Smicc: Sadly I have to write a disclaimer! WHAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Izy: Just say the stupid thing!
Smicc: Fine! I own the plot, Merropia, Fluhasd, the gnome hollows, the guards, Valomp, Rini, Myles, Edmund, Lela, Nordie and Ferick. But absolutely nothing else! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Izy: We apologize for the long wait for this update.
Smicc: I'm a slow writer and I had a major case of writers block. This might not be my best chapter yet but it introduces two new main characters!
Izy: YEA! Rini and Myles aren't alone anymore!
Smicc: It will prolly be a while before I update again because I'm a writer that's slower than a slug because I have no time and right now no motivation!
Izy: So please enjoy this chapter
Smicc: Read and review please! Without further ado on with the story!
Izy: DON'T START THAT AGAIN!
GNOMES
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By: Smicc
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Ella lay down in bed next to Char. She sighed looked up and then looked at Char who was sleeping on his side facing the wall.
"You're not going to take her seriously are you?" said Ella sadly. No response
"She wouldn't lie and you and I both know she takes after me and could easily translate and speak any language. David taught her and Myles. She has the resources and even the scribe recognized it as Shenkuja." said Ella sitting up
"If she's like you she'll do something drastic tonight. I just hope it won't be something stupid that will get her killed," said Char turning over to face Ella.
"What do mean 'If' are you saying you don't know what your daughter is like?" asked Ella disbelievingly.
"Yes, unfortunately that's what I'm saying. I've been busy training and preparing Edmund to be able to rule the kingdom. Also I've been trying to make marriage treaties and betrothals for Lela. You've been teaching Lela how to be a proper court lady, and we've both been busy with this war since she was seven" said Char. Ella looked as if she was about to say something but then stopped.
"You know I don't think I've even told her about my mother or how we met. I can't even tell you what her favorite food is or if she likes to slide down stair rails or-" stammered Ella, tears slowly working their way down her face. Char placing a finger on her lips cut her off.
"Shh, neither can I. I've been beating myself up about all afternoon. I could tell you all you ever wanted to know and more about Edmund. I could tell you Lela's favorite anything's in an instant but I can't even tell you What Corina prefers to be called." Said Char hugging Ella tightly.
"They only heirloom I ever gave Corina was my mother's old necklace." Said Ella.
"Char we failed her. When was the last time you or I tucked her into bed or woke her up with a hug or kiss in the morning?" said Ella crying even harder.
"I can't remember and she's only ten. Char I need to know what she's like" sobbed Ella.
"Shh, you can ask her in the morning I am without a doubt spending the whole day with her. No council, No Edmund or Lela, and no talk of war or Davis or Davey or… I don't even know the name of her best friend that died in the first wave of ogre attacks. Your right we have to know now. Let's go talk to her" said Char kissing the top of Ella's head. Char stood up and took a hold of Ella's hand. Ella stayed sitting on the bed staring blanking straight forward. Then a look of horror pasted her face she gasped and started to cry uncontrollably again.
"I never thought I would be a parent like my own father" said Ella looking up at Char through watery eyes.
"Ella. You're not anything like him, You're a wonderful mother. Now come on I want to catch her before she does anything stupid. He said grabbing her arm and dragging her to the other end of the castle where Lela, Edmund and Rini's rooms were. He knocked on Rini's door softly no response he opened it slightly and looked around, nothing except the door to the balcony was touched. They bed hadn't been slept in since last night, and the balcony door was wide open an early morning breeze blowing the curtains. Char ran over to the balcony, the sun was coming up on the horizon against a pink sky, they guards out cold and the gate slightly open, just big enough for a ten year old to squeeze out.
"ELLA! CORINA IS GO-" began Char. Ella looked sadly at char as she stroked a doll that was lying on Rini's bed.
She nodded, "I know, she has the fairy book though, she'll still be able to see us and read about us. That is, if she figures out how to use it." Said Ella with tears in her eyes as she looked at Char.
"I gave it to Mandy to give it to one of the children about a week ago, I didn't want to be basis so I let Mandy pick, she said that she thought Corina needed it the most." Explained Ella as she set down the doll, "tomorrow I'll talk to Mandy and find out about my missing daughter." She said as she left the room, Char following but not before yelling at the guards to wake up and do their jobs instead of slacking off.
