A/N: Thank you all for your great reviews. And I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday. Hopefully this year will be a great year for everyone. Now, on with the story!
Chapter 15
"Move that table over there!" Uberta shouted at one group servants before turning to another. "Get those decorations up at once! We have a Baby Shower to prepare for! And everything must be PERFECT!"
It was nearly noon in the month of September. The day had finally come for Odette's Baby Shower had finally come and everyone couldn't be more excited, especially Uberta. The Queen had been waiting to prepare for this party ever since the idea had first came up. She had been planning this event for the past four months. She had planned every detail that would go into this party. And she was determined to make sure that everything would be perfect. Even if a horde of Goblins attacked at that moment, she would fight every last one of them to keep her decorations safe.
"Chamberlain!" Uberta shouted. Not a moment late, the little man was right next to her, nearly panting.
"Yes your Majesty?" he asked. Uberta narrowed her eyes down at him.
"Where are the tables that are suppose to go on the west side of the garden?" she said sternly. Chamberlain swallowed as he looked up at the Queen nervously.
"Th-they are bringing them as we s-speak your Highness," he stuttered. Uberta just rolled her eyes before looking back down at him.
"Well go and bring them here faster!" she nearly shouted. "I want this Bay Shower to be perfect for Odette." Chamberlain bowed before quickly running off to complete the task. Just as he ran off, Jacob and Rothbart were approaching Uberta just as chamberlain ran right past them.
"He sure runs fast for a little guy," Jacob said. Rothbart nodded in agreement.
"No kidding," Rothbart replied. They all turned to face Uberta, who had her back facing them as she once again turned her attention on the decorations and the order of the chairs and Tables. Jacob saw just how busy Uberta looked and couldn't help but tick her off just a little bit.
"You seem like you're in a good mood," he teased. Uberta looked back at him and gave an unamused look.
"Oh ha ha," she said sarcastically. "What do you two want?"
"Oooh such hostility," Jacob said as he raised his hands up in defense, but with a mock smile on his face. Uberta narrowed her eyes at him as if she was ready to tear his head off. Rothbart chuckled before turning to Jacob.
"Now Jacob" he said in a mock scolding voice, "you know better than to tease Uberta when she is in her party planning mood." Uberta just rolled her eyes at them before turning back around.
"I ask again, what do you two want?"
"We're just here to see what you've done with the place," Jacob said. Uberta looked back at them with a raised eyebrow.
"And I have to say," Rothbart added, "You have really out done yourself with this." Uberta smiled before turning back around to look at her masterwork. It the beginning of autumn and the leaves we starting to change. Uberta choose this specific time because she wanted the Decorations to go with the changing leaves to add to the beauty. And what beauty it had. Uberta's smile widened even further as she looked at how beautiful everything looked.
"Yeah," she said. "It does look nice doesn't it?"
"I'll say," said another voice. Everyone turned towards the sound of the voice to see Derek making his way towards them, admiring his surroundings as he did so. "You really made the place look amazing."
"Oh thank you dear," Uberta said. "Where's Odette?" Derek made a 360 turn to look around before he looked at his mother.
"She's in her room getting ready for when the guests arrive," he said.
"How is she doing by the way?" Rothbart asked.
"She's doing fine. The morning sickness finally starting to improve. But she still has some of those weird food cravings." Derek gave a little shudder at the last part. Jacob chuckled at the princes' reaction but said nothing about it.
"That's good to hear," he said. "I could hear the poor dear almost across the castle some mornings. At least she's getting better."
"What about you?" Rothbart asked Derek with a sly grin. "How are you doing with all this?" Derek just smiled and gave a little shrug.
"I'm doing well as can be expected. Odette still has her mood swings every now and again. But I've learn to just deal with it."
"In other words," Uberta said, "You're just being the well behaved husband so she doesn't yell at you all the time."
"Pretty much," Derek confirmed. Everyone let out a small laugh before Uberta looked back at her son.
"Your father was the same way after his little choice of words while I was pregnant with you." Derek let out a slight chuckled.
"Yeah I heard about that," he said as he eyed Jacob and Rothbart. "They said he called you big one time." Uberta laughed at the memory of her late husband's mistake.
"Yes he did," she confirmed. "But he meant it as a way of saying that you were going to be a big baby. He just didn't say the proper words."
"And you almost killed him for it," Jacob commented with humor in his voice. Uberta gave him a look of warning.
"I admit that I might have overreacted with him."
"Overreacted?!" Rothbart asked. "You chased him around the castle with a sword for hours on end." Uberta shrugged.
"I said might have." Jacob and Rothbart only responded with a laugh while Derek looked at all of them with a smile. He really enjoyed watching his mother and her childhood friends act like children every now and then. It gave him a warm feeling in his heart when he saw everyone getting along. It also made him think about how the acted when they actually were children. He just wished Odette was down here to enjoy it with him.
