Royal Rumble
Summary: Enchancia is hosting a competition called the Royal Rumble between their kingdom (as well as a few visiting members) and another kingdom called Carpus. However, what starts off as friendly rivalry quickly descends into madness as members from the opposing team start causing unnecessary drama and chaos. (Collab with MarionetteJ2X)
Disclaimer: Oh, boy… lol. I own the following: Corban, Alamea, Sir Finlay, Gabriella, Sapphire, Davina, Zinnia, Angel, Corban's new puppy named Ollie, and (if she shows up) Nina, and maybe a few others as well. All other OCs (especially Nana and Tanya) and the games belong to MarionetteJ2X (except a few that were from the show), and everything else is Craig Gerber's. Phew. Haha.
A/N: Day three will be a bit different from the others, because not only do we have the challenge with the guys, but this is also where the magical creatures/beings come into play. And let's just say… Carpus has no idea what they're up against when Tanya is involved. Hehe. Also, to answer Mino's question, Sofia is currently 19 in my stories. Since the ending of the show, my stories have been even more linear than normal, so I highlight all the big stuff (birthdays, marriages, babies, etc.), and she's gone from 14 in AIM to 19 currently. Hope that answers your question!
Chapter 6: Royal Rumble Day Three
Sofia moaned softly as she flipped over in her bed, her eyes barely blinking open when she heard the knock at her door. "Come in," she called, but even the sound of her own voice made her wince.
Cedric walked into the room alone, stopping next to his partner's bed. "I sent the girls to breakfast already," he told her gently, frowning as a soft whimper escaped her lips. "Sofia, are you all right?" He reached down toward her, feeling her forehead and then her face. "Hmm, you're a little warm, but I don't think you have a fever… Do you feel ill?"
"I just have a little headache…" She sighed. "Probably from being outside in the sun so much. But I don't want to miss you guys competing." She smiled up at him, grasping his hand and holding it to her cheek. "Especially when we win."
He nodded quietly. "I can understand that, of course… But you need to listen to your body, my dear. It's clearly telling you to take it easy and not overdo it."
"Right now, it's just telling me to go back to sleep…" She giggled as he chuckled. "Or…maybe not." She moved back a bit and patted the mattress next to her. "Will you stay with me for a little while?"
Cedric blinked at her request before busying himself fixing his sleeves. "Er, um… Well, y-you know that the next competition will begin in a few hours, and we still haven't eaten breakfast, and—"
"Cedric, I'm not going to kidnap you or anything." She grinned as he paused, laughing softly. "Unless you want me to, of course… It would get you away from Zeke anyway."
His smile turned to a frown as he kicked his shoes to the side before lying down next to her. He accommodated her as she leaned her head on his chest, sighing in content. "I think we could both do with a break from that wretched lunatic." He ran his hands through her loosely ponytailed hair, causing her to smile at him. "That imbecile doesn't know the meaning of 'no.' He's absolutely dreadful. And I'm sorry you've had to deal with him on so many occasions. I could hex him if you want. Or we could get your witch friend to do so." He grinned as she snickered. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
"Lucinda? Probably not…" She shook her head. "But no… Maybe there's hope for him. Let's give him a chance. But I'll say this…" She allowed her fingers to trace one of the buttons on his shirt, a thoughtful look appearing on her face. "He's going to have to back off with trying to get my attention." Her eyes trailed up to her partner's face, a soft smile on her lips. "There's only one sorcerer who's going to get my full attention."
Cedric grasped her hand that had been tracing the button and gently kissed it, smiling as she blushed a bit. "I appreciate the sentiment, my dear. Now, get some rest, and I'll wake you up in an hour."
"Okay… By the way, how is your stomach after…?" She trailed off, not wanting to bring up the incident with Zeke, but knowing it would settle her mind to at least check on him.
He didn't react to the question except to nod at her. "I'm better. Go to sleep, Sofia."
Sofia nodded and loosely hugged him after he released her hand, and she then settled down, allowing herself to drift off to sleep again.
"Hmm." He watched her fondly as she slept before yawning. He used his wand to partially draw the canopy curtain closed and slowly but surely drifted off to sleep himself.
Close to an hour later, Violet walked up to Sofia's door and knocked, waiting for the princess to respond. Normally, the early-to-rise teen would have been at breakfast and off on her next adventure by now, but she was nowhere to be found.
She jumped as she felt a small tap on her shoulder. Turning, she frowned as she saw an unwanted presence grinning at her. "Mr. Brandon, what is it?"
