A/N: Parties suck! Small towns suck! Having a brother-in-law sucks! Everything sucks! Here! Take this chapter and hit me over the head with it! PLEASE! You'll be doing me a favor!

XXIV

He stood there in the king's study room, waiting anxiously for his big moment to shake hands with the king himself. His eyes wandered around examining every book in his library, admiring the family portraits that were so lovingly put on display, and appreciating the fine artwork that had been created by many of the village's ambitious young artists. Finally, he heard the door open and he turned around to face the king with a smile and an outstretched hand.

"King Hallbjörn." He gladly shook the man's hand. "It's an honor to finally meet you up close, sir."

"You as well." He grinned. "It's not everyday I get to assign a new representative for our kingdom."

"Representative, sir?"

"Of course. Why did you think I asked you to come here today?"

"Well, I…" He paused for a moment, almost embarrassed. "To be honest, sir, I don't know."

"You exceeded your teacher's expectations at the academy, you were at the top of your class, you've reached the pinnacle of human fitness, and you've displayed great achievements in the fields of both magic and science. Not an easy task, let me assure you. You are without a doubt the most qualified student to head out there and make our kingdom proud."

"I… I don't know what to say, really."

"Say you'll accept the position."

"But surely there are others who…"

"Don't be so modest. I know you've been waiting for this moment for a very long time. Now it has finally arrived. Are you really going to turn it down?"

"No, of course not." He chuckled. "It's just that I'm so overwhelmed and honored, your highness."

"So you will accept the offer?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"You realize, of course, that you will be the ninth individual to carry on the mantle of representative of Aðalsteinn?"

"I do, sir. And I don't intend on letting you or my predecessors down."

"Good. That's what I want to hear."

The king turned around and walked out of the room and into the main halls with the newly appointed "Number 9" following close behind. As they passed several guardsmen and handmaidens, they spoke of the king's plans for all of Aðalsteinn.

"You'll be doing things a bit differently, mind you."

"How so, sir?"

"For one thing, I will provide you with a new means of transportation."

"An airship, sir?"

"Not just any airship. A new kind of airship with several technological breakthroughs. Some of which have been based around your ideas."

"Really, sir? My ideas?"

"The NX-class airships are intended to be the first steps into a new world of scientific achievement. Your ship will be the first to actually leave the kingdom."

"You mean I'll be piloting the prototype?"

"If you want. We have now added the option of voice commands that will enable the ship to fly itself to your destination."

"Amazing."

"This is only the beginning."

The two men walked down the stairs and entered the laboratory, where they saw a team of welders sitting around a welding rack and putting together a crude-looking hull. The young man shielded his eyes from the intense light of the sparks and followed his king over to another room. They entered a glass room, where Ozymandias was sitting at a desk, placing the finishing touches on the king's greatest experiment.


"Hello Ozzy."

"My lord." He waved.

"Is it ready?"

"Just about. I'm now finishing the protective shell."

"What is he working on, sir?" The young man asked as Ozzy tossed the object over to the king.

"This, Number Nine, is another breakthrough. With the help of my friends in Mutari, I have been able to cast a magic spell that will enable this crystal to inform you of any dangers that may be occurring wherever you may be. The crystal, however, cannot work alone. It needs a conscience to help guide it to the right place. When you wear this crystal, you become one with it. When there is danger afoot, you will be alerted and with your special bond, you will know exactly where to go and who it is that needs saving. Do you understand?"

"I think so." He awed at the crystal that was now being handed to him. "But how is this possible?"

"Magic." He grinned. "You of all people should understand that, yes?"

"I suppose so."

"Well good. You debriefing is over. I'll speak with you again first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir. And thank you again." He shook the man's hand eagerly.

"My pleasure, Remus."

---

She was sitting on the chair, gently rocking back and forth and knitting something special as her two sons played with their toys in the nursery. Berto, now three years old, and his younger brother Jon, barely two, were enjoying each other's company when their father entered with his arms spread out.

"Where are my boys!?"

"Daddy!" Berto cried as he ran into the man's arms.

