When he awoke the next morning, Albert of the town of Crowley had a rude shock. Rubbing his large stomach and scratching his head of feathery black hair, he yawned widely before looking down at the empty bed where Ann slept. "Annie?"

His wife was nowhere to be found. When he went to the kitchen to look for her, he found the hearth cold and no breakfast prepared. Quickly, he rousted his eldest sons before getting dressed, grumbling. "The woman knows I need a good breakfast when I'm fighting Fielders."

Together, the three men left the house, closing what was left of their front door. The first thing Albert saw was the line of large, black Pumpkin Launchers that sat just feet from his front porch. True, he couldn't grow pumpkins as round or as heavy as his opponents, but he and the other inhabitants of Crowley had the country-bumpkins beat when it came to ingenuity. Nothing could match their Pumpkin Launchers. Oh, those Fielders would pay today.

Quickly, he stepped from his porch, sons in tow and waddled his way across the dirt street to his neighbor, Samuel's house. With a fat fist, he pounded on the door until the young man with dark hair answered, looking rather shaken. "I can't find Sara."

Albert felt a shock of apprehension ripple through him. "My Ann is missing, too."

"Do you think. . .they were taken?" Samuel asked.

Albert looked at his sons, his concerned mirrored in their faces. "It's the Fielders, I know it."

"Let me at 'em!"

Samuel nearly bowled Albert over in his haste, but the older man caught him by the shirt. "Easy, boy."

Up and down the street, more doors (or parts of them) began to open and quickly it became apparent that Albert and Samuel were not the only one's to wake up to cold and lonely houses. More men reported wives and in some cases, children and younger siblings among the missing. Within minutes, they had all gathered at the center of town, murmuring wildly and speculating how those devilish Fielders had managed to slip in to their town and spirit away their loved ones in the middle of the night.

Finally, the cry went up. "To the fields! We'll bombard those Fielders until they beg to tell us what they've done!"

With a great roar, the men of Crowley rushed down the main street to plunging headlong into the pumpkin patch. They would find the best ammunition, such as they had, and bomb the living daylights out of those no-good, wife-snatching Fielders.

The surge stopped abruptly when the men of Crowley suddenly realized that their pumpkin fields, which had been overflowing with squashed, deformed pumpkins the night before, were completely empty.

They had all been picked and piled not far from the Launchers and it was from the top of this massive pile that Jeb Cain had a bird's eye view of the morning's rather amusing events. He had suggested the easier option of simply smashing all of the pumpkins, but DG had disagreed. The winter was coming, the growing season was going to be short because of the fighting, and it was a possibility that the people of these two towns were going to have to live off of the pumpkins they had once grown as weapons.

So, after Ruth had run to speak with her friend Ann, both women began to rally others in their respective villages who were tired of the fighting and more than willing to reconcile with their neighbors. Many were intrigued to know what the Viewer, Raw had seen. Anything had to be better than repairing roofs on an almost constant basis. The entire night had been spent picking the pumpkins in both Crowley and Fielder and piling them up to keep them from being used in the morning.

It was impossible for Jeb to swallow the smirk as the men of Crowley spotted him, took a few seconds to let the image process in their brains, and then stormed over.

To anyone else, a group of angry men striding at them with murder and mayhem in their hearts would be cause for concern. Jeb, however, had faced much worse than this with less of a plan then the one DG had concocted. It was easy to sit there coolly on his pile of pumpkins and let them come. He was King of this particular mountain.

The man he knew to be named Albert lead the group. "What's the meaning of this, boy?"

"Ah, good morning, gentlemen. I'm glad to see you all well."

"Who are you?" Albert's face was getting red. "You're in league with those-those Fielders, aren't you?"

"No, actually. I'm in the employ of a third party, an arbitrator, if you will."

"Arbi-arbi-" he abandoned the attempt. "Don't be playing games with me, boy. Those Fielders have taken our wives and children! We intend to make them pay and you're sitting on our ammunition. Tom! Bill!" Albert's two sons came forward. "Start loading the Launchers."

Before the boys had a chance to move, a voice rang out. "You will do no such thing!"

From behind the Launchers a tall woman with dark hair appeared followed by a younger, willow-wand of a girl. Albert's eyes shown with relief. "Annie."

