Chapter Eleven - Save the Queen!
The dragon lifted her wing beneath the waterfall, stopping the stream of water and revealing a hidden cave. Within the new cave was the very tree they sought.
"Incredible," Lily breathed.
"You did it," John told her.
"We did it."
"Wow, I just got the chills, and I'm not even cold," remarked Yoshi.
"Thank you for showing us the way, My Love," John said, drawing her close to him. "We couldn't have done it without you."
"You'd have found a way."
"Not without your expert skills-"
"Oh, you would have-"
"Ah hem." Someone clearing their throat cut into their moment. They turned to face Stubbins.
"Stubbins!" cried John. "This is Lily - pirate princess, fearless explorer, and the love of my life. Lily, this is Stubbins, my apprentice."
"An apprentice?"
"Yeah, it just sort of happened," said John.
"Thank you, Stubbins." She gave him a hug.
"Nice to meet you," he told her. "How are we going to get back in time?"
"Good question." They were already running out of time, and to travel by ship wouldn't be fast enough, not with the Queen's life hanging on the line. "Unless-" John turned back to their new dragon friend. "Would we be able to ask you for one more favour?"
Thanks to the help of their new dragon friend, they returned to England speedily.
The palace guards had no idea what to expect when a dragon - yes, a dragon - swooped down and landed in front of the palace, a group of humans and animals jumping down off its back and dashing into the palace.
"Somebody call a doctor?" called Yoshi, literally bursting through the doors and into the queen's bedchamber.
"My mates!" cried Jip. "Oh thank goodness you're back!"
"Dolittle!"
"Clear a path! There isn't a moment to waste! We have procured that which you said does not exist - behold, the fruit of the Eden Tree." John held up the fruit. "I said clear a path."
"Seize them!" ordered Lord Badgley.
"Looks like we're going to have to clear our own path!" cried Lily, drawing her sword.
Chaos erupted. Lily, Yoshi and Chee-Chee - and even the Queen's octopus - helped hold back the guards.
"Stubbins - go!" John tossed the fruit - well, Minnie holding the fruit - into the air and across the room. Tommy dashed across the room, dodging armed soldiers, and slid and caught the fruit, taking it and squeezing a drop of the juice onto the queen's lips.
It only took one drop of the fruit's juice for the colour to return to the young queen's face. Powerful indeed!
She blinked. "Lady Rose - is there a giraffe in my bedchamber?" were the Queen's first words.
"Yes! Oh, yes! And a polar bear, and a gorilla, a parrot, a duck and an ostrich-" Lady Rose climbed up onto the bed and hugged her.
"We did it!" cried Tommy, and the animals cheered.
"Ah, hmm, yes, very good, Dolittle," said Lord Badgley.
"Not so fast," John cut-in. "Is there anything you'd like to say to the Queen, hmm? Like how you conspired against her."
Gasps rose throughout the room. Now all eyes were on Badgley.
"Oh yes. How you and Müdfly poisoned her, hoping to get her 'out of the way', who you saw as a child unfit to rule the empire? How you sent Müdfly after us, trying to prevent us from getting to the island and saving Her Majesty. Hmm? Care to elaborate?"
"That is absurd! What an accusation! And what evidence do you have?" Badgley smirked, thinking he had the upper hand in this.
"Oh, I have nothing - except for the word of my friend Sticks here-" John strode over to the painting on the wall and held out his hand, Sticks climbing down from the painting's frame and into his outstretched palm. "He's been here the whole time, listening in, and I'm very curious to hear what he has to say." John lifted his hand and raised the bug up beside his ear so he could hear him chittering. "He speaks in eight syllables at a time: 'Plot, to, kill, queen, as, sus, pec, ted.' Well then, doesn't get much clearer than that. Thank you, Sticks."
Now all eyes were back on Badgley, who promptly stole a sword from a nearby soldier's belt.
"Ah, ah, ah," Lily snuck up behind him with her own sword at his back. "Don't even think about it."
"To the tower with him." The Queen gave a flick of her wrist and Badgley was escorted out of the room by her guards. "Excuse me, Doctor." Queen Victoria held out her hand. John took it. "Thank you. It's good to have you back, Dr. and Mrs. Dolittle."
"Your Majesty." They bowed their heads. "Forgive our state of appearance, we have just returned from a long and straining journey. But it is good to be back," John admitted.
"Is there anything you'd like to say to me?" Poly asked on their way out.
"I suppose it is nice to get out of the house every once in a while. Now, come along, we have far less important places to be - actually-" He put an arm around his wife. "-On second thought, I can think of a very important place we should go."
"Home?"
"Yes - well, our old home."
Thank you for reading and, as always, I hope you enjoyed! :) One chapter left!
