Note: I love leaving this a little too much…feel free to ignore it at your own intellectual peril! Muahahaha.

Garowyn: All right, not anonymous! Thanks for the detailed review so very much! It certainly makes me very happy! (I am such a review hog!) Glad you are noticing little inserts and that you like the Gruff brothers. They'll be back...

Tawnykit: Thanks for sticking with the story and telling me how much you thought it was funny! I never think it is too funny anymore, so I was worried. Maybe it is just because I'm the one who writes it. By the way, been working on your own story?

Anonimous 199: Thanks for saying I have funny parts! Sometimes, I thought it was just me…Also, thanks so much for continuing reading! Sorry, no email this time. I thought this note would be enough. : )

KonekoTsuki: Hey, I exported this chapter and reposted just so I could leave you a note! Thanks so much for reading this story, especially considering that most people find longer ones duanting to begin. Don't worry,theGruff brothersdefinitely returning! And nice quotations.

Chapter 3 Axel Meets His Equal-Intelligent Friends

"Dear," the king began, "we have a problem." He whispered what he knew, which wasn't much, but it was enough to cause both faces to remain pasty white.

She looked at him. Then both their gazes fixed on The Sir Axel who was now known as The Prince Axel. They nodded.

"The Sir Axel," the queen began, then she corrected herself, "The Prince Axel, I have a quest for you to undertake."

"Eh?" He stopped hewing at the tapestry for a moment. Wiping away sweat-matted locks of blonde hair, he turned to look at both of them. "A quest! Where, when, and what for?"

Apparently, all thoughts of his marriage had been forgotten. It was a good thing the monarchs had that all still under control.

"Our daughter has been kidnapped," the king continued gravely. "We need you to go rescue her. But, her trail has been covered. Is it at all possible you will manage to scent her trail and bring her back to us? If you do, there will be a grand prize awaiting your triumphant return."

"Fear not! The Sir Prince Axel will return your daughter safely and make the wrong-doers pay for their crimes!" He was about to leave the castle instantly, but the queen stopped him. "Uh, yes, Your Majesty?"

"Do you even have a plan? And I think you need comrades." Then, peering closely at the dullard, she asked, "Do you even know which daughter we were speaking of?"

"Peacefulness," he replied immediately.

"No. That would be our third cousin's twice-removed father's godmother's step-daughter. We are speaking of Tranquility, of course."

"'Course I knew that. But, say, don't you trust me to work on my own to get back your daughter?"

"No. Yet, don't worry, you'll be the one to get the prize. But, there are a couple people who I think would do wonders to help you on your way. After all, even the best heroes need help. We'll have some partners for you soon enough. I think I know just the people…"

&&

Giving a toss of his greased black hair, the young man snootily raised his nose away from the other young man next to him. His partner gave him a push, which started an all-out shoving contest.

"Be you in trouble now and here if you continue to act drunk on beer!"

"Stop it! You think your poetry better than mine?"

"Of course I do, you pathetic minstrel. A troubadour is far better to you I tell!"

The king and queen smiled at Axel. "Your partners. They had been keeping our oldest daughter awake long enough by spewing their voices throughout the night under her window, so I thought it would do wonderful for them to join with you."

The black-haired one's eyes misted over. "Ah, fair Serenity! An earl's prize she'd be!"

"You aren't an earl," the other retorted, "even if you gave yourself that name. It means nothing. The Princess Serenity would never go for you. Your rhymes are pathetic."

"Oh? Tell me this, or else desist: what have you to be charming to my beautiful darling? I hear no saintly sounds arising from your mouth. I tell you, you are most uncouth."

The other grumbled. "I told you before; I use free verse. Now shut your mouth, de Vlin."

"The Earl de Vlin I shall be or you will no longer see!"

The Sir Prince Axel was gaping at the two young men near him. While the king and queen hardly noted any difference in intellect in any of the three, the knight sputtered, "You'll make these imbeciles my comrades?"

"Imbeciles! That's it! A minstrel has a very important task!"

