Chapter Seven.
Of Goths and Frogs.
Globox waited under the tree he and Ophelia had hung out under the day before, basket on his belly. The sun was high in the sky and the day was warm. The air was crisp and a slight breeze chilled the otherwise too hot air. He was munching on the fruit, waiting for her. He was thinking of the places he would take her to, mentally making a list of things to warn her about, and wondering what questions she may have. His mental lists were interrupted by the feeling of someone sitting next to him. Globox looked, and there sat his purple haired flame.
"Hey, Globox." She said, giving him a hug, and to his surprise, a peck on the cheek.
"Hi Ophelia." He said, putting his arm around her and returning the hug, "so, you ready?"
"You bet!" she said, "I could hardly sleep last night, I was so excited."
"Well," Said Globox, "is there any part in particular you wanted to see?"
"Why don't we start with some of your favorite spots. And, maybe, your digs."
"My...what?" asked Globox.
"Your home." Informed Ophelia. Globox was honestly surprised she already wanted to see his home.
"W-well first," said Globox, "let's check out a place I love to hang out, and would bring my children to if I had any." Globox held his hand out, and Ophelia took it. After a good chunk of walking, with plenty of small talk, the two were standing at the base of a large tree.
"This," said Globox, "Is the Snoring Tree. If you could stack all the hours I've spent here, the stack would probably go to the moon and back a few times." Ophelia looked up, trying to see the top of the tree, but with all the branches, plus the sun, she couldn't.
"How tall is it?" she asked.
"Tall enough." Said Globox. "Wanna see the top?"
"Sure," said Ophelia, "but I'm not much of a climber."
"No worries," said Globox cheerfully, "get on my back." Globox held still, and Ophelia walked behind him and climbed up onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Globox then began to climb at a good pace, not too fast and not too slow. Ophelia felt safe, despite not being big on heights or the thought of falling through them. She could feel Globox's pulse and warmth again, and it was pleasant. Finally, Globox reached the top of the tree, walked away from the edge, and instructed Ophelia to dismount. What she saw blew her mind, and she may have fallen back down if Globox had stopped close to the edge.
First off, the view from up here was amazing. Higher up than where she'd first appeared, the view stretched out even further. Bright colors and lush landscape as far as the eye can see. The air was chilled as well, not too cold and not too hot. Before her, the branches of the tree entwined with each other to make a walkway into a larger part of the tree. It almost looked like one of those fantasy themed playgrounds she would go to as a kid, but this was the real deal. Above her, the branches swayed in the wind, and bright and sweet looking fruit dangled above her head, just biding their time to fall down and be enjoyed.
Globox put his arm around Ophelia and walked her down the walk way and into the main trunk of the Snoring Tree. Their footsteps echoed against the inner walls and ceiling, and it was a wide area. The Glade of Dreams never ceased to amaze her, and she was sure that more surprises were in store. The two continued to walk through the tree until they came to what looked like a makeshift slide.
"This thing has a lot of miles," said Globox, "you wouldn't believe how rough and splintery this thing was, but people just kept sliding down it, myself included. And now...well just have a feel." Ophelia gently ran her fingers along it,
"It feels like polished wood!" She exclaimed.
"Yep," said Globox, "It's gotten that many miles, and it's a heck of a ride. Wanna go down it?"
"Sure," said Ophelia. Globox lay down on his back, and Ophelia sat on his belly. Then Globox inched himself forward and soon the two were zipping down the slide quickly. The speed was increasing, but Ophelia was having the time of her life. Normally this would scare her, but sitting on Globox made it feel much better...he made her feel safe. And then when they reached the bottom of the slide, she found there was a small pond, which Globox skidded across like he was a mat at a water park. Ophelia couldn't hold in her cries of joy, and couldn't deny she was having fun. Globox came to a gentle stop on sand.
"Oh!" He exclaimed, "I just realized we landed in another favorite place of mine." Ophelia looked around. They were on a beach of some sort, and not far away there was green grass, nice trees, and what seemed like large chickens running around.
"What is this place?" asked Ophelia.
