Attention: King's Quest is property of Sierra. Most character names are also from the King's Quest Companion by Peter Spear. Some characters are my creation. This story also takes place after all eight King's Quest games.
Chapter 3: The Forest Darkens
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I.
Geoffrey
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Geoffory felt uneasy as he walked through the forest. He knew he shouldn't feel uneasy, since he was with one of the finest knights in the realm. But given the reason they were in the forest, there was good reason to be nervous. Little more than a week ago, the witch Dahlia had returned to existence.
He knew a deal about the history of Daventy, and Dahlia had been the source of the years of darkness that had consumed the kingdom before King Graham had defeated her. However, in all the tales he had heard, Dahlia had been destroyed when Graham shoved her into her cauldron. It had been a gruesome fate, but given what she was capable of, it was the safest way to be rid of her.
Now, however, she was back. There had to be some dark magic involved, and King Graham had warned them all about it. He had even asked him to be part of the group that hunted the forest for Dahlia because he had found the cookie that had been Brutus. Graham had also insisted that they travel in pairs, and he was with Sir Robert.
Sir Robert was one of the best knights in Daventry, but he had never gone up against a witch. He had slain a few foul creatures, but nothing in the magnitude of a witch like Dahlia, and Geoffrey knew it. Just seeing what Dahlia had done to Brutus was enough to unnerve him. All the times he had spoken with Brutus, he never knew everything about him, but something told him that he had been a fair man. He had never been mean to any of the townsfolk, and he lived like every other average person in Daventry.
Geoffrey's thoughts had been cut short when he heard Sir Robert say, "I must say, that fellow that had been turned into a cookie looked like a bandit we had been hearing about. Maybe that hag did us a service by turning him into a cookie."
He was appalled by what the knight said. It sounded like the knight condoned what the witch had done, but claiming Brutus was some sort of hoodlum. That couldn't be the case, since King Graham frowned upon those acts. Graham had started to imprison any bandits, especially after the incident with the wizard Mordrak. The story had been that some vagabonds didn't recognize the king, and decided to capture him. If it hadn't been for someone King Graham had helped, he would have remained captured.
Geoffrey then looked at the knight, Sir Robert and said, "Sir Robert, I can't believe you would think that. I knew that man, and he could never have been a bandit. He was always helpful to others."
He heard the knight laugh at that remark. "You mean he helped himself to others. Many people who were visiting Daventry reported to the King about a bandit just outside the borders."
He wanted to reply to that remark, but didn't when a loud snap came from the darkness of the woods. He froze, and held his sword ready. "I think we can continue this later. I just heard something."
He saw the knight draw his sword. "So did I. Me thinks that something is not to far a head of us." As the knight stood ready with him, Geoffrey started to wonder if some of the other creatures had returned with the witch.
He got his answer when two eyes appeared, accompanied with a growl. Soon, the forest ahead of him erupted in a huge wolf. He was sure no normal wolf could be that large, and something told him the sword would be useless. He turned and ran. As he ran, he glanced to where Sir Robert had been, and seen that the knight had run as well.
He kept running, not daring to look back; fearing if he did, the wolf would kill him. He didn't stop running until he ran into something. He has been so focused on getting away from the wolf, he didn't see the man in star covered robes until he ran into him. As he recovered from the sudden stop, he suddenly remembered another of the beings that roamed the woods, according to the stories. A sorcerer who loved to freeze anyone in place.
Before he could run again, the sorcerer raised his wand, and cast a spell at him. He couldn't hear any words, but it didn't matter. He tried to move his legs, but they wouldn't respond. He then glanced at the sorcerer, who just smiled at him, and started walking away. In that brief moment, he could have sworn the eyes looked like the wolf's eyes, almost as if they were one in the same. However, he realized that wasn't the case, as he yelled in pain. The wolf jumped him from behind and bit into his head.
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II.
