Episode 12: Challenge of the Maze
Evening came and the people of Avalon were turning in for the night. In the castle's dining hall, the royal family and the nobility were waiting for the arrival of their princess and the newcomers.
Pearl had recovered miraculously, her fever had broken, and she felt well rested. She had changed into a purple medieval dress with a gold belt and her hair and the top of her head had been wrapped in a head scarf. A gold cornet rested at the top of her head.
Of course, she had to get use to wearing a corset, again and be able to move in the dress that was so tight. Pearl was not the only one who had to go through with it.
Mallory and Tanya were also wearing corsets with medieval nobility dresses and had their hair covered with a head scarf.
"How do you move in these things?" Mallory asked, feeling really irritated as she was unable to move freely.
"Don't worry, tomorrow you'll be wearing some more comfortable clothes," Pearl answered.
Subria, however, wore a gazelle skinned short dress with a leopard skin that crossed over her chest and reed-leather sandals.
"You're lucky that you're not part of Avalon royalty," Tanya sighed as she struggled to keep her hair down and wrap it in a scarf.
The male Ducks and Phil wore clothes that were far better then the women. They wore breeches with boots and shirts with leather strips on the chest and corset-like vests to wear over the shirts. Wildwing had the mask in a pouch.
"I actually look like a hunk in this," Nosedive commented when he viewed himself in the mirror.
"A hunk? You kid?" Duke asked.
"Let's not compare each other, we need to impress the nobility and the king and queen," Wildwing informed the two, "And let's not embarrass Pearl," he added.
They were led out of the room and joined with the women outside of the dining hall. Wildwing almost fainted when he saw his sweetheart, Pearl in her princess outfit.
She checked everyone over and orders them, "Backs straight, eyes forward, stomachs in, and chests out."
The Ducks obeyed, but they had to hold back laughs as Phil was struggling to hold in his enormous stomach.
Then the doors opened and the royal announcer calls out, "Her Royal Highness's bodyguard, Warrior Princess Subria of the Ndola tribe."
Subria entered in, featuring a serious face and walked up to the king and queen's table and bowed to them.
"Presenting," the announcer said, "The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim."
"Wildwing, you first, then Nosedive, Canard, Duke, Grin, Mallory, and Tanya," Pearl advised as she lined them up and they entered one by one.
"Master Wildwing Flashblade," the announcer called and continues, "Master Nosedive Flashblade. Master Canard Thunderbeak. Master Duke L'Orange. Master Check Hardwing. Mistress Mallory McMallard. And Mistress Tanya Valnderflock."
The entire hall stared at the Ducks, curious and amazed by these new and unusual strangers. They were shown to some seats, close to the royal couple. The announcer calls out, "Presenting, Sir Philip Palmfeather." The obese man came in and he was sent to one seat. The announcer spoke one last name, "Presenting, Her Royal Highness, Princess Prywden."
The princess came in with every elegant step and came to the center of the room, where she curtsied to her parents and everyone bowed to her. She took a seat between Wildwing and her father.
The feast was in full swing, with glasses filled to the brim with wine, roasted wild game was brought out, and vegetables came and filled the plates. In the center of the room, performers played a routine with dances.
The Ducks obeyed their leader by following the ways of the nobility of how they ate and with some help from Pearl and Subria. Phil, on the other hand, ate like a greedy pig and he did not act like a noble gentleman.
"It seems that your brother has failed to show-up, again," the king said to his wife.
"It is his natural habit, working at all hours of the day," Queen Gwenever replied.
Pearl explains to the Ducks, "It is my uncle, Cynfarch, he is a knight and he takes his duties seriously, even working at late hours of the night."
"Wait," Nosedive said, "If he is your mom's brother and she's the queen, shouldn't he be a prince?"
"He was a prince, but my grandfather saw him as a little "off" in the head as Uncle Cynfarch has this obsession with horses, wearing armor, and shutting orders. My grandfather said he was not fit for a king and passed the throne to my mother," Pearl explained and continues, "You have to be careful around him, he suffers from...hubris. He is proud of his roots, but he is always arrogant when it comes to women as he views them as inferior to men."
"Sounds like he would not be a good king with an attitude like that," Wildwing said and Pearl nods.