Samuel smiled. "Sara!"

From around the pile of pumpkins, more of Crowleys missing inhabitants began to appear from behind the Launchers and outbuildings surrounding them. The men opened their arms to them, expressing their relief at seeing them alive, how worried they had been.

Not one of the wives moved to their husbands. They stood, hands on the shoulders of their children, staring disapprovingly at the knot of men they surrounded. Albert seemed confused. "Ann?"

The woman regarded her husband coolly. "Was it unpleasant waking up without me this morning, Albert?"

His jaw worked. "I-I was worried sick."

"That's good to know, considering for the last week you have barely noticed that I exist."

"My love, I know. But the Fielders-"

"Do not start." Ann cut him off. "I will say this once. We have a chance to clear this whole mess up. To find out what really happened fifty annuals ago to start this gods-forsaken feud."

"We know what happened, woman!" Albert shot back, his ire up immediately. "Those stinkin' Fielders accused us of a crime we never committed! Destroyed our Launchers!"

"As usual, dear," Ann spat. "You do not know as much as you think you do. It's time for this to stop."

Albert was struck mute, but Samuel spoke up. "You expect us to just forgive those Fielders?"

"No," Jeb said, "The ladies would just like you to join them on a civilized stroll to the lake and maybe you'll learn something."

The aggressors all stared up at Jeb with disdain. "We haven't got time for walkin' and hand-holding!" Albert shouted. "Right now, those Fielders are probably loading up those bastardized catapults for an attack while we're being held up!"

There was a loud chorus of agreement from the others.

"I assure you, they aren't." Jeb stared back at the man intently. "And if I were you, sir, I'd make time for my wife. I don't think you understand what you're about to lose."

"What are you saying?" Samuel asked.

"We are saying," Sara picked up, glaring at her husband. "That you will agree to come with us to the lake, or we will leave you to your fighting. We will go and not come back."

Silence hung heavy over Crowley until Albert finally broke it. "You wouldn't."

"The subject," Ann said heatedly, "is not open for discussion. You either come or we leave."

Without another word, Ann and Sara left the group, striding purposefully towards the lake. More of the women and children followed, leaving the men standing. Again, Jeb found it impossible not to grin.

After a few moments of indecision, Albert pulled sharply on the lapels of his jacket and started after his wife. His followers straggled after him in an air of apprehensive curiosity.

On the other side of the fence in the town of Fielder, DG was having a very similar conversation with a tall, skinny man named Ernest. The only difference was Ruth vowed to find a new place to store a very threatening pitchfork if he didn't get his butt to the lake.

There were more comfortable places she could be, no doubt. Beside DG, Raw shifted nervously. Together, they stood between two of the most hostile groups DG had ever seen. The Town of Crowley scowled across the lake at the Town of Fielder, and the Town of Fielder scowled right back.

DG just hoped Ann, Ruth, and the other women could continue to exercise some control over their husbands until they got this whole sordid thing aired out. Having two groups as hostile as these within such close proximity wasn't her best idea, but the lake was the only thing big enough for Raw to mirror his vision in so that all could see it.

A wave of relief passed over DG when she saw Jeb jogging towards her. "Let's get going."

DG nodded and gave Raw a quick smile before clearing her throat. "Gentlemen, I know you've been fighting a long time. So long in fact, most of you seem to have forgotten why you're fighting at all."

"The Crowleys started it!" A voice called from the Fielders side.

"Curse the suns we did! It was you blasted Fielders!"

DG raised her voice over the growing din as the wives jerked their husbands' sleeves and reminded them that this was to be a peace conference, not a declaration of war. "The point is there has been a huge mistake." She put a hand on Raw's shoulder. "My friend here can show you your history, just by touching one of you."

At a nod from Ruth, Maddy ran forward to Raw who had already crouched down to give her a hug. Then gently, he took one of the little girl's hands in his own and touched the water of the lake with his other hand.

The image shimmered forward immediately, large enough for everyone to see. The lake turned dark and they all watched as a large barn door opened. Two young boys entered, one with dark hair and one with light.

