"Come on! Pleaseee! You know it'll be funny!" the boy with the honey brown eyes begged the young queen.
"I don't know Lucas. It would annoy the tutor, which would get Eric mad, in which in his anger he'll blame someone not responsible" The queen answered.
"King Eric needs to lossen up and I know you don't want to turn into one of those quiet, obedient queens. It'll make Melody laugh, and I'm pretty sure you'll laugh too" Ariel sighed and nodded. She couldn't believe she was going along with the boy's plan.
"Ehem!" Melody looked up from her books and saw her mother standing in the doorway of the library. Her tutor looked up and was about to greet her when Ariel began to speak.
"No need for greetings, Eliza, I have to announce a very special arrival" Ariel announced and suppressed a smile. Melody raised one of her eyebrows.
"Mom what's going on?" Ariel just smiled.
"Presenting, the noble, the respectable, the dramatic prince,...Lucas!" Ariel waved her hand to the entrance to the room and Lucas walked into the room in one of those 'I'm better than you' fashion. Melody almost giggled. "He's handsome, sorta smart" Lucas shot Ariel a look and the queen almost laughed, but she maintained her straight face. Eliza, the tutor was completely baffled at this behavior and annoyed that the lesson with Melody was interrupted for this.
"He's strong" Lucas jokingly flexed, "He's athletic" the boy laughed as he did a back-flip twice, and landed on his palms and began to walk on his hands. Melody giggled. "He's the desire for teenage girls all over the globe!" Lucas stood in a dramatic pose and at this point Eric walked into the library. Ariel continued.
"He's the envy of all men and you should be honored to be in the presence of such a marvelous being!" Ariel finished and began to laugh just as Melody began to. Lucas began to bow down.
"Thank you, thank you, hold your applause" As Lucas was repeatedly bowing down he ran into Eric. "Oops"
"Oops Is right. What do you think you're doing, interrupting Melody's lessons for something so trivial?" Eric asked with a glare.
"um...Sorry?" Lucas tried out.
"No." Eric answered.
"Oh Eric relax. We were just having fun" Ariel walked up to her husband and smiled at him.
"Now he's got you under his spell too? What do you guys see in him anyways?"
"He's funny" Ariel answered.
"And he's funny looking" Added Melody.
"Hey! I'm not funny looking....." Lucas defended.
"I was kidding" Melody giggled.
"Lucas don't you have chores to do?" Eric turned his attention back to the boy. Lucas shook his head.
"No. You, see I got up, really early, right? Then I cut all the grass outside to store away before autumn comes, then I dug out all the weeds from the garden, let me tell this to you, that is not fun. I still feel like my hands are on fire. Then I brushed all the horses manes as they rested, then I had to forge five sets of horse shoes, then I had to let the cattle and sheep out to graze in the fields. Oh and Moo Moo gave birth!" Lucas exclaimed. Melody stood up in her seat.
"Really?!" Moo Moo was a cow that Melody and Lucas named when she was five and he was six and she was five and she was expecting for a while.
"Yeah! It's a girl, we didn't give her a name yet, 'cause I thought that you'd want to be there too" He said with a sheepish grin. "That's why I came here. I finished all my chores so I though that I could spend time with Chant." He started to play with his fingers, that were still raw from work, and looked up at the king.
"Okay you can" Eric finally said and before Melody could cheer with excitement, Eric said, "on three conditions"
"What are those conditions?" Melody asked her father.
"One, Has Melody finished her lessons for today, Eliza?" Eric looked at the tutor.
"King Eric, Melody is so far ahead, that I believe she is finished for today and the next couple of days." Eliza smiled at Melody. She thought, Let the girl have fun.
"Okay two, Are you sure you finished all of your chores, Lucas?" Lucas tapped his chin as he went over his list of things to do.
"I milked all the cows and I sheared the sheep's wool, and I collected all the eggs from the chicken coop....so yeah I finished all my work." Lucas nodded. Ariel smiled.
"One last thing, in that list of of what you did, I didn't hear that you ate anything, did you have breakfast at all?" Eric questioned. Lucas Laughed and scratched the back of his head, and his stomach growled at the thought of food.
"It totally slipped my mind."
"Why doesn't Melody take you to the kitchen? She hasn't had any lunch anyways" Ariel suggested.
"Okay! Come on Lucas" Lucas barely got to say 'thanbk you' as he was dragged off by the black haired princess. Eric shook his head.
"That boy..." Ariel walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Oh Eric, he's a good kid and his heart is in the right place. I thnk it's great that he's been friends with Melody ever since they were very small children." Ariel kissed his lips. Eric agreed as he kissed her back.