Sir Robert
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Sir Robert ran, slightly ashamed that he abandoned the guardsman. However, he had heard King Graham talk about the creature whenever he retold the tale of how he gained the throne. At that time, Graham had run, and had found out the wolf couldn't leave a certain area of the forest.
Sir Robert was hoping that was the case as well. To be honest, he felt he couldn't hurt the wolf with his sword alone. He almost felt his blood run cold when he heard a man yell in pain. There was only one thing that it could have been. The guardsman, Geoffrey, had been caught by the wolf.
He wanted to stop for a moment, and observe a moment, knowing the guard was dead. However, this wasn't the time, nor the place. He had to find the home of Dahlia, the witch that had returned. However, because of his mad dash to get away from the wolf, he lost track of where he was in the forest.
He finally stopped moving and looked around for a moment. He realized that the wolf was now preoccupied. However, that also meant that the guardsman was being devouered by the wolf. Sir Robert felt awful about what he had done. He should have taken the attack. That was what a knight should have done. His actions had been disgraceful.
Finally, his eyes found something to take his mind off his actions. It was a house, and from what he could tell, it was made entirely out of gingerbread. It had to be the magical home of Dahlia. This could be a change in what had happened. It would make his actions less disgraceful.
He quietly made his way toward the witch's home, which was very tricky, given his armor. The closer he got, Sir Robert felt his heartbeat quicken. At one point, he even feared it might give him away. His fears were calmed when he neared the window of the magical house, and heard the witch uttering a chant.
He glanced in the window, and saw the witch standing over a cauldron. As she stood there, he looked at her, and noticed her body appeared that of a young girl. He remembered hearing that a girl had gone missing, and realized that the girl was now the witch. Her skin even had a greenish tint to it. However, he couldn't make out what she was chanting.
At this point, he knew what he had to do. He had to leave and report back to King Graham. He started to back away from the witch's house, and then turned to make sure he could see when he was going. He was sure he would get away, until he heard an evil female voice say, "I thought I heard someone nibbling on my house."
A slight wave a fear overcame him as he turned to see the witch standing at the door. He quickly started to run, and just as he felt he reached the gate, he ran into something. He turned to see a man in star covered robes. Before he could even react, he saw the man raise a wand, and in his heart he knew that something bad was about to happen.
He went to reach for his sword, but soon there was a flash from the wand, and he couldn't move. He suddenly recalled the stories, and started to worry. He was close to the witch's house, and she could easily grab him. He wondered if she was starting to advance, and then realized that the sorcerer walked past him.
As the man walked by, he looked past where the man had been, and realized why no one seemed to take an interest in him. A large green skinned individual was starting to come towards him. The individual carried a huge club, almost twice the size of the sword Sir Robert had. It was then he realized that his life was soon over.
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III.
Dahlia
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Dahlia watched as her minions arrived. It was good for her that the sorcerer had been the first to arrive. It saved her some time in handling the knight that was standing outside her window. The summoning spell to call all her minions to her had taken alot out of her, especially since she had to summon all of them together. The fact that the last time she had performed the spell was decades ago, and in another lifetime, only made it harder to preform the spell.
When the ogre walked into view, she wished she could see the look on the knight's face. She was sure it was a look of pure terror. An ogre like hers had not been seen in Daventry for over twenty years. As it neared her cottage, it lifted up the huge club and swung it right at the knight. It hit its mark with a loud moist crack, as the head of the knight exploded, armor and all.
After that, the ogre entered her yard, and stood next to the sorceror. That only left one more of her minions to arrive. Once they arrived, she could give them their orders. As she waited, Dahlia wondered how many of her larger minions she would be able to recall. The easiest would be the giant. He was easily drawn to the land in the clouds, and from her first flight, she could tell not many people had managed to live there.