"Oh, woe, he has taken his words and used them harshly as he does swords." De Vlin clasped his hands before himself, adding, "If but the lovely Serenity was here today, she would undoubtedly give me leave to him slay."

"I don't even understand their language!" Axel groaned, clutching his head.

Remorseless, the queen gestured to one figure as yet unnamed. "You will also be traveling with him."

The last figure was short, which was why no one had noticed him yet. Smiling shyly, he gave a little wave at the knight. What stuck out about this guy was the strange contortion of a hat he had on his head. Not a sign of any hair came through the ugly gray thing that stuck up at least six inches on his head. Circular and flattened on top, it would have resembled a lamp shade except they weren't invented yet.

"My name's Sama-san-dono." (1)

De Vlin, who liked to be known simply as Earl, laughed. "That is getting presumptuous and long, my friend. Worse than my own name is your series of ends."

The small young man with the tall hat blushed. "All right, that's not really my name." He did not, however, tell them what his name was.

"Doesn't anyone have a normal name?"

The minstrel looked around. "Well, uh, I'm called Ernest." Axel did not like that name any better, so he quickly continued, "That's why I go by Tanner. Tanner Clothier, but you can just call me Tanner." (2)

"Weird," Axel muttered. "And dumb."

"Hey, you think 'The Sir Prince Axel' is any better? Come on!"

The two were apt to go at it right there, much to the joy of His Excellency de Vlin. It just meant less competition for the Princess Serenity (yes, she was married, but that did not deter anyone—made it even more romantic) (and The Sir Prince Axel was a threat as well since anyone who saw the princess automatically fell in love with her lustrous hair, her genuine smile, her beatific stare, the gowns she wore in style…) Ahem. That is, de Vlin could think of no one who could resist the charms of her, not that she ever put them out for mere minstrels or troubadours when she was married, of course. No, she was pure and innocent and…

Well, enough of one young man's thoughts.

The queen looked at the king with a tight smile, and he returned the gesture. Soon, all these nuisances would be out of their life forever… Still, there ought to be at least one person who could help them on their way so that could succeed.

Turning to a guard sent on a special mission, he asked, "Have you found anyone?"

The guard went to the door and opened it. In walked a knight beget completely in armor from helm to iron boots. Clanking, the knight strode forward and bowed to the king and queen.

"I will go seek out the Princess Tranquility and return her to you safe and sound. Fear not."

Strangely echoing, the knight's voice made the other four cease their arguing or contemplating or watching.

"Another one! I thought I was the knight in charge!"

"You are," assured the king. "But your title is appropriately 'prince,' and we thought you could use a little more help. Don't worry; as I said, you get the prize when you get our daughter back."

De Vlin and Tanner looked at the king. "A prize?" And, since there were obviously no rhymes, you should know who it was.

Mr. Free-versifier shot an angry look at The Sir Prince Axel, but of course, he was no where near as dangerous as Put'oh Gruff.

"You, too, will get your reward if you return. We'll let you sing to our daughter as much as you want from 2 in the afternoon to 4."

One eyebrow raised in query, de Vlin turned to Clothier. There seemed to be something special about that time already, but neither one was able to actually spot it out. Unfortunately for the king and queen, the new knight laughed.

"You mean, you'll give them the time-slot set aside for silent contemplation in Princess Serenity's husband's land where to speak is to be assigned a place in prison."

Frowning, the king and queen wondered if perhaps they had gone too far with wanting a smarter person to help these fools. There was no need to have this knight helping them too much. Struggle was the needed ingredient in a heroic tale. Everyone knew it shaped the hero if it didn't kill them.

"I think it would be best to go out the quest immediately. Remember, find our daughter and the reward is yours!"

With the excitement of the beginning of a journey on them, none of them protested the reward for the music-makers. Seeing no need to waste energy going to the front of this pack, the knight with at least some semblance of a brain followed along behind them, helmeted head glancing to the left and right in order to see anything completely.

&&

(1) Honorifics in Japanese, intended to give a person respect.

(2) Do I have to say who these people are? This is the only one I am doing...Tristan Taylor.