"I hope Chef Louis isn't that mad about what happened yesterday...."Melody muttered as the two walked through the palace halls to the kitchen. Lucas had his hands behind his head and smiled.
"Hopefully Alex is there. Louis won't be so angry if he's there." Melody smiled at the boy with the honey brown eyes.
"That's true."
"Death to ze crab!!" Louis yelled as he chased his nemesis for the thousandth time.
"Louis! I'll tell ya for de hundredth time, I'm not food" Sebastian screamed as he dodged yet another attack. The crab suddenly slipped behind the Chef's son. Alex was leaning against a counter eating an apple. His hair was cut short, at his father's wishes and his brown eyes stared at his father's heavy form.
"Move out of ze way Alexandre" Louis demanded in a thick accent. Alex took another bite of the apple.
"Father, remember our talk about the law?" Louis lowered down his butcher knife at his son's words.
"But Alexander, he is not a fish" Louis explained quietly. Alex picked up the trembling Sebastian.
"But he is the queen's trusted friend all the same. Now apologize to him" Alex held Sebastian out to Louis who grumbled.
"I am sorry, sir Crab....."Louis started and Sebastian smiled. That is, until Louis snatched the crab out of his son's hand.
"Dad!" Alex yelled and the Chef stopped chuckling to himself.
"What?"
"Drop the crab. Now" Alex growled. Louis grumbled as he dropped Sebastian into his son's palm. They heard a giggle. Alex turned his head and spotted the princess with the blacksmith's son.
"Good afternoon Chef Louis, Alex" Melody greeted. Alex slightly bowed.
"Good afternoon princess. Hey Lucas"
"Hey Alex, what's cookin'?" The thirteen year old answered.
"Nothin' much. Just apple pie" Alex answered as he waved his hand in the direction of a pie cooling off in the window.
"Alexandre, please assist ze children today. I must go and prepare some tea for ze Queen." Louis ordered his son as he set off to make the tea he mentioned. After Chef Louis turned his back on the kids, Alex looked hard at the teen and the princess.
"You know I didn't appreciate the prank you pulled on my father. He went all over the palace screaming 'Fantômes'" Melody and Lucas smiled innocently at his words.
"Oh come on Alex! You know it was funny" Lucas laughed and Alex cracked a smile.
"Yeah it was. Before you guys eat, Lucas you have to bandage your hands. What were you doing?" Alex raised an eyebrow at the boy's raw and blistered hands.
"I was working early in the morning. It's not as bad as it looks, really" the teen assured the older. Alex poked Lucas hand and Lucas held back a yell.
"Yeah it doesn't hurt you as bad as it looks. It's worse." Alex went over to the apple pie and began to wrap it in a cloth. "Princess, please take Lucas to the doctor. I'll wrap this up, so that you guys can have a picnic later, okay?" Alex handed the bundle to Melody and the princess nodded.
"Okay, come on Luca. Bye Alex!" Melody waved to the chef in training and he smiled at the two.
"Wait! Melody don't leave me here! Take me with you!" Sebastian called out as he jumped to catch the edge of the girl's dress.
"Sebastian, you need to be a little faster, if you want to come with us" Lucas commented.
"I can't help it if I got tiny legs!" the crab yelled as Melody giggled.
"Come on. Let's get you to Luke. He's not the doctor so you don't have to freak out" Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. He hated going to the doctor.
"What did you do toady, Lucas?" Luke asked the teen who was sitting in his living space.
"I was digging out weeds from the gardens, and I cut most of the long grass to store away." Lucas held back another pained yell, as Luke applied something he called 'lavender oil' and he used horse chestnut or something like that. Lucas wasn't paying attention.
"Working hard?"
"No he's hardly working" Melody stated. Sebastian chuckled. Lucas shot her a look.
"I get up early, get blisters, and cuts and bruises for you, and this is how you repay me? By saying that I hardly work? You hardly work Chant! " the boy glared.
"Don't worry about him, Princess. He's just cranky due to the pain." Luke smiled at the young girl.
"Luke do you want some of the apple pie, Chef Louis and his son made?" Melody offered.
"I'd be delighted. Well, Lucas, you're finished. Just don't overwork yourself anymore."
"I'll try" Lucas stated as he got up from his seat. "It's Pie Time! I'm starving!" He rushed to take the bundle away from Melody's hands.
"Lucas. You have to share dat" Sebastian reminded the boy.
"You ruin all the fun Seba."
"Seba and Luca, two peas in a pod." Melody mumbled as she set the pie on Luke's table.
"Hey I thought it was you and me Chant? Now I'm stuck with Seba? No fair" Lucas pouted.