Just as her husband was thinking about her, Odette sat by her mirror fixing her hair. She was planning on wearing it in a braid this time, since she hadn't worn it like that for a long time. She was also wearing a pink dress as well with a red collar. But she had to get the dress redone a little bit, especially in the midsection. Since it has been four months since she found out she was pregnant, she was now finally starting to show. Odette was so excited to see this during her monthly exams. She would even place both arms around herself and look lovingly at her stomach. After she had finished braiding her hair, she did exactly that. She was so excited about being a mother that not even Sargon came to mind.
"Soon I'll get to hold you in my arms for real," she whispered to herself.
"Talking to yourself again?" came a voice from behind. Odette looked turned her head towards the door to see Joshua leaning on the door-frame of her bedroom. Odette smirked at him before turning back to the mirror to apply her makeup.
"I was just talking to my baby if you don't mind," she retorted. Joshua rolled his eyes before pushing off the door-frame and entering the room.
"You do know that the baby still isn't far along enough to be able to hear you yet right?" It was Odette's turn to roll her eyes.
"Oh what do you know?"
"Evidently more than you right now." Odette playfully narrowed her eyes at him before returning to applying her makeup. Over the past two month, Odette and Joshua had become good friends. It all started when Odette was walking in the halls one day when she turned a corner and ran right into Joshua. At first, Joshua freaked out because he feared he had hit Odette in the stomach. After Odette convinced him she was fine, she looked at him at asked if he was Uberta's captain of the guard back at Chamburg. Joshua confirmed her thoughts and Odette smiled. She then asked if he would walk with her. At first, Joshua was hesitant to because he really didn't know if he should. But then Odette asked him again and he reluctantly agreed before asking why.
"Because you've been here for the past two months and I haven't had the chance to know you properly yet," she answered. Joshua was surprised by this answer as he continued to walk with the princess. They talked for a while, well mainly Odette talking and Joshua listening, before he was called by Jacobs General Phillip for military matters. Joshua bid Odette a farewell before leaving to receive orders. Odette watched as he left and was happy to have a new friend. But she wanted him to talk more so she could get to know him better. So she asked Jacob if she could have Joshua be her personal bodyguard while her husband trains with the army. Jacob was happy to let Joshua be her bodyguard, mainly because it made him feel better about leaving her alone in the castle while he, Rothbart, Phillip, Derek and the rest of the army is training.
So Joshua was given the assignment of being Odette's bodyguard, though in the beginning he wasn't too keen on it, but orders were orders and he had to follow them. It took some time for her, but after about a week or so, Odette was finally able to get Joshua to open up to her. She found out that he was actually one year older than Derek and that he join the army at a young age to help support his mother, who was gravelly ill. But when Joshua turned eighteen years old, his mother finally died and he had no one else. Odette understood where Joshua was coming from because when she was eighteen, he father died as well. Odette then asked is he had a father somewhere. He said that his father was alive, but Joshua had no idea where he was. And frankly, he really didn't care. His father was never there for him or his mother so he was pretty much dead to Joshua anyway. Odette thought that was a little harsh, but then realized that anyone who abandons a child doesn't deserve to be a parent. So she promised herself that she would never do that to her child in any way, shape or form.
Over the next few weeks, Odette and Joshua had become very good friends. She even introduced him to her animal friends. At first Joshua was a little freaked out by talking animals, but soon came to terms with it. He had actually grown fond of Puffin, Whizzer and Speed. Jean-Bob, on the other hand, gave him the impression that the little frog had read too many story books, but said nothing out of respect for Odette. And as the weeks went on, Joshua was more comfortable about speaking to Odette as a friend rather than a royal. They would tease each other and play games with one another. Odette even played a game of cards with him, thinking she was going to win. However, for the first time ever, she lost. Joshua took pride in being the first person ever to win in a game of cards with Odette and would often tease her about it quite often. Soon their relationship grew to the point where they saw each other as brother and sister, which please Odette very much because she never had a sibling before. Well, at least not one that didn't want to to kill her and take her child for immortality.
Joshua felt the same way. He had grown up alone and had to take care of his sick mother for most of his life. He'd been nothing more than a soldier for most of his life, now he felt like something more now. And Odette had given that to him. He now had a sister to look after, and he was going to do whatever it took to keep her safe. And the child within her.
"So have you seen what Uberta has done to the place?" Joshua asked as. Odette giggled as she powdered her cheeks.
"No," she answered. "But I'm really looking forward to seeing it. I know Uberta is going to go all out on this Baby Shower, since she's going to be a grandmother." Joshua chuckled.
"I use to hear stories about the Balls the Queen use to through for even the slightest occasions. I'm sure this is going to be an event that will be remember for centuries to come. Until the baby is born that is. Then I'm not sure the earth could handle that celebration." Odette laughed at that remark.
"Sargon will have to find a new world to conquer if that happens." Joshua laughed as well.
"If he even survives it, that is." They both shared a laugh for a few moments longer. Once They had calmed down a little, Odette spoke.
"So how many of Uberta's Balls have you attended?" Joshua raised an eyebrow at her.