The dinner quickly finished and it was a good thing, too, as Phil was embarrassing the team and Pearl. "Honesty Phil, these people will think you're a lunatic with those so-called manners," Mallory pointed out, but the obese manager ignored her.
Pearl, Tanya, and Mallory were allowed to remove the dresses and corsets and were given cotton nightgowns. "Finally, I thought I was going to suffocate in that thing," Tanya said, breathing in and filling her lungs.
The Ducks retreated into their new rooms, except for Wildwing, who went into Pearl's. "You weren't seen were you?" she asked in a whisper.
"No," he replied.
"Good, because everyone feeds all kinds of gossip throughout the castle and if my father heard that you came in here, he would have a fit," Pearl said and Wildwing understood why.
"There is no such thing as a relationship here," he replied, but Pearl shook her head.
"Usually, royal children were betrothed, but my parents decided to overturn it when I was sent to the future, giving me freewill. However, I suspect that the court didn't take it lightly," she explained and then, there was a knock at the door.
Pearl opened it, revealing the other Ducks and Subria, and she allowed them to come in. "We figured we keep guard here while you sleep," Nosedive said.
"That's nice of you, but I am fine with just Wildwing here," Pearl pointed out, but the Ducks and Subria shook their heads.
"Let's just say we're not taking chances," Grin informed her.
Pearl ordered a few servants bring in extra blankets, informing them that it was very cold in her, but did not reveal her nighttime bodyguards.
"Whatever you do, don't make a sound," the princess ordered the Ducks and they didn't make a peep when the servants returned with the blankets.
When they left, the Ducks let out a breath. They laid out the blankets on the floor and the Ducks laid on them and had the extras over them.
Wildwing, however, slept with Pearl in her bed. Subria took first watch. "There is no need for a night watch, I'm sure Howel doesn't have any sources in raiding the castle," Pearl said to her friend.
"It's my habit, I'm not taking chances," the African warrior princess replied.
Pearl than tells the Ducks, "Starting tomorrow, all of you will start training in combat and horsemanship. However, the real test is choosing a horse as your companion, but the horse must choose you, which I explain a little later."
In a short while, everyone fell asleep, even Subria as she realized that there was no danger, and they were eager to begin a new day in Avalon.
()()()()()()()()()()()
By dawn, the two princesses and the Ducks were awakened by the shouts coming from outside. Nosedive took a peek out the window and saw men in armor, doing a march.
"Oh no," Subria groaned, "Pearl, your uncle is doing the dog-patrol, again!"
"The knights! I forgot about them! C'mon, you need to see this," Pearl said to the Ducks and they got into their casual Avalon clothes, which included pants for Mallory, Tanya, and Pearl.
The Ducks followed Pearl down the steps and they went outside in the square and watched the knights do their routine and being ordered by a knight with a gray beard and mustache.
"That's my uncle, Sir Cynfarch," Pearl pointed to him and he kept shouting orders at the other knights.
As they marched passed the Ducks, a young boy, not wearing armor was following behind the knights. He had dirty blonde hair, hazel green eyes, and had a nice tan to his skin. Nosedive and Mallory were curious and decided to join in.
"Hello, what are you doing?" Nosedive asked the boy.
"Keep it down, it's a drill," the boy replied.
"Mind if we join in?" Mallory asked and the boy shook his head with a smile.
"Just do what we're doing," the boy said, "By the way, my name's Alexander," he added.
"I'm Nosedive and this is Mallory, she's like a knight," the young drake said. Both of them joined in line, but Mallory had straighten Nosedive out. The other Ducks and Pearl tried to hold back their laughter, as they found this amusing.
"Be like a soldier," she said, featuring her best.
"Halt!" the head knight, Cynfarch called and everyone stopped.
"Left face!" he yelled out, again and he began to inspect the knights. Cynfarch shared his criticism and the knights would answer, "Yes sir!"
"He's getting close to Mallory and Nosedive," Pearl whispered to the others and she made it sound like it was a bad thing.
Cynfarch finished with Alexander, but told him to put his heels together. "Yes father...I mean, sir," the boy answered.
"He's your cousin?" Canard asked Pearl, who nodded.
