*****Hey! While this chapter is sort of a cliff hanger in a way, I'll try
to update soon. This is one of my longer ones (but it still isn't very
long, yup, thaAAats meEEe!) I hope that you enjoy it! I really hope that I
can update soon (cause it's spring break right now, hey hey!) and please
have mercy if I don't! Please review, cause I luv you, and I want you to,
or else I'll got boo hoo! Yup, that was my pitiful attempt at a rhyme (!
Enjoy! ***********
"Dad...DAD!" Char spun around and burst through the door to the north wing. "FATHER!" he ran down a hall, spun around a corner and banged into the king himself. "Dad!"
King Jerrold steadied him self and asked, "What? What is it boy?" He could see the urgency in his son's eyes.
"The ring, Ella's wedding ring! I found it on the floor in the entrance to the north wing! I know that she would never just leave it there! Something happened, Dad! I just know it!" Char panted, out of breath. "We've got to find her before something happens to her!"
His father nodded, a grave look on his face. A pang of fear shot through him as he remembered the near assassination that had taken place that morning, and knew that his daughter-in-law's disappearance could mean nothing good.
"Alright, now you grew up here, you should know the passages. Search everyone you can think of! Because I have a feeling that Ella didn't leave at her own will." The king commanded.
Char gulped. His worst fears had been confirmed by his father. Ella, his dear Ella had been kidnapped! He found it hard to follow his father's instructions. For the first time in 10 years, he wanted to cry. He wished that he was a boy again, and that he could just wake up and everything would be ok, that this would just have been a bad dream.
But he knew it was not. He nodded to his father and set of towards the first passages that he could remember. Many of them were in the north wing, where he had grown up as a boy, and he hoped that these would be useful to him. Charging through the door, he scoured the scene where he had last seen Ella, and where her ring was found.
He gazed longingly at the ring, wishing that she could pop up from it. He found that you never really missed a person very much until you couldn't have them. Char leaned over and picked up the wedding ring, and turned it over in his fingers. Pocketing it, he set off down the hall, and ran straight past the tapestry that concealed the entrance to a tunnel that he had never known about.
As he ran past Ella's room, he did a double take as something caught his eye. It was Ella's magic book. It was a treasure that they had both enjoyed once she explained to him it magical properties. He entered the room that had been tastefully decorated by none other than himself, to fit Ella's personality just right. It was one of the many surprise gifts that he had been wanting to give her.
Char picked the book up, and hoped to all ends that there would be something about the whereabouts of his wife. Flipping through the pages, his heart sank when he saw that it was only filled with fairy tales. "Some magic book you are! Don't even give me the right information when I need it most!" Char said, throwing the book onto the bed, and turning his heel.
Just then he heard a rustling behind him. He turned curiously and gazed at the bed. The pages of the book were turning, turning, until it came abruptly to a stop. He walked over to the side and looked down at the book.
A silent gasp emitted his mouth. Down upon the page it showed his beloved Ella gagged, tied, and blindfolded, upon the dirt of a sinister graveyard. To the left of her lay a trap door in the ground, wide open. "oh, Oh! Oh...my...no!" Char whispered to himself. He knew that there was no passage in the castle that he had discovered that lead here.
But he did, however, recognize the graveyard. He'd been there before for a funeral. It wasn't someone that he knew very well that died, but the graveyard had always stuck out in his mind. It was teetering on the edge of Frell, but was nonetheless within several miles of the castle. If he rode swiftly, he could perhaps reach it before Ella and her kidnappers relocated. "Stupid thing! Where's the exact time on this!" Char said, snapping the book shut, and wedging it under his arm.
He ran through the north wing, down the hall, through that grand hall, into the foyer, and through the doors. He was running down the palace steps, when he saw his father giving instructions to a man on horseback. He caught words of his father's speech such as "Mandy", "kidnapped", "she'll want to know", and "hurry".
Char attempted to slip past his father unnoticed, for he knew that a great interrogation about his doings would take place if his father caught him. But of course, just Char's luck, he was almost past the king and going to the stable, when the horse man rode off, and his father turned.
