Part 9-
"John, are you sure you know where we're going?" Marguerite said and hiked up her skirt as she walked over an irregularly large berry bush.
"I am absolutely positive." He said with a smile.
"You're so sure of your self. Why is that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She was standing in front of him.
"Because I can see behind you." Marguerite turned around and saw, over a hill, a village with a gigantic tan castle in the center of it. "Come on." He said and the rest of the party followed. They continued down the hill and as they reached the city's gate a man lay by the tall black wire gate with a tin cup.
"Money?" He asked up at them. Ned laughed to himself; he hadn't needed money in three years. They walked past the beggar and Veronica looked at him sympathetically.
"There's no need for money on the plateau." John said. "What kind of place is this?"
"I don't know." Veronica murmured and looked around. Men walked past in fine clothes and gold jewelry with other people following them carrying burlap sacks. An apple fell out of one of the sacks and she picked it up. "This is different." She said and looked up towards the castle. They went towards it and a man was leaned up against a wooden stand, smoking something. He blew smoke in Marguerite's face.
"Excuse you!" She coughed and blew it away from her face.
"What are you all here for?" He asked.
"Why wouldn't we be?" Challenger asked. The man took another puff of his 'cigarette'
"Because you don't live around here."
"Where is around here?" Veronica asked.
"Stenstone, kingdom, well not really a kingdom of..."
"Why isn't it a kingdom?" Roxton asked the man.
"To be a kingdom you need a king. But in a few days we'll have our king." The man showed some fake enthusiasm.
"Why do I have the feeling Chloe has something to do with this soon to be king?" John asked no one in particular.
"How do we get to speak with this, well, what ever he is?" Ned asked.
"Prince Liam? You have to get into the castle." He blew out his smoke in Marguerite's face again.
"Could you not do that!" She shouted at him.
"Eh, how do you get in the castle?" Challenger asked, trying to calm Marguerite down. The man laughed.
"Get captured, then you can go into the dungeons, but I wouldn't do that."
"I'm sure there is a safer, more legal way to get in." Challenger said. The man shook his head.
"Not unless you want to take a chance with the prince's guards."
"Well, thank you for your time." Challenger nodded his hat to the man and they walked away.
"Stenstone," Veronica was in deep thought. She looked up at the castle. "That name sounds so vaguely familiar."
"Do you remember your mother and father ever saying anything to you about it?" Ned asked. They were going towards the castle.
"I don't know, but the name sounds so familiar. And Liam. Liam who?" She asked herself. Suddenly there was a loud horn blowing from the balcony in the center of the castle. They all looked up, as did everyone else. Two men stood at the edge of the balcony. They looked exactly alike, cropped black hair, muscular build, stern face and long red robes. A man came out. He was wearing long black robes, like the other two men's clothes. He smiled down at them. People fell to the ground in praise all around the village. The man raised his hand and the praising ceased.
"What is it that you want?" He shouted to the people from his platform.
"A queen!" They exclaimed over and over again. The man with the cigarette rolled his eyes and waved his hands while he spoke. Obviously not everyone wanted a queen. The man smiled at the people and went back in his castle. The two other robed men followed him.
"They all start praising him at the drop of a hat? He doesn't seem like such a good ruler." Veronica said and looked to her friends. John looked at her and then back up to the empty platform.
"I still think we need to figure out about Chloe. Something tells me, that she's been involved with this somehow."
***
"Did you hear that!" Liam shouted angrily at Chloe. "How can you be so heartless as to not give the people what they truly want!" He spat when he talked and Chloe turned her head so it didn't get in her face. "Can't you be considerate of anyone but yourself for once, Chloe?" He asked in a lower, softer tone.
"What? You kidnap me in the night, knock me out, keep me in a room guarded with snakes for two days now, and your telling me to be considerate?" She shouted at him and stood up from the small, wooden straight-backed chair.
"Sit down," He motioned with his hands and she, involuntarily and by the use of magic, sat down.
"How do you do things like that? You twisted my arm last night at dinner and almost choked me! How are you doing things to me with out touching me?"
