king said. There was a loud thumping sound from the drawbridge. Everyone turned to see a large arrow sticking out of the middle of the door.
"Looks like we're holding them off here," one of the soldiers said.
"I need a sword," Emma said.
"No Emma," the king said. "You're too young, and you're a girl. You're not going to fight with us."
"No offense, sire, but I'm fighting whether you like it or not," Emma said. Justin barely bit back a laugh. The king smiled a bit too.
"You've got spirit, girl," he said. He turned to the rest of the group. "Alright, someone get the girls swords." One of the soldiers ran off and returned minutes later with two swords. Emma and Autumn took them. The drawbridge shook, and another arrow appeared through the wood. Then, Emma realized they weren't arrows.
"There not arrows," she said. "They're grappling hooks." The drawbridge started bending back down towards the river as she spoke. "They're going to pull it down!" Emma exclaimed. There was a crash, and the sound of ropes moving fast, and suddenly the drawbridge was back down, and the ogres were charging towards them. Emma ran forward, slashed her sword across its ankle, stabbed higher up its leg, and then knocked it backwards. The ogre fell into two more, and all three went crashing into the river. Emma backed up, and looked at the ogres coming towards her. The king of the ogres was nowhere to be seen. "Where's their king?!" she yelled over the noise the ogres were now making. No one answered. Emma heard crashing behind them, inside the castle.
"He's coming through the back!" Autumn exclaimed. Emma looked back at her, Justin, the king, and the rest of the king's army.
"Hold them off up here," she said. "Distract them. Give me as much time as you can!" And with that, Emma ran towards the castle.
Chapter 12
Emma ran through the castle doors, and found herself inside an empty castle. She heard crashing coming towards her, from the back of the castle. Emma ducked behind a pillar, just as the ogre king burst into the room. There was a sort of ramp thing beside her, and Emma turned and ran up it. Amazingly, the king didn't look. Emma got level with his shoulder. Then, she climbed onto the railing, and jumped. The ogre turned and faced her. Emma saw his sword come up. Before she could react, the sword was piercing her body, right outside her rib cage. Emma cried out. The ogre pulled his sword back, and Emma fell. Her feet hit his shoulder. Emma turned, held her sword up, and stabbed the ogre's shoulder. She began to fall. Emma didn't pull her sword out, and dragged it down the ogre's body. It cut an opening all the way down its back. The ogre yelled, and stepped forward. Emma's sword came out, and Emma fell to the ground. Emma cried out again, and put a hand on her side. It came away, soaked in blood. The ogre turned to face her.
"Who are you?" it said in a raspy voice. Emma stood up, painfully, and held up her sword.
"My name is Emma," she said. Emma ran forward, holding her sword like a spear. Emma threw it at the ogre still like a spear. It hit the ogre directly in its heart. The ogre looked down at it. Then, it took a step forward. Emma fell again. The ogre stepped right on her arm. The one that had been dislocated not an hour before. Emma felt a bone snap, and her shoulder pop out of place again. Emma yelled. The pain this time was so bad, she was almost crying, and black spots were dancing in front of her eyes. But, that also could've been from the stab wound. Emma looked up at the ogre. It had stepped back now. It turned, and fell on its face. The huge crown it had worn on its head fell off, and rolled away. With the help of a pillar behind her, Emma pulled herself to her feet. She put a hand on her side again. Then, with her bad arm, she picked up the crown. It was a lot lighter than it looked. Emma stumbled towards the door. She felt more blood sweeping out from between her fingers. She fell to one knee, and stood up again. Emma got to the door, and pushed it open. She stumbled out into the courtyard. The battle with the rest of the ogres was still going. But, Emma knew it wouldn't be very much longer. She switched the crown to her now red hand, and held it up. Black spots danced in front of her eyes again. "OGRES!" she yelled over the noise of the battle. Amazingly, everyone stopped, and turned to look at her. "YOUR KING IS DEAD!" Emma shouted. Then, she dropped the crown. It rolled away. Emma fell onto her back, and blacked out.
Emma woke up in a bed a week later. She had no idea where she was, and didn't remember what had happened at first. And then, it all came back. I'm alive, she thought. Emma looked down, and saw a bandage around her stomach, and her arm in a sling. She had some sort of white shirt and pants thing on. She sat up slowly, and leaned against the pillow. There was only one other person in the room. It was Justin. What would Autumn say? Emma thought, smiling. Justin appeared to be sleeping. Or, at least dozing. Emma saw him shift, and knew if she said something he would wake up.
"Hey," she said. Justin jolted awake. Emma would've laughed it she didn't hurt so much. So, she just smiled.
"Hey!" Justin said, happily. His mouth split into a big grin. "Man," Justin said, reaching forward and grabbing her hand. "You don't know how good it is to see you with your eyes open, and not bleeding your guts out. I thought I told you to not make me think you were dead again!"
"And I said no promises," Emma replied, smiling jokily. Justin laughed, and let go of her hand. He started leaning forward. He was up on the bed slightly. And then, he was kissing her. Not on the cheek this time, but full on the lips. It was better than Emma would've thought, and she felt something stir inside her, that she'd never felt before. Justin pulled, back and then smiled down at her.
"I'll go tell Autumn you're awake," Justin said. He backed up, off the bed, and left the room. Emma leaned back against the pillow again, and let out a puff of air. NOW, what would Autumn say? Emma thought. She laughed. Then, Autumn came into the room. Autumn ran over to her. She looked down into Emma's eyes.
"Oh, I know that look," Autumn said.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," Emma said, jokingly.
"That's the look my mom has when she's talking or thinking about dad," Autumn said. "Justin's grown on you, hasn't he? Maybe, more than grown by the looks of it?" Emma laughed. Autumn did too, and sat down in the chair. "You know they're all calling you a hero now," she said. "After you came out and yelled that their king is dead, all the ogres turned and ran back down the hole. The hole's been caved in. All the tunnels have been blocked up. There's no way they're ever coming back. The pebbles have been put in a smasher. The man who gave them to you has been found and locked up. The ogre king's body was thrown down the hole with the rest of the ogres. And now, you're awake. The doctor's say you're going to be fine. Everything's alright again." Emma looked at her. Autumn smiled. And then, Emma smiled bigger than she had in a long time.
Epilogue
16 years later…..
Emma sat at the end of a bed. Prince Justin sat beside her. They had been married for five years now. The bed they were sitting on belonged to their daughter Isabella. She had Justin's colored hair, and Emma's long hair and eyes. Autumn came to see them often. She had married one of the soldiers that had been in the final fight with them. They had had a child that Autumn named after Emma's father, Arthur. The king, Justin's father, had died three years before. Justin was king now, and Emma was his queen. Isabelle had been born a year before that. So, she hardly remembered her one Grandpa that had seen her for a little while. Isabelle liked to hear the story of the ogres. She asked for it almost every night. That's what Emma and Justin were doing now, telling Isabelle the story.
"When I grow up," Isabelle said, after the story was done. "I want to be just like you two."
"Well, I hope you don't get stabbed or get your shoulder dislocated twice in one day," Emma said. Isabelle smiled.
"I hope so too," she said. "Night mom. Night dad."
"Goodnight honey," Emma said.
"See you in the morning," Justin said. They turned and walked out of the room. Emma stopped and looked out the window. She realized the moon that shown over Rywen that night, was the same one that had shone all those years ago, when she had run away from home, and their adventure had begun. Her father had been gone for sixteen years now.
"I miss you dad," Emma said. Then, she followed Justin down the hall and to their room.
The End