"You guys do make a fabulous team Melody." Luke stated as he began to cut slices into the pie with a knife. "By the way. Why do you call Princess Melody, 'Chant' Lucas?" Lucas blinked at the question. He scratched his head.
"Wow. It's been so long that I barely remember."
"I remember dat day" Sebastian sighed. "It was when you two were itty bitty children!"
"Oh yeah!" Melody smiled and began to tell Luke about the day, Lucas called her chant.
A young princess skipped through the halls of the palace, singing.
"Can you guess what woke me this morning,
What made me jump out of bed?
Twas a sunbeam's kiss on my forehead,
That said, 'Wake up, sleepyhead!' "
A young boy walked around the palace, exploring, as his father spoke to the king. He turned a corner and he met with a sight. He saw a black haired princess, skipping, and singing.
"Can you guess what woke me this morning,
What made me jump out of bed?
'Twas a sunbeam's kiss on my forehead,
That said, 'Wake up, sleepyhead!'"
The girl repeated the song over and over again and to, Lucas's ears it sounded like a chant. He swayed to it and called out to his friend.
"Melody!" The princess ceased her singing and turned to look at her friend.
"Hi Luca!" Lucas ran to the girl.
"Melody, I finally got a nickname for you!"
"Really?" the girl had been waiting several months for the boy to give her a nick name. He gave Sebastian one (Seba) Scuttle one (Commander), and he gave one to Max (Maximillion).
"Yup! I decided that your nickname shall be Chant!" Melody's eyes lit up.
"I love it!"
"That's how it happened" Melody concluded and Luke smiled.
"What a nice story."
"Mmm! What wonderful pie!" Lucas exclaimed as he and Sebastian devoured the apple pie. Melody glared.
"Were you listening at all, Luca?!" Lucas looked up and swallowed.
"Mostly" It was the first time Melody heard his voice crack and she almost bursted out laughing.
"They grow up so fast" Luke gave a small chuckle.
"It's not funny!" Lucas defended. Melody was holding her gut from laughter and Luke began to laugh as well. Sebastian put a claw on Lucas's arm.
"Don't worry about it, Luca. You'll grow out of it"
"Thanks for the support, Seba" Lucas patted the crab's head softly. Lucas then turned his gaze back to the laughing Melody. "Hey Chant."
"Hmm?"
"Um...I have to show you this place I found a while back. We'll have to go to the stable though." Lucas informed the princess, with uncertainty. Luke raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps a spot where two lovers can meet secretly? I didn't know you felt that way about the princess Lucas!" Luke stated with a light of mischieve in his eyes. At this, the faces of the two young ones, became so red the rivaled the color of the ripest apples.
"W-wha- huh?! No! I don't like Chant that way!" Lucas's voice broke again as he yelled and Luke grinned widely.
"Lucas is like a brother to me!" Melody defended. Luke chuckled.
"I know, I know. I was just teasing a bit, besides you're too young for that kind of stuff anyways. Now run along, and do whatever it is you do. Tell Chef Louis and Alexandre, thanks for the pie." Melody smiled as she picked up Sebastian and headed out of the door.
"I promise I will!"
"See ya later Luke" Lucas waved at the herb specialist and followed Melody out the door.
"Later!"
"So where are you two going?" John asked his son as he helped him put a saddle onto Princess Melody's horse, Seina.
"I'm taking Melody out to see somethin."
"Ah. The sun is going to set soon, when do you think you'll be back?" Lucas shrugged.
"Depends. Maybe after dinner." John sighed.
"Please don't stay out too long. You know how it makes me feel." Lucas turned to his father.
"I'll try dad." John sighed again. He felt like he was getting way too old to handle a teenage son, but he wouldn't have anything else in the world.
"Are we going yet?" Melody popped out from a corner.
"Yeah take Seina, outside, please Chant." Lucas pleaded with wide eyes. The princess sighed.
"Fine." Then she muttered. "I wish we were going to the beach instead"
"There's going to be water where we're going, okay?" Melody's eyes lit up and she quickly led Seina out of the stables.
"She really loves water doesn't she?" John quietly laughed.
"Yeah." There was a small awkward silence between the father and son.
"Lucas....I noticed that you've been...acting kind of weird lately. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah everything is completely fine......"Lucas trailed off as he was about to lead his horse, Thunder, out of the stables. Then he stopped.
"Are you sure?" John was met with an unexpected hug. As surprised as he was, he hugged back. Then Lucas pulled away and looked at his father's aging face.
" I know I don't tell you often, and that I really should, but, Dad, I love you." John felt shocked and his eyes soften as he looked at his son.
