A/N- Wow, like 7 reviews for my last chapter- I'm well chuffed :P I've had multiple essays and things due, and rehearsals for Christmas show etc, and Christmas shopping! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year, and also in my case- Happy Birthday! Yay!

Please forgive me for lack of updating, the chapters will be smaller but I'll try to update every week or two at most! I apologise profoundly for the lack…I Hope you are all still interested! I found this one particularly fun to write, lets hope its worth the wait, ay?

Yours truly,

Jasmineb

Disclaimer- is as always; I own the plot, the characters aren't mine (apart from Kai) and well bits and pieces may be taken off of movies, TV shows, or randomly made up by yours truly.

Chapter 30: No pressure…

Recap in the castle: "Damn, let's get the council together then…"

Recap in the woods, aka Game show:. "Well it's sure going to be a barrel of something…"

"So," said Lord Wyldon, "you've waged war again?"

All seven members of the war council were squeezed around a table that was in fact built for five, as King Jonathan preferred being called 'The Knights of the Pentagon Table'. He didn't really have a good reason for this, only that it just flowed better than heptagon. Everyone was present, well, half of them were anyway, as not many members took these meetings seriously; the ones who turned up arrived late or arrived with their pyjamas on and their teddy bear in tow. Obviously nothing said, or seen for that matter, left the room.

"The first war wasn't my fault! The Scanrans took it upon themselves to start that one… and the Immortals war…well, you know for a fact I held out until last minute to wage war then. Changing the subject, Daine take the register please."

Daine cleared her throat, and looked through her folder until she found the list. Coughing to make sure she had the whole table's attention, she elbowed the man sitting next to her much to his annoyance, to make some room so she would be able to move her arm.

"Alanna? Well I doubt she's come back yet… Duke Baird?"

"I'm here," the duke yawned, "I just don't understand why you had to call this meeting in the middle of the night?"

"Well it wouldn't be a secret war council meeting if the maid kept interrupting us in the day now would it?"

"You do realise that you did invite the maid along anyway?" A shy brunette waved from the corner of the room, the other hand grasping a duster. She look particularly out of place surrounded by the best warriors and thinkers in the realm- even if they were in their pyjamas.

"Ah Arnette- sorry about that," Jonathan said, in a typical John Cleese sort of manner, "Glad to see you could make it. Now back to the war at hand here, as soon as morning dawns and the birds begin to tweet- I'll make a grand and spectacular speech, which states that we have waged war, but it will cover and avoid that point nicely."

"Is that even possible sir?" a clerk asked from an armchair which seemed to swallow him whole.

"Well I'll not be the one writing it- you will. Good luck ol' chap. You have until that sparrow;" he pointed out the window, towards a nearby willow, and on the utmost branch sat a small and peculiar sparrow. It began to twitter. "Not yet you silly bird! Never mind Lord Geraldus, it would have been a nice idea but its all ruined now…you have until five bells. I have placed my faith in you, so do not let me down or it will be your head. No pressure though. Now go!" The clerk, whose name was in fact Lord Gerald, scrambled out the room, dropping paper along the way and leaving a trail of ink drops.

"I suppose there's no just kiss and make up tactic that would avoid the whole battle situation, is there?"

"No Duke Baird, ready your infirmary, as I fear there will be a riot soon enough."

(Gameshow!)

"Now if both our contestants would please step away from the wheel, our game 'Bullseye' is about to commence."

And as Dom hurriedly stepped back, the floor opened up, and up rose a whole new floor, containing…a target. Two sets of arrows and bows appeared in front of the players and Dom could finally see which one he was up against; and it wasn't pretty.

"Could our contestants pick up their bows, and come to the edge of the arena!" bellowed a loud speaker, which, curiously, Dom hadn't noticed earlier. He gulped.

"Now, let the games begi- wait, I almost forgot. Bring her out boys!" Two ugly looking trolls (and when I say ugly, I mean ugly) strode out through a side door, dragging an unconscious Kel with them.

"Kel!" shouted Dom, her head stirred, she was beginning to wake. In retrospect, in probably would have been better if she hadn't been conscious. They tied her arms and legs to a wooden pole just inside the arena, and left her hanging there.

"Now since the benign team lost the coin toss," they all glared at Neal, who inwardly cowered, "it's the Spidrens up first. The aim of this game, hardy ha! Aim of the game, get it? I crack myself up sometimes…okay, well the point is that every shot the Spidrens get on the bullseye, the lower our lovely Kel gets. If you hadn't already noticed, she's dangling over a put of…o, I don't know, I think as it's the first game of the series it should be a mixture of flesh eating rodents…and hm, I believe its always a ghoul or two down there- thrown in for good measure. Well you get the jist, and every bullseye Dom here gets, we'll move her up a foot or so. Aren't you all having a barrel of fun? Now on with the game!"

They all wonder to this day how a Spidren managed to shoot an arrow like that, it having mostly spiders legs and all. It was curious, but none of them seem to recall exactly how it was done. Why don't you just imagine a way, and stick with it? That'll do. However you think they did or didn't do it, a shot was fired towards the big white and red target. It was a dam good starting shot, one might say it was beginners luck, and it hit the middle dead on.

Kel moved one foot closer to her doom, and her fate rested on Dom. No pressure.