Chapter 2
Prince Jimmy

She moaned and shook her head in a daze. She then yawned and tried to open her eyes, but couldn't. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and tried again.

What she was met with made her jaw drop. She wasn't in the cul-de-sac anymore. She seemed to have come upon a quaint village. Houses dressed either side of the road. But these weren't ordinary houses. They appeared to be constructed of graham cracks, similar to the ones sold at Christmas time. And instead of grass, the ground was covered in a thick layer of a strange white substance. She took a scoop of it in her hands and licked it off. It was frosting.

She stared in awe. The road before her was made of chocolate bricks and lined with giant gumdrops. This was no ordinary village she was in. She had somehow ended up in a land of candy!

She was about to stand up and explore more when she realized she was sitting on someone. She looked down and saw the limp figure of Sarah.

"Hold it right there, Miss!" a small boy's voice called. She looked and saw Jimmy running toward her with a whole army of life-sized gingerbread people at his feet.

"Jimmy! I'm so happy to see you-" she began, but was soon cut off.

"That is no way to address your prince, Miss," Prince Jimmy said forcefully, looking crossly at her.

She was confused, but decided to play along. "I'm sorry, Prince Jimmy. Where am I?"

"Oh," Prince Jimmy thought aloud, "playing clueless, are we? Come on, boys, I know just the thing for her…."

"huh?" Two gingerbread men grabbed her arms from behind and dragged her away as she kicked and screamed the whole while. They walked her to a tall building and pushed two graham cracker doors open.

"No!" Let go of me!" She fought against them more, but it was fruitless. They threw her into a chair that quickly bound her arms and legs with licorice so she wouldn't, or couldn't, escape.

Prince Jimmy slowly approached her, tapping something golden in his hand. "Let's just see how much you know," the prince slowly tore the gold wrapping to reveal little more than a bar of chocolate. "Now we just need you to eat this, Miss," he broke off a bit of the chocolate and advanced toward her.

"I don't-" she never finished. One of the gingerbread men stuffed the chocolate into her open mouth while another proceeded to squash her jaw s together. She finally swallowed it down when her cheeks became sore.

Everything began to turn black and fuzzy as she slowly felt sleepier.

"Alright, lets begin the inquiry."

"Alright, get up!" a high-pitched voice exclaimed, painfully drilling itself into her thriving headache.

"Where…?" she opened her eyes slowly. Prince Jimmy was standing in front of her, his face as cheerful as a daisy.

"Do now worry, Miss Nazz," the prince began, but then turned to address his henchmen the gingerbread men. "Release the prisoner!"

The licorice binding her arms and legs to the chair disappeared and she was free to stand upright again.

"What's going on? And how do you know my name?!" she asked worriedly.

"Come," Prince Jimmy waved for her to follow him. "Into the gardens!"

Nazz looked around the room she had been captive in and slowly obeyed the prince's orders, following behind his shadow.

Again, her mouth fell to the floor. The garden too was entirely candy. It looked something out of a storybook. Marshmallow mushrooms basked in the sun. Taffy vines grew up the side of the graham cracker palace. A chocolate stream flowed through and tall trees with ornaments of caramel apples thrived.

"Care for a caramel apple, Miss Nazz?" Prince Jimmy spotted her staring at the odd foliage.

She nodded and he reached up and plucked a candied apple down from the tree.

"Would you care to have a seat?" Prince Jimmy motioned toward a bench made of graham crackers. It supported the prince's weight when he sat upon it and it seemed sturdy enough. She followed suit and graciously accepted the candied apple.

"Do you know what kind of chocolate you ate earlier?" he asked. Nazz shook her head; she hadn't the slightest idea.

"That, Miss Nazz, was truth-telling chocolate. Once one has consumed it, they will be unable to lie for the next hour. Pretty ingenious, yes, Miss Nazz?"

She nodded, hoping to keep him so amused. "but where am I?"

"You are in The Country With No Name, in the land of Peach Cream," he answered.

"So like…how can I go home?"

"There are four main routes out of town. The Dark Chocolate Path leads west. You mustn't go there if you can prevent it. The Almond-Filled Chocolate Bar Road leads south and the Triple Thick Chocolate Trail leads north. Finally, The White Chocolate Walk leads to Ruby City, home to the Great Salami. Only he can help you leave.:

"That doesn't sound too safe, I don't know anyone! What if I don't make it?!"

"There'll be no worrying in that department, Miss Nazz. As long as you have the right protection, you'll be fine," Prince Jimmy leapt down from the bench and pulled a silver whistle out of his pocket. He blew into it, but it made no sound. "BRING OUT THE BEAST!"

"Beast?!" she choked on the word. A low growl sounded from behind them. Nazz swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly turned around.

"What the-?" she blinked in surprise. The "beast" Prince Jimmy had been referring to was nothing more than a small yipping beagle.

"Um, Prince Jimmy? How is this gonna possibly help me?" Nazz asked, bow rose skeptically.

"Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!" the dog snarled, pulling against its leash.

"AAUUGGHH! PRINCE JIMMY, IT JUST TALKED!" Nazz screamed hysterically.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's the idea, sister?!" the dog barked back.

"Allow me to introduce Rudolf. He really is more pleasant than he may seem. His bark's worse than his bite, you know?" Prince Jimmy giggled to himself.

"I'm still here ya know?!" the dog hollered up.

"Rudolf," Prince Jimmy began, ignoring the dog's previous rudeness all together, "this is Miss Nazz. She comes from a land far from here and needs help getting home. You are to escort her safely to Ruby City so she-"

"Ruby City?! Forget it, man! There is no way I'm goin' all the way to-"

"You are to escort Miss Nazz to Ruby City!" Prince Jimmy repeated. "Do this and I'll put a word in for you," he added as an afterthought, smirking at the fact he held the ace.

"Fine…." Rudolf complained, rolling his eyes. "Come along, Miss Nazz!" He started down The White Chocolate Walk. Nazz slowly followed behind her doggy escort.

""Remember! Bring her safely!" Prince Jimmy called.

"Yeah, yeah…."

A/N- So here's chapter two all updated and cleaned up I guess. I just finished plotting out this story, so I really am hoping to finish it. I just feel horrible for not updating in a year and a half, really. I appologize to those people who really enjoyed this story.