Chapter Four: Far Longer Than Forever
Night-time came at the Swan Lake, and the tortoise was watching his friend, the frog, building a long pole stick with some cattail plants. As he did that, the tortoise looked rather concerned for his friend, "Umm… Percy?", he asked with a worried tone.
"Not now Toby! I got to get this done!", replied Percy as he gathered more of the cattail plants.
"You've come up with some crazy ideas, Percy, but this one's a doozy.", Toby replied as he still watched Percy making a long stick pole.
Percy looked at his friend and said with determination, "I know, but I got to do something dangerous and heroic so…"
"So, you can get an honour award for a heroic act from your frog family.", Toby finished his sentence as he then sighed, "I know, I know, you've told me that like a hundred times."
After he said that, Toby noticed some purple loosestrife flowers that he thought was lovely, "Why don't you just give her these flowers! It's a brave thing to do to give a flower to a girl.", he suggested, hoping that Percy would agree with his idea.
However, Percy shook his head violently as he disagreed with Toby's suggestion, "No! I must get those yellow water lilies that are surrounded by Arry and Bert!", he cried as he pointed at the three yellow water lilies that were in front of the castle's wall tower that was guarded by two greenish-yellow alligators.
"With you as my witness, and making Emily happy, I know that I can prove to them that I'm more than capable to be brave!", he announced as he finished building a long stick pole as he hopped onto a tree branch.
Toby looked up at Percy and added, "And then, you'll get the honour award."
"Precisely.", Percy replied as he began to build up his courage.
"Do you mind if I point out a problem?", Toby asked his frog friend.
"No! I don't need any advice as I can do this!", Percy replied as he focused on the three yellow water lilies.
Toby looked down and sighed, "Suit yourself."
There, Percy gave a brave look as to keep telling himself that he will be bold and daring to get those water lilies that were guarded by Arry and Bert the alligators. Once he mustered up his courage, he sprung into the lake with his long stick pole. However, trouble began to rise as he woke up the two alligators. When he realised, he gasped in horror as Toby said with a concerned tone, "Umm… just curious… how are you going to get back?"
With that, the two alligators charged at the tiny frog as Percy screamed for dear life. His long stick pole kept going forward and back, and Percy managed to kiss the ground in case he got consumed by them. He cried for help as Toby attempted to help himself, but he was too slow as he was a slow animal. After a few minutes of Percy's life and death situation, the long stick pole stopped moving as Percy held on it tightly, crying his heart out as he thought the alligators had gotten him, "I will never get to see mummy again!"
However, it wasn't the alligators that got him, it was Emily, who was in her human form, that held the long stick pole. When Percy opened his eyes with hesitation, he saw Emily and blushed in embarrassment as he thanked her for saving his life. When Percy got down on the ground, he accidentally let go of the long stick pole after Emily let go of it, causing it to hit on one of the alligators then it struck Percy to the ground. Emily gasped as she asked him if he was alright while Toby sighed in annoyance and he shook his head sadly. Percy was stunned for a moment before he assures her that he was okay. When Emily asked what Percy was trying to do, Toby tried to explain, but got cut off from Percy. Percy cleared his throat and said while pointing at the three yellow water lilies, "What I was trying to do was to get those flowers for you."
"You're being sneaky again, Percy.", Emily teased as she gave him a wink.
Percy frowned and cried, "I wasn't being sneaky! I just wanted to be brave like Caitlin!"
When Percy mentioned Caitlin's name, Emily sighed sadly. She was at first upset with Caitlin's comment before Diesel kidnapped her, but something told her that Caitlin loved her more than her looks. So, Emily looked at Percy with a small sad smile as he held the frog gently, "Being brave is not about making silly choices, Percy. It's when you do something when you're actually in the moment.", she spoke kindly as she sighed again.
Percy felt like he was going to cry, but just hearing Emily's good advice made him feel better. Emily was glad that she made Percy feel better, but she looked at the moon and said, "At least you're not under a spell."
