"When should we have the wedding?" Flame asked her love quietly as she rubbed his chin.

"As soon as we can, dear." Flicker replied softly, holding her close.

The two were lying in Flame's plush bed, the room almost completely absent of light, except for the dim glow of the moon. Suddenly, a thundering noise resounded clearly. Flame, dressed in her usual nightgown, answered the door.

"What's up?" Seyon shouted in his usual tone. 

"Flicker and I were trying to sleep." 

"Well, take a rain check on that. I have something to show to you and Flicker, and everyone else." 

"What is it?" 

"It is a secret! You two will have to come with me to find out." 

"Very well." Flame replied somewhat apathetically. She went over to get Flicker out of bed, but he had overheard their conversation and was already up. 

Seyon lead both of them through the castle and out into the vast green field surrounding the castle. The rest of the residents of Camelhot were already there, all of them standing next to the building that had been built when they all went to Braigland. As Flame and Flicker were led closer, they could hear the slow, steady puffing of the large steam engine that was housed in that building. Finally, they joined the rest of the crowd.

"Seyon, when are you going to show this off?" Blaze complained. "It's cold out here, and I need my beauty sleep!" 

"Hold your horses. I still need to make my speech." Seyon answered as he walked over to a large box that had a lever protruding out of it.

"All right, everyone. Now you will see a modern Camelhot in a dark age! The combined talents of some of the greatest inventors of all time have come together over the ages to bring us this high standard of living!" Seyon proclaimed. "That sounded smart, didn't it?" He whispered to Scarlet, who was standing next to him. She smiled.

"And now…" Seyon continued. "The moment we have all been waiting for! Let us shed light on these dark ages!" 

Seyon pulled the large lever, which clunked when it reached the bottom. At once, Camelhot, which was dimly lighted by the moon, shined brightly with a golden light, as if lighted by daylight.

Everyone gasped at the sudden brilliance that had been cast upon their castle. 

"Seyon, this is astounding!" Allfire exclaimed.

"I know. Just think of all the great people who helped make this possible. Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla, Angus Young…" 

"Angus is a rock star, not an inventor!" Corlea corrected him from somewhere in the crowd.

"I know, but that doesn't mean that he isn't great! Anyway, remember all the lights, plumbing, and other stuff that I told you all about?" 

The entire crowd responded in the affirmative.

"They all work now, so use them to the fullest! Now let us go back inside. I think that we are done here!"

Soon, the entire population was back inside Camelhot, sleeping in their soft beds, except for Seyon, who secretly left for Weston-super-Mare in the middle of the night, being careful not to let anyone know about his intentions.

Scarlet awoke at dawn at the sound of Seyon entering the room. She glanced up, and quickly saw something strange about him. He was with another woman. She was an absolutely gorgeous human, dressed in an exquisite dress, but she had a wretched odor. 

"Whose the lady?" Scarlet asked calmly, as she was used to him bringing in friends.

"She is the daughter of the great King Richard, and my new girlfriend."

"Wh… what?" Her entire body suddenly felt cold.

"I'm sorry, but I'm the king of Edinburrough, and the president of Braigland! I need to have someone with class by my side. Not some street rat, like you!"

Scarlet burst in to tears. She quickly leapt out of bed, thrust Seyon and his new girlfriend aside, and ran out through the door as fast as she could. She sprinted through the castle and made here way to the drawbridge. As she ran toward it, Seyon, who was entering the castle, caught her in a bear hug.

"Let me go!" She screamed as she fought and struggled to break free.

"What's wrong?" Seyon, quite alarmed by her screaming and crying, asked.

"How dare you call me a street rat! I thought that you love me." She cried.

"What are you talking about? I do love you!"

"Oh yeah? Then where's that new girlfriend of yours?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about? Please explain it to me!" 

"You came in to my room, told me about your new girlfriend, called me a street rat, and then I ran to here as fast as I could." She snapped.

"Do you see a problem?" 

"What?" 

"Look. How could I have possibly done all of that and met you here when you ran here as fast as you could? That's like, totally impossible!" 

Scarlet at once calmed down, as she knew what he was saying was true.

"I say that something funny is going on!" Seyon stated.

"You're right! So… you do love me right?"

"Of course!" 

"And you don't think that I'm a street rat?" 

"Of course not!"

"Seyon, I love you so much!" She hugged him, crying with joy.

"Listen I have something to tell you. Braigland is having disputes with her mother country, Papua New Guinea. I have to go back, and it may be a long time before I can come back."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Can I come with you?" 

"Well, the problem is that Braigland has strict immigration laws. It would be extremely hard to bring you into the country." 

Scarlet's heart sank. She had hoped to live there with him someday, but now it seemed unlikely to ever happen.

"However, there is one way to get around the law." 

"What is it?"

"If we were to get married here, then bringing you into the country would be a piece of cake!" 

"Really?" 

"So, will you marry me?" He asked as he whipped out a gorgeous diamond ring from his pocket and held it in front of her.

"Of course I will!" She could hardly keep her eyes dry.

Seyon effortlessly slipped the ring onto her finger and then kissed her.

"I was gone all night so that I could have this ring made. Now why don't we go back to our room and show 'Seyon' what he has coming?" Seyon suggested.

"Sweet!"

They walked back to their room, hand in hand. When they arrived, they found Corlea sitting on their bed, with the imposter and his girlfriend tied to the bedpost.

"Hi!" She greeted them. "Check this out!"

She pulled a mask off of Seyon's impersonator, only to reveal Count Geoffrey. Then, she pulled the mask of off the princess, and it revealed Merle the Wizard.

"We had a perfect plan, had Corlea not foiled it!" Merle snapped in her raspy voice. 

"Crud! Seyon and I were going to foil it!" Scarlet declared. 


"Can I at least torture them?" Scarlet asked Seyon.

"Sure!"

She darted into the bathroom and quickly rushed back out, holding a bar of soap. She sat in front of the two captives and she held it in front of their faces.

"Check this out! It's so clean…" 

Merle and Geoffrey screamed in horror. 