He chuckled. "We've been through this before, haven't we? You don't need to use a title with me." He smiled suavely, causing her to want to turn and either roll her eyes, gag, scream, or all of the above. "In any case, I was wondering if you'd like to—"
"Beggin' your pardon, sir, but I am workin' right now." She knocked again, sighing as she still heard no response. "And if you don't mind, I need to check on my princess, and I'm quite sure it's highly inappropriate for you to be interferin' with my job and to be around while I do. So, if you don't mind…" She placed a key in the lock and turned it, peeping inside the dark room. "Princess Sofia? Are you all right?"
Brandon stood back and watched the stewardess at work. He had a rather goofy grin on his face as he saw her walk toward the other side of the princess's room, pulling the curtains aside to allow the sunlight to filter into the large expanse. "A working woman… Gotta love that."
Violet heard his comment but chose to ignore him as she turned and moved over to Sofia's bed, where the canopy curtains were partially drawn closed. She hated to have to wake the girl up, but it was well after breakfast, and her little girls were with the queen right now, so… It was necessary to get her at this point.
The stewardess tied the curtain back and glanced down, her mouth dropping open in surprise. Sofia was in her bed, all right, but she was curled up next to Cedric, who had his arms securely wrapped around her and his head resting on top of hers. They were blissfully lost in sleep right now, not even the warmth of the sunlight disturbing their slumber. "Oh, dear…"
"Ah, what have we here?" Brandon popped up next to Violet, who sighed in irritation and turned to face him. "Oh. Oh…" He pointed toward the sleeping partners. "You know, when they said they were 'partners,' I wasn't aware they meant… You know… Partners…" He folded his arms. "A rather strange couple though. Although, they do have daughters together, don't they? And such different rankings and everything…" He gasped. "Ooh, scandalous…"
"Would you get out of here?" She briskly grabbed his shoulders and turned him around, pushing him out of the room and into the hallway. "What you've just seen is really none of your business, as you weren't supposed to be in here in the first place. And you won't say a word of it to anyone, do you understand me?"
He smirked as she lowered her hands to her hips, a glare aimed his way. "And what will you give me in return for keeping such a…sensitive secret?"
The stewardess frowned and began popping her knuckles, an intimidating look on her face that caused the steward to gulp. "I'll let you keep all your teeth and your current appearance. How's that?"
Brandon blinked at her words, noticing how incredibly serious she seemed to be. If anything, he wasn't scared. He was even more intrigued. He smiled excitedly. "Oh, really? I love a feisty woman." He half shrugged. "I'll keep the secret. But even if I lost a few teeth, losing them because I was punched by a lovely lady would be worth the tale."
Violet recoiled a bit, grimacing at his words. "You are a strange one… Now go away." She backed into Sofia's room and slammed the door in his face, just as he was about to say something else. "What a weirdo…"
She turned when she heard some rustling behind her, and she quickly hurried over to see that the partners were stirring and beginning to wake up. "Princess Sofia."
Sofia yelped when she heard the stewardess's voice and gasped, realizing the situation. "Uh, Violet! Heh…" She sat up and slipped out of Cedric's arms, smiling sheepishly at the older woman's knowing smile. "Good morning?"
"Mornin', eh? Breakfast is already over, Princess…" She then turned her attention to Cedric, who slowly sat up and then loudly gasped as he realized what was going on. "Ah, and now he reacts."
"Are we late?" Cedric asked frantically, trying to push the covers back but only getting himself more tangled in them, much to the girls' amusement (despite the situation). "Did they start without me? Is King Roland upset?"
"Calm down, Mr. Cedric." Violet folded her arms as he looked up at her, blinking. "The games aren't for another few hours yet. However, I think we may have a problem." She gestured toward the friends. "Now… I don't mind findin' you two in this situation, because I know it's perfectly innocent and everything." She smiled as the two began blushing. "But…what if someone else had come in? You really need to be more careful."
"We've fallen asleep together before," Sofia responded quietly, missing the look of surprise on Violet's face as she glanced toward Cedric. "I know it's not exactly 'proper' or whatever for some people, but…I don't see what the big deal is."
Cedric sighed. "I do. Despite our closeness and relationship, I still have a position here and work for your father. And even though we're friends, King Roland could still deem something like this extremely inappropriate and fire me…or worse."
"Dad wouldn't do that. I wouldn't let him." She folded her arms. "Besides, we were just sleeping. I had a headache, and I asked you to stay with me for a while until I felt better. And you did. And that's all there is to it."
"Oh, so that's how you—okay, that makes sense." Violet laughed as the partners turned back to her. "That pesky steward from Carpus kept insinuatin' somethin' else, and I knew it wasn't what it looked like."
Sofia groaned, placing a hand to her head. "He was here?"
