A/n: oh...my...gosh...i am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry...i meant to just take a little break from this and...well...you all probably hate me now, but I'm finally updating, sooooooooooooo...here it is! *cringes in fear*
But i have to thank my ever-loyal reviewers...thanx, guys! To *ahem* Courtney (thanx!), MountainDew (you deserve to be in the top 5! Kudo bars are like granola bars, but they usually have some kind of chocolate (like M&Ms, Snickers, peanut butter & chocolate, or just chocolate on them!) but it's also a play on "kudos", since EVERYONE gives kudos, but I give kudo BARS...see? yeah...), Zel the Stampede (thanx...i like sweet chappies), CapturedHeart (*5 reviews!!* well, i didnt mean for the knot in her stomach to be her baby...but it could be...i never made the connection (she just needed some reason to get her home! lol), thanx for your constructive criticism...one day, when i have absolutely nothing to do for weeks upon weeks, i will go through this story and expand and clear up and so on...but, sadly today is not the day...but thanx for your ideas! I'm glad you're hooked! lol), Michi Yuy (no that was not the end, obviously!), fierybel (thanx! yeah, it is the Polar Bear King...and sometimes i wish that i had five thumbs, too!), Mary F. Sunshine (sorry for driving you insaner), Christa (I hope that you haven't combusted...sorry it's been so long!), L-L (as Rampant said, it's the Polar Bear King), Elizabeth ski faun (thanx), bekkah (thanx for all you emails, and for droppin by to read this! and it's not the end!), and Rampant (thanx! i'm glad you love it!)
ok, folks, on with the chappie! but there's still an epilogue to come!
~Jenny the chica~
Chapter Twenty: In Which the Quest is Over...
When Celia was finally able to at least pause her crying, she sat up and put her husband's hand on her stomach, praying that the baby would kick then. To her delight, it did, and when she looked up to her husband's face, the sight of his face, overflowing with shock and joy at the same time, caused her to cry harder, but she was so happy that she felt herself laugh, for the first time she was able to without worry since the night everything went wrong.
"What do we do?" Celia looked to her husband, certain that he would know.
"Well, we have to think of something. Tomorrow I'm supposed to be married."
"Married?!? This soon? I was almost too late! If I hadn't-"
"But you did. That's all that matters. Mark, the man next to my room, told me what you had said. I was able to trick the princess and not drink the sleeping potion."
"So it was a sleeping potion."
"Yes, it was. I feel so terrible about all the pain and worry it must have caused you."
"There was nothing that you could have done about it. Besides, it's all over now. For the time being, though, we need to figure out how to save you from a wedding!"
They talked for the rest of the night, planning out their escape, talking about the baby, and just catching up on the last few months. Ironically, Celia didn't find out her husband's name until that night. It was Philip.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When dawn was on the brink, Celia remembered that the princess expected Philip to be asleep, so she told him to pretend like he was. Celia then worked herself up to tears, rubbing her eyes to make them look red. It was just in time, too, because the princess stormed in, twisted Celia's arm, and threw her out of the room. Celia heard her say something to the "unconscious" Philip about their wedding day, but she didn't listen.
Celia was also a little preoccupied, busy getting ready to save her husband. Just a few more hours, when the wedding was to be, and they would be free.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The castle bustled with the excitement of the upcoming celebration. The princess, looking truly hideous in her bridal regalia, continued to pace in and out of the kitchen, where Celia sat at her normal spot near the stove. There, she waited.
She did not wait long, as she listened for her husband's voice. This was a strange wedding, indeed, with the groom in chains as if he would run away. Celia laughed inwardly, though tense in anticipation. She listened to the wedding conversation in the next room, the main hall, which thankfully sat next door to the kitchen.
Philip walked up and addressed his stepmother, the bride-to-not-be having already processed. "Mother, I would like to see what my bride is good for. I have a shirt that somehow got three drops of wax on it. I would like to have my bride wash them out, to see if she is good for it. If she is, then I will marry her. If she is not, I will not."
Celia sucked her breath in, praying fervently that what Philip had said would work. He had said that since she, an upright human, had made the stain, then only she could get it out.
The next voice Celia heard was that of Philip's stepmother, the mother-in-law that she had never known. "Get a bucket of water and soap. She will wash his shirt out right here and now."
Celia exhaled slightly. That was one thing down. Philip had thought that she would do that. Thank goodness he was right.
Celia jerked up her head to watch the servants madly filling a wide half-barrel with water and fetching a bar of soap. She smiled and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Too soon it would be on her shoulders to save the day.
"No, no, NO!!!! That's not how you do it! Here, let me try!" Celia heard Philip's stepmother's bellow echoing throughout the castle a few moments later. Obviously the princess had failed miserably. For the next hour, Celia heard the vain attempts of all the trolls in the castle trying to get the stain out, all the while, Philip was treating them as if they were all worthless fools.