"So…" Seyon began, "What was your plan? I can think of no conceivable way that this plan would have made sense!" 

"We well never tell!" Merle snapped back.

"Very well. Scarlet, go on!" 

She rubbed Merle's face with the soap, and then the wizard panicked and immediately told everything.

"We figured that if you would break up with Scarlet, then I, cleverly disguised as this princess, would marry you, giving me and subsequently Geoff control of Edinburrough and Braigland!"

"Too bad it didn't work. After all, Scarlet and I are now engaged! Now I am going to release both of you, and then you two are going to get lost, got it?" 

Seyon untied them, and then they darted away in shame, since this was just another one of their evil schemes that failed. 

"Ha! Scarlet, have Corlea burn that soap and then come with me so that we can talk to Flicker and Flame."

At once, Seyon left for Flicker and Flame's room, while Scarlet decided to discuss all of the recent happenings with Corlea.

"I can't believe it. Count Geoffrey tried to take me away from Seyon…" 

"I know. I was there for the entire thing!"

"Anyway, I was going to run far, far away after Seyon said that he had a new girlfriend, but then, I ran into him on the drawbridge. It quickly became apparent that something was fishy about Seyon leaving me." 

"That worked out rather well, didn't it?" 

"It sure did! However, Seyon explained to me that he has been called back to Braigland and will soon be leaving England." Scarlet sadly stated.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I too must be leaving. It's been nearly a week, and I have to get back, but maybe we can go back together. Besides, I have to re-dye my hair!" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"My hair isn't naturally this shade of red. It's actually brown, but I dye it this color. Actually, I bleach it, then dye it with a special dye so I can get this natural shade of red."

"Interesting… But at least my hair is naturally red! So, when you go back to Braigland, will I ever see you again?" 

"Of course, but in due time."

"Anyway, back to the original topic. So long story short, in order to make it easier for me to go to Braigland, we are going to get married!" She proudly showed off her luscious engagement ring.

"Congratulations!" 

"Thanks! Now I'm going to go see Flicker and Flame!" 

Before Corlea could say anything else, Scarlet was gone. She quickly arrived at Flicker and Flame's room. The door was open, so she simply walked in. When she did, she found Flicker and Flame sitting on Flame's bed, and Seyon was sitting in a nearby chair.

"So, that's what's up." Seyon stated, apparently having finished explaining everything to Flicker and Flame.

"Scarlet my dear! I'm so glad that you could join us!" Seyon exclaimed, having just noticed that Scarlet had entered the room.

Before Scarlet could say anything, Cinder and Clinker rushed past her and immediately delivered a message to Seyon.

"Seyon, there's a package for you in your room." Clinker stated without showing any sort of enthusiasm. They disappeared in a flash.

"All right! It's here! Totally radical!"

"What is it?" Scarlet asked, wanting to know just what could make her fiancé so excited.

"Come with me! To our room!" Seyon leaped out of his chair onto Flame's bed, ran across it, and then was gone.

By the time Flicker, Flame, and Scarlet had made it to the room, Seyon was already fighting with a large wooden crate, trying to get it open. Having no luck, he rushed to his famous closet and pulled out an iron crow, one of Flicker's many inventions. He dashed over to the crate with was marked "Fragile" on top, and pried the lid loose. Inside was a bunch of white, oddly shaped objects that had the consistency of nothing that the dragons had seen before.

"No! Not packing peanuts!" Seyon shouted. "The most evil of peanuts!"

Seyon pulled out another wooden box out of the "packing peanuts." It was a fine box that was stained a dark brown. He carefully set it down on his bed and opened it. It was lined with purple velvet, and laid in the velvet was an odd-looking rifle. It was about the same length as a regular rifle, but the stock and barrel were much fatter. Seyon pulled it out of the case, opened the empty breach, and then aimed it at a wall.

"Ha ha! Man, this thing is awesome!" He exclaimed as he lowered the barrel.

"What's so great about it?" Flicker queried, having fired some of Seyon's rifles before.

"This my friend, is called a two-bore rifle! This is no ordinary rifle, and you'll see why when I fire it. Hang on; let me find some ammo for it. Here, hold it!"

Seyon thrust it to Flicker, who was nearly knocked over, and returned to the packing crate. After digging around in the packing peanuts, Seyon pulled out a cardboard box that had a picture of a bullet on it. He took the gun back from Flicker and handed him the heavy box. From Flicker's experience, a box of ammo with that size and weight would have a hundred or more shiny brass rounds in it. When he opened it, he was surprised to see only ten massive cartridges in it.

"Seyon, these are huge!" 

"I know! And expensive, too!" Seyon added.

At once, Corlea, who had some time ago left the room, returned. Upon seeing Seyon's new toy, she was thoroughly ecstatic. 

"Whoa! Is this a four-bore!?" She asked as she took one of the cartridges from Flicker's hand.

"Better yet! It's a two-bore!" 

"No way! Can I fire it?" 

"Um, sure, but I get to fire it first."

Suddenly, Griddle's voice bellowed clearly all the way from the throne room. 

"Flame, come here immediately!"

Flame sighed. "I'll see you all later. I need to find out what Queen Griddle wants of me."

She quickly left the room, as she knew that for every moment that Griddle had to wait, she would become more and more frustrated. She soon arrived, hoping that her stepmother was in a good mood. Griddle was sitting on her throne as usual.

"What is it, stepmother?" Flame calmly asked.

"Now that you are engaged, you will need a new dress. After all, once you are married, you will become a queen. You can't possible dress up as you are dressed now if you want anyone to respect your authority!" 

"Yes, stepmother…" 

"I want you to go to Weston-super-Mare to buy a new dress. Have Seyon take you in his beastly carriage so he can help you pick one out. Take no one else."

"But why can't Flicker come with me?" 

"Because he is your fiancé! We can't have him deciding about a dress for you!" Griddle snapped, inadvertently showing her lack of approval for Flicker.

"Very well…"

She soon returned to Seyon's room, where she found him, as well as Flicker, Scarlet and Corlea marveling over the huge rifle.

"That was fast! So are you going to watch me fire my rifle now?" Seyon blurted out.