"You're in the minosaurus plains." Said Globox, "this is another great place to come down to if you're feeling stressed. And these minisauruses are some of the most friendly creatures around." One of them came over to the party, curious at the new visitors. It was about up to Ophelia's chest, and looked like a yellow pterodactyl. Its wings were down its sides and it had some sort of crest on its head. It had big buggy eyes that were very liquidy. It looked up at Ophelia. Were she at home or around others, Ophelia would have pretended to be indifferent about the creature, but with Globox, she ran her hand down the side of its head and gently scratched. The minisaurus cooed a bit, leaning its head into her hand. Ophelia couldn't help but smile, and knew that if she were fifteen years younger, she'd be begging her mom to let her keep it.
"Cute," she couldn't resist saying, "he sure likes being pet."
"Careful," said Globox playfully, "Minisauruses have a jealous streak."
"What do you-" she began to ask, but before she could finish, she was swarmed by a small mob of minisauruses, all wanting to be petted by Ophelia. She was brought to the ground, but felt no pain; this mosh pit tickled! She was laughing so hard, tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"Ophelia down!" joked Globox, watching this happen. Finally, Ophelia tried to cry out.
"G-Globox!" She barely managed, "h-help me!"
"Hang in there, Ophelia." Said Globox, reaching into the Minisaurus mob and lifting Ophelia from it. She was still laughing for a bit as the mob dispersed, and wiped away the tears as the mosh pit settled.
"That was," Ophelia took a few deep breaths to regain her composure, "that was something." She finally chuckled one last time as her laughter subsided. Globox set her down, but Ophelia still held onto him. They stood in an embrace, staring deep into each other's eyes. Ophelia's eyes were one of her most striking features, two brown pools that were deep with pride, yet a small piece of emotion hidden deep. The two got closer and closer, until finally their lips touched. Both shut their eyes, enjoying the burning and tender kiss. The world seemed to melt around them, and the kiss gradually heated up. Ophelia's arms were around Globox's neck, his around her waist. Finally, the kiss was broken by a need for oxygen, and Ophelia rested her head on Globox's chest.
"You know," she said softly, "they say it's all downhill after the first kiss."
"I think that only counts when you're kissing a human." Said Globox. Ophelia chuckled at this. For a time, nothing was said, but suddenly the two heard a voice.
"Ophelia!" called Jody's voice. Both huggers looked up just in time to see Jody running towards them.
"There you are." Said Jody, "I've been looking everywhere for you."
"Well you found me," said Ophelia, nearly rolling her eyes at Jody for ruining the moment, "what's up?"
"Remember Barbara?" asked Jody,
"Yeah," said Ophelia, "what about her?"
"She invited us to a pajama party; it'd be really rude to say no, so I'm not gonna let you." This time, Ophelia really did roll her eyes, but Jody either didn't notice or didn't care.
"Sorry, Globox," said Jody, turning her attention to him, "no boys allowed."
…
"So I just used that whole twisted ankle routine," Aurora continued her story, as the other girls leaned in closer with anticipation, "and it worked. He walked in closer. He thought he was the one trapping me, but I was the one trapping him. And when he got close enough...POW!" Aurora jumped off her seat to emphasize the power of her blow, then took out her large sword, "I gave him a compliment of my sword." The other girls laughed, as Aurora let out a satisfied grin. When the laughter died down, Barbara stood, and Aurora tossed her the small orange plush, which Barbara threw high into the air.
Jody and Ophelia sat amongst the crowd, like the others, they were in their pajamas. Jody's pajamas were a sky blue tank top and similar sweatpants, with pink socks. Ophelia sported a black tank top and purple sweatpants, with black socks finishing the outfit. Jody's hair was in a bun, Ophelia allowed her hair to run how it felt. This sort of scene wasn't Ophelia's favorite, and she was itching to get away and find Globox again. She was about ready to ring Jody's neck for dragging her here, but decided to withhold it for now. Suddenly, Ophelia saw something moving towards her, and in reflex caught it. It was soft between her fingers, and checking it confirmed her fears; she'd caught the plush.
"Here you go, Jody." Said Ophelia, placing the plush in Jody's lap, "you have the better stories."
"No no," said Barbara, "you know the rules. You caught the plush, you tell a story." All eyes locked onto the purple haired lady, making her rather uncomfortable.
"Gosh," said Ophelia, "I...don't really have a story."
"How about the one about you and Globox?" Offered Estelia, with a giggle.
"How did…" Ophelia shot a glare at Jody, "Jody, I'm gonna kill you!" Jody raised her hands in mock defense,
"I can't help it if you're so adorable together." She said, giggling. But before the goth could make good on her threat, there was a knock at the door. Barbara waded through the crowd of sisters and opened the door.
