A.N… Thanks again to all of you who reviewed! I really appreciate all of the encouragement you guys give me! And thanks for the ideas too! I've added all of them to my list, and I think I'll start one or two of them really soon!
But I was looking at different fanfictions the other day, and I saw a couple people put their responses to their reviews in their stories, so I wanted to give it a try!

kateflowrchild13…Thank you! I always love reading your reviews; they're so encouraging!
MagsRocks… Thanks for the idea! I added that to my list, and that would be a really interesting plotline to write about!
KurlyCrazyKat… Thanks for the encouragement! Haha, that part was fun to write about! :D

So, in the last two chapters, I've hinted in my A.N.'s that I was going to do something with "medievalness" and "mutton", in this chapter, and I've finally gotten enough written to post it! But the thing is, It got kind of long, and I still have some things that I would love to touch on with this subject, so I will probably be turning this one into a two-shot/three-shot, not sure which!
So, here's the theme!:

What if… The flock goes to a renaissance fair?

Granted, I've never gone to a renaissance fair before, but I have seen them in movies! I have a deep love for medieval-ish things, and I thought that this could be a really fun subject to write!

Also, I will try to fit a lot of humor in here (since it's my specialty ;) ), and this one is going to be more about the whole flock, rather than just Fang x Max centered, although it will be there! Just you wait! :D

I've also kind of been slacking off with writing the ownership titles, so just assume from herein out:
"I don't own Maximum Ride. (If I did, the last three books would have gone a lot differently) I don't own the characters, either. Only this story!

And keep in mind that this story is going to have a lot of nerdy knights/fair-goers, and a lot of humor that ensues. I'm not trying to make fun of anyone who goes to renneissance fairs, because I would love to go to one myself! (My best friend and I talk about finding costumes so we can go to one someday in the future, but sadly, there is none close to us. :( ). And I'm not sure how accurate the setting will be, since I've never been to one before. I tried to get the medieval-speak down properly by looking up how to say stuff on Google (Go Google!), but it's not 100% correct.

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"Just remember to be respectful, and try to get into character if you can." Dr. Martinez instructed, peering at the flock through the review mirror as the seven-seater van sped down the highway.

"Us, disrespectful?" I joked, adjusting the seatbelt restraint. I hated those things. "Never!" Iggy snorted in the seat behind me, and I fought back a snicker. The flock and I didn't have much schooling in the manners department.

"Just try, please." Mom stressed, glancing up from the road to give me a pointed look.

"Oh, you all have to try the mutton when we get there!" Ella gushed excitedly from the seat beside Iggy, turning to look at the rest of the flock in the seats behind her. I turned and glanced at them too, all squashed up in the back together. Fang was situated in the middle with Gazzy on his left and Nudge on his right. Angel was tucked in Fang's lap, his arms locked tightly around her as a make-shift seatbelt.

Mom had argued that it wasn't safe before we had taken off, but we assured her that Fang could probably protect the little six year old much better than a seat belt would in the case of an accident. Mom had reluctantly agreed, and we had all piled in the claustrophobic van, heading towards our destination.

Where, do you ask, are we going perchance? Why, to an old-fashioned renaissance fair, of course! Where we will interact with 'knights' and 'maidens' in medieval-speak, and learn about the history of the ancient 1300's! Did I also mention that once we arrived, we had to get fitted into our very own medieval outfits? Yeah. Max not happy.

But, on, the bright side, participants get unlimited food, and us bird kids could eat to our heart's content. Now I didn't know much about the history of medieval life, but I do know that they had some pretty yummy homemade dishes! I couldn't wait to try out some of them. Or maybe all of them. Heh-heh!

"What the heck is 'mutton'?" Iggy asked curiously, leaning towards the direction of Ella's voice.

"Yeah, what is it?" Nudge questioned, removing one of her pink ear buds. "Is it some kind of pasta? It's kind of a weird name; 'mutton'. But it could totally be, like, a lasagna or something."

"Nope, it's not pasta." Ella replied. "It's some kind of meat, and it's a little tough, but they give you a bunch of it, and its sooo yummy!"

