DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': *Is gnawing on a piece of wood* Are you almost ready? How long does it take for a dragon to dress up anyways?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I'd like to take as much time as I possibly can, maybe tick off the prince a little in the process.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Heh. At least we don't have to worry about actually attending too much stuff, we're not supposed to be a part of the story after all. As long as none of the main characters, especially Andy, sees us, we should be fine. Dora and Sam will expose Aragon, and we'll be home free, and I'll be back to my lovable fox self.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Comes out of the closet wearing a purple, pink, and red dress* How does it look?
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': It looks really adorable on you~
Darkzdragon 'Onyx'; *Frowns* I'd really rather not be adorable. And please don't tease me about this… if you do, I'll stuff you in an uncomfortable cage with only water and very bland food.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': What? Adorable is subjective, and I just think you look cute. Besides, I'm sure you look elegant too.
Dora: Are you ready yet? The others have already infiltrated the castle.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I'm as ready as I'll ever be. But what about Fox? I doubt Aragon wants me to bring my 'pet' to the table and I'd really rather not leave the room without her.
Dora: I'm almost finished with the potion. I should be able to get it ready by the next AN.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Good. Hopefully we'll be out of here before long and back in our own home.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Yeah, as nice as it was to live in a castle, I'd love to get back to my own house, with actual technology. Until then, let's get the readers into the chapter.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Looks like you already started doing that. *Points at the camera with the blinking red light* Still happy I was able to power that camera you snuck in, Dora. So, readers, go enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 67: Executing the Plan
"We have chosen the winner to be Sam Manson," Danny announced with a smile.
"Sam Manson, please come up onto the stage," Mr. Lancer instructed with a smile.
The audience gave a loud cheer as Sam walked onto the stage, giving a somewhat strained smile. I wondered if Sam was nervous or just wanted to get this over with.
"Sam Manson, it is an honor to announce you as the first place winner and the teenage Royal Princess," Mr. Lancer proclaimed as Dora walked over.
"Sam Manson, if you would please follow me, we must properly crown the Princess," Dora said as she handed Sam a large bouquet of flowers.
I watched with anticipation as Sam followed Dora to the center of the stage.
Dora leaned over and whispered to Sam. "Steady yourself, the floor is about to rise beneath us. Once the platform is fully raised, I will place the tiara on your head, marking you as the Princess."
Sam didn't give a verbal answer, instead she just gave a slight nod.
The stage floor began to rise up into the sky, causing the crowds to cheer even louder. I could see some fireworks exploding into the sky as the platform finally stopped rising.
I could see Danny's worried face, he knew this was part of the plan, but that didn't make him worry any less for Sam. I looked back up at the risen platform and watched as Dora put a golden tiara with green gems encrusted into it on Sam's head.
"It is an honor to greet you now as Princess Sam Manson," Dora declared with a large smile as the tiara began to glow a little.
Soon, the glow grew brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding. I had to shut my eyes for a few seconds before the glow faded away. When I was able to look again, both Sam and Dora were gone.
"Well... that was an amazing disappearance act," Mr. Lancer stated, sounding unsure, before he looked to the audience. "With that, the beauty pageant has concluded. I thank all our contestants as well as our fabulous audience and amazing judges. Please make sure to clean up after yourself and have a great rest of your evening."
"That was a neat trick," Katrina remarked. "But where did they go?"
"If I had to guess, somewhere Miss Crowne could give Sam the cash prize," Tucker answered as he walked over. "I know I wouldn't give out 1,000 dollars to anyone out in the open."
"Yeah, so she'll probably send Sam home after that," Danny spoke up, giving Katrina a small smile.
"Speaking of which, perhaps we should go home too," I suggested. "Some of these girls might get a little angry at us for not picking them as one of the winners."
"Don't worry about them," Katrina reassured. "They may be upset they didn't get chosen as winners, but they won't resort to violence."
"I don't know, they were pretty crazy during this week, crazy enough that we had to stay home." I frowned.
Katrina giggled a bit before she said, "With the competition over now, they have no reason to go after you."
"She's probably right, bro," Danny commented with a small, somewhat forced chuckle. "We should get going now, we don't want to be late for dinner."