Celia finally heard her cue: "You all are the most incompetent group of worthless...things that I have ever encountered in my life! Why, earlier today I saw a lass in the kitchen, and I'll bet that she can do a better job than any of you all, put together!"
"I doubt it!" cried his stepmother, utterly disappointed.
"We'll see! Come in, lass!" he shouted. Celia got up from the hearth and walked into the main hall, where an unexpected sight awaited her. Hanging off the side of the half-barrel was the shirt that Philip had worn on the night she lit the candle. But it looked nothing like it. In fact, it was even worse than it had looked the night before. It was so black that it looked as if someone had cleaned an old chimney with it!
If looks could kill, Celia would have fallen over dead immediately upon entering the room from the troll princess's glare. Philip ignored her.
"Well, lass, do you think that you can clean this?" Philip looked at Celia with a straight face, but Celia caught the smile in his eyes.
Hiding her smile as well, she nodded meekly. "I will try, sir."
Celia knelt down before the half-barrel, shaking with nervousness. She clutched the shirt and slowly dipped it in the water. The shirt had scarcely touched it when it instantly turned as white as it must have originally been.
Philip, now beaming, knelt next to his wife and hugged her tight. Behind him, his stepmother was red with rage, and she burst on the spot! She just disappeared!
The princess, however, was not to be so easily undone. She ran over to the wall and grabbed a gigantic battle-axe from one of the armor suits. She began to charge Celia, who reached in the pocket of her skirt and pulled out her bow and arrows, her gift from the West Wind. She lifted the bow up, put an arrow in, and shot at the princess. She stopped in mid-charge and crumpled to the ground, killed instantly in the heart.
The other trolls began to surround Celia and Philip, so Celia reached into her opposite pocket and pulled out the fish scale, given to her by the South Wind. She held it up, and the scale was so polished that the trolls could see their reflections clearly, and all of them instantly turned to stone at the sight of themselves.
A few more trolls were coming, so Celia and Philip, after exchanging a look, ran off in opposite directions, madly unlocking doors with keys they had lifted off the stone trolls.
Once everyone was sure that all the prisoners were out, Celia ran back in, clutching her tinderbox from the East Wind, and set the castle on fire. Since it was mainly wooden, at least on the inside, it burned quickly and was soon gone forever.
Amidst all the rejoicing and celebrating, Celia and Philip sat down as calmly as could be expected and cried with each other, that they were finally free. It was all over.
A/N: It's not over yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please review, and I'll try to update soon!!!! =o)
But i have to thank my ever-loyal reviewers...thanx, guys! To *ahem* Courtney (thanx!), MountainDew (you deserve to be in the top 5! Kudo bars are like granola bars, but they usually have some kind of chocolate (like M&Ms, Snickers, peanut butter & chocolate, or just chocolate on them!) but it's also a play on "kudos", since EVERYONE gives kudos, but I give kudo BARS...see? yeah...), Zel the Stampede (thanx...i like sweet chappies), CapturedHeart (*5 reviews!!* well, i didnt mean for the knot in her stomach to be her baby...but it could be...i never made the connection (she just needed some reason to get her home! lol), thanx for your constructive criticism...one day, when i have absolutely nothing to do for weeks upon weeks, i will go through this story and expand and clear up and so on...but, sadly today is not the day...but thanx for your ideas! I'm glad you're hooked! lol), Michi Yuy (no that was not the end, obviously!), fierybel (thanx! yeah, it is the Polar Bear King...and sometimes i wish that i had five thumbs, too!), Mary F. Sunshine (sorry for driving you insaner), Christa (I hope that you haven't combusted...sorry it's been so long!), L-L (as Rampant said, it's the Polar Bear King), Elizabeth ski faun (thanx), bekkah (thanx for all you emails, and for droppin by to read this! and it's not the end!), and Rampant (thanx! i'm glad you love it!)
ok, folks, on with the chappie! but there's still an epilogue to come!
~Jenny the chica~
Chapter Twenty: In Which the Quest is Over...
When Celia was finally able to at least pause her crying, she sat up and put her husband's hand on her stomach, praying that the baby would kick then. To her delight, it did, and when she looked up to her husband's face, the sight of his face, overflowing with shock and joy at the same time, caused her to cry harder, but she was so happy that she felt herself laugh, for the first time she was able to without worry since the night everything went wrong.
"What do we do?" Celia looked to her husband, certain that he would know.
"Well, we have to think of something. Tomorrow I'm supposed to be married."
"Married?!? This soon? I was almost too late! If I hadn't-"
"But you did. That's all that matters. Mark, the man next to my room, told me what you had said. I was able to trick the princess and not drink the sleeping potion."
"So it was a sleeping potion."
"Yes, it was. I feel so terrible about all the pain and worry it must have caused you."