"And if he's around, I'm quite sure Zeke won't be too far behind," Cedric muttered in mild aggravation. "Oh, just be glad it wasn't Zeke who discovered us. I'm sure he'd do everything in his power to get us both into trouble."
"Cut from the same cloth, the both of them," Violet lamented with a roll of her eyes. "In any case, Princess Sofia, I think you'd better get cleaned up and dressed, and get you somethin' to eat. And Mr. Cedric, I'd suggest food first and then findin' Queen Miranda. Nana and Tanya are both with her."
"Oh, thank goodness…" He nodded. "Very well, Violet. Thank you." He waited until the stewardess had left the room and shut the door behind her before turning to Sofia. "Um, I'm…sorry about this, Sofia. I suppose…this situation could be uncomfortable, considering…"
Sofia smiled gently at him before hugging him. "Just the opposite, actually… I'm always comfortable with you."
He gave her an amused smile as she looked up at him. "That's not quite what I mean."
She giggled, taking one of his hands and tracing his fingers in a soft motion. "I know…" She noticed that he seemed to be a bit taken aback by her response, and she blushed a bit. "W-Well, you heard Violet. You go eat and get the girls. I will be there in a little bit." She jumped up from the bed before turning back, placing her hands on his cheeks. "And this is for luck today." She kissed his forehead before smiling at him.
Cedric chuckled as she released him and allowed him to stand up. "Much appreciated, my dear. Don't be too long, all right?"
"I'll be there soon." After he left, Sofia collapsed onto her bed again, her eyes peering up at the top of the canopy. After what they'd just witnessed, she had only one thought: "Thank goodness for Violet…" Reinvigorated, she began preparing for the day.
About an hour later, after everyone had finished eating and was up and about, Cedric and Sofia joined several people in a common room. Visitors from Carpus and everyone on Enchancia's team was gathered together, chatting and enjoying some downtime before the next game.
Nana crawled into Cedric's lap while he and Captain Thiago were sharing a pleasant conversation. She yawned before smacking her lips.
Captain Thiago chuckled. "I think someone could do with a nap." He glanced toward Cedric. "Your daughter is adorable."
Cedric had long since given up on correcting people, and at this point, he didn't really want to anymore. For all intents and purposes, Nana was his daughter. Tanya was as well. And the responsibility he and Sofia both shared in caring for these girls was enough to where they definitely filled the parental roles. "I quite agree, Captain Thiago." He winked down at the pink haired girl, who grinned up at him. "One of the most adorable little ones I've ever seen."
"I'm adorable too, Ceddy!" Sapphire called, hurrying over to hug him from the side.
"Me too!" Davina yelled, hurrying to jump onto the sofa next to him, hugging his other side.
"Not as cute as me!" Corban giggled, crawling into Cedric's lap so he could sit beside his best friend.
"I'm cute too!" Vibbi exclaimed, grinning with her pointed teeth showing. "And I want a hug!"
Before Cedric could react, all the children had piled either on top of him or had begun hugging him from all sides. Soon enough, every single child (except Alamea, who was sleeping in Amber's arms) had tackled him in a group hug.
Sofia laughed as she was sitting next to Gabriella and Greylock. "Oh, that is so funny…"
Even Tanya, who wasn't a big hugger or one to show too much affection, had at least sat next to Cedric when all the cuddling had begun. However, she'd only briefly hugged him and moved out of the way to allow the other children a chance to embrace their precious 'Ceddy.'
"I thought, back in our Hexley Hall days, you swore up and down that you hated children," Zeke remarked, his lips quirking into a smirk as Cedric glared at him. "Detested them with your entire being… Said the world would be better if they didn't exist."
Sapphire frowned as she darted her pointed stare toward the other sorcerer. "You're just jealous 'cause no one wants to hug you. Especially after you were so mean to Ceddy yesterday."
"Yeah," Vibbi taunted, snarling at the man, who backed up a bit. "Don't make me bite you."
"Settle down, Vibbi," Yohanna chided her little charge, though there was clearly a mild look of pride and approval lingering on her lips.
"Anyone could have a change of heart, anyway," Sir Finlay spoke up, casting a disapproving look toward the other sorcerer. "Perhaps Cedric didn't know the joys a child could bring until he himself had the honor of caring for one. Both Nana and Tanya have brought out a delightful paternal side that few ever truly experience, even if they do have children of their own."
"Yeah, so zip it, Zed," Gabriella finished for her husband, her hands resting on her stomach in a comforting manner.
"That's Zeke," the annoyed sorcerer corrected, flummoxed by the amount of negativity he was receiving. It was becoming clearer and clearer that Cedric had an advantage here, much to his chagrin.
Violet entered the common room, appearing rather annoyed as both Brandon and Porter (to his displeasure) were following her. "I've come to announce that it is time for the next game. However, I have a request for King Hayden."
