((This is an expanded chapter. The original one-shot that is this story has expanded and now the wyrm of this tale is burrowing into my brain. where it goes, I'm not sure... it will be interesting, I hope - Oh yeah, still don't own AT))


Chapter 3 – Seeds of Fear

"Are you sure?" Asks the fiery girl sitting on the rocky throne. She sat glaring at a handful of Flame Guards kneeling in front of her. The one in the lead nods, wary that that their failure might mean big trouble for all of them. The Fire Princess was unstable at times, disappointing her could be bad for anyone's long term health.

"Yes your Highness, we checked every store, warehouse, stock pile, back alley market and armory in the Fire Kingdom. The blade isn't here." One couldn't tell from looking at her, but the Flame Princess wasn't happy. She was trying to control her emotions, especially since these Guards weren't the real source of her frustrations. She glances up to the glass bell jar hanging over her head and the figure contained within.

"Did you move it, Father?" She glowers up at him. He sits up and shrugs, looking down at her while shaking his head.

"Honey, if I wanted that thing out in the open, I would have given it to you when you were younger." The Flame King smiles wickedly, "Then I wouldn't be in this predicament. Trust me, my daughter, that thing makes Evil afraid."

She stares at her father for a few more seconds, finally deciding that he was telling the truth for once. She returns her gaze to her guards. Why the heck was it even still around? She waves off the guard, "Keep looking, double check everything and everywhere. It needs to be found." The guards salute, stand, turn face and march off, glad to be spared their queen's wrath. Flame Princess leans back against her throne, frowning as she contemplates the bad turn of events.

Since she took charge of the Kingdom, she tried to bring everything back into a state of order. Well, at least a lesser version of chaos that her father had sown throughout the kingdom. There were a lot of things that where dangerous to her people and she took it as her responsibility to do what she could to protect them. Various monsters had been destroyed, areas cleaned up, others blocked off. Then she found a list of artifacts that the Fire Kingdom had acquired over the centuries. All of them where located or confirmed destroyed but for one item: The Whispering Blade.

Stories that she found relating to the weapon spoke of horrible deeds committed by the welders of the blade. Somehow the blade influences its welders, both Good and Evil, whispering lies and stories, slowly driving them insane. They committed acts that even Evil beings considered wicked. The part that brought worried her the most was that they often became the victim of the weapon, either directly or indirectly. No welder of the blade lived to pass it on. Many welders tried to hide the blade, but most of them failed. Somehow her Grandfather realized what it was and managed to secure it away without falling under its influence.

"Father, why didn't Grandfather destroy it instead of hiding it away?" She stares off in front of her, not bothering to face him. He was silent for several minutes, then begrudgingly answers his daughter.

"I don't know. He only told me that it was a useful tool, but that even Evil has it's weakness and it was one. That's why he hid it in a dungeon. There once was a map, but I have no idea where it may be." Flame Princess sat bolt upright.

"A dungeon?"

"Oh yes, but trust me I looked. I have no idea where it would be."

Oh no, she thinks, not a dungeon. Couldn't it have been anyplace else but a dungeon? This is really, REALLY not good. She props her chin against her hand, continuing to stare off and trying to think what she should do when Cinnamon Bun runs into the throne room, holding a scroll in his hands.

"Princess, Princess, I think this might be helpful." He was blue from his normal Fire shield spell, but now covered in grey dust. He turns the scroll around, holding it up so she could read it without touching it. It was a map and sure enough, it held directions to a dungeon. The description of the hidden treasure mentioned an evil blade that must be kept locked away. Her heart sank as she recognized her Grandfather's name in the bottom corner.

"Glob it. Thanks CB, that will help. Please take it to the Flame Guard, have them go there and retrieve the blade, immediately." CB turns to obey, but she leaps out of her throne. "Wait, tell them NOT TOUCH it. Have them use something to scoop it up or something, but NOT TO TOUCH it directly. It needs to be secured before it falls into the wrong hands, they don't need to be its next victim." CB stares at her for a second, before asking the obvious question.

"Who's hands would it be bad for, Princess?"

"Anyone's." She answers falling back into the throne, "If ANYONE welds the Whispering Blade, they will die by that blade." CB swallows, nods and runs off.

FP holds her head in her hands, her heart was hammering in her chest. Why her Grandfather had let something like that continue to exist, she'll never understand. Yes, the Flame Kingdom is supposed to be Evil, but sometimes there are things that just should not be. The Whispering Blade was one of them.

She was afraid, not of the artifact itself, but the damage it could cause to others. Or worse, she thinks shuttering. An icy tendril of fear crept into her fiery heart, founded by the completely rational fear that she knew of one person in all of Ooo that loved finding "lost" dungeons. Who knew how to locate lost hidden places and would willingly enter such places, just for fun.

"Oh Finn, I hope to Glob you didn't find this place." If her guards didn't locate this weapon soon, she was going to have to contact the Candy Kingdom. As much as she found that idea distasteful, she knew that she had to warn others of its existence, the whole land of Ooo may be in danger.