It was already morning. Sometime at least after nine or ten in the morning and both Anne, Charlie, Marcy, Sprig and Polly were yawning from the crazy night they had together as they were accompanied by Hop Pop. The way walked down a hallway or another as they were headed to the throne room.
"You kids alright? You look like you didn't sleep for a week." said Hop Pop showing concern and worry.
"The sleepover was a bit of a crazy night." said Anne rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes.
"I see. It's not like one of you was doing something dangerous last night. At the very least. Charlie could've had sweets and get the sugar buzz and both Anne and Charlie were making out like it's smooch city." joked Hop Pop with a chuckle.
The kids were wide eyed a bit but smiled and brushed off their tense feelings as they knew Hop Pop guessed the truth but he didn't know that he did.
"Let's just say that we got hyper without eating any sugar. The closest thing to sugar I had last night was Anne showing me some sugar." chuckled Charlie telling half the truth and half a lie.
"You know it!" said Anne with a grin.
"But we did find an intruder and we chopped him up into tiny pieces and stuffed his body in a freezer in the basement." joked Charlie mimicking a deep and scary voice but started to laugh. "Just kidding, Hop Pop."
Hop Pop fought the urge to laugh but he couldn't help himself as he let out a chuckle.
"Oh you crazy kids." said Hop Pop chuckling loudly.
As they walked inside the throne room. They passed by two newt guards and a very irritable looking Lady Olivia. Charlie stopped for a moment and given her a freshly clean and warm towel for her to use as the writing on her face that Polly did to her was still there. Her hair was still looking ruffled and out of place like it was nothing but bed head. She looked at Charlie with a confused expression as she took the towel.
"For what it's worth. I'm really sorry for all the chaos we caused you last night, milady. I already had a talk with them about it." Charlie whispered to her.
As Charlie rejoined the rest of them. Lady Olivia was wide eyed with surprise. Did Charlie just tell her that he had a talk with his friends and his girl friend about the insanity they caused her last night? Did he just apologize to her? She looked on at Charlie and let out a blushing smile as she used the towel to clean her face off and it indeed felt warm and cozy as it was instantly getting the ink off her face that Polly used to draw on her.
"Do I like this human? Romantically, maternally, or both? But he's already dating Anne and I can't be falling for a man whose taken. Even if he is a very sweet yet handsome devil." Olivia thought to herself.
Charlie was singing beautifully in Japanese for a bit before he joined Anne, Marcy and the Plantars. They all saw King Andrias standing near the throne with a warm smile to greet them.
"Wonderful to see you all again." said King Andrias.
They all greeted him as they knew it's been a few days or more since they last talked to him about anything. But Charlie had talked to him a bit more recently than they did when Charlie talked to him about why he was afraid of the king.
"Also, who was singing earlier? I heard someone singing." asked King Andrias curiously.
"Wasn't me." said Anne.
They suddenly heard what sounded like J-Pop music playing and they all turned to see it was coming from behind them. Charlie was seen slightly dancing to the music and he sang beautifully in Japanese. Even when singing in Japanese, he sounded like a Japanese pop singer.
"Yume wo yume de, owarasenai-i-i chika-r-ra tashikametakute. Ima ga kako ni naru ma-a-e ni, tadoritsukitai basho ga aru yo. Boku ga boku de, iru koto ga futar-i-i-i musunderu kizuna-a-a. Ohhhh!"
Charlie stopped singing as he pulled his phone out and pushed a button to stop the music and put his phone away. Everyone in the room was impressed by how beautiful he sings even in Japanese. The newt guards didn't react much but they shown a small smile while one of them whispered "That's one of the reasons why he's so popular with the ladies in Newtopia" Lady Olivia was blown away with how beautiful his voice sounded while King Andrias looked thrilled.
"Incredible! Were you a popular singer back in your home world?" asked King Andrias looking curious.
"I was no celebrity. I was just someone who took opera singing classes and it lead to a bit more." answered Charlie.
King Andrias looked as though he was too excited to have this meeting with them as he was lightly moving one leg to stand upon and would go back and forth between standing on his right and to his left.
"So ask me if I found out anything about the box." said King Andrias looking eager.
"Did you?" asked Anne and Charlie in unison.
The huge male salamander smiled and leaned his big smiling face into them and he excitedly uttered the word "Bingo!" while the volume of his voice knocked Anne and the Plantars over but Charlie helped them back up on their feet. King Andrias was letting out a jolly, hearty laugh.
He pulled out a large yet gigantic sized book that appeared to be big enough for someone of his size. He opened it and placed it down on the floor, holding it open for them to see what looked like a page that shown a picture of the box and it's gems. There were three gems below that each had a color. The colors of the three gems were pink, green and blue. There were symbols that shown underneath each one. The green gem had the symbol of a brain below it, the blue had the symbol of a heart below it and the pink gem had the symbol of a fist below it. They looked right at it with curiosity and surprise as they gasped.
"It's the music box." said Sprig.
"According to this book, it's a magical artifact that is thousands of years old. Apparently, my ancestors used it to visit entirely different worlds. They were peaceful explorers, scientists, if you will. These three stones are the key to getting it working again. They need to be recharged." explained King Andrias.
