Tracy Smith: Hey, thanks for reading thus far!I hope you continue reading. To be honest, the ending is not yet completely unraveled in my mind. But soon! And don't worry, Gruffs are back!

Tawnykit: Thanks for sticking with the story! Glad you liked it. Also, I know what it is like to struggle with time. I really shouldn't've posted "The Taste of Bitterness" yet…Anyway, good luck, happy birthday, and happy reading!

Fan of Fanfic: Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm glad you and your sister liked it! Your review made me so happy…I hope you continue reading and enjoying it.

Anonimous 199: Wow, nice grammar on your review (It is I). Thanks for continuing to read my story and to find it amusing. Also, I like the encouragement to keep going. It really makes me excited to post.

The Fifth Champion: Thanks so much for understanding the characters without the explanation! I was ever so pleased to get the reviews on every chapter! And you even got up at a respectable time in the morning instead of staying up late. Good! Also, when you said I had the tone I was going for…it made me so happy. Thanks!

Chapter 4 Boarding a Ship that We Will Take Forever To Leave

Three minutes later, the group halted.

"Where the heck are we going?" Axel asked. He had been following the others for quite some time now, he thought, and they were getting no where.

"We're trying to find the princess," Sama-san-dono—or rather, the person whose name was not really that—reminded them.

The knight in back scoffed.

"Say, who are you?" Tanner asked as he spun around.

"Your only chance at succeeding. Just call me Sir Gawagon, No, that's not right. Guyahad? Drawthur. Naw, those are just dumb. Call me Sir Blaydelot. I think it sounds catchy."

Axel could not get over all these people's names. Pathetic. But, as he was the hero, his was the only name that mattered anyway, in order to go down into history.

"What I really want to know is whether we will find the princess before snow. Wither did she go?"

Blaydelot strode onward. "As to that, I know just where to head out to. I had a hint from a peasant a bit ago about seeing a determined lass in quite the gown getting onto a ship and sailing across sea. So, to the sea we must travel!"

One knight was more than enough, The Sir Prince Axel was thinking. Of course, those stupid monarchs had ruined it for him. They had "princed" him, making it impossible for him to go back to being a knight. He could feel the adventuring spirit leaving him already. Now he was going to have to work extra hard to maintain it.

Various people milling around made way for them as they strode forward, one destination in mind. Then, once the shipyard's open waters came into view, the five all inhaled in sync.

Hoarse cries of men came from all levels, for the sailors were in the rigging, on the mast, on the docks, on the ships, or below the water inside the ship. Various seabirds cried shrilly from even higher up before plunging to the ground to snatch a morsel or crumb.

"Money?" Blaydelot asked. He had out a purse and was counting coins.

The Earl de Vlin was running his hands over his hair. "Sea will not agree with my hair, I fear. Is there another way to travel out of here?"

"Tough for your hair. We're going by ship. Now hand over your money."

The short young man instantly handed over all his cash, and his bag seemed remarkably heavy compared to the others', with exception to Blaydelot himself. Curious, Axel looked at the little man and wondered just why he had been chosen to go along. Such a small person certainly could not fight the brigands who had gracelessly snatched away a monarch-in-the-making.

When all the money had been pooled, the real knight took enough to purchase places on a ship and went off to the swiftest one. It was called Virtually Unstoppable.

Gathering aboard the long ship, the crew cast them sour glances from where they were working to set sail. For some reason, all the people of the crew looked exactly the same. A red bandanna over the head, stubble covering the chin, and a striped shirt atop brown pants. But even their faces had the same shape, and every one of them had an earring in the right ear of the same type and a missing tooth on the top corner on the left. Somewhat eerily, the adventurers glanced at all of them and swallowed. But, the ship had already set sail away from the land. And, Blaydelot seemed excited by the added seeming danger.

"Who's ship is this?" asked the young man with the hat.

"I'll find out," replied Tanner. Somewhat cautiously, he moseyed on over to one of the squinting crew members. His hands were in his pockets as he tried to look well-at-ease, but his façade was easily broached.

"Good afternoon, isn't it?" he started. When there was only a wordless grunt, he continued, "Quite a nice ship. Who's the captain?"

"Yesah. Captain Yesah Gruff."