" I love you too, Lucas. Now go and have fun. But be careful" John warned as Lucas began to proceed out the door.
"Oh Dad! Sebastian is on the table. When he wakes up, tell him that Melody and I will be back later." He called out to his father. John scratched his head.
"Am I missing something here?"
"So Luca. Where are we going?" Melody asked for the tenth time during their ride.
"I told you, you'll see. I promise you'll love it." While riding, they passed through the town market and through the public garden. Lucas led Melody down a path she never saw before and now they were somewhere outside and Melody was Itching to know where Lucas wanted to take her.
"Melody! Lucas!" A voice called out and Lucas stopped Thunder's trotting and heard something crunch.
"What the..." Luca looked around for the voice. He shrugged and Thunder moved forward a bit. Melody gasped.
"Luca! It's Sebastian!" Lucas dismounted Thunder and looked at the ground and sure enough, Sebastian was on the ground crushed like a bug.
"Seba what are you doing down there? I thought I told Dad to tell you that we went out." Lucas picked the crab up from the ground and he wheezed.
"He did tell me. I decided to follow ya. Where are ya two going now?" The crustacean asked as he caught his breath.
" I don't know, Luca won't tell me." Melody sighed.
" Relax. the place isn't going anywhere soon. Come on Seba, if you must." and that's what Sebastian did. As Sebastian clung onto Lucas's shoulder, he recognized the route that the boy was on. It was all too familiar.
"Lucas where are we going?" The crab whispered into the boy's ear.
"To this place I found while exploring. It's beautiful, it has a waterfall in the backround and it's basically a lagoon. It's even prettier when the fireflies come out." The boy smiled.
" You plan on takin' her on a row boat?" Sebastian guessed.
"How did you know?"
" Just a lucky guess" the crab shrugged. He knew the place well. It was the same place he helped Eric figure out Ariel's name and he sang that song.
"I hear whispering!" Melody sang. "How come you can tell Seba, and not me" The girl pouted.
"It's a surprise! Gosh! Patience Lady!" Melody laughed.
"Woah....Lucas it's....beautiful!" Melody breathed out as she gazed across the area. Then she spotted a small rowboat and Lucas was getting into the boat along with Sebastian.
"Coming, Chant?" Melody wasted no time as she rushed to the row boat. The boy began to move the boat using the oars and they sat in a comfortable silence as Melody's eyes glowed with wonderment. She touched the water with the tips of her fingers and smiled at the ripples she created.
"Luca, Why did you bring me here anyways?" she asked with curiousity. The boy smiled and his brown hair fell in front of his eyes.
"I just thought you'd like a change of scenery." Lucas moved a strand of hair away from his honey brown eyes. "Geez. I need to cut my hair soon. It's growing too long for my liking."
"I like your hair long" Melody commented.
"I wouldn't cut it so much. Just enough so that it would stay out of my eyes. It's hard to work when it does that."
"I can help wit dat" Sebastian offered his claw.
"Thanks Seba." Lucas leaned down and Let the small crab snip off some of his brown hair.
"There! Much better!" Sebastian smiled at his work.
"It's just shorter Seba" Melody muttered.
"Chant let him live in glory for a while. He deserves it." Lucas sat back in the row boat and let it just float along. He closed his eyes and appeared to have fallen asleep.
"Seba, do you know whats wrong with him?" Melody whispered to the red rab.
"What do you mean?"
"He's been spacing out lately and even if he stopped talking about the...you know...Shadows," She lowered her voice even more when she said Shadows. "He still wants to leave, I know it." She cast her eyes downward because just the thought of it made her sad.
"Relax Melody. I don't think he'll do anything rash"
"I hope not." She looked back at Lucas, who at the moment, began to slightly tremble. "Lucas?" The boy opened his eyes at Melody's touch to his arm.
"Huh?"
"Are you okay? Were you having a nightmare?" Lucas nervously laughed at her question and he scratched his head.
"Yeah I'm totally fine. I was not having a nightmare." Melody and Sebastian gave him a look.
"Really?" Sebastian asked. Lucas sighed.
"Actually I'm not fine. Chant, Seba, I wanted to tell you this thing a while back, but...I wasn't sure how to tell you both..... Actually I wanted to tell you a couple of years ago, but I was afraid about how you'll react" Lucas mumbled.
"What are you talking about?" Melody was surprised that Lucas had a secret that she didn't know about. They told each other everything.
Lucas hesitated.
"Well what is it, boy?!" Sebastian was impatient. The boy began to mess with the loose bandages around his hands.
"It's the reason the Shadows want me to join them. I...I can...um...I have visions of the future." the boy looked up with uncertainty and was met with amazed eyes.