The fair-haired king smiled kindly toward the stewardess as he stood up. "How can I help you, Violet?"
"Your Majesty, could you please tell your steward that I don't need any help takin' care of the castle? Mr. Baileywick is helpin' me just fine. Besides, it's obvious young Porter is tired and just wants to enjoy himself here, and I don't think it's fair that he's gettin' dragged all over this place just because his mentor—for whatever reason—appears to fancy me or somethin'."
For the first time since arriving, Brandon seemed flustered and flushed bright red as the object of his affections blatantly outed him for his clear infatuation with her. "U-Uh, King Hayden, I-!"
"Is this true, Brandon?" the king asked, blinking.
Porter snickered at his mentor having gotten called out, but he immediately winced as Brandon smacked him upside the head. "Ow!"
"Hayden, even a daft person could see that Brandon was drooling all over that poor girl," Haegan laughed, clapping his best friend on the shoulder.
"It's n-not what it seems, sire," Brandon attempted to defend himself, though his desperate pleas seemed to be falling on deaf ears as his king offered him a dubious look. "I just…" He smiled lazily toward Violet, who backed away from him. "I think she's rather…fascinating."
"I'm not interested, Mr. Brandon," the woman retorted, driving the point home by enunciating his title. "I've no interest in any relationship, especially one with someone from such a far distance. I'm far too busy with my job, which is most of my life. So thanks, but no, thanks."
"Ouch," James laughed, nudging his twin. "I kind of like this side of Violet. She's way feistier than I ever thought."
The future queen laughed. "I know."
Brandon sighed disappointedly, slinking away to the door to exit the room. "Come along, Porter… I'll teach you a lesson in mending a broken heart."
Porter rolled his eyes. "Oh, brother…" He subtly moved over to Violet and whispered, "Sorry he was such a pain, but good for you. He was getting on my nerves too."
"PORTER!"
The teen yelped. "C-Coming!" He hurried after his mentor.
Violet sighed before smiling at the group. "Anyway… Before we head to the courtyard for the game today, I did want to inform everyone about the special game that will take place immediately afterward. We have Tug of War first, and then Magical Toss-Up next, which will happen between Enchancia's participant Tanya and Carpus's participant Cookie."
Cookie, who hadn't said much of anything since arriving a few days ago, folded his arms as he hovered behind the others in his group. The muscular fairy wasn't really sure what to expect with a child as his challenger, but he sure wasn't going to allow the little girl to beat him.
The stewardess continued, "The Magical Toss-Up will count for two points instead of one, and it could make the difference in the final outcome."
"Cookie has been training for this for a long time," Omari told the others, smiling at the fairy, who beamed back at him. "He is ready for anything."
"But are you sure you want your child to go up against Cookie, Cedric?" Zeke asked, genuinely curious, though clearly still a bit snarky toward the other sorcerer. "Doesn't seem like good parenting to me."
"No one asked for your opinion, Zeke," Calista spoke up, tired of hearing the man downing her uncle. "Uncle Ceddy knows what he's doing, and Tanya is a lot stronger than she looks."
The Carpus sorcerer scoffed. "I wasn't talking to you, Cornucopia, or whatever your name is."
Angel stepped in front of his girlfriend and glared at the man. "You will not speak to her that way. And you know her name. It is Calista."
Zeke smirked. "I…don't…care."
"Enough, Zeke," King Hayden demanded, glaring at him calmly. "Set aside your hostility and act civilly. You know better."
He sighed. "Yes… Your Majesty."
"Anyway…" Violet gestured toward the door. "Follow me."
While everyone else filed out the door, following Violet to the courtyard, Calista pulled Angel back and hugged him.
Angel blinked before returning the young sorceress's hug. "Calista? Are you all right?"
She smiled toward him before kissing him, her hands playing with his ponytail before she soon parted, laughing at his stunned expression. "Thank you for defending me."
Finally finding his words, the Native boy smiled at her, though he was clearly a bit flushed from the kiss. "You…are welcome. A-Anytime."
Calista giggled before they both followed after the others.
Once outside, the spectators sat aside on some conjured chairs while the two teams got into position.
Tanya found herself seated next to Cookie, who appeared rather smug right now. She had a feeling he was confident that he would defeat her in their upcoming round, but what he didn't know was that she was a bit of a wildcard herself. A small smirk formed on her features. She would just wait and let him find out firsthand that he had no reason to appear so confident.
Violet indicated a large rope on the ground, which now separated the two teams. "This challenge will be fairly simple and even rather quick. Both teams will have all their members gathered on their side of the rope, and when I say so, both sides will pull as hard as they can. You will notice that there is a line on the ground." She pointed toward the yellow line. "The first team to pull at least one member of the other team over the line will automatically be the winners."
