Act 2: Never has Forgotten or Forgiven for his Actions
It was a standstill between Marilyn and King Hagan, as she made the request to go the journey to find the old King's message in the royal crypt. The whole room was silent, with everyone around them looking at the two. Marilyn was clutching her fist, looking at her uncle the King, straight in the eyes. His eyes were looking straight back at hers, with an irritable look on his face.
"Marilyn, my answer is no. You and your brother will stay here in this castle until this all over."
"B-But uncle...Please we can help!" Marilyn first shutters, but then takes another step forward. Making everyone in the room gasp.
"My answer is still no, young lady!" King Hagan's tone becomes more strict. He then turned his back to her.
"Why? Both our parents were around our age to help when the Dark Faerie attacked. Why won't you let us?"
Just like that King Hagan snaps and turns around to grab Marilyn by her shoulders to bring her closer to him.
"Because I can't afford to lose you too!"
Then again the whole room went silent again, King Hagan sighs as gently put Marylin down. Once realizing his tone went too far, Marilyn was frozen in place with a blank expression on her face.
"Please, I just lost my brother Skarl not so long ago. Now, my niece…Your mother, and father are turned to stone. There may not be a way to change them back...So I must do my best to keep you both safe. Do you understand, Marilyn?" He said with a defended look on his face as he looks at Marilyn.
She still had a blank look on her face but then she looked away with disgust as she clutched her fist again.
"Fine! I'll be in my room, your highness!" She walks out of the destroyed throne and slams the door behind her.
Later, the festival was still going on, with so many lights and sounds that could be seen and heard from Eric's room. He sighs with arms crossed together, looking out the window. Without any warning, someone grabs him from behind and covers his mouth. Making he
Then the stranger hushes him, Eric looks up to see it was Marilyn. She presses her finger against her lips to ask him not to speak and then lets him go. Eric backed up from her, trying to catch his breath from that small panic attack.
"Marilyn, what are you doing?" He quietly yells.
"Shh...Sorry, I didn't think you would react that way." She presses her fingers together.
"You didn't?" Eric sighs, but then notices Marilyn was wearing a deep green cloak and a suit of armor. She walks up to his desk and looks through his books.
"You're still set on going?"
"Of course, we need to learn more about the Pixies and it will take days for anything to happen, why I suggested we go."
"Marilyn, please we need to listen to Uncle and stay here."
She turns around to face Eric and walks up to the hill then puts her hands on his shoulders.
"Eric, I know we can do this. It's up to us, to save our parents and Neopia. Please come with me."
"Ugh, technically not. Look, Marilyn, I know you want to help and everything. But maybe it's best to just listen to the adults." Eric just shrugs.
Marilyn sighs, "I'm sorry, Eric. I'm still going to the crypt. It's what mother and father would do."
Eric lets out a groan as he puts both of his hands on his face and drags them down his cheeks. "Fff-fine, I'll go too."
Marilyn gasps and then gives Eric a life squeezing like a hug. "Thank you. Come now, we need to suit up."
"Um, you can but I'll slow us down if I wear a full suit of armor."
Once they collected all the items needed, both Marilyn and Eric sneaked through the castle's halls to find an exit way out of the castle, however, there were guards around every corner. They grew tired from running all over the castle.
"T-there...has to be a way to get out of here." Marilyn pants.
"I-I think so...But what do we do when we get out of the castle? Wouldn't there still be more guards outside the castle during the festival?" Eric asks as he rests his back against the wall.
"Your right...Plus, they might report to uncle for permission to let us go outside of the castle, and then our efforts will be wasted."
Then the sound of footsteps made them freeze in place. They slowly turn around to see Dustin, making them both sigh in relief, thinking it was a guard.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, disobeying your uncle...The King?" Dustin said with a smug tone.
"Dustin, we have to. If we wait any longer then who knows what those pixies are planning. Please don't try to stop us." Marilyn stepped forward, fearing having to fight him off.
"I won't, but I'm going with you two."
"You are?!" Both Marilyn and Eric said at the same time, with a different tone. Marilyn sounded delighted, while Eric sounded shocked.
"Of course, besides I'm pretty sure you might need this." Dustin then pulls out the map to the crypt.
Eric smacks his forehead. "Aahh….I can't believe you forget the map."