"I see. But there's one little problem." Charlie chimed in.
"How do we do recharge the gems? It's not like back in our world where we could plug our phones into the wall through an outlet or by setting them on a device that doesn't require plugging them into a wall." asked Anne.
"The book mentions three different temples, each channeling a different kind of energy. And once the stones are recharged..." King Andrias continued.
"We'll have a way home?" guessed Anne with widened eyes of excitement.
"Steal my thunder, why don't you?" said King Andrias looking annoyed but smiled instantly. "But yes."
"Hallelujah! I can't wait to see my mom, my aunt, and the ladies of the house again! Wait till they meet my girl!" said Charlie getting excited with relief.
"I don't believe it. A real chance to get home." said Anne excitedly. "Charlie, you sure about me meeting your folks?"
"Trust me, they'll love you like family. But be careful of Kagura. She's a hugger and she's got a grip like an anaconda." said Charlie giving a warning about one of them. "I got to meet your folks, Anne. Maybe I can convince your mom to let go of the reins a bit and let you enjoy life a bit more. I know she's strict but maybe we can talk to her about letting you hang loose a bit more, well, maybe a little bit."
"My mom may be a tough cookie but I'm sure we can work something out." said Anne liking the idea.
"Right? Now let's get out there and conquer these bad boys." said Marcy getting thrilled.
"Whoa-ho. Let's rein those snails in for a sec." said King Andrias raising his hand.
Their excitement was halted as they gave King Andrias their attention.
"The book only gives the location of one temple. Besides, you still have a lot of preparing to do before you set off." King Andrias told them.
"Really, it only gives the location of one of them?" said Charlie looking at the pages carefully than back at him.
"If I was lying or joking. I would've pulled a "Gotcha" or you would've sweated the truth out of me somehow." said King Andrias looking calmly serious.
"Than I guess you're about as serious as your beard is long, thick and shaggy." said Charlie pointing out a truth.
The giant salamander male brushed her fingers through his long, thick and beautiful white beard as it felt silky smooth to his touch.
"That it is. I thank you." chuckled King Andrias.
Charlie suddenly thought of something really fast and ran it by King Andrias.
"Before we decide anything or do anything. King Andrias, this might be asking a lot but maybe we could let Lady Olivia get some rest? She didn't sleep a wink last night due to a problem that made too much noise. Me, Anne, Marcy, Sprig and Polly took care of the problem but Lady Olivia and possibly some others in the castle were visibly annoyed and disturbed by the problem but when Lady Olivia came to inform us to get ready with our meeting with you, she looked as though she was about to fall on the floor and fall asleep but I managed to prevent that. I'm requesting that we give Lady Olivia a sabbatical for today. It's not her fault, and I know how people around here view sleeping during the day but maybe we could allow her to rest for today. Lets cut her some slack today." Charlie requested telling half a lie and half the truth.
King Andrias looked up and saw Lady Olivia looking so tired that seeing her hair looking slightly out of place, her eyes looking sleepy, some slight baggy eyes and the skin underneath her eyes were slightly blotchy. Lady Olivia heard every word Charlie said and her heart raced a bit. Was Charlie requesting a day off for her to make up for the chaotic events last night that left her unable to sleep at night? King Andrias looked at her as if he could tell that Charlie was telling the truth, even if Charlie wasn't being completely truthful to him or those who heard his every word.
"Oh my, you're right. Poor Lady Olivia looks as though she hasn't slept in three days. Lady Olivia, by Charlie's request. You're to take a sabbatical for today. You look like you might pass out." said King Andrias showing compassionate worry for her. "You two guards, kindly escort Lady Olivia to her bedroom and make sure one of our personal doctors has a sleep cocktail ready for her, it'll at least help her sleep or help her fall asleep."
Charlie looked back at Lady Olivia who was wide eyed with shock. Did Charlie just convince the king to let her have the day off to rest due to the lack of sleep last night that was caused by the five kids? Lady Olivia looked back at Charlie as the two male newt guards were about to take her to her bedroom and just before she left, she saw Charlie wink at her while she mouthed silently to him "Thank You" and as she was being escorted to her room by the two guards. She smiled and felt the biggest relief in her life.
"Who ever raised him knows what they're doing. Thank frog!" Olivia thought to herself overjoyed.
They all focused back on the tasks at hand.
"Gotta get equipped for a mega-quest like this. Armor to buy, maps to study, weapons to forge. This is gonna take a few days." said Marcy listing off.
Hop Pop shown a look of concern at Marcy's words. He knew that they've been in Newtopia for a while now and he remembered that they'd eventually be heading back to Wartwood as he knew that tending to their house and crops was part of the reasons of going back to Wartwood but also to get the music box back to help Anne, Charlie and Marcy get back home and more.
"Few days, huh? Well, I hate to say it, but we really need to get back to Wartwood. The harvest is coming up and we can't miss it." stated Hop Pop.
"Okay, Marce, me, Charlie and the Plantars will head back to Wartwood, and when you're ready we can just meet up." Anne stated.