"It's sheep, honey." Mom said, smiling at her daughter through the mirror. "But yes, their food is delicious! There's a whole selection of meat you can choose from, and there's a bunch of cheese, fruits, wine– but stay away from that, you're too young; vegetables, pies, cakes-"

"Pies and Cakes?" Angel exclaimed, bouncing up and down in Fang's lap excitedly. "Two of my favorite foods, ever!" She was too cute!

"Hold still, you little goober." Fang said, trying to get Angel to settle down as she squirmed in his lap. Ha-ha! Goober.

"Yep!" Ella answered, smiling at the beaming six year old. "There's a ton of different kinds! But my personal favorite is their cherry pies. Yu-um! They're delicious!"

"Do they have ice cream, too?" Gazzy asked, peering at Ella with hopeful eyes.

"Hmm… I think they do!" Ella replied, giggling as Gazzy let out a big "Whoop-Whoop!"

I chuckled as I turned back around in my seat, string out of the passenger side window as I watched the trees blur by. We were in a heavily forested area, and, supposedly, the fair grounds were in a huge clearing of trees deep in the forest. I sighed. We were getting closer.

Mom suddenly turned on the blinker and slowed the van in order to take a right turn onto a forested cement road. The flock grew quiet as they stared out the windows, taking in the balloons and wooden signs that indicated where to drive.

The winding road continued for a minute or two before a large tan sign appeared over the pathway. It read: 'Welcome thee to… MEDIEVAL ACRE' in large old-fashioned script. Gee, that's quite original!

"Well, here we are guys!" Mom announced enthusiastically. The whole flock and Ella cheered, minus me and Fang, Dressing up in costumes would not be fun. Heh; Maybe Fang will have to wear something other than black. I looked in my side mirror to see Fang's reflection, seated in the back of the car, Angel on his lap. He spotted me looking at him and rolled his eyes to convey his annoyance. He really didn't want to be here. I rolled mine back at him, and his mouth quirked up the tiniest bit. At least I wasn't alone in this.

Mom parked the car in an empty parking spot, way in the back of the grass lot. We opened up our doors and shuffled out of the van. I was a bit relieved to be back on solid ground again; us bird kids did not like being cooped up in small places, take it from me.

The flock gasped in awe at the huge fairgrounds, contained by tall wooden fences. The tops of large brightly colored tents and pavilions shown from inside the grounds, and the sound of laughter and exuberant chatter could be heard from within.

'Well,' I thought sarcastically as we began walking towards the entrance, manned by two fully armored knights with money belts tied around their suited waists, 'This is going to be fun...'

"I. Hate. This." I declared, annunciating every word. I glowered at my reflection in the mirror. I had been forced into some kind of linen corset dress, with puffy sleeves and a flowing skirt. The gown was a dark burgundy color, and the area of the neckline, waistline, and ribbon around the 'poof' of the sleeves was a golden floral print. On top of that, I was forced to wear an itchy under-tunic and a golden tiara atop my head. Princess Max. Please kill me now!

"Oh, honey!" Mom cooed cheerfully as she peered in from the flap of the small white burlap 'changing tent' that I was standing in. Many others were spread at the entrance of the fair, and the flock was all getting dressed into their medieval garb. "You look so beautiful!" Mom was wearing a dark royal purple gown, an intricate crown weaved into her dark curls.

She rushed over to me, skirt flowing around her ankles and a large smile on her face. "I look like a pansy!" I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

Mom gave me a stern look, straitening my lopsided tiara."You look like a medieval princess, Max. And a very pretty one at that." She gave me a wink, a secretive smile crossing her face. "I know one young sir that won't be able to keep his eyes off you!" What? Oh, for the love of-

"Not you too, Mom!" I whined as she giggled. Everyone in the flock always teased me and Fang, accusing us of secretly dating. Which we were not! I mean, we had kissed before… But that has nothing to do with anything! And now my mom thought we were dating too? Gah! I can never win!

"I'm sorry sweetie, but I couldn't resist." She pulled me into a motherly hug, and I relaxed in her arms. Mom gave the best hugs ever.