"Oh yes...But you didn't ask me, tho…" Marilyn pouted and tapped her fingers together.
"Anyhow, let's get going. It looks like the royal family crypt is due north and near the mountains by Meridell." Dustin points at the big red X on the map.
"Now come with me, you two."
Dustin led them to the courtyard where there was a wagon filled with supplies. Dustin then pulls up a sheet. "Alright get in. We'll get out of Brightvale by blending in.
"Hmm...Will this really work?" Eric ask with
"Come now Eric, it's better than nothing," Marilyn tells him as she was already in the wagon, which makes Eric sigh as he crawls into the wagon.
Dustin nods, "Now stay quiet until I say so." He covers them with the sheet, gets on top of the wagon, and steers the uni out of the castle and into the town, where the festival was still taking place, many Neopets were still celebrating with food and music. Marylin and Eric did their best to stay down and quiet while hiding under the sheets. Dustin keeps going avoiding the crowds and inching closer to the outer walls gates.
"We're almost there…" He held on to the lead tight.
Once he made it to the gates, where two guards, both were Draik, but one red and yellow kept watch there. They walk up to Dustin and his wagon.
"Halt there. Where are you going?" Ask the red Draik.
"Oh, I'm just heading out to the next town," Dustin answered back.
"Hmm...But why now, in the middle of the festival?"
"You know, us traveling merchant. We have quickly moved onto the next town or kingdom and sell our wares."
The guard grew a bit more suspicious as he walked closer to the wagon. Cold sweat was dripping down Dustin, seeing him getting closer, he couldn't do anything but just sit there. Marilyn could see the guard coming closer, through the small peephole on the sheet, Eric covered his mouth as his breathing got heavy, hearing the guard's footsteps get closer to them.
"Wait mate, he was the guy that was doing street magic earlier today." Said the yellow Draik, as he pops in.
"Oh, he is? Well, make sense I suppose. You can go then." The red Draik nodded and backed away as both he and the other Draik opened the gate for him. Dustin quietly sighs in relief as he passes through the gates, making it to the outskirts of the kingdom. Soon when they reach far from Brightvale, Dustin stops and turns to pull the sheets off of them.
"Alright, we're home free. You two can come out now."
"Thanks so much for helping us. It means a lot of us." Marilyn bows.
Dustin's cheeks lightly blush and he rubs his fingers tips against his cheek. "Please don't thank me quite yet."
"Wait a minute...How did you get this wagon and the map in the first place? Eric asks as he notices most of the supplies are from the castle, were hiding under sheets.
"Oh, let's just say, someone on the inside helped me with that." Dustin winks and then looks back at the castle.
Back inside the castle, Sorcerer Seradar and King Hagan were inside the destroyed throne room, with King Hagan sitting down on a chair. With one of his hands on his leg and the other on his face, recollecting when he and Marilyn were arguing.
"Do you think I was hard on Marilyn, Seradar?" The King asks with a depressed look on his face.
"I believe you were doing your best, your highness. After all, with all this tension in the air, anyone could feel overwhelmed and stressed."
"You think so?"
"Your Highness!" Then a guard comes running up them.
"It seems that your niece and nephew are nowhere to be found in the castle."
"Say what?!" King Hagan stood up from his chair and with a shocked look on his face.
As he commands everyone in the room to find them, Seradar just walks up to the window, from the view where he was standing. He could almost see past the walls, then with good timing, stars started shooting across the sky. The loud music stops for a movement as everyone stops and looks up in the sky to see the shooting stars. Even Marilyn, Eric, and Dustin looked up to see the sky covered with shooting stars. It was so breathtaking, Marilyn put her hands together as she started making a wish, Eric notices as he turns around as she finishes.
"So what did you wish, Marilyn?"
She looks at him with a smile, "I can't tell you, or it won't come true."
Seradar was still standing by the window, just watching as the last shooting star flew across the night sky. He quietly said to him, "Children, please be careful on your journey."
Now as they set off on their adventure to the crypt, in the dead of night. As the wagon was moving Marylin sat down beside Eric, he was looking at the map. She slowly drifts to sleep, but then wakes up in a thick mist with the wagon still moving. She looks to her left and sees Eric sleeping right next to her, Marilyn pulls off her cloak and covers Eric with it. Then she looks up to see Dustin was still leading the uni with one hand and the other hand, he seems to be holding something bright.