She then glanced over at her fence, and saw the forest erupt in an explosion of foliage and brown fur. From that eruption came the wolf, her last minion, and from the blood around it's lips, she could tell it had taken care of a hapless individual. As the wolf finally stopped and sat next to the ogre, it licked its chops, and she wondered if the victim had been another knight.
When all of her minions looked at her, she paid attention to their eyes. None of them had pupils, and were all red. That told her the spell still worked, even after all these years. She looked at all of them, glad that they could not question her about her new appearance. "It has been years since I called you, but your tasks are the same as last time." In fact, she would have summoned them sooner, but she had to first enchant the whole forest first.
She looked at the wolf and said, "I want you to patrol the area around the cottage. If any of King Graham's men get near here, you are to devour them." She saw the wolf's ears perk up at the command, which she could tell was a sign it was happy with the command.
She turned to the ogre, and watched as it stared at her. When she had cast the spell to summon the creatures, it gave them a general form, but no gender. They didn't even have brains to do anything complex. "I want you to patrol just inside the edge of the forest. Smash the heads of any who dare try to get into the forest."
Once the ogre nodded, she glanced at the sorcerer. "I want you to patrol the forest, and freeze any who manage to avoid the wolf and the ogre. Once frozen, they will be easy prey. Now all of you do your tasks."
She watched as all of the creatures nodded and left her yard. When they were out of the yard, and back into the forest, she returned to her cottege and headed to the cauldron. She stopped for a moment at the table, and looked at the cat sitting there. It was her fellow member of the Black Cloak Society, Manannan.
She snapped her fingers, and a parchment appeared, with a ready made note on it. She handed it over to the cat and said, "Make sure Shadrack gets it, Manannan. Once the giant and dragon arrive, I'll be waiting for the signal to capture Graham's wife."
The cat nodded, and then replied. "If things go right, this will take care of only two of the members of the Royal Family." She nodded and the black cat took the note in his mouth and bounded out the front door.
When the cat was gone, she walked over to the Cauldron, and looked into it. After muttering a spell, the images of the giant and dragon appeared in it. She looked at each, and they both had the pupil-less eyes that marked those she summoned. It would take her time to summon the creatures, but she would be successful in bringing them forth.
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IV.
Cale
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Cale Silver sat in his room, going over the notes he had made. The notes weren't the ones he had taken in his task as historian. These notes were about his plans to destroy the royal family of Daventry. The first part of that plan was almost halfway complete. All that was needed for it to be complete was to lure Graham to Dahlia's home.
With the right bait, he would be easily lured to the cottage. He had in mind the right bait to use, but the timing needed to be right. He needed to know that everything was ready for the next phase of the plan. That meant contracting Hagatha, the member of the Society that was in Kolyma, Valanice's home country.
He walked over to a small table that was recessed away from sight in the room, and waved his hand over a crystal ball. Almost instantly, the ball clouded up, which told him that it was seeking out the very person he was looking for. Almost seconds later, he saw the ugly face of Hagatha fill the ball. He watched a slight look of shock cross her face, until she finally regained herself and said, "Lord Shadrack. I hope you are well. How is your plan coming along?"
He smiled and said, "Very well, Sister. Phase one of my plan is already underway. It won't be long until we can impliment Phase two. I trust you have been making sure to find a suitable bait." He let the words linger in the air, hoping that Hagatha would remember that he had ordered her to capture Valanice years ago. Of course, back then, the reasons were different. Back then, he had intended to marry Valanice, and take control of Kolyma.
He almost lost his train of thought when he heard her say, "I have picked on out. It appears shortly after Valanice got married to Graham, her parents gave birth to a sister for her. Princess Yvette of Kolyma is soon going to be picking a husband. I intend to limit her choice to you."
Cale let the words sink in. Part of the reason he wanted Valanice back then was the fact that any child she would have would be magically inclined. The ruling family of Kolyma had wizards and witches in past generations. It had been a shame that all of them weren't members of the Black Cloak Society. Now he was being presented with a chance to do his original plan again. "Make it so then. I will contact you when it's time to put phase two into motion."