The dark-haired boy was carrying a lantern. The light illuminated the barn's interior. It was stacked to the rafters with large, impossibly spherical pumpkins. "I can't wait for the Launching Contest tomorrow."

His companion nodded. "Me, too. The Fall Harvest Festival is my favorite time of year. I love to see our round pumpkins fly. You know, the rounder they are and the better they fly."

"Who cares?" The dark-haired boy laughed. "It's the launcher that matters."

"Pumpkin shape is just as important." The sandy-haired youngster stuck out his chin. "You're just jealous, 'cause you all in Crowley can't grow things as well as we can in Fielder."

"And you're just jealous, 'cause you all can't build things as smartly as we can in Crowley." The dark-haired boy put the lantern down on a small table. "Probably wouldn't even be a Pumpkin Launching Contest if it weren't for people like my father."

"Don't get all smug, Phillip. My Dad could build a Launcher, too."

Phillip laughed. "Yeah, right, Dennis. You're Dad's just a dumb farmer."

Dennis lunged at Phillip, pushing him. "Take it back!"

Phillip stumbled, but kept his feet. "No!"

Dennis went for his friend again, but Phillip was ready. He caught Dennis by the shirt and began to wrestle for control. The blonde boy flipped his opponent, sending both of them backwards. Phillip's feet knocked the legs from under the table and sending the lantern smashing to the floor. The glass broke immediately and the oil spilled all over the straw strewn floor.

The fire spread swiftly, fueled by the oil and the dry, abundant straw. The boys, obviously frightened, backed away and ran for the door, only barely escaping as the flames climbed higher, licking the rinds of Fielders' prized pumpkins.

Raw removed his hand from the water and giving Maddy a quick smile, he sent her back to her mother. DG looked around. On both the Crowley and Fielder sides, there was an abundance of shocked expressions.

"That's how it started." DG began, quietly. "It started with two boys arguing and an accident."

"But that Crowley boy, Phillip. He . . ." The excuse went flat as several of the Fielders stared down the speaker.

"Don't you see? Before all of this, Crowley and Fielder used to get along. They had a festival in the fall after the harvest. Only, this year, there's nothing to harvest because you've spent the entire growing season fighting. Not much to celebrate."

"And think of your wives." Jeb spoke up and DG felt an up swell of gratitude for his support. "They have to work doubly hard just to make sure you and your children don't starve in the winter because you have been too busy fighting to provide for them."

"Wrong to teach children to hate." Raw added. DG smiled at him, but his innate shyness kept him from continuing.

She picked up the thread for him. "Raw's right. Is this the kind of life you want to leave for your kids? Fighting day in and day out? You could do so much more if worked together. Fielders," The men looked at her, "no one grows better crops than you, right?"

There was a timid rumble of agreement. "And Crowley, you are a group of skilled inventors and craftsmen, aren't you?"

They agreed with a bit more confidence. "Then just imagine what you could do if you all worked together."

"Imagine," Ernest spoke up, "how far our pumpkins would fly if we launched them from one of those Crowley Cannons."

This raised some excitement, not only from the Fielders, but also from the Crowleys. "Those nice, weighty, round pumpkins in one of our cannons? I bet we could launch that thing over four cornfields."

Beside her, Jeb shook his head.

DG grinned and said quietly to him. "Well, it's a start." She raised her voice. "I think you all are missing the point. There are more important things in life than launching pumpkins."

"Like feeding your families." Ruth said as she went to Ernest. "We have so much land. Imagine if we got a plow from Crowley. We could grow enough crops to live like royalty all winter long. "

Ann had gone to Albert as well. "And with the expertise of the Fielders, perhaps we could grow something a little more suitable to eat besides misshapen pumpkins."

Albert studied her for minute, before breaking into a grin. Before DG knew it, he was laughing and Ann along with him. She herself sputtered a giggle as the rest of the people gathered by the lake began to laugh as well.

As DG, Jeb, and Raw watched, families reunited with much kissing and hugging. And then slowly and miraculously, the people of the two towns began to merge and mingle, greeting each other and making introductions.

Some were still wary of their neighbors, but much to their surprise, Albert, with his arm still around his wife, made his way to Ernest and shook his hand.

"Well, that was fun." Jeb said. "But we're still no closer to the City of Emeralds."