"Yeah, you're right." I nodded, knowing Danny was more than ready to go rescue Sam now. "Don't want to miss out on dinner."
Katrina nodded herself. "Understandable. It was fun working with you boys tonight."
With that said, Danny and I began walking out of the school. I looked back to see Tucker was following us, which had me give a small sigh of relief, I was glad that we didn't have to go back and get him.
Once we were far enough away from the school, Tucker finally spoke up. "Okay, so spill it, what's really going on? What happened to Sam back there? That was no act, was it?"
"No, it wasn't," Danny answered. "Well not completely. Easiest way to say it, Sam was 'taken' to become the bride of a dragon prince named Aragon. Though we are in on the plan as we are helping Dora. We're fooling her brother, Aragon."
"Wait, what? You were planning this?" Tucker asked, confused. "Why wasn't I in on it? And… Sam is going to be a bride to a dragon prince?"
"Sorry Tucker, we wanted to make sure this plan went off without a hitch," I said with an apologetic smile. "Dora's brother was also watching, so we had to make sure we didn't give ourselves away."
Tucker frowned. "... We're… not going home for dinner tonight, are we?"
I pat Tucker on the back. "Afraid not, buddy."
We headed over to the opera house, where Juliette and Scarlet were waiting.
"Has the plan been set in motion?" Scarlet asked.
"Yes, Sam and Dora are probably at Aragon's castle as we speak," I answered.
Tucker looked at Scarlet, his jaw hanging open. "W-what the…? Is that a girl knight?"
"Not all knights were males," Scarlet responded with a small grumble. "It is quite narrow minded of you if you believe that knights are only males."
"Ah, Tucker, meet Scarlet," Danny introduced awkwardly.
"She's Juliette's personal knight in shining white armor," I added.
Tucker blinked. "Wow, no kidding? Are you a real knight? You're not like the Fright Knight, are you?"
"I am nothing like the corrupt Fright Knight!" Scarlet growled. "And you will do well to not relate me to any impure ghost again."
"You should probably watch what you say around her, Tuck, she has some very stringent ideals," Danny warned as Tucker took a few steps back from Scarlet.
"D-duly noted," Tucker gulped.
"Are you sure he will be much of an asset in our mission?" Scarlet questioned, looking skeptical about Tucker.
"Tucker may not look it, but he does have some ghost fighting experience," I assured. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."
"I will allow him on this mission on the condition he only talks when he is directed to," Scarlet stated. "If he is careless, he might blow our cover and put all of us at risk."
Tucker gave a frown at that.
"We should get going soon, the longer we stay here, the more likely it is that Sam will be married to Aragon," Danny replied with an impatient tone.
"Where did you leave your Specter Speeder?" Juliette's voice questioned before she walked out in an elegant purple and gold princess dress.
"It's back at our house, near the Ghost Portal," I answered. "We'll have to go through Fenton Works before we can get into the Ghost Zone."
"Do you want me to go ahead and distract Mom and Dad so you can get everyone into the lab and through the ghost portal?" Danny offered. "All the supplies are already waiting in the speeder, so I can change when I catch up with you."
"Yeah, and be sure to tell Jazz to keep Mom and Dad from wondering where we are," I responded.
"Whoa…" I heard Tucker say in awe. "You look beautiful in that dress."
"Of course she looks beautiful, she is a princess after all," Scarlet chimed in.
"She is?" Tucker asked, surprised.
"Yes, she is," Scarlet confirmed before giving Tucker a glare. "Make sure to watch your tone and what you say around her."
"O-of course," Tucker answered nervously before muttering under his breath.
Juliette chuckled and shook her head a little. "It's fine, Scarlet. Tucker does not need to change how he acts when we are in private like we are now. It would be rude of me to not allow one to be their true self in my presence."
"We can discuss this later," Danny spoke up. "We need to get going. You two already have everything ready, right?"
"Yes, I have everything ready to go," Scarlet answered with a nod. "I have all the weapons and outfits stored away safely. When we enter the Ghost Zone, I shall pass out everything."
"Then we better get to Fenton Works," I said.
Danny and I transformed into our ghost forms.
"I hope you don't mind, bro, but I'm gonna rush ahead so I can distract Mom and Dad," Danny said.