"Is it your business, quit interrupting me!" Liam was angry now. He rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. "You already decided you were staying here. Why does it matter how? All that matters is you just quit being so heartless." Chloe closed her eyes as he spoke and hoped to God that somehow, the expedition to help her was going on right now. She envisioned what everyone was doing to make some sort of contraption to save her.
Challenger was making out the plans for a giant retriever/sling shot. John and Ned got the materials while Veronica went hunting for where Chloe'd gone. Marguerite was helping Challenger use diamonds and crystals to use as mechanical things to turn the gears on the contraption. Chloe laughed aloud at the thought of all of them putting so much effort forth to help her. And Liam didn't like that as he was in mid-rant about her actions.
"WHAT'S SO DAMN FUNNY!?" He bellowed loudly. Chloe opened her eyes in suprise and fear. Liam reached his hand back, Chloe knew he was going to hit her. He slung his fist forward fast and as he was a few inches from her face, a palace guard ran through the door panting.
"Five, people," said the tall man with sandy blonde hair. "trying, to, burn, down, the castle." He managed. Liam forgot all about Chloe and ran out of the room. Chloe got up to leave but felt it pointless. Hopefully the castle would set fire and she could escape. But she doubted it seriously. She was alone in the room with an open window to her right. She got up and looked out at the land below her.
There was a small market place right in front of the castle and she could see people going about their daily lives. She could faintly hear the sound of a baby crying and a mother yelling at him to shut up near the castle, the prince could be asleep. She was louder then her baby.
***
"This palace is so big. What do you think this prince is making up for?" Roxton said as he hit the corner of the castle with the end of his gun.
"My lack of patience for vandals!" Shouted a voice from the stone steps leading to the front of the castle. The five of them looked up from what they had been destroying and suddenly realized this hadn't been such a good idea.
{A/N: Yeah I know I stole that thing Roxton said from Shrek, but gimmie a break man! I was suffering! I just couldn't think of anything else. Anywhoodles! Tell me what you think! Buh-Bye! Love ya!}
"John, are you sure you know where we're going?" Marguerite said and hiked up her skirt as she walked over an irregularly large berry bush.
"I am absolutely positive." He said with a smile.
"You're so sure of your self. Why is that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She was standing in front of him.
"Because I can see behind you." Marguerite turned around and saw, over a hill, a village with a gigantic tan castle in the center of it. "Come on." He said and the rest of the party followed. They continued down the hill and as they reached the city's gate a man lay by the tall black wire gate with a tin cup.
"Money?" He asked up at them. Ned laughed to himself; he hadn't needed money in three years. They walked past the beggar and Veronica looked at him sympathetically.
"There's no need for money on the plateau." John said. "What kind of place is this?"
"I don't know." Veronica murmured and looked around. Men walked past in fine clothes and gold jewelry with other people following them carrying burlap sacks. An apple fell out of one of the sacks and she picked it up. "This is different." She said and looked up towards the castle. They went towards it and a man was leaned up against a wooden stand, smoking something. He blew smoke in Marguerite's face.
"Excuse you!" She coughed and blew it away from her face.
"What are you all here for?" He asked.
"Why wouldn't we be?" Challenger asked. The man took another puff of his 'cigarette'
"Because you don't live around here."
"Where is around here?" Veronica asked.
"Stenstone, kingdom, well not really a kingdom of..."
"Why isn't it a kingdom?" Roxton asked the man.
"To be a kingdom you need a king. But in a few days we'll have our king." The man showed some fake enthusiasm.
"Why do I have the feeling Chloe has something to do with this soon to be king?" John asked no one in particular.
"How do we get to speak with this, well, what ever he is?" Ned asked.
"Prince Liam? You have to get into the castle." He blew out his smoke in Marguerite's face again.
"Could you not do that!" She shouted at him.
"Eh, how do you get in the castle?" Challenger asked, trying to calm Marguerite down. The man laughed.
"Get captured, then you can go into the dungeons, but I wouldn't do that."
"I'm sure there is a safer, more legal way to get in." Challenger said. The man shook his head.