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered into her shoulder. She laughed and pulled away from me, grabbing my flowy-sleeve-covered arm.

"Just have fun, okay? That's all we're here for." She smiled gently at me before she released my arm and grasped my hand, tugging me toward the tent flap. I unwillingly followed, my worn converse clad feet shuffling reluctantly behind her. The 'royal seamstress' that picked out my outfit had insisted that I wear some form of clogs, but I immediately refused. No one touches my converse! They were my babies…

Stepping out of the tent and into the festive atmosphere, I immediately spotted my flock standing by a tall wooden flag pole in the center of the circle of changing tents. Mom let go of my hand, and together we dodged the many fair-goers, each dressed in their own costumes.

I walked slowly up to my family, taking in each of their appearances. Angel was wearing a rosy pink princess dress with matching slippers and sparkles and glitter on the skirt. Gazzy was adorable, dressed in a hunter green velvet suit, stockings pulled up to his knees and tucked into black clogs. Ella's gown was a baby blue color, no poof and all elegance. How did she get so lucky? Iggy had on a puffy white v-neck shirt with brown trousers and knee-high black boots. And Fang…

Fang was dressed in a dark blue, almost black, cotton tunic with matching trousers, knee high boots identical to Iggy's covering his feet. He had an elaborate dark cape that hung to the back of his thighs, and a black leather belt that was fitted across his waist. To be perfectly honest, he looked like batman would if he fell into a time warp and ended up in the 1300's.

The girls were all wearing tiaras, and the guys wore crowns atop their heads. Except Iggy had slanted his down so it was sitting lopsided on his head, claiming it was "more stylish" that way.

"Wait," I asked, a thought occurring to me. "Where's Nudge?" I peered around through the crowd, trickling in through the gates. After they each stopped and paid their fifty dollar fees, of course.

"She's still in her tent being made-up." Iggy stated, brushing his hands down his cotton shirt, fingering the low neck line. At least it had criss-crossed strings on it.

"Oh, okay." I muttered. Iggy's costume really didn't look too 'royal sir-ish', and I couldn't exactly place what it reminded me of… Oh, duh! "Iggy, you look like a pirate." All he was missing was a large captain's hat instead of that crown.

Iggy grinned, flashing his pearly whites. "There were pirates in the middle ages, weren't there?"

"Pirates have existed ever since the ancient Roman times," My mom said, smiling at Iggy and I. "They were present in the medieval era, but they only usually stuck to areas bordering the seas." My mom was so smart!

"Well, why couldn't I have been a pirate?" I asked grumpily, placing my hands on my hips. I would have much rather been a suave kick-butt thief instead of being dressed as a sweet royal princess! "There were girl pirates too, weren't there?"

Mom nodded her head in affirmation. "There was Anne Bonny. She was a fierce, combat-worthy pirate of the Carribean Seas. She pirated and co-captained along with her lover, Calico Jack, on their ship, the Revenge. Although, she wasn't born until a later era." Hmm… I'm starting to really like this woman!

"I would have much rather been her." I grumbled, kicking at my skirt's trimmed hemline. Have I mentioned how annoying dresses were?

"Well, I for one-eth, doust thinketh you looketh darling-eth!" Nudge exclaimed, twirling towards us in dramatic excitement, her shimmering purple gown flowing around her as she did so.

"Nudge, I don't think adding '-eth' to the end of each word makes it medieval." Fang stated as Nudge reached us. Her dark hair was braided neatly with multi-colored ribbons so her sparkly bejeweled crown wouldn't fall from her head. I guess Renaissance fairs needed their fashionistas too!

"But the tailor that picked out my fabulous outfit used '–eth's' in her words all the time!"

"Just listen to the other people and the vendors, and you'll pick it up easy!" Ella instructed, motioning towards the archway that led to the fair. "It's really fun once you get the hang of it!"

"Yeah, we'll see about that…" I mumbled, as the flock all grouped together and shuffled forwards, leaving the fair's entry and heading towards the fray.