"No. Queen Griddle wants you, and you only to take me to Weston-super-Mare so I can get a new dress immediately."

"Why can't I come?" Flicker asked, with a strong presence of anger in his voice.

"I don't know, but Griddle was very clear, and I'm not going to disobey her.' 

"Very well…"

"Wait, she said not to take anyone with you, right?" Seyon started. 

"Right."

"What if I was to take everyone with me?" Seyon suggested.

"I'm sorry, but Griddle won't take it as literally as you."

"Total crudness. Well, shall we go before she gets insanely mad? I mean she's always mad, but we don't want it to get worse…" 

Soon, Seyon and Flame were barreling down a dirt road on their way to Weston-super-Mare. For the most part, they did not speak. Seyon was lost deep in thought, but then he came to a conclusion.

"Flame! I know why Griddle sent just the two of us!" 

"Why?" 

"Suppose we were to fall in love with each other, and instead of you marrying Flicker and me marrying Scarlet, we were to be married." 

Flame gasped. "How could you suggest such a thing!?"

"Think about it. How would it benefit Griddle if we were to be married? She would have indirect access to my vast riches and stuff. So, she sends us alone on this trip and wants me to help you pick out a dress. That could be kind of romantic."

Flame thought for a moment. Every time the thought turned over in her mind, it seemed to make more and more sense.

"Your right. But we won't let her plan work, will we?" 

"Of course not!"

"Flame, I'll be honest with you. I… um… exist." 

"Okay…" 

"Actually, I forgot what I was going to say. So, when are you going to have your wedding?" 

"As soon as possible."

"That's amazing… That's exactly when we are supposed to have our wedding! If Scarlet and I don't get married quickly, then she won't be able to go to Braigland with me."

"I wish you could stay longer…"

"Me too. Finally! We are here!"

Seyon soon parked the Beast next to the clothier, which they promptly entered. Inside was a myriad of clothes, ranging from clothes for the commoner, all the way up to exquisite attire for kings and queens. Seyon followed Flame, as she had been there many times and knew her way around. She browsed through several outfits, and one caught her eye. It was made of fine silk, and it was a mixture of red and violet. She took it over to the fitting rooms, and soon, she emerged.

"What do you think?" She asked as she admired herself in the mirror.

"Flame, you look beautiful. Hang on just a second." 

Seyon walked up to her and put a gorgeous necklace on her. It had a fine gold chain that supported a purple sapphire that was embellished in a striking gold facet.

"Seyon, where did you get this? It's gorgeous!" 

"It's a gift from me. I thought that it would look great on you, and it does. Now you look like a queen!"

Then, the storekeeper approached them. She was an older lady, and spoke with a strong English accent. 

"How are you today milady?" 

"I'm just fine." Flame replied. "How much is this dress?" 

"It's a fine little piece that one is. For you it'll be one hundred and twenty pounds."

"What!? I may be a princess, but I can't afford that! Unless, someone would be nice enough to buy it for me…" She hinted to Seyon with a sly look.

"It's awfully expensive…"

"Please, Seyon? Please?"

"And you just suppose that I'm made of money, don't you?" 

"Well, aren't you?" 

"…Yes. I'll buy it for you, but you owe me!"

"Thank you so much!"

She hugged him and then dashed away to the fitting rooms to change back into her old dress. Seyon paid for the dress in pure silver, the form of currency that he preferred to use. Flame then came back, holding her new attire over her shoulder.

"All right, Flame. Now that I have no money, I guess we should just go back to Camelhot." 

It took them just over an hour to reach the oddly-shaped castle. When they crossed the bridge and entered the courtyard, they found that Queen Griddle was waiting for them. Seyon slowed the Beast and stopped it beside her.

"Greetings, my liege!" Seyon shouted past Flame.

"How was your trip?" 

"Decent."

"Flame, did you get a new dress?"

"Yes I did. Seyon bought it for me."

"Really?" The queen replied, thinking that her plan had worked.

"He also gave this fine necklace to me."

"When I saw it, I knew that it would look great on her, so I bought it!" Seyon blurted out. 

Just then, Scarlet darted out of the castle and leapt into Seyon's arms, nearly knocking him out of his seat. 

"Hey sweetie! You sure are happy to see me!" Seyon stated calmly, and then he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Griddle, though being careful not to show her feelings, was quite distraught. Her shot at vast riches and fame had failed. Seyon glanced at her, almost showing that he had figured out her plan.

"All right. Let us go inside!" Seyon boldly stated as he so often did. "Now Flame, meet me in my room. Scarlet, find Flicker and bring him there as well. I have a… er… an important announcement!"

Not half an hour later, they all met in what was now Seyon, Scarlet, and Corlea's room, though she was not present. 

"All right! Let the announcement begin!" Seyon blurted out. "As you all know, I am to leave for Braigland in just a few days. Scarlet and I are going to have our wedding the day after tomorrow, and then we've got to go." 

"Seyon, you've done so much for us…" Flicker started off, but Seyon interrupted him before he could finish.

"Hang on! This isn't a good-bye! I'm just building up my point! Anyway, Corlea will be leaving with us. Now for the gist of this here speech. I had to figure out what to do about Edinburrough, and then I figured it out. Flicker, Flame, when you two kiss each other on that altar, you will then be known as King Flicker and Queen Flame of Edinburrough. At that moment, you both will receive my crown, which I lost some time ago, so it might be more of a metaphorical crowning…"

The room fell silent. Flicker and Flame looked at each other, not knowing what to think. Then, Cinder and Clinker burst into the room, holding a large box.

"Package for Seyon." Clinker stated without even the slightest hint of enthusiasm. 

"Total sweetness! My Nintendo is here! I wish Corlea were here to play it with me. Does anyone know where she is?" 

"Count Geoffrey kidnapped her!" Cinder answered.

"Figures. Oh well. I know that she can get out of there by herself. "

It was true. Just a little while before Seyon and Flame had returned to the castle, Corlea was napping soundly on her bed when Count Geoffrey and his evil knights took her away.