Then, Cynfarch stood in front of Mallory, who was impressed by her stature, but then noticed something unusual. "What's the matter with your nose?" he asked, tapping at it.
"Hey stop that!" Mallory replied, annoyed by the tapping at her beak. That's when Cynfarch realized that there was a female in the rinks! And a female alien Duck!
"A woman?!" he exclaimed, "What the devil is a woman doing here?!" he demanded.
"Uncle!" Pearl shouted and ran up to him.
The knights bowed to the princess, who spoke to her uncle, "I can explain, Mallory McMallard here is a soldier and she wanted to experience what it is like to be a knight."
"A female soldier?! How the devil did a female become a soldier?! They don't have the back-bone to fight in combat!" Cynfarch shouted at the princess, who didn't flinch.
"Uncle, she is from a different world where women have the freedom to do anything, even joining the military. And I have to tell you, she is a good soldier, in fact, she might impress you with her skills. So, I wish for you to show her a little respect," Pearl said, but her uncle did not take it lightly.
"Show this freak of nature respect?! Ha! I would rather feed this one to the dogs and you'll see if I care!" Cynfarch shouted and that shocked everyone, including the Ducks.
"Cynfarch!" a mighty male voice shouted and he turned to see the king. Everyone bowed in heist, but the king stared at Cynfarch, and he looked very angry.
"Apologize to Lady McMallard immediately!" the king ordered the proud knight.
Cynfarch, however, did not utter a peep and the king grew irritated. "If you don't apologize to her, including the other women here, including my daughter, I will strip you of your knightly title and banish you!" the king shouted, but Cynfarch didn't flinch.
"You have until sundown and if I hear that you had not apologize, I will carry out the punishment set for you," the king said to Cynfarch and they parted ways. The knight stared at Mallory and Pearl with a glare, but didn't say a word.
"Let's go," the princess said to her friends and they left the square.
()()()()()()()()()()
"What a horrible, no, I mean terrible human!" Tanya exclaimed to the others. The Ducks and the two princesses were near the ruins of a chapel or church.
"I did warn you that my uncle is a very proud man, he despises women, even his own wife. I suspect he is still bitter about my grandfather picking my mother to take the throne. I am sorry you had to hear that, but I swear, he will apologize to every woman here, including you two and Subria and I, even if my father and I have to force him to do it," Pearl said to the Ducks, pointing to Tanya and Mallory.
Mallory, however, had been hit hard by the arrogance of Cynfarch and tried her best to hold back tears. "Hey Mal, are you okay?" Nosedive asked, who noticed her glossy eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Mallory lied and quickly brushed away a tear.
"If you ask me, Cynfarch deserves to be banished," Duke said to them.
"I agree, I never show disrespect towards a woman who has fought long and hard for her planet or country, especially you Mallory," Wildwing said to her.
"Arrogance snuffs out the light in one and he becomes blind for all eternity," Grin said in his Zen tone.
"Thank you," Mallory replied and took a few deep breaths.
Just then, Pearl pressed her hands over her ears as a sharp pain coursed through her head. "Pearl, are you okay?! Is it another spell?" Wildwing asked.
It took a minute for the pain to subside and Pearl looks at her friends. "It is a spell and it's here in these ruins," she informed them.
Wildwing took out the mask and put it on. He checked to see if anything was amiss. "I don't see anything wrong," he said, but then, the mask alerted him. There was something outside and he went out of the ruins and noticed a wall structure that he never noticed before.
"Have any of you noticed this before?" Wildwing asked his team. They looked around and it was clear that they never noticed the structure before.
Pearl placed a hand on the wall and her eyes grew wide. "This is the 'Maze'," she informed them, "This was used to confuse any of our enemies and the only way to defeat it is to find your way out."
The Ducks stared at Pearl, wide-eyed. "Okay, I have been through mazes, and this should a...a...easy," Tanya said.
"Don't get your hopes up, this is a trickster spell. It has the mind of a jester, it is playful and sinister at the same time," Pearl replied.
"Alright team, I have an idea. We split into groups and if you make it to the exit, call out and we'll follow your voice," Wildwing ordered and made up the groups. Him with Pearl, Duke with Subria, Tanya with Canard, and Nosedive with Mallory and Grin.