"As a guest?" he asked. "None. As a guard? One or two. Maybe even three."
"What was the first one you've been to?" Joshua looked away for a moment as he thought about the question.
"If I remember correctly," he said, "the first ball I attended was when Uberta was trying to find a princess for Derek to marry." Odette rolled her eyes at the memory of that ball.
"I remember that," she said. Joshua nodded.
"Yeah. Then you, or Bridget who looked like you, showed up right before Rothbart crashed the Ball and confronted Derek. I honestly thought that someone was going to die that night."
"Well technically someone did," Odette said, now currently putting on eyeliner. Joshua chuckled a bit.
"Yeah I heard about that story. I just wish I was there to see the battle between Rothbart and Derek. To see how Rothbart is in action." Joshua sounded as if he was a little boy admiring his role model. This time, Odette looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.
"What about Derek?" she asked. "He's an amazing warrior too." Joshua shrugged.
"I know, but I see him train every day. And don't get me wrong, he's a very formidable fighter. But I've never seen Rothbart, who severed under the Dark Lord for years, in action. I'm sure he is a man that could match against any foe. But he barely trains with the rest of the Swan Army." Odette quickly looked at Joshua when he said that last statement.
"Swan Army?" she asked curiously. Joshua looked at her for a moment before letting out a slight laugh.
"Oh that's right," he said. "You don't know about that."
"Evidently not," Odette replied.
"Well," Joshua started, "You have made quite the impression on the people of you kingdom. The people hold such love for you that the men have decided to name themselves the Swan Army. They have so many things that represent the swan in many ways. They have shields and Banners with the swan one them. Many uniforms have been made to hold the swan insignia. They have even decided to form Swan Knights."
"Swan Knights?"
"Yup. The sixty of the best men in the entire army have been selected to become a regiment of Swan knights. Now there are a total of thirty three regiments in the army."
"And what about you?" Odette asked. "Are you a member of the Swan Knights?" Joshua turned his head away from Odette, but he had a slight smirk on his face.
"Maybe," was all he said. Odette, getting the meaning behind what he said, jumped out of her chair and embraced him in a tight hug while letting out an unladylike like squeal.
"Oh I'm so happy for you!" she shouted with glee. Joshua embraced her back, but was careful of Odette's belly.
"Thanks," he said before pulling back a bit. "It was actually Derek's idea to make me a Swan knight. In fact I'm in charge of them."
"That's great!" Odette shouted once more. Then they both trumpets from outside out in the distance. They both looked towards the window as the trumpets continued to sound the arrival of the nobles and royals approaching. Joshua then looked down at Odette.
"You better finish getting ready," he said. "Your guests are arriving and I'm sure they'll want to see the guests of honor." Joshua placed a hand on Odette's stomach. Odette smiled before turning back to seat in her seat to finish applying her makeup.
"I'm actually surprised that some people are actually showing up after what happened at my last party," she said. "Surely word has spread about how I'm the sister to the Dark Lord." Odette could see Joshua shrug his shoulder as he crossed his arms.
"I don't know," he said. "From what I've heard, Queens and Princesses will go to any Party if it involves a cute little baby. And most of the time they'll drag their husbands along for the ride, sometimes against their will if they have to." Odette giggled at that.
"Yeah, I'm sure I would do the same to Derek." Joshua let out a chuckle.
"I'd love to see that." He then turned around and made his way towards the door. "Well I'll see you at the shower."
"Okay, bye." With that, Joshua left the room to let Odette finish getting ready for the Baby Shower.
A lot more people than expected had attended the Baby Shower. At least a hundred guests had arrived. Though most of them were women, many men did show up, mainly due to their spouses' requests. The baby shower was taking place in the gardens behind the castle, and so far, everyone was having a grand time. Many would complement Uberta on what a wonderful job she had done. The music was beautiful as always, courtesy of Lord Rogers himself. The food that was present was absolutely exquisite, consisting of all sorts of delicious gourmet dishes, much to Jacob's delight. Of to the far side of the room, there was a large table with all kinds of shapes and sizes of gifts for the expecting child.
Everyone was having a grand time, especially Odette. Almost every young princess had approached her and asked about her pregnancy and how she was doing. And since she was showing, they were very excited and were already cooing to her stomach. Odette was enjoying the fact that everyone was happy for her. She was nervous at first because she wasn't sure about how she was going to feel about all the attention, but after a while she grew to enjoy it, just a bit.
Everyone was having a good time, except a certain little green frog. Jean-Bob wanted to approach the first princess he saw, but Puffin, Whizzer and Speed were doing everything they could to keep him from doing so. They knew Jean-Bob would try to pull something and didn't want him ruining the Baby Shower. They were currently holding Jean-Bob down under one of the many tables and hidden behind the tables out of sight, mainly Speed sitting on top of the little frog.
"Unhand me this instant!" Jean-Bob shouted. "This is my chance to finally become a prince!"