She was now chained to a wall in the torture chamber, and Count Geoffrey was about to attempt to get what he wanted from her.

"So… What is it you want from me?" Corlea asked politely. 

"According to Merle's sorcery, you know more than you are making us believe." 

"That's true." 

"So, do you want to save the pain and just spill it all now?" 

"Nope. But hurry up and do whatever it is that you are going to do to me. I want to get back to Camelhot!"


"If you don't spill the beans, then you will never return!" 

"Fine. I am actually Princess Corlea of Braigland, daughter of Seyon and Scarlet, from the future! Ooooh!" 

"So you are actually the princess of Braigland? You could be worth something to me…"

"Well, not really. Princess is simply the title given to the daughter of the president. It's just a title and nothing else. It's not like I have a claim to the throne of Braigland, especially since it's a democracy…"

"Really…"

"Now you are going to let me go, right?" 

"No. I haven't finished asking you questions. Now how can I take down Seyon?" 

"It would be almost impossible. He has a whole country to back him up. I would say that the best thing you could do is befriend him."

"Never!"

"Seriously. Look at Flicker and Flame. They are two of his best friends, and look at where they are now."

"...Well, I hate to say it, but you've got a point. However, I'm not going to befriend him, but I will get on his good side, or something..." 

"You see? Perhaps being evil is not the best solution."


"I guess you're right. Here, I'll let you go."

Geoffrey pulled a key out of his tunic and unlocked all four of the massive locks that held Corlea to the wall.

"Corlea, before you leave, I must ask something."

"Shoot."

"How is it that you are Seyon and Scarlet's daughter? I thought that a human and a dragon couldn't bear a child."

"Of course! That's why they adopted me. Now, I must ask you something. Is it true that you like to write?" 

"No. You're thinking of my cousin, Geoffrey of Monmouth. I'll tell you, he is obsessed with those stupid Camelhotians! He is constantly writing tales about them!"

"I see…" 

Corlea flew away and headed for one of the huge gaping holes in Castle Treadbare walls. However, not being an expert flyer, her wing tip caught the edge, causing her to spin out and plummet into the alligator-infested moat below. She climbed out, having narrowly escaped from the alligators, soaked with the rank water. Finally, she made it back to Camelhot, still dripping wet.

When she returned, she found Seyon and Scarlet sitting on the floor, their eyes focused on the glowing screen in front of them. Patsy was carefully watching Scarlet's tail so that she could attack it when it moved even the slightest bit. In Seyon's hand was a rectangular object that had several buttons on it. A cord connected it to Seyon's 'Nintendo.' Scarlet's controller was sitting on the floor in front of her. 

"Righteous! I got a star!" Seyon shouted after completing the level. "That makes three, so I get five lives!"

"Hey Corlea!" Scarlet exclaimed in her usual manner. "No offense, but you reek!"

"Yeah. I fell into the moat around Castle Threadbare." 

"That explains it." 

"You two have fun! I'm going to take a shower."

Corlea disappeared into the bathroom, desperately trying to get rid of her foul stench. Meanwhile, it was Scarlet's turn to play Seyon's favorite video game. 

"Okay, so how do I run?" 

"Press that button right there."

"Sweet!" 

The heavily pixilated, red-hatted character dashed across the screen. Then, he came to a pit. 

"Let's see… Ah ha! Jump!" Scarlet pushed the "A" button, and then her character jumped, but, misjudging his momentum, he fell right into the pit and her turn was over.

"Foolish plumber man! Your insolence shall be your demise!" 

"Scarlet, what are you talking about?"

"I don't know…"

Then, Flicker entered the room completely unannounced. He had quite a disgruntled look about him, which was quite uncharachteristic of his personality.

"Flicker, is there something wrong?" Seyon asked with most of his attention focused on the video game in front of him.

"Seyon, I have a problem…" 

"Oh dear! Is it a problem with Flame? I know that you two have been together all day." 

"Not at all. You know that car I built?" 

"Sure. That thing's awesome! When you get it up and running, I'll race you. What do you think? The Beast versus your car." 

"That's fine and all, but again, I have a problem. Well, I built it in my old room, but… it won't fit through the door. It's stuck up there…"

"Don't worry, I'll have some dudes come over and get that thing down." 

"Thank you."

Seyon at once dashed over to his nightstand where his infamous radio lay. He picked it up, hit several buttons, and waited for a response.

"Bradford? Is that you?"

"..........."

"Excellent! Hey, I've got a job for the Burgundy Dragon Brigade."


"Flicker build a car in the north tower here and he can't get it down. Have the entire brigade come over and bring whatever it takes to get it down."


"Awesome! I'll see you soon!"

He pushed a button on the radio and set it back on the nightstand, not even wondering why he chose such a poor place for his sophisticated equipment.

"That's done! Now where's Flame?" Seyon inquired as he sat down in front of the television. 

"All right. Flame, you can come in!" Flicker shouted through the door.

She slowly entered, and she was dressed in her lavish new attire. Her new necklace complemented her dress perfectly. Her engagement ring sparkled in the sun's light. She was truly the perfect queen. She was not wearing her chapeau, indicating that she was soon to be wearing a crown in its place.

"Flame, you look awesome!"

"Thank you!" 

"Why don't you come in and relax? Scarlet and I are playing video games!"

"What's a video game?"

"Why don't you stick around and find out?"

"Sure."

Flicker was sitting on what used to be his bed, with Flame in his arms. Scarlet and Seyon were still playing the same game, though Seyon was far ahead. Finally, it was Scarlet's turn. 

"I can do this! Come on little man, do what I tell you to!" Even Scarlet's shouts could not make up for her extreme lack of skill.

"OUCH! Stop it!" 

She looked behind and saw Patsy gnawing on her tail. She swatted the cat who promptly took off. By that time, it was too late. Scarlet's character had been attacked, and her turn was now over.

"That was most uncool!"

"Uncool for you that is! Let's see if I, Seyon, can work my magic."

Just moments after he started, there was a knock at the door. Once again Seyon darted for the door, having paused his game. He opened it in his usual, quick manner, and on the other side was none other than Count Geoffrey, and he immediately had the attention of everyone in the room.

