I own no characters. *sob sob*
This is by FeatherQuill. Please read other stories I have written if you can. :)

******

"A catch? A quest?" I frowned at him. "Wait a minute, this is getting confusing."

"We must go on a quest," he repeated. "And the catch is this: we can't have any help. We can't pack anything except what we are wearing on our backs. And we must bring back a few set objects as well for the King and Queen."

"What?" I looked at him as though he were crazy. "All that? NO help?"

"Yup." His boyish grin made me smile too, and I gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"If that's what we have to do, then that's what we have to do." I announced.

"Ok, then. When should we start?"

I pondered for a second. If we started now, then we could get it over more quickly. However I was enjoying the honeymoon!

I decide to go later, it could wait for a few days, couldn't it?

I told Char my decision, and he agreed.

*

We spent the next few days just enjoying each other's company. We went on picnics, devised plans to snatch Hattie's wig and place it atop Apple's head, and just generally enjoyed the views, sounds, sights and foods.

But soon the day came when we had to go home. We said goodbye to Mr and Mrs G, and set off home on our horses.

"What do you think we will have to do?" I asked him, as we rode along the lane.

"I don't know," he replied, his brow furrowed. "if I remember correctly, my mum and dad...I think they had to capture a Ginnkul. It's a bird that is only found very deep in an Ayorthian forest, extremely hard to catch, worth a fortune on the black market. Took them awhile, it did. Was hard, too, they told me, as they had to collect some other things as well, from other lands."

I sucked in my breath, hoping we wouldn't have to do anything as hard as that.

The kingdom soon came into view, and we rode back to the castle. We arrived to fanfare and shouting from the public, and we tried to look gracious as we walked into the castle.

"Oh! Ella! You've returned at last!"

It was Mandy. Bustling down the steps, she was as friendly and plump as ever. Her eyes twinkled as she dragged me into a warm hug, and I returned the embrace gladly.

"Come along, no time to waste," she muttered, pushing us towards the dining room.

"Dinner?" I asked, puzzled.

"No," she said, her eyes sparkling. "Your quest."

Char and I shared a look, and he grasped my hand. Together we walked into the dining room, to face the King and Queen.

"Ahh, my dear boy, how have you been?" And Ella, you've grown so much taller!" exclaimed King Jerrold. They got up from their seats and welcomed us with hugs and kisses.

The servants brought us our entree, a thick beef stew. It was delicious, but Char and I couldn't enjoy it very much, nerves spoiling our appetite.

We kept on exchanging glances all throughout the meal, our heads down, trying to eat.

"Oh don't look so worried!" Queen Daria laughed. "Shall we tell them now Jerrold?"

"Well..." his eyes twinkled. "Alright."

"You see...I think you know about the quest, don't you Ella? Char told you didn't he?" Queen Daria's inquisitive eyes came to rest on Ella's as she nodded.

"Well, here it goes. This is your quest: you must travel to Pohyk, and bring back, the phoenix medal. Along the way you must also collect the following -
* a silver stone
* an ayorthian green belt and
* a wand in the shape of a .
You cannot ask to have these specially made, you must find them or buy them in a shop."

Ella looked around. Queen Daria and King Jerrold were beaming, Char looked stun-struck.

"T-t-the phoenix medal?" Char sputtered. "But t-that's impossible!"

Everything else was gone from our minds when we heard the news. The phoenix medal is an ancient medallion, said to be sculpted from Verdana. Verdana was the God of all birds when this land was created. He was a phoenix, said to be the most ancient and rare species of bird. I had never seen one, I actually didn't know any one who had. But it was an old wive's tale! It didn't exist! Did it?

"But it's not real, it's a myth, a legend... isn't it?" I asked, puzzled.

The two elders exchanged glances, their eyes twinkling. They shrugged, and refused to say anymore about the subject.

******

After dinner, Char and I retired to our room. Beautiful room, our bedroom. Done out in cream with navy blue trim, it had old wooden furniture and a four-poster bed. I flopped on the bed and sighed.

"The phoenix medal?" I said aloud.

"Where will we go? Where will we find it?" Char wondered aloud.

"That," I said, sitting up to face him, "is all up to the gods."

He sat next to me on the bed, and I put my head on his shoulder. We watched the sun set, and wondered about our quest, our journey and our future.



What do you think? Please review!! But if you are just going to criticise, then please do not review. If you have nothing nice to say, then please say nothing at all. My stories aren't perfect, but I put time into them, and I hope that you enjoy them!!
Also, thankyou to the wonderful reviewers from my first chapter! I wouldn't have written this second one if it wasn't for you guys, thanks for the support. Bye!! Plz r/r!!