"Yes, yes we know," Puffin said as he rolled his eyes. "But we're not letting you ruin this party. This is for Odette and the expecting little one. This is not about you."
"But this is my chance to finally prove to you that I am a prince!"
"We get it Jean-Bob," Whizzer said. "But I'm afraid it's not gonna happen."
Jean-Bob was struggling so much that Speed was actually having a tough time keeping him down. Then, suddenly, Jean-Bob was finally able to slip from under Speed. He tried to make a break for it but Puffin and Whizzer tackled him to the ground. Unfortunately, the momentum pushed all three of them out from under the tablecloth and out in the open. But they were too busy struggling against each other to notice. that is, until a they heard a high-pitch squeal.
"Oooooh!" a female voice said. "Aren't they just the cutest things?!" Puffin, Whizzer and Jean-Bob stopped struggling and looked up to see five young noblewomen, probably no younger than sixteen, looking down at them. Jean-Bob, taking the opportunity to get away, slipped out of Puffin's and Whizzer's grip and approached the noblewomen.
"Hello there ladies," Jean-bob said, trying to put on his charm. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Jea-"
"Aren't they adorable?!" Another noblewomen squealed. They all ran towards the Jean-Bob. Said frog looked excited as he closed his eyes and waited to be smothered in kisses. Only they never came. He suddenly heard giggling from behind and turned around to see the women completely adoring Puffin and Whizzer. They were cooing, petting and kissing the birds, much to their enjoyment. Jean-Bob, on the other hand, look on with his mouth agape. He couldn't believe that he was being ignored like this. Speed, who just appeared from under the tablecloth, didn't know what was going until one of the ladies noticed him as well.
"Oh goodness!" she screamed. "A cute little turtle!" The ladies suddenly grabbed Speed and pulled him with Puffin and Whizzer. Speed was caught by surprised at first, but soon began to enjoy the attention just like his two bird friends. Jean-Bob was completely in shock at this point. He was being ignored completely and his friends were getting all the attention. This was not going according to plan at all.
Elsewhere at the party, Odette was walking around to just enjoy the scenery. She looked at the decorations that Uberta had put up. She loved how the colors match the Autumn changing leaves. It was a scene that could make even the saddest face smile. She was about to take another look around when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to find Joshua standing behind her, only now he was wearing the new Swan Knight Armor. The armor was complete stainless steel that covered most of his body and glowed in the sunlight. The chest plate had a design of a pair of wings of a swan. The cape was light blue and had a white Swan taking flight on the back, the new insignia for the Swan Army.
Odette couldn't believe her eyes as she looked Joshua up and down and covered her mouth in astonishment. Joshua, seeing as Odette was speachless, spoke first.
"What do you think?" he said. Odette was still silent for another moment before she almost let out a girlish squealed as she spoke.
"You look incredible!" She then wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, which he returned before they both pulled back.
"Is this the new Swan Knight armor?" Odette asked. Joshua nodded.
"Yes it is," he said with pride. "You should also see the helmets that they made. Both side of the helmet of wings that stretch up and act as face guards. Pretty much everything about this armor is suppose to represent the swan." Odette smiled at this. He people must really love her that much if they were to go through all this trouble for her. She was also very grateful to have such wonderful citizens. She would have to think of something to repay them all.
"Well," Joshua said, "I wish I could stick around, but I have to be going." Odette's smile fell.
"You're leaving?" she said. Joshua nodded.
"Yeah. I've been assigned to patrol around the castle grounds. But I should be close by in case you need me." Despite wishing her new brother would stay, Odette smiled nonetheless.
"Be careful okay?" she said. Joshua let out a small chuckled.
"I've survived this long haven't I?" he said. "But don't worry. I'll be fine. I'm sure nothing is going to happen. With that, Joshua turned to leave, leaving Odette alone to her Baby Shower.
Just outside the Baby Shower, Derek and Bromley were walking around the grounds, making sure that everything was perfect when they soon came across a group of eight of the Swan guards, one of many, which had been assigned to patrol just outside the gardens. As they approached, the Swan guards saluted once they took notice.
"What's the situation?" Derek asked. Then man in charge of the group stepped forwards.
"All is quiet Sire," he said. "There hasn't been any activity at this current moment." Derek nodded.
"Keep an eye out," he ordered. "I don't want what happened at Odette's Birthday to happen again." The guards saluted and continued on their patrol around the castle grounds. Derek watched as they left when Bromley spoke up.
"You don't really think anything will happen do you?" Bromely asked nervously. Derek stared out for a moment before letting out a big sigh.
"I honestly don't know Brom," he confessed. "But we have to be ready just in case. And we need to be ready to fight to death if need be."
"Ooohohoho," Bromley groaned. Derek, hearing his best friend do his signature sob, let out another sigh before turning to Bromley and gave him a comforting smile.