"Anywhere my girl goes. I go with her." Charlie chimed in.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. It doesn't really make sense for both of you to go back to Wartwood." said Marcy trying to slow things down.
Anne, Charlie and the Plantars turned to Marcy with confusion. What was she telling them? They didn't know what she meant but there was a tinge of shock but it was overcome with confusion.
"The last thing we should do is separate again, now that we're so close to finding our way home." said Marcy being more specific.
Anne, Charlie and the Plantars were struck with sadness. The two humans knew at the same time, Marcy was right, while they felt like they didn't want to leave Hop Pop, Sprig or Polly during the time being. Charlie was feeling more of an emotional sting.
"I guess that's true, but, uh, I, uh, we need to go to Wartwood to get the music box. Right, H.P.?" said Anne trying to brush off her sadness.
"Technically, yes." said Hop Pop in agreement.
Charlie felt some sense of relief from Anne's words as he rushed to Hop Pop's side and pulled him in for a hug as if happy to go with him.
"OtÅsan." said Charlie shakily.
"Nonsense. Once Hop Pop gets the box back, we'll just send a servant to pick it up. More efficient that way." Marcy insisted.
Anne's shred of hope was suddenly extinguished like water putting out a fire. She had a saddened expression while she looked back and she saw that the Plantars were visibly saddened by Marcy's words. Charlie looked on with shock, he looked as though he was the first to be on the verge of shedding a tear.
"Yeah, but..." Anne struggled to continue.
Marcy placed her hand on Anne's right shoulder in an attempt to console her but it wasn't working. Marcy shown a visibly saddened face but it wasn't as intense like theirs.
"Anne, Chalrie, right now you two have to follow your heads, not your hearts. The Plantars got you both here, to me. It's time to let them get back to their lives. Why don't you guys take the day to say goodbye?" Marcy instructed but her words were cutting them like butter.
What Marcy said not only was logic but Anne knew that she was correct in some form but she was saddened by this. Anne and the Plantars were visibly saddened and let out a groan. But none of them felt as saddened as Charlie as he was the first to shed tears, breathing in and out deeply as he looked like he was at first angry with Marcy but he really didn't want to be angry with her.
"Marceline Wu!" said Charlie looking broken.
They turned to see Charlie was the first to burst into tears. Anne and the Plantars may have been showing some tears as well but they weren't looking as upset as poor Charlie appeared to be. Charlie didn't want to leave Anne now that they're dating nor did he want to leave the Plantars, especially Hop Pop since he's developed a father and son relationship with him. He let go of Hop Pop and gave a cold look at Marcy but as Marcy saw his face, she felt a sense of guilt as Charlie walked up to her but stopped half way.
As Charlie was about to say something to Marcy, he stopped again. Tears trickled out of his eyes as he looked away and ran out of the throne room, bursting into tears as he ran down the hallway. Anne and the Plantars attempted to stop him but with how fast he ran off, he was already out of sight and out of earshot before they could say anything to him. King Andrias saw the whole thing and he may not have felt any sadness nor shown that emotion but he did feel that he should do something to console them.
"You folks want a giant tissue? Seriously, you would not believe the size of these tissues." offered King Andrias letting out a chuckle at what he said till he stopped. "I'll get you one."
As King Andrias went off to get some tissues to help dry their tears. Somewhere in the castle. As Lady Olivia was in her bedroom. Two doctors were with her as one of them was getting the sleep cocktail ready and the other was looking after her as if examining her for further symptoms. Lady Olivia was wide eyed as she felt something strange inside. It looked as though she had sensed that someone she knew was upset like a mother sensing her child was suffering a broken heart.
"Doctor, my motherly senses are tingling." Olivia looking worried.
"Milady, you don't have children as far as your medical history says." said a heavyset male newt who spoke in a womanly tone.
"I know, but something just now started to worry me." said Olivia looking panicked.
The heavyset male newt reached out to place his hand on Lady Olivia's head as if attempting to console the beautiful newt lady of her worries.
"Everything is alright, milady. We have others throughout the castle tending to everything." reassured the heavyset male newt. "Manny? I think milady is stressed out more than we know. Is that sleep cocktail ready? Let's not make it too strong."
"I got it." said the other doctor who was a slender male newt with a very deep voice and a thick mustache.
Manny came over to Lady Olivia's bed with the cocktail and the heavyset male newt was consoling the worried newt woman and they gave her the sleep cocktail to help her drink it. She drank it down but only downed half the cup of the beverage. After the cup was set down nearby on a table was when Lady Olivia wanted them to do something she had in mind.
"Please make sure the humans and the Plantars are alright. It'll make me feel better." said Olivia feeling sleepy.
"We'll do so, milady. For now, think of counting sheepflies while laying down on something soft as a cloud." advised Manny. "Renee, I'll do what she suggested and inform the king and the guards, you tend to Lady Olivia till she falls asleep."
"You know it, sugar." reassured Renee.
As Manny left the room. Renee remained there with Lady Olivia and made sure she was alright as she slowly fell asleep in her large, comfortable bed. Renee pulled the blankets over her and fluffed her pillow for her.
"Please let them children and the Plantars be alright. Especially that human with the heart of gold." Olivia thought to herself hopefully.