Chapter 3
Victor hoisted himself onto his horse easily and looked around the stable. Three horses stood beside his own, but their riders were busy elsewhere.
One of the riders, Raven, was talking to a stable hand in a slightly exasperated voice.
"Yes, I heard you the first five times. I understand that we'll need to stop once in a while so the horses can drink and eat. I'm sure we can handle it," Raven was saying.
"Lighten up, Rae," Gar said, walking past them with a large saddlebag slung over his shoulder. "He's just doing his job."
"My name is Raven," she replied, scowling at the green boy, instantly forgetting the stable hand. "Keep a little professionalism, and stay away from pet names."
"Raven," he amended, holding his hands up and rolling his eyes. "Whatever. Just come on, we should get going."
Frowning, Raven followed him to the horses. Walking over to his white horse, he pulled the saddlebag off his shoulder and prepared to put it onto his steed. Just as he was placing it on his horse's haunches, dark energy surrounded the bag. With a yelp, Garfield jumped back.
He watched in surprise as the saddlebag floated over his head, stopping and landing on Raven's horse.
"What's the matter?" She scoffed, pulling back her powers and pulling herself onto her own black and brown horse. "Is the big, strong knight afraid of the dark?"
"No," he replied, glaring at the girl. "You just surprised me, is all. Why'd you do that, anyway?"
"I saw the way you sucked up your dinner," she replied. "Did you really think I was going to let you be in charge of the food? It'd all be gone by the time we reached Malchior's realm."
"Hey, I was hungry after riding for twenty-four hours straight," Gar defended himself. "And besides, why were you watching me eat in the first place?"
"It's hard not to, with all the slurping, chewing noises you make," Raven retorted.
Victor rolled his eyes as his two traveling companions continued to argue as they made their way out of the stable.
"Why do I get the feeling that we're mixing baking soda and vinegar making them work together?" Robin asked, walking over to his own horse and nodding in the direction of the two fighting riders.
"Because we pretty much are," Victor replied, spurring his horse into a brisk trot to catch up to them. Robin did the same and they quickly reached the knight and the sorceress.
"So, where are we going?" Victor asked, interrupting their argument. Huffing, Raven turned away from Garfield and looked over at Victor.
"I'm not sure," Raven answered.
"What do you mean you're not sure?" Gar asked, pointing an accusing finger at the girl. "I thought you said you know how to get to Malchior's castle?"
"I do," Raven replied icily. "But I need to be in a certain spot to transport us to his realm. I'd explain it further, but I doubt your tiny mind would comprehend it."
"I doubt your tiny mind would comprehend it," Gar mimicked in a squeaky voice. "If you don't know where we're going, how are you going to know if we're in the right spot?"
"I'll be able to sense it," replied Raven, scowling at the knight's immature behavior. "And I know that it'll be somewhere in the forest, where there are higher levels of magic in the air."
"Well, all right then," Gar replied. "So, how do you know where Malchior's castle is? You ever been there before?"
Raven stiffened noticeably, and her jaw clenched as she replied, "Yes. A long time ago."
Her words ended the conversation, and everyone fell into silence. Raven moved so she was slightly ahead, while Garfield slowed so he was near the back next to Victor. Robin rode in the middle.
"I should apologize," Gar spoke abruptly. He was quiet enough that only Victor could hear him. "I've been a bit of a jerk since we first met. Not that she hasn't been just as bad, but… well I feel like I said something wrong when I asked if she had been to Malchior's castle before."
Victor nodded sympathetically. "I understand, man. Raven had a rough time growing up, being a sorceress and all. It's just a natural reaction for her to get defensive when she first meets people she doesn't know. As for the Malchior thing, that's Raven's story. I couldn't tell you much anyway."
"Hm," Garfield hummed thoughtfully, looking at the back of her head. "I think I'll go apologize now. Who knows, maybe by the end of this we'll actually be friends."
"You never know," Victor agreed, smiling.
Before he could lose his determination to fix things between himself and the sorceress, Garfield quickened his horse's pace and caught up with Raven. Though she knew he was riding next to her, Raven pointedly ignored him.
"Um… I wanted to apologize," Gar spoke, looking at her profile. "I've been rude for no reason all day, and I was thinking that maybe we should start over again with a fresh slate. So, hi. I'm Gar."