"But don't worry," he said. "I'm sure everything will be perfectly fine." Bromley smiled nervously once again, unsure if Derek was only trying to comfort him or not. But he tried to put on a brave face for Derek before they headed back to the party. Derek, however, wasn't sure if he was sure himself. After all, he couldn't put it pass Sargon to crash another party. But he shook his head of the though. As he said when the idea of a baby shower came up, it was too risky for Sargon to attack, for Odette could be caught in the crossfire. If Sargon wanted their child alive, he wouldn't dare try to pull something like that. So he smiled confidently as he made his way back to the party to be with his wife.
Little did he know that just outside of the castle in the tree line, just out of sight, but able to see the party taking place, a group of eighty greyish-green, scrawny creatures lay in waiting. They resembled the Goblins a bit, but were smaller and didn't wear much armor. They mainly wore a single loincloth and leather around their chests, and only carried small blades at their sides. Their eyes were Similar to the Goblins, but were paler. Their heads were also a bit wider and their ears were much longer. They in front of them, five Goblins stood ready looking towards the castle. The Goblin ahead of the rest with a scar on his left eye, obviously the leader, turned around to look back at his comrades.
"Gor tal shen'ra Gremlins bor keeshor."
(Be sure that the Gremlins are ready.) The four other Goblins nodded their heads.
"Ma zorgtal'ra gesha jazo bor keeshor ol'ra Uushu."
(And make sure the other packs are ready on the signal.)
With that, two of the Goblins left to complete the task given to them. The Goblin Leader looked at the remaining two Goblins that awaited further orders.
"Gortu shal zorgtal shen Kashuug gelz Vobuu'shi nag'ra Dorguusha."
(We must make sure that everything goes perfectly for the Master.)
Odette was walking around the party, occasionally mingling with the guests from time to time. But she mainly just walked around to see the joy on everyone's faces. Seeing this brought warmth to her heart, making it all seemed like there was nothing wrong with the world. She continued to walk around until she caught sight of a young noblewomen, holding onto a newborn baby. Odette saw how the mother looked as she held her baby close to her. Odette couldn't help but smile as her thoughts began to drift away towards the future, of her being a mother. She hoped that she would be a good mother to her child, to raise it right and to be a good ruler. But mostly, she thought about playing with her new baby. To see it crawl around the castle before it began learning how to walk on its own. To watch it grow up and live its own life. She was very much looking forward to having the baby around.
Her thoughts were broken when she caught sight of something out if the corner of her eye. She noticed a slight flash of golden blonde hair before it disappeared behind the crowd. Curiosity getting the better of her, Odette decided to follow it. She wondered through the crowd trying to catch a glimpse of what she saw. She didn't know why she wanted to find out who it was, but she just chalked it up to curiosity. After all, this was the Baby Shower and she would like to know who has attended. She caught sight of it again, but this time it vanished behind a hedge in the garden, leading to a small hedge maze that they had just placed in the garden. Odette tried to rush to catch up with whoever it was, but when she turned the corner it was gone. Odette looked behind her to see if the person had somehow went back to the party but didn't see any sign of them.
She looked back towards the maze and, at the last moment, saw an orange bottom of a cloak turning a corner at the far end of the row. Odette quickly made her way to catch up, but once again, turned the corner and saw nothing. She continued to wonder through the maze, hoping not to get lost, and to find out who this person was, and why they were running away from her. As Odette wondered the maze, she would see a glimpse of the Blonde hair or orange cloak turning the next corner. Sometimes when she turned a corner, she would see the person turning another, but this time from behind her. She felt like whoever this was was playing games with her, and she was not appreciating it. She chased the person until she was out of the maze, only to bump into her husband.
"Whoa Odette," Derek said. "Where's the fire?" Odette, not really focusing on her husband, shook her head and looked at him.
"What?" she asked. Derek raised an eyebrow.
"Where's the fire?" he repeated. "You seem like your in a rush or something." Odette tried to look at him, but averted her eyes to look behind him at the crowd. Derek seemed to notice the eye movement and turned his head to look behind.
"Who are you looking for?" he asked. Odette didn't answer right away. She just kept looking out at the crowd, searching for any sign of golden blonde.
"I don't know really," she said honestly. She honestly didn't know who she was looking for, or why she wanted to know so badly. But for some reason, that blonde hair seemed so familiar to her, but she couldn't remember where. Derek didn't seem to pay it much mind as he looked back at Odette.
"Well, until you figure out who you're looking for, Some of the guests have been meaning to ask you a few questions..." Derek's voice began to fade as Odette didn't pay him any attention. She just continued to scan the crowd for any sign of the person she had been trying to track down. She continued to look for what seemed like forever, then she finally saw it. A tiny flash of golden blonde. Odette had to act quickly or she'll lose it again.
"Yes, that sounds nice Derek," she said quickly. "Would you excuse me for a moment?" she didn't wait for an answer as she quickly rushed towards the crowd where she saw that glimpse of the mystery person. Derek, however, looked at Odette surprised. She had actually blown him off. She had never done that before. He honestly didn't know whether to be offended or worried. One thing was for sure, he was going to find out what was going on as he followed his distracted wife.