"Mister Count Geoffrey! What brings you here?"

"I want to um..."

"Um?"

"Hang out! That's what it's called!"

"Sure! You're more than welcome to use my rocking chair over there."

Count Geoffrey made his way to Seyon's chair, which was positioned so that it faced the television.

Flame, obviously unnerved by the apparently welcome intrusion of Camelhot's arch enemy into their room, beckoned Seyon to follow her outside. When Seyon had left the room, she shut the door behind them.

"Seyon, why did you let Count Geoffrey in?" She snapped.

"Why not?"

"Because he's going to try to take over Camelhot! That's why!"

"Don't worry about it, Flame. He won't get away with anything. I promise."

She knew that Seyon was true to his word whenever he promised anything, since he had never broken one of his promises without good reason. Therefore, she felt much more at ease, although she was naturally still suspicious.

"Okay, but I need to go to my room. I'll be right back."

"All right. We'll be waiting for you!" Seyon cheerfully announced as he was halfway in the doorway.

Flame navigated through the numerous corridors and hallways of the castle before finally arriving at her room. She opened the door and trotted in as usual, slowly closing the door behind her to lessen the squeaking of the hinges. She approached her dresser, and suddenly someone grabbed her from behind and picked her up.

"Flicker?" She had every reason to believe that it was her love that had picked her up from behind, as it would not have been the first time that he had done so.

"Guess again." Said an all too familiar voice.

"Maclaren!" The very thought of his presence sent chills down her spine.

"Very good!"

"Wha... What are you doing here?" At this point she feared for her life.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you as long as you do what I say."

"What is that?"

"You are going to help me take down Seyon."

"Never!"

"Really?"

Maclaren set her back on her feet but kept a firm grip on her. He freed his right arm and pulled a large knife out of a sheath on his belt. He slowly placed the blade against her neck.

"Are you sure that you're not going to help me?"

"Fine. I will help you..."

"That's more like it! Your first task is to make sure that the wedding between Scarlet and him never takes place. When you have completed your task, then we will meet again."

"Very well."

"And one last thing. If you tell anyone about me, then that will be your last mistake!"

At once he thrust her away and leapt out of her window and he landed in the moat below.

Flame had no idea as to what to do. She could tell Seyon and hopefully he could stop the former king of Edinburrough before he could do anything to her. On the other hand, she could fulfill her commitment to Maclaren in which case she would have yet another task to complete. The choice seemed obvious. She could never do anything to harm Seyon. She would rather lose her own life than help Maclaren destroy him. She continued to think about the possible outcomes as she headed back to Seyon's room.

When she arrived, she found Seyon sitting on his bed, apparently done playing his video game. Corlea, who was still dripping wet from her shower and wearing nothing but a towel since her only set of clothes were being washed had taken his place. Scarlet sat next to her, ready for her turn. Count Geoffrey was laying back in Seyon's rocking chair, watching the game.

Flame once again beckoned Seyon to meet her outside, and he quickly did so.

"What's up?"

Flame looked down both ends of the hallway before speaking.

"I have something to tell you..."

"What is it?"

"I..." Just then, she saw Maclaren standing on the small balcony at the end of the hallway. He glared at her.

"I love you!" She blurted out, since that was the first phrase that came to her mind.

"Your kidding, right?"

"Of course not...!"

There were numerous things that Seyon was good at, but only a few things that he was great at. One of them was his understanding of body language. He "spoke" the language just as well as he spoke English. At this point, he had a good idea of what was going on.

"Flame, is there something wrong? Tell me." He whispered to her.

"Well..."

Suddenly, Seyon spun around, pulled out an odd-looking pistol out of his pocket, and fired one shot down the hallway. The shot was extremely quiet and the projectile made a whistling noise as it traveled through the air. Just moments later, Maclaren collapsed.

"...Seyon! How did you know?"

"First of all your eyes kept switching between the me and the window. Then, I saw his reflection in your eye. I was all like, 'Whoa, Maclaren is standing there! He is so going down!'"

"Is he... dead?

"Of course not! He's just unconsious. You see, this crazy gun here fires harmless knock-out darts. He'll come to in an hour or so. Now which one of these here ropes makes the guards come?" Seyon asked, pointing to the three pull ropes that hung from the ceiling.

Flame had to think. She was still in shock and could hardly concentrate at all.

"It's... that one."

"Right!" Seyon blurted out as he tugged on the rope.

At once, Cinder and Clinker appeared.

"Hello hello hello!" Cinder exclaimed.

"No! That was not the right rope! FOOLS!" Seyon shouted in his usual manner.

"Clinker, what is that fly doing in my soup?" Cinder started.

"The backstroke." Clinker replied most monotously.

"NO! Begone fiends, or I'll kick your butts all the way to Timbuktu!" Seyon screamed as loud as he could for almost no reason, causing Cinder and Clinker to dart down the hallway in terror.

"Now, Flame, which rope is it?"

The entire levity of the situation had calmed her down greatly, and now she could give the correct answer.

"The one on your right."

"Ah ha!" Seyon reached for the rope on the left.

"No! Your RIGHT!"

"Oh!"

Seyon pulled the correct rope, and within moments two large dragon guards arrived, dress in metal plate armor.

"Guards! Take this man to the dungeon!" Seyon ordered.

The guards did nothing. Instead, they just stared blankly at him.

"I said, take this man to the dungeon! You know, take, as in, picking him up and carrying him away...?"

"Sorry sir, but we are not allowed to take orders from commoners."

"Right. Flame?"

"Guards! Take this man to the dungeon!" Flame ordered.

"Yes, milady!"

Maclaren's size required that both guards pick him up, but once they did, they were gone in a flash.

"Stupid Maclaren. All causing doom and stuff..."

"Seyon," Flame started off in a soft tone, "Thank you so much."

"You are welcome."

"He threatened to kill me if I didn't stop your wedding. I didn't know what to do."

"And it turned out that you didn't have to do anything! Now let's go back to my room and see what we have missed."

