100 reviews before Chapter 10? I love you guys!
On another note, I know that a lot of you are wondering when the romance is coming in...well, it'll be awhile. I'm trying to let this story play out instead of rushing it and missing a few key points, so just be patient with me, mkay?
CHAPTER 9 - Amusement
Danny began his exploration outside of Pariah Dark's wing, naturally. But even the lack of anything personal of the Ghost King's turned out to be interesting. He found the library, which looked to rival Ghost Writer's own, and Danny was SURE that the 'Writer would drool at the sight of those ancient tomes. After the library, he found his way to the dining hall, which was empty, but Danny looked it over anyway, and decided to use it as a central place in his explorations.
He found the kitchen, where several ghosts were bustling around, one particular ghost, most likely the head chef, barking orders. Danny was a little hungry, but he didnt want to break the rhythm of which the ghosts were working, so he decided to wait until lunch.
It took him nearly a half hour to find his way outside in the courtyard, where Danny was surprised to see was flourishing with new plants. After looking around, Danny saw that the area surrounding the castle had expanded, and did indeed include a villa past the courtyard. It reminded him a lot of the castles and kingdoms he'd learned in history class, and he figured that Pariah Dark was trying to rebuild his kingdom to how he used to rule it.
He couldnt help but wonder if this was how Pariah Dark's kingdom once looked - be it before he died or before the big uprising - then it was a very beautiful and majestic kingdom to be in the near future.
Danny walked along the courtyard for awhile, looking at the ghostly flora, which Danny hadnt seen since Undergrowth had tried to take over the world. Only this time, they didnt try to eat him or anything. They looked much like Earth's flowers, only glowing slightly, and with more outlandish shapes and stronger aromas. He quickly became fond of a species of dark red - almost bloodred - flowers that looked like a cross between roses and poppies, and smelled like the perfume his sister wore to her senior prom; a jasmine-like floral, yet amber-like feminine musk.
An unbidden memory came forth, just by smelling those flowers. He remembered getting roped into helping Jazz pick out a dress for her prom, and they settled on an ethereal turquoise one-strap. He remembered how beautiful and grown-up his sister looked, and how angel-like she smelled, as she walked down the stairs, looking like a beautiful, lovely lady. These flowers had the exact same smell she did.
Not wanting to break down crying of nostalgia in the courtyard, Danny left and walked around to the other end of the castle, and paused when he found that it was already occupied.
The former Fright Knight was there, wielding a sword and stabbing at a pair of practice dummies. Danny watched, enthralled, as Fright not only incorporated practical battle maneuvers, but also used showmanship moves; spinning the sword in the air, twirling it in his hand, and even performing in two-sword style.
It was very entertaining to watch, and Danny found himself sitting down on a stone that jutted out of the ground to observe. He was reasonably good enough with a sword himself, but this was levels above his own menial skill.
After about ten minutes of watching, Fright suddenly stopped and lowered his swords. "Did you NEED anything, Phantom?"
Starting at first from the unprecidented addressing, Danny blushed a little and stood up. "Er...no," he replied. "I was just exploring a little and..." He shrugged lamely. "...You're good."
Fright snorted and turned to a rack off to the side, picking up a black cloth and wiping his face and hands with it. "I was a Knight, boy," he replied shortly, sounding as though Danny had given him a mild insult rather than an honest compliment. "And I was the best. Captain of the Royal Guard, when I was alive, and head of the Ghost King's Knight's Court in death." He looked at the sword in his hand and snorted disdainfully. "And now, I'm a mere PAGE. That's lower than a squire. My duties plummetted from protection and missions of the King to running petty errands and babysitting."
Danny felt a little peeved at the 'babysitting' comment, but he heard the undertone of personal pain from the former Knight, at having a once proud and hard-earned title being stripped away.
"...You're still good," Danny said, not really knowing what else to say. "I mean...a title doenst take away from what you can already do, right?" Fright snorted again, and began polishing his blade. "No, really...back in Amity Park...even when most of them thought I was a menace...I was still a hero. Y'know?"
"Yes, I DO know," Fright replied tersely. "As you demonstrated at my expense. Several times."
"Look," Danny sighted, getting a little irritated. "I didnt come to fight you. I was just paying a complement on your awesome swordsmanship. Excuse me for giving a damn." He got up and turned to leave.
"Phantom."