"And hereby cometh Lord Harvard Chanley, the Magnificent!" The jester boomed on the loudspeakers, as a tall knight in black armor walked bravely to his horse and mounted it, giving an extravagant bow to the crowd. The crowd went wild, including some of the members of my flock. Another knight gave him a lance with styrofoam on the tip to insure no impaling or major injuries would happen to the other rider.

"And now, cometh once more to attempt to fetch thee victory; Lord Sheldon The Brave-hearted!" The crowd cheered once more as a tall blonde teen stepped up to his 'steed', another large lance with a safety foam tip in one hand and a helmet in his other. He mounted his horse and waved princess-like to the crowd, before dramatically flourishing his cape behind him and donning his helmet. Wow. What a stud.

The Gasman nudged me from my right, and I looked down at him, trying to hold in my bored expression. "Max, may I commandeer one of those fine mares and attack people with lances?" He gazed at me with big bambi eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him. Gazzy smiled sheepishly up at me, and I couldn't help but let a reluctant grin slip out. He was just too darn adorable!

"Entertaining as that may be, I don't think that it would be smiled upon by my mother dearest." Mom would freak out! Not to mention that she would refuse to bake cookies for us as punishment. And that was the worst kind of punishment, trust me!

"Dang it…" Gazzy muttered, snapping his fingers like Swiper from Dora the Explorer. I reached over and ruffled his hair, and he ducked away, glaring playfully at me before trying to straighten his shaggy blonde mane.

A loud horn blew from the fields below, and I instantly spun towards the noise, suddenly alert and ready for action. But it was only the beginning of the third jousting round, as the horses took off with their riders, each one on opposite sides of a low fence and across the field from each other. Lord Sheldon and Lord Chanley sped closer and closer to one another, each raising their lances when they were within a couple dozen yards of colliding.

And when they were within mere feet from each other, Lord Sheldon suddenly dropped his lance and maneuvered his steed away from the fence, just out of reach of the other knight's strike. Chanley, who won by default, slowed his horse to a stop as the crowd booed at the cowardly Lord Shelton. He trotted off stage, throwing his helmet off in anger.

"So much for "Lord Brave-heart" being brave," Ella murmured teasingly from my left. I snickered. The victorious knight thrust his fist in the air, and the crowd half-heartedly cheered, since there was no impaling of lances.

"Yeah, no kidding," Iggy retorted from Ella's side, grinning in Ella's direction. "Lord Braveheart? More like Lord of the Cowardly Cream Puffs." Oh, Ig…

Ella laughed, bumping Iggy's shoulder with her own. I squinted my eyes. Hmm… I wonder if they have feelings for each other… "That would be a much more appropriate name, for sure!" Ella exclaimed, making Iggy smile even wider. I leaned back on the grandstand bench I was sitting on, tilting my head to look behind Ella and Iggy. I peered at Fang's form, sitting by Ig's left. Fang was subtly peering at the couple, a slight curiousity in his eyes. I sat up straight again in my seat. So it wasn't just me that thought so. I smiled evilly. Oh, the teasing that I could rain upon them!

"And Lord Chanley the Magnificent is the victor!" The jester boomed on the loudspeakers, as Lord Chanley, the knight that I couldn't remember, galloped his steed onto the exit area, awaiting his next turn. "And now, here cometh Lord Harold Barker the Brawn on thy north side of thee fence!" People cheered, and the Lord let out a warrior cry before banging on his chest and hopping on his horse.

"Hey Max," Angel asked from the Gasman's side. "Don't you think he looked like a monkey there?" She grinned at me, kicking her pink slippered feet underneath the bench, her blonde curls bouncing up and down as she did so.

"He sure did, kiddo." To me, all these men looked like monkeys.

"Or Tarzan," Nudge supplied, smiling at me from Angel's side. I grinned. That about summed it up! "Ya' know, like how he bangs on his chest and lets out that loud screech! Although, it didn't go 'OOH-EY-EEA-OOHH' like Tarzan's usually does, it was pretty close! And, I mean, he's not wearing a loin cloth, which Tarzan does, but I can totally understand why, since riding a horse with only a loin-cloth on would probably hurt really bad. He would probably get a lot of chafing from that, for sure. And he totally-"

"Nudge, sweetie," Mom interrupted, giving the talkative princess a soft smile. "Your mouth is running a mile a minute, again." Nudges face flushed, and she gave my Mom a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," Nudge began, raising her hand and 'zipped her lips'.