Raven looked over at the green boy. He was smiling hopefully, holding out a hand for her to shake. She ignored the hand and turned back to the road. From the corner of her eyes she could see Gar's shoulders slump, and with a sigh she curtly replied, "Raven. Nice to meet you."
Garfield smiled and turned around in his saddle so he was facing ahead again.
"So, wanna hear a joke?"
"Not particularly," Raven replied. Garfield, seemingly indifferent to her apathy, told the joke anyway.
"Okay, so a man walks into a bar. What does he say?" After receiving no response, Gar finished. "Ouch! Get it? Haha!"
Raven groaned, rolling her eyes. This was going to be a long trip.
-
Malchior closed the door to his bedchamber with a triumphant smirk. The day had gone surprisingly well, and his plan was moving along smoothly.
He had spent most of the day speaking with his captured princess. Getting to know her had not originally been part of the plan, but there was something about her that intrigued him. He had noticed it the moment he entered her bedchamber.
The dreaded sorcerer Malchior had been in his fair share of princess bedrooms. Several of his most powerful spells required the sacrifice of a princess or two. Something he had noticed with all of them was that they were always completely prim and proper, even in sleep. They always slept on their back, hands at their sides, legs straight.
When he had entered Terrianna's bedchamber, however, Malchior had immediately noticed the way she had sprawled across the bed. Her knees were curled up to her chest, while her arms had been flopped above her head and across her stomach. Her golden hair surrounded her head like a halo, and her head had been nowhere near her pillow.
When she had realized there was someone in her room, she had, again, reacted completely different from the others. While most would have screamed for help and others would promptly faint, Terrianna had done neither. Instead, she had remained calm and prepared to fight her nighttime visitor.
Yes, there was no doubt in Malchior's mind that there was something special about this girl. That was why he had been so compelled to learn more about her, instead of his original plan of leaving the princess in her room the whole time.
Walking towards his large wardrobe, Malchior pause to look out of his window. The first of his realm's two suns was just beginning to dip into the horizon. The sky was washed with rosy shades of pink and orange, and shadows were beginning to cover the world in darkness. Soon it would be night.
He opened his wardrobe and looked at the various robes and clothing hung up. Everything was made of brocades, satins, and silks, embellished and made to fit the latest fashions. A wardrobe fit for a king. So why couldn't he find anything to wear?
He finally decided on a silver robe festooned with sapphires, on top of a black tunic and leggings. That should be suitable for his dinner with Terrianna.
Realizing it was getting late, Malchior turned to the middle of his room. Using his magic he made a washtub filled with warm soapy water and quickly bathed. After getting out and drying, he pulled on his clothing and made his way to Terrianna's room, a strange bubble of excitement forming in his chest.
-
"We're here."
Raven stopped her horse abruptly, while her traveling companions looked around in confusion. Nothing but forest could be seen in every direction.
"Where's here?" Garfield dared to ask, peering at Raven through the forest's night shadows.
"We're at the spot where our realms touch," Raven replied. "We've reached the point where we can enter his realm without killing me from the effort."
"Well, that's good," Victor said. "Right?"
Raven nodded, looking up at the midnight sky above them. "Everyone needs to come closer to me."
No one questioned her as they moved so they were sitting nearly shoulder-to-shoulder around the young sorceress. She closed her eyes and quietly began chanting. As she repeated her words she continually grew louder.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!"
As if from thin air, dark energy surrounded them, pulling them… everywhere. No one had any sense of direction as they tumbled through time and space. Were they upside down, on their backs, flat on their feet? It was impossible to tell. The strange sensation only lasted a few seconds before the wall of magic surrounding them fell and they found themselves standing in a forest clearing much like the one they had just been in.
It took a few minutes to calm down the horses, who had been startled by the magic. They stomped the ground and snorted, their eyes rolled back, confused about what had just happened. Once the beasts had realized that they were safe and had grown quiet again, the companions turned to each other.
"Did it work?" Robin asked, looking around.
"Yes," Raven confirmed. "We're in Malchior's realm."
"How can you tell?" Victor asked doubtfully. "It looks the same as the forests in Tamborinia."
"Look up in the sky," replied the sorceress, pointing up at the star strewn blanket above them. "Not only are the constellations different, but there are two moons. In the early morning there will be one moon and one sun, and then later in the day there will be two suns. In the evening there will be one moon and one sun again."