"Sounds easy enough," Roland chuckled. He playfully nudged King Hayden. "Prepare yourself for another loss."
The other king grinned good-naturedly. "Whatever you say, Rollie."
Roland frowned. "Been hanging out with Miranda, I take it?"
James and Desmond laughed at the banter between the two kings. If nothing else, they were at least entertaining.
"Once the Tug of War game is complete," Violet continued, "we will immediately proceed with the Magical Toss-Up. Despite its title, no actual magic is involved; it is simply played out by magical creatures. Those instructions will be made clear when the game begins." She stepped back. "Teams, take up your rope."
Both teams prepared themselves. Cedric was second in line behind Roland, and he could see Zeke directly behind Hayden on their side. He narrowed his eyes as the other man sneered at him.
"Watch out for them, King Roland," Cedric murmured to his friend. "I don't trust Zeke not to cheat."
Wordlessly, the fair-haired man nodded.
"Ready…go!" The stewardess stood aside and watched the tugging begin.
"Come on, Ceddy!" Zinnia yelled from her spot on Greylock's lap. "You can do it!"
"Go, Daddy!" Isadora echoed, grinning at Dante, who smiled quickly back at her before yelping as he felt a sharp tug on the rope, which nearly had him colliding into Cedric. "Oops…"
"Is this really fair?" Cordelia wondered as she and Nigel sat near each other. She accepted a few pieces of chocolates as he passed them to her. "Our team looks so scrawny and weak compared to their muscle men. Not to mention, they have mostly guards, while we have at least four sorcerers who never see any sunlight or exercise on a daily basis."
Nigel snickered. "Look at young Tarrant though." He pointed toward the brunet, who seemed to be tugging fiercely from his spot near Bonvis. "He seems rather strong. And I wouldn't discount King Roland or Prince James either, especially since the prince is active in his knight duties. Even Prince Desmond has a little power behind him." He shrugged. "Prince Daniel has a moderate amount, and Angel…" He chuckled. "Well… He's still young."
"He's stronger than he looks though," Calista assured him with a warm smile. "And far more magical than you can imagine."
"Too bad your little Angel Face couldn't use his powers for this." Cordelia grinned as Calista blushed.
"Mum! Don't ever say that again… Please!" She scrunched up her nose as Nigel held out another piece of chocolate, which Cordelia accepted as he fed her. "You guys are gross."
The sorceress chuckled after she ate her treat. "You have no room to talk, my darling girl. Not after I saw you and your little boyfriend kissing a little longer than necessary under the mistletoe this past Wassailia."
"Ugh, I'm moving." She stood up and moved several seats down, sitting next to Sofia and Amber.
"Let me guess," Amber began with a grin, "your mom?"
Calista sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."
The blonde giggled. "Fair enough."
The guys on both sides were pulling as hard as they could. At one point, Enchancia's group got a slight edge when Kabir's hand slipped, but most of the guards were able to secure the rope enough to keep a tight hold on it. At this point, they were fairly even.
Zeke growled under his breath as he noticed Cedric pulling as hard as he could, his eyes closed in concentration and a sweat breaking out on his forehead. Oh, he was just so into this challenge, wasn't he? He discreetly moved a few of his fingers against the rope, a near-invisible stream of magic sliding through the rope toward the other sorcerer. He smirked as he saw the following scenario unfold:
Cedric, despite wearing gloves, could feel what appeared to be rope burn beginning to scorch his palms. This was impossible though, wasn't it? He opened his eyes and chanced a quick glance at his gloves, and (sure enough) the rope had somehow managed to cut through his gloves and to his palms, which were starting to grow irritated and even bleed. He couldn't let go of the rope, though. He knew how important winning this challenge was.
Zeke managed one sharp tug, biting back a laugh as Cedric yelled out in pain and let the rope go, crashing into Roland, who stepped over the line.
Violet noticed the incident and sighed, calling out, "Carpus wins!"
The Carpus team cheered and high-fived each other as the guys on the Enchancian team grumbled at their loss.
Cedric gave Roland the most apologetic look he could muster, even as he tried to nurse his wounds. "King Roland, I am so sorry about that… I'm not sure what happened."
Roland, noticing that his royal sorcerer appeared to be injured, frowned. "Don't worry about it, Cedric. It wasn't your fault. In fact, you appear to have hurt yourself trying to hold onto the rope."
"It even cut through your gloves?" Angel asked in disbelief. "I know that rope is strong, but…"
The king placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Go rest, Cedric, and we'll get someone to tend to your wounds."