"Before you go, I should tell you that I'll let you know when we're in the Specter Speeder and about to head into the Ghost Zone," I informed. "I'll shoot you a text on your cell phone, so be sure your phone is on."
Danny gave a nod as his legs turning into a ghostly tail before he turned intangible and shot up through the ceiling.
"We better get going too," I said before I went over to Tucker, picking him up by the arms, and flew through the ceiling myself.
The sky had a lot of stars tonight, but the moon was dark due to it being a new moon. I was thankful that ghosts could see in the dark quite easily. I turned my head to see Juliette and Scarlet were flying behind me.
"You know… it's not very often I get carried in the sky like this," Tucker noted as I carried him above Amity Park.
"It's too bad you don't have the ability to fly yourself, Tucker," Juliette remarked as she caught up to me since I wasn't going very fast. I had to pace myself, especially with this cursed watch still on me. "Seeing the world from above like this is such a beautiful experience."
"Yeah… but I would probably wait until jetpacks were invented before I even try that," Tucker sighed. "The last time I had the ability to fly myself… well… let's just say things didn't turn out so great."
I frowned as I remembered all too well how Tucker got ghost powers before, and we almost lost him. Tucker almost became a full monster ghost, and I'm sure he would never forget that.
"What happened before?" Scarlet asked in curiosity as she caught up as well.
Tucker looked at Scarlet to the side before looking down. "I… rather not talk about it…"
"Sometimes ghost powers can come at the cost of one's humanity…" I said quietly.
Scarlet gave a thoughtful look before. "I assume that due to his lack of strength, he made some kind of bargain or wish or did something to gain strength but the cost of that strength was the loss of control or loss of his sense of self?"
"No, that's not…!" Tucker began to argue before he gave a sigh of defeat. "Yeah… you're exactly right… I became so jealous of Danny that I let myself become a monster…"
"That was awfully foolish of you, Tucker," Juliette scolded which caused Tucker to flinch a little. "Someone like you shouldn't need to be jealous of his friend's unique traits."
"W-what do you mean?" Tucker hesitantly asked as he looked back up.
"You have traits of your own that your friends could never hope to attain," Juliette explained. "And they have their own traits that you could never hope to attain. Instead of getting jealous over the traits of your friend, in this case Danny, you should spend that time and energy to develop and grow your own traits. Andy, tell me 3 things about Tucker that none of your other friends have."
I gave a small smile before I answered. "Tucker knows a lot about technology, he's able to hack really easily into even the toughest of security computers. Tucker is also knowledgeable on things we wouldn't be able to understand or comprehend. And finally, even when utterly crushed, Tucker doesn't give up and does what he can. We'd be lost without Tucker."
"D-do you… really mean that, Andy?" Tucker questioned in surprise.
"Of course, I wouldn't be saying those things if I didn't mean them," I answered, giving Tucker a smile. "And I know my brother feels the same way. You and Sam were his only life support for a while."
"But… am I really that unique?" Tucker inquired. "You and Danny are just as smart as I am and Sam also doesn't know when to give up."
"Everyone is smart, Tucker, but that doesn't mean we're smart in the same way," I replied softly. "Danny and I wouldn't know the first thing about technology other than the basic stuff. We don't know how to hack, and you were the one who disarmed Skulker and Technus many times to give us the advantage. The only reason why we haven't given up is because you don't know when to give up, you give Sam the inspiration to be as stubborn as ever."
"It sounds like without you as you are, you and your friends wouldn't be alive at this point," Scarlet remarked.
"We all have our purpose and roles in our group," I continued, giving a chuckle. "Even Jazz and I, before we became part of the team, and even Mom and Dad with their inventions helping us out."
"Instead of trying to grow in different ways, you should focus on growing the skills that you use all the time," Juliette suggested. "Aim to be the best in what you love to do and what you are good at. You'll find branches in the skills you hold and you'll have to teach yourself and grow in those areas before you can even consider starting to learn something completely unrelated to your skillset."