Odette walked through the crowd, many tried to greet the princess but she didn't pay them any mind. She continued her search until she was right in the middle of the crowd. She scanned her surrounds, looking all around for this mystery person. Then finally, as she turned around one final time, she saw him, standing there with his back turned to her. Odette smiled as she had finally caught up with this man. His hair reached down a little past his shoulder-blades. His outfit, however, was strange. It was an orange sleeved cloak, but not like a sunset orange, more like a fire orange, like something was burning. Odette approached the man and was about to greet him, when she stopped and frowned. Something didn't feel right for some strange reason. Like something was wrong, terribly wrong. Something inside of her that this man was not good, to just turn around and walk away. but she could only stand there and watch. She continued to stare at for a moment longer, until he began to slowly turn around.
Odette's heart began to race as a feeling of uneasiness fell upon her. She wanted to move but her body wasn't listening as she continued to watch the man in front of her turning to face her. But as soon he did, the first thing that Odette notice were his eyes, as she saw those eyes, those horrible eye. It was then that her own eyes widen as she realized exactly who it was.
"Sargon," she whispered.
The Dark Lord then smiled at her. The smile of his face was as wicked as ever, one that brought fear into Odette's heart. The air suddenly felt tight and heavy, which caused Odette to loose her breath. Her heart race a million miles an hour as her mind went blank. Sargon then began to slowly walk closer to her. Odette didn't know what to do. Her body didn't move as her mind went back to the night she first met the Dark Lord. How he froze her body and made his way towards her, reaching his hand out to her, to take her soul. Sargon continued to walk towards Odette, and as he did so, the area around them began to catch on fire. Soon, all around the two of them was nothing but fire. The next thing Odette could hear was the evil laugh of the Dark Lord. At that moment, Odette did the only thing that her body would let her do.
She screamed.
The scream was so sudden that those who were right next to her jumped out of their skins. Her voice carried out all across the Party as everyone turned to look at the screaming princess. They saw Odette pointing at the far side of the garden as she screamed. They looked to where she was pointing but saw nothing. They looked back at the princes, who was still screaming, and didn't know what to do. Some thought that she had suddenly lost her mind and began to back away from her.
When Derek, who was close by, first heard Odette's screams, he feared the worst and ran through the crowd towards his beloved wife. When he arrived, he saw Odette screaming and pointing. As he ran closer to her, Odette took a step back and tripped. Fortunately, Derek was quick enough to catch her before she hit the ground. He held her close to him to try to get her to stop screaming, but she wouldn't. She just kept screaming. Derek didn't know what to do at that moment.
He heard feet running behind and turned to see Jacob, Rothbart, Uberta, Joshua, Philip and Rogers all running towards them. Once there, they imminently surrounded Odette and Derek.
"What happened?!" Rothbart asked with great concern.
"I don't know," Derek said. "She just started screaming." Rothbart looked at Odette closely and saw the complete and utter fear in her eyes. He grabbed her face to make her look at him.
"Odette," he said. "Odette it's me. What happened?" Rothbart's touch seemed to have stopped Odette from screaming, but the look of fear was still there. It was a look he was all too familiar with. Knowing what to do, Rothbart lifted his hand and placed it over Odette's eyes. He then casted a spell to help calm her mind. After a few moments of casting the spell, the fear in Odette's eyes began to dissipate. Once done, Rothbart then removed his hand from Odette's face. Finally cleared of those horrid images, Odette looked up at the clearing image of Rothbart's face.
"Rothbart?" Odette whispered tiredly. Rothbart released a breath of relief before he looked up at Derek.
"Get her inside," he said. "She's going to need get some rest." Derek nodded and proceeded to get his wife off the ground.
The Goblin commander had heard the sound of Odette screaming and went to ready the Goblins and Gremlins for battle. He turned to the Goblins behind him.
"Shu'ra geesho bo agnar. Vuu'ra ika bo umbata!"
(Now is the time to strike. Sound the call to battle!) One of the Goblins withdrew a large horn and blew into it, sounding the call to attack.
Before Derek could get Odette completely off the ground, a loud horn sounded in the distance. Everyone looked up towards the treeline on the other side of an open meadow where the sound was coming from. There, they saw hundreds of scrawny monsters pouring out of the treeline towards them. Many of the guest began to panic and ran back to the safety of the castle. Derek, seeing the creatures coming towards them, looked over at Rothbart.
"What are those things?!" he said. Rothbart narrowed his eyes.
"Gremlins," he said before looking up at Joshua and Philip. "Assemble the soldiers for battle! We have to keep them away from the people!"
"Yes sir!" they both said simultaneously before running to gather as many men as possible. Rothbart then looked to Uberta.
"Uberta, I need you to take Odette inside where it's safe." He then turned to the young prince. "Derek, you will stay with Jacob and I. We'll need you or this battle." Derek was not fond of this idea.
"I can't leave Odette," he protested.