"Not unless you want to take a chance with the prince's guards."
"Well, thank you for your time." Challenger nodded his hat to the man and they walked away.
"Stenstone," Veronica was in deep thought. She looked up at the castle. "That name sounds so vaguely familiar."
"Do you remember your mother and father ever saying anything to you about it?" Ned asked. They were going towards the castle.
"I don't know, but the name sounds so familiar. And Liam. Liam who?" She asked herself. Suddenly there was a loud horn blowing from the balcony in the center of the castle. They all looked up, as did everyone else. Two men stood at the edge of the balcony. They looked exactly alike, cropped black hair, muscular build, stern face and long red robes. A man came out. He was wearing long black robes, like the other two men's clothes. He smiled down at them. People fell to the ground in praise all around the village. The man raised his hand and the praising ceased.
"What is it that you want?" He shouted to the people from his platform.
"A queen!" They exclaimed over and over again. The man with the cigarette rolled his eyes and waved his hands while he spoke. Obviously not everyone wanted a queen. The man smiled at the people and went back in his castle. The two other robed men followed him.
"They all start praising him at the drop of a hat? He doesn't seem like such a good ruler." Veronica said and looked to her friends. John looked at her and then back up to the empty platform.
"I still think we need to figure out about Chloe. Something tells me, that she's been involved with this somehow."
***
"Did you hear that!" Liam shouted angrily at Chloe. "How can you be so heartless as to not give the people what they truly want!" He spat when he talked and Chloe turned her head so it didn't get in her face. "Can't you be considerate of anyone but yourself for once, Chloe?" He asked in a lower, softer tone.
"What? You kidnap me in the night, knock me out, keep me in a room guarded with snakes for two days now, and your telling me to be considerate?" She shouted at him and stood up from the small, wooden straight-backed chair.
"Sit down," He motioned with his hands and she, involuntarily and by the use of magic, sat down.
"How do you do things like that? You twisted my arm last night at dinner and almost choked me! How are you doing things to me with out touching me?"
"Is it your business, quit interrupting me!" Liam was angry now. He rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. "You already decided you were staying here. Why does it matter how? All that matters is you just quit being so heartless." Chloe closed her eyes as he spoke and hoped to God that somehow, the expedition to help her was going on right now. She envisioned what everyone was doing to make some sort of contraption to save her.
Challenger was making out the plans for a giant retriever/sling shot. John and Ned got the materials while Veronica went hunting for where Chloe'd gone. Marguerite was helping Challenger use diamonds and crystals to use as mechanical things to turn the gears on the contraption. Chloe laughed aloud at the thought of all of them putting so much effort forth to help her. And Liam didn't like that as he was in mid-rant about her actions.
"WHAT'S SO DAMN FUNNY!?" He bellowed loudly. Chloe opened her eyes in suprise and fear. Liam reached his hand back, Chloe knew he was going to hit her. He slung his fist forward fast and as he was a few inches from her face, a palace guard ran through the door panting.
"Five, people," said the tall man with sandy blonde hair. "trying, to, burn, down, the castle." He managed. Liam forgot all about Chloe and ran out of the room. Chloe got up to leave but felt it pointless. Hopefully the castle would set fire and she could escape. But she doubted it seriously. She was alone in the room with an open window to her right. She got up and looked out at the land below her.
There was a small market place right in front of the castle and she could see people going about their daily lives. She could faintly hear the sound of a baby crying and a mother yelling at him to shut up near the castle, the prince could be asleep. She was louder then her baby.
***
"This palace is so big. What do you think this prince is making up for?" Roxton said as he hit the corner of the castle with the end of his gun.
"My lack of patience for vandals!" Shouted a voice from the stone steps leading to the front of the castle. The five of them looked up from what they had been destroying and suddenly realized this hadn't been such a good idea.
{A/N: Yeah I know I stole that thing Roxton said from Shrek, but gimmie a break man! I was suffering! I just couldn't think of anything else. Anywhoodles! Tell me what you think! Buh-Bye! Love ya!}