iv. In which Green encounters the Warlock


"What do you think you are, obstructing the King of Narnia's way?" roared the carriage-driver. He leapt from his seat and advanced toward Green with his whip. Now that they were on the same level, Green saw he appeared humanoid, but his hands looked like they belonged to a Mewtwo's. "Well? Are you deaf or mute? Answer me!"

"I'm - I'm Green," Green stammered, nearly tripping over himself as he backed away from the whip-wielding figure.

"'Green'? There's no Pokemon called 'Green'. Maybe you'll feel like lying less after a lashing!"

"W-wait, stop, I'm not a Pokemon, I'm a boy!"

Green saw the carriage-driver's eyes widen before the White Warlock spoke, "Enough Proton. You're terrifying him."

From the ostentatiously decorated doors, the King emerged wearing a simple suit and carrying a black cane that fit perfectly in his human hands. Combined with his sleek short hair and his sinister smile, he resembled more like a mob boss than a king.

Proton was whispering to him loud enough for Green to hear, but not enough for him to understand, "But your Majesty! A Son of Adam! This may cause trouble, if what was told is to be believed - "

"No matter. He is but one, and easily dealt with," the King hissed back. Then he faced Green with the most welcoming smile he could muster. "Please forgive my subordinate for his roughness. Are you lost? You look cold. Come sit with me in my carriage and I will wrap a warm blanket around you and we will talk."

Green was wary of entering a stranger's vehicle, but he did not dare disobey a king and his ill-tempered servant. The White Warlock guided Green to sit next to him on a velvet seat and seemingly out of nowhere drew the softest and thickest blanket around Green until he was snug.

"Would you like something hot to drink?"

"Um, yeah, sure," said Green. He quickly added a "Your Majesty" when he glimpsed Proton's angry expression from outside the open door (though Green wasn't sure if he just looked like that by default).

The King smiled and took his cane and leaned over, giving the snow one good tap. From where his cane left a dent, a silver goblet emerged and filled itself with a hot, butterscotch-colored liquid. It was left steaming on the ground until the King commanded Proton with his hand to bring it up to him and handed it to Green. Green had never tasted anything like it before; it was sweet and creamy and he felt the warmth of the drink trickle into his toes.

"How about something to eat, Son of Adam?"

Green didn't have to think long. "Turkish Delight please. Your Majesty."

Again the White Warlock tapped his cane into the snow and a box wrapped in a black ribbon emerged. Inside were the finest pieces of Turkish Delight in the whole world, and the best part was that Green got the whole box to himself. While he ate, the King asked rather inquisitive questions about his personal life, but the sweet sticky treat and the handsome man who provided them enchanted Green so much that he freely spoke, forgetting to say "your Majesty" altogether. It did not suit a boy like him anyways.

"Four orphan children, altogether? You're sure there are four of you?"

"Yes, I already said that," said Green, annoyed that he was interrupted mid-bite. "3 guys and 1 girl. We all came from the same orphanage."

"I see. And are you the only one to enter Narnia through, what was it, the War Drobe?"

"Nah, Lyra came before. Said she had tea with a Blue Ditto or something. I got in here by following her when she was sneaking around at night."

"My, how awfully clever. Out of the four, clearly you must be the brightest."

"Damn straight." Green puffed up a little. "And I'm the oldest too. The other three are really nothing special. Lyra is such a little girl sometimes and Gold is seriously the biggest idiot that ever lived and Red - " Here Green finished chewing on a piece before continuing. " - Red is the biggest loser of all. All the adults, even my gramps, think he's so mature because he doesn't talk, but he doesn't talk any better than me when he does talk. And he always plays with those other two babies. He doesn't hang out with me anymore."

"Why, how foolish of him to turn down an opportunity to be with the most charming and handsome young man I've ever met." Green nodded furiously at the King's words. "And how foolish of your grandfather to not see that his own grandchild has so much potential. Potential worthy of a High King."