* * *
"Keep running! They're gaining on us," yelled Rini as she glanced behind her at the mounted guards chasing her and Myles, yelling for the children to stop running. Myles stumbled and rolled over to a pricker bush filled ditch disappearing in a matter of seconds his yell becoming distance. Rini saw him disappear and jumped into the pricker bushes behind him, the thorns stinging her skin as they made scratch wounds. Then she saw it a tiny hole, just big enough for a kid to fit through. "What's down there? It could be dangerous." Thought Rini, the guards dismounted by the pricker bushes, calling out her name as they carefully slashed through the thorns.
"Well, whatever is down there it's gotta be better than getting caught!" reasoned Rini as she plunged head first into the hole. It was a tunnel that sloped downwards; it twisted and turned making the young runaway very dizzy before finally opening to a long table, which 30 gnomes were just sitting down to the noon meal. Rini came shooting out of the tunnel flying face first down the long table before coming to a stop after sliding right off the other end of the table and landing in a heap on the floor covered in food, drink, dirt and thorns. The guard's cries from above were faint. Rini sat up and held her head to make the room stop spinning.
All the gnomes were looking at her, "Uh-oh," thought Rini as five of the men gnomes got up and came over to her. She tried to jump up and run, but only succeeded in standing for a moment before falling back to the ground.
"I'm really really sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you, I was running from…um… bad men and this was my only escape." Said Rini in Gnomic as she frantically searched for an exit. She found it; there was a door just below the tunnel, the five gnomes picked her up and dusted her off.
"You speak gnomic?" asked one gnome. Rini nodded, one of the gnomes walked around her examining her.
"You are Princess Corina are you not?" He asked. Rini nodded after a moment of hesitation, "Did a boy with brown hair just come down here?" she asked, as the gnomes started to bow before her.
"Please don't do that. I'm trying to escape from the palace! Bad things are about to happen and my friend and I are trying to stop them from happening!" explained Rini in Gnomic.
"Princess Corina, we would be honored if you were to dine with us this fine day." Said an Elderly gnome.
"Rini, please. Have you seen my friend?" she asked again in Gnomic.
"This tunnel is one of many branches that break off from the main tunnel, and your friend has no doubt ended up in another hollow if you believe he has entered the tunnel system. First Lunch, then the business of finding your missing companion." Said the elder as he sat down and nodded to a seat next to him, Rini sighed and sat down next to the elder. The other gnomes then sat and began to eat. Rini examined the food, an assortment of soups lemon parsnip, Turtle barley, mushroom soup, and roots. It looked very appetizing to her stomach as it growled when she sat down. Rini blushed and many gnomes chortled into their soup(s). She began to eat; it was then that she realized that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before. She hoped that wherever Myles was that he was being fed and not run off.
Once all the gnomes had finished eating the women and children gnomes took away the dishes to be washed as the men gnomes got up and left to do their afternoon duties. The elder, or Fluhasd as Rini had found out his name was, Stood up as the children gnomes started filtering back into the room.
"Children, today instead of craft time we will help Princess Rini find her missing companion." Said Fluhasd, the children cheered. One boy gnome ran over to help Rini with her bag. As he picked it up everything fell out. He apologized and began to shovel the clothes and provisions back into the bag. He reached for the last item, a book; Fluhasd picked it up and looked at the book. The pictures on the cover began to dance.
He gasped "Fairy made! This is a very special book." He looked at the title 'The life cycle of a Centaur tick', "This book 's cover doesn't let on everything about it." Said Fluhasd as he opened the book, "I'm unable to read anything but information on the centaur tick." Said Fluhasd as he handed Rini the book. Mandy had given it to her last week, Rini had really hated the look of the book and had stuck in her knapsack where she assumed no one would ever find it and she'd forget about it. Well, her plan had worked; she took the book as Fluhasd handed it to her.
"Please enlighten us on what your book really says?" asked Fluhasd the children cheering in agreement. Rini's interest was peaked by what Fluhasd had said about it being not really about a tick. She opened the book inside was a story about a boy named Aladdin and his magic lamp. She read it to the children; it took up all the pages in the book.