Toby and Percy looked at her with sad eyes as Toby said, "I know, and the spell must be broken from a kiss of your true love, and she must make a vow of everlasting love…"
"And prove it to the world.", Emily finished the tortoise's sentence.
"Why did Diesel have to be so cruel? I still don't understand!", cried Percy as he still doesn't get why Diesel was so evil.
"Toby, please explain to him.", Emily asked softly to Toby.
"But I'm only a tortoise.", Toby replied as he looked at the princess with pity.
With that, Emily placed Percy down on the ground gently as she began to sing about her true love. She hoped and prayed that someday, Caitlin would find her and make her vow of everlasting love with a true love's kiss. She sang that it felt like Caitlin was there with her, despite they were far apart. What Emily didn't know was that Caitlin sang too as she hoped that she will find Emily as she held the swan imprinted golden heart necklace. Those they were far away from each other, they both sang the same thing, creating a perfect harmony like a voice from angels.
Once they both finished singing, Emily looked at the moon as she sighed sadly. However, what she didn't expect that an olive green puffin flew to the lake as he panted. He was shot from his right-wing as he felt like he was going to die. There, he couldn't take it anymore as he fell to the ground hard. Emily saw the puffin fell as she gasped in horror. When the puffin landed on the ground, he was unresponsive to anything. Emily, Toby, and Percy went to the puffin and they were all worried about him, "Do you think he's dead?", asked Toby.
Emily shook her head as she replied, "No, he only has his wing injured."
There, Emily soothed the injured puffin as she instructed Toby and Percy to hold him down. Once he was held down, Emily snapped the arrow and got the arrow removed. However, the puffin cried in agony as Emily grabbed a cloth that she carries and wrapped it around the puffin's right-wing. When it was done, Percy asked the puffin if he was okay. However, to the trio friends' surprise, the puffin got up like it was nothing as started to act aggressively. He tried to self-defend himself from any danger. His action made Percy scared as he hid behind Toby, who he shook in fear. However, as the puffin was ready to act, Emily cried, "Wait! I'm your friend!"
The puffin stopped his action as he looked at the princess with a raised eyebrow and said, "If you're my friend, why are you holding an…"
However, before he could finish his sentence off, he looked at his right-wing, realising that not only the arrow was gone, but it was bandaged up. He was confused until he saw the broken arrow that was next to Emily, "I took it out while you were unconscious.", Emily spoke kindly as she gave him a gentle smile.
The puffin's facial changed as he gave her an apologetic smile as he spoke with a polite manner, "Madam. I do owe you an apology. My name is Duck! Lieutenant Duck!"
"It's pleasure to meet you Lieutenant Duck.", replied Emily as she began to introduce herself, "I'm Emily. Princess Emily."
There, Duck bowed at the princess to show respect and his well-behaved manners. Then, Emily introduced her friends to Duck, "And these are my two great friends that I met. This tortoise here is Toby the Seventh as he was named after his many great grandfathers."
"Just call me Toby.", Toby said with a friendly.
"And this frog here is Percy.", said Emily as she finished their introductions.
Percy looked at Duck with confusion as he asked, "Umm… Duck? How come you're named after a bird if you're a puffin?"
Duck rubbed his back and he thought about if he should explain his origin or not. After a moment of thinking, he sighed and began to explain his story, "Well Percy. Let's just say that I was raised by a Duck ever since I was hatched, and my mother thought she should call me Montague, but then she decided to call me Duck instead to show how much she loves me, and no, I don't waddle like a duck!"
The trio looked at him with a surprising look for his backstory seems rather interesting. After he explained his origin, Duck then asked the princess, "Well anyways, is there anything I can do to pay my debt?"
"I don't think there's much you can do. He has me under a spell.", Emily replied as she gave him a sad look.
"What? Magic?", asked Duck, "Well, I say… I don't believe in them! It's not like it's going to work if you say "Abracadabra!""
While he said it, he used his arms to make weird moves around the rock, but when said "Abracadabra!", the rock turned into a pretty white daisy. He gasped in surprise as he looked at the surroundings to see what was going on. Emily knew what was going on and was not very pleased about it, and Toby and Percy knew what was going to happen as well. There, the once gloomy, dreaded area, turned into a beautiful garden as the dead trees have now blossomed with flowers as the birds sang in harmony.