"Ah," Robin nodded. "Interesting."
Raven shrugged and slid off her horse. "It's late, and I need rest. Bringing us here took a lot out of me."
"Shouldn't you fly up and check how close we are to Malchior's castle?" Robin suggested.
"It won't do us any good," Raven replied, digging blankets out of Victor's saddlebags. "There are many enchantments surrounding Malchior's castle, and one of them prevents his castle from being seen from the outside at night. "
"So, for all we know, we could be right next to it right now?" Garfield asked, looking over his shoulder suspiciously.
"Do you see any castle sized clearings nearby?" Raven asked, rolling her eyes. "There's no way of telling how close we are to it right now, but if it were that close, you'd know it."
"Okay," Gar mumbled in response. Turning around to hide his red face, Garfield began to help set up camp.
They quickly pulled out blankets and tethered the horses to a nearby tree. Weary of how close they could be to the castle, they all agreed not to make a fire, which could be seen from a tall tower. Instead, they decided to sleep close to each other, sharing their body heat.
Raven insisted on sleeping on one end, uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping in such close quarters with three young men, even if it was for their own safety.
Victor also agreed to sleep on the end, explaining that he didn't get cold very easily. He lay down on his back, and Robin did the same next to him. Garfield lay down next, and Raven finished the line.
"Well…" Gar said, looking at everyone. Barely an inch separated each of them. "This is going to be awkward."
"Yeah, well, get used to it," Victor replied, yawning lazily. "If we build a fire, it could be spotted from Malchior's castle, and if we spread out, we risk freezing in the night. We don't know how cold it gets out here."
"Not even you, Raven?" Garfield turned to the girl next to him. She had her back turned to them, but she replied nonetheless.
"No. I stayed inside during the nights when I stayed here," Raven told him, her tone somewhat harsh. Gar wrote it off as exhaustion taking its toll on her. "I was never told how cold it got outside at night, and I never thought to ask."
"This isn't really too bad," Victor said. "I mean, we may have to sleep right next to each other, but it could be worse."
"How so?" Robin asked.
"At least we have clothing on."
Robin groaned, while Garfield and Victor snickered at his joke. Raven rolled her eyes.
"Boys…" she grumbled.
"I want to get to know all of you," Garfield said, once his laughter had subsided.
"Please, don't say that while we're laying like this," Victor commented, the smirk on his face almost audible in his words. Even Robin joined in on the laughter this time, leaving Raven as the only one who refused to laugh at the crude humor.
"No," Gar chuckled. "What I meant was, while we're here, I want to get to know you all. Like, be friends. You all knew each other before this, but I didn't know any of you. And I kind of want to."
"Consider yourself befriended," Robin smiled, holding out his hand. Gar grinned and shook it.
Victor chuckled and nodded, "Same here."
Gar turned hopefully to Raven. Her back was still turned.
"What about you, Raven? I don't know about you, but I really do want to be your friend," Gar watched her back carefully, waiting for her answer.
She didn't reply. All that could be heard was soft murmuring as Raven nuzzled her face further into her pillow.
"She's asleep," Victor informed them all. "But I'm sure she does want to be your friend, Gar."
"Okay," Gar replied, somewhat unsure.
"I think we should all follow Raven's example and go to sleep," Robin decided. "We've got an early morning ahead."
"Sounds good to me," Victor agreed, yawning. "Goodnight, everyone."
"Goodnight."
"G'night."
Robin, Victor and fell asleep quickly. However, despite his exhaustion earlier that day, Garfield couldn't seem to drift off.
Opening his jade eyes, he turned on his side to look at Raven. He had known her for less than a day, but he had already realized that it wouldn't be easy getting to know her. It was like she had built walls around her, and she only let a few select people, like Victor, in. Even then, she probably controlled how far 'in' they got.
He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much. He told himself that he simply didn't want to work with someone he knew so little about, but deep down he knew that wasn't the whole reason.
Frowning, Gar closed his eyes. He'd figure it out in the morning.
Hey hey!
I hope this chapter was good enough for everyone. Please forgive me for any spelling/grammar errors. I was in a rush to finish before going to school when I proofread. In fact, I'm still in a rush, so I hope you enjoyed it. Toodles!
Tammy Tamborine