"Hold on, Seyon. There's something that I have been wanting to give you for quite some time and I believe that now is the perfect time." She said in a soft, sweet voice.

"What is it?"

Without warning she put her arms around him. Then, she kissed him. It was not just a kiss of friendship, but a kiss full of passion and love. Seyon, though, quite taken back, held her tightly in response. After too short a time, she stopped, and without leaving his embrace, spoke softly again.

"Seyon, that was for all you have done for me. You are the most generous, kind-hearted, and loving person that I have ever met. Thank you."

The moment was cut short when a voice yelled from down the hall.

"What's going on here!?"

It was none other than Scarlet, Seyon's overly jealous and psychotic fiancee, and she was FURIOUS. Flame jerked away, feeling a rush of adrenaline surging through her.

"Um... Scarlet! It's not what you think!"

Immediately Scarlet attacked her. She threw Flame against the wall, back first, and pinned her against it. Flame was absolutely terrified.

"How dare you touch him!" Scarlet yelled in her face. "He's mine, not yours, you filthy rat!"

"But Scarlet..." Flame began, hoping to end her verbal abuse.

"Silence!"

Then Flame remember something Seyon had long ago taught her. She was royalty, and thus had tremendous authority.

"Scarlet, as Princess of Camelhot, I demand you release me, or so help me I'll have you thrown in the dungeon for the rest of your life!" She declared boldly, but it had no effect.

Suddenly Seyon stepped in pushed the two apart.

"Scarlet, stop it!"

"But she kissed you!"

"No she didn't, I kissed her!" Seyon blatantly lied, but Scarlet always knew that Seyon would always be completely loyal to her, no matter what happened, and would therefore instantly forgive both of them.

"Oh... Flame, is this true?"

Flame nodded yes, hoping that Seyon had a plan in mind.

"Oh. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"It's, uh, okay..."

Seyon then picked up Scarlet as he loved to do so often and carried her back to his room. Her mood had completely changed. She was happy and comfortable as can be in her lover's arms.

Flame now had no desire to return to Seyon's room. Instead, she resolved to visit the dungeon to make sure that Maclaren was justly imprisoned. When she arrived, she was shocked. The lock was broken and the iron door was wide open. Maclaren had escaped in no more than half-an-hour. Flame felt chills down her spine. She walked away, but she was immediately apprehened from behind.

"You've failed your mission Flame!" Maclaren said as he held her tightly.

"Please don't hurt me! I'll do anything you say! I promise!" Flame pleaded desperately.

"It's too late for that. The time has come for me to end your life."

Maclaren picked her up and placed her in a corner with her facing him. She caught sight of the knife that Maclaren always carried. She was sobbing quite heavily and her life flashed before her eyes.

"Flame, turn around!"

She reluctantly did as she was told. She pressed herself into the corner and her captor held her with one of his massive arms. She could feel the tip of his sharp knife against her back under her left wing, ready to pierce her heart.

"Are you ready?"

Flame nodded, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Here it goes!"

Suddenly, a voice rang clearly from behind.

"Are you on the ball?" Seyon shouted, holding a shiny red bowling ball in his hand.

"What?" Maclaren asked as he spun around.

"Get on the ball for only nineteen ninety nine! Seyon then launched it as hard as he could and it walloped Maclaren right on the face, sending him to the ground.

Flame immediately dashed over to Seyon and hid behind him as Maclaren got back up.

"You, then, shall perish too!"

"I love old wood furniture, don't you?"

Suddenly Seyon picked up a nearby chair and hurled it at him, and it struck him on the face and the chair splintered into pieces, again sending him to the ground. He then started to get back on his feet.

"Quick Flame!" Seyon whispered to her, "I'm out of Billy Mays stuff. Help me!"

She just stared blankly at him.

"Don't worry, I have Plan B!" He reassured her.

Maclaren finally stumbled back to his feet. Suddenly, Seyon whipped out his radio from his belt and pushed a button and began to speak into it.

"Bradford, are you ready?"

Maclaren slowly approached them, his knife in his hand, ready to strike.

"Okay, NOW!" Seyon shouted into the mouthpiece. At once, there was a blinding flash, and then Maclaren was gone!

"Wha... What happend?" Flame stuttered.

"I used the time machine to send him straight to our top security prison in Braigland! Pretty spiffy, huh? Let's go!" Seyon walked away, but he soon noticed that Flame wasn't following him.

"Flame, aren't you coming?"

"Just... a minute. I need to... catch my breath..."

"Hold on."

He returned to her and picked her up just as he had done so many times with Scarlet and he carried her away.

"So what are we going to do now?" Flame asked, resting comfortably in Seyon's arms.

"You've had a rough day. I'm going to get you in bed."

"What!?" Flame exclaimed, squirming in his arms.

"I said, I'm going to get you in bed."

"You can't mean that!"

"I do. You need your rest."

At once, Flame figured out what was happening. Seyon's choice of words were often quite poor, and this was one of those cases.

"Would you like to think about what you said, Seyon?"

Seyon stopped walking and thought out loud.

"I'm going to... get you... in bed..." He followed with a long hesitation... "Crud! I so didn't mean it that way!"

Flame giggled. She knew that Seyon could never do such a thing, especially to her.

Seyon walked for a little more, Flame resting comfortable in his arms, before they encountered Flicker, who was on his way to Flame's room.

"Here, Flicker. She's yours." Seyon said as he thrust Flame into his arms, nearly knocking him over. At that, Seyon left without saying anything else, and he soon arrived at his own room.

He silently entered and sat down on his bed. Scarlet and Corlea were still playing Seyon's Nintendo, having been playing for nearly six straight hours. Corlea was finally dressed up appropriately in some of Scarlet's clothes, which were a bit too big for her.

"What did I miss?" Seyon lazily asked.

"Lots of stuff!" Scarlet boasted. "I was like jumping, and flying, and swimming, and shooting fireballs, and..." She droned on, pointing to her character on the television.

"Pretty sweet! Hark! Someone knocks at the door!" Seyon shouted as he flew across the room.

He opened the door slowly, peering through to see who it was. His eyes opened wide, and he quickly dashed out through the door, slamming it behind him.