He waved his hand and the image disappeared. That had been news that he was surprised to hear. However, now he had to find out what was happening with Phase one. As he turned, he was facing Manannan. It had almost been a fortnight since he last saw him. The feline wizard just looked at him before dropping the note. "Dahlia will be soon ready to move on to the next part of her plan. Once the Giant and Dragon arrive, she will be ready to capture Valanice."
He nodded and said, "The capture will wait for a few days. We need for people to feel very afraid before the Queen is abducted. I will still let her know when the time comes. Tell her that while I continue my charade." He watched as the cat nodded and then bounded out of the room.
Once Manannan was gone, he quickly regained his composure. He needed to look relaxed for when he reached the throne room. It was easier to look appauld when you were relaxed. He then left his quarters, and headed in the direction of the throne room. He wondered how Graham would react to the return of Dahlia's minions.
His thoughts were cut short, when he reached the throne room. This was due to the sight he saw. Graham and Valanice were talking with Alexander, their son. He had somehow contacted them using the Magic Mirror. That meant that somehow, the King of the Green Isles had found a way to cut through his dark magic. He needed to find a way to fix the situation quick.
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V. Valanice
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Queen Valanice was overjoyed to see her son, even if it was just by way of the magic mirror. When Graham had sent Chrispin to find her, she couldn't believe the reason at first. However, she did remember that Alexander had the help of a good djinn. As they stood there, she heard Alexander say, "Father, Mother, Shamir said that he sensed some dark magic in Daventry. Is he right?"
She watched as Graham nodded. "I fear the djinn is correct. The witch Dahlia has returned. It also appears that Shadrack is linked to it." She noticed a look of concern cross Alexander's face. "Son, have you found out anything more about the Black Cloak Society?"
She then watched as he nodded. "Yes we have. Our prisoner, Abdul Alhazred, has told us that Shadrack is the head of the Society, and has been for many years." She noticed as her husband paled at that remark.
She looked at her son, with concern in her eyes. "What else can you tell us, Alexander?"
She was stunned at his next words. "Well, from what we were able to find out, all the people we have crossed paths with have been members. Mannanan, Mordrak, Dahlia, and Hagatha are all high members. They all had subordinates, but not as powerful as they are. Our prisoner even said that some of them know how to cheat death."
Valanice remained lost in thought for a moment after hearing that. When Graham had found her, she had been abducted from her home by Hagatha. Even at that time, she had been ancient. She hated to think what spells the evil witch had used to cheat death. She also started to wonder if the old hag was still alive.
Before she could voice the question, she heard her husband ask the very question. "Do we have any clue on which of those members are still alive, and who are dead?"
She watched as her son shook his head. "I fear that it's not so easy. I had spoke with the Oracle of the Sacred Mountain, and she told me that some are still alive, but those that aren't, are not truly dead. They will only be dead when their spirits reach the realm of the dead."
She noticed Graham had nodded at those words. "I know. Connor reported that. I was hoping you could shed some light on the matter. You have been the only member of our family to venture into the realm of the dead." She shivered when she remembered Alexander's recount of that trial, all to find Cassima's parents.
Alexander then smiled at them, and that made Valanice feel better. "I had a feeling that was why you had brought it up, Father. I have been asking the Druids and the Oracle to try to form lines of communication with them. If things go right, I will be able to answer better any questions about those high members of the ..."
Valanice felt panic starting when the mirror went black again. No image could be seen on it. She felt almost the same dispair when her son was kidnapped long ago. "Not again. What happened?"
Graham shook his head. "It appears that our foe has closed off the magic of the mirror again. It appears that Shadrack is attacking Daventry." She then noticed Graham looking at the side door of the throne room, and turned to see where he was looking. The new historian, Cale Silver was standing there. "How long ago did you enter, Cale?"