"DG still not know which road to take."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that . . ."

"About what, may I ask?" Ernest had made his way over with Ruth, Albert and Ann along with them.

"Oh, that's right!" Ruth laughed. "These good folks were looking for directions before they got all caught up in our troubles."

"Is that so?" Albert smiled. "Funny twist of fate, isn't it?"

"There's a lot of that going around." DG snickered.

Jeb ignored her. "We were wondering about the crossroads. Where do the forks lead?"

"Well, coming from the northeast, the right fork leads down to Ruby Hollow, just a little town." Ernest informed them. "If you head straight, it dead ends. Road just stops."

"What about the left fork?" DG asked.

"Nobody goes that way." Albert said, a hint of apprehension in his voice. "It's cursed. That path leads to the Dark Forest. No one has ever passed through and lived."

DG exchanged glances with Raw and Jeb. No doubt which way they needed to go, then.

Before Jeb could respond, a teenage boy with the Crowley's distinctive dark hair came running from the villages. "Long Coats! Long Coats are coming!"

One of the other men had grabbed the boy by the shoulders. "Where? How many?"

"On the road!" The boy responded breathlessly. "A whole battalion of them."

DG felt fear grab her. These people were in danger and she got the nasty feeling it was their fault. She turned to Jeb. "Do you think they're after us?"

"Don't know, but finding us here would sure make their day." He grabbed Ernest's shoulder. "Get your families out of here. Long Coats have been ransacking villages all over the O.Z."

"You go. Keep the princess safe." Albert smiled at Jeb's flabbergasted look. "Yes, boy, it is the sticks and yes we've been a little preoccupied. But we do get some news out here. You just better guard yourselves a little more carefully then you did here."

"Yes sir."

"Go." Ruth said. "We'll keep them busy while you get away."

"All right, boys!" Albert yelled. "Let's get those cannons repositioned. Get the ammunition! We'll give those Long Coats a whuppin' the likes of which they ain't never seen."

A war cry went up as the Crowleys and Fielders raced back to their respective towns.

"Shall we find out what happens when the best pumpkin cannons fire the roundest pumpkins?" Ernest asked.

"I'd say it's about damned time." Albert agreed as the two men took off after their fellow townsfolk.

"We can't let you do this." DG told Ruth and Ann as they all began to hurry back towards the towns. "Those Long Coats have guns and they're desperate."

"They won't even get close, Your Highness." Ann replied. "Besides, we owe you. Might as well put all those good pumpkin launching skills to use."

"But-"

"DG." He put a hand on her shoulder. "These people are risking their lives. Honor their wishes."

Knowing he was right, DG conceded. "C'mon Raw."

Together, the three took off running for Fielder as fast as they could. By the time they got there, all three of their mounts were saddled and standing next to a freshly smashed hole in the tall fence that separated the two towns. Cannons were being hauled through by teams of large, gray horses.

Jeb checked Speedy's girth and got DG in the saddle before vaulting onto his own horse. Samuel reached up to grasp his hand. "I want to thank you."

"Thanks for getting the horses." Jeb replied.

"There are fresh provisions in your bags." Samuel stepped back, leaving to help prepare for the battle to come. "Good luck."

"You, too." DG called as she clocked Speedy in the ribs with her heels. She must have caught his attention because the usually lazy creature leapt forward at a pace that surprised DG. She held on, though. There were Long Coats on her tail and people were risking their lives to give her a chance to escape. No way was she coming off now.

Jeb's horse kept pace and DG could hear Raw's thundering on behind her. Feeling a little brave, she used the bight of the reins to catch Speedy across the hindquarters. He flattened his ears and for a brief second, DG wondered if she had overplayed her hand. But the horse didn't buck. Instead, he stretched out and hit a new gear that left her companions in the dust. DG felt her breath catch again as the animal tore across the dirt cornfield, slowing only marginally as he reached the cover of the peach trees where Ann had picked fruit to can. DG impressed herself when she managed to negotiate the trunks without getting brushed off by any of the branches.

Speedy's forefeet clipped on the brick road just before Jeb's horse and immediately, DG swung him to the left, heading towards the Dark Forest. Behind her, she heard the distinct report of cannon fire.