"You don't have a choice," Rothbart shot back. "It'll be too late for the rest of the army to get here and we need every man fighting." Derek didn't like this plan in the slightest. But Rothbart was right, it would be far too late for the army to get there and he had to be there to help lead the troops. Reluctantly, he nodded and handed Odette to his mother before following Rothbart and Jacob, taking a reluctant Bromley with them. However, Jacob stopped and notice that Rogers wasn't with them. He turned around to see Rogers following Uberta into the castle.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Jacob shouted. Rogers turned around to look at the King with worry.
"I told you before," Rogers said, "I'm an artist, not a soldier." Jacob narrowed his eyes at the old Lord.
"You were willing to fight back when the Goblins first attacked," Jacob replied.
"That was different. There was no choice in the matter then."
"And there's no choice now. You heard Rothbart. We need every man we can get. You're a lord of Swan Lake. Help lead your men to victory!" With that, Jacob turned around and continued towards the battlefield. Rogers stayed where he was for a moment before a look of determination formed on his face and he ran where the others were.
While all that had transpired, Philip and Joshua had began to form up for the charging Gremlins. Fortunately, many guards had come to investigate the screaming, so it didn't take that long to assemble them. Philip ordered them to the west part of the garden where the Gremlins were attacking from. The soldiers did as were ordered and formed a battle-line. The line was forty-four men long and five men deep, forming a strong battle-line. Those that had spears and shields stood at the front and formed a phalanx. Only seven spots needed to be filled in at the front, those positions were taken by Derek, Bromley, Rothbart, Jacob, Joshua, Philip and Rogers, in that order. Each one was given an extra sword that had been laying about. Now that the men were in formation, they waited for the enemy to engage.
"Hold the line men!" Jacob shouted. "Don't let these beasts a foot past our line!"
"Aye Sir!" the men shouted back.
The Gremlins were running on all fours as they charged the battle-line in front of them. Their cries were in a screeches meant to intimidate their enemies and to deafen them to make them vulnerable. Fortunately the sound for their feet helped dampen the sound. They were closing in on the unit in front of them, ready to kill every last one of them. The Gremlins snarled and screeched as they drew closer, wanting to taste their blood. They drew closer and closer.
Finally they cashed. Many Gremlins pounce on top of the men, most impaling themselves on the phalanx. The Gremlins pushed against the line, hoping to break it. But the line was too strong as the men began to push back. The Gremlins soon began to withdraw their daggers to get better kills. But the spears were too long for them to get close and many would get struck down before they could.
The battle raged on all along the line. Derek had just stuck down a Gremlin before another pounced on top of him, knocking him to the ground. However, before the Gremlin could do anything else, a sword pierced him through the chest and a boot kicked him off the prince. Derek then felt a pair of hand quickly pick him off the ground to continue fighting. Derek looked behind him to see the soldier that had assisted him give him a nod. Derek smiled at him and nodded as well before he turned around to continue the battle.
Bromley was doing surprisingly well. He had already taken down seven Gremlins and was feeling pretty confident about it. However, that confidence would not last long. The Gremlins had gathered for one final push against the battle line and actually managed to break it. The Gremlins began to stream through the lines and thus turned the battle into a huge brawl. Now everyone was fighting against the Gremlins. Bromley was getting nervous as five Gremlins surrounded him, he stood ready for them to attack when two random soldier appear and stuck down two of them and stood next to Bromley.
"You okay sir?" one of them asked.
"Y-y-yes," Bromley answered with a stutter. "Thank you."
"Don't thank us yet sir," the other soldier said. "This battle isn't over yet." Then three Gremlins in front of them attacked and the three of them fought side by side one another.
Derek was holding his own against the Gremlins. After all the months of training he did, his skills had improved tremendously. Four Gremlins tried to swam him, but he managed to get out of the way by parrying away a downward strike and and swinging his sword at two others, striking them down simultaneously, before kicking away another, finishing it off with a thrust to the chest before finally finishing off the fourth one with a downward strike of his own. Then another Gremlin jumped on Derek's back and tried to bite at him. But Derek took the Gremlin by it head and threw it off at two other Gremlins that were coming right for him. Derek smiled as more Gremlins came for him. He readied himself for their attack when a soldier came from the side and shield-bashed the Gremlins, knocking them all to the to the ground. Derek looked at the soldier and noticed that it was the same soldier that helped him back on his feet. Derek smiled and nodded at him once more. The soldier did the same before turning to face another Gremlin.
Rothbart and Jacob were fighting back to back, slaying any Gremlin that came close to them. Believe it or not, they were secretly having a competition to see who could kill the most before the end of the battle. They would even try to steal the other's kill every now and then. However they had to make sure that Lord rogers was alright. He may be a Lord, but he was no fighter. Sure he was able to kill a Gremlin or two, but many times he would be surrounded and it was up to Rothbart or Jacob to save him. They both made a mental note to train him when this was over. Whether he liked it or not.