"Char! What are you doing out here? I though I told you to search the passages! You want her to be found don't you? Stop slacking and get to work- " his dad cried.
Char looked up to the sky and mouth the word 'why?' before turning to his father. "Dad, dad, hold on! I found the book on Ella's bed, her magical book! There's an illustration of her! They've got her tied up dad! She's at the graveyard where the duke of Norman was buried!" He flipped through the book once more, willing for the picture to still be there. It was.
Char held the book up for his father to see. But his father was not convinced. "How do you know that this is not a deceitful picture? You know fairies have a sense of humor too..."
Exasperated, he yelled, "Dad! I just know, ok? Now, whether or not you believe me, I'm going for her, and you can't stop me!" And Char started towards the stables again.
"Wait son! It could be dangerous! I mean, what if they are armed? I'd hate for you to be harmed!" his father pleaded, think of his little boy, and heir, whom he could never replace.
"I'm not a child anymore! You can't protect me forever!" Char shrieked, fuming at his father.
The king gulped and, giving in, requested, "Alright. But if you're going for her, it's not going to be an easy journey. I'm warning you son, kidnappers don't often stay in the same place for a long time, especially if they aren't holding her for ransom. And something tells me they're not. Most likely you'll have to do a bit more hunting than that!" Char sighed and rolled his eyes. He was losing precious time!
"Ok! Ok, just listen to me!" the king knew that his son's attention was drifting quickly. "Go, get some clothes and food for the journey, and get some weapons for God's sake. I can get you a crew of fine men to accompany you for the journey in a matter of minutes."
While at first the idea seemed preposterous to Char, deep down he knew that his father was right. He couldn't go chasing a bunch of bandits by himself. Reluctantly, he nodded, and his plan disappeared. "Well then, hurry at least."
The pair of them ran into the castle, and in a quarter of an hour, a team of knights was compiled, several of which he knew from his past expedition for hunting ogres. Just as his father promised, several horses were packed with supplies.
Char was anxious to get going; so much time had been lost already. He and his knights, Sir Aubrey, Sir Bertram, Sir Stephan, and a new knight of whom he was not familiar with, named Sir Jonathan, set out, galloping at full speed down the road, hoping to all ends that they would soon find the lass they were looking for.
"Dad...DAD!" Char spun around and burst through the door to the north wing. "FATHER!" he ran down a hall, spun around a corner and banged into the king himself. "Dad!"
King Jerrold steadied him self and asked, "What? What is it boy?" He could see the urgency in his son's eyes.
"The ring, Ella's wedding ring! I found it on the floor in the entrance to the north wing! I know that she would never just leave it there! Something happened, Dad! I just know it!" Char panted, out of breath. "We've got to find her before something happens to her!"
His father nodded, a grave look on his face. A pang of fear shot through him as he remembered the near assassination that had taken place that morning, and knew that his daughter-in-law's disappearance could mean nothing good.
"Alright, now you grew up here, you should know the passages. Search everyone you can think of! Because I have a feeling that Ella didn't leave at her own will." The king commanded.
Char gulped. His worst fears had been confirmed by his father. Ella, his dear Ella had been kidnapped! He found it hard to follow his father's instructions. For the first time in 10 years, he wanted to cry. He wished that he was a boy again, and that he could just wake up and everything would be ok, that this would just have been a bad dream.
But he knew it was not. He nodded to his father and set of towards the first passages that he could remember. Many of them were in the north wing, where he had grown up as a boy, and he hoped that these would be useful to him. Charging through the door, he scoured the scene where he had last seen Ella, and where her ring was found.
He gazed longingly at the ring, wishing that she could pop up from it. He found that you never really missed a person very much until you couldn't have them. Char leaned over and picked up the wedding ring, and turned it over in his fingers. Pocketing it, he set off down the hall, and ran straight past the tapestry that concealed the entrance to a tunnel that he had never known about.
As he ran past Ella's room, he did a double take as something caught his eye. It was Ella's magic book. It was a treasure that they had both enjoyed once she explained to him it magical properties. He entered the room that had been tastefully decorated by none other than himself, to fit Ella's personality just right. It was one of the many surprise gifts that he had been wanting to give her.