"Oh, hey, Juniper." Barbara greeted, standing aside to let Juniper Lee into the room. Juniper let her black hair run past her shoulders, and wore green pajamas with her trademark symbol, and grey slippers.
"What did I miss?" asked June.
"Not much," said Barbara, "but you're just in time to hear Ophelia's story."
"Which one are you gonna tell?" asked June to Ophelia, "maybe something about your frog flame?"
"How does everybody know about that?!" Asked Ophelia, "and what? You're saying it's wrong for me to date a frog? June, I watched you marry a...thingamajig and I didn't complain." Ophelia had had just about enough teasing, but somebody put a hand on her shoulder. She looked back; it was Ursula.
"Chill, Ophelia." She said, "No one's making fun of you, or judging you. Love is love." Ophelia took a minute to calm down.
"Sorry, everyone." she said, "so, what story does everyone want to hear?"
"Well," offered Selena, "how about the one where you guys met?" Everyone nodded or gave affirmatory noises. The goth cleared her throat,
"Well," she said, "the day Juniper brought me and Jody to The Glade, we met Rayman. He was giving us a brief flyover tour of the Glade, when the bug thing, I think his name was Murfy." Everyone's face made a look of disgust or annoyance at the mention of the name Murfy, especially Jody's. "Yeah," Ophelia agreed, "I don't like him either. Anyway, he crashes into my moskito and I fall into a river. I'm just barely able to get my head above the water, and to my horror, I see that I'm heading for a waterfall!" The princesses all gasped, looking at each other.
"So just as I'm about to go over, doing everything not to, Globox rescues me." Ophelia's tone changed at the mention of Globox, "he tried to bring me back to the bank, but when he couldn't he just fell off the waterfall, with me in tow. His body took the impact, and I was fine. The only injury from the whole thing was a welt on my ribs from falling into the river in the first place." Ophelia fell silent, letting the story sink in.
"I saw you two dancing at the wedding." Said Barbara, "what led to that?" Everyone nodded and leaned closer to the storyteller; they all wanted to hear that story.
"I had forgotten to thank him when he saved me." Explained Ophelia, "and so Jody reminded me to thank him; the easiest way to do that was bring him to the dance floor. And I dunno what it was, but something clicked in my brain. Something told me that he was a good guy for me. No, not a good guy, the good guy for me. My mom fell in love with my dad really fast, but I never thought that'd run in the family." The princesses giggled at this. Eventually, after more and more questions, Barbara gestured for Ophelia to toss her the plush. She obeyed, and the barbarian princess tossed it again. This time, it landed on Jody's head.
"Whoops!" said Barbara, "sorry about that!"
"It's fine," said Jody, taking the plush. "Should I tell a story or no?"
"Sure," said Barbara.
"So," began Jody, "Ophelia is not the only one who has a reason to dislike Murfy; he was perving on me since the dance floor at June's wedding! And it wasn't until her brother Dennis scared him away that I was finally able to enjoy myself." She scoffed, "such a pervert."
"You just gotta know how to handle him," said Estilia, "he never says no to the face slap argument." Everyone laughed, and Jody was probably laughing the loudest.
…
The next morning, everyone was sitting down to breakfast. Ophelia sat between Jody and June, and she could tell June had something on her mind. Soon the castle workers passed everyone a fruit salad, very similar to the one Ophelia and Globox had had on their first date. As the party ate and talked, eventually, June tapped on Ophelia's shoulder.
"Can we talk outside for a sec?" she asked.
"Sure," said Ophelia. She got up and followed June outside.
"Do you really love Globox, Ophelia?" asked Juniper.
"Yes," said Ophelia, "I love him. Why do you ask?"
"You're gonna have to introduce him to your mom, you know that, right?" Ophelia had forgotten all about her mom.
"H-how is she gonna take to me being in love with a frog?" asked Ophelia, her voice quivering.
"Well," said June, "how do you think Rayman blends into our place?"
"He doesn't." Ophelia stated.
"Unless I give him a human form." said Juniper. Ophelia stopped to think for a second.
"So what you're saying is…" Ophelia tried to piece together.
"I can give Globox human form too." Informed Juniper. Ophelia was silent, before throwing her arms around Juniper in a sudden embrace.
"Thanks a million, June!" Cried Ophelia.
"No worries!" Said June, returning the hug, "I'm just helping a friend, that's all."