"Ah, I see. Thank you." Then, trying to look inconspicuous, he raced back to the others.

However, by the time he had gotten there, the others had already had a scare that gave away just whose ship this was.

The Squirmer, who had evidently just done that from close to murder on the older Gruff's face, was talking to the others on board.

"Welcome to my brother's ship! How do you like it?"

"Yours?" Axel asked Put'oh Gruff, not seeming to understand just how close he was to turning into cinders just from the look in the man's eyes.

"No," he said. "But I believe in ship-pooling. Otherwise, I wouldn't be aboard this ship at all." He turned away. "Muggy Gruff, get over here right now and stay below. Otherwise, this trip to brother Gruff's will not happen."

"You can't do that, Put'oh! You wouldn't want to anger that brother Gruff. That's why you cancelled your speeches."

"I know," he said tightly. "Come on." He grabbed his brother's arm, but, as could be expected, the boy twirled right out of it.

"You're absolutely no fun, Put'oh. I'm going to visit brother Yesah now. He'll let me climb the rigging!"

Suppressing a growl, the young man had to let his younger brother do as he wanted; there was absolutely no way to stop him physically.

Blaydelot, though his helm was still on, had his eyebrows raised. "Sailor Yesah Gruff's ship? Not too bad, then…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked, and because I am tiring of using pronouns and other things, he will be called by his not-name, Sama-san-dono. "This is a very safe trip?"

The knight pulled off his helm at last, letting his long brown hair tangle in the wind despite its being tied back in a tail. With a grin that made him look mischievous, even girly, he shook his head. "No, I mean we're definitely going to run into pirates."

&&

The king's heart was slowly calming back down to normal. The queen sat beside him on her throne and smiled at her husband.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure everything will work out some way."

"But remember our blessing from the troll godmother?"

That was always coming back to haunt them. So, pursing her lips, the queen gathered an idea. "Let's go consort with our witch. She can cast some divining spell to guess how everything will work. Then, if we have to, we can take more action."

He smiled tenderly at his wife. "You always have the best ideas. All right, go call the witch, Yor Love."

The queen made a face. "I do wish she'd get a better name. It's not as if she is my love…"

Chuckling, the king replied, "That's why it is Yor Love. No doubt, she got tired of being called someone else's. Just think if her name were 'My!'"

The witch was summoned back from where she was taking her much-needed beauty rest. Covering a yawn with one delicate hand, her purple eyes glared out at the monarchs. A witch was never appreciated. Besides, unless they wanted her to look like all the other old crones that passed for witches, they ought to let her get enough sleep.

"What is it this time?"

"We wanted you to look into the mirror to see what the fortune is for those searching for our daughter."

Smothering an impatient sigh, she dug out her favorite mirror—yes, the one that constantly praised her good looks—and asked to see the fate of the adventurers. Contrary to common belief, there was no need to rhyme. In fact, that legend was begun by none other than the Earl de Vlin, who, being a troubadour, traveled many lands spewing his rhyming lies about things people began to take as perhaps-fact.

"What's the future for the people searching for that annoying Tranquility? And don't waste any time!" she added when the mirror was about to start by praising her once more.

Sullenly, the mirror's surface clouded over to slowly bring out the image of those searching for the princess. They were on a ship out to sea, a tiny speck growing closer to the ship from a distance. As Yor stared at the surface, she began crooning over one blonde-haired knight. You guessed it; it was none other than The Sir Prince Axel, and he was trying to lower himself over the edge of the boat with a rope so he could fish with his bare hands.

"Oh, what an adorable man! You hired him? What's his name?"

Abruptly on her words, the mirror went blank. However, Yor was too busy questioning the monarchs to notice her object's sudden jealousy.

"Who? It doesn't even matter; what about the future?"

"Prince Axel," the queen murmured despite her husband's question.

"Axel," Yor sighed. Then, seeing both their faces, she returned to the mirror. "What's up? Why don't you show me the adventurers?"

The mirror remained but a reflective glass.

Exhaling loudly, the witch apologized to the king and queen. "It looks like it is being moody again. You'll have to excuse it; I really have no control over what happens with this mirror."

After being wearily dismissed, the royal couple heard her sighing "Axel" a few more times as she walked away.

The king and queen looked at each other for an entire minute. It seemed the curse was back…