"Nothing happens unless first we dream." – Carl Sandburg

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Calm-Waters: Um... I know I did watch Shrek 2, but it was many years ago when it first came out, so I can't actually remember any blue slime or its side effects in that movie. If there are any similarities it'll be purely coincidental – so don't be afraid!

StarUchiha: I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, and thank you for complimenting my writing style! It's always been my goal to have my stories flow nicely, though I can't say I've always been successful... It's nice to know I'm doing well with this story!


When Quest first opened his eyes he immediately had to close them in pain. Wherever he was, it was way too bright for comfort. He groaned as he sat up and opened his eyes once again, more slowly this time to give them a chance to adjust.

He was sitting in a long corridor – so long, in fact, he couldn't see where it ended on either side. The floor underneath him was a white marble, the ceiling above him a white plaster, and the walls around him all painted a startlingly bright white.

So basically... a lot of white.

The only break in this drab colour scheme was a line of dark red mahogany doors on one side of the corridor, which were wide and ornately decorated, but had nothing to distinguish themselves one from another.

To call this place intense would be an understatement.

Quest stood carefully, taking stock of every muscle and bone in his body for any sign of protest for the action. Finding no evidence of injury he then proceeded to ponder his surroundings. How had he come to be here exactly? Where was the runt?

Standing still as a statue Quest searched his mind for a memory that could connect to his arrival in this strange place. The last thing he could remember was falling asleep an arm's length away from the prince in case of an emergency. He never anyone know, but an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach always plagued him when he was too far away from the brat. He always figured it was a side effect of the allegiance spell and did his best to ignore it when it came about. Stupid spell.

Quest scowled. The camp was probably attacked during the night. He'd left Graer on watch that night, so if the griffin had become distracted and had left the others vulnerable to attack it wouldn't be much of a surprise – that bird-like creature could never seem to go more than an hour without thinking about food. But if they had been captured, why hadn't Quest woken at the first sign of trouble? Nestor may be able to sleep through just about anything, but his body guard was a very light sleeper.

There was also the fact that Quest didn't seem to really be in any sort of prison here. As far as he could tell he was free to choose any one of these doors and leave if he wanted to. Of course, he couldn't be sure what was behind each door, let alone whether one of them happened to be an exit.

And where exactly were the others?

Quest growled slightly in frustration. The stark whiteness of this place was beginning to give him a headache. There was nothing here that would give him any answers, and the allegiance spell was pulling on him irritatingly. That feeling in the pit of his stomach was back. He had to find the prince.

His only option was to try out a few of these doors. Maybe he could find some clues as to where he was and what had happened. Maybe he'd even be able to find the others.

Looking at the doors lining the opposite wall he immediately went to the one to his left. Instinct was telling him to try this door first. At least, that's what he'd tell anyone who asked. It was entirely possible, however, that it was the allegiance spell guiding him to this door. Another secret he'd kept about the spell was that it would often take control of his choice of direction whenever he was separated from Nestor and steer him straight to the prince. This, along with being obligated to protect the kid at all times, was a reason why he always grouped himself with the runt whenever the gang had to split up during the quest. It would be totally embarrassing if he suddenly lead his party away from their goal and right to the prince for no apparent reason. So if it turned out Nestor was being held captive behind this door, Quest wouldn't exactly be shocked.

Quest stared suspiciously at the door. After a moment he put his hand on the elegant handle and turned it slowly...


Alright, a not-so-subtle cliffhanger.

By the way, the second last paragraph is my way of explaining why, in the episode "A Rolling Nestor Gathers No Moss" Quest knew to find the prince being held captive in castle Mollux despite leaving him turned to stone with the others in the forest. He claimed it was instinct, I say there was more than just Quest's cleverness at work. ;)

Boy, it took me longer to write this chapter than I expected! I'll do my best to have the next one up sooner - though I need to decide how much I'll write in the next chapter (I may decide to split it in two so as not to make it too long and to not have too many ideas revealed in the same chapter).

See you guys at the next update!