A/N: Thanks again, Mads, for beta-reading, I really appreciate it!
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it ain't mine.
~~~~~
Kel stumbled, nearly bringing Neal and Sir Myles down with her.
"Kel! What was that?" Neal demanded hotly.
"L-l-look at the hall!" she stuttered, pointing.
The arch that had been there a moment ago was now gone and the entire hallway was swirling together. Reds, blues, purples, and golds, all mixing up and re-organizing themselves. They watched, amazed, as a banner with the Royal Seal printed on it became a brick wall and a door became a painting. Their destination - Myles' door - was still visible further down the hall, but when they hurriedly stepped towards it, it disappeared and the previously straight hallway became one with a turn in it. They stopped dead, their breathing harsh.
Neal's eyes rolled back in his head, and Myles sat down hard. Kel just stood there, unsure of anything, except that she didn't give a damn where she was as long as it wasn't here.
"What just happened?" Neal rasped. "Would anyone like to tell me?"
He received no answer, because there was none to give. Neither of his companions had any better idea what was going on. All they knew was that the palace had just completely rearranged itself right in front of their eyes.
Myles rubbed his eyes disbelievingly. Then he rubbed them again. And again. Still, he couldn't change what he saw. Finally, he whispered, "That's it. I'm giving up drinking."
Kel glanced at the ever-changing walls ? and occasionally not walls ? and suggested, "Why don't we just keep going? I mean, we have to get somewhere eventually, don't we?"
Having nothing better to do, they agreed and continued walking. There were a couple near misses with walls popping up out of nowhere and Neal groaned that seeing the transformations made him dizzy (Myles was so drunk they didn't make a difference, and Kel was too nervous to complain) but they at least managed not to kill themselves.
Stepping forward with an arm extended in front of them (they'd found that the most effective, though not foolproof, way of avoiding walls) they felt the air move. "Wall," Neal muttered. Before they could step back, though, it raced forward and slammed into their faces.
"Ow."
Rubbing his nose, Myles' eyes rested on the banner newly appeared on the wall that had just abused them, and froze.
"Hey!" Neal cried, elated. "The walls ? they stopped moving! We're saved!" Dropping to his knees, he kissed the ground.
Kel turned in circles, racking her brain for an area of the castle that looked even remotely like this. Finally she asked, "Where are we?"
Opening and closing his mouth like a fish, Myles softly told her, "We are at Pirate's Swoop."
It was Kel's turn to sit down with a thump. "What?" she said, flatly.
Neal, on the other hand, was hysterical. "We are where?! Mithros and Goddess we're dead. Dead I tell you, dead! Lord Wyldon will kill us, the King will kill us. Master Numair - he'll kill us too. And Lady Alanna . . . I bet you she'll kill us as well! Not only are we trespassing, we aren't even allowed to be here! And ? "
"Neal! If you don't shut up, I'll kill you!" Myles told him.
Kel finally snapped out of her stupor at the sound of Myles' voice. She leaned over and put her face in her hands and groaned. "Gods . . . what are we supposed to do now? What am I supposed to do? I'm not supposed to be here!" She groaned again, shaking her head.
Myles placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, it's not your fault. They can't punish you. Now, I think our best bet would be to find someone - preferably Alanna or George.
"Who's awake at this ungodly hour?" Neal muttered, but helped Myles continue their journey anyhow.
After a few minutes of silence, Sir Myles asked Kel, "Are you alright?" She nodded, then shook her head, then moaned, "I'm going to be in so much trouble!"
We've probably been in worse," Neal told her. Kel only looked at him. "Okay, probably not."
They continued on without talking, each pondering their own thoughts. Kel wondered if this meant she'd actually get to meet the Lioness, but decided that she probably wouldn't meet her, but seeing her wasn't out of the question. Even if it was only a glimpse, she'd do anything for it. Neal was thinking up ways to talk them out of trouble when they finally got back to the palace, and how to position himself behind Kel in the chance that she did see Sir Alanna, so he could catch her when she fell over. Myles was only concentrating on staying conscious, and finding his daughter, but his steps grew increasingly heavier. At last, the inevitable happened. He fell down.
"Uh-oh," Neal said. "We broke our teacher."
Kel knelt down and felt for Myles' pulse. She sighed, relieved. "I think he's unconscious." When Neal didn't respond, she tugged on his breeches. "Hey! Get down here. You're the healer, after all."
Distractedly, Neal glanced down at her, then back to the hallway. "There's someone coming," he murmured.
Kel's head shot up, hope visible in her eyes for just a moment, until her Yamani reflexes took over. "We. Are. So. Dead."
They both slowly turned to face Sir Myles. Then, in a rush, both began shaking him. "Sir Myles! Sir Myles! Wake up!"
"Wait a minute." Kel stopped. "Neal, he's unconscious. Shaking him won't wake him up. Try something else!"
As if he'd suddenly been given new insight, Neal said, "Ohhhh . . . " Then, he touched a shimmering finger to each of Myles' temples. A spark of magic shot through and Myles stirred.
They both jumped on the moment.
"Sir Myles!"
"Someone's coming!"
"And they're - "
" - right there!"
