The rating's lowered because there isn't anything terribly bad in here yet. Just a few colorful words here and there. It'll probably be raised again later, depending on how the story unfolds.

Thanks to all who've read and reviewed so far. Don't feel shy about asking questions or giving suggestions.

Process: Chapters 1-8 written

Session 05: Preparations

Knock. Knock. Knock.

" Armin, can you get the door? " Hannah asked from the stairs. It's been an incredibly long day, and she couldn't imagine anyone short of Jhudora showing up to torment her now. Tired, hot, and highly irritated by her last unwelcome visitor, Hannah needed to change into something more befitting a stressed usul.

Armin went to the door without a second thought. " Who is it? " He asked timidly before turning the doorknob--

SLAM! The second he cracked the door it was thrown open, sending the little bori on his shell from the force. On the other side was King Skarl who held a joint of ham in his greedy paws. Jeran, the knight from earlier, walked into their house closely behind his king. He's followed by a group of children that looked about Armin's age.

Rocking back and forth in his embarrassing position, Armin tried to take control of the situation. " Hey! What are you doing barging into Hannah's house? "

" I thought the people of this land were hospitable. " King Skarl commented aside, his gray eyes lazily looking around the place. " You should be ... " Bite. Snort. " Honored by my presence. "

" Being a king is no excuse for being rude! " He had to admit it's pretty hard to make a stand when you're three feet tall and stuck on your backside.

A yellow furred aisha stepped out from behind the knight, offering Armin a hand so she could pull him back onto his feet. Dressed in a strange schoolgirl's outfit, she seemed to be the only one who knew that the bori was in peril. " We're very sorry. " Once he regained his footing, she leaned in. " Our king is not very smart ... " She whispered with a smile, and he smiled in return.

Jeran heard the comment with his sensitive ears and grinned a little too. " His majesty decided since such a famous person lives on this island, we should at least pay her a visit. " The lupe's eyes hardened once more. " If this is a bad time ... "

" NONSENSE! " Skarl yelled, throwing his stripped ham bone in a random direction. The vampire Blumaroo that stood to one side of Jeran retrieved it, giving a hurried apology to Armin on Skarl's behalf as he did. " I am sure the staff here can make us a little snack, and squeeze us into her tight schedule. " He made it quite clear he would not take 'no' for an answer.

Armin's eyes grew wide. " Staff? There isn't any staff here! "

Skarl raised an eyebrow. " Oh? Then who does the cooking and cleaning here? "

" Hannah cooks. I clean. " The response came naturally. " It's what normal people who can't afford to pay a dozen people to do repetitive work do. "

" Is that right? " Skarl seemed mesmerized by the concept of doing one's own dirty work. " So I take it that you are the girl's husband? For a moment I thought you were her child -- "

Lisha noticed the deep blush on the pale bori's snout, but said nothing. " I'm not either! " He squealed, looking to the floor in embarrassment. " We're just good friends. "

The King chuckled before replying. " That's a weird set up you two have, though. I'd think that a girl as pretty as Hannah would've found someone to love a long time ago. "

Armin tensed slightly, but kept his calm. " Hannah doesn't have a boyfriend. " Oy, he didn't feel comfortable having this conversation with a near stranger.

Skarl placed a claw under his large chin as her pondered this. " That is interesting. " He grinned before looking towards Jeran. " Excuse us for a moment, young man, but we have some business to attend to before dinner. Lisha, Kayla, Borris, and Morris will remain here and help you with the preparations. "

Before Armin could protest to any of this, the two older pets were gone. Confused, he looked towards the four younger kids that were left at his disposal. Borris, the Blumaroo, had a disgusted look on his face since he just returned from properly disposing of the ham bone. His friend, Morris the Quiggle, seemed to be glaring at him from across the room.

And why? He felt a weight on his left hand that forced him to look down, and noticed that he and Lisha still had their hands intertwined. " Sorry! " He yelped, releasing her hand.

Kayla, the zafara alchemist, giggled. " There's no need to apologize. Morris is just a protective giddy. " Her voice had a thick accent that Armin couldn't quite place.

