Chapter 9: Sardines

Sitting on her throne, Blade looked miserably at the schedule her treasurer, Hobson, planned out for her. Being the queen, Blade wondered if she could ask Walter to cover all this for her while she took a day to organize her battle plan for the Crawler's slaughter. After studying her schedule a few more times, Blade sighed, crumbled the paper, and threw it to the ground. Someone snickered in the doorway.

"Bored, your majesty?" Blade's faithful companion and romantic interest, Andrew, guessed as he leaned against the door frame.

Blade nodded.

"That's not good. Last time you were bored, you tricked me into stealing Reaver's unicorn painting."

"Ah," Blade grinned, "good times."

She began tugging at her bangs, which she did when she was deep in thought. Andrew admired her for a moment.

"I have an idea," Blade said, finally.

"Oh no."

Blade flew out of the throne room and down a flight of stairs. However, she tripped over the third step, lost her footing, and, instead of moving gracefully like a queen should, Blade tumbled to the first floor. Reaver stepped into the castle just in time to laugh at the clumsy girl. Andrew hurried after Blade to help her to her feet and dust her off.

"That was your big plan?" he asked.

"No, not really. Reaver! I need to see you in the throne room, pronto!"

Blade ran through the castle corridors, telling whoever she could find to meet her in the throne room. After everyone gathered in the throne room, Blade explained why she called them together: she wanted them to play a game with her.

"Sardines," she grinned.

Andrew rolled his eyes. He taught her how to play while they were in Aurora, waiting for Walter to heal from his encounter with the Crawler. During the game, he, Blade, and Ben Finn ran around the city, hiding in random homes and temples.

Seeing as Blade's intentions were meaningless, most of the crowd left, uninterested. A few maids, a guard, Reaver, and Andrew stayed. Blade explained to the remaining group how to play the game before demanding to hide first. She skipped delightfully out of the room, while the rest of the group began counting to thirty.

Andrew bolted out off the room as soon as they finished counting. He didn't trust Reaver alone with Blade. If anyone was going to find her first, it was going to Andrew.

He flung open the nearest closet door and tiptoed inside it. A crouched and rather uncomfortable Blade grinned at him. Seconds later, freckled Ben peeked inside. Blade waved at him, causing Andrew, who sat on her lap, to bobble.

"What are you two doing in here?"

"Playing Sardines," Andrew answered.

"Join us," Blade beckoned.

Ben stepped inside the closet, slowly closing the door behind him.

"How are we supposed to fit everyone in here?" Andrew wondered.

"Exactly," Blade winked at the slightly amused man.

The door opened again a few minutes later, and two maids quietly walked inside. Then the guard found them, huddled in the small closet. The group giggled and waited for Reaver. Reaver frowned as he opened the most-cliche-hiding-spot's door, realizing that he was the last to find Blade. He shot Andrew a glare when he saw the blacksmith's smug face.

"Andrew found me first," Blade told the group as they walked back to the throne room, "so he gets to hide next."

The group counted again, while Andrew picked his hiding place.

This time, Reaver discovered him first, behind a shower curtain.

"Found you," Reaver whispered.

Andrew rolled his eyes. For a while, the two watched each other. The maids found them next. They giggled when they saw Reaver. Ben followed them. Then Blade located them.

"The guard gave up," she pouted.

"It's Reaver's turn to hide," Andrew stated, throwing his arm around Blade's shoulder, protectively.

He looked at Reaver while doing this. Reaver grinned at him.

While Reaver was hiding, Blade spotted him first, squatting behind a couch.

Finally, he thought as the edges of his lips curled into a hungry smile, some alone time with Blade.

Blade didn't notice the look on his face until he scooted close to her. Silently, she prayed someone would find them before Reaver had a chance to perform his evil deeds to her.

"So," Reaver's arm slithered around her waist.

"Don't touch me," Blade ordered.

"Or what?" Reaver asked, smiling flirtatiously.

Blade kneed him in a rather unpleasant area. Reaver doubled over in pain. Andrew and Ben walked in on them. Andrew smiled at the sight of Reaver in pain.

In order to save Albion from the Crawler's wrath, Blade needed to keep some money in the treasury. About 6 million pieces of gold, to be exact.

Her first plan was to sell everything she owned (besides the castle) to gain some dinero. Her second plan was to invest her savings in an estate from each town and rent it out. Seeing as this wasn't enough, Blade finally decided to get a job. She found the perfect one: bounty hunting. Getting paid to do the one thing she loves most.

Despite Blade's efforts to save Albion, the Crawler invaded Bowerstone anyway and it was up to Blade, Andrew, Ben Finn, Walter, and Logan to defeat him.