"Krystal! What in blazes are you doing here!? Somebody could see you!" Seyon exclaimed quietly with quite a rough tone.

"I miss you. I couldn't wait to see you again..." She replied softly and sweetly, trying to ease Seyon's anger.

"I told you never to leave my house without my permission! How in the world did you get here? "

"I coaxed Bradford into sending me here... Please forgive me!"

"You know, Scarlet and I are going to be back in two days! You could have waited two more days!" Seyon whispered harshly, rubbing his forehead in disgust.

"......."

"No matter. I do miss you." His tone immediately changed, and Krystal, sensing this, hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back. However, she had a much more profound reason for her unexpected arrival than just missing Seyon. It was a desperate attempt to foil Seyon's marriage.

"Now that you're here, what am I going to do with you?"

"You could... Introduce me to Scarlet... and everyone else!"

"Are you sure that you want to do that? You know, being who you are and all?"

"Please?"

Seyon sighed. "Very well. I'll let Scarlet and Corlea know that you're here. Wait out here."

He opened the door slowly, and just before entering, he brushed his hand against her cheek. "You know, you're lucky that I'm such a softy!"

"I know!" Krystal smiled.

Seyon walked back inside. Scarlet and Corlea were still focused on the television screen, ignoring him.

"Hey you two!" Seyon started off, trying to sound as little awkward as possible.

"What's up?" Scarlet asked. Corlea paid little to no attention whatsoever.

"There's someone here that I want you two to meet!"

"Okay! Let's see this strangerous person!"

"Hang on! I must warn you that she is not normal. Please do not be shocked by her appearance."

"What? Is she ugly or something?"

"I don't think so. However, she is very important to me, and it is very important that you all get along. Got that, Corlea?"

"Yeah yeah..."

"Okay! Krystal, come in!"

At once, she slowly trotted through the door, closing it slowly behind her. What Seyon meant by "She's not normal" quickly became apparent.

She had a perfect figure, and stood a bit over five and a half feet tall. Even so, she was clearly not human nor dragon. Her entire body was covered with a fine coat of blue fur, except for the front of her, which was a much lighter shade of blue, almost gray. Her head was somewhat large, boasting lush, green eyes and a short snout with a small black nose. She wore a gold trinket bearing a diamond-shaped ruby over her forehead. Her hair consisted of large blue straight-locks, which stopped over her eyebrows but continued down to her neck on the back of her head. Her ears strongly resembled that of a cat. In addition, she had a bushy blue tail which she swung side to side as Scarlet and Corlea examined her. As for clothing, she wore typical Braigland attire; a white tank top, short denim shorts, and sandals. She also wore a dog tag on a ball chain around her neck.

"Awesome!" Scarlet blurted out. "Are you, like, part cat or something?"

"Actually, she's part human, part fox, and a tiny bit dragon." Seyon answered for Krystal.

"How does that work?"

"It's a VERY long story. I'll explain later."

"Okay!" She immediately jumped to her feet and hugged Krystal.

"It's nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you too...!" Krystal replied, startled by Scarlet's reaction.

Seyon was absolutely stunned. Normally, Scarlet was extremely jealous of any woman who dared to even glance at Seyon. However, this was quite an unexpected exception. She welcomed the blue fox, despite her strange appearance and relationship with Seyon.

"Seyon... I want to speak with you... In private." Krystal said out of the corner of her mouth.

"Very well. Scarlet, Corlea, Krystal and I are going somewhere apparently. If you need to get hold of me, then too bad! My phone got exploded earlier. By me. Seyon."

Then Krystal and Seyon left the room, heading down the hallway.

"So Kyr Stel [Furball], what is it that you wish to talk about?"

She immediately dropped to her feet and clutched his hand tightly.

"Please marry me! PLEASE!" She begged with teary eyes.

"Well, I think I left my house on fire! I'd better get going!" Seyon suddenly stated, attempting to break free from her grip.

"I was just there! It is not on fire! Please be serious!"

Seyon kneeled down and held her hand tightly. He looked her in the eyes and spoke from his heart.

"Listen Krystal, I love you. I truly do. However, I can't marry you. Few people know about you and who you are. I simply can't marry someone that I can't talk about in public. Besides, you're not even a registered citizen of Braigland! Keep in mind that I also love Scarlet, and I am going to marry her. I'm sorry."

"When you saved me, I vowed that you would always have my heart. Please don't break it! You don't know what it's like, being the only one of a kind. I'm constantly looked upon as a 'freak.' You're the only one who treats me as a real person and as a friend. Please Seyon, you're all that I have!" The vixen sobbed.

Just then, Scarlet, who has apparently been listening for some time, spoke up.

"Krystal, Seyon is going to marry me. However, upon MY command, he will retain his relationship with you as it was before, even after we're married."

Krystal's eyes lit up. "...Really?"

"Of course!"

"Scarlet, are you insane?!" Seyon blurted out.

"No I'm not. I'm psychotic."

"Not the answer I was looking for. Anyway, after we are married, I can't have a relationship with her. I just can't! It's all like, against marriage and stuff!"

"Oh, you will. I can tell that she spoke from her heart. She cares for you deeply. After all, I have come from a similar background. Without you, I would be worthless. So, I would be selfish to keep you all to myself. Please, for my sake, do not leave her in the... um..."

"Dust?"

"Exactly!"

Seyon at once turned his eyes toward the strange blue vixen.

"There it is. I will keep my relationship with you as is."

Krystal was overjoyed. She jumped to her feet and hugged Scarlet.

"Thank you so much!" She cried.

"You're welcome."

"All right. I'm going to send you back to Braigland!" Seyon declared.

Krystal thrust herself into his arms and kissed him with her furry lips. Seyon walked back and pulled out his radio. He dialed a number and waited for a response.

"Bradford?"

"........"

"I want you to send Krystal back to my place."

"......."

"Wait!" The blue fox blurted out.

"What is it?" Seyon asked as he rolled his eyes.

"Please can I stay for one night? Please?"

"And risk someone seeing you? I think not."