Joshua and Philip were doing alright as well. They were mainly at the front where most of the Gremlins were. They thought it best to try to reform the line and get back in formation. However, there were too many Gremlins for that to be accomplished so easily. They and four other soldiers, all of which were Swan Knights, formed their own line to combat the Gremlin hordes. However, a group of them did the same tactic and pushes against them to break their line. Thus Joshua and Philip were separated. Joshua was knocked to the ground, but used the momentum to roll back on his feet before he could be swarmed. Unfortunately, he lost his sword. So Joshua was force to fight unarmed, which he was an expert at. A Gremlin came from his left, attempting to thrust at his chest. He grabbed the Gremlin's hand, bent it backwards before taking the dagger and pierced it in the chest. Another Gremlin was coming from the right, so Joshua took the dagger he had and threw it at the Gremlin, striking it down. Joshua smiled that it worked out so well as he failed to notice a Gremlin sneaking up from behind him. Joshua turned around to see the Gremlin already beginning to strike. But the attack never came as a sword struck the Gremlin down from behind. Joshua looked at the Gremlin on the ground before looking up to see Philip, who had a sword in both hands, one of which belonged to him. Philip stepped closer to Joshua and handed him his sword.
"Keep your weapon close by at all times," Philip said. "And don't get too cocky until the battle is over." Joshua took his sword and bowed his head.
"Yes Master." Philip smiled and patted him on the shoulder before turning around and striking down another Gremlin.
The battle raged on and it seemed that the Swan Army was winning. The were beginning to push the Gremlins back and the army began to advance. Soon they were driving the Gremlins back. Victory seemed certain until the Gremlins rallied and made for one final push. But this time the line had reformed and was too strong and the Gremlins were too few to break it. Derek and Bromley had managed to find one another and fought side by side.
"Not bad for our first field battle huh?" Derek asked as he struck down a Gremlin with and overhand slash.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this," Bromley replied as he thrust his sword into a Gremlin's chest. Derek let out a chuckle as they continued to fight. As the battle continued, more and more Gremlins began to fall. Soon the Gremlins had no choice but to retreat.
"They're falling back!" Jacob shouted out. Then men began to cheer as they saw the Gremlins running back to the treeline. Seeing this, Joshua looked over at Philip.
"Should we give chase?" Joshua asked. Philip shook his head.
"No," he answered. "If we chase them into the forest, they might have an advantage and form a counter attack. Best to stay here and take in our victory."
"Yes Master."
As the Gremlins retreated back into the forest, the Goblin commander watched on as another Goblin approached from behind.
"Gremlins buu nagarsha, Kashal."
(The Gremlins were defeated, Commander.) The Goblin commander smiled at the news.
"Dal. Dorguusha ag gor hensh bo geli nab. Ja ag zorg'ra ishab onutul kot olb notar."
(Good. The Master will be pleased to hear this. It will make the coming war much more interesting."
Half an hour after the battle, the army began to search the battlefield for any wounded. Jacob and Rothbart and the others gathered together and look across the battlefield.
"Today was a good victory," Jacob said. The others nodded in agreement. Rothbart then looked over at Rogers.
"How many casualties did we suffer," Rothbart asked.
"We've only suffered nine deaths and twenty-two wounded," Rogers said. "While those creatures suffered nearly five hundred."
"We've really beaten them haven't we?" Bromley said with pride.
"I wouldn't get to cocky about it," Rothbart said. "Those were only Gremlins."
"What exactly are Gremlins?" Derek asked. Rothbart looked over at the young prince.
"Gremlins are more like hunters rather than fighters. They really have no skill in fighting and use their numbers to overwhelm their prey."
"So why send them rather than send regular Goblins?" Joshua asked.
"Because sending an army of Goblins would be too risky." Jacob answered. "With these Gremlins, Sargon can test our strength while also making sure that Odette doesn't get harmed in the crossfire."
"Speaking of Odette," Derek said. "I better make sure she is alright." Derek then turned and began to make his way towards the castle. But he stopped and turned to look at Joshua.
"You coming?" he asked. "You are her 'brother' after all." Derek made sure to emphasize the word 'brother' to show that he was just teasing the older captain. Joshua smirked at the you prince before nodded.
"Sure," he answered, "I'll tag along."
"I better come along as well," Rothbart added. "I need to make sure that nothing else is wrong with her.
"We'll stay here and clean thing up," Jacob said. Rothbart nodded and left with Derek and Joshua towards the castle, leaving Jacob, Philip, Rogers and Bromley there to help clean up the Gremlin bodies scattered across the meadow. As they set out to do so, Jacob just hoped that Odette is just fine.
A/N: I really hope you guys liked this really long chapter, I worked really hard on it. I also hope you guys liked the language for the Goblins. I spent months trying to figure out the words. That's kind of the reason why I've been taking so long with these chapters. I'm hoping to be as good as J.R.R. Tolkien when he created the languages of the Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs. This language is mainly an idea Autobot00001 gave me a few months back and I've spent a LOT of time trying to develop it. Please let me know what you think.