She closed the book, "Where did Aladdin find the lamp again?" asked a little girl. Rini opened the book to check but was astonished to find that inside was a story about a little lost elf girl. She closed the book and opened it again to find the story of Rapunzel. She closed the book after reading Rapunzel's and the Elf girl's story to the children, and put it in her bag.
"Will you read us another story?" asked a child sitting on Fluhasd lap. "Another time Valomp. We promised to help Princess Rini look for her missing friend." Said Fluhasd, all the children moaned but stood up and Pulled Rini out the door and to the different hollows in search of Myles. They found him in the 16th hollow.
"Myles! There you are! I was just about to give up looking for you!" called a relieved Rini.
"Rini! Please tell them I'm not her to steal the Agulen treasure," said Myles as he twisted trying to break free of his bonds.
"Ferick! Nortund! Release the boy," commanded Fluhasd. The guard gnomes untied Myles, he ran to Rini and they hugged briefly before thanking Fluhasd.
"This is her Royal Highness Princess Corina! The boy is her Companion they are trying to stop the immortals." Fluhasd explained to the two teenaged gnomes that had guarded Myles.
"You knew that the bad things I talked about were immortals?" gasped Rini. Fluhasd nodded.
"A few of them passed by here not even three moons ago." Explained Fluhasd.
"Really!" chorused Rini and Myles. Fluhasd nodded, the two gnomes that had been holding Myles captive were shoed out of the room by Fluhasd.
"We must talk about your immortals. Also, we must talk about why, the Princess, is running around trying to destroy immortals" said Fluhasd eying Rini and putting an emphasis on the word 'Princess'.
"They didn't believe us! We're the only ones who believe my brother! They're trying to take over the realm!" Ranted Myles before Rini told him to let her talk.
"Myles's brother sent us a letter just before he died and told us that Merropia had some how brought immortals from the divine realms to take over Daddy's kingdom. No one believed us when we told the council what the letter. So, we decided that it was up to us to beat 'um" said Rini filling in the important gaps that Myles had left out.
"Didn't anyone try to stop you?" asked Fluhasd amazed at the will the children had.
"No, they don't care. They've already got a princess, who needs another one? My parents don't even know my name." Explained Rini, Fluhasd immediately knew that it was an old grievance and shushed her.
"No ones going to notice a missing servant boy." Said Myles with a shrug, "We didn't want to sit at home knowing that Merropia was planning something evil, and no one was going to do anything about it." Finished Myles.
"We don't want to cause you or your gnomes anymore discomfort we'll be leaving before dawn tomorrow… However, some provisions would be greatly appreciated." Said Rini as Myles stomach started to growl.
* * *
The sun was just in the early morning sky, the birds were slowly waking and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. Rini and Myles, bag's packed and full stomachs began the journey once again. "Princess! Princess! Wait up" called to gruff voices. Rini and Myles froze
"Not more guards" mouthed Myles. Rini Looked behind them and saw the two guard gnomes running to catch up. Once the gnomes caught their breath, they began uttering out the reasons for leaving the hollows.
"You see, we was tired of boring schedules and life bein' the same day in and day out. We wanted some adventure in our lives something new" Began the slightly taller one, He had a orange hair and big black eyes. He was wearing a short forest green vest and patched tan pants. Rini remembered that his name was Ferick.
"So we decided we'd come wid you guys and fight them immortals in Merropia" explained the other one. He had more of a copper colored hair and big black eyes. He was wearing dark brown breeches and a deep green shirt, his breeches also patched.
"Nordie you fool! Now they know we was listenin' to them and Fluhasd." Yelled Ferick slapping the other gnome on the back of his head.
"Pardon me but wasn't your name Nortund yesterday?" asked a confused Myles as he looked at the gnomes.
"Yes, but only me mum and Fluhasd calls me Nortund, everyone else calls me Nordie…unless I'm in trouble," Nordie explained
"Well, I suppose you've joined our little quest. Welcome! And please don't every call me Corina again!" said Rini with a smile.
After a few seconds Nordie spoke again. "So where exactly are we going and how long is it going to take?" he asked.
"We headed for the capital of because that's for sure where the immortal business will have started." Said Myles,
"Since we have to travel by foot, because people will be looking for my all over Frell, it will take us roughly three to four years to get to Merropia." Said Rini, Myles nodded in agreement at the gnomes.
"THREE TO FOUR YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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