"There was nothing that you could have done about it. Besides, it's all over now. For the time being, though, we need to figure out how to save you from a wedding!"
They talked for the rest of the night, planning out their escape, talking about the baby, and just catching up on the last few months. Ironically, Celia didn't find out her husband's name until that night. It was Philip.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When dawn was on the brink, Celia remembered that the princess expected Philip to be asleep, so she told him to pretend like he was. Celia then worked herself up to tears, rubbing her eyes to make them look red. It was just in time, too, because the princess stormed in, twisted Celia's arm, and threw her out of the room. Celia heard her say something to the "unconscious" Philip about their wedding day, but she didn't listen.
Celia was also a little preoccupied, busy getting ready to save her husband. Just a few more hours, when the wedding was to be, and they would be free.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The castle bustled with the excitement of the upcoming celebration. The princess, looking truly hideous in her bridal regalia, continued to pace in and out of the kitchen, where Celia sat at her normal spot near the stove. There, she waited.
She did not wait long, as she listened for her husband's voice. This was a strange wedding, indeed, with the groom in chains as if he would run away. Celia laughed inwardly, though tense in anticipation. She listened to the wedding conversation in the next room, the main hall, which thankfully sat next door to the kitchen.
Philip walked up and addressed his stepmother, the bride-to-not-be having already processed. "Mother, I would like to see what my bride is good for. I have a shirt that somehow got three drops of wax on it. I would like to have my bride wash them out, to see if she is good for it. If she is, then I will marry her. If she is not, I will not."
Celia sucked her breath in, praying fervently that what Philip had said would work. He had said that since she, an upright human, had made the stain, then only she could get it out.
The next voice Celia heard was that of Philip's stepmother, the mother-in-law that she had never known. "Get a bucket of water and soap. She will wash his shirt out right here and now."
Celia exhaled slightly. That was one thing down. Philip had thought that she would do that. Thank goodness he was right.
Celia jerked up her head to watch the servants madly filling a wide half-barrel with water and fetching a bar of soap. She smiled and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Too soon it would be on her shoulders to save the day.
"No, no, NO!!!! That's not how you do it! Here, let me try!" Celia heard Philip's stepmother's bellow echoing throughout the castle a few moments later. Obviously the princess had failed miserably. For the next hour, Celia heard the vain attempts of all the trolls in the castle trying to get the stain out, all the while, Philip was treating them as if they were all worthless fools.
Celia finally heard her cue: "You all are the most incompetent group of worthless...things that I have ever encountered in my life! Why, earlier today I saw a lass in the kitchen, and I'll bet that she can do a better job than any of you all, put together!"
"I doubt it!" cried his stepmother, utterly disappointed.
"We'll see! Come in, lass!" he shouted. Celia got up from the hearth and walked into the main hall, where an unexpected sight awaited her. Hanging off the side of the half-barrel was the shirt that Philip had worn on the night she lit the candle. But it looked nothing like it. In fact, it was even worse than it had looked the night before. It was so black that it looked as if someone had cleaned an old chimney with it!
If looks could kill, Celia would have fallen over dead immediately upon entering the room from the troll princess's glare. Philip ignored her.
"Well, lass, do you think that you can clean this?" Philip looked at Celia with a straight face, but Celia caught the smile in his eyes.
Hiding her smile as well, she nodded meekly. "I will try, sir."
Celia knelt down before the half-barrel, shaking with nervousness. She clutched the shirt and slowly dipped it in the water. The shirt had scarcely touched it when it instantly turned as white as it must have originally been.
Philip, now beaming, knelt next to his wife and hugged her tight. Behind him, his stepmother was red with rage, and she burst on the spot! She just disappeared!
The princess, however, was not to be so easily undone. She ran over to the wall and grabbed a gigantic battle-axe from one of the armor suits. She began to charge Celia, who reached in the pocket of her skirt and pulled out her bow and arrows, her gift from the West Wind. She lifted the bow up, put an arrow in, and shot at the princess. She stopped in mid-charge and crumpled to the ground, killed instantly in the heart.
The other trolls began to surround Celia and Philip, so Celia reached into her opposite pocket and pulled out the fish scale, given to her by the South Wind. She held it up, and the scale was so polished that the trolls could see their reflections clearly, and all of them instantly turned to stone at the sight of themselves.
A few more trolls were coming, so Celia and Philip, after exchanging a look, ran off in opposite directions, madly unlocking doors with keys they had lifted off the stone trolls.
Once everyone was sure that all the prisoners were out, Celia ran back in, clutching her tinderbox from the East Wind, and set the castle on fire. Since it was mainly wooden, at least on the inside, it burned quickly and was soon gone forever.
Amidst all the rejoicing and celebrating, Celia and Philip sat down as calmly as could be expected and cried with each other, that they were finally free. It was all over.
A/N: It's not over yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please review, and I'll try to update soon!!!! =o)