"Here goes nothing," Duke said as he and Subria began their trek through the 'Maze'.
The groups split up, but they met with surprises and close-calls. Wildwing and Pearl almost fell through a hole, but the hole vanished when they stepped away from it. Duke and Subria came to a dead end and then, the walls were starting to close in on them, but they made it to safety.
Canard and Tanya saw an opening and ran for it, but the 'Maze' closed it up. Grin, Mallory, and Nosedive kept running into obstacles, such as boulders and thick bushes.
"Hello?!" someone shouted and everyone stopped in their tracks.
"You hear that?" Pearl asked Wildwing, who nodded. The others heard it, too, and they thought it was one of their team mates. The Ducks got on their coms and Wildwing asks, "Did any of you call for help?"
The others said they didn't. "Someone else must be in the 'Maze'," Pearl said, "Ducks, Subria, see if you can find him and call back."
"Anyone out there?" Nosedive shouted.
"Yes, I can hear you!" the person called out.
"Keep shouting, we'll find you!" Mallory replied and the person obeyed and shouted for the three of them.
To their surprise, they discovered Sir Cynfarch! "What are you doing here?" Nosedive asked, he was still bitter about Cynfrach speaking ill of Mallory.
"I was going to ask the same thing," the knight said. "What is this place?" he asked.
"It is a spell, the 'Maze', your niece said the only way to get out is to find the exit," Mallory explained, despite that she was still hurt by what he said earlier.
"You strange creatures don't know anything," Cynfarch said, "I believe that using force is another way to get out."
Mallory and Nosedive gave angry faces, but Grin says, "Force is not always the solution." Cynfarch ignored him and took out his sword.
"I think this is not going to end well," Nosedive said to his comrades. True to his word, Cynfarch took a hit at the wall, but the 'Maze' repelled the attack, and sent the knight flying. He landed hard on his back.
"Do you know the meaning of 'I told you so'?" Mallory asked, but that Cynfarch angry.
"Get away from me, you blasted female," he ordered.
"Hey, don't you dare talk to her like that," Nosedive demanded and the two went into a bricking match.
"That is quite enough! Grin ordered them and they hushed, "Now, let's show some respect and find a way out of this."
Mallory got on her com, "You guys are not going to believe this, but we found your Uncle Cynfarch, Pearl," she said.
"What?" Pearl asked, surprised, "Well, if he behaves, help him find a way out," the princess added.
The four of them resumed their trek through the 'Maze', but they did not speak to each other. It was taking a long time, but then Cynfarch noticed an opening, "Look there!" he shouted.
Then, the opening began to close. "Oh no you don't!" Mallory exclaimed and went into a mad dash towards it.
"Go Mallory!" Nosedive shouted his support for the black belt soldier. Never in Mallory's life had she run so fast and she made it through the opening.
"She did it!" Grin exclaimed and Cynfarch breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, the walls of the 'Maze' began to disappear. "Pearl, Mallory defeated the maze!" Nosedive said in his com.
"Quick! Capture it!" Wildwing said to the princess, who pulled out the Book of Avalon.
"'Maze', I command you to return to the spell book from where you came!" Pearl ordered and the spell swirled around in the air and took residence in an empty page.
"Wow, I never thought we finish it!" Tanya exclaimed when everyone gathered around. Cynfarch steps forward and says to Mallory, Tanya, and Pearl, "I owe you an apology. I was wrong about the female gender, they are...unique in some way. You, Lady McMallard proved to be the best warrior there is."
Mallory blushed and replies, "Thank you for that."
()()()()()()()()()()()
The group returned to the castle, but Cynfarch gathered the women in the square, declaring his apology for his arrogance and his pride. The king nodded in acceptance and invited his brother-in-law for dinner that night.
"Do we really have to wear those silly dresses, again?" Tanya asked and the king heard this.
"I'll make an exception for the two of you and, if my daughter wishes, I can grant the exception to her, too," the king answered. Pearl nods as she was eager to wear more freely, instead of strictly following the dress code.
The evening passed by rather peacefully, but Pearl reminded her friends a little later that their training was to begin the very next day.
From the author: So sorry for not updating! I've been busy with school and with my other stories, plus I was suffering from writer's block with this! There's more to come! Stay tuned!