Part Five

Sly Little Fox

Sir Plucki's POV

The door to the training grounds closed behind him, and he stared ahead, looking nowhere in particular, and he thought of Aurelia. Too many memories of her, resided in the training grounds all for different reasons, whether it was because she was coming to visit him when he was on duty or in trouble, or coming for her training lesson, she was always in the training grounds.

Shaking his head, he pushed the thought and memories aside for now, and he left the gates intending on finding his friends, but then just as he left the area and walked into a clearing, he felt another memory resurfacing and hitting him full force, before he had chance it ignore it.

Flashback

865

10 Years Old

He had been on his way back from the training grounds to check on Aurelia since he had told her he couldn't train her today since the squires were coming this morning for their training.

Hearing the door to their room being opened, he quickly rounded the corner to see who was leaving and wasn't too surprised when he spotted Aurelia slipping out and closing the door quietly behind her as not to alert the babysitter, and he watched as she slipped from their grasp again.

Remaining in the shadows, he watched with mild amusement as Aurelia treaded carefully, always alert and keeping her eyes open for him, and she constantly kept looking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed.

Curious to what she was up to this time, he followed her. He could see with just one look, that Aurelia was bored and looking for mischief, since he had told her last night he wouldn't be able to train her. She had been slightly disappointed at that, but had accepted that the squires needed their training and he couldn't always be around her.

Suddenly her whispering gained his attention and he listened intensively to what she was saying and he saw Glori, one of Sir Blastus's students, round the corner.

"Psst…Glori" he heard Aurelia whisper, startling her young friend..

"Where you're going?" he could hear Aurelia ask mischievously.

"Nowhere" Glori replied. "But I have my training with Sir Blastus in an hour".

"Wanna play?" asked Aurelia, obviously anxious to do something.

"Sure" he replied, and then approached her.

"Tag, you're it!" he tagged her then ran off with Aurelia close behind him.

He smiled as the two children laughed hysterically as they ran down the corridor and in his opinion most likely all over Gummadoon, while he returned to the training grounds, knowing that Aurelia was going to be busy for the next few hours.

Upon entering the training ground however, he could hear Aurelia's laughter close by and knew that the two of them were close.

Looking up, his face paled as he saw Aurelia was led into the weapon's room by Glori, then a loud sickening crash as he guessed what to be the staffs neatly in their racks fall to the floor.

Since he was the closest to the weapons room, he began to make his way over, with many other knights behind him wondering what the commotion was about, obviously not seeing Aurelia and her friend coming into the training grounds only moments before.

"Uh oh!" he could hear Aurelia's childlike voice sound, as the two watched panicking with each second passing as each rack fell, when the finally one fell to the ground with a crash, they could distinctly hear the knights running over towards them.

"Quick, follow me!" cried Glori and he grabbed Aurelia's hand and pulled her into a secret passage, before the knights found them.

"That was close!" whispered Aurelia.

"Too close" finished Glori, and he guided her along the passageway until they finally came to the other end, where they found themselves in the courtyard, outside the training grounds, and could hear the commotion inside, as several knights ran over to the weapons room, to see what had caused the chaos.

"Let's not go there, again" Aurelia wisely suggested.

"Agreed!" Glori hastily replied.

Not to happy that the two children had knocked over everything in the weapons room as he had suspected, he wished the two would learn to be more careful when they were playing games, and respect other people's things, but then he always knew that cubs will be cubs.

After giving out orders, for the weapons room to be cleared and restored to what it was before, Sir Plucki left in order to find Aurelia, when he walked out the training grounds and round the corner, he found her and listened as she seemed excited about something.

"Catch me if ya can!"

Watching as they ran all over Gummadoon again, including the knight's lounge to which he was a bit reluctant of, he observed as Aurelia gained the upper hand, gaining herself some time, and she ran into the stables, and he followed after her, knowing that if he didn't stop her soon then it would be disastrous.

Moments later he saw Glori appear in the stables entrance, followed by a shriek as he found her and he watched in devastation as the unicorns were frightened causing them to rear and stand on their hind legs as they ran out the stables.

Sighing exasperated, he smiled amused as he listen intensively to Aurelia's and Glori's conversation. It what every cub did. If they were in trouble the best solution was to hide.

"Uh oh! Not good!" Aurelia said.

"Quick, hide the knights are coming!" stated Glori, and the two buried themselves deeply within the haystack nearby.

Watching as the two buried themselves deep within a nearby haystack, and hoping that the knights wouldn't see them, he watched more than amused as Sir Blastus and his friend walked round the corner and pass the haystack, all the while one knight muttering.

"When I get my hand on that kid, I'm gonna-"

"Sssh, mon ami, you'll scare them" he heard Sir Blastus say to calm the young knights and also so he wouldn't scare the young cubs that were nearby, as they disappeared from sight.