"And remember, Tucker, you were the one who helped us find and stop Technus before he could take over the world's technology, and you made the antidote that cured everyone from that love potion," I added. "So you don't need to worry about needing to be unique. But I can understand the temptation for power, it's not an easy thing to ignore when you hang out with two boys with superpowers…"
"Heh…" Tucker chuckled lightly. "I suppose you of all people would understand, huh, Andy?"
Juliette and Scarlet looked at me, probably wondering what Tucker meant by that. I didn't give out an answer to that, but rather I just looked down at the city, seeing Fenton Works was just ahead of us.
"We're almost there, we should land soon, otherwise the alarm system will go off and alert my parents that ghosts are nearby," I warned. "They are ghost hunters after all, they won't hesitate to shoot us down if they see us."
"Scarlet and I can disguise our presence if need be," Juliette reminded.
"Just keep your ghostly aura down as much as possible," I informed. "And stay close to me, we'll be going invisible once we reach the house. Hopefully Danny is able to keep our parents occupied."
When we got in close to Fenton Works, we landed nearby. I held Tucker's hand before turning both of us intangible and invisible. It was still quite a struggle to use my powers, especially when I have to spread it onto another person, but I've managed. I could sense Juliette and Scarlet doing the same before their aura became weak, trying to suppress as much as they could. Even though I was invisible, Juliette and Scarlet could still sense me, so they would know where I was.
I moved forward, still holding Tucker's hand since he couldn't turn intangible or invisible himself. I went through the house's door, with Scarlet and Juliette following closely behind me. I could hear Danny's voice in the kitchen.
"Coooooome oooooon, Mom and Dad, why can't you come up to my room quick and help me with my homework?" Danny whined.
"No, Danny, like I said, I am busy making dinner and your father is 'brainstorming'," Mom answered. "If you need help, ask Jazz."
"I would, but I came to you two because my homework topic is right up your alley," Danny responded. "My homework is all about ghosts."
"Did you say… ghosts!?" Dad shouted in excitement. "Well of course we'll help you with your homework if it's about ghosts! You're talking to true experts on ghosts, son."
Since the ecto alarm wasn't going off, I can safely assume that the ecto security system wasn't on high detection right now. If those were, they would've picked up on Scarlet's ecto signature. Scarlet, even though she suppressed her aura and ecto signature, is still quite strong. I wouldn't be surprised if Danny sensed her while we were coming in. Still, that didn't mean the ecto security system was off, just that we were small enough to bypass it as 'harmless ecto signatures'.
I walked to the kitchen with Tucker as silently as possible. While it would be easier to just phase into the lab, I didn't want to take the chance that something in the house wouldn't go off if we used more than invisibility here, especially since we're so close to Mom and Dad. I tried to stay as far away from Mom and Dad as possible, since I did worry that Scarlet's aura might make them notice.
Thankfully, we were able to get to the door that leads to the lab. Unfortunately, the door was closed right now, that means we would either have to open it or go through it. Neither options were very discreet if Mom and Dad's alarm goes off if we used intangibility so close to the lab.
If only we could get someone to open the door for us… I frowned.
"Wow, I honestly didn't expect them to do that," Danny chuckled as he walked over and opened the door to the lab. "Mom and Dad practically shooed me out of the room and said they would come up with a project for me that would get me a quadruple A+."
I blinked before we went into the lab. Danny closed the door behind him before I dropped my invisibility, Juliette and Scarlet doing the same after I did.
"What would Mom and Dad say when they realize your homework has nothing to do with ghosts?" I asked.
"I had pre-typed a small 'assignment sheet' that said we had to come up with a ghost related project and the best project's owner would be allowed to set up the school's Halloween festival," Danny explained with a chuckle.
"But our school doesn't have a Halloween festival," Tucker pointed out.
"Yeah, well Mom and Dad don't know that~" Danny smirked.
"Well, we're here, perhaps we should all go together then?" Scarlet asked before looking at the Specter Speeder that was hovering a few feet away from the Ghost Portal. "Are we going to ride in this contraption?"
"It's the best way to get around in safety," I replied. "The Specter Speeder has a small ghost shield as well as other defense systems. It will also get us to Aragon's realm quicker than if we were to fly there ourselves."
"Besides, I'm sure you rather not have to carry me everywhere," Tucker added.
"Were you able to tell Jazz?" I asked Danny.
