In the front of the gates, Shrek, Donkey, Puss, and Madison were standing at the entrance, looking at the sign of the name of the place.
"Wor-ces-ter-shireee." Donkey spoke as he read the sign hanging at the entrance, "Now that sounds fancy."
"It's Worcestershire." Shrek corrected.
"Like the sauce? Mmmm… It's spicy."
"I don't think it's sauce, Donkey." said Madison.
The four looked at the sign until they saw the drawbridge going down and land on the ground.
"Oohh. They must be expecting us." said Donkey.
"But do they know we were coming?" Madison asked until she heard the sound of horses whinnied. She turned around and saw a long, yellow carriage coming. "Watch out!"
The four quickly got out of the way and Madison got a good look at the carriage. It was indeed long and yellow but carrying a lot of kids like a medieval school bus. They didn't look at her, but they were yelling screaming to see Shrek as the carriage went past him along the others.
"What in the shista-shire kind of place is this?" Donkey questioned and Shrek looked concerned.
"Well, my stomach aches and my palms just got sweaty. Must be a high school."
"High school?"
As the four were about to enter, Madison quickly put her hood on from her cloak and quickly stood beside her friends.
"Why did you put your hood on, Maddie?" Shrek asked as he noticed.
"When there are high schoolers seeing people who are famous, they go crazy. Which I don't want that." she answered as she saw some cheerleaders practice their cheer.
As the four continued walking in the courtyard, they looked to see the students looked shock and terrified on seeing Shrek. Madison was wondering why they were afraid. They should know that he's married to Fiona or maybe word about that don't spread far to here.
The kids kept running away quickly into the student parking lot where a bunch of different style horse-drawn carriages are parked. A carriage passes in front of Shrek that reads: "Caution - Student Driver." The group looked to see the student driver looked nervous while the instructor was helping him until the carriage jolts forward and crashes.
"That's gonna leave a mark." said Madison.
"Indeed." Puss replied until he saw something, "Senorita, look!"
Madison looked at the direction to where Puss was pointing at and couldn't believe what she saw. There was a group of some teens talking and chatting but the sign above them had her name with the word: club.
"I have my own fan club at a school?" she spoke softly.
"Looks to me that you really are famous, even not at Far Far Away."
"And that's why I'm wearing my hood." said Madison as she along with the others walked past a van with two stoner students.
"I'm already starting to feel nauseous from memories of wedgies and swirlies." said Donkey as he looked around feeling uncomfortable.
"But how did you receive the wedgies when you are clearly not the wearer of the underpants?" Puss asked.
"He's got a point, Donkey." said Madison.
"Let's just say some things are better left unsaid and leave it at that."
Madison continued walking until she spotted two teen girls chatting. Judging by the tones, she knew those kinds of teens she doesn't like because of their attitude.
"Pardon me..." Shrek spoke as he approaches to the girls, but they looked disgusted.
"Eh. Totally ew-th."
"Yeah, totally."
Madison and Shrek watched them walk away but Madison just glared at the girls.
"Rude." she said.
Shrek looked around to see if he could ask everyone until he spotted a pair of dorky kids play a medieval, role-playing board game.
"Yes. I just altered my character level to plus three superb ability." one of them spoke until Shrek, Madison and the others approach to them.
"Excuse me, gentlemen." Madison spoke.
"Hi, we're looking for someone named-" Shrek tried to speak more until one of the dorks cut him off.
"Gee, who rolled a plus nine "dork" spell and summoned the beast, a mysterious stranger, and his quadrupeds."
"Pretty sure the one in cloak is a beast as well." the other spoke.
The two laughed and snorted at their joke but Madison growled in anger and grabbed the boys' vests
"You need some manners dorks!" she growled.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Maddie calm down!" Shrek separated the two while Donkey and Puss told her to keep calm and Shrek looked back at the boys. "Look, I know you're busy "not fitting in" but can either of you tell me where I can find Arthur?"
"He's over there." one of them pointed.
Shrek looked from the distance and spotted a bold knight atop his steed. He looks very impressive as he rears up ready to charge. The group came to the jousting range to see the beginning of the charge. Horse's hooves pounded on sand, knight's eyes were focus and steady, horse rears majestically towards the opponent with eyes widen in fear. The lance hits him, and the opponent flew through the air and landed in front of Shrek, Puss, Donkey, and Madison.
"Ha ha. There is no sweeter taste on thy tongue than victory." said the young knight and the jocks cheered for him.
Shrek just looked at him with an impressive look and looked at his friends.
"Strong, handsome, face of a leader. Does Arthur look like a King or what?"
"I don't know Shrek. He's so full of himself." said Madison as she looked at the knight which she knew that wasn't Arthur until she heard a groan.
"Oh. Sorry." Shrek looked down as he accidently stepped on the opponent.