She watched as Cale bowed. "I just arrived, Sire. I was just thinking, it's odd that you both stare at the non-working mirror."
She sensed Graham relaxing at the words. She then smiled. "For a brief moment, it was working. Our son, King Alexander of the Green Isles, had managed to contact us." She noticed that Cale nodded in understanding. "What brings you to us, Cale?"
She watched as he approached, and something made her wonder about the new historian. It wasn't long after his arrival that the mirror went dark, but she didn't think he was the evil Shadrack. "Forgive me, but I was wondering if I could ask about the first time Dahlia was encountered. Was it by King Graham?"
She saw her husband was about to answer, but a load roar cut him off. She also noticed a look of surprise on Cale's eyes. Before anyone could say anything, she heard a guard run into the throne room, shouting words no one wanted to hear. "Your magesties. A dragon has appeared in the air."
Almost instantly, she heard Graham shout, "Get the people from the town to the castle. We need to keep them safe. Hurry before there are any deaths." She watched as very one left the room. She quickly followed, and headed for the nearest window. Just as she reached the window, she froze. There was indeed a dragon flying in the air. She feared that it meant that Dahlia's power was growing.
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Authors
Notes:
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I hope you are enjoying this King's Quest based fic. I'm sure you might be wondering about some of the names, and with the exception of Cale Silver, Brutus, Anne, Geoffrey, and Sir Robert all are from established King's Quest background. I'll give some basics about the names mentioned in the fic, just to help bring you up to speed.
Graham - King of Daventry. Main character of King's Quest 1, King's Quest 2 and King's Quest 5.
Valanice - Queen of Daventry. Originally from the land of Kolyma. First featured in King's Quest 2. Main character in King's Quest 7.
Alexander - Son of Graham, now King of The Land Of Green Isles. Main character of King's Quest 3 and King's Quest 6.
Rosella - Daughter of Graham and Valanice. Twin sister to Alexander. Main character in King's Quest 4 and King's Quest 7. At end of King's Quest 7, she was courting Edgar of Eldritch.
Chrispin - Wizard who helped Graham in King's Quest 5.
Cedric - Owl familiar of Crispin. Featured in King's Quest 5.
Arch Duke Fifi The Yip-Yap. Ruler of Falderal. Featured in King's Quest 7.
Connor - Hero of King's Quest 8. At the end of the game, he was known as Chapion Eternal.
Sarah - Citizen of Daventry, and girlfriend of Connor. Was turned to stone in King's Quest 8. Released from spell when Connor restored the Mask of Eternity
Edgar - Prince of Eldritch, featured in King's Quest 4 and King's Quest 7. Courting Rosella.
Dahlia - Witch featured in King's Quest 1. In the game, she remained unnamed. This name is from the King's Quest Companion.
Hagatha - Witch featured in King's Quest 2. It is she who was behind Valanice's imprisonment in King's Quest 2.
Manannan - Evil Wizard from King's Quest 3. He was changed into a cat during King's Quest 3. He returned in King's Quest 5 in his cat form.
Lolotte - Evil Fairy from King's Quest 4. She was destroyed by Cupid's arrow by Rosella, freeing Edgar from the curse she held him with.
Mordack - Evil Wizrad from King's Quest 5. Brother of Manannan.
Shadrack - Only mentioned in King's Quest 6. A running theory is that he is in charge of the Black Cloak Society.
Malicia - Main villianess of King's Quest 7. At the end of the game, she was turned back into a baby.
Lucreto - Villian from King's Quest 8 (Mask of Eternity). At the end of King's Quest 8, he was imprisoned in a void.
This is the second fic that I'm working on that is based or inspired by games made by Sierra. I hope you all enjoy it as it progresses.
And now, to those who have left reviews.
KatyaChekov - Ages have passed again, and the next chapter is up. I hope this chapter catches you by surprise.
Now, tell your friends about this story. The first villian attack is about to begin Phase 2.