Danny gave a thumbs up. "Yup, she'll cover for us for as long as she can."
"Great, then let's get into the Specter Speeder and get on over to Aragon's castle." I smiled.
Danny gave a nod in agreement before I turned myself human.
"At least this machine is larger than it would appear," Scarlet remarked as she looked inside the Specter Speeder. "When we get into the Ghost Zone, we should get you three fitted into your proper attire."
"Are you two going to be in your ghost forms for this?" Tucker asked, looking at us. "Can you even change your suits?"
"They will not be going in their ghost forms," Juliette informed.
"Hmm? Why not?" Tucker asked. "I mean wouldn't they just fall through everything if they went as humans?"
"We have something for that," I answered as I opened the Specter Speeder's doors. "And if we went in our ghost forms, the other ghosts would recognize us right away. We are pretty infamous there after all, they would also probably recognize our aura, which is why we'll have to be in disguise in our human forms."
"What do you have?" Tucker questioned.
"Just get in the machine," Scarlet ordered. "We will explain everything to you when we get into the Ghost Zone. We're wasting too much time out here."
"Alright, fine, I'll drive," Tucker stated as we started getting into the Specter Speeder.
Scarlet helped Juliette into the Specter Speeder as Tucker got into the driver's seat. Danny sat next to Tucker, while I sat in the back with Scarlet and Juliette.
"Are you comfortable, Princess Juliette?" Scarlet questioned as Tucker pressed the button to close the door.
"I'm fine, Scarlet, thank you." Juliette smiled.
"Alright, hang on everyone, next stop is the Ghost Zone!" Tucker announced before he started up the Specter Speeder.
The Specter Speeder whirred to life, and before I knew it, the rockets behind the Specter Speeder blasted us straight into the Ghost Portal. I noticed that Juliette and Scarlet were taken back by how sudden the take off was, though Juliette more so than Scarlet.
After a minute, the Specter Speeder felt much more stable, and Tucker gave a small sheepish chuckle. "Sorry about that, I forgot to warn you that the Specter Speeder tends to have a bit of a rough take off."
"A warning would've been appreciated," Scarlet grumbled.
"Tucker, are you able to make it so this craft will automatically head towards Aragon's domain?" Juliette inquired. "If you can, it would be best to do so that way you three can get ready for the mission."
"Sure, I just need the coordinantes to Aragon's domain," Tucker answered.
I looked out the window. The Ghost Zone still looks as creepy and green as ever, it kind of makes me wonder if this place ever changes, and what else could be out there.
Tucker was fiddling with his thin black choker. "Do I really have to wear this thing? I mean the outfit I'm wearing is already a bit… itchy."
"Yes, because that choker will keep you from falling through the Ghost Zone," Scarlet answered with a slight annoyed tone.
I was still in my human form, wearing similar clothing to Tucker. Both of us wore tan loose fitting long sleeved shirts, brown leather boots that were on top of a pair of dark grey pants. And around our waists, on top of the shirts was a leather belt.
"I know it's not… fashionable, but we'll have to deal with it," I sighed, scratching my arm a bit. Tucker wasn't kidding about this outfit being somewhat itchy.
"You two are going to be acting as servant after all," Scarlet reminded before glaring at Tucker. "Which means you do not speak unless spoken to, you follow behind Princess Juliette, myself, and Danny at all times, you will not look at anyone in the eye, and you will do as told without hesitation. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes ma'am!" Tucker quickly saluted.
"Yes, we understand, ma'am!" I replied quickly myself.
"Um… so how do I look?" Danny hesitantly asked.
Tucker and I looked over at Danny. Danny was wearing tan boots with black pants and a matching black long sleeve shirt. Danny was also wearing dark grey gloves on his hands. On different parts of his body sat white metal plates of armor. There was a large plate on his chest, one on each knee, elbow, and shoulder. There were also plates of armor on Danny's waist and forearms. There was a small leather pouch strapped to his right thigh. And on his left forearm, on top of the white plate of armor, sat a green folded piece of metal that had a small handle sticking out of it.
"Wow, looking good there, Danny," Tucker whistled.
"If Sam were here, she'd say you really look like a knight and shining armor," I teased a little, making said 'knight' blush.