"That's all right, King Roland." He smiled as Nana hurried over to him and held out her hands to him. "I think I have a solution already…" He followed the little girl back to her seat, which was next to Sofia, and sat down, sighing as Nana crawled into his lap.
"Cedric," Sofia gasped, looking at his hands. She reached over and gently tugged off the remains of his gloves, gaping in shock at the deep cuts and blood on his palms. "What happened?"
"That rope… It practically ate through my gloves and cut my hands." He groaned in pain as Nana placed her palms over his, concentrating. "Nana…"
It didn't take long for the pink-haired girl to heal her Papa. And since his wounds weren't too big, she didn't even feel tired afterward.
Cedric smiled at the little one. "Thank you, my darling." He kissed her forehead, causing her to grin.
"They feel better, huh?" Sofia asked curiously.
"For the most part. I can still feel a little bit of discomfort, but it's not unmanageable."
"I'll handle it." The princess gathered both of his hands into hers and placed a kiss to each of his palms, causing him to blush at her actions.
"Sofia…"
Amber smiled slyly but chose not to say anything this time. When Alamea got a bit fussy, she knew she would have to head back into the castle anyway, but at least she got to see another little display of affection between her sister and the sorcerer. They were getting to be one of her favorite 'pastimes' these days. Adorable. She stood wordlessly and left with her daughter, joined soon by Desmond, who led them both back into the castle.
Violet turned to the remaining crowd as they all gathered on the side. "The second event today will be the Magical Toss-Up. Tanya from Team Enchancia and Cookie from Team Carpus will participate in two separate parts of the event. First, they will use their strength to throw five large boulders each, tryin' to toss them as far as they can. The one who throws the boulders the farthest will win one point. The second part involves physical duelin'. They will only be able to use their physical strength and no magic other than their super strength or other abilities they've gained."
Tanya was currently dressed in dark pants and a sleeveless purple shirt banded at her waist. She wore no shoes, as usual. Her hair was tied up into two side buns, a bit of hair cascading down from each. Her usual anklets and arm bracelets (disguising her Death Bringers) were in place.
Cookie was much taller than Tanya (and most of the other people gathered), and his muscles rippled as he walked. He wore a sleeveless black jumpsuit and no shoes either, his wings protruding from the back of his suit. His greenish-black hair was short and spikey, sticking out in a variety of directions. His skin had a light blue tinge to it, highlighting his magical features and his sharp blue eyes as well.
"Hold on a minute." Idris pointed toward Tanya. "This little girl is going up against Cookie?"
"She doesn't look like she could hold a rock, much less a huge boulder," Rodney laughed.
Nakamo saw the annoyance on the little girl's face and smiled toward the others. "Perhaps she is not as tall and powerful-looking as others, but I sense a great deal of inner strength with her."
Tanya smiled appreciatively toward the shaman, nodding at him.
Violet turned to the others, smiling toward Sir Finlay, who seemed to be a main sorcerer who wasn't either injured in some way or otherwise preoccupied. "Sir Finlay, could I get your assistance for just a moment?"
"Certainly." He left Gabriella's side and walked up next to the stewardess. "How may I help you?"
"Could you possibly conjure ten large boulders—five per participant—please?"
He nodded and did as asked, settling the boulders near both Tanya and Cookie. When finished, he returned to his spot.
Tanya looked up at Cookie, who stared down at her. She nodded once. "Do not hold back, for neither will I."
Cookie laughed, his voice a bit squeaky as he did. "Don't worry, little girl. Cookie never holds back."
She smirked. "Neither does Tanya."
Violet stood aside so the spectators could see better. "All right, Cookie will go first, since Team Carpus won the first challenge. He will toss all five boulders. After that, Tanya will go. The person who has the most boulders at the farthest distance will win the first event."
That explained, Cookie began tossing his boulders. One of his landed ten feet away. The next landed five feet away. The third landed eight feet away. The fourth landed twelve feet away. The last landed six feet away.
Tanya picked up her first boulder and grunted once, adjusting to the weight after not having trained in her usual rigorous manner in a while.
"Aw, I think it's too heavy for her," Zeke teased as he grinned toward Cedric and Sofia, who glared at him. "You must have been crazy, putting a little girl up against a muscular fairy."
"That could have been worded differently," Greylock remarked sarcastically as he held onto Zinnia. "Don't count Tanya out, Zeke. She's a lot stronger than she looks. She could probably toss you several feet." He grinned toward the Carpus sorcerer, who leered at him. "Wanna find out?"
Zeke folded his arms.
"You've got this, Tanya!" Sapphire called out. "You can do it!"
"Yeah!" Zinnia yelled. "Get him!"
