I know I haven't added a chapter in a long time so hopefully you will like this as I really enjoyed writing it. It is about Christopher who was mentioned very briefly in the third chapter. If you can't remember him he is the son of Horace and Cassandra/Evanlyn, meaning he is the heir to the throne of Araluen and he is fifteen years old. So now you know who Christopher (Chris) is we can get onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rangers Apprentice or any of the characters in this chapter except for Chris and Charlotte.

Chapter 5: E for Eat

Christopher swung his sword high in the air and brought it down on the practice dummy in front of him with a loud CLANG. He brought the sword back and again hit the dummy in front of him. The only sound Christopher could hear was the CLANG, CLANG, CLANG of his sword. He wiped the perspiration from his brow with his sleeve and then got back to his training. His entire clothes were wet from the effort he had put in. He had been out for the best part of an hour practicing his skills just like he would every day. He would wake up at seven in the morning and go straight out to train for an hour and then go back into the castle and have his breakfast.

He stopped for a few minutes to catch his breath and looked around. The castle he had grown up in looked the same as ever. The gold walls reflected the sun light onto the ground in front of them. The sky was a light blue behind the castle and there were a few clouds in it. The guards were standing on the walls keeping a look out, standing up straight and looking straight ahead.

Christopher sheathed his sword and wiped his brow once more before heading to the castle gate where he would be able to get clean clothes and some breakfast. He walked through the corridors of the castle smiling at people as he passed them. As he walked along servants bowed their heads and guards did a nod of respect. Christopher was in his own world thinking about what he would have for his first meal of the day when he turned a corner and knocked into something or someone.

"I'm so sorry sir" said a serving girl as she quickly started to pick up the clothes she had dropped. Christopher quickly helped her and got up and then saw who it was. Charlotte. He knew Charlotte quite well even though she was a servant and he was heir to the throne. After all she was his mother's servant. She had long blonde hair that was pulled up behind her head and beautiful blue eyes. She had a pale complexion. In Christopher's eyes she was beautiful. He had spoken to her many times before and they got on well. The only thing stopping them from being friends or anything more was his title.

Even though he loved being prince it did have its down sides, and this unfortunately was one of them. "Don't be, I wasn't watching where I was going" he said. She smiled at him and then quickly left leaving Christopher alone in the corridor. He let out a sigh and then headed to his room.

His room wasn't like any other in the castle. There was a door to his left which led to his bed chambers and next to the door was a cupboard where he kept his weapons and armour. There was a fire place on the right hand side of the wall and a window on the wall opposite to Christopher. There was a dark blue rug in front of the fire place and in the middle of the room was the main table where Christopher would have breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner. Normally he would place his sword on the table and get changed but today there was no room.

NO room.

Christopher's brow furrowed and he walked into the room. "Lucas!" he shouted as he stared at the table in confusion. It was full of food. It looked as if every type of food from the kitchens was there. Christopher would know, he had snuck into the castle kitchens on several occasions to get some food when he had been grounded to his room.

He was about to call out to Lucas again but stopped when he saw his father sitting in a chair behind the food. "What are you doing?" he asked as Horace stood up from the chair.

"I was flying" Horace sarcastically said to his son. Yet another thing he had learnt from being friends with rangers.

"I meant why you are in my room? And why is my table full of food?" Christopher said taking off his sword and leaning it against the wall behind him. He took a grape from a bowl that was closest to him and popped it in his mouth.

"Well Chris, I remember about a week ago you said you had a bigger appetite than me" Horace said with a smile.

"Yes, but that doesn't explain… this" Christopher said throwing his arms in the direction of the table.

"Well your mother is busy so she can't tell us what to do and what not to do. I believe that my appetite is bigger than yours but you don't, so let's put it to the test." Horace looked at his son still smiling.

"This is stupid" Chris told his father. Sometimes his father, the king of Araluen, acted like a kid. A kid that Christopher got on very well with, "I'm in just let me change." Christopher went off to his bed chambers and came back five minutes later in clean, dry clothes.

"Where's Lucas?"

"I said he could join but he declined so I said he could have two hours to do what he wants" Horace said.

"I wonder why" Chris muttered as he made his way to the table. "What are the rules exactly?" There was a silence as Horace thought about it.

"There aren't any, just who ever stops eating first loses." With that said Horace started eating a pie closest to him. Christopher looked at his father. He had the pink innards of the pie all around his mouth and pieces of pastry flakes stuck to his chin. It was as if he had a beard of food. How did I end up with a family like this? Chris asked himself. Probably because you're exactly the same said another voice in his head and Chris picked up an apple pie and took a large bite from it, getting just as much around his face as his dad. At this moment in time they looked like twins, one being larger than the other. "Don't you think this is a bad idea?" Chris asked through a mouthful of pie.

"No, it'll be fine" Horace said.

Christopher looked at Horace and saw that he had two pies in his hands. He took a bite from one and then a bite from the other. He shook his head; he was going to have to eat a lot more if he wanted to beat his dad. Once he finished the pie he took an apple from the bowl next to him. If he ate less sickly foods then he wouldn't feel sick as quickly as Horace would. Then again Horace always ate and never seemed to stop.

Half an hour later and they were still going. In the thirty minutes of the competition Chris had eaten two apple pies, an apple, some roast potatoes and a cherry pie. Horace on the other hand had eaten three cherry pies, an apple pie and was eating an orange. Horace looked fine and still well but Chris had a slight green tinge to his face.

"Are you alright?" Horace asked.

"Yeah, what about you?" Christopher said concentrating on not throwing up the pies he had eaten. When the nausea passed he took a grape and ate it. Again he felt sick.

"I'm fine" Horace said taking a bite from another pie. This is ridiculous thought Chris as he watched his dad eat and eat. Does he actually have a stomach? He asked himself. As he thought this he heard Horace let out an extremely loud burp. This just made Chris feel sick all over again. "Are you done?" Horace asked.

"No" Chris said. Horace looked at his son.

"Well I am" he stated as he let out another loud burp.

"Ok well I am now as well" Chris said with a huge grin on his face. Even though Horace knew he could continue he was pleased to see his son happy. Another wave of nausea passed over Chris as someone knocked on the door. He got up and leant on the table.

"Coming" he shouted so the person behind the wooden door would hear him. He slowly and steadily made his way to the door and opened it. To his shock he saw Charlotte standing in the corridor. "Hello" he said. She smiled back.

"Queen Cassandra wants to speak with you and King Horace" she said.

"Ok let me just tell my father" he said smiling. There was another loud burp from inside the room. Chris smiled at Charlotte and felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. He quickly leant against the door frame as again he felt sick. This was a very bad idea he thought to himself.

"Are you alright?" Charlotte asked Chris.

"Yeah I just feel a little s…" Chris didn't finish his sentence before he was sick over anything in front of him, including Charlotte. He looked up from the floor. Charlotte looked at her dress and then at Christopher. "I am so sorry" he said quickly not knowing what to do. Horace appeared at the doorway and looked at Christopher's green face and the green-brown lumpy mixture on the front of Charlotte's dress.

"Maybe it was a bad idea" Horace said to no one in particular.

So I hope you like this chapter as much as I do. Please review and tell me what you think I really want to know what you think of this. Thank you to Crazy for reviewing and giving the idea of Chris and Horace having an eating contest. Thank you. Like always review and tell me what you think. If you have any ideas for the next chapter let me know. The next chapter is R. Maybe I could do one for Christmas as that is only in a couple of days.