"I don't know… I'm not sure if the armor suits me," Danny shyly said, looking at the silver bracelet on his right wrist, right between the plate of armor on his forearm and his hand.
"Are you kidding? It looks like it was made for you," Tucker spoke up.
"It was the best I could do in such a short time," Scarlet stated. "If I had more preparation time, I would've preferred to get some armor custom made for Danny. If anyone asks, you can tell them that I just took you on as my apprentice and that is why you have the armor that you do. Though hopefully nobody will ask as we are just servants of Princess Juliette."
"You did really good with the time that you had," I chuckled. "Danny's just being modest."
"There is no need to be so modest, Danny," Juliette chuckled. "You look like a very capable squire. If you ever wanted to become an actual knight, I'm sure you would do just fine."
"Me? An actual knight?" Danny blinked, surprised by that statement.
"You definitely have the potential," Scarlet agreed. "If you want, after this, I would be more than happy to train you in the art of being a knight."
"Heh…" Danny chuckled sheepishly.
"According to the coordinantes, we're almost at Aragon's domain," Tucker spoke up, looking at the radar in the driver's seat. "We should get ourselves ready."
"Scarlet, is there anything about Aragon's domain we should know about before we enter?" I inquired the knight.
"We should stop the craft before we get there," Scarlet answered. "If we attempt to enter Aragon's domain in such an advanced craft, we will crash."
"Why's that?" Tucker asked.
"I don't usually go to Aragon's domain, so I can't say for sure, but the last time I was there, there was a rule set in the area. A rule that any progression will be eliminated, meaning technology can't enter the domain or they'll be shut down," Scarlet explained. "A ghost's domain will follow any rules the current ruler of the domain makes. Meaning you should stop this craft soon."
"That means all of our technology and highly advanced weaponry will be useless after all." Danny frowned.
"Then that means the Fenton Earphones I gave Sam will be useless too…" I sighed. Well… hopefully they could still filter out any ghost noises that might be used to try to brainwash Sam.
"Wait… we're going into a TECH FREE ZONE!?" Tucker shouted, starting to sweat in fear. "I don't think I can survive that!"
"If you consider yourself incapable, then you can stay here and not get in our way," Scarlet hissed in annoyance. "If you're only going to get in the way, then we won't bring you, it is as simple as that."
"But… but I want to help save Sam too." Tucker frowned. "But still… I'm only good with technology… how am I going to be useful without it?"
"Tucker, you don't need technology to be helpful," I assured my panicking friend.
"Besides, you have the hand eye coordination of an elite military sniper due to all your gaming," Danny added with a chuckle. "You can also think pretty quickly on your feet. You'll do fine, I promise. If it helps, just imagine this is all one big strategy game in a fantasy world without technology."
"Then… what would be my weapon?" Tucker questioned.
"We got you a crossbow," I answered. "Think you can figure out how to work it?"
Scarlet handed me the crossbow before I gave it to Tucker. Tucker studied the crossbow for a minute. "I think I'll be able to figure it out."
"Good," Scarlet remarked. "Now give it back, I'll hold onto it for now as simple servants are not allowed to carry weapons."
"Before that, though, you need to stop the craft," Juliette quickly interjected. "We are getting uncomfortably close to Aragon's domain."
We all looked up to see a gargantuan purple castle door, with the head of a dragon on top of the door leering down on us. Tucker stopped the Specter Speeder, and it hovered just in front of the castle door.
"From here, we will fly," Juliette said with a smile. "Since you three have cursed items, you simply need to concentrate on the thought of moving in the desired when we are outside this craft. It will appear as if you are floating in your chosen direction like a ghost."
"Sweet, so I'll be able to fly like a ghost." Tucker smiled.
With that said, Tucker pushed a button that opened up the doors of the Specter Speeder.
"Tuck, can you set it up so the Speeder will camouflage itself while we are gone?" Danny inquired. "That way it won't be in any danger while we are gone."
"Sure thing, Danny," Tucker replied before he started pushing some buttons in the Specter Speeder.
The Specter Speeder glowed for a few seconds before it looked like it disappeared, blending in with the surroundings.
