Ch26: Charmless Lies

Once we were finally inside of the Argonian castle, we could tell that the citizens were stunned about Trode and Medea being led alongside me to the castle, and I knew that they weren't expecting Medea and Trode to be with someone like me, an elf that was labeled as a criminal from Charmles most likely. "What's going to happen to us, Mary?" Medea asked, her hand still holding onto mine. "We'll find out soon, and then, if things get too heated, I'll warp us out of here with Zoom," I said to her.

Once we all entered the castle, we were then taken to the throne room and were met face-to-face with both Charmles and Pavan, his eyebrows raising bigger than ever upon seeing Medea and Trode with me. "Charmles... what did you say to me before?" Pavan asked Charmles. He whispered it to him, but my elf ears could hear anything they said. "I told you, that elf intentionally had me complete the challenge with the knowledge that Medea had wanted to call off the wedding, just to get her grubby little mitts on the Sun Mirror," Charmles frowned.

"That's not at all what happened, and you know it, liar," I growled at him. "What did you call me, peon?!" Charmles exclaimed as he went up to me and the guards held my arms in place, including the one that, believe it or not, was still splinted up from my injury at the Abbey. "OW! Not so hard! It's still healing, bastards!" I exclaimed at the guard. "Quiet, you! Guard, take her aw-" Charmles was about to say until Medea broke free from her guards, rushed forward and punched Charmles right in the face, shocking both Pavan and the guards around us. "GUARD!" Charmles exclaimed, which made the guards immediately go for Medea... but I seemed to underestimate the princess's skill.

She outwitted all the guards that were around us, wincing the whole time because of her wound on her side, the blood immediately catching Pavan's attention. "Wait a minute... guards! Let them go so I may look at the princess closer!" Pavan exclaimed, the guards immediately doing so. "Rgh... thank you," I growled as I rubbed my bad arm, Pavan coming closer to Medea and inspecting the blood stain. "Hmm... do you mind if I inspected this?" Pavan asked, Charmles's face immediately growing into worry. "Go ahead. And you can thank your idiot brat of a son for giving it to me on our hunting excursion," Medea growled as she lifted that side of her dress up and Pavan finally saw Medea's thigh, a large puncture wound right there.

"This wound... it looks to be made with a small spike... but what do you mean by my son did this to you?" Pavan asked in confusion. "Do you remember what we told you about Princess Medea? How she was travelling with adventurers and wasn't there for the curse?" I asked her. "Yes, I do," Pavan said. "Well only half of that was true. She was travelling with adventurers, but she was there for the curse of Trodain. And just like with King Trode, she was transformed into something. A white horse," I frowned.

When I said that much, Pavan looked shocked and then looked at Charmles with a face of pure anger. "Did you do this intentionally, Charmles?!" Pavan exclaimed in anger. "No, he didn't, but he did much more to us than simply puncturing my thigh with a spur on his shoe," Medea growled as she lowered her dress with a scowl. "He also treated us like dirt, he kept on refusing to go home even after 3 Argon Hearts because of him wanting 'the biggest one to prove his worth to his father', and we witnessed him outside of the kingdom in Baccarat, clad in a trench coat and looking upset that the casino was shut down, which, believe it or not, was caused by a murder from Dhoulmagus, the guy we're after," I explained in full.

Charmles looked at us with a sneer, but quickly retreated when he saw his father look at him with the worst face that one could look at their kid with. One of anger, resentment, and shame. "You told me lies all this time, Charmles! You claimed that Medea wasn't with the group and you claimed that you weren't out trying to gamble when we saw you entering the kingdom prior! And you feel like being the best means getting the best? You think that just because you're wealthy, that means you can do whatever you want?" Pavan asked in anger. Charmles sobbed and the guards finally let us go.

"We need to leave now, Pavan. Our teammates are waiting for us to show up to finish off Dhoulmagus once and for all," I frowned at him. "Then go. But tell me this right now: who was the one to call off the wedding and who did so?" Pavan asked. "I was the one to call off the wedding, and it didn't happen until your bratty prince punctured me with a spur. Believe me, I would've liked to have been married, but I don't want to marry someone as horrid as Charmles. If I were to choose marrying him and being a horse, then make mine a grass sandwich," Medea frowned as she walked out of the place, but not before stopping at the argon heart acquired from the ceremony and taking it for herself. "He doesn't need this. He doesn't deserve it unless he can do it on his own merits without help," Medea growled.

We then left the place and Medea had produced some tears after it all, which I didn't blame her for. "Okay, now that we're out of that scrape, let me try to use Zoom here," I frowned, before Medea put a hand on my shoulder. "Please, allow me," Medea smiled as she placed her hands together and did the surprise of the century. She cast Zoom and we all found ourselves transported to the entrance of the Dark Ruins, right alongside the others! "Hello friends," I smiled at them. "So what all went down?" Yangus asked.

"Well, Charmles, unsurprisingly, lied to Pavan about everything, and when Pavan found out what had happened to me because of Charmles, and after I bitched him out, he let us go," Medea frowned, her sudden swearing surprising all of us, but not so much Trode. "Yes... um... forgive my daughter, but she tends to swear when really angered," Trode frowned. "Now give me a weapon. I'm helping you defeat Dhoulmagus," Medea frowned. "Are you nuts, Medea? He turned you into a horse before, think of what else he could do to you!" Jess exclaimed.

"When I'm protected by this girl, here? The one immune to all magic? Fat chance I'm staying out of this one," Medea frowned. "Well, okay then. I'll wait here with th-" Trode was about to say until he and I saw who was pulling the cart. It looked to be a monster, one that we hadn't met before. And it actually took me a minute to realize, but I knew who it was. "Heh. Looks like you're surprised by my feral form, are you not?" Angelica smirked. I shouldn't have been surprised, but her 'feral form' as she called it, was actually that of a Sea Dragon mixed with a Great Sabercat (which was the only confusing thing). "I'll stay behind for this one to protect Trode from any other monsters... you guys go and rip that Dhoulmagus a new asshole," she frowned. "Good luck, Angelica. We'll be careful, that's a promise," Angelo smiled.