The kid didn't budge as his arms and legs were still sprawled out where he hit the ground.
"Did... Did you just say you were looking for Arthur?" the kid asked while Shrek, Puss, and Donkey went around him.
"That information is on a need-to-know basis." said the cat.
"It's top secret, hushity hush." said Donkey.
Madison didn't follow them. She stood beside the boy and carefully helped him up.
"Are you okay?" she asked gently.
"Yeah. I'm alright. I'm used to it." said the boy as he removed the wooden helmet off of him and walked away.
Madison watched him go as he threw the helmet and other armor to the ground. She felt sorry for him as he looked like he was getting bullied and picked on.
"Unhand me, monster!" a voice shouted.
Madison turned to see Shrek scooping the young knight over his shoulder.
"Stop squirming, Arthur."
"I'm not Arthur." the knight spoke as he looked at him.
Shrek stops and holds the knight above his head as he tries to regain his dignity.
"I am Lancelot. That dork over there is Arthur." he said as he pointed to a direction.
Both Shrek and Madison looked to see the boy who was the opponent was Arthur.
"Hey!" Shrek hollered.
The boy turned his head briefly but kept on walking.
"Come on, Shrek! Let's go!" said Madison.
Shrek dumped Lancelot to the ground and storm off towards the school with Madison while Puss and Donkey catch up. Until one of the female student steps in front of Shrek. It was the same student that Shrek tried to ask her but walked away.
"This is like totally embarrassing, but my friend Tiffany thinkest thou vex her so soothly…"she said while the girls giggled, " And she thought perchance thou would wanna ask her to the Homecoming Dance or something…"
"Uh, excuse me?"
"It's like whatever. She's just totally into college guys and mythical creatures and stuff."
Madison shook her head and then grabbed Shrek's hand.
"Sorry girls, but's he married. He's already got a wife." she said to them and drag Shrek away from them.
Shrek along with Puss and Donkey just looked at their friend in concern.
"Maddie, what's got into you?" Shrek asked.
"I don't know. It's the high schoolers. The way they acted, talk, and like they own the school. Plus, that kind of behaviors, they did to you was wrong. I swear if they say or do anything at me, I just want..." Madison try to find the right word for it but groaned.
"Have you... ever been in a fight in high school before?" Puss wondered.
"No! Though I wish but I can't!" she said and then let out a sigh, "Let's just find Arthur."
As moments went by, Shrek, Puss, and Madison searched through the hallways, looking for Arthur.
"Arthur? Arthur?" Madison spoke as she kept on searching.
"Oh Arthur! Come out, come out wherever you are." Shrek hollered.
The three kept on going until they heard mumbling and banging coming from a locker. Madison quickly opened the locker and out popped Donkey with a sign taped on his butt saying: "I Suck-eth." Donkey shook himself and looked at some students laughing and running.
"Yeah, you better run, you little punk no good-niks, `cause the days of "Little Donkey Dumpy Drawers" are over!" he shouted.
"You alright Donkey?" Madison asked as took the sign off of him, causing him to yelp.
"Yeah, I'm alright. I just want to teach those punks a lesson."
Shrek watched the pranksters running entering to a room with a sign saying: "Assembly Today!" His thoughts that the future king could be in there and decided to go in. The group decided to go along with him until a hall monitor stop them.
"Hold it." he said to them.
"Excuse me, young man but we are looking..."
Suddenly, two mascot costumed students cut Madison off as they walked up to the hall monitor.
"We're here for the Mascot Contest." one of them spoke and the other growled in character.
The hall monitor waves them to go in which Shrek got an idea.
"We're here for the Mascot Contest too." he said.
The Hall Monitor reaches out and starts painfully pinching and pulling Shrek's skin. Madison cringed to see Shrek as he tries to hide the pain.
"This is a costume?" the hall monitor asked.
"Worked on it all night long." Shrek answered.
"Looks pretty real to me." he said as he suspiciously let the ogre's face snap back into place.
"If it were real, could I do this?" Puss's claws snap out one at a time like jack-knives and then jabs them deep into Shrek's butt.
Madison cringed to see the pain.
"Or this?" Donkey kicked Shrek hard in the groin with his hind legs causing him to wince and sweat a lot.
"He's right. If it were real that would have been agonizingly painful." said Shrek with a strained face.
"Now watch this." Donkey spoke as he raised his front hoof and Puss raised his paws up but Shrek stopped them.
"That's quite enough boys." he gritted.
Madison shook her head at the scene but then looked at the hall monitor with an unsure look.
"I don't know. I don't think I-"
Before he could say anything, watched Madison remove her hood and saw her face. His face looked shock and his jaw dropped.
"L-L-Lady Madison?!" he stammered.
Madison smiled but put her finger to her lips as sign for him to be silenced.
"If you don't mind young man, my big friend here really wants to be in the contest. So would you kindly as to let us in?"