Little Jon stumbled over his building blocks and laughed, trotting the rest of the way over to his father. Jezelle smiled at her men as she slowly lifted herself up from the chair, revealing the huge bump that was now forming within her.

"Careful, my dear." Hal helped his wife over to him. "I would have come to you eventually."

"Are you kidding? My butt's been sore from sitting on that thing all day." She joked as she kissed him on the lips. "So how did it go with young Remus?"

"He accepted the offer, naturally. I don't think I've ever met a man more deserving of the position."

"That's good to hear. Did you thank Tarkin for his help?"

"Not yet, no. I'll be visiting him in person tomorrow. Will you manage without me?"

"One day without you? I think I'll manage." She looked down at her boys, who were clinging to her legs. "Besides, I've got these strapping young gentlemen to look after me."

"And we've got one more on the way." He kissed her forehead. "How did we ever get so lucky?"

"Luck…" She sighed and turned away from her husband. "… I don't know, Hal. Sometimes I think it isn't fair to keep bringing in all these children into this world. Our world."

"Why not?"

"You know why."

"Darling, I've never given it any thought. Our children will grow up and live normal lives just like we had planned."

"There's nothing normal about living with a curse, Hal." She looked back at him. "Yes, they will grow up but that's where it'll stop. They'll begin to suspect things and--"

"They will learn the truth eventually."

"But will we be ready to tell them?"

"What's there to tell?"

"Hal, they wouldn't understand. I don't even understand it myself."

"It's all in the past, my dear. Somehow we'll just have to fit it into our future and theirs." He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her again. "Curse or no curse, we will get through this."

---

"He mentioned something called the Blackheart. What is it?"

"The source of the curse."

"What curse?"

"The curse that has plagued our kingdom for generations. My ancestors and their ancestors before them tried so hard to keep Aðalsteinn as peaceful and benevolent as it could possibly be. But there were those who didn't always see eye to eye with the king and his principles."

"What do you mean?"

"They thought peace and equality were signs of weakness and that power--true power, could only be achieved by means of brute force and relentless hostility and violence. Rebels who opposed my forefathers and their government formed a powerful organization known as The Shadow Dragon."

"The Shadow Dragon?"

"They were a band of ruthless assassins, warriors and soldiers who practiced the dark arts and spent their days trying to bring down the walls of our civilization."

"What happened to them?"

"After years at war, the king rallied his troops together and waged a final battle against the Shadow Dragon and their leader, Victor LaSalle. Needless to say, our people won. But not without a price to pay."

"The curse?"

"Yes. The Blackheart was a book that provided The Shadow Dragon with all their chants and incantations that allowed them to fight the way they did. When my ancestor opened up a vortex and imprisoned them in an alternate dimension, never to see the light of day again, LaSalle attempted to use the Blackheart to curse Aðalsteinn with a death by an infectious plague. But an immediate interference by one of the Aðalsteinn guards forced LaSalle to read the wrong inscription and instead curse us with eternal youth. From that day on, the passage of time was forever eradicated from our lives."

"Well that certainly explains a lot. Where's the Blackheart now?"

"Safely hidden from prying eyes."

Stephanie nodded and stood up from her seat and slowly moved her hands through her bright pink locks. She stared out across the room and thought to herself for a moment while Hallbjörn studied her confused expressions.

"Something's troubling you?"

"You mean besides my crazy boyfriend, a murderous sorcerer and all this talk about a curse and destroying the amulets?" She then turned to her old friend. "Astral, why in God's name do I have to destroy the amulets?"

"Believe me, Stephanie." The old man stood up. "You don't want to hang on to them for long. They do things to people."

"I know they corrupted you and Remus, Astral. But I don't think I could ever fall into that same trap."

"Don't be so sure, Stephanie. The worst things happen to the best of us."

"Father." Sportacus spoke up. "Can we use the Blackheart to our advantage?"

"I don't see how." He shook his head. "The book is evil in many ways. That's probably why Reiko is after it."

"But he hasn't come for it yet. He hasn't even tried."

"He will." Stephanie chimed in. "And when he does, we won't even see it coming."