Nana silently cheered for her big sister, smiling and clapping her hands.
Reinvigorated, Tanya smiled and lifted her boulder above her head. She focused her attention on nothing but the goal and tossed the first boulder. It landed fifteen feet away.
"Wow," King Hayden laughed. "Strong kid."
"And what's with the markings on her face and everything?" Haegan wondered. "Must just be a magical being thing, or whatever…"
Tanya's second boulder landed seven feet away. The third landed ten feet away.
Zeke looked around and saw that no one was looking, so he secretly began moving his fingers.
Tanya, as if sensing this, sent a sharp and heated glare toward the sorcerer, who immediately paused his movements. She only shook her head one time (a warning) before tossing her next boulder. It also landed fifteen feet away. The fifth and final boulder landed seven feet away.
Violet clapped her hands as the crowd cheered. "The winner of the first event is Tanya, with an excellent result!"
Cookie nodded in admiration. "Not bad for a toddler."
The girl smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "I am far from a toddler, Cookie."
"If you say so, kid."
The stewardess then told them, "The second part of the challenge involves hand-to-hand combat. The two opponents will go up against one another, combatting against each other."
"Uh, hang on a minute." Cookie gestured toward Tanya. "I can't challenge her to a hand-to-hand combat situation. She's just a kid! It's not exactly fair. And what if she gets hurt? Her parents will probably have my head."
Sofia and Cedric exchanged knowing glances as the Carpus team murmured among themselves.
"I can handle myself." Tanya's voice had changed from her childish tone to a more mature tone, and her eyes were now their eerie black and purple colors, the edges sharper than usual. She shifted from a child to an adult, wearing the same clothing but possessing a far more serious stance.
Cookie gulped as Tanya approached him in her adult form, a smirk on her face. "Y-You're…not a kid?"
"I am both adult and child." She reached out, closing his gaping jaw. "Do not underestimate me."
The Carpus team was a bit surprised by this revelation, and none more so than Zeke. He noticed Cedric smirking at him, and he murmured something unpleasant under his breath. He wasn't about to let the Enchancians beat them again, especially no one related to Cedric in any manner.
He was attempting to sneakily cast a spell on Tanya, but he was shocked to see his magic dissolve into thin air before ever even reaching her. It was like there was some sort of force surrounding her, preventing his magic from affecting her. He tensed and began sweating a bit as Tanya turned from Cookie to face him, her icy black and purple eyes piercing straight through his light brown ones.
A shiver shot down his spine as he noticed something peculiar. Her eyes seemed to be swirling in a dark mass now, almost in a hypnotizing way. It was unnerving how uncomfortable the young woman could make him feel. He shivered a bit and snapped his eyes away, gently slapping his hands when they began shaking on their own.
It was clear to him that Tanya was not just some magical creature. She was like something from his nightmares… He gritted his teeth in frustration since he couldn't manipulate this part of the competition without the demon-like woman catching him in the act. So, he'd have to rely on Cookie's abilities instead. Curse the Enchancian team for being so lucky this go around.
Cookie was also feeling a little unnerved as he dropped into a battle stance before Tanya, who mimicked his motions (sans her Death Bringers). Both were tense as they prepared for the signal from Violet.
"The premise for this one is simple enough," Violet informed everyone. "The first one to defeat the other opponent will win. The win is determined by a count of three, when the opposer doesn't respond or react."
A few seconds later, Violet initiated the fight and stood aside as the duo began combatting.
Cookie immediately had to dodge out of the way as one of Tanya's fists soared his way, missing as he moved. He blocked a few other swings, sweating profusely since he found it difficult to deliver a blow to the agile Tanya, who was now throwing punches and swift kicks toward him like a machine.
Cookie yelped and ducked as Tanya tried to drop kick him, rolling out of the way instead. He watched as Tanya stomped, creating small cracks on the ground where she now stood.
The Carpus team was clearly nervous now. It appeared that Cookie hadn't even made a dent in this fight. In fact, had he not moved, he probably would have been done for.
"She's fast," Benson noted in awe.
"No kidding," Idris responded, impressed.
Tanya was determined to end the competition as quickly as possible. She ran toward Cookie, jumping high and twirling around in the air as she aimed to kick at him. Since he wasn't able to dodge this time, his arms crossed before him and worked as a shield just as Tanya's foot connected with him. The force of the impact was so strong that Cookie was unable to counter her, and he instead landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him as dust flew up around him.
As the dust cleared, it was quite obvious what had just happened. Cookie was unconscious, and Tanya stood above him with her foot resting on his chest. One. Two. Three. She'd won.
