Chapter 13

Warnings From Yours Truly, MM

"In another report, the Queen Regnant has called for a celebration-three days from now- of the team who went out in space and stopped the menace known as the Metarex. The team will receive special recognition for their acts of bravery. The invitation has been sent out to all the nearby towns and villages, exclusively: the town of Thumbnut, Castle Auburndale, Drabdun, Hayseed, Pipshire, Umberdale, Castle Little Beak, and Newcork. For those towns not named we ask you to tune in if you own a TransAudio, we of the first reporter team will personally cover the event. In another report, tomorrow marks the eight-year anniversary of the fall of the mad king. Let us never…"

Tails set the focals down, in turn shutting off the T.A. He was laying on his couch, he did so with ease nowadays, and quite frequently too. Hearing the report he knew he was obliged to attend, even though every being of his body told him not to. He did not want the attention, nor did he need it. The fox had not been sleeping well, he squeezed his eyelids with his fingers. Why don't you rest Tails, rest here with me? I can't, you're not really here. He was tired of thinking of her, tired of being tired. He hadn't even touched something metal since he got here. No brilliant Idea, no life changing invention. He did not deserve a rest, he sipped on a strong carbonated beverage that he poured in a cup. His eyes deceived him, they were playing with him. Often they would start to make everything gleam, and he would close them, only to find himself jump a few times to wake himself up. You're not real… you're not…

Sally was in her private quarters, even there she could not escape her hectic life. Her desk was filled with papers, she was in the middle of tweaking an ordinance law. She felt that the bill's passing was premature. Today was a slower day, that was why she was still "in bed" taking a "break".

"The law states that in the event of unexpected or deliberate shutdown-shutdown referring to the breaking of substantial or any law/ or otherwise incapacitation of the ruler of the crown- of the crown, whether it be by the crown or its subjects, wherewith the powers that are given by the crown will be disseminated in the order of: the Royal Courts, the Church Courts, and the Manor Courts. If the first court fails the powers spoken of will be passed to the next courts and so on." Sally knew there were Iron eyes everywhere, who could she trust? She knew of some, but it was a risky move to trust the royal courts with all the powers of the crown.

"The royal, church and manor courts will be three (3) different bureaus of rule. The powers set forth and given to the crown will be evenly distributed to these three (3) bureaus." Sally knew some of the council would not go for this new revision. For that, some of them should be arrested. But she thought herself a usurper herself. She remembered the days of her father, "How am I any different?"

She read over her revision again and again, and kept reading the original law, "Trial by Tribulation, set forth from the first Manor Court, approved by the king of the land." She saw the seal of King Arthur. Which was an acorn and his famous sword. Times change. "The Manor Court gives (blank) the trial of: poison, seven red-hot ploughs, red-hot iron over distance, burning." What are we savages? "Trial by Battle, set forth from the first Royal Court and first Church Court, approved by the king of the land. The Royal Court and the Church Court gives (blank and blank) the Trial of Battle. The only viable candidates will be two noblemen or knights, or a woman or man with a nobleman or knight as a representative. If the gods seem fit that one should live, that man will be innocent."

Luckily a lot of these laws were not practiced in the new kingdom, it was just a matter of rewriting some of them now. But even in her rest days, Sally did not have the time nor luxury to herself. She did not whine, she could not whine. To her there was no rest day, she took care of a whole people, a whole kingdom. But that wasn't enough for her, not all the responsibility of the crown. She blamed herself for too many faults of the kingdom, some mistakes that had occurred.

In truth she was terrified, mortified even, that perhaps the madness, her father's madness, was hereditary. She found herself talking to no one in particular at times, she was convinced it had some relation. Not only that but she saw things, people long deceased. They would never talk back to her, they only stared with longing eyes. With all these thoughts, and the anniversary that was coming up she thought of doing something that hadn't been done for a time and a half.

"My queen?" It was one of Hamlin's assistants. "Pardon my queen, I knocked but you did not answer."

"Yes, yes, what does he want this time?"

"Requisition orders your grace."

"Right, bring it here." The queen took the little bundles of papers and read some of them. "The recent usage of supplies being sent to the Simians… demands a raise of tax of 9.30 percentage making the total 14 percent… in all the realm...thereby the Dragon Kingdom must oblige to the needs of the land that was given to them by our ancestors, or otherwise their lands will be expropriated and given to use for the Acorn Army."

In times of war the tax would only go higher, but the claims that Hamlin was making the Dragon Kingdom succumb to were a little extreme. Whatever the Dragon Kingdom did in the past was in the past, Sally cared not for what they did, but what they were doing to help stop the war. She hated violence just as much as she loved her kingdom. "Expropriate?" Sally looked up, He means to take their lands. He knows the dragons will not listen. Sally's maid snuck through the door.

"Your grace, you are awake, would you like some water and food from the party last night?"

Sally thought about it for a moment, she stared deeply at the papers in front of her, but only thinking of one thing. "Wine, please. As for Hamlin, tell him we will need to discuss his requisition orders in a proper meeting." She gave the orders back and her maid came back with wine. When the queen mustered fake Courage she headed down to the darkest part of the great castle. The desolate corridors and unending steps led her to an annex underground. Her maid hated the dark, she always advised the queen to never come down, but she did as she always did, and ordered for her maid to stay above the annex.