"Please? I swear that I won't leave your room! I promise!" She declared as she let her glowing green eyes catch the setting sun perfectly, trying to entice him.

"...Okay. But I'm going to send you back bright and early, so be ready! Or else some serious doom will occur. Seriously!"

She giggled with joy and then thrust herself at Seyon, forcing him to catch her.

Meanwhile, Scarlet was completely unconcerned about the vixen's love for Seyon, and perhaps most shockingly, she was not at all jealous, despite her extensive history of violent jealousy. She just stood there, watching patiently as the two hugged tightly.

"Okay, Let's go back. As we walk, I'll give you an insanely great summary of how Krystal and I met, Scarlet my dear."

"Sweet!"

"It was several years ago. Some dirtbags from New Guinea, Braigland's mother country, kidnapped some dragons from Paradeux and did some horrible, abnoxious experiments on them."

"What kind of experiments?" Scarlet asked, always overly interested in Seyon's stories.

"Nasty stuff. I don't even want to speak of it."

"Tell me! I must know!"

"Shut up! I'm trying to tell an incredible story here! Anyway, so I got a team together and we all flew in Hornets and SB-4s there and raided the place. We rescued the dragons, and we also found some messed up genetic experiments."

"Genetic experiments?"

"Genetics, remember? I explained to you that they give us our physical characteristics."

"Oh yeah. I'm guess I'm just stupid."

"Exactly. Back to the story. So we found those horribly mutated failed genetic experiments and we were all like, 'Eew! Totally nasty!' However, one was not so messed up, or suckish even. It was Krystal here, or GME 153 as she was known to the Guineas."

"What does that stand for?"

"Genetic Manipulations Experiment number 153. So rather than destroying her, as my fellow radical raiders had destroyed the other horrible abominations, I secretly took her to my place and vowed to take care of her! Pretty sweet, huh?"

"Totally! Now how did she get the name Krystal?"

"Another funny and incredible story. Apparently some years ago the Guineas sent some pictures of her to one of my favorite game companies. Then, they actually put her in a game! I didn't know that for like a year after I found her. I'm always a little behind on the times. Anyway, they came up with the name Krystal, and then I named her after her video game counter part."

"Wicked!"

"Precisely. I even had some groomers, who I paid heavily to keep their noise holes shut about her, to groom her after the video game character."

"What did you call her before?"

"Geme, after GME. It's also Braig for avocado. That's enough about her. I'll give you full story on a rainy night."

They had just made it to the door when an unfortunately too familiar voice squealed from down the hallway.

"Seyon, Scarlet, yoo-hoo!"

"Blaze." Seyon growled lowly. Then he turned around sharply, trying to hide Krystal behind his back. "Sir Blaze, my friend! I haven't seen you in quite a while!"

"The knights and I have been on a quest for quite a while. We were searching for the Holy Pail."

"I thought that this place seemed unusually empty and peaceful. Did you find it?"

"All we found was the Holy Quail, the Holy Cail, and the Holy Grail. All useless. But at least we found the Holy Bucket."

"That's kind of like the Holy Pail, right?"

"Apparently not. Say, who are you hiding?" Blazed asked, trying to look behind him as he made sure to block his view. Finally, Blaze pushed him aside, revealing Krystal.

"Seyon..."

"Blaze, make sure you speak of her to no one. EVER."

"Why? She's... well, um... magnificent! That blue fur... Those green eyes... That fluffy tail... She's amazing!" He exclaimed as he dashed around her, inspecting her thoroughly. Krystal cocked her head to the side and lowered her ears, showing her shyness.

Just then, Blaze dashed down the hallway, shouting "Hey guys, look at what I found!" It was the very thing he was supposed to keep quiet.

"Fan freaking tastic!" Seyon exclaimed as he slapped himself in the forehead.

"What are we going to do?" Krystal asked with a nervous expression. "They can't find out about me, right?"

"Exactly. Don't worry, I have a most devious plan..."

"You don't really, do you?"

"Not at all. Wait, I've got a poorly thought-out idea! Follow me into my room!"

"Right!"

Seyon threw open the door and the three of them rushed in. Corlea was lying on her bed, half asleep.

"Corlea, shut up!" Seyon shouted as he forced Krystal under his bed.

"But I didn't say anything!"

"But now you did, so shut up! Got it? When Blaze and his gang of misfits comes in to see Krystal here, then shut up!"

"Right!"

By now, Krystal had managed to stuff herself among Seyon's forgotten treasures under his bed. Seyon sat on top of it innocently, with Scarlet as his side. It was not long before Blaze, followed by all of the knights, forced the door open and rushed inside, expecting to find the strange fox girl.

"Where is she?" Blaze asked in an overly friendly tone as always.

"My, what are you talking about?"

"You know, that furry girl? The one who I saw just a few moments ago?"

"Oh yeah. I had her sent back to Braigland."

"Why!? I wanted to show her to everyone!"

"Because she wasn't supposed to be here!"

"Why not?"

"Because of... Stuff! Insane stuff! Now Scarlet and I are trying to go to sleep. Can't you, like, leave us alone?"

"I guess... But I want to see her again, A-S-A-P!"

"Yeah, yeah. You will. Now begone, fiend!"

"Fine! Come on, knights! I can tell when we're not wanted!" Blaze blurted out in disgust. He turned around sharply and held his chin up high, and led the rest of the knights out through the door.

"Finally! It is now bedtime! What a rough and exciting day! Krystal, you're safe to come out now. You can sleep with Scarlet and me."

At that, she crawled out from under the bed, brushed herself clean of the various debris that had collected on her from the ever mysterious region under Seyon's bed, and climbed under the blankets on the bed. Scarlet followed, and Seyon crawled in between them, collapsing on top of the bed.

"Corlea, are you asleep?" Seyon asked with his face buried in the pillow.

"I was just a second ago." She replied with a low voice.

"Fantastic! It is time, for us, to go to bed!"

Seyon reached over Krystal and grabbed his wallet from his nightstand and threw it across the room, turning off the light switch upon impact.

"What a day..." He grumbled as he fell asleep.