The hall monitor nod his head so rapidly.
"Of course not. I mean... yes, milady. As you wish."
"And one more thing. Don't tell everyone that I'm here. We don't want any students running in this school now, would we?"
"Yes, milady... I mean miss. Of course. Go right in."
"Thank you." she said and put her hood back on.
Shrek was impressed on how that turned out and starts opening the doors. As the group entered, the crowd gasped along with the mascots and the principal.
"Ogre?" the principal spoke, and the mascots looked mad like they lost.
"That's right. I'm the new mascot. So, let's really try and beat the other guys… at whatever it is they're doing." said Shrek.
The crowd starts cheering and applauding while the band starts playing with the instruments.
"This is indeed all a bit unorthodox." the principal said as he watched Shrek walking by.
Without breaking a stride, Shrek grabbed the principal's megaphone out of his hand and then spoke clearly through it.
"Now, where can I find Arthur Pendragon?" he asked.
The music stopped and the crowd were silenced as they looked at him until they all pointed up at the hoop. The group turned as they saw the same boy but was hanging helplessly with a wedgie. The crowd started laughing as Madison glared at them but spotted the jousting group with Lancelot as they thought the joke was classic.
"You should be ashamed of yourself." Donkey spoke as he glared at him.
"I didn't do it." said Lancelot, "They did."
Madison looked up to see the same two dorks from before. The two laughed as one of them started to nosebleed again but as they saw Madison, their faces turned into fear as she was glaring at them. She then looked to see Shrek as he reached up and pulls the boy down to an eye level.
"Please don't eat me." the young boy said to him.
"Eat him. Eat him." the crowd chanted.
Madison looked to see them keep saying that, especially the principal. Unbelievable. He should be stopping them not agreeing with them.
"I'm not here to eat him." said Shrek as he yanked the boy off the hoop, while the students let out an awe in disappointment, "It's time to pack up your toothbrush and jammies. You're the new King of Far Far Away."
"What?" Arthur questioned in confusion.
"Artie a King?" Lancelot spoke, "More like the Mayor of Loserville."
The crowd laugh at his joke and the tuba player plays a Wha-wha-wha sound and laughs with them. That really makes Madison mad but then looked back at Shrek with Arthur who was called Artie.
"Is this for real?" he asked the ogre.
"Absolutely. Now clean out your locker, kid. You've got a kingdom to run."
"So, wait, I'm really the only heir?"
"The one and only." that was the only answer Shrek would say.
"Give me... just a second."
Shrek and Madison watched Artie walking past them as he was now at the middle of the gym.
"Looks like he's gonna do a speech. And he'll might overdo it." she said to him and starts listening to Artie's speech.
"My good people, I think there's a lesson here for all of us. Maybe the next time you're about to dunk a kid's head in a chamber pot, you'll stop and think, hey, maybe this guy has feelings. Maybe I should cut him some slack. Because maybe, just maybe… this guy's gonna turn out to be, uh…I dunno…a King!" he shouted and then continued, "And maybe his first royal decree will be to banish everyone who ever picked on him. That's right, I'm looking at you, jousting team!" he pointed at the team as they looked horrified.
"More like hanging them." Madison whispered to her friend.
"And Gwen..." Artie spoke as he spotted one of the girls, "Oh Gwen. I've always loved you."
"Ew." she replied.
'He's too good for her.' Madison thought.
"Well good friends, it breaks my heart, but enjoy your stay here in prison while I rule the free world baby."
"Alright, let's not overdo it." Shrek suggests as he looked at him.
"I'm building my city people. On Rock and Roll."
Shrek walked towards him and picked him up.
"You just overdid it." he said and walked away along with the others.
Madison was about to follow them until she felt a hand pulling her hood and place it on a torch holder. She tried struggling to get hood free but as it was off, she heard the crowd gasps. She turned her head around and saw the students with shocking faces.
"It's Lady Madison!" one of the shouted.
"The Savior of Oz!"
"It's really her!"
Madison tries struggling to break free but as she heard them screaming and saw them getting off the streets, she quickly took her cloak off and quickly exit the gym.
"Run guys! Run!" Madison shouted as dashed off past her friends.
The others turned around and saw a stampede of students running. The four quickly run to join Madison as the exit the school and headed straight towards the docks.
"Captain! Start sailing!" Madison shouted as all five were on the boat.
The captain quickly steered the boat away from the docks and start sailing.
Madison sat on the floor as she leaned against the crate, catching her breath from the running.
"You alright?" Artie asked as he looked at her.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." she said as she slowly took deep breaths.
"Sorry about your cloak."
"Oh, let them have it. They'll probably ripped them to shreds if they did." she said.
"Well, guys. Next stopped will be Far Far Away." said Shrek and looked at Worcestershire from the distance.
To Be Continued...