Traveling alone with no noise made Sally hear her own heartbeat, each footstep filled her with excitement. She swayed her head around, every time she thought there was a face staring at her, at times she was correct. Maybe they were ghosts she thought. She heard moans and growls at the torch she was carrying. She knew those were real. When she arrived at her destination, she thought of what she might say. But what was said, was always said. The bars were rustier than she remembered, the light shone on a decrepit figure in the dark.

She spoke harshly, "Where are they?"

One.

Tails woke up panicked, his breath was loud. As if he had stopped breathing while dreaming. He pictured his surroundings, he was upstairs, in his bed. He did not remember going to bed, but he climbed down anyway. Someone was waiting for him downstairs, and that excited him. His nap only took an hour or two, for it was still light out. Past midday he guessed. He joyfully made his bed, and made his way downstairs trying to be as silent as was possible. From the stairs he saw that the kitchen light was on, but no one was there. He sat there waiting for someone to come out. A hand touched his shoulder, "Boogety, boogety! Did I say it right?" Tails back hairs shot up all at once and he yowled. He turned around, "Ah, you scared me."

"That's what you get for trying to scare me." The girl had green hair.

"Alright, alright, I'll give you that one." They both sat across from each other on a round table they had picked out. The girl read a book while he stared at her. "So… did you miss me?"

She did not look up, "Of course." The girl had a green dress. Tails reached for her hand, and she gladly gave it, still reading her book. The book was titled: Mobius: A Brief History. It had a picture of the blue planet.

"How was she today?" The girl was tall.

"Who?"

Now the girl gave him attention, also a dissatisfied look. "That isn't funny."

Tails saw a bouncing yellow head leaving the kitchen. He looked confused, "Who was that?" The boy looked up.

The girl was dead.

Her eyes were not blue but red with blood. Her hair was not green but charred with black. She was burning, and what Tails touched for a hand became dust. And then the rest of her was dust, his house was dust, and rubble. His environment was dust, and her an echo. And when her body wilted and withered away Tails woke again to the sound of his door.

He came to with wet eyes, and he brought the rabbit girl in. He tried to wipe the tears away but some found their way out eventually. He stayed quiet for a time and Cream only stared, and thought of what might help him this time. Tails sat on his couch, hugged his legs with his arms and looked at nothing. Cream was beside him, still not saying a word. The girl took a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" She said quietly, as if speaking loudly might startle him.

Ignoring her question, "Did you hear about the banquet? It's in a few days."

"Yes. Mother told me it was on the T.A."

"I don't think I'll be going. I'm planning on moving." He thought of what he said and reassured Cream, "To the beach house I mean."

"I've never been to the castle, maybe you'll like it."

"I have been, long ago. And no, I hated it."

The rabbit changed the subject, "I can help you move if you want."

Tails noticed he had a true friend beside him. He could say that about anyone else but he was convinced he would be lying. The proof to him was that she was there with him. "I would like that." He responded, for a moment he forgot about the dream, and whatever it meant. But when his mind went that way again he did not suffer as before, instead there was hope. His new hope that his dreams did mean something. That perhaps they were trying to tell him something. And the more Cream and Tails talked, the more strength he acquired.

"I'll start tomorrow. I think a change will help me."

"I do too," she agreed, "I'll be here." She smiled and promised to give whatever help she could offer.

"I think it will also help to go to the banquet." Tails changed his mind, wondering if he might regret that decision later. But Cream could not be any more ecstatic.

"Good, I'll tell mother you will be coming with us. It's too bad Amy won't be there. But that's alright, you'll be there and that's all that matters." Cream looked away hoping the fox did not hear her mutter. Tails did not want to be caught in the middle of a conversation about them, quickly he got up.

"Hey, want to go to the Typhoon? I think I forgot something very important." He grabbed for the key to his house, "And would you mind getting a pot from the garden? There should be a few there."

"No problem." When she gave the pot to Tails she wondered what that was all about. She would soon find out, something important indeed. They both walked the zany path that lead out of the town Thumbnut's territory and lead to the beach village which was Drabdun. They waved at some of the villagers. No one there recognized the two. A good thing, if they received unwanted attention like they did in Chris's world, they would dread taking simple walks. And both Cream and Tails thought of simple walks as a luxury. For that they half enjoyed them.

Cream was curious to find out what it meant when Tails pressed the numbers '26766' on the keypad to the door of the monstrous hangar. The keys lined up 1,2,3 from up to down, next to 4,5,6, next to 7,8,9,0. This keypad was different from the one on the Typhoon, that one, were numbers 1,2,3 from left to right and started again from the left. Probably something he adopted from Chris's world. The numbers shone when he pressed the combination and the door slid open.

The blue ship was just as welcoming and unfriendly as when they last left it. The state of it was poor, flying it again would mean crashing it once it was returned. Lights shone on its once majestic grays. With the push of a button on the wall, Tails' ship beckoned them inside. Tails took a lantern and Cream followed him. Even though it was still light out, dark crept in the many hallways. Tails took her to his small room where she waited.

"Can you hold the light a little closer?"

Cream did as she was told. The fox reached behind a drawer and pulled out a picture. He panicked when he realized what he was looking for could be anywhere. He lay his body on the cold floor. His eye level met the floor and there he saw it where it landed. Tails reached for something white, and small. When he got up he handed the picture to Cream. He dare not look at it. The green figure was all that stuck out to Cream. It hardened her heart to see her, but she remained unaffected for Tails.

"What do you have there?" Cream wondered.

"It's nothing. Do you have the pot?"

Good. This is how I'll bring you back.