"Okay! Coast is clear, let's go" Glori spoke confidant and he watched as the two rolled out the haystack a grin plastered on each of their faces.

"That were awesome!" announced the two, when they both felt like they were being watched spun around, and locked eyes with no other than Sir Plucki, and Glori couldn't help but yelp, and think they were in serious trouble, until Aurelia gave him a big shove, and shouted.

"RUN!"

The two hightailed it out the stables not realising that had they stayed a moment longer they would've heard him, laughing at their antics.

Ten minutes later

They had just finished rounding up the unicorns and stabled them again, and left them in care of a few knights, when Sir Plucki looked around and realised that the city seemed quiet, too quiet, and knew that Aurelia and her friend must be brewing trouble.

Walking out the stables intending in finding Aurelia, his friends close behind him, they were stopped in there tracks for the third time that day, as cussing could be heard not too far away by the residents.

Deciding to go and investigate, he left his friends at the stables, and rounded the corner, enough to see several citizens marching, none to happy, and completely drenched.

Curious, to how this happened he walked further along; dreading somewhat, to what was ahead, and he couldn't help but think that Aurelia and her friend had, had a hand in this.

Being sure to stay hidden, he walked until he reached a clearing, surrounded by towers, and knew immediately that Aurelia was close by.

Watching as one of the residents of Gummadoon walked by, he made sure to keep an eye out, when KASPLAT, the unfortunate victim of Aurelia's was drenched in something orange and looked sticky, and he looked at the remainder of the material, and quickly concluded that she was using water bombs.

It was obviously very clear that Aurelia and her friend at the present moment didn't care who they got, as long as they were having fun.

Frowning at their antics, he stayed on the lookout when another citizen was unfortunately hit, he spotted where the two pranksters were hiding, and smiled victoriously as headed towards the far most tower, and disappeared inside.

Without mercy they threw the bombs at the citizens below, Aurelia and Glori laughed as they ducked, careful not to be caught, and they reached over, and threw several more bombs, showering the residents below, and completely drenching them.

So lost were they in their fun, they didn't hear the door to the room gently click open and close again, as someone stood in the shadows watching them.

It always had interested him, the different kind of trouble that cubs would land themselves in, and he was instantly reminded of his childhood, with Blastus and Gumlittle and they trouble they would cause.

Lost in his musing, he was too late to intervene and stop Glori just as the young cub picked up a balloon size bomb filled with water, and threw over the wall, the two cheering as it hit bull's eye on one of the citizens.

"Enough!"

Watching as the two cubs were startled then spun around, guilt written on their faces at being caught in the act, he couldn't help but smile at the two.

Glori had gone very pale and looked horrified being caught by his captain, however Aurelia was another story altogether and she just looked sheepishly and waved at him, and tossing a bomb other hand, looking anything but sorry.

Trying his best to appear stern, after all they had caused a lot of havoc today, he couldn't help but smile at Aurelia, as his eyes was drawn to the bomb she held in her hand.

Looking up from the thing she possessed in her hand, he slowly looked up to her face and knew that the look she was giving him was far from innocent and her eyes sparkled mischief.

Quickly concluding what Aurelia was about to do just seconds before it happened he ducked, as Aurelia threw the bomb at him, missing him just by a few inches, and he rose from the floor.

That was a challenge and he knew it. Only Aurelia and his two closest friends ever dared to confront or challenge him.

Then without giving them warning he raced towards the two youngsters, dodging the few bombs they threw at him, and he picked a bomb himself and threw it at her, exploding as it impacted on her, and soaked her,

He waited only for a moment then to see what the two would do, and he saw them look at one another, as if mentally conversing with one another, before nodding and lunging at him.

Unprepared for their attack, he slipped on the water, and fell onto the floor also taking the two youngsters with him, and they continued their little game, soaking one another. That was how Blastus and Gumlittle found them.

End Flashback

His eyes sparkled with mirth and the corner of his lips turned upwards into a small smile, at the memory. It had certainly been amusing for them all when his two friends had walked in through the door, completely astounded and lost for words, for it was not often that one would walk in and find their captain and friend, completely drenched with two children trying although unsuccessful to bring him to the ground and laughing hysterically.

Good times they were he thought sad that there time together had been ended so soon, and that he would never hear her laughter again, to see her smile, as her eyes lit up and sparkled with mischief.

Sighing, he walked over, and sat on one of the nearby benches of the training grounds. He had come back here, after visiting each place Aurelia and her friend, Glori had visited, before he came here, unable to stay away. He didn't know what it was but he felt drawn somehow to the training grounds, maybe it was because it was his duty, or because Aurelia had been here.

It didn't matter anymore he thought, for what did matter to him, was that as long as Aurelia stayed in his thoughts, he would never forget her.

TBC…

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