AN: 5th chapter! Hope you guys had a good day, I sure have! Oh, and can anyone guess who Author really is?
Chapter 5: The Test
Andie sat in a large tub, playing with the bubbly water.
It was still early in the morning, and Andie was used to waking up at dawn. She released a loud yawn and sunk further in the tub. This is really relaxing, she thought. Something poked around her mind and she exasperatedly pushed it away.
She sat there for a couple of hours and as the stress of war faded away, she realized how much of an idiot she actually was. She left Immorta. She left Immorta without telling anyone. Oh, she was so dead.
In her panic, she allowed Red to enter her mind. The dragon rolled her eyes. "That was what I was trying to tell you, Andie," she muttered. Andie jumped in surprise.
"We need to tell Master Hand!" she exclaimed, jumping out of the tub and quickly putting on her clothes. She dashed out of the bathroom and stopped when she remembered something. "We don't know where his room is, do we?"
She could feel Red nod.
Andie groaned loudly. After recollecting herself, she searched for the two princesses she met the other day. Meanwhile, Red was just relieved that she could speak to Andie again.
They entered the girls' section and passed a few doors before stopping by a pink one. "Princess Peach and Jigglypuff," she read.
She straightened her back and knocked loudly on the door. She could hear shuffling from the other side of the door before somebody opened it. Andie raised her eyebrow as a tired-looking blonde princess with messy hair greeted her. "Oh, hello, Andie!" she said.
"Your highness," she greeted, bowing. Peach giggled at her actions.
"No need to be so formal, we're all equal here! What do you need?" she asked. Andie stood there, feeling slightly awkward before clearing her throat.
"Do you know where Master Hand's quarters are?" she asked. Her voice was all business, and Peach found that amusing.
"Well, it's at the top floor. The door to your right, I think," she said, a little unsure. She would very much feel bad if Andie ended up going to Crazy's office. She shuddered.
Andie nodded to the princess and thanked her, quickly following Peach's directions.
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If Andie were a normal person, she would be very tired by now. After climbing up seven flights of stairs, she finally arrived at the top floor. Red was chatting with her enthusiastically, while Andie only half-heartedly listened.
She came to a stop in front of the door to her right. Unlike the rest of the mansion, the door's material looked ancient. "I don't feel too good about this," Red muttered.
"Is the ancient dragon afraid of an ancient door?" the warlord teased. Red was silent as Andie knocked on the door, albeit a little reluctantly. Andie tensed as the door creaked open.
"Come in," she heard Master Hand call. She slowly stepped in the room and stared at the contents in confusion and awe. Talk about don't judge a book by its cover.
The floors were squeaky clean and so were the walls. There were paintings on the walls around her. Gems of every kind were present in the room, some were familiar and others were completely foreign. Every time she blinked, another antique material replaced the other.
"And I thought our kingdom was rich," Red breathed. Andie found herself silently agreeing. A desk stood in the middle of the room and lo and behold, Master Hand floated in front of a large window, seemingly staring into the horizon.
Andie gulped quite audibly. "Master Hand, I haven't told my friends that I would be going. Could I maybe-"
She was unable to finish the sentence as Master Hand already knew of what she was speaking of. "Yes, I will take care of that. It was quite unwise for a warlord such as you to just leave the kingdom though," he said. Andie blushed in embarrassment while Red felt amused.
"I felt stressed because of the war," she heatedly replied. It was true, though. She had been a warlord for three years and has already been through a lot. Most forget that she was only fifteen.
"I know that, Andie. No need to be so rude," Master Hand chuckled. A chair suddenly popped in front of his desk. "Come, sit," he said.
Andie was not comfortable with sitting in front of him, but she followed nonetheless.
"What made you inspired to join the army at such a young age?" He asked. Andie and Red mentally groaned. They hated being interrogated.
"Well, I wanted to be a hero and to be able to contribute something to my kingdom. My father was also in the army. Why do you ask?" she said. Master Hand ignored her question.
"I'll have to add that to the profile log," he muttered, making Andie confused. She pushed her other thoughts back and focused on her current situation.
"How will you deal with my problem?" she asked. Master Hand stayed silent for a few moments. He seemed hesitant to tell her.
"I'll… ask help from an old friend," was his reply. Andie wondered who this "old friend" was. As she thought of another question to ask, Red spoke to her.
"Are you sure that we can trust this being?"
Andie pondered this silently. I've been betrayed many times, Red. I'll know when he's lying, she answered. Red's presence slowly slipped out of her mind and she sighed.
"What else do you want to ask?"
Andie almost jumped in surprise when Master Hand spoke. She thought for a moment before asking, "You said that there was a test. What kind of test is it and when will I take it?"
"It's going to test your skills, young warlord. I will not go easy on you during this test. The test will start in a week to give you time to prepare. Find a tutor and train," he explained. Andie didn't know many smashers. So far, she met two princesses and one jerk.
"Alright, I'll see you again, I guess," she said as she stood up and walked to the door. She sent him a glance with narrowed eyes before getting out and shutting the door.
Master Hand sighed. "It's always the tense ones that are hard to chat with," he said.
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Andie walked quietly to her room.
"Maybe you should make friends with those princesses and ask them about the other smashers," Red suggested. Andie hummed to herself in thought. "Maybe," she said.
She smiled when the dragon groaned. "Why "Maybe"?" she whined.
"I'm not sure if I can trust them yet. For all we know, they might be just as arrogant as that Falcon fellow. They might just be acting," she replied. Red shook her head.
"You, miss, have trust issues," Red teased. Andie rolled her eyes. "Says the one who asked me if I was sure that I could trust the giant floating hand," she muttered.
"Hey! I'm also pretty sure that the pink one wasn't acting," Red argued. Andie would have given the dragon a look. "Remember someone else who was good at acting?" she asked. Red realized who Andie was talking about and groaned.
"Of course I still remember him," Red sneered. The betrayal was a painful blow to the dragon and Andie's feelings. They stayed silent for a few minutes before Red asked, "Are you still mad that I kept something from you?"
Andie sighed. "Sorry, I guess that the stress was a bit too much to handle," she apologized. Red nodded in sympathy.
"You can handle wars but you can't handle stress?" she joked. Andie shook her head then smiled. She arrived at her room and entered. She collapsed on her bed with a sigh. She looked up when she saw a letter on her desk.
She took it then curiously opened it. It was a letter from Master Hand notifying her that she could send letters to her friends. A wide grin spread across the warlords face. "Very convenient," Red commented.
Andie took a piece of parchment and a quill. "Hey Red?" she called. "Do you have any suggestions for a letter?"
AN: That's the end of the chapter, folks! Hope to see you soon and I'll try to keep up with school and this story.