"Wake - "
" - up!"
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it ain't mine.
~~~~~
Kel stumbled, nearly bringing Neal and Sir Myles down with her.
"Kel! What was that?" Neal demanded hotly.
"L-l-look at the hall!" she stuttered, pointing.
The arch that had been there a moment ago was now gone and the entire hallway was swirling together. Reds, blues, purples, and golds, all mixing up and re-organizing themselves. They watched, amazed, as a banner with the Royal Seal printed on it became a brick wall and a door became a painting. Their destination - Myles' door - was still visible further down the hall, but when they hurriedly stepped towards it, it disappeared and the previously straight hallway became one with a turn in it. They stopped dead, their breathing harsh.
Neal's eyes rolled back in his head, and Myles sat down hard. Kel just stood there, unsure of anything, except that she didn't give a damn where she was as long as it wasn't here.
"What just happened?" Neal rasped. "Would anyone like to tell me?"
He received no answer, because there was none to give. Neither of his companions had any better idea what was going on. All they knew was that the palace had just completely rearranged itself right in front of their eyes.
Myles rubbed his eyes disbelievingly. Then he rubbed them again. And again. Still, he couldn't change what he saw. Finally, he whispered, "That's it. I'm giving up drinking."
Kel glanced at the ever-changing walls ? and occasionally not walls ? and suggested, "Why don't we just keep going? I mean, we have to get somewhere eventually, don't we?"
Having nothing better to do, they agreed and continued walking. There were a couple near misses with walls popping up out of nowhere and Neal groaned that seeing the transformations made him dizzy (Myles was so drunk they didn't make a difference, and Kel was too nervous to complain) but they at least managed not to kill themselves.
Stepping forward with an arm extended in front of them (they'd found that the most effective, though not foolproof, way of avoiding walls) they felt the air move. "Wall," Neal muttered. Before they could step back, though, it raced forward and slammed into their faces.
"Ow."
Rubbing his nose, Myles' eyes rested on the banner newly appeared on the wall that had just abused them, and froze.
"Hey!" Neal cried, elated. "The walls ? they stopped moving! We're saved!" Dropping to his knees, he kissed the ground.
Kel turned in circles, racking her brain for an area of the castle that looked even remotely like this. Finally she asked, "Where are we?"
Opening and closing his mouth like a fish, Myles softly told her, "We are at Pirate's Swoop."
It was Kel's turn to sit down with a thump. "What?" she said, flatly.
Neal, on the other hand, was hysterical. "We are where?! Mithros and Goddess we're dead. Dead I tell you, dead! Lord Wyldon will kill us, the King will kill us. Master Numair - he'll kill us too. And Lady Alanna . . . I bet you she'll kill us as well! Not only are we trespassing, we aren't even allowed to be here! And ? "
"Neal! If you don't shut up, I'll kill you!" Myles told him.
Kel finally snapped out of her stupor at the sound of Myles' voice. She leaned over and put her face in her hands and groaned. "Gods . . . what are we supposed to do now? What am I supposed to do? I'm not supposed to be here!" She groaned again, shaking her head.
Myles placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, it's not your fault. They can't punish you. Now, I think our best bet would be to find someone - preferably Alanna or George.
"Who's awake at this ungodly hour?" Neal muttered, but helped Myles continue their journey anyhow.
After a few minutes of silence, Sir Myles asked Kel, "Are you alright?" She nodded, then shook her head, then moaned, "I'm going to be in so much trouble!"
We've probably been in worse," Neal told her. Kel only looked at him. "Okay, probably not."
They continued on without talking, each pondering their own thoughts. Kel wondered if this meant she'd actually get to meet the Lioness, but decided that she probably wouldn't meet her, but seeing her wasn't out of the question. Even if it was only a glimpse, she'd do anything for it. Neal was thinking up ways to talk them out of trouble when they finally got back to the palace, and how to position himself behind Kel in the chance that she did see Sir Alanna, so he could catch her when she fell over. Myles was only concentrating on staying conscious, and finding his daughter, but his steps grew increasingly heavier. At last, the inevitable happened. He fell down.
"Uh-oh," Neal said. "We broke our teacher."
Kel knelt down and felt for Myles' pulse. She sighed, relieved. "I think he's unconscious." When Neal didn't respond, she tugged on his breeches. "Hey! Get down here. You're the healer, after all."
Distractedly, Neal glanced down at her, then back to the hallway. "There's someone coming," he murmured.
Kel's head shot up, hope visible in her eyes for just a moment, until her Yamani reflexes took over. "We. Are. So. Dead."
They both slowly turned to face Sir Myles. Then, in a rush, both began shaking him. "Sir Myles! Sir Myles! Wake up!"
"Wait a minute." Kel stopped. "Neal, he's unconscious. Shaking him won't wake him up. Try something else!"
As if he'd suddenly been given new insight, Neal said, "Ohhhh . . . " Then, he touched a shimmering finger to each of Myles' temples. A spark of magic shot through and Myles stirred.
They both jumped on the moment.
"Sir Myles!"
"Someone's coming!"
"And they're - "
" - right there!"
"Wake - "
" - up!"