As Duck stood there completely dumbstruck from witnessing the magic ordeal, Toby and Percy dragged him away from the scene. There, Diesel appeared as he wore golden armour as he held his helmet as he tried to impress Emily. However, Emily looked away as she folded her arms, giving him a big frown with narrowed eyebrow before looking away again, "Your knight in shiny armour has finally come to set you free.", he chuckled as he shoos a yellow bird, a bluebird, and a red bird away, trying to be innocent and good-hearted.
When Duck saw Diesel, he narrowed his eyebrow as he tried to brave, "Oh, I will get him for what he had done!", he cried, "Let me at him! Let me at him!"
However, Toby stopped him as he told him to calm down. There, the trio watched the interaction between the princess and the enchanter. There, Diesel got down on one knee as he said with a hopeful smile, "All it takes is one little word. Will you marry me?"
Emily looked back at Diesel with a big frown as she had enough of hearing Diesel's proposal for the past three months. There, she said angrily, "Every night, you ask the same question."
"No! No!", Diesel begged as he shook his head, as he didn't want Emily to reject his proposal.
"And every night, I give you the same answer.", Emily added as gave him a harsh glare.
"Don't!", shouted Diesel harshly yet in a whispering manner.
"I'll die first!", Emily whispered in an angry tone as she looked away from him.
Diesel growled in irritation as everything went back to dark and gloomy as his armour vanished in thin air, "Grr! You really starting to bug me!"
"I thought that you'd be used to it by now.", Emily huffed as she looked at him with a small frown.
With that, Diesel began to go red in anger as he shouted, "That's it! Just keep pushing it! But someday I'm going to boil over!"
Emily turned her body as she shouted back as she wasn't afraid to step down, "Go ahead then! But I'll never give you my father's kingdom."
Diesel walked away from her as he tried to cool himself down. With a bit of struggle to maintain his sanity, he managed to compose himself as he looked at her and said, "I was hoping you'd say you'd be mine. But it looks as if you need another day to think about it."
There, Diesel pointed with his index to the moon as Emily turned her head and gasped in horror. With that, Diesel began to laugh wickedly as Emily spoke softly to herself in a whimper, "No."
With that, Emily walked into the lake as Diesel laughed even more. There, she stood under the moonlight as the moon glowed around her body. There, she began to glow herself as she closed her eyes while covering her face. There, a bunch of water covered Emily as it glowed in all shades of pink, yellow, and teal. When the water died down, she turned into a swan and she swam into the water and popped out.
When the transformation was completed, she looked at Diesel with hatred as tears had come out of her emerald green eyes. After she gave him the look, she looked away as she began to cry softly. She just wished that Caitlin would come and break the spell, but she knew that Diesel was too powerful and would hurt Caitlin without any hesitation.
As she cried to herself, Diesel growled as he kicked the golden helmet, which made it disappeared. There, he stormed off as he knew that Emily was stubborn, but he knew that the longer she stays, the more likely she would give up and accept his proposal so he can have King Mitchell's kingdom.
Once the evil enchanter was out of sight, Duck rubbed his eyes as his beak dropped in shock. He just couldn't believe it. All that magic was real, and he then realised why Emily said there was nothing he could do to pay her back as Diesel was very powerful, let alone he made her turned into a beautiful swan. Duck wished he could something as when he saw Emily's pain and suffering, he began to pity her like how Toby and Percy do to her every single day. Once he was out of his shocked state, he went closer to the lake and said quietly, "Princess… Princess."
Emily didn't answer back as she felt very miserable. She didn't want to interact with her friends as being a swan was awful, let alone she knew that if she leaves the lake and tries to find help, she will most likely become a trophy to a hunter and would never get the chance to see Caitlin again. Thought the lake was mesmerising, despite kit was next to the dark, ruined castle, to her, it was torture as she felt like a prisoner. So, she kept sobbing until dawn.