I looked back toward the games as the horn blew again, making me jump for the fourth time this evening, and the two knights took off, Lord Barker screaming in what I assumed was meant to be intimidating, as he and the other knight who's name I didn't quite catch rushed towards each other. Lord Barker increased the pitch of his battle cry as they were within mere feet from one another, before Barker tilted his lance and hit the other knight square in his chest, sending 'no-name' off his horse and onto the ground.

The crowd went wild once more, as the victorious knight raised his arms in a 'v' formation, overjoyed by his win. I sighed, resting my head on my arm. Only twenty six more rounds to go...
_

I strode through the fair alone, kicking up dirt with my converse. After seven more rounds of jousts, and more than a dozen more to go in the tournament, I decided that I couldn't sit still any longer, and snuck away to tour the grounds. I felt kind of bad for leaving the flock there alone, but I knew they were in good hands, as Fang and Mom were both keeping a watchful eye on them while I "went to the bathroom" Ha-ha; I'm such a sneaky rebel!

"M'Lady!" A red-headed vendor exclaimed as I passed by, resting his arms against his small shop's railing. "Mayhap thou t'would like a beauteous necklace, or e'en a crafted ring? They be only twenty parcels of change!" I shook my head, trying not to seethe at the man. Just because I looked like a princess didn't mean that I was one. Necklaces and jewelry? Totally not my thing.

"No thanks; I'm good." I muttered, ignoring the man's disappointed face at my not using 'medieval-speak'.

"M'Lady!" A gypsy woman exclaimed from inside a small tent, the flaps pulled back to reveal crystal balls and beads inside, "'T'would you delight in the foretelling of your future? The tarot cards, they ne'er tell a falsehood!" Hmm… interesting… I might have to stop back here in a while.

"Not at the moment." I murmur, walking past the shop.

"M'Lady, M'Lady!" A woman exclaimed from inside a gift shop. "T'would you be delighted with handmade garb, or crafted drinking glasses? They be the finest in the kingdom!"

I was beginning to get really agitated. "Nope, and no thanks." I picked up my pace, dodging a teen who was trying to hit his friend with a plastic sword.

I continued on my tour, striding passed open taverns filled with men, with scantily clad waitresses with very low-cut shirts. I shuddered. Fiddlers and singers were composing music to my left, and some people were dancing in a small crowd. A play was going on to my right, and I looked just in time to see a king get 'stabbed' by a rueful peasant. The crowd gathered around them and gasped. Some even had tears in their eyes as the King died almost instantly, falling over and dramatically gasping for breath before turning his head and falling limp on the stage. I shook my head. So over-dramatic.

I turned a corner, dodging people and small children heading towards the many events and vendors. The smell of food was really tempting, but I should probably wait for the flock to get done watching the jousting tournament before I indulged, knowing that the kids would be mad if we didn't eat together. But it was just so hard! A large wooden pie shop sat in the small walkway, the smell of the delicious desserts wafted through the open window and clouded my senses.

'No, Max!' I thought to myself, clenching my fists. 'Stay strong for the kids!' I looked around for a distraction, anything that popped out at me. Woman flirting with nerdy knights in a corner, A hobo playing the guitar for money sitting by a wall… A 'gentleman' contest where a knight must impress a princess for money… Nope…

And then, I saw it…

My eyes lit up, and I made a bee-line for the rectangular station across the walkway. Stepping confidently up to the rope fence alongside a few other men, I waited excitedly for the challenge to begin. This was definitely my kind of entertainment. A nerdy brown-haired teenage boy scoffed from my side, smirking down at me. Cocky, eh? I smirked right back. I was going to kick his butt, and that kid didn't know what was coming to him.

He raised his eyebrows in humor and turned to his friend, whispering in a black-haired jock's ear. The jock laughed, glancing at me quickly, and shook his head before turning to a man standing in front of a series of targets and wooden stations, blunted silver daggers in his hand. Yeah, I'll show both of those jokers.