Char picked the book up, and hoped to all ends that there would be something about the whereabouts of his wife. Flipping through the pages, his heart sank when he saw that it was only filled with fairy tales. "Some magic book you are! Don't even give me the right information when I need it most!" Char said, throwing the book onto the bed, and turning his heel.
Just then he heard a rustling behind him. He turned curiously and gazed at the bed. The pages of the book were turning, turning, until it came abruptly to a stop. He walked over to the side and looked down at the book.
A silent gasp emitted his mouth. Down upon the page it showed his beloved Ella gagged, tied, and blindfolded, upon the dirt of a sinister graveyard. To the left of her lay a trap door in the ground, wide open. "oh, Oh! Oh...my...no!" Char whispered to himself. He knew that there was no passage in the castle that he had discovered that lead here.
But he did, however, recognize the graveyard. He'd been there before for a funeral. It wasn't someone that he knew very well that died, but the graveyard had always stuck out in his mind. It was teetering on the edge of Frell, but was nonetheless within several miles of the castle. If he rode swiftly, he could perhaps reach it before Ella and her kidnappers relocated. "Stupid thing! Where's the exact time on this!" Char said, snapping the book shut, and wedging it under his arm.
He ran through the north wing, down the hall, through that grand hall, into the foyer, and through the doors. He was running down the palace steps, when he saw his father giving instructions to a man on horseback. He caught words of his father's speech such as "Mandy", "kidnapped", "she'll want to know", and "hurry".
Char attempted to slip past his father unnoticed, for he knew that a great interrogation about his doings would take place if his father caught him. But of course, just Char's luck, he was almost past the king and going to the stable, when the horse man rode off, and his father turned.
"Char! What are you doing out here? I though I told you to search the passages! You want her to be found don't you? Stop slacking and get to work- " his dad cried.
Char looked up to the sky and mouth the word 'why?' before turning to his father. "Dad, dad, hold on! I found the book on Ella's bed, her magical book! There's an illustration of her! They've got her tied up dad! She's at the graveyard where the duke of Norman was buried!" He flipped through the book once more, willing for the picture to still be there. It was.
Char held the book up for his father to see. But his father was not convinced. "How do you know that this is not a deceitful picture? You know fairies have a sense of humor too..."
Exasperated, he yelled, "Dad! I just know, ok? Now, whether or not you believe me, I'm going for her, and you can't stop me!" And Char started towards the stables again.
"Wait son! It could be dangerous! I mean, what if they are armed? I'd hate for you to be harmed!" his father pleaded, think of his little boy, and heir, whom he could never replace.
"I'm not a child anymore! You can't protect me forever!" Char shrieked, fuming at his father.
The king gulped and, giving in, requested, "Alright. But if you're going for her, it's not going to be an easy journey. I'm warning you son, kidnappers don't often stay in the same place for a long time, especially if they aren't holding her for ransom. And something tells me they're not. Most likely you'll have to do a bit more hunting than that!" Char sighed and rolled his eyes. He was losing precious time!
"Ok! Ok, just listen to me!" the king knew that his son's attention was drifting quickly. "Go, get some clothes and food for the journey, and get some weapons for God's sake. I can get you a crew of fine men to accompany you for the journey in a matter of minutes."
While at first the idea seemed preposterous to Char, deep down he knew that his father was right. He couldn't go chasing a bunch of bandits by himself. Reluctantly, he nodded, and his plan disappeared. "Well then, hurry at least."
The pair of them ran into the castle, and in a quarter of an hour, a team of knights was compiled, several of which he knew from his past expedition for hunting ogres. Just as his father promised, several horses were packed with supplies.
Char was anxious to get going; so much time had been lost already. He and his knights, Sir Aubrey, Sir Bertram, Sir Stephan, and a new knight of whom he was not familiar with, named Sir Jonathan, set out, galloping at full speed down the road, hoping to all ends that they would soon find the lass they were looking for.