"Really?! Why didn't you tell us before?!" Melody got real close to Lucas who rubbed his arm in embarrassment.
"Oh tell me, will I become a great composer?" Sebastian asked excitedly.
"Well, I , um-"
"Will the wall come down?!" Melody got closer.
"Um...you see..."
"Will I be remembered a loong time after I'm gone?!" Sebastian closed in on Lucas and Melody did the same.
"Um..Well...um, the thing is-" suddenly the boat tipped over and they were all in the lagoon. Lucas laughed.
"Come on, follow me" Lucas walked through the water as Melody floated on her back (how she followed him was amazing) and Sebastian on his shoulder.
Lucas led the two through the lagoon and to a small, remote, island. Melody gasped at it's beauty. There was a big blooming tree in the middle and a field of flowers. Butterflies flew around and one of them landed on Melodie's finger. It was a beautiful blue one and then it took off.
" Luca....what is this place?"
"I call it Chant's and Luca's magic island!" Sebastian smiled at the boy's name for the place. It was a new place for the crab too. Who knew that such a beautiful island would be past the lagoon. Lucas grabbed Melody's hand and led her to the blooming tree.
"Now will you answer our questions, Luca?" Melody asked once they sat on the ground.
"Yes, if you agree to be calm about it"
"Okay. Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Lucas looked into Melody's electric blue eyes.
"Because I was afraid you'd think I was a freak." Melody almost laughed. The reason she didn't have any friends was because people thought that she was a freak, and Lucas was popular.
"I would never think of you as a freak. You see visions of the future, that's cool!"
"No it's not." Sebastian was confused.
"Why not?" Lucas sighed and leaned back against the tree.
"I can only see the future when I'm asleep, and even then I can't control it. It's like random pictures and sounds. Sometimes, it's whole events. Sometimes I see really good things, then other times I see..."Lucas shivered.
"See what?" Melody urged him on.
"Horrible things. But then, there is another catch."
"Just explain it all" Sebastian begged.
"Usually, when I get a vision, I get two. It's like a what if thing. It all depends on what the person chooses. Decisions. Like if you wanted to eat a pie, and you weren't sure, and I got a vision it would show me two outcomes. One based on if you do eat the pie and one if you don't eat the pie." Lucas began.
"But doesn't it get confusing?" Melody asked.
"Very. Sometimes they're out of order, but one thing is certain. I never get a good night's sleep. Anyways, sometimes it happens during the day. I black out for a while and I have no idea what happened during the vision. Melody, I've seen so many horrible things. I just want them to stop, or maybe I can control them to see what I want to see. Lately I've had this one dream that kept repeating itself over and over. It's about this girl." Melody looked at Lucas and felt a small pang in her heart.
"What happened?" Sebastian asked.
"This girl had silver hair and jet black streaks. Her eyes were this dark purple color, but they were glowing and there was this aura about her. Like pure evil. Everytime she would transform into this huge dragon and that's where the vision would end." Lucas had a faraway look.
"Are you sure it's not a regular nightmare?" Melody asked concerned.
"I know the difference between a dream and a vision, Chant." There was a long silence between them all.
"Hey, just 'cause I'm curious, did you happen to have any visions of me?" Melody asked, both fearful and hopeful.
"Tons." was the boy's reply.
"Like, who am I going to get married to?" Melody asked excitedly. Lucas looked at her again.
"I don't know who he is. I didn't see his face and for some strange reason, this vision had no colors, so I can't tell you the color of his hair, only that it was a dark color. He looked around hmm...six foot something tall?" Melody frowned. Well it was more than she expected.
"Anything about me?" Sebastian asked hopefully.
"Yeah yours was confusing. You were underwater I guess, and you were with a band at like a club or something. Only, most of the people were fish" Lucas scratched his head again.
"Will I be a good queen?!" Melody bombed the poor boy with another question. Lucas shook his head.
"Not to this kingdom" Melody frowned and she opened her mouth to ask. "I think if I tell you too much aboiut your future, it's not fun to live anymore is it?"
"Probably not but I'm curious. Right Sebastian?"
"....."
"Sebastian?" The two looked to the side and found the small crab sleeping.
"Aww he's so cute!" Lucas exclaimed. They sat back in silence and Melody felt the need to tell her friend what had been on her mind for the past couple of weeks.
"Luca-"
"Melody. Can I talk to you about something Important? I mean really important?"
"What are you talking about now, Luca?" Lucas looked her straight in the eye and melody swallowed.
"I wanna talk about us. You and me Chant."
My special words ( or not )
For me this was a long chapter.
Hmm....what could Lucas possibly want to talk about?