Potential...Green liked that word. No one ever described an orphan to have potential - it was already considered a success if they stayed at the fringes of a war-torn society without succumbing to addiction or death. By now Green had finished the entire box of Turkish Delight, and he looked at the King if he could magic some more. But the King smiled and and merely said, "Green, I am an old man with no heir to call my own, and I would love to have a special boy like you to be Prince at my castle."

"Can I have some more first?" Green asked and lifted the empty box for the White Warlock to see when it was clear his puppy eyes weren't working.

"I have rooms full of Turkish Delight in my castle. Next time you come, bring your friends along to share, but keep it a secret. Wouldn't they be pleasantly surprised to 'find' a castle full of Turkish Delight for them to enjoy?"

"Why would you want them to come?" said Green, a little disappointed. "They're nothing special."

"I know, but when you are Prince, and then King, you will need subjects to rule over. You will be High King of Narnia, and you may eat all the Turkish Delight you want with no one to object. Everyone will have to listen to you then, even Red. He will be yours to command."

Green felt something stir inside him with those words. They made him feel good; like he was important - like he mattered. He disembarked the carriage in silence, already reveling in his magnificence.

"Now, my castle is in between those two hills there." The King pointed in the distance with his cane. "Next time you come, promise me you'll bring all of your friends. And remember, keep it a surprise, it will be our fun little secret between the two of us if you don't tell them about me, especially if the girl has already met a Ditto - they tell all sorts of nasty lies with their disguises." The King was seated comfortably in his carriage again and Proton was getting ready to resume his carriage-driving duties as Green stood in the snow.

"Wait! Can't I have just one more piece?" he pleaded.

The King chuckled and shook his head. "Not now, but next time. See you soon!" He knew the treat was enchanted so that its consumer will always crave more, and given the opportunity, continue eating themselves to death. The boy would be useless to him then.

Green walked back to the lamp-post, annoyed and cold again. He wasn't really looking at where he was going, and he nearly ran into Lyra.

"Green! You found the way in!" she said in delight. "Oh this is great. Gold and Red have to believe us now that both of us are here!"

"Where were you?" he asked crossly. "I was looking for you the whole time!"

"Well if I knew you were coming I would have waited for you. I was at Blue's place for tea again and she was alright and unharmed by the White Warlock for letting me go. She thinks he never found out so it looks like everything's going to be alright and we can bring the others and have so much fun - "

"Wait. Who is this White Warlock?"

Lyra made a face before continuing, "The White Warlock is an awful sorcerer who calls himself King of Narnia, but he has no right to be king. He rides in an ugly black carriage with the cruelest driver and he carries a black cane he uses to turn people into stone, and all the good Pokemon left absolutely hate him because he makes them do terrible things for him when they don't want to." She paused to take a breath. "And he's the one who makes it winter forever in Narnia but never Christmas."

"How do you never have Christmas? That makes no sense at all. Time doesn't just stop like that. Besides, you can't believe everything your Ditto says. They lie a lot," Green added.

"How would you know?"

"Well everyone knows its in their nature to deceive. Common sense, Lyra. Seriously if you weren't growing taller I'd swear you're growing backwards. C'mon, let's go home. I'm cold."

"Okay!" Lyra was too happy to let Green sour her mood. "Let's tell Red and Gold. We're going to have great adventures!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep it down." Green was feeling a little sick from all the Turkish Delight he ate, combined with the news that the man he just conversed with might be an evil warlock. Might. Upon further thinking, he reasoned that the King couldn't be bad because he sat with Green and called him wonderful things and magicked delicious food with his cane instead of turning Green into stone. Green plodded behind Lyra's skipping, telling himself these thoughts, and pondered how he would get the others to believe him instead of Lyra so they will go to the King's castle and he can eat more Turkish Delight.


a.n.: don't mind me, just putting ostentatious words like ostentatious in a children's story