" DO NOT! " The quiggle screamed, turning his back to the group.

Heh. For a moment Armin thought this job was going to be boring. " We should get started. " Instead of pursuing just what Kayla meant by her comment, he changed the subject. " Just what does your king like to eat? "

The meridellian children giggled, and the group said it in union. " Everything! "

Hannah didn't hear any of the commotion downstairs. Her family's inheritance, the large mansion that she and Armin had all to themselves, had thick walls and vast rooms that made it near impossible to hear what was going on in the other parts of the house. For generations this was the biggest property on the island, that is until the public training school was established by Neopian Central.

By time she had been born, the house had long since fell into shambles. Her grandfather told stories about how dozens of families took residence in this house at once. Every month they threw one of the most elaborate parties in Neopia, and it'd last nearly a week! To Hannah, a girl who had never been to a real party (she couldn't call what they did at The Golden Dubloon a 'party'), those kind of stories were wonderful ...

Reaching her room at the end of the grand hallway, she noticed that the door had been cracked. Don't tell me ... Hannah didn't need this now! Two intruders in her house in the same day? The door's flung open with a sharp kick, and on the bed was the last pet she wanted to see at a time like this ...

A yellow haired usul who appeared to be sleeping. He pulled the light pink silk sheets over his shoulders, partially covering his head like a child. His ears twitched to the sound of the door nearly flying off his hinges, but he didn't stir.

Anger didn't quite describe how she felt at that moment. He broke into her house, went to her room (out of hundreds of rooms, mind you), slept in her bed, and had his crew using her kitchen for their own desires! Anything else she needed to know about? Did he scrub the toilet with her toothbrush too?

Without thinking, she retrieved a coil of rope from the rack right beside the door. Holding it in both hands, that were now shaking like a Kadtonie at a Draik Egg convention, she decided that she couldn't be held accountable for what happened next ...

" You want me to what? "

Jeran flew backwards, landing on top of a crate as the details of the King's horribly planned ideas boiled down into a sour mess. King Skarl was known for having some pretty stupid ideas, thus why an intelligent pet such as Jeran was appointed his advisor. Still, this was by far the most hair brained thing that he'd ever heard!

" I want you to gain her trust, Jeran. " Skarl repeated with confidence. " I had my doubts about this island when I first came here, but this turned out to be a very profitable place. I figured that just barging in and taking what we want would be us on bad terms with the natives, so we have to make this look like it's her own decision. "

" This is insane ... " Ears folding sharply, he'd look to the ground. " Why do you want her so badly? There has to be alternate sources of power that we can go after. " Jeran was fine with Skarl's quest for power back when they dealt with magical trinkets and charms, but this was a person! A living, breathing, person who had thoughts and feelings.

Sensing his discomfort, the king thought it right to remind him of just who was in charge of this operation. " I hope you're not thinking about disobeying me, Jeran. " His voice stern and serious. " You know what happens to those who oppose me. "

He heard rumors if that's what he meant. Before Jeran became an advisor to Skarl, there was another brave knight in his place. His strength and compassion for the people of Meridell is legendary, far surpassing his own. Valrigard's name is still uttered among the knights of Meridell, but no one knew why he was suddenly imprisoned.

Rumor has it that Valrigard refused to go into the Darigan kingdom to steal it's people's orb. Not only did he believe that the king was wrong for wanting such a powerful object, but Valrigard was actually born in Darigan. Marked as a traitor and given a mockery of a trial, Valrigard is to spend the rest of his life in the dungeons of the castle.

Jeran couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life in those dank dungeons. He couldn't afford to, not between being a leader to his people and a big brother to Lisha. Too many people depend on him to throw it all away now. Could they understand him doing such a terrible thing in order to stay with them? Was what he planned to do even the right thing?

It seemed like an eternity for him to give his answer. " I'll do it. " He didn't sound happy in any case, feeling overwhelming hopelessness as he stood from his crate.

" But I can't say I'll enjoy it. "