Zeke's eyes narrowed in uneasiness. He noticed that Tanya didn't even appear tired at all. She wasn't panting like a normal person would have been. The moment he saw those same dark eyes flicker his way, he turned his head. Strangely enough, no one seemed to notice their exchanges.
"Tanya from Team Enchancia wins, and this score goes toward Enchancia's overall score," Violet announced to the cheers of the group before her.
Tanya knelt next to Cookie as he finally stirred and opened his eyes. She noticed that he was having difficulty sitting up, so she placed one hand on his back and carefully pulled him into a sitting position. She smiled as he eyed her curiously. "It was an honor to fight against you. Perhaps next time, you will win."
He laughed. "Yeah, perhaps. Honestly, it was kind of fun fighting with you, but your little powerful moves were kind of a surprise to me."
Her smile changed to an apologetic one. "I am sorry for that. Allow me to make up for it." She stood, briskly pulling him into her arms and lifting him up, snickering as he yelped in surprise at her strength while she carried him toward the Carpus team. "He may need medical attention," she informed the king.
Haegan laughed once. "After all that, I'm surprised he isn't scuffed up worse."
"A fair win," King Hayden told the woman, reaching out his hand to hers.
She nodded and shook his hand once before looking toward Cookie. "Better luck next time, Cookie." She winked before transforming into her child form again. She sprinted toward the other team, rushing into Cedric's and Sofia's (and Nana's) awaiting arms, tackling them into a hug.
"Nice job, Tanya," Cedric praised with a proud smile.
Nana hugged her sister's leg before giggling as the other girl scooped her into a hug.
"Cheer up, Zeke," Omari insisted as he looked at his friend. "We won the Tug of War game. And sure, they got the magical creature game, but it was played fairly."
"We should have brought the ogre," Zeke grumbled. "Putting the fairy in was a mistake."
"He tried his best," Zinnia argued, having overheard the sorcerer's comment. "And I like Cookie. He was fair and nice."
"No one asked you, you little brat," Zeke snapped.
The child stuck her tongue out at him before leering at him. "You're just mad 'cause you're a sore loser!"
"Why, I ought to—!" He moved forward, his hand raised as if to strike her, but he stopped as soon as he saw the angry glare from Greylock, who'd gathered his daughter into his arms, holding her tightly. "You should teach that brat to keep her mouth shut, Greylock."
"Why? Can't handle the truth when you hear it?" He glowered dangerously toward the other man. "And if you so much as touch a single hair on my daughter's head, I will kill you. Make no mistake of that. And for once, I am dead serious."
The tension in the air was practically palatable as Zeke huffed and quickly left, not wanting to linger anymore.
"It seems he has anger issues," Nigel finally said, turning toward the Carpus king. "He is the only one from your team who has been acting so rashly, Your Majesty."
"I know, and I do apologize on his behalf…" He sighed.
Roland shook his head. "It's not your fault, Hayden. Zeke is responsible for his own actions."
"But threatening people and nearly hurting a little girl is unacceptable, Dad," Sofia argued as she stood up. "And if I find out that he had anything to do with anyone else getting hurt recently, I'll personally take matters into my own hands."
"That won't be necessary, Sofia. I'm sure things will settle down and he will act better from here on out." He glanced toward the other king. "Right?"
King Hayden nodded. "I'll talk to him."
Cedric sighed as the others began dispersing, and he glanced toward his partner. "Talking with Zeke is like reasoning with a dragon."
"Considering his attitude recently, I think a dragon probably has a bit more sense. In fact, I know several who do." She lifted one hand to her head, sighing. "And…my headache is back."
"I think I know what you need…" He reached out and caressed her cheek, smiling. "How does another nap sound?"
She nodded as Tanya handed Nana to her, and Cedric took Tanya's hand. "Sounds great. But…let's go to your room this time." She giggled. "Kind of want to avoid repeating that incident this morning…"
"Agreed." He smiled down toward Tanya, who yawned. "I think we could all use some rest."
Tanya smiled sleepily up at him as they left.
Zeke paused as he came across Brandon sulking in a chair near the kitchen, Porter standing next to him with his arms folded and a bored look on his face. He knew he was still heartbroken from Violet's rejection, and he was in a very vulnerable place right now. Armed with that knowledge, he smirked and approached the steward. "Still upset, are you?"
"Go away, Zeke," Brandon mumbled. "Unless you have a magical way to win the fair Violet's heart, I don't want to be bothered right now."
"And what if I told you I do?" He grinned as Brandon glanced up at him, a look of curiosity filling his features. "What if I told you she'll be falling head over heels in love with you before this week is up?"
The steward slowly smiled, his eyes narrowed in concentration as Porter blinked, looking between the two workers. "I'm listening…"
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Royal Rumble Day Four