Chapter Nine
"Please." Krotan pleaded in his sleep. "Please, give me one more chance. I promise I will change. I promise. I'll be a new man. I'll be a new prince. Give me a break. Please!"
He woke up and looked around his surroundings as he felt his heart pounding.
"What...huh?" Krotan quipped, realizing where he was. "I'm...I'm alive. I sure hope that I can still have a chance to alter the events of what I seen in the future."
He got dressed and hurried outside the castle. "The Ivona plants. I need to see Castra and the others at once."
He glanced over to see the boy from the night before walk across the area. "Hey, you there! I need to ask you..."
He was stopped by the hit of a snowball on his face. He then wiped the snow from his face and chuckled. "I supposed I had that coming."
Krotan then called to the kid. "Hey, kid! I need to..."
"What is it now you selfish, self centered prince?!" the boy shouted, "I already shoveled the blooming pathway to the castle."
"Yes," Krotan replied before giving the child a proposition. "and you did a wonderful job! Now you can do another. What's today?"
"What do you think?" the boy answered. "It's Christmas."
"I knew it!" Krotan exclaimed happily before asking the child, "Are the Merry Givers still here on Mongo?"
"Yeah." the boy answered. "They don't leave until tomorrow, why?"
"Here." Krotan gave the boy a bag of money and gave him some instructions. "Head to where the Merry Givers are located and give them this bag of money. Tell them Prince Krotan of Mongo sent you."
"On my way, sire." the boy replied happily.
"And here's some money for all your trouble." Krotan handed the child another bag of money.
"Ah!" the boy exclaimed with glee. "Thank you, sire!"
The child proceeded to make his way to give the first bag of money to the Merry Givers.
Krotan sighed before stating. "Now it's off to get the Ivona plants!"
-Defenders-Christmas-Carol-
Castra looked down a bit as she appeared to be lost in thought over recent events.
"Castra!"
The princess was startled by that voice. She turned around to see Krotan arriving at the area.
"Krotan?" Castra stated in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"That's what we want to know." Aura added as she, Barin and Tevrok arrived at the scene.
"Oh believe me," Krotan answered, "you'd be surprised at why I am here. Your...our allies on Earth are dealing with a situation regarding one of their own."
"A situation?" Barin asked, confused.
"What's all this about?" Tevrok added.
"Yeah," Castra asked her brother, "what's with this strange change of heart all of a sudden?"
"It is a very long story, sister dear." Krotan answered. "Something I would gladly talk about over dinner tonight but in the meantime, we need to get the Ivona plants to Rick Gordon."
"Flash Gordon's son?" Aura turned her head towards her half brother, "What exactly did you do?"
"Rick inhaled Hydronic powder and he's caught pneumonia because of it." Krotan explained. "I believe that the Ivona plants are a cure for this, is that right?"
"That's right. It will need to be converted to liquid first." Castra nodded. "How do...let me guess: you'll explain how you know this over Christmas dinner?"
"Exactly." Krotan smirked.
"I suggest we get to it at once." Barin replied.
"That's right." Tevrok added. "If it's that Hydronic powder, then Rick Gordon doesn't have a lot of time left."
Castra glanced over at Aura, who appeared to be dumbfounded at their brother's surprising change of heart. On one hand, it was surprising but on the other hand, Castra was glad that Krotan was doing something nice. Whatever happened to him the night before must have brought him to his senses. She hoped that things would stay that way.
"Aura?" Castra called to her half sister.
"This is very weird." Aura replied. "During the party last night, Flash wished for some Christmas spirits to come and visit Krotan. You don't think..."
"I'm not sure." Castra smiled almost proudly. "However, I only hope that these changes that are within our brother stay that way all year round."
"I can agree with you there." Aura smiled.
Author's Note: I know these last couple of chapters are going to be short of all the chapters in this story. I apologize for that. As for the titles of these chapters, I only intended for chapters six, seven and eight to have titles to represent the Guardian of Christmas past, present or future and to show what kind of chapter that you can expect. The conclusion is up next!