The old grey-bearded 'knight' standing in front of the fence peered at each of us, a challenging grin on his lips. He straightened his tunic with one hand, holding the daggers by his side as the maximum number of contestants lined up against the ropes.

"Good morrow, lads… and lass." The man began, pacing in front of the ropes. "'Tis a beauteous morn, is it not?" The men grumbled from beside me in affirmation, and I simply nodded my head. "This challenge be t'ree parcels of change, and 'twill begin after e'ry one has paid their dues." Crap. I took off my right converse, turning it upside down and shaking it for change. That may sound weird, but Mom had given us each six coins to spend, and the stupid dresses had no pockets.

After a few seconds of shaking, six coins came out, and I handed three of them to the old man, who grinned at my method of storing change, before moving to the rope and un-latching the entrance. Hopping as I got my shoe back on, I followed behind the group, picking out one of the six empty slots to the right of the middle. The slots were more like fences, low hanging enough that we could see over-top of them to observe our competition. The old man began walking around, handing five daggers each to the contestants, which he fished out of a big belt hanging around his waist.

The brown-haired jerk from earlier leaned over the low fence towards me, condescendingly smiling at me. "Greetings, princess," He crooned cockily, resting his hands against the railing. "Do not weep when we best thou in this battle." Pssh. As if!

I raised my eyebrow at him, another smirk forming over my lips. "Hello there, dingbat. Don't go crying to your mother when I shove my foot up your-"

"M'Lady?" The man interrupted, holding out my daggers with his eyebrows raised in warning. I sighed and took them, placing three on the grassy ground by my feet and holding one in each hand. The knight moved on, handing the daggers out to the final three people at the end; The cocky jerk and his jock friend included. The old man stepped off to the side, leaning against the wall.

"Alas, 'tis time to begin thee challenge. E'ry warrior has five silver knives, and whomever pierces the rings closest to thee center, will be awarded with a splended prize!" The man paused so we could take in the information. "You see, the rings are each worth different points; the closest ye be to the center, the more generous score ye get. Ye be sure to throw thee knives with caution, as they be very troublesome. There be no throwing at others," He gave me a pointed look. Dang it, "and certainly no foolery whilst dealing with these weapons."

"And that be-est spoken, ye may begin!"

I raised the dagger in my right hand, balancing it lightly in my grasp. I've dealt with knives before, as it was part of Jeb's training way back in the E-house times. Although I was a bit rusty, I knew how to throw them, how to tilt my wrist and adjust my aim just right to make them hit the target. That may sound creepy, but hey! A bird-girl's gotta' learn to survive somehow!

The men let their daggers fly, a couple of them missing their targets. I looked over to the jerk and his friend to see that they had each hit around the first rung, the jerk having hit slightly closer to the center of the first. Not bad, not bad. The jerk sent me another smirk, seeing as I hadn't thrown mine yet. What is it with that guy and smirking? Wiggling my eyebrows at him, I turned and rapidly threw my right dagger, then the left within half a second of each other.

I assessed my aim; Not too shabby! The right dagger had hit the borderline of the first rung, and the left had hit the center of the same ring, dangerously close to the bulls eye. I slyly slid my gaze over to Sir Overly-Confidant, who looked at me in disbelief. The old man locked his surprised gaze with mine from where he was leaning against the wall, granting me a nod of appreciation. Allllrighty, then!

Let the challenge begin, Mr. Cocky…

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A.N… So, what do you guys think? This will be continued soon, since I already half over half the next part written already.

But yeah! There 'tis! :D
And with people disappointed by the lack of FAX in this one, keep reading! It will be there, trust me!

Please Review/Tell me how it went! I'm not trying to be review-hungry or anything, but I got half as many reviews on the last chapter than I normally do; If there's anything you didn't like about the last chapter or wish for me to do differently, please message me and I will keep in in consideration! I will find any criticism constructive, so let me know!

Oh, and if you have any ideas from in the books or just random ideas for a possible one-shot, please let me know! Review/PM. I will add them to my list! It can be anything you can think of, anything at all!
Just throw it out there, kay? :D