Danny turned around, and upon seeing something headed his way, reflexively shot his hand out and caught a sword that Fright had thrown at him. He glanced at the blade in his hand before looking up at Fright, who spin the blade once with a flick of his wrist. "If you're going to be a Prince, you must at least know how to hold a sword properly."
The next hour had Danny panting and sweating up a storm.
Fright had drilled Danny on proper handling of a blade, and proper technique. He made it known that swinging a sword around like a club was NOT proper swordhandling decorum, and doing so was an insult to those who knew proper swordsmanship. When Danny mishandled his sword, Fright harshly knocked it out of his hands with his own blade and made Danny do it again.
It took Danny fifty-two times of getting his sword knocked out of his hands to get the gist that Fright was teaching him to keep a hold on the sword instead of letting it drop. Even then, he still had trouble keeping his hold on the sword handle. He'd had swordfights with Vlad on occasion, but Fright Knight, when in serious battle or teaching, was LEVELS above the older halfa. Danny supposed centuries of practice and battle was the answer.
...And the answer why Danny was getting his ass handed to him.
After the hour had passed, Danny felt a little shaky in the knees, and Fright called it quits for the day.
"You're out of shape," Fright commented, leaning his blade over his shoulder, still not even close to being out of breath, even with the hour of tutoring and the hour prior of practice to boot. Danny looked up from behind his hair to glare weakly.
"I am not," he argued back weakly. "I trained and practiced most every day back at ho - ."
"'Most' every day wont cut it," Fright cut in sternly. He turned and put his blade back in its scabbard. "I will be speaking to My Liege this evening about special combat tutilage for an hour each day; it would be unbecoming of a Prince to be mediocre in battle, and an embarrassment for the King to have a consort who cannot even hold a sword properly."
Far too tired to reply to the poorly-vieled insult, Danny made a 'whatever' sound and leaned back against another protruding stone on the ground. He knew that Fright was right, though. He WAS out of shape. About a month prior to coming here, ghost activity had slowed to a crawl, and Danny didnt see fit to train as hard. Add that to the time spent here, and he really did need to start training again. Just a few short weeks really messed up his physical limits.
...That, and it WOULD be embarrassing to be the consort of a great battle King when he himself couldnt keep a sword in his hands for more than two minutes.
He was dragged out his thoughts when Fright tossed a white cloth over his face. He snatched it off and glared at the former Knight's amused smirk.
"You may want to wash up for dinner," was his off-hand comment. "Put your sword away in your room, it's yours now to practice with." With that, he turned and strutted off, leaving Danny to catch his breath on his own and head up to his room, where Dora kept giving him amused looks, which let him know that she had been watching the whole time.
"Laugh it up," he griped, hanging the sword scabbard up on a hook near his door. He stripped off his tunic and undershirt and tossed them into the basket provided so he could take a bath.
"I said nothing, Sir Danny," Dora replied, sounding not-so-innocent. Danny snorted and left the door cracked so he could talk to her, raising his voice.
"Yeah, but I know you saw me get my ass handed to me!" He dunked his head underwater and washed the sweat out of it, then quickly scrubbed down before fetching a towel. Dora already had his clothes set out - black, as usual.
As he dressed, he noticed Dora giving him searching looks. Finally, as he was clasping his belt on, he sighed. "What is it, Dora?" he asked. Dora blushed a little and shook her head.
"...I was just thinking of how much you've changed, Sir Danny," she replied, superfluously smoothing nonexistant wrinkles from the rest of the clothes in the closet with her hands. "...It's just...strange."
Danny said nothing; he knew she was right. He HAD changed. But it was for the better, he told himself. He had been forcing himself to grow up and take more responsibility since he was fourteen and became half ghost. Now he had to grow up more and take on even MORE responisibilities if he wanted to help the lives of both the humans AND the ghosts.
"...I know," he said, sitting down on a chair and putting his head in his hands. "...I have changed because I HAD to, Dora." He looked up, staring off into space, his normall bright green eyes dimmed slightly. "Once more, I'm all that's keeping both of my worlds from collapsing into darkness. It's always me...and the thing is...I dont know WHY."
Dora walked over and hugged him around the shoulders gently. "...It shouldnt be your burden to bear, Sir Danny," she replied softly. "...But for some reason...it seems to be fated so. Such is the life of a hero...having the whole world on your shoulders."
"But why does it have to be BOTH worlds on MY shoulders?" Danny demanded, mostly to himself. "Why ME? Why does Pariah Dark want ME?"
Dora didnt have an answer for that.
Mmmyep, more angst. I love angst.