"Umm...Dustin?" She quietly spoke.
Dustin swiftly turns to her and gets both of his hands back on the tether and the bright object he was holding faded away just as he turned around.
"Oh morning, Marilyn. Did you sleep well?" He said with a smile on his face.
"Um, I did. But did you stay up all night?"
"I did, but don't worry. I'm more of a night owl, plus we needed to keep moving in order to reach the crypt."
"If you say so...But what were you holding just now?"
"Um, what do you mean?" He asked nervously.
Marilyn tilts her head, confused if she really did see him holding something bright in his hand. She then rubs her eyes, thinking maybe she was still a bit tired.
"Hmm...Never mind, maybe it's just my eyes are setting in with all this fog."
"It must be...Heh." Dustin nervously chuckled.
Once Marilyn finishes rubbing her eyes, she notices the fog was slowly clearing and right in front of them was the crypts. It was a huge structure in ruins with a huge opening that leads inside. Marilyn was speechless as they stopped right in front of it, Dustin pulled on the lead to stop the uni and jumps off the wagon.
"We made it."
Just as Marilyn hops out of the wagon, Eric lets out a yawn as he wakes up. He rubs his eyes and to see the crypt, he lets out a gasp.
"Whoa...this place is huge."
"Eric, let's get going." Marilyn said as she hopped out of the wagon.
Eric gulps as he looks back up the opening of the crypt, "We do have to? I mean I can stay here with the wagon."
"Oh come on, where is your sense of adventure?" Marilyn looks at him as she puts her hands on her hips.
"Back at the castle." Eric groans.
"Well, fine then. You can wait out here, while we go inside." Marilyn pouts as she walks towards the crypt.
Eric crosses his arm, debates with himself to go in the crypts or to stay with the wagon. He scowls seeing Dustin and Marilyn walking into the entrances of the crypt together alone, but then he notices the fog was getting thicker and closer towards him. In hesitation, Eric jumps off the wagon and quickly follows both Marilyn and Dustin inside.
"I changed my mind."
Marilyn giggles, "Whatever you say, Eric."
Without noticing, Dustin hands the twins a lit torch, "Here, we're going to need these."
As the trio entered more into the crypt, it was dark and quiet. The inside looks as if it was never touched in years, the huge stone statues and shelves of tomes in the walls. covered in cobwebs and dust.
"It looks like no one has been here in centuries." Marilyn covers his nose from the dust.
"At least, we won't have to deal with bandits, monsters, or even giant spiders." Eric trembles behind Marilyn.
They all continue deeper inside the crypt, then the trio is stopped by two dark pathways.
"Which way do we go?" Marilyn asks as she walks up closer to one
"Hmm...Perhaps we should split up?" Dustin shrugs.
"Yes, and I'll be going with Marilyn-"
As Eric gets cut by a sound of bones clanking together, then the bones on the grounds start to merge together to make a group of Skeleton Draiks emerges. They made hissing sounds, just before pouncing right at the trio. Marilyn drops her torch, as she swiftly takes her sword from the sheath, in the nick of time as one of the Skeleton Draiks tires slash them with their bone tosses his torch as well, to take out his wand from his cloak, then casting fire motes spells. With Eric right behind Marilyn holding the only torch left in his hands. Dustin waves his wand with a fire mote to keep the Skeleton Draiks at bay, however, more Skeleton Draiks kept appearing and it was making it more difficult to keep them away. It was causing the trio to back up towards the pathways.
"Aah….We can't fight this many off...We have to split, Marilyn!" Dustin shouts.
"Yes?" Marilyn looks at Dustins as she hits a Skeleton Draiks in its sternum, causing it to fall apart.
"Quickly, go to the left and I'll go to the right. If anything happens, just find a way out of the crypt with Eric." Dustin puts his wand away as he punches one of Skeleton Draiks.
"Dustin, we can't…"
"Marilyn! Watch out!"
It was just for a second when Marilyn was still looking at Dustin, a Skeleton Dariks was about to dig their claws right in her face. Except, when Eric bash the monster, in its face with his torch and he then grabs Marilyn, by her hand and pulls her into the left side passageway.
To Be Continued….