"Sweet, now we can go save Sam." Danny smiled before he came out of the Specter Speeder.
Since there was no ground, we had to float after we got out of the Specter Speeder. It was strange to be floating in my human form.
Tucker pressed a button on a remote he was holding before the door of the Specter Speeder closed.
"I know tech won't work in Aragon's domain now, but I'd still prefer to keep the remote for the Speeder on me," Tucker sheepishly chuckled before he tucked the remote of the Speeder into his clothes.
"Okay, let's go," Scarlet said before she put her hand on the door.
The castle door started to slide open, allowing us to fly through it. I looked back to see the door behind us closed after we went through before I turned my attention back ahead. I could see a large castle in the distance, it was surrounded by a forest without leaves. Between the forest and the castle was a large lake of green water. There was a large village near the castle, and right in front of the castle was a market with ghosts walking and floating around. Some of the ghosts were dressed fancily and had an armored ghost walking or floating beside them, making me believe that those ghosts were aristocrats. Though a majority of the ghosts wore clothes similar to the outfits Tucker and I were wearing. There were also a sad number of ghosts wearing just rags and heavy iron collars around their necks. I came to the realization that those ghosts were slaves of some kind as they were walking around carrying piles of bags or pulling filled wooden carts.
I noticed that Juliette was in front of the rest of us, while Scarlet and Danny were behind her, followed up by Tucker and myself. It looks like Juliette and Scarlet decided to put us in the correct order of our rankings. It makes sense, since we're already here. I guess that means it's time to get into our roleplay then.
"Hold," Juliette ordered before she stopped and turned around. "Scarlet, give Andy and Tucker the gifts they are supposed to be carrying."
"Yes, my Princess," Scarlet answered in a very polite tone.
Tucker and I stood still as Scarlet floated over to us, handing Tucker a carved wooden box that is lined with a soft material. Scarlet then gave me a gemstone jewelry box on top of a royal blue pillow. I held onto the pillow, knowing that as a servant, I shouldn't touch the gifts meant for royalty.
"Don't lose them. The gold chalices are in that box you hold," Scarlet said in a commanding voice. "Those are for Prince Aragon. And that jewelry box holds gold and diamond earrings for the bride-to-be."
"Understood," Tucker replied.
"From here on out, when replying to me you will refer to me as 'Ma'am'," Scarlet quickly responded quietly. "And if you have to address Princess Juliette at all, you will call her 'Your Majesty' or 'Princess'."
"Yes, ma'am," I answered. "If I may ask a question, what would we call the knight in training?"
"Squire," Scarlet answered. "And from now on, if you have a question, start like you did and ask if you may ask a question and then wait for Princess Juliette or I to respond."
"Man, this servant thing is going to be tough…" I heard Tucker muttering under his breath.
"This may come across as rude, but it might be best if you simply try not to talk," Juliette recommended. "Most likely anything you have to ask or point out would already have been noticed by Scarlet and I. The first part of the plan shouldn't require any communication from either you or Andy. I shall approach the guards at the gate of the castle, the guards will approach me, Scarlet shall explain my reason for being here. After that, they will most likely ask to check the gifts, and if they do want to, we will allow them. Once they check the gifts and see that we indeed carry gifts that a royal would present to Aragon, they shall either immediately let us through or ask us to wait while they report to their superior. If all goes well, there should be no problems. If there are any problems, Scarlet and I shall handle them as needed."
"You think we'll be okay?" Danny asked in concern.
Juliette gave Danny a warm smile. "Yes, Danny. We shall be fine."
"If any of you have anymore questions, now would be the time to ask. Once we go into the castle, we will all have to act our part," Scarlet warned.
"Once we go into the castle, how would we start looking for Sam?" Tucker asked.
"Scarlet and I will most likely be taken to meet the Prince," Juliette answered. "If she is with him, we will be able to confirm her wellbeing. However, if we do meet the Prince, while meeting him, you three should try your best to walk around the castle. Danny, you should try to talk to the guards in the castle and see what they know, but don't raise any suspicion. Andy and Tucker, you will do similar, but instead you should try to talk to the servants inside the castle, perhaps even find out which servants are attending to the 'Princess'."
"Where should we go to meet up with you later?" Danny questioned.
"If the guards or servants don't show us to our room first, then you can ask where Princess Juliette will be staying in," Scarlet replied. "Once you tell them you are her servants or her knight's squire, they'll lead you to where she'll be staying."
"Just remember to act like servants," Juliette added. "If any of you break from the roles that you are supposed to be playing, you will be found out immediately. If you do get found out, Danny, you should charge a ghost ray and shoot it off in any direction. We will notice the spike in ecto energy and will switch to combat mode and come to find you immediately. If we are with Aragon at the time, we will quickly excuse ourselves and try to find you. At the very minimum, Scarlet will come to help you three if you need the help."
"We'll do our best to make sure it doesn't have to come to that," I promised. "I'll stay with Tucker in case things does go sour. Servants usually stay together when in a castle."
"Sounds like a good idea," Scarlet agreed. "Anymore questions?"
Nobody spoke up. We all looked at each other.
"None that we can think of at the moment," Danny spoke up.
"Then let us proceed," Juliette stated with a smile. "Follow me now, and remember the plan."
All of us nodded before Juliette moved forward, Scarlet followed behind Juliette with Danny besides her. Tucker and I brought up the rear. We soon floated out of the forest we were in, getting onto the road with the other ghosts that were heading towards the castle. However, I noticed that Juliette and Scarlet had stopped floating and were now walking on the ground.
This is it. I hope we don't mess this up. I hope that vision we had of Sam kissing Aragon at the altar doesn't come true for Danny and Sam's sake. Hang on, Sam, we'll save you. I looked up at the castle, before looking back down, trying to look like a genuine servant.
Reviews
Luna Lillyth: DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': You have no idea. XD Things are definitely going to get difficult.
haloguardian452: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Range is definitely something we had in mind for Andy. But the thing with a bow and arrow, you either have to predict where your target is going to be or hope your target stays still while you fire an arrow. With weaponry like guns, when you fire, it gets to the enemy quickly and hits pretty dang hard. That's not to say Andy won't be trying out different weapons. He might try out a bow and arrow at one point.
Raidentensho: DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': The spear is more meant for Scarlet than it is for Andy. As it is, I have no plans on making Andy a spearman. If anything, Andy is more inspired by his future self than he is fearful of him.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': That isn't to say Andy won't try out other weapons in the future. Though most weapons will be tried out off screen unless we have the desire to write it out.
Mana: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': We ended it there because we like cliffhangers~ As for the infiltration plan, I felt it made a lot more sense to be stealthy about slipping in to the event than just being wedding crashers. Yeah, hopefully Andy can stop that future from happening altogether. Sadly putting too much pressure on someone when they're younger, like Sam's parents undoubtedly did with her, will make the person more likely to hate that thing later and want to do the exact opposite of it when they have more free will/independence in their life.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': The future visions also shows different branches of futures instead of one definitive future, as Andy will soon discover later on in the story.
Anime lover 3593: DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': I sometimes go back and re-read My Brother's a Ghost as well as We Are Phantoms since I need to refresh on what was already written. That and sometimes I just want to, especially when I'm re-watching the canon series.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Sadly, due to the size of the stories and how many we work on, I tend to forget some things and make mistakes, which Hamsuke has to go back and fix after the fact… For instance, Paulina's last name. I've sadly made it Rosaline and Rosa when it was canonically Sanchez.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': There were also some embarrassing moments where we repeat what was a milestone in the story, like Andy telling Danny, Tucker, and Sam that he sometimes have visions of the future. But later on, Danny acts like this is news to him when Andy tells him again. I had to edit that chapter when I realized that Andy had already told them this. We try to remember what's already happened, but well, we tend to forget and that may cause a few retcons or plot holes. I'll try to avoid it as much as possible though.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': We will own up to it and I will say that we will continue to make mistakes most likely. Since I've started working with Hamsuke, we've written thousands of pages of dialogue for a bunch of different stories.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': And yes, Dani will be showing up soon, there's only… I think three episodes left until Kindred Spirits. Four if you count Reality Trip as two episodes. Though it may also still be a long way as the episodes we write tend to get a little